A Study of the Lord's Prayer

Q: What does the Bible say about the Lord's Prayer?

The Lord's Prayer reveals Jesus' intimate relationship with the Father and emphasizes the authority of Christ as our mediator. The Lord's Prayer, as recorded in John 17, underscores the deep relationship between Jesus and the Father and highlights Christ’s role as our High Priest and Mediator. In this prayer, Jesus expresses His desire for the unity and glorification of His followers, illustrating His authority over all creation and His commitment to those given to Him by the Father. Importantly, it emphasizes the necessity of knowing God through Jesus Christ, as eternal life is defined as knowing the only true God and Jesus whom He sent. This passage is significant in demonstrating the comprehensive nature of redemption and the intimate connection all believers have through Christ.

Q: How do we know Jesus has authority over all flesh?

Jesus asserts His authority over all flesh as part of His divine nature and mission to grant eternal life to the elect. In John 17:2, Jesus states that the Father has given Him authority over all flesh to grant eternal life to those whom the Father has given Him. This affirmation underscores the divine sovereignty of Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords, demonstrating that all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Him. The assertion reflects His role in accomplishing redemption, which was established before the foundation of the world. It assures believers that their salvation is secure due to His governing power over all. Jesus's acknowledgment of His power reinforces His significance in fulfilling the promises of God for His people.

Q: Why is eternal life important for Christians?

Eternal life is crucial because it is defined as knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ, which is the essence of Christian faith. Eternal life holds paramount significance as it is not merely about duration but the quality of life that encompasses fellowship with God. In John 17:3, Jesus defines eternal life explicitly as knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent. This relationship is foundational for believers as it assures them of their identity and purpose in Christ. The gift of eternal life is rooted in grace and ensures that true believers are spiritually alive, having Christ's righteousness and salvation. Understanding eternal life invites believers into a transformative relationship that affects all aspects of their lives, empowering them to live for God's glory.

Q: How does Jesus reveal God to us?

Jesus reveals God by manifesting His character and attributes, making the invisible God knowable to us. In John 17:6, Jesus communicates that He has manifested the Father’s name to the men whom the Father gave Him. This revelation encompasses the attributes and character of God, allowing believers to understand God’s nature in a personal way. Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God’s plan of redemption, embodying the names and titles that highlight God’s provision, healing, and righteousness. The understanding of who God is comes through recognizing Christ’s work and words, which reflect God’s perfect character. Thus, knowing Jesus is synonymous with knowing God, which is foundational to the Christian faith and essential for spiritual growth.

