He spent these last few days
and hours instructing them concerning his sacrifice, his death, their
ministry, and what to expect. In fact, John 13, 14, 15, 16, the Lord is addressing these
disciples, and of course those who would follow after them,
concerning his sacrifice, his death, and their ministry and
what to expect on this earth. And that's what that means when
it says these words speak Jesus, these preceding words. And then
he lifted up his eyes to heaven and he said, Father, the hour
has come. Then he ceases to address these disciples and he prays
to the Father. Now we've preached often from
this chapter, and we always begin at verse 1. And because time
gets away from us, we neglect the latter part of the chapter. So tonight I'm going to begin
the message. This is what I want to do. I
want to begin the message right in the middle of the prayer.
At verse 11, I want to talk to you about being kept. by the
power of God. That's what our Lord is praying
about here in this 11th verse. He said in verse 11, And now,
Father, I am no more in this world. Our Lord came to the world
in human flesh. He came on a mission. He came
to do a work. I finished the work you gave
me to do. He came to redeem a people from sin, from judgment, from
the curse of the law. And he cried from the cross,
it's finished. And he went back to the father
and says, and I am no more in this world. He's not in the world
in human flesh, human form. He's in the world in spirit.
But he goes back to the father. He said, but now these are in
the world. These disciples are in the world.
I come to be. But they're staying here. They're
staying in this world. It's a sinful world. It's a wicked
world. It's a religious world, but a
religious world that hates the true gospel. It's a world of
trial and heartache and suffering. And I pray, Father, Holy Father,
that you would keep them, that you would keep them. Those that
thou hast given me, will you keep them? Keep them in your name, in the
knowledge of you. Those whom thou hast given me,
keep them. Now here's what he's asking. Keep them from the evil
one. Peter had a dreadful experience
with Satan. The Satan goes about as a roaring
lion, seeking whom he may devour. Our Lord taught us to pray, deliver
us from the evil one. When he said deliver us from
evil, that's the evil one. So keep them. from the evil one. Keep them faithful to the gospel.
Demas left the gospel. Paul talked about the many who
draw back. We are not of them that draw
back. We are of them that believe for the saving of the soul. By
father, keep them true to the gospel, faithful to the gospel.
Thirdly, keep them from sinking under trials and burdens. being
overwhelmed and overcome by heartaches and burdens. Keep them from sinking. And then keep them in unity among
themselves. There's nothing that is more
disappointing than when children of God fall out and have conflict
between them. Paul wrote to the Corinthians
and he said, I'm embarrassed. You're not acting like God's
children, you're acting like carnal unbelievers. Are you not
carnal when there's division and strife among you? So my Father,
keep them. Keep them from the fire of Satan. Keep them true to the gospel.
Keep them from collapsing under trial and heartache. Keep them
in unity, in love with one another. in love with thee, that they
may be one, that they may be one as we are, one in love, one
in purpose, one in message, and one in interest, that they may
be one. Now, verse 12, while I was with
them in this world, I kept them in thy name, I kept them. When
he was here, remember he was talking about his disciples.
He also prays for us. Look down at verse 20. Neither
pray I for these alone, but I pray for them which shall believe
on me through their word. We did. We believed on him through
whose word? Peter, James, and John. That's
right, the apostles. This gospel was first spoken
by our Lord and confirmed by them that heard him. So he's
praying for these disciples. He said, while I was with them,
I kept them. I kept them in your name. When
he was here, the religious leaders left the apostles alone. Yes,
they did. These religious leaders, these
enemies of the gospel, these Pharisees, the people in general,
paid very little attention to the apostles. Our Lord said,
the reproach fell on me. The folks hated him. They harassed
him. They threw their questions and
bitterness at him. Not at the disciples, but at
Christ. Not at the disciples. The disciples
were there with him, but he always took the reproach. The reproach
fell on me. Always took the responsibility.
Now, he's ascending. and leaving them in a hostile
world, surrounded by the most wicked of men, religious men. And he said, Father, you keep
them. While I was here, I kept them,
but now the world will hate them. Look back a page at John 16.
You remember I told you John 13, 14, 15, 16 is talking to
these disciples. And here in verse 1 of chapter
16, he said, Now these saints have spoken unto you that you
should not be offended. They put you out of the synagogues.
The time cometh when whosoever kills you will think he does
God a service. They felt that when they crucified
Christ, that they did God a service. He believed in God, and they
see God will have him, that's what they said. And these things
will they do to you because they've not known the Father nor me.
