I have chosen to speak today
from John 17, the 17th chapter of John. Now, this is one of
the most important chapters in the Word of God. That's no more
inspired than any other scripture, but it's so special, so very
special, because it permits us to listen as the Lord Jesus Christ
speaks to the Father. This is the Lord's Prayer. Our great high priest, the Lord
Jesus Christ, is praying to the Father, and this prayer is just
hours before He suffered on the cross of Calvary for our salvation,
to redeem His people. Now, there are 26 verses in this
17th chapter of John, and I'm going to go verse by verse, speak
to you, if I can, on each verse, and I'll proceed as far as I
can go. But I would like very much if
you'd take your Bibles and open them there before you and follow
as I read the Scriptures and comment. Now, here in verse 1,
it says, And he lifted his eyes to heaven, and he said, Father,
the hour is come. Glorify thy Son, that thy Son
may glorify Thee." The hour has come. What hour is that? Well,
it's the hour of the cross. The hour purposed in the covenant
of grace. You know our Lord is the Lamb
slain before the foundation of the world. And this hour was
purposed and is designed and ordained of the Father before
the world began. This hour when Christ would suffer
as a ransom for His people. And this is the hour pictured
in all Old Testament sacrifices from the time that Abel sacrificed
the first lamb and the Passover lamb and the brazen serpent lifted
up. All of these lambs that were
slain and sacrificed are a picture of the Lamb of God, our Lord
Jesus Christ. This hour is purposed from eternity
and pictured in every Old Testament sacrifice And it's the hour to
which our Lord referred again and again and again. You remember
at the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee when Mary came to
Him and said, They have no more wine. And He said, Woman, what
have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. This is the hour of which He
spake. And then once the disciples were urging Him not to go to
Jerusalem, they said, They'll kill you up there. He said, Shall
I pray that the Father would save me from this hour? For this
hour came I to this place. And then when they had eaten
the Lord's table, kept the Passover and eaten the Lord's table, He
said to His disciples, Arise, let us go hence, the hour is
come. So here, hours before the cross,
the Lord Jesus is praying to the Father, and He said, The
hour has come. Now glorify thy son, that thy
son may glorify thee. Now look at verse 2. He says,
Thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give
eternal life to as many as Thou hast given him. The word power
here is authority. Our Lord said to the Father,
You have given me total, complete authority. power over all flesh
in order that I should give eternal life to as many as thou hast
given me. The earth is the Lord's. It's
His. The earth is the Lord's and the
fullness thereof, the world and all they that dwell therein.
He is Lord over all flesh. He has authority over all things,
authority by decree, authority by design, and authority by death. He died that he may be Lord of
the dead and the living. And in order to redeem his people,
he's got to have authority over all flesh. He said to his disciples
after he had risen from the grave and before he sent them out to
preach, he said, now, all authority, all power is given to me in heaven
and earth. Therefore, go and make disciples. baptize them and teach them to
observe the things that I've commanded you. Thou hast given
me authority, power." We don't worship an impotent Savior. We don't worship a Redeemer who
fails to accomplish what He came to do. He has all authority over
all flesh. I remember when Pilate, I remember
reading when Pilate said to him, "'Answerest thou not me? Knowing that I have the power
to crucify you or turn you loose, what did the Lord reply? You
could have no power over me at all except it be given you from
heaven. I have all authority. The scripture
says this is the record. God has given us eternal life. Eternal life is the gift of Christ.
It's the gift of God. And this life is any son. He
that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son
of God hath not life. Now verse 3, Our Lord said, Father,
you've given me authority over all flesh, that I should give
eternal life to as many as thou hast given me. And then in verse
3 he says, And this is life eternal. You want to know what life eternal
is? Here's the definition, given to us by the Savior Himself. He says, this is life eternal,
that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom Thou hast sent. My friends, eternal life is not
called eternal life because of how long it lasts. I know eternal
life is forever, but that's not why it's called eternal life.