And for a man to take upon himself
to comment on this prayer, perhaps is not wise. I don't know. Perhaps
we ought to just read it, as I asked Brother Tom to do this
evening. I said, will you read that for
us? Because I like to hear you read God's Word. Perhaps we ought
to just leave it like that, having been read. Some of them may say, well, help
us to see what he means. Well, he means what he said. That's what he means. But there
are some statements in this prayer, and this is the Lord's Prayer.
There are some statements here that I would like to look at
briefly and perhaps encourage you to look into it more fully. But as I've said so many times,
the Bible was not written in chapters and verses. So at the
beginning of chapter 17, the statement is made, these words
speak Jesus. And those words are not referring
to the prayer he's about to pray. These words speak Jesus refers
to the words that he has already spoken to his disciples in chapter
13, 14, 15, and 16. You see, in those four preceding
chapters, our Lord, beginning at the supper, when he washed
their feet and had so many things to say to them, and said, I have
more things to say to you, but you're not able yet to bear them.
But for four chapters there, he deals with his disciples,
talking to them about what they're going to suffer,
talking to them about what they're going to have to endure, speaking
words of comfort and instruction and direction to these disciples.
Let me just briefly show you what I mean. Turn back to chapter
14. And he says to them in chapter
14, verse 1, let not your heart be troubled. These men were depressed,
troubled fearful, the Lord talked about leaving them. And he said,
don't let your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe in
me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not
so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you,
and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be
also. And then in chapter 15, it talks to them about he's the
vine, they're the branches. And chapter 16, verse 1 and 2,
listen. And these words, or these things,
have I spoken unto you, that you should not be offended. They're
going to put you out of the synagogues. Yea, the time cometh when that
whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God's service.
And these things will they do unto you, because they have not
known the Father, nor me." Now look at chapter 16, verse 33. And these things, these words,
I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In
this world you are going to have tribulation, troubles and trials,
but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. These
words speak Jesus. If you want to study that, chapter
13, 14, 15, 16, they're the comforting, instructive words of our Master
to his disciples. And then he lifted his eyes to
heaven. Now a man doesn't have to lift
his eyes to heaven to pray. A man can pray on his face, a
man can pray on his back. A man can pray on his knees,
a man can pray looking down or looking up. But the Lord Jesus
here, as he did on many occasions, lifted his eyes to heaven. He
taught us to pray, our Father which art in heaven. And he said,
Father, the hour has come. Now, he refers to this hour throughout
his ministry. Remember that first time. at
Cana of Galilee, where he performed the first miracle. Mary came
to him and said, They have no wine. They've run out of wine.
He said, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Thine hour is not
yet come. He's referring to that hour of
crucifixion. You see, that's what the Father
spake of back in Genesis 315, four thousand years prior to
that time. when he said that the seed of
woman shall bruise the serpent's head, conquer his power, defeat
him. This is the hour all the way
through the Old Testament, the hour to which the Passover lamb
pointed, the hour to which Abel's sacrifice pointed, the hour to
which the Atonement pointed, every prophecy, the brazen serpent,
all the way through the Old Testament. Our Lord Jesus was prepared for
that hour of suffering and sacrifice and substitution. One time the
disciples were encouraging him not to go to Jerusalem, and he
said, Shall I ask to be delivered from this hour? For this cause
came after this hour. This is the hour. This is the paramount, acting,
high point from which everything prior to Calvary, to which everything
prior to Calvary pointed, and everything after Calvary looks
back to the time when our Lord died on that cross. Paul said,
we preach Christ crucified. And he said, now Father, the
hour has come. It's here. Now listen, glory
thou thy son. Now, as the Son of God, he needed
no added glory. All glories his. All glories
his. There's no way that as a son
of God he can receive any added glory from anything or anyone.
He is the glorious one. But he's praying here, as Tom
pointed out, he's praying here as the man, Christ Jesus. He's
praying here as the high priest chosen from among men to represent
men in things pertaining to God. He's praying here as our representative. And he's saying, The glory of
our Son, as our Mediator, he prays that the Father will support
him, that the Father will sustain him, that the Father will uphold