But these things have I told you. He's talking to Peter, James,
and John, and Luke, and James, and Nathanael, and all of them.
These things have I told you when the time comes. You must
remember. I told you of them. And I didn't say these things
to you at the beginning because I was with you. I took the reproach.
Now you're going to take it. The wrath of the religious world
falls on whomever is preaching the gospel at that particular
time. That's the object of their wrath. Doesn't matter who it
is. Maybe me in the pulpit. Maybe you on the job. Maybe you
in a home. But whomever is standing at that
time But with God's glory, God's word, God's truth, Christ's honor,
he's going to get the reproach. Now when Christ was here in person,
they didn't say anything to Peter, they didn't care about what he
thought, or James, or Johnny, or the rest of them. Christ said,
I'm leaving. I come to you. Father, you'll keep them. Because
the hatred of this world is going to be turned against them. They'll
be carrying the message. I'll tell you this about the
religious world. They brag on dead preachers and
kill living preachers who preach the truth. Let me show you. Our Lord said that. They build
the tombs and the sepulchres and monuments to dead preachers. Talk about John Knox. Isaac Watts,
Charles Spurgeon, Martin Luther, John Calvin, these great preachers
of the past. These great preachers preached
the same thing that we sovereign grace preachers are preaching
today. But they're dead. Now listen to Matthew, turn to
Matthew 23. Let me show you something over
here. Matthew 23. This is the Lord
Jesus speaking. And he's rebuking the Pharisees,
and the Sadducees, and the Scribes, and the religious Jews that were
so religious with their Sabbath days, and ceremonies, and traditions,
and sacrifices, and circumcision, and all these things, working
their way to heaven. And rejecting Christ and the
gospel. And he says to them, verse 29,
now listen, whoa unto you Scribes, Pharisees, you're hypocrites.
Because you build the tombs of the prophets. Who's the prophets
he's talking about? Isaiah, Moses, Habakkuk. All these prophets. You build
tombs of the prophets. You garnish. The word garnish
is decorate. You adorn the sepulchres of the
righteous who are dead. They're dead because they're
adorning their sepulchres. They're putting beautiful epitaphs
on their tombstones and all these things. And you say, If we had
been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers
with them in the blood of them. We wouldn't have killed the prophets.
We like them. Their fathers killed them. They
preached to their fathers, and their fathers killed them. And
now their sons are decorating their tombstone. And our Lord
says, you are witnesses, verse 31, to yourself. You are witnesses
against yourselves. You are the children of them
that killed the prophets. And he says, you fill ye up the
measure of your fathers, you serpents, you generation of vipers,
how can you escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I
send you prophets, I send you wise men in the scriptures, I
send you scribes, and some of them you killed, and you crucified,
and you scourged them in your synagogues, and persecuted them
from city to city when they were on this earth, that upon you
May come all the righteous blood shed upon this earth from the
blood of Abel. Why was Abel killed? By whom was Abel killed? Abel
was killed by a religious man. His brother. Who was offering
a sacrifice. Who was worshipping God. But
he was offering the sacrifice of his own works. his own deeds
and duties to God. And his brother Abel was offering
the blood, the lamb, the blood of Christ. He believed that salvation
was of the Lord. Cain believed salvation was of
the works of the flesh. Abel believed that salvation
was by the grace of God through the blood of Christ. Cain believed
that salvation was by building an altar and bringing the best
you've got and giving it to God. Giving God your time and your
talents and your heart You have this, that and the other. And
he rose up against him and killed him because he disagreed with
grace and blood and mercy. And our Lord said to these fellows,
he said, on you will come the blood of every righteous prophet
and preacher that ever lived from Cain clear down to the last
one. What a charge. What a charge. They killed the living. and bagged
on the dead. Let me just tell you an example.
When Moses was here, did Israel love Moses? They despised Moses. They kept telling him, why didn't
you leave us in Egypt? When we were in Egypt, at least
we had enough to eat. They murmured against Moses all
the time. And then Moses died, and they
bagged on him. We have Moses. And Samuel came
along. And the Lord said, Samuel, give
them a king. Samuel said, I don't want to
give them a king. He said, Samuel, listen, it's me they hate, not
you. They're just taking it out on
you. Then our Lord came along, they
bragged on Moses and Samuel and Isaiah and crucified Christ. And then when the disciples came
along, the Reformers, they bragged on Christ and killed them, killed
the Reformers. Whoever is preaching the gospel
at a given time, upon him comes the wrath of the religious world.
