Okay, now let's turn again our
Bible to John 17. John 17. And although this be the seventh
message from John chapter 17, the Lord's people never weary
of hearing about Him. I've never heard a believer complain
that the preacher said too much about the Lord Jesus Christ,
His faithfulness, His greatness, His obedience, His redemption,
and His salvation. So in John 17, we'll try to look
at verse 19 down through verse 23. And this is the title of
the message, the Lord's Prayer, part 7. Part 7. Again, as we return to this very,
very special chapter in God's Holy Word. Not that we set one
chapter against another. They're all special. But this
is special, special. Unto the Lord's people. It is
the Lord Jesus Christ praying for His whole family. His body. His whole church. His only bride, His wife, called
in the Revelation chapter 21 verse 9, you remember the messenger
from heaven said to John, come up hither and I'll show thee
the bride, the Lamb's wife. We are the Lamb's wife. He is
our head. He is our husband. The Lord loved
the church and gave himself for it. Husbands, love your wives
even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. I want
us to turn for a moment and turn to Isaiah 54 and read how the
Lord Jesus Christ is called our husband. We are his body. He is our head. He is our husband. who provides all things for us,
who takes the complete responsibility upon himself to finish salvation
for us, to put away our sin for us, to bring in everlasting righteousness
for us. Isaiah 54 verse 5, for thine
maker is thine husband. We are His workmanship created
in Christ Jesus. For the Lord of hosts is His
name. He's thy Redeemer. He is the
Redeemer who really does redeem us from all our sin. He's the
Holy One of Israel. He's the God of the whole earth,
shall He be called. He's my husband. I'm married
to Him. I love it. He provides everything
for me. Clothes? He's clothed us with
the garments of salvation, with the robe of righteousness, food.
He's the bread of life, a dwelling place, a tabernacle. We dwell
in Him. He's the God of the whole earth.
For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken, grieved
in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith
thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken
thee, but with great mercies I will gather thee. In a little
wrath I hid my face from thee, but with everlasting kindness
will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer." Aren't
you glad you have a Redeemer? a Savior who really saves, a
Redeemer who really justifies us from all our sin. Now turn
back to John 17, and here our husband is praying for us, praying
for us. Look at verse 19, and for their
sakes I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified
through the truth. Now reading and studying and
meditating upon this prayer gives every believer assurance. Assurance, doesn't it? He prays
for me. Gives us assurance, gives us
confidence. We are the true Israel which
worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and we have
no confidence in the flesh, but we have great confidence in Him. Confidence in Him that He's able
to do all that He has promised, gives us a sure hope of salvation
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Reading and studying and meditating
upon this prayer, gives us assurance, doesn't it? The Lord prays for
us. Since He represents us before God, as our husband, as our head,
the old writers used to talk about the Lord Jesus Christ,
and they'd use that term, you've heard it before, federal headship. He's our federal head. He represents
us before God. He represents us before God and
presents us before God, holy, unblameable, unreprovable in
His sight. He presents us unto the Father. He's not ashamed to call us brethren. He dressed us in His righteousness
alone. He represents us before God.
He ever lives to intercede for us. When we sin, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And this one came
to put away all our sin by the sacrifice of himself. And my
friend, he did not fail. to make complete, full atonement
for everyone that He died for. Their sin is gone. They are justified
by Him. Since the Lord Jesus Christ alone
merited all of our justification, all the righteousness that we
have is in Christ. He is our sanctification. He
is our redemption. He is our holiness. He is our sanctification. How
can any sinner who looks unto Him, relies and believes upon
Him, and trusts Him, how can any for whom He died, for whom
He stood, ever perish before God? My sheep, he says, I love
them, I know them, they hear my voice, I give unto them eternal
life, and they can never, they can never perish. He said, lo, I'm with you always,
even to the end of the earth. He said, I will never leave you.
We're going to see this in Hebrews 13 in a few weeks. Get over there
to verse 5. He said, I'll never leave thee.