him through all that he as a man. I can't explain the incarnate
God. I can't explain how he can be
perfect God and perfect man. I can't explain how the very
nature of God Almighty, the Creator, And the nature of man can be
in one person. I cannot handle that. I cannot
explain it. I just know it's true. And I
know that when our Lord became a man, while he is God, omnipotent,
omniscient, omnipresent, he is nevertheless a man in all points,
and tempted as we are as a man, and limited himself if you can
understand those words in connection with God. But there's a sense
in which he limited himself. And I know in the Garden of Gethsemane,
he prayed in this fashion. He wasn't asking to be delivered
from the cross. That's impossible. Our Lord never
prayed contrary to the will of the Father. He said for this,
shall I ask to be delivered? No. For this cause came out of
this house. But somehow he's saying this.
if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not
my will, but thy will be done." And there's only one way that
I can see that. Before he prayed that, he said,
my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death. And here in
this garden, I'm not even going to make it to the cross, I'm
going to die right here. His blood was coming out of the
pores of his He was under such stress and pressure and tension
and pain and agony, being made sin for us. Bearing sin is something
the Son of God knew nothing about. Bearing sin was the most distasteful,
far removed thing from his nature that could ever be imagined.
And he's saying his human nature is rebelling against this very
thing of bearing these sins, and if it's not moved, I'm going
to die. My soul is sorrowful unto death."
And he asked that this cup be removed, but he said, nevertheless,
not my will, but thy will be done, and all things submissive
to his Father's will. And the angels came and ministered
to him, and the cup was removed. Yes, sir, because he went back
to his disciples And he says, all right now, let's go. It's
exactly right. And our Lord here, here's what
he's praying. He's praying to be sustained.
He's praying to be upheld. He's praying to be supported
in this awful, awful, terrible. No man takes my life from me,
so I lay it down. But he's saying, Father, glorify
me. Why? That I, that thy son may glorify thee. You sustain
me and support me and help me that in my passions and in my
agony that I may glorify your virtues and your attributes of
love and righteousness, of truth and mercy. Because all of these
attributes have got to meet together in me. And in my death, that's
what the psalmist said. Love and righteousness have embraced
one another, truth and mercy have kissed one another. And
the awful task that Christ took upon himself was not only to
bear our sins and put away our transgressions, but at the same
time in doing so, to glorify the old righteous Father. See
what I'm saying? This is something that no human
being could ever do, no angel could ever do, only one person
who was equipped to do it, and able to do it, with the power
to do it, and the will to do it, was the Son of God. And that's
what he's praying, O righteous Father, glorify me, help me that
I may glorify thee. Then he says in verse 2, As thou
hast given him power over all flesh, now my friends, Our Lord
Jesus Christ is not the pitiful, defeated, impotent reformer that
most preachers make out him to be. The Lord Jesus Christ has
all authority and power in heaven and earth, and he has all authority
and power over all flesh. He's the King of kings and the
Lord of lords, and as such, he has all authority. He said that
in Matthew 28 to his disciples. He said, all authority, dominion,
power is given unto me in heaven and earth. So you go preach the
gospel. Everything was created by him,
for him, and is sustained and upheld by him. He has all authority. And God has given him all authority
over all flesh, listen, that he should give life I'm come that they might have
life, and have it more abundantly. You've given me all authority
over all flesh, that I should give the Son quickeneth whom
he will. Is that not true? As the Father
hath life in himself, so the Son has life in himself, and
the Son quickeneth whom he will. And you've given me authority
over every human being on the face of this earth that I may
give this life to those whom you've given me." In order to
save his elect, the Lord Jesus has to have authority over all
flesh. He said that to Pilate. You know,
when he was standing before Pilate at the judgment seat, Pilate
was acting rather arrogantly. And he asked our Lord a question,
and our Lord didn't answer him. And Pilate was agitated, and
he said, Answerest thou not me? Answerest thou not me? O big
me, I have the power to crucify you, I let you go. And our Lord
corrected him. Pilate, you could have no authority
over me at all, except it was given you by my Father. Let me
tell you something. There is no power to live or
to die, to think or to speak, to move or to lie down, to sleep
or awake, except it be given you by Jesus Christ. In Him we
live. move and have our be. Don't kid
yourself. We use that big word, I will,