It's called eternal life because it's spiritual life. It's the
life of God. God is eternal and God is life. And if we have God, we have eternal
life. You see that? Eternal life is
divine life. It's the life of God in the soul. You hath He quickened who were
dead. And when He quickens us, we're
born of God and we have the life of God. So an eternal life is
to know God. It's to believe God. It's to
live and walk and fellowship with God, to know God. That's
what John wrote in the epistle. He said, our fellowship is with
the Father and with the Son. Eternal life's to know God. It's
to believe God. It's to walk with God. It's to
fellowship with God. It's for God to live in us and
us to live in God. Listen to 1 John 5, verse 20. The Son of God hath come and
hath given us an understanding that we may know Him, that this
eternal life is to know God, that we may know Him, that is
true, and that we're in Him, that is true, even in His Son,
Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and this
is eternal life. Did you see that? John is saying
the same thing the Savior says here. The Savior says, and this
is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. How does a man know God?
Well, the Son of God hath come and given to us an understanding,
an understanding of who God is, that we may know Him that is
true. that we're in Him that is true, and this is the true
God, and this is eternal life. All right, verse 4. And the monster
says, I have glorified thee on the earth. Now, no human being
has ever been able to say that. Christ said, Father, I have glorified
you on this earth. The old catechism used to ask
this question, what is the chief end of man? And the answer is,
the chief end of man is to glorify God. Well, no man has ever done
it perfectly, but this man did. Jesus Christ, the God-man, says,
I, Father, I, a man born of woman, a man born under the law, a man
of flesh and bones, I have glorified Thee, I've loved Thee perfectly,
I've obeyed Thee perfectly, I've honored Thee and served Thee
perfectly, and I did it on this earth in human flesh. Father, I have glorified You
on this earth." And this is the work the Father gave Him to do.
He came into the world to save sinners. And to save sinners,
He had to perfectly glorify God. He came to redeem and call out
a people for His name. And in order to redeem and call
out a people for His name, they've got to have a perfect righteousness.
And He's got to perfect it for them. They've got to have a sin
offering, and he has to be that sin offering. He came to give
us a perfect righteousness. He came in order that God may
be just and justify. He came to fulfill all things
on our behalf and restore our souls. And he says, Father, I've
glorified you on this earth. Now, what's the next line? I've
finished the work you gave me to do. What were the first words
recorded in the Bible that was spoken by Jesus Christ. The first words that he spoke
that are recorded in the Bible. He was about 12 years old and
his mother and father had sought him. He had gone back to Jerusalem
and he was in the temple talking with the preachers and with the
rulers of the synagogue. And finally they found him and
they said, don't you know we've been searching for you? And he
answered. This is what he said, his first
recorded words. Wish ye not that I be about my
Father's business, my Father's work." What's the last words
Jesus Christ spoke before He died on the cross? The very last
word. You know what they were? Three words. It is finished. I have finished the work You
gave me to do. Father, I've glorified You on
this earth and I've finished the work. you gave me to do,
the work of redeeming sinners. Thou shalt call his name Jesus.
He'll save his people from their sin. That's the work God gave
him to do. Whose work is it? My father's business. What kind
of work is it? To save his people from their
sin with a perfect holiness and a perfect sacrifice. Did he finish
it? He said he did. The father said
he did. The father said, this is my son. in whom I'm well pleased." Well
pleased. All right. Verse 5, "'And now,
Father,' the Master continues, "'glorify me with the glory which
I had with thee before the world was.'" I recommend that you get
acquainted with the book of Proverbs chapter 8. There's a portion
of Scripture in Proverbs 8 I forget what verse, which verse it begins
with, but it's talking about wisdom, and that wisdom is Christ.
And this is what he says in Proverbs 8, talking about, Father, glorify
me with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
He said, I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the
earth was. When there were no depths, I
was brought forth. When God prepared the heavens,
I was there. Glorify me. with the glory I
had with thee, before God said, let there be light, before God
said, let the dry land appear, before God ever made a creature. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word was
God. All things were made by Him.
Without Him was not anything made that was made. And here's
the remarkable thing about this prayer. He says, Father, Glorify
me with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."