I'll never forsake thee. You say, well, I don't feel his
presence. He didn't ask you, do you feel my presence? He said,
believe my promise. I'll never leave thee nor forsake
thee. Those who trust in Him and look
to Him shall never perish or despair of saving mercy in the
Lord Jesus Christ as we look unto Him. Now, turn over here. Hold your place there. Let's
turn to one scripture. I think it will give us some
help here. Turn over to 2 Thessalonians. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. 2
Thessalonians chapter 2. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself,
look at verse 16. Our Lord Jesus Christ himself
and God, even our Father, who has loved us and has given us
an everlasting consolation and a good hope through grace. Now, what does that do? Look
at verse 17, comfort your heart. That comforts my heart. He's
given us an everlasting consolation and a good hope through, not
my works, His grace. It'll comfort your heart. It'll
establish you in every good word and work looking to Christ. What a blessing to have what
we call precious faith. Precious faith looks to the Lord
Jesus Christ. You see, looking to the Lord
Jesus Christ, we see in Him there is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ. Looking to the
Lord Jesus Christ, we learn in Scripture that He has freely
given unto us all spiritual blessings. He that spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also
freely give us all things? No condemnation in Him. He's
freely justified us by His grace. And then it says in the last
part of that 8th chapter of Romans, there's no condemnation. That's
how it begins and it ends with this, no separation. There's
no separation from the love of God, which is in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now with that introduction, let's
go back and revisit verse 17 for just a minute. And for their
sake, For their sake, for His body, His church, His bride,
I set myself apart. I sanctify myself. Now the Lord
Jesus Christ, He is the absolute holy God. But as a God-man mediator,
He is set apart in a special way for His wife. for his bride,
for his body, and for his church. For their sake, I set myself
apart in that mediatorial role as the advocate, as the surety,
as the mediator, that they also might be sanctified, or as the
marginal reference has, truly sanctified through this truth.
Through this truth. The truth. The truth. I want
to know the truth, don't you? Our Lord said, it's the truth
that sets us free. I want to know the truth about
who God is. And who the Lord Jesus Christ
is. The Lord Jesus Christ says here
in verse 19, I set myself apart. The Lord Jesus Christ was set
apart from all eternity. as the mediator of that better
covenant. He said, I am, there's one God
and one mediator between God and men, that is the God-man,
the Lord Jesus Christ. There was one mediator. The Lord
Jesus Christ is the surety of that eternal covenant. Turn over
to Hebrews chapter 7. Hebrews chapter 7, this is familiar
territory, because we've been in the book of Hebrews for the
last couple of years. In Hebrews chapter 7, the Lord
Jesus Christ here is called by so much, verse 22, He's a surety,
Jesus was made a surety of a better testament. And they were truly
many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason
of death. But this man, because he continueth ever, he has an
unchangeable priesthood, wherefore he is able to save them to the
uttermost, that come to God by him, seeing he ever lives to
make intercession for them. Look at Hebrews 8 verse 6. But
now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he
is a mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better
promises. The Lord Jesus Christ was set
apart in that eternal covenant of grace as a mediator, as a
surety of that covenant, as a sacrifice of that covenant, that everyone
for whom he died might be truly and fully sanctified in Christ
Jesus. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ
cleanses us from all our sin. We are fully justified by his
merit, right? Fully justified by His merit
and we are fully and completely sanctified by His merit, by His
will alone. Sanctified in Him. Now, let's
go back to the book of Hebrews one more time. Back to the book
of Hebrews. We're fully justified by His
merit and fully sanctified by His merit. We're justified by
His will and we're sanctified by His will. Made holy in Christ. Hebrews 2, I think we read this
last week, verse 11, for both He that sanctifies and they who
are sanctified are all of one for the which cause He's not
ashamed to call them brethren. were set apart in him by that
eternal covenant of grace. And then turn to Hebrews 10,
and he actually justifies and sanctifies by his will and by
the shedding of his blood. Hebrews 10, look at verse 9. Then he said, Lo, I come to do
thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that
he may establish the second. Now that first there is a covenant
of works. The first covenant revealed that
he may establish a second, which is the eternal covenant of grace.
By the which will, Hebrews 10.10, we are sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Every priest
standeth daily ministering, offering oftentimes the same sacrifices,
which can never take away sin. But this man, after he offered
one sacrifice for sin, sat down on the right hand of God, from
henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
For by one offering he hath perfected them forever that are sanctified,"
set apart in that eternal covenant of grace. Now, we are not progressively
sanctified. We are not progressively being
made holy. We are completely justified and
we are completely sanctified. The Lord Jesus Christ is made
unto us sanctification. We do grow in grace and in the
knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we don't grow in holiness
any more than we grow in justification. I'm as holy now as I ever will
be, and holy in His sight. That's what it says in Colossians
chapter 1. He presents us holy, unblameable, unreprovable in
God's sight. Holy? This sinner? Holy before God? Yes, in Christ
I'm separated and made holy. In Him He is my holiness. We are not considered holy by
what we do. Now, I'm all for morality. I'm
all for morality, but my morality doesn't form the basis or ground
of my sanctification. I'm not sanctified by anything
I do any more than I'm justified by something I do. We are sanctified
in Christ by His will, by His offering. He is made unto us. Sanctification. Now we read just
a moment ago, don't turn, let me just read it to you, We're
told in Ephesians 5, Husband, love your wives, even as Christ
also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might
sanctify it. and cleanse it with the washing
of water by the word, that's the preaching of the gospel,
that's how we find out about sanctification, that he might
present it to himself a glorious church, not having a spot, not
having a wrinkle, not having any such thing. It's a perfect
sanctification. A perfect holiness that it should
be holy, his body, his church should be holy without spot or
blemish. Now, we are holy in Him. Every
believer... Now, if you've watched some of
the news the last week or so, how they've taken some of the
old dead popes that have died, and the Catholic Church is canonizing
them, and the Catholic Church says they're going to make them
saints. That's just absolute foolishness.