I will, you will do what he wills. That's right. He said to Pharaoh,
for this same purpose have I raised you up, that I might show my
what? Authority in you. I'm telling
the truth, and that's what he says. Thou hast given me authority
over whom? All flesh, all flesh, that I
should give eternal life to those, to as many as Thou hast given
me." And you'll note in this prayer, he uses that praise,
as many as Thou hast given me, six times. Six times, as many
as... He's praying, Tom said this,
for his own. It's the priestly prayer, it's
the mediatorial prayer, or we don't. And this is life eternal.
You know, that ought to get anybody's attention. Who should know what
eternal life is more than him who is eternal life? Who should
know what eternal life is more than the author and finisher
of eternal life, the giver of life? And he says this is it. You see, he's not talking about
how long it lasts. The average person thinks when
you talk about everlasting life, well, what is it? Well, it's
everlasting. That's the least of it. It's
everlasting because it's eternal life. That's the reason it's
everlasting, because it's life. It's spiritual life. It's the
life of God. It's divine life. It's the life
Adam had before he fell. It's the life Adam lost when
he fell. It's the life we have in Christ
when he restored us to life. And eternal life is not a profession
of religion. About everybody has that. Eternal
life is not reformation of life. The Pharisees did that. Eternal
life is not believing there's a God. The devil believes that. Well, what is eternal life? Verse
3, this is eternal life, that they might know thee. that they might actually know
thee. Now, he adds a phrase, the only
true God. See, that's the one after which
David panted. He said, like the thirsty deer
panteth for the water brooks, my soul panteth for thee, the
living God. Not just a God, not just a theology,
not just a doctrinal position, But eternal life is to know God. And the only way to know God
is to know him through Jesus Christ whom he hath sent. I want to read you a scripture
over here, and you turn to it, 1 John 5, 1 John chapter 5. And no man knoweth the Father
but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. No man hath
seen God at any time, the Only Begotten hath declared him. God
dwells in a life to which no man can approach, the invisible
God he's called. The disciple said, well, show
us God. Show us the Father. He said, he that hath seen me
hath seen God, hath seen the Father. Now look at 1 John 5,
20. We know that the Son of God is come and hath given us an
understanding that we may know him. That is true. Eternal life is to know whom?
The true God. And the Son of God has come to
give us an understanding that we may know Him that is true,
and we're in Him that is true, even in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God. This is
eternal life. Now, explain that? Okay. To those who know the living
God, I don't have to. To those who do not know Him,
It's impossible. He has to be revealed in Christ.
Is that not true? Christ reveals him. And he's
going to go on and tell us in what way he has revealed him.
But he said this is eternal life. That's the reason John Flaming
was quoting the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3, O that I may
know him. That I may know him. That I may
know him. All right, verse 4. I have glorified
thee on the earth." What is it to glorify God? To love him perfectly? To obey him perfectly? To live
in absolute submission, perfect submission to his will? What
human being on this earth has ever been able to say that? I
have glorified thee. I have loved thee perfectly.
I have obeyed thee perfectly. I have lived in absolute surrender,
submission to thy will perfectly, only Christ could say that. And
do you know for whom he's saying it? For every one of those in
him. I have glorified thee. And do
you know in Christ we can say the same thing? I have literally,
actually glorified God on this earth. Not in myself. Far be
it from anybody even to suppose such a thing, but he could say
it, for he did. And the Father bore witness to
it when he said, This is my Son in whom I am well pleased. I
have glorified thee on the earth. Now watch this. And in doing
so, glorifying the righteous Father, he said, I have therefore
finished the work you gave me to do. Now, I'm telling you something. This work is a work that was
designed and purposed before the foundation of the world.
When the Father, in his everlasting and eternal counsels of glory,
purposed to redeem a people, purposed to have a new heaven
and a new earth, and made Christ the surety of that everlasting
covenant, And all the way through the Old Testament, these patterns
and pictures and types were set forth portraying this one who
would come. And this one who came, came to
reveal every attribute of God, to work out in his obedience
in life a perfect, absolutely perfect righteousness for his
people, to put away their sins through his death. to justify
them, to sanctify them, to redeem them, to be a faithful and merciful
high priest, to destroy Satan and all his power, principalities
and powers, and put down every enemy. And when Jesus Christ
