A summary of these chapters,
just very briefly, in John 13, he commanded them to love one
another and showed them by washing their feet, humility and service. Exhorted them to humility. John 14 summed up the troubled
disciples. He said, you believe in God.
You do believe in God. Well, believe in me. I go to
prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare the place,
I'll come again and receive you unto myself." And I tried to
tell the clannies, this is the way our Lord dealt with the second
coming. It wasn't involved with a lot
of events and advents and earthquakes and kingdoms and tribulations
and confusion, they're plain and simple. I go away, bow on
a cross, bury it and rise again to prepare a place for you. And
when I go to prepare a place for you and you for the place,
I'll come again to receive you to myself. And where I am there
you may be also. And that's the second coming
of our Lord. He's coming for me. Coming to you. Maybe tonight. Maybe this week. Maybe next week.
Maybe when He comes in His glory. But He's coming for us. To receive
us to Himself. That's sufficient. And then in
John 15 He showed them how the Father and the Son are one. And
also the believers in Christ are one. He said, I'm the vine. You're branches. A branch cannot
bear fruit of itself. A branch doesn't produce fruit. A branch bears the fruit of the
vine. Without me, you can do nothing. As I am one with the Father,
you're one with me. In John 16, he said, I won't
leave you alone. I go away, but I won't leave
you alone. If I go not away, the Holy Spirit
will not come. No reason for the Holy Spirit
to come. There's no blood to sprinkle if I don't go away.
And no peace to give. There's no salvation to accomplish.
There's no redeemer to reveal. There's no hope to give you.
But he'll come. And he'll commence this world
of sin and righteousness and judgment. And then he'll take
the things of mine and show them to you. You don't speak of himself. Redemption doesn't originate
with him, it originates with the Father. The things he's heard,
that's what he'll speak. He won't exalt himself or glorify
himself, he'll exalt me, he'll glorify me. And he'll take the
things of mine and show it to you, the Holy Spirit will. He'll
be your teacher, your teacher. And then he gave these final
words here in verse 33. John 16, 33, the final words. This is a summary. These things
have I spoken unto you, that. That's pretty clear, isn't it? All these things, 13, 14, 15,
16, I've spoken to you, that. Number one. In me, you might
have peace. Don't look for it anywhere else. Peace with God. peace of conscience
and heart, peace among yourself. Don't look for it anywhere else.
Can't have peace without the principle of peace. No matter
that men go around saying peace, peace, peace, when there's no
peace. Doris was reading the paper the
other morning, she looked up at me and she said, there's a
war going on in this world somewhere all the time, isn't it? I'm 72 and I've never known a
day when there wasn't a war going on somewhere. Somebody's fighting.
Some country's fighting ever since I've been born. If I know
anything about history, they've always been fighting. And Christ
said they'll fight till I come back. War is a war. And there's no peace among men
and women. No peace in political circles
or social circles. There's no peace out there in
the plant where you work, there's no peace at the school where
you teach, there's no peace at the store where you trade. Step
in front of somebody's line sometimes, I found out. Pass a fella, you
know, in your car, if he's got a gun, he'll shoot you. There's no peace. And 99% of the people don't have
any peace in here. They like to trouble faith all
the time. In me you might have peace. That's as plain as I can make
it, and that's all I've got to say about it. In me you might
have peace. Now in this world, here's the
second thing, you're going to have tribulation, trouble and
trial. In this flesh, trouble. Pray, be of good cheer. I've overcome this world. This
world and everything in it is temporary and it's vanity and
it'll fade away. But my word will never fade away. These words speak Jesus. That's
what that says. These things have I spoken and
these are the words he speaks. And then he lifted his eyes to
heaven. He lifted his eyes to heaven
and he said, Father. Now this 17th chapter of John
that we'll be reading today is the prayer of our great high
priest, the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ. Who prays? Well, it's Christ. He lifted
his eyes to heaven and said, Father. This is Christ praying,
Christ our mediator, Christ our advocate. to whom is he praying? Well,
that's very clear. He said, Father. He's not praying
to a saint or a statue or a dead departed preacher. He said, Father. And when the disciples said,
teach us to pray, he said, you say, Father. That's what you
say. Don't you ever confess your sins
to anybody but God or lift your voice in worship to anybody but
God, or pray to anybody but God, or call any man Father, spiritually,
except God. That's right. Never, no, never. Father, just one Father. One
God, one Father. Father. And for whom did he pray? Well, look at verse 9. He identifies
that who prays is our Lord, For whom, to whom does he pray? The
Father? Or whom does he pray? Verse 9,
I pray for them. I pray not for the world. I pray
not for unbelievers. I pray not for the rebellious
men and women. I don't pray for them who do
not know you, do not love you, never will know you. I pray not
for the world. I pray for them which thou hast
given me. I pray for your elect. I pray
for believers. I pray for those in the covenant
of mercy. I pray for those for whom you
made me the shelter of the new testament. I pray for those that
you gave me." They're thine. They're yours. These are God's elect. And all mine are thine, and thine
are mine, and I'm glorified in them." You know, when I read
this chapter and prepared these messages, I felt like Moses standing
at the burning bush. And God said to him, Moses, take
off your shoes, you're on holy ground. And we're on holy ground. This is God speaking to God. This is God speaking to God about
his covenant mercies to sinners. The mercies of the covenant of
God through Christ Jesus our Lord. And he says in verse 1,
the hours come. The hour for which he came into
the world. For this cause came after this
hour, he says. The hour of which the prophet
spoke. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
That's the hour. It's the hour of which he referred
frequently. He said, mine hour is not yet
come. Mine hour is not yet come. Here he says, Father, the hour
is come. Now he said, glorify thy son.