It's always been that way. And our Lord said, I pray you'd
keep them. Keep them. Then he says, none
of them's lost but the son of perdition that the scripture
might be fulfilled. Who is that? That's Judas. That's
Judas. What about Judas? Well, he was
an instrument to accomplish the purpose of God. And he was chosen
by Christ to be a disciple, although the Lord knew that he was a devil
from the beginning, that he would betray him. Let me show you that
over here in John 6. In John chapter 6, verse 64. He's talking about Judas in John 6, 64. But there are some of you that
believe not, for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that
believed not and who would betray Him. He knew who would betray
Him. Judas' betrayal is told about in the Old Testament. They
talk about the Old Testament. He sold him for 30 pieces of
silver. and bought the potter's field
in which Judas was buried. Look at verse 70. Peter had said,
We believe thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And
our Lord said in verse 70, He answered them, Have not I chosen
you twelve? One of you is a devil. He spake
of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. He it was that should
betray him, being one of the twelve. John 13. Look at this, John 13, verse
10. Our Lord was washing the disciples'
feet. And he said in verse 10 of John
13, Jesus said, Now he that is washed, need is not saved to
wash his feet. Just wash his feet. But he is
clean everwhere. You are clean, but not all of
you. He knew who would betray him. Therefore he said, You are
not all clean. So our Lord He prays for these
disciples. He prays the Father would keep
them. Keep them. Keep them true to the gospel.
Because there are so many enemies. There are so many opponents of
the truth. The true gospel. Alright, verse
13. And now, come I to thee, and these things I speak in the
world, that they might have my joy. Now this is important here,
let's see what I can do with this. I'm coming to you and these
things I speak while I'm yet in the world. There'll be tribulation,
there'll be trials and troubles, there'll be opposition, hatred
to the gospel, there'll be sorrows and tears. But they've got to
have some joy. And I pray that they might have
my joy. The joys of this world are temporary. His joy is eternal. I've got
to have, I can't depend on the joys of the world. Swift to its
close ebbs out life's little day. Earth's joys grow dim. Earth's glories fade away. Change and decay in all around
me I see. I can't lean on that. I can't
depend on that. O thou that changest not, abide
with me. I pray that they might have my
joy, my joy. Fade, fade, each earthly joy. Perishing things of clay, born
but for one brief day, pass from my heart away. Will it leave
my heart empty? Not if he's there. Not if he's there. This is his
joy. Let me see if I can give you
four things here. It's the joy of which he's the
author and object. Christ is the author and the
object. We rejoice in Christ. We have no confidence in this
flesh. We rejoice in him. Secondly, we rejoice in his person. He is our Lord. He's our Savior. He loved us and gave himself
for us. and we're safe in his arms. He's
my beloved and I'm his. He loves me. There is a friend
that's thicker, closer than a brother. So I rejoice in his person. Thirdly,
I rejoice in the relationship I have with him. I know he's
my prophet, priest, and king, but he's my father, my brother,
my husband, my friend, my mediator, my advocate. He's all those things
to me. I have him. If all else is removed,
I still have him. And fourthly, I rejoice in the
hope of eternal glory that I'll be with him and my redeemed family. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall
not Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of
this life and I'll dwell in the house of the Lord forever. So
this is what, now Father I come to thee. These things I speak
in the world that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. My joy. with beholding his face, my all
to his pleasure resigned. No changes of season or place
would make any change in my mind. While blessed with a sense of
his love, a palace, a toy would appear, and prisons would palace
his proof that Christ would dwell with us there. My joy. And then what's verse 14? I have given them thy word." Now all of us have a Bible, but
he means a whole lot more here than putting a Bible in your
hand. This is more than just preaching
to us. I have given them thy word. He preached to a lot of
people who didn't hear him. He preached the word to a lot
of people who were not blessed by it, who didn't believe it.
But he says, I have given them thy word. I have opened their
hearts and planted the word in their spirits. I have taught
them. I have revealed unto them you,
the Father. And they have believed and received
it. Look back here at verse 8. I
have given unto them the words you gave me and they received
them. and argued, and bucked, they
received the word. And they have known surely, certainly,
without a doubt, that I came from thee, and they believe you
sent me." Hold that right there a minute.
I love what Frank read in the study a while ago, what Martha
said. John 11 verse 27, our Lord said,
Martha I'm the resurrection and the life. You believe this? Listen
to what she said. Troubled, down hearted, broken
hearted. She said, yes Lord. Yes Lord. I believe that thou art the Christ.