spoke here in this prayer, he said, I have done all that you
gave me to do. I finished the work. That's the
reason he cried on that cross. is finished. He wasn't talking about the Old
Testament types, though they were, the Old Testament law which
he fulfilled, his life on earth, in the flesh as a man, which
it was finished. He's talking about the work the
Father gave him to do. And that's the redemption of
every believer. And let me tell you something,
there's nothing left for any person to do. I finished. Now I know the meaning of the
word finished. It means it's over. It means it's done. It means it's ended. It's like
a man who's building something like this pulpit and he works
on it and labors and he sands it and he paints it and he varnishes
it and finishes it. And when it's complete, he says
to his wife, I finished. Now don't, wife, don't you get
a paintbrush and come in here and start fooling around with
And don't get a screwdriver and start tightening the screws.
He said, I finished it. And I'm saying that our Lord,
when he suffered on that cross, finished this work of redemption.
I'm telling you, he finished it. And it's not God done all
he can do, now it's up to you. That's a blasphemous statement.
It's not the Lord, if you take the first step, he'll meet you
halfway. That's a blasphemous statement. He is the author and
what? Finisher of our faith. It's done,
the great transaction's done. I am my Lord's and he is mine.
And people who have not yet even been born, whom God has elected
and purposed to save, their redemption is finished, their righteousness
is complete, and their sins, which they haven't even committed,
are paid for. Is that going too far? No, sir. That's the truth. That's
the truth. They're paid for, they're put
away. I finished it all at verse 5. And now, O Father, and now
glorify me, glorify me with the glory which I had with thee.
Glorify me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with
thee before the world was. Two things are said here, two
important things. Number one, Christ is God. Glorify
me with the glory which I shared with thee and had with thee before
this world was." Now, I'm not going to take the time to read
it, but if you read Proverbs 8, oh, that's such a beautiful
call to wisdom, Proverbs 8. Such a beautiful description
of our Lord and how he was the delight of the Father before
the first star was ever put in space, before the first planet
was ever put out there. And he is returning to that great
glory. He's returning to the Father's
presence. Now, watch this. And he's returning
as the man Christ Jesus. As the man Christ Jesus. Now,
this is so difficult to lay hold of. But this glory which he had
with the Father before the world He's praying now when he, after
he dies on that cross, buried and rises from the grave and
sends back to heaven. He's praying as our representative
mediator. He's asking the Father which
he will receive the same position and glory, matchless glory, that
he had before the world was. And what he's praying for himself,
he's praying for us. I know it's hard to get a hold
of, but we're going to have the same glory. Now, look at verse
22. And this glory, this majesty,
this glory, which thou gavest me, I've given them. The same glory. That they may
be one as we are one, I in them, and thou in me, that they may
be made perfect in one, that the world may know that thou
hast sent me, and hast loved them," whoa, hold it, hold it,
look, "...as you love me." You talk about the prospects of the
people of God. I tell you, when these fellows
start singing about the golden streets and the mansion next
door to Jesus and the circle be unbroken and shake hands with
mother again, these fellows, That's the reason I despise these
quartets. They hadn't commenced to begin
to get started to even be suspicious of what he's talking about here.
This glory so far exceeds anything that we can think or consider
or contemplate, this is the very glory of the Son himself that
is given to every person who leaves this earth, trusting in,
believing in, resting in Christ, and goes to the presence of God.
The unspeakable, unsearchable, indefinable glory of the Son
of God goes to every believer. Glory, majesty, honor, Glory,
that's what he said. I finished the work. Now glorify
me with the glory which I had with thee before the world was,
and this glory which you've given to me, I've given to them. That's the reason all these people
that say they've died and come back to earth, I know they're
lying. I know they're lying. Talk about things they've seen
and lights they've seen, experiences they've had, they're lying. Oh
yeah, because I know one man that went to glory. He said he
didn't know whether he was dead or alive. Paul the Apostle. And
he said, I heard things that I cannot describe. It's impossible
to put into words. And this is what Christ is talking
about. Think of the glory which he had with the Father before
the world was. And he said, that's the glory that I gave to them. Look at verse 6. He said, I've
manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me. This is what it is to know God.
It's to know His name. It's to know His name. And Christ
