So we turn to John's Gospel, chapter 16.
Now, these words in the 16th chapter have
to be understood with the background as Jesus
has been in the upper room with his
disciples.
He has told them as he had the
Lord's Supper with them that he would not
drink of the fruit of the vine until
he drank it anew in the kingdom.
After supper he has washed their feet, giving
to them an example of what the ministry
is all about.
It's that of a servant.
And then there in the upper room he
speaks to them of that beautiful relationship that
they would have with the Father and with
his Son through the Holy Spirit.
That he is going away, but he's going
to come again.
And he's going to the Father.
And then they leave the upper room.
Now, the cross is in front of him.
At this point he knows it.
They're not sure.
But he realizes that this will be his
last chance to just really talk with them
of the things that are in his heart.
And so in the 15th chapter, somewhere between
the upper room and the Garden of Gethsemane,
maybe while they're walking, Jesus is talking to
his disciples, declaring that he is the vine,
the true vine, the Father, the husbandman, and
that God's purpose for their lives was that
they might bring forth fruit.
And that fruit that God is looking for
is love.
He wants us to love one another even
as he loves us.
And this emphasis upon bearing fruit, bringing forth
that love one for another.
Now in chapter 16, Jesus said, I'm telling
you these things so that you'll not be
offended.
Telling them actually of the things that are
going to happen to them.
When you go out into the world, they're
going to persecute you.
They're not going to receive you.
If you were of the world, then they
would receive you and accept you.
But you're not of the world.
Now I'm telling you this, Jesus said, so
that you won't get wiped out when you
are not received by the world.
It is interesting how that somehow in our
minds we are idealist and we're prone to
think if a person lives an honest, righteous
kind of a life, everybody will respect them
and appreciate them.
But have you ever read of the hassles
that these people have to go through who
find money and turn it in and are
honest enough to turn it in?
How that they get all kinds of hate
mails, threatening, and a lot of them have
just had to move from their neighborhoods.
Their neighbors were so totally upset with them
for being honest.
Harass them.
Call them fools and harass them because of
their honesty.
And so Jesus said, look, I'm going to
tell you this before it happens.
Telling you these things now so that you
won't be offended.
For they're going to put you out of
their synagogues.
Yes, the time is coming when whoever kills
you will think that he is doing God's
service.
This was surely true with Paul the Apostle
when he was a zealous Pharisee.
And as they were stoning Stephen, Paul said,
I consented unto his death.
Paul was holding the coats of those that
were throwing the stones, urging them on no
doubt in the stoning to death of Stephen,
declaring in Philippians chapter 3 that it was
a part of his zeal towards God was
persecuting the church.
He thought he was doing God's service.
And these things will they do unto you
because they have not known the father nor
me.
Interesting that these people who were so steeped
in traditions of the Hebrew religion.
Jesus said of them, they really don't know
the father.
I believe that it is possible to become
steeped in the traditions of Christianity so much
so that you don't really know the son,
you know, all of the traditions, you know,
all of the church traditions and and you're
bound up and caught up in the traditions.
But it is possible to be very religious
in a Christian sense as far as attendance
in church and all and be very religious,
but not really know Jesus in a true
and intimate way.
And we've got to guard against that, that
we don't get caught up in religion.
But we get caught up in Jesus Christ
in the relationship, the personal relationship with him.
And many times becoming religious is a real
barrier to that relationship.
God, keep us open.
God, keep us flexible, not rigid in a
religious system.
And God, prevent that we should ever devolve
into a religious system and lose the real
relationship with Jesus.
Jesus said they're going to do this thinking
they're doing God a service when they kill
you.
But it's because they really don't know the
father nor his son.
But these things I have told you that
when the time shall come, you will remember
that I told you them.
And these things I did not tell you
in the beginning because I was with you.
I was there to shield.
I was there to take their buffeting and
to answer their charges.
And I didn't tell you this at the
first because you had me with you, but
I'm going away now.
You're going to be on your own.
And now they're going to be persecuting you
for my sake.
Because of what you're going to be doing
in my name and truly, as we read
the book of Acts, we find out that
this did indeed happen.
They were persecuted for the name of Jesus
Christ and for their ministry in his name.
But now I am going my way to
him that sent me going back to the
father.
And none of you have asked me, where
are you going now?
Jesus said to the disciples in the 14th
chapter.