Well, you know, as God, he needed no added glory. How can you glorify
glory? How can you exalt exaltation?
How can you magnify majesty? How can you glorify the infinite
glory? As God, he needed no glory, he
needed no support, he needed no recognition. But he's playing
as a man. He's the man Christ Jesus. He's
the representative. He's the substitute of his people.
He's our high priest. Indeed, the H are taken from
among men. And he prays to the Father for
help, for support, for strength. Back in the Garden of Gethsemane,
he said, my soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death. I'm going
to die. I need help. I need strength,
I need support, I need encouragement to endure these sufferings. I
need to know. You're with me. Glorify me. Glorify
me. Give me strength that I may glorify you. If I
glorify you, I'm going to need your strength and help and support. No way to glorify God without
God's glory. being manifest in us and through
us. And then he said, as thou hast
given me power over all flesh, the government's on his shoulders.
That's what Isaiah said, thou hast given me authority over
all flesh. There isn't a creature, there
isn't an angel, there isn't a principality of
power, there isn't a spirit of good or evil. There isn't a man,
woman, boy or girl, there isn't a creature in this world, there
isn't a spirit that falls to the ground without it. He has
all authority over all flesh. He didn't say over all men, over
all flesh. That's right, all flesh. Authority,
total, complete authority over all flesh, over all dominion
and power, over all the universe. It's all in His hand. God the
Father has given all things into the hands of the Son. You see,
to accomplish His purpose, He's got to have authority and power
over everybody that has any contact with His purpose. For example, my grandfather, for whom I was
named Henry Baker, had no interest in, knowledge
of, concern about, God, the church, life, Bible and everything else. Pagan. Died at 55. An ex-sheriff and drunk. But he gave birth to the man
he conceived and sired the man that sired me. Where he lived,
Alabama, time he lived, my Lord had all authority over him in
order to give me eternal life. That's right. Everything, all
flesh, everything, everything. Even the food you eat, the meat
you eat, that's flesh, but Christ has power over that to keep it
from killing you. Germs, disease or whatever. He
has all control over all flesh for one purpose. to give eternal
life to as many as the Father hath given in." Do you understand
what he's saying? I do, and I rejoice in it. All authority over all flesh,
over everything that wiggles, moves, exists, my Lord has authority. He created all things for himself,
even the wicked for the day of evil. He restrains evil to accomplish
his purpose. Pharaoh, I raised you up for
one purpose, to glorify me. This is the Lord's speech. Father,
thou hast given me supreme, absolute control, power and authority
over everything that moves and lives. In order that I might
give eternal life. salvation, eternal glory to as
many as you've given me. And this is life eternal. This
is it. It's not religion, getting religion. It's not joining the church.