I mean, that's what the old Charles Spurgeon called tomfoolery. How can any organization declare
and make somebody a saint? How can they do that? Where do
they get their power? Where do they get their authority?
However, the Word of God does declare that every believer is
a saint. You're looking at St. Thomas.
Did you know that? There's St. Lionel, St. Jerry. Every believer is a saint. We are sanctified in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now let me show you some scripture.
I can make good on this. When Paul writes to the Romans, Romans chapter 1 turn there we
see this all through the epistles when when he entered has what
we call the introduction in his epistle to the Corinthians or
to the Thessalonians or to those churches in Galatia or Ephesus
in Romans chapter 1 Look at verse 7 to all that be in Rome. You got it Romans 1 verse 7 to
all that be in Rome They're beloved of God They are beloved of God
and they're called, the two letters there, two words, to be, notice
they're italicized, I think it takes away from the power of
what's being said here, called, leave those two words out, called
saints. They're beloved of God and they're
called saints. Grace to you and peace from God
the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Now let's turn
over to a few pages to 1 Corinthians chapter 1. 1 Corinthians chapter
1. Now, I'm working on this a little
bit because I want us to understand what sanctification is. sanctify
them by thy truth thy word is truth in 1st Corinthians chapter
1 notice this if you will verse 2 unto the church of God this
is 1st Corinthians 1 verse 2 unto the church of God which is at
Corinth to them that are sanctified in Christ called saints. They're sanctified in Christ
Jesus and they're called and regarded as saints. Every believer is a saint and
all with all that are in every place call upon the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ both theirs and ours. Now here's a very familiar
scripture, I quote it all the time in First Corinthians chapter
1 verse 30. Turn there, look at verse 30.
But of him are you in Christ Jesus? How did you get in Christ
Jesus? He put me in Christ. He chose
me in that covenant of grace. We don't put ourselves in Christ.
1 Corinthians 1.30 But of him are you in Christ? Who of God
is made unto us wisdom? He is our wisdom. It's only by
the wisdom that He gives us that we understand the gospel. He
is our righteousness. He's the Lord our righteousness.
And He has made unto us sanctification. You see that? And He is our redemption,
that according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory
only in the Lord. We are sanctified and justified
in the Lord Jesus Christ by His will and by His doing, not something
we have done or ever will do. Find 1 Peter, 1 Peter chapter
1. 1 Peter chapter 1. It says in verse 1, Peter, an
apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia, verse 2, elect
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through the
sanctification of the Spirit. That's that sanctifying, regenerating
work of grace in the heart. unto obedience and the sprinkling
of the blood of Jesus Christ grace unto you and peace be multiplied
blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us into a living
hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance
incorruptible undefiled fadeth not away reserved in heaven for
you who are kept by the power of God now turn to 2nd Peter
chapter 1 2 Peter 1 Let's read it, verse 1. This
is 2 Peter 1.1, you with me? Simon Peter, a servant and apostle
of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith
with us, through the righteousness of God, our Savior Jesus Christ,
grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge
of God and of Jesus our Lord, according as His divine power
hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life, Godliness
he's our sanctification through the knowledge of him that had
called us unto glory and virtue whereby are given unto us exceeding
great Precious promises that by these you might be partakers
of a divine holy nature And that's what He implants in us and gives
us. You see, it's not the flesh that's
sanctified. The flesh is the flesh. It's
the new man in Christ Jesus, that new nature that He imparts
unto us. "...might be partakers of the
divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the
world through lust." We have in the Lord Jesus Christ, and
what this causes us to do This sanctifying work of God the Holy
Spirit causes us to be convicted of our sin, causes us to look
to the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation and for all spiritual
blessings in Him. Now we sang a moment ago that
old hymn that we've been singing for hundreds and hundreds of
years, the church has, Rock of Ages, written by Augustus Toplady. And we sang a moment ago, Rock
of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee. Let the
water and thy blood from thy wounded side which flowed be
of sin a double cure. Saved from wrath, that's justification. Saved from wrath at justification,
justified freely by His grace, and make me pure." What is that? Sanctification. We're sanctified
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Top Lady also penned the words
to this psalm. Complete atonement thou hast
made, and to the utmost farthing paid whatever thy people owed. How then can wrath on me take
place, if sheltered in thy righteousness, and sprinkled with thy blood?