I'm going away, and if I go, I
will come again and receive you unto myself
that where I am there, you may be
also.
And Thomas sayeth unto him, Lord, and whether
I go, he said, you know, in the
way, you know, Thomas said unto him, Lord,
we don't know where you are going and
how can we know the way he didn't
say, where are you going?
He just said, Lord, we don't know where
you are going.
None of them asked, well, Lord, where are
you going?
He kept saying, I'm going away, but they
didn't say, where are you going?
And he said, but because I have said
these things unto you, sorrow has filled your
heart.
Now I said, I'm going and you're all
sorry, but you haven't asked, where are you
going?
If they had asked, where are you going?
And they knew that he was going to
the father.
And of course it's revealed here in the
17th chapter, then, then they would not be
so sorry for him.
In fact, they would rejoice for him though.
They would still probably be sorry for themselves.
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth.
It is necessary.
It's expedient for you that I go away.
This is, this is necessary for, if I
go not away, the comforter will not come
unto you.
But if I depart, I will send him
unto you.
Now, when Jesus took on a human body
of necessity, he took on certain limitations of
a human body.
And one of the limitations of the human
body is that of locality.
Your, your body can only be in one
place at one time.
Now that is frustrating at times.
There are times when I wish my body
could be two or three places at the
same time, but as long as I am
in this body, I can't be.
Now there are some times my body is
one place and my mind is another.
And that happens to you sometimes when you're
sitting here.
I see your bodies, but sometimes I wonder,
where are you?
But the body is limited to locality.
Now they are soon to be dispersed.
They're to take the gospel into all the
world.
And it would be impossible for Jesus to
be with them all if he were still
in the body.
When Paul is heading out for Cyprus and
for Ephesus and all, if the Lord went
with Paul, he couldn't be with Peter and
John back in Jerusalem.
So the fact that they were now to
take the gospel and go out with it.
It was necessary that Jesus leave them and
go back to the father, back to the
spiritual state, no longer limited by the body
in order that he might send the Holy
spirit who can be with them wherever they
go, because he is not bound to locality.
And Jesus now in the spirit is not
bound to locality.
So he said to his disciples, lo, I
am with you always, even to the end
of the world, the end of this age,
but it's necessary in order to be with
you in this manner that I go away
to be relieved from the limitations of this
body in order that again, as God, he
might be omnipresent.
And so in order that the comforter, the
Holy spirit might come when I depart, he
said, I will send him unto you.
He said, I'm going to pray the father
and he will give you another comforter, even
the spirit of truth that he may abide
with you forever.
And so here again, the promise of the
spirit and when he is calm, he will
reprove the world of sin and of righteousness
and of judgment.
Now, Jesus at that point amplifies what he
said the reproof of the Holy spirit would
be.
And to me, the amplification is very interesting
because it's not at all what I would
think in just reading of the spirit, reproving
the world of sin.
When he reproves the world of sin, I
think of all of the horrible things that
men are doing.
I think of the murders and the cheating
and the lying and all of these things.
But Jesus said of sin, because they believe
not on me.
Interesting statement, because you see, there is only
one deadly sin and that is the sin
of not believing in Jesus Christ.
I care not what you have done.
It isn't necessary that I know what you
have done, what your past may hide.
I know this, that the blood of Jesus
Christ, God's son cleanses a man from all
sin, no matter what's there.
There is only one sin that really condemns
a man when they stand before God.
And that is the sin of not believing
in Jesus Christ.
He will reprove the world of sin because
they believe not in me.
Jesus said to Nicodemus, for I did not
come into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world through me might be
saved.
And he who believeth is not condemned, but
he who believes not is condemned already.
Not because he's a cheater, a thief, an
adulterer, a murderer, he's condemned already seeing he
hath not believed on the only begotten son
of God.
This is the condemnation.
Light came into the world, but men would
not come to the light.
So that thing for which God will bring
you into judgment is your not believing in
his provision for your salvation through Jesus Christ.
He will testify of righteousness.
Now it would seem to me that the
testimony of righteousness to us would be saying,
now this is the way a person should
walk.
You should walk in love.
You should walk in truth.
You should walk in mercy.
You should walk in, uh, honesty and, and,
and all of these things showing us the
right path and the right relationship that we
should have to each other testifying or reproving
the world of righteousness.
But Jesus said of righteousness, because I go
under the father and you see me no
more interesting statement.