I believe that thou art the son of the living God, which should
come into this world. I believe that. And she, listen,
and she went her way. That's all she needed to say.
And she went her way. That's my foundation, she said.
That's my hope. I believe that you're the Christ
that should come into this world. The Son of God. I believe that. And so he said, I have given
them thy word, and they have received them. And known surely
that I came from thee. And here's the response of the
world. When the Lord Jesus Christ comes
to a son of Adam, whether he's in the church or
out of the church, whether he's in religion or not in religion,
whether he's a popular fellow or whatever, when the Lord makes
him new, opens his heart, puts his word, his truth, his glory,
his love in that person, What's the response of the world, the
religious world? You turn to John 15 and the Lord will tell
you, here's the response. John 15, verse 15. John 15, verse 15. Henceforth
I call you not servants. Servant doesn't know what his
Lord does. I call you friends. For all the things I have heard
of my Father, I have made known to you His glory and majesty
and mystery and greatness and love. You see, you didn't choose
me. I chose you. And I ordained you
that you should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit
should remain. And whatsoever you should ask
of the Father in my name, He will give it to you. And these
things I command you, that you love one another. Now if the
world hates you, you know it hated me before it hated you.
That's the response of the world. If you were of the world, the
world would love you. But you are not of the world.
You are not of the world. I have chosen you out of the
world. Therefore, the world hates you. You are not of the world. Over
here in John 17, he said that twice. He said that twice. Verse 14, I have given them thy
word, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of
the world, as I am not of the world. Verse 16, they're not
of the world as I'm not of the world. They're not of the world,
they have a different spirit. They have a different nature.
Let me give you these. Looks like I'm hung up on four
things tonight. Here are four things about that
we're not of the world even as Christ is not of the world. Number
one, we're not of the world as Christ is not of the world in
nature. We're born again. Born of God, born of the Word,
born from above. We're spiritual people, they're
natural men. You have another spirit. You
have another nature. You have the nature of God. The
life of God, the love of God. Secondly, we're not of the world
in worship and religion. Our Lord said to the woman at
the well, She said, our fathers worshiped in this mountain. You
Jews worship in Jerusalem. He said, you worship you know
not what. Worship is a form with you. You
don't know what you're worshiping. Worship is a form. It's a tradition. It's something you do because
your fathers did it. We know what we worship. Isn't
that what he said? We worship the living God in
spirit and truth. The reason the world hates you
is you're not of the world in nature, you're not of the world
in religion, in worship. You worship the living God. Our
Lord said to the Pharisees, listen, He said, I speak that which I've
seen of my father. You do that which you've seen
from your father. We're different, got different
fathers. We're all one family. Somebody
says, no we're not. We've got different fathers.
And thirdly, we're not of the world in righteousness. The world's
going about to establish their own righteousness. Christ is
the end of the law for righteousness to him that believes. We rest
in his righteousness, in his obedience, in his submission. in his blood. It's a difference. And fourthly,
we're not of this world in citizenship. In Philippians 1, it says this. Listen. Philippians 1 verse 20
and 21. Philippians 1 verse 20. Philippians 3 verse 20. Listen
to this. Our conversation Our citizenship's
in heaven. From whence also we look for
the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body
that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body. That's
our citizenship. All right, let's look at verse
17. He said, Sanctify them through
thy truth, thy word is truth. Brethren, our sanctification
in Christ is perfect and complete. The scripture says, in him dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and we are complete in
him. 1 Corinthians 1.30 says this, of God are you in Christ,
who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification
and redemption. In Hebrews 10, listen to this. This is our sanctification. Now
listen, Hebrews 10. Hebrews 10, verse 10. By the witch will, we are sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for Verse
14, while by one offering he hath perfected forever them that
are sanctified. Now that's true, yet there's
a need for spiritual growth, spiritual development. Every
grace must grow. We grow in grace, we grow in
faith, we grow in love, we grow in knowledge of Christ, we grow
in humility, we grow in patience, we grow in forgiveness, We grow
in all these things. How do we grow? Verse 17. Sanctify them through your word. Sanctify them through your truth.
Your word is truth. We're born babies. We become
children. We become young men. We become
fathers. And all of this is through the
word. Hearing the word. This body is
fed through the mouth, this soul is fed through the ear. Desire
the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby. Study
to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not
be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. All scripture
is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine,
for instruction, for correction, for reproof, that the man of
God might be mature. Thruly furnished for all good
works. So brethren, our Lord prays here. Father, they are sanctified. We're perfect in Christ. But
sanctify them. Mature them. Ripen them. Let them grow in grace and the
knowledge of thee through your Word. Verse 18, let me move quickly. As thou sent me into the world,
so have I sent them. Christ was sent by the Father.