said, I've manifested thy name. I've revealed thy name. You say,
well, I know God's name, Jehovah. I know God's name, Elohim. I
know God's name, I Am. What Christ is talking about
here is the attributes, the character of God, his name of redemption. And I don't want to, I know you
can't remember all these names because I've preached from them
a dozen times or more and I can't remember them all. I have to
write them down. But there's the net Jehovah, God my Savior. But there are some names, there
are seven names of our Lord in the Old Testament. which Christ
reveals. These seven names is what Christ
is. God is called Jehovah-Jireh. The Lord will provide. You remember
Abraham was going up the mountain and Isaac said, where's the lamb? And that's when Abraham said
Jehovah-Jireh. That's his name. He will provide. He will provide for himself a
lamb, he will provide himself a lamb, and he will provide it. Nothing for you and me to do.
He'll provide the lame. And Jesus Christ reveals that
name of God. He is Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord
who provides. You understand that? And then
He's Jehovah-Rapha. He's the Lord that healeth thee.
Exodus 15, 26, I am the Lord, I am Jehovah-Rapha. I'm the Lord
that healeth thee. And these fellows, I tell you,
on television, They talk about healing boils and neck aches
and back aches and cancer and all this. That's not our problem.
That's not my problem. This old flesh has got to wither
and die some way. And if I get some kind of healing
today, I'll get something else tomorrow. And I get some kind
of healing today, I'm going to die tomorrow anyway. What I need
is healing of the soul. He healeth all our diseases,
and they never come back. He bore our sicknesses and sorrows. No, there is not permanent healing
in the atonement. That is the most ridiculous thing
a man ever said. There is permanent healing of
the soul in the atonement, but not the body. The Apostle Paul
was a sick man. Papadias, you know, that's the
fellow who said, was sick unto death, Paul said. What Paul let
him do that for? I thought he was healing the
atonement. God's people have suffered through the years. They're
going to keep suffering. This is flesh, do you understand?
But he healeth all our diseases. By his stripes we're healed. You see, don't fall for this. It's just Satan's way of taking
men's eyes off redemption. Of what redemption is, what Christ
really did. He healeth all our diseases.
That's our Lord Jehovah Nisa. He's our banner. He's our king. He's our captain. He reigns over
us. He's our Lord. He's Jehovah Shalom. He is our peace. The Lord our
peace. He's Jehovah Raya, the Lord my
shepherd. He's Jehovah Sidkenu, the Lord
my righteousness. He's Jehovah Shema, the Lord
is present. He said, I'll never leave you.
I'll never forsake you. His name is Jehovah, God my Savior. That's who the Lord God is and
Christ came down here to fulfill and provide and reveal and manifest
God in that glorious character of Jehovah. Jehovah who provides,
Jehovah who heals, Jehovah who reigns, Jehovah who is my peace,
Jehovah who is my shepherd, Jehovah who is my perfect righteousness,
and Jehovah who is eternally present. And he said, I've manifested
this name. I've manifested this name. Listen.
I've manifested this name to whom? The men you gave me out
of this world. Plenty of people heard him and
didn't believe him. Thou gavest them me, and they, listen, kept
thy word, they heard thy word, and received it. They kept it
here. A lot of people hear the word,
it falls on that fallow ground, and they lose it. It goes away.
But my people have what? Kept my word. They kept thy word. They brought it into their hearts
by your Spirit. Let's move on. Now, and they
have known, they have known, that all things whatsoever thou
hast given me are of thee." Now, my friends, this is something
our Lord emphasized over and over again, and I'm going to
not go through all this. I'll continue it later. So listen
real carefully for a few moments. He's our God. He's one with the
Father. But as our representative, He
subjected Himself to the Father's will, work, and word. And He
says over and over again, I came not to do my will, but the will
of him that sent me. The words that I speak are not
my words, they're the words of him that sent me. The work that
I do is not my work, it's the work of him that sent me." And
what he's speaking, how he's speaking here is as our representative. He's saying that this redemptive
work did not originate with the representative. But this work
of redemption originated with the one who has the right to
design it and purpose it and perfect it. And I came down here,
he said, to do his will. You see that? I came down to
speak his words. And so these men you've given
me, They've known that all the things whatsoever you've given
me are of thee. Listen. For I've given them the
words that you gave me, and they have received them, and they
know that I came out from thee. And they believe that you did
send me. They know that. They know you sent me. Can you
get a hold of this? That God Almighty, the living,
true, eternal God, who cannot be known, cannot be seen by men,
cannot be understood, cannot be comprehended, and yet we've