It's not turning over a new leaf. It's not reforming. Eternal life to know God. To
know God. The Son of God has come and given
us an understanding that we may know God. It says that down here
in verse 24. Father, I will that they also
whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may
behold my glory which thou hast given me, for
thou lovest me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father,
the world does not know you, But I know you, I know thee,
and these have known that you sent me." See, eternal life for
no God who sent Christ. Read verse 3, and Jesus Christ
whom he sent. That's eternal life. It's not
just to believe there's a God. Even the devil believes there's
a God, he trembles. but eternal life to know God,
to know God in his majesty, God in his power, and God in his
sovereignty, God in his justice, God in his judgment, God in his
truth, God in his love, God in his righteousness, to know God
and how that God must be just and justified, how that God cannot
clear the guilty, He's got to have satisfaction for his justice,
and he's got to have honor for his law, and he's got to have
holiness on the part of those with whom he fellowships. He
must send Christ. Christ must be sent. Christ must
come. Christ must suffer. The Son of
God must be lifted up. Must, must, must be lifted up.
Not just for your sake, but for God's sake. We sing, I need Jesus. I do. I do need Jesus. I need
a substitute, a savior, a mediator, a redeemer. But God needs Him.
God's justice needs Him. God's righteousness needs Him.
God's love needs Him. He can only love us in Christ.
He can only justify us in Christ. He can only save us in Christ.
He can only honor His law in Christ. We can't do it. We won't
do it. The blood was offered before
the Lord. The sacrifice was before the Lord. Christ's obedience
was unto the Lord. He obeyed the law in our place
unto the Father. His love was unto the Father.
His death and blood shedding was unto the Father. It wasn't
to get us to feel sorry for Him. You ought to believe on Jesus.
Look what He did for you. You try to appeal to folks' sympathy
and emotions and say, look what He did for you. Listen to me,
he did that for me, but he did that for God, just as God had
to have him. I know him. Don't know him like
I want to know him. Paul prayed, O that I may know
him, and the power of his resurrected life, and the fellowship of his
sufferings, and the excellence of his name, that I may grow
in grace in the knowledge of Christ. But I do know Him. You
do know Him. And that's eternal life. To know
Him. To know Him. I know Dale. I've known him a
long, long time. As long as I keep my mind, I'll
always know Him. And the more I'm with Him, the
more I know Him. The better I know Him. The more He tells me about
Himself, the better I know Him, the more I know Him. I can't
forget God. I can't forget you. That's what
blows my mind. But we know God. We know Christ. We know Him. Now our Lord prays
for His people. And He prays for them on the
basis of what He's done. He prays for them. This is what
He said, Father, glorify Me. that I may glorify thee. Thou
hast given me authority over all flesh, that I should give
eternal life to as many as thou hast given me. And this is life
eternal, that they might know thee. Something takes place in
their hearts, and in their lives, in their minds, and for them,
there's got a whole lot of things that's got to be done for them
to know you and know me whom thou hast sent. And then he gives us about eight
reasons for hope. Eight reasons why we're
accepted. Eight things he's done for us.
I'm going to give you four this morning, four tonight. He said
in verse four, I have glorified thee on the earth. I have glorified
thee on the earth. I, a man, made of a woman, made
under the law, I have glorified thee on this
earth. I have glorified thee, I have
loved thee, I have honored thee, I have obeyed thee, I have perfectly
served thee, according to thy word, according to every command,
thy holiness has found its equal in me." A man, I, a man, that's
right, son of a woman, not son of Adam. Son of a woman, Son
of God, Son of a woman, in flesh and blood, I have glorified thee
on this earth, on this earth where the first Adam fell, on
this earth where I have been tried in every point, tempted
in every point, yet without sin, on this earth I can say who can
convince me of sin, on this earth where there is none righteous,
I am, Where there's none good, I am. Where there's none that
understandeth, I am. Where there's none that seek
God, I am. Oh boy! I have glorified thee
on this earth. See this is what we were created
to do, to glorify God. This is what we're commanded
to do, glorify God. This is what we've never done,
glorify God. This is the chief reason for
the creation of all flesh to glorify God. This is the chief
end of all flesh to glorify God. And there's no man ever done
it from Adam on down except one, Jesus Christ. I have glorified
thee on this earth. Turn to Galatians chapter 4.
Galatians chapter 4. Why did he do it? This is what
he's praying. Listen, Galatians 4 verse 4 and 5. But when the
fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the
law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption of sons. That's what he did, and that's
why he did it. And that's the first reason for our acceptance. I pray for them, I pray not for
the world, I pray for them which God has given me. For I have
glorified thee on their behalf, in their place, in their stead
on this earth. Secondly, back in the text. I
finished the work you gave me to do. Now every word here is
so meaningful. I have finished the work you
gave me to do. Whose work is it? You gave it
to me. John chapter 5 verse 36. Listen to our Lord over here.