If thou hast my discharge procured, and freely in my room endured,
the whole of wrath divine, payment God's justice cannot demand,
first at my bleeding charity's hand, and then again at mine. We are justified and we are sanctified
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now turn back to the 17th chapter
of John one more time and let's look at verse 20. He says, Pray I for these alone, but for
them also which shall believe on me through, through something. God ordained the means to arrive
at a certain end, which shall believe on me, believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ through their word. And that's the word of
God. the Word of Truth. And here we
see something about the ministry of the Gospel, the preaching
of the Gospel. The Lord not only prays for those
11 apostles as He was about to send them out into the world,
you remember what He said in verse 18? He prays, Father as
Thou hast sent me into the world on purpose, Even so have I also
sent them into the world." He sent out men, sinners, saved
by grace, to tell other sinners that salvation is of the Lord. The Lord not only prays for those
11 apostles that were with Him that day, but thank God He also
prays for every future believer that would believe the gospel.
His whole church. That we would be brought unto
the Lord in saving mercy and in effectual grace and made new
creatures in Christ the Lord. Now, you remember John 6.37?
Don't turn, let me just quote it to you. He says, "...all that
the Father giveth me, they shall come to me and him that cometh
to me I will in no wise cast out." Now the Lord Jesus Christ
has decreed and declared how he's going to draw his sheep
unto him. My sheep they hear my voice and
they follow me and I give unto them eternal life. I know them
and I give unto them eternal life. The Lord draws his people
and brings us to Christ in faith through the preaching of the
word, through the preaching of the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ, through the means the Lord has ordained, which shall
believe on Christ through preaching. Remember he said in Mark 16,
go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved. Let us never minimize the importance
of preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now often
we're accused, those who stand for and preach the sovereign
grace of God, often we're accused of being hard shells. That is,
that God's going to save His people apart from the means that
He's ordained. That's not so. God has ordained
the end and also the means to arrive at that end. And He calls
out His people through the preaching of the gospel. Now let's see
if we can make good on that. Turn to Romans 10. Romans chapter
10. We believe in preaching the gospel.
We believe in missions and supporting the missionaries who preach in
other countries, other places. In Romans 10, look at verse 11.
For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be
ashamed. For there is no difference between
the Jew and the Greek. For the same Lord over all is
rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Now that's so. You
call upon the name of the Lord as a mercy beggar and you shall
be saved. Read on. How then shall they
call on Him in whom they have not believed? How shall they
believe in Him of whom they have not heard? How shall they hear
except someone tells them the truth without a preacher? How
shall they preach except they be sent?" Those who are sent
of God have one message. It's Christ, His person, His
work. How shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written,
how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of
peace, that bring glad tidings of good things, but they have
not all obeyed the gospel, as Isaiah has said, for Lord, who
had believed our report? So then faith comes by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God. God has ordained the preaching
of the gospel to call out his people. Neither pray I for these
alone, but for them also which shall believe on him." You cannot
believe in someone that you don't know anything about. That's impossible.