got to know him. So he comes down here, sends
his son, he comes down here himself clothed in human flesh, made
like unto us, hears us, speaks to us, we see him, hear him,
touch him, listen to him, And he reveals and manifests that
Father's will, that Father's work, and that Father's words. You see that? And that's what
Christ just said. And these men know that I am
sent of thee. And the only way they're going
to speak to thee, or to hear from thee, or to come to thee,
or to be blessed of thee, is to come to me. I'm the way, the
truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but
by me. And at the same time, he is purchasing for us in his
work toward us is to manifest the Father. His work toward us
is to reveal the Father's will, and to reveal the Father's words,
and to make known to us the Father's word. His work toward the Father
for us is to perfect the righteousness. is to satisfy God's law and honor
God's justice that God Almighty may receive us. See that? Now, he said, verse 9, I pray
for them. I pray for them. I pray not for the world. I don't
pray for the world. My friends, if Christ had prayed
for the world, God would have given him the world. There's no way that the will
of Christ can be defeated. It must be done. Didn't he say,
I have all power to give eternal life to as many as you've given
me? There's no way that the prayers of Christ cannot be answered.
He always prayed according to the will of the Father. And here
he says, I don't pray for the world. Our Lord Jesus, our God,
didn't purpose to save the world. He purposed to save a people
out of the world. Isn't that what he said? Call
out a people for his name. I don't know who they are. He
knows who they are. He said, I know my sheep, and
they know me. And I give them eternal life,
and they'll never perish. The Pharisees said, well, if
you're the Christ, tell us. He said, I told you. You didn't
believe me. You didn't believe me because you're not of my sheep. And he said, other sheep I have
which are not of this foal, I've got to bring them too. But the
Father never purposed to save every human being. He purposed
to save a people out of every tribe, kindred, nation, tongue,
and heaven. He gave them to Christ. Christ said in John 6, All that
my Father giveth me shall come to me. And him that cometh to
me out of nowhere is cast out. I came down from heaven not to
do my will, the will of him that sent me. And this is his will.
That of all which ye have given me, I lose nothing, but raise
it up at the last day." When Moses delivered Israel out of
Egypt, it's a picture of God delivering his church. They didn't
leave one person behind. They didn't leave one goat behind,
or one sheep, or one dog, or one cat. Not a hook nor a hair
was left behind. They all came out. And I'm telling
you, this redemptive work of Christ, which He finished, is
effectual and sufficient to the saving of everybody the Father
gave Him. And those the Father purposed
to save, the Son assumed the office of surety and came into
this world with the intention of redeeming them, went to the
cross and died for them, ascended, and He praised for them. And
he says, I pray not for this world, I pray for those whom
thou hast given me, for they are thine. That's the people
for whom he prayed. That's the people for whom he
died, and those are the people for whom he intercedes right
now. For whom the Lord foreknew, he predestinated to be conformed
to the image of his son. And whom he predestinated he
called, and whom he called he justified, and whom he justified
he will glorify. That's the fact. But that's not
every human being. That's not every son of Adam.
But that's his elect. And that's not, let me tell you
something, election is not bad news, it's good news. There's
no way I can save myself or anyone else. But my God has the power
to save. An election doesn't keep anybody
out of the kingdom of God. It's the only way anybody ever
will be saved. God must choose us. We don't
love Him, He loves us. We don't seek Him, He seeks us.
And here our Lord is praying. And you read the rest of it.
Maybe one night before, maybe next Sunday night, we'll go on
and finish it. But He said, I don't pray for the world. I don't pray
for those already in hell and those who are going to hell.
See, if Christ prays for you, if Christ, He said, ask of me. He said, I set my king on the
holy hill of Zion. He said to the king, ask of me
and I'll give you the heathen. And I'll tell you, every person
for whom He asks, He's going to have. He's going to have. That's good news. He'll never
leave us nor forsake us.

A Study of the Lord's Prayer

What does the Bible say about the Lord's Prayer?

How do we know Jesus has authority over all flesh?

Why is eternal life important for Christians?

How does Jesus reveal God to us?

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A Study of the Lord's Prayer

What does the Bible say about the Lord's Prayer?

How do we know Jesus has authority over all flesh?

Why is eternal life important for Christians?

How does Jesus reveal God to us?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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