The work you gave me to do. John 5 verse 36. He said, I have
greater witness than that of John for the works that the Father
hath given me to finish. The same work that I do. Bear witness of me. Whose work? The Father's work. I always do
those things that please my Father. He said, Lo, I come. It is written
of me in the book to do thy will, thy work, O God. Alright, what
is the work God gave him to do? Turn the Luke forward. I believe
he summed it up here when he quoted Isaiah 61. Here's the
work the Father gave him to do. While you're finding it, the
angel said to Joseph, call his name Jesus, he'll save his people. He'll save his people from their
sins, from all their sins. From the curse of the law, from
the judgment of the law, from the penalty of the law, from
the power of the law, from the presence of the law. And here
in Luke 4 verse 18, listen, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me. Because he has anointed me to
preach the gospel to the poor. To declare the good news. He has sent me to heal the broken
hearted. Broken hearted over what? Sin.
God is known to them of a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
To preach deliverance to the captives. Captives of whom? Captives
of Satan. Doing his will, that's what scripture
said we did. Captures of the law. Captures
of sin. Captures of the curse. He's going
to deliver us. Deliver him, Job said, from going
down into the pit. I found a ransom. Recovery of
sight to the blind. We couldn't see God, didn't know
God. God's given us eyes to see His
glory in the face of Christ. to set at liberty the bruised,
broken by the foul, and to preach and proclaim acceptance. The
acceptable year of the Lord. I passed this domino pizza up
here this morning and said, now hiring all positions. Are we
accepting anybody to do anything? Well, he's made us acceptable.
We've been accepted! Howard! I have a sorry resume, but he
made me accepted into the Lord. That's what he can. That's the
work. That's the work. Well, did he finish it? Well,
this is the reason why I'm accepted. This is the reason for my hope.
I've glorified you on this earth and I've finished. The work you
gave me to do. His first words, I asked my class
this week, what were the first words, first recorded words,
I beg your pardon. First recorded words of Jesus
Christ when he came into this world. The very first time anything
he said was written down. It was when he was about 12 years
old and his mother and father found him in the temple. discussing
things with the rulers of the temple. And they said, we've
looked for you and sought you sorrowing. He turned and said,
this is his first word, wish you not, I must be about my father's
business, his work, I must be about my father's work. The last
thing he said before he died, in the flesh for we left this
that died on the cross it's finished that's just so he hath redeemed
us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us verse
22 in John 17 said in the glory which you gave me I've given
them I've given them you glorify me you glorify them
All right, here's the third thing. In verse 5 he said, And now,
O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory
which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested
thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine
they were, thou gavest them me, and they kept thy word. I've
manifested your name. Now let me say this, the heavens declare the glory
of God. David said, when I consider the
heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars, the things God has made,
what is man that is not mindful of him? There is a knowledge
of God that we can receive by looking at the things that are
made. The firmament showeth His handiwork. There's some things
we can know about the skill and the wisdom of our God as Creator. The things that are made manifest
His power and His wisdom, in other words. So men are without
excuse. The conscience. There's some
things we can know about God from our conscience. Because
the conscience tells us when something shouldn't be done. And that shows the law of God
written on the heart. Our God moves in mysterious ways
His wonders to perform. There are things that take place
every day that are awesome. But only in Christ does God reveal
His name, His nature, His will of redemption. Now turn with me to Exodus 33.
Moses had a personal revelation of the name and nature and will
of God in redemption in Exodus 33 Moses says in verse 18 I beseech
thee Lord show me show me your glory show me your greater glory
show me your Your chief glory. Show me that which glorifies
your name. Your chief glory. And God said,
I will make all my goodness pass before thee. I will proclaim
the name of the Lord before thee. You know, Moses had seen the
Lord turn the river to blood. He'd seen Him send hail from
heaven. He'd seen Him split a sea and
let people walk through on dry land. He'd seen them destroy
Pharaoh's army with the same water that they walked through.
Power! Like we've seen the heavens.
But he wanted to see his glory. And God said, I'll call them
a goodness. Listen. And I'll be gracious to whom
I will be gracious. I'll show mercy on whom I will
show mercy. God's greatest glory is God's
wisdom. in justifying sinners by the
person and work of Christ. God's greatest glory is His goodness,
His grace to sinners, His mercy for the miserable, His power
to save, to redeem, to regenerate, to give life where there's death,
to conquer Satan, all his darkness and evil and sin, and make righteousness
reign. He said, verse 20, you can't
see my face, Moses, no man can see me and live. If you come
to pass while my glory passes by, I'll put you in a cliff of
a rock and cover thee with my hand while I pass by. And I'll
take away my hand, you'll see my back parts, but my face will
not be seen. Verse 6 of chapter 34, and the
Lord passed before him and proclaimed the Lord. The name of the Lord
God. Who is He? Merciful and gracious. Not just wise and almighty. Not
just strength and sovereignty. But merciful and gracious. Long
suffering. Abundant in goodness and truth. Keeping mercy for thousands.