We are sent by the Father. Christ was equipped for what
He came to do. God gives gifts to His people
for what He is pleased to give them to do. Christ was sent to
do the will of God. He said, I come to do thy will.
That's what we're sent to do. We don't preach ourselves. We
preach Christ. We don't promote ourselves. We
want men to know Christ, to love Him, to believe Him. We're all
working together in the kingdom of God for His glory to accomplish
His divine purpose. Now verse 19. And for their sakes
I sanctify myself, that they might be sanctified through the
truth. See, sanctification doesn't always refer to holiness. It leads to holiness. It produces
holiness. But the first thing about sanctification
is God taking that which is ordinary, and setting it apart for His
glory. For example, back in the Old Testament, He sanctified
the firstborn, even of the cattle. He says, mine. He sanctified
a day, Sabbath day. He sanctified the tabernacle.
He sanctified the first fruits. He sanctified the vessels in
the tabernacle. He said, nobody drinks out of
that but the priest. These are holy vessels. And that's
what the first thing that occurs in our sanctification is the
Father was sanctified by the Father. Jude 1 said sanctified
by the Father was chosen. Out of the human race, out of
every tribe, kindred, nation, tongue, God has redeemed out
of those tribes a people. He chose them. Gave them to Christ. Set them apart. These are mine.
My sheep. Look down here at verse 9 of
our text. John 17, I pray for them, I pray
not for the world, I pray for them which thou hast given me,
for they are thine, and mine are thine, and thine are mine.
They're mine. That's my tabernacle, God says.
That's my priesthood. That's my vessel. The firstborn
is my son. He sanctified it. And when He
chose us, His elect, He said, they're mine. All thine are mine,
and mine are thine, and you gave them to me. Now Christ came,
and by His blood, He sanctified us. Sanctified by the blood.
We're washed. We're clean, He said. You're
clean. The blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin. We're sanctified
by the blood. And then the Holy Spirit comes
and takes the word and quickens us, sanctifies us, regenerates
us, gives us a new nature, a new heart, calls us to Christ. So sanctified by the Father,
by the blood of the Son, by the power of the Spirit. And Christ
said, I sanctify myself, I set myself apart for this work. I'm the Father's Christ, I'm
the Father's servant, I'm the Father's Messiah. The Father
will take me and send me into the world to do his purpose,
accomplish his will. And for their sake, I sanctify
myself for this task. You know what he's saying? For
this work, in order that they might be sanctified. If he hadn't
have come, we'd have never been redeemed. We'd have never been
sanctified. If he hadn't backed before the
foundation of the world and said, Father, I'll go. You give them to me. Put them
in my hands. I'll be the surety. I'll bring
them home. And he set himself apart for that work. In verse
20, I don't pray for these alone. I pray for them which shall believe
on me through their word. Other sheep I have, they'll hear
my voice and they'll be one foal, one shepherd. That's it, verse
21, that they may be one as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee,
that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe
that thou hast sent me. And the glory which you gave
me I have given them, that they may be one as we are one, I in
them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect and one,
that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and love them
as thou hast loved me. There was an old writer who wrote
this, I give you this now, quit. When God dwells in Christ, and
Christ dwells in all believers, and those believers become partakers
of the riches and grace that is in Christ Jesus, and when
all the members of that church universal, body of Christ, become
partakers of these mercies and blessings and this grace, they
shall all be perfect in Christ, conformed to his image and in
his likeness, and then all the universe shall know indeed that
Christ is the only Redeemer, sent by the Father, and the Father
loves his elect as he loves Christ, his only begotten Son. I and them, thou and me, that
they may be made perfect, that the world may know you sent me." What I'm preaching is going to
be one day known by the whole universe, that God sent Christ
to be our Savior. He's the only Savior. And Father,
I will that they also whom you've given me be with me where I am,
that they may behold my glory. which thou hast given me, you
love me, for the foundation of the world. And that's when he
loved us, because we were in Christ then, chosen in him for
the foundation of the world. That's the reason I love that
doctrine so much, is because only it rides what God, the esteem
and love and glory with which he holds Christ, he holds us
in Christ. But we don't have anything outside
of Him. It's all in Him. Well, that'll be glory. Number
505. Let's sing that while Mike comes
to leave us. That'll be glory. That'll be glory for me.