Now listen to verse 22, "...and the glory which thou hast given
me I have given to my people." Think of it, eternal glory, infinite
glory, matchless glory, everlasting glory that He had with the Father
before the world was. He has purchased and given to
all of His people who believe on Him. That's the reason I say
this is an awesome chapter. And then verse 6, listen, I've
manifested Your name unto the men which You gave Me, which
You gave Me out of the world. I've manifested, I've revealed,
I've manifested, I've shown You and Your name to these men. They
are Thine and Thou gavest them Me. I've manifested Thy name. God's name is who He is. God's
name is who He is. God's name is what He is. That's
what He said to Moses, I am. God cannot say I was or I will
be. God says I am, that I am. His
name is who He is. Now the name Elohim, El Shaddai,
mighty God, mighty God. The name Elohim is mighty God. And the mighty God is seen and
manifested in many ways, in all things. El Shaddai, the mighty
God, Elohim, is manifested in creation. The heavens declare
the glory of Elohim. The firmament showeth His handiwork.
All of creation tells us of the power and wisdom and greatness
of our God. The whole creation speaks of
His wisdom. So the name of God as the mighty
God, Elohim, is seen everywhere. But the name of God that Christ
is talking about here. I've manifested, I've manifested
by name. And this is the only one in whom
this name can be seen or by whom this name can be manifested.
And that's the name Jehovah. Jehovah. The old Jews didn't
even call Him Elohim. They didn't pronounce that name.
It's too holy. They called Him Jehovah. Jehovah,
God my Savior. And so the name God my Savior
is manifested only by Christ. No man has seen the Father at
any time. The Son declares Him. No man
knoweth the Father, but the Son, and He to whom the Son will reveal
Him. The disciples said, Show us the
Father. He said, He that has seen Me
has seen the Father. You look at the stars and the
moon and all the things that are made, like David said, they'll
show you God in His power, in His might, in His glory, in His
majesty, in His wisdom. You won't see God in His mercy,
and God in saving grace, and God forgiving sinners, and God
accepting people in the beloved. You'll see Christ to see that.
I've manifested Thy name unto the men which You gave me out
of this world. Thine they were, You gave them
me. Now he says in verse 7, And they have known These men that
you've given me, to whom I've manifested your name, they have
known that all things which you have given me are of thee." What's
he saying here? He's saying, those whom you have
given me out of the world, they understand. They understand that
you have vested in me all things. You have given me all things. Everything in heaven and earth,
in the kingdom of God, everything's in Christ. The Father loves the
Son, and hath given into his hands all things, all things. In him dwelleth all the fullness
of God. And these men understand that,
that everything's in me, not in the forms and the rituals
and the ceremonies and the sacrifices and the traditions. It's in me,
all things. All things are of God, and they're
in Christ. How do they know that all things
are in Christ? that they're all there by the
will and purpose of God. Well, I'll tell you how in the
next verse. He says, "...because now they have known that all
things that you have given me are of thee, for I have given
them the words that you gave me." He opened their understanding
that they might understand the Scriptures. And when a person
understands the Scriptures, he sees Christ. And when he sees
Christ, he sees all these things in the Scriptures in Christ,
revealed in Christ. He says, I have manifested and
I have given your words to these men, and they have received them.
That's how you know God, through the Word. That's how you receive
God, through the Word. And they have received the words
in their hearts, and they believe that I came from thee, and they
believe that you sent me. And my friends, this is faith.
This is the very foundation of faith. Christ is the object of
faith. It's Christ whom we believe. It's Christ whom we trust. It's
Christ whom we receive. But it's the Word that reveals
Christ to us. The Lord gives us His Word. And
the Holy Spirit gives us understanding of the Word. And we hear the
Word. He that heareth my Word. And
we believe the Word. He that heareth my Word and believeth
my Word hath everlasting life. Our Lord asked the disciples,
whom do you say that I am? And they said, Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God. And I've come to that conclusion.
How? Through the Word. I've given them Thy Word, and
they have received them. And they believe that I came
from You and You sent me. Verse 9, Father, I pray for them. I pray for my sheep. I make requests
for my sheep. The Scriptures tell us that our
Lord makes intercession for His people. In Romans 8, verse 34,
He maketh intercession for us. Hebrews 7, 25, He ever lives
to make intercession for us. Hebrews 9, 24, He appears in
heaven for us. What does He pray for us? What
does He ask for us? What does He ask when He intercedes
for us? He prays for us the full merit
of His redemption. I pray for their justification.
I pray for their sanctification. I pray for their salvation. I
pray for their redemption. I pray not for the world. I pray
for those whom thou hast given me. They are thine and thine
are mine. I do not pray for the whole world.