Forgiving iniquity. How can a holy God forgive iniquity? And sin and that will by no means
clear the guilty. Now how's he going to give us
forgiveness and not clear the guilty? I'm guilty. How's he
going to show mercy and at the same time justice? That's the name of the Lord.
And Moses didn't see his face. But the disciples did. And we have. We've seen the face
of Christ Jesus. That's right. Only in Christ
do we see God. Let me quote you some scripture,
Matthew 11, 27. No man knows the Son but the
Father, neither knoweth any man the Father but the Son, and he
to whom the Son will reveal him. No man has seen God at any time,
the only begotten Son. That's what he said to Moses.
You can't see my face in there. No man has seen God, but the
only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father. He hath
declared him. What's the word declared, manifest? It's to open up. It's to make
apparent. It's to reveal. The disciples
said, well show us God, show us the Father. He that has seen
me has seen my Father. And that's what he says here
in this verse. I have manifested your name, your nature. your grace, your goodness, your
mercy, your love, your goodness to these men you gave me. See
the Old Testament God had some names. Abraham going up the mountain
God said my name is I will provide. God said to Moses my name is
I'll heal you, I'll put none of the diseases upon you I put
on Egypt." When Moses and Israel were fighting the enemies, God
said, I'm your banner, I'll protect you. To Gideon, when he was so
fearful, he said, I'm going to die, I've seen the Lord. He said,
you're not going to die, fear not, I'm your peace. And then In Jeremiah he promised
a king, a righteous branch that would be our righteousness and
then throughout the word he's called our shepherd. And Christ
came and he said, I've manifested your name. All these names of
God are in me. And now verse 7, they have known
that all things whatsoever you have given me, R of D. Christ, revelation of God. Alright, in closing, the reasons for hope. I have glorified thee on this
earth. I have finished all the work you gave me to do. I have
manifested, made apparent, your goodness and mercy and grace. to these men you gave me." And
then he said, I've given them your words. Now this is so important. Deuteronomy chapter 18, I've
given them your words. I've given them the words which
you gave me. Deuteronomy 18, verse 18, God
said, I will raise them up a prophet. from among their brethren like
unto thee Moses I'll put my words in his mouth and he shall speak
unto them all that I command him and it shall come to pass
that whosoever will not hearken to my words which he'll speak
I'll require of him and that's God spake to our fathers by the
prophets he has spoken to us by his son And when Christ said
here in verse 8, and listen carefully to me now, He didn't say, I preached
your words to them. In verse 8, He didn't say, I
preached your words to them. You must preach the word, that's
right. I've given your words to them. I've opened their hearts. I've opened their eyes. Opened
their ears and their hearts. And I've revealed your words
to them. He said to the disciples, blessed
are your eyes, they see, and your hearts they love, and your
ears they hear. I have given them thy word, I
have put thy word in their hearts. Read this carefully, I have given
them thy words which you gave me, and they have received them.
Are you receiving them? The disciples received them as
a children's brand, as a foundation of faith and practice. as the
foundation of hope and comfort, as the foundation of life eternal. They're the words of life. I've given them Thy word and
they've received them. And thirdly, and they've known
surely I came from Thee. He is that prophet. He is the
Messiah. He is the Christ. We're not vacillating
between wondering who is Jesus Christ. I know who He is. You
do too. They knew. They know. I came
from thee. And they believed. And they believed. That's what Abraham did. He believed
God. I love that word where God took
him out and said, Abraham, see the stars. That's how many seeds
you'll have. He didn't believe them. So I've given them your word. And they received them. Just
like hungry birds. I see those little birds out
there hollering. They make more noise than any
bird. Those little baby birds just holler and their mama just
comes and keeps putting up good food. Wormy worms down their
throats. I just receive it, receive it. And they know you sent me. Even those little birds know
who their mama is. She's the one that feeds them. He's what feeds us, and we believe
Him. Do you believe Him? I believe. I believe. Alright, tonight we'll
pick up there. Let's sing.