Brother Mahan used to put it this way. You can't come back
from where you haven't been. That's a pretty good way of putting
it. You can't believe on one in whom
you've never heard about. There has to be the preaching
of the gospel. God has ordained it. God has
also promised to bless his word. He said, my word will not return
unto me void. That's why Paul instructed young
Timothy before he died to go and preach the word. Preach the
word, be instant, in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke,
exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. God has ordained
it. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter
4. 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Look what is 2 Corinthians chapter
4, for we preach not ourselves, we don't preach ourselves. But
we do preach the Lord Jesus Christ. We say with the Apostle Paul,
I'm determined not to know anything among you for salvation, but
Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We preach Christ Jesus the Lord,
not ourselves, and ourselves your servant for his sake. For
God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined
in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We have this treasure in earthen
vessels that the excellency, the power may be of God and not
of us. God had promised to bless His
Word. He's ordained it. It pleased
God by the foolishest of preaching to save them that believe. Now,
aren't you thankful? Now, sitting there thinking about
this, and I looked at this again as I studied this and thought
about it again. Aren't you glad the Lord sent
you a faithful gospel preacher? You never would have heard about
the true Christ and the true God and the true gospel except
God sent you a faithful God-called gospel preacher. who told you
the truth about S-I-N, sin, what I am. And Adam all died. There's none righteous, no not
one. I'm a sinner. I need to hear
that over and over again. If the Lord doesn't teach me
I'm a sinner, I'll never seek salvation. That's right. Unless
the Lord convicts us, strips us, and lays us in the dust,
we'll never sue for mercy. Before the Lord clothes us, He
has to strip us. Before He raises us, He has to
put us in the dust. And He does this by the declaration
of the truth about what sin is. We are sinners. Secondly, aren't
you glad the Lord sent you as faithful gospel preacher to tell
you the truth about salvation? It's God who saved us and called
us with a holy calling, not according to our work, but according to
God's own purpose and grace. We're no longer going about to
establish a righteousness of our own, but rather we're resting
in the Lord Jesus Christ, salvation by His grace, grace, grace alone. We believe, as Peter said there
in Acts 15, we believe through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
we shall be saved. I am what I am by the grace of
God. It's God who saved us. It's God
who called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and grace. Purpose and grace. Given us in Christ before the
foundation of the world. Aren't you glad the Lord sent
you a faithful gospel preacher to tell you the truth about sin,
to tell you the truth about salvation, to tell you the truth of the
way of mercy in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. God is merciful
and he delights to show mercy in Christ. Neither is there salvation
in any other for there's no other name under heaven given among
men whereby we must be saved. You see, it's from the Word of
God alone that we learn the truth about sin. salvation, where we
learn the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is God,
that He is faithful in all that He does, that He accomplished
salvation for us, that He by Himself put away our sin by the
sacrifice of Himself, that He finished the work the Father
gave Him to do, and we learn all about that from the Word
of God. The truth of God from God's faithful
gospel preachers. Now let me show you another scripture
and I'm going to let you go here in just a minute. I'm not going
to get as far as what I thought I was going to get. I'm not going
to get down to the verses that we talked about. We'll have to
save that for next week, but that's okay. Find 1 Thessalonians
chapter 1. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. We give thanks to God, 1 Thessalonians
1, verse 2. We give thanks to God for you
all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without
ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, patience of hope in
our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God our Father, knowing,
brethren, beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not
unto you in word only, now it did come in the word. These apostles
were sent, Paul and others, our Lord said, neither pray I for
these alone, but for those that shall believe on me through their
word, through their preaching. The gospel came unto you not
in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in
much assurance, as you know what men are men, we were among you
for your sake, and you became followers of the Lord, having
received the word, in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit.
Now turn one page, 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 13. First Thessalonians
2 verse 13, for this cause also thank we God without ceasing,
because when you receive the word of God, which you heard
of us, you received it not as a word of men, but as it is in
truth the word of God that effectually works in you that believe. Now find second Thessalonians
chapter two. Second Thessalonians chapter
two. Look at verse 13. We are bound to give thanks always
to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord. Beloved of the Lord. Remember we read in Romans 1-7,
beloved of God, called saints. Beloved of the Lord. He loved
his people with an everlasting love. Because God has from the
beginning chosen you to salvation through, here's the sanctification
again. Sanctification of the Spirit.
Now what is that? Is that some gooey feeling? Is
that some emotional feeling? What is sanctification of the
Spirit? It's regeneration. It's God raising us from the
dead. And he does it with the preaching of the truth. Of his
own will begat he us with the word of truth. Through sanctification
of the Spirit and that leads to belief of the truth. The faith of God's elect acknowledges
the truth, salvation of the Lord. Whereunto he called you by our
gospel. Now how did he call you? He called
you by the gospel. to the obtaining of the glory
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast,
hold to the tradition. You see that word? It means truth. Hold to the truth which you have
been taught, whether by word or whether by epistle. Hold to
the word. Don't move from the word. Now,
go back to the text again. I guess we've covered two things,
sanctification And then how the Lord uses the preaching of the
gospel to call out his people. And for their sake I sanctify
myself that they also might be sanctified, truly sanctified
through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone,
but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. What did they preach? It says
in the book of Acts they went everywhere preaching the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Okay.