I pray for those whom thou hast given me. I am glorified in redeeming
them. They will be trophies of my glory
and they shall glorify me in eternity. Now verse 11, and now,
Father, I'm no more in this world. That is, he's not here in human
flesh. Our Lord's here. He said, Lord, I'm with you always,
even to the end of the world. But he said, I'm not here in
human flesh. I come to thee. Father, keep
them. Keep them through thine own name,
whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are. What's
the twofold security of the Lord's sheep? He said, Father, while
I was with them, I kept them. And now I pray that you'll keep
them. Here's the twofold security of
God's sheep. Number one, in John 10, 28, he
said, I know my sheep, I give them eternal life, and they'll
never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. Now look at the next verse. My
Father which gave them me is greater than all, and no man's
able to pluck them out of my Father's hands. Father, I kept
them. Now I come to Thee. I pray that
You will keep them. None of them is lost," he said,
except Judas, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. He was a
son of perdition from the beginning. I want you to look at verse 13
now. Listen to it. Father, I come to thee, and I
speak these things here in the world. I speak these things to
thee before them, that they may be taught, that they may be encouraged,
and not be afraid, but rather that my joy may be fulfilled
in them." That's what he told the disciples over in John 15.
He said, these things I've spoken unto you. that you may understand
what I do and where I go and that my joy might remain in you. Let not your heart be troubled.
You believe in God, believe also in me. And that's why I'm reading
this sermon, this prayer to you and why our Lord gave it so his
disciples would hear it. He said, I speak these things
here in the world that they may be encouraged and that my joy
might be fulfilled in them, that they might not sorrow. All right,
verse 14. I have given them thy word, and
the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even
as I am not of the world. He said in John 15 to his disciples,
If the world hates you, remember they hated me before they hated
you. But I do not pray, now listen carefully to this, I do not pray
that you should take them out of the world, but that you could
keep them from the evil one. I'm not asking you, Father. I'm
coming to thee. You keep my people. But I'm not
asking you to take them out of the world. I'm not asking you
to isolate them from the world. I'm asking you to keep them from
the evil one. Now, what does he mean here?
Well, the Lord does not isolate his people from the people of
the world. He doesn't put them in Christian communities where
there's no unbelievers but Christians. He doesn't put them in Christian
workshops. He doesn't put them in Christian
schools and factories and Christian associations. He wants His people
among people. Our Lord sends us among people
in the world to be His witnesses. You're my witnesses, He said,
as a light in the world. You don't take a light and put
it under a desk. You put it out here where it
can give light to the people. And we're the light of the world.
We're witnesses of Christ. We're the salt of the earth.
The salt is for preservation. We're examples to others. When
our Lord came into the world, He didn't isolate Himself from
sinners. He ate with them. That was one
of the charges they brought against Him. He's the friend of sinners.
He ate with publicans and sinners. He ministered to people. He was
a light and an example and a witness and a preacher. And that's what
He sent us to do. I don't ask that you take them
out of the world, but that you keep them from evil. But my people
are not of this world, even as I'm not of this world. Could
our Lord walk among men and not act like they acted? He did.
Could our Lord live among men and work in a carpenter's shop
and be among people and not talk as they talk? He did. And not
be as they are? He did. You can, too, by His
grace. And that's what He says in the
next verse. So sanctify them. through thy Word, live by the
Word, feed upon the Word, desire the milk of the Word, and grow
thereby, and be a light, be a witness, be an example to those in the
world, representing our Savior. Father, as you sent me into the
world," I'll close with this, "'As you sent me into the world,
even so I send them into the world.' And that's what he said
to them, going to all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature. He that is baptized believeth
and is baptized shall be saved. He that believeth not shall be
damned. Go into all the world. Preach the gospel. Preach the
gospel. You know, men are not going to
be saved unless they hear the gospel. And they're not going
to hear the gospel unless they hear it from us. Whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. But how shall
they call on him to whom they've not heard? And how shall they
hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except
they be sinned? And so he says, Father, as you send me, I send
them to preach the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation.
Now, I didn't get all the way through that chapter. I didn't
expect to, really. But if you want this message,
the Savior's glory, you write for it, send $2, and we'll mail
it to you. Until next week at this same
time, may God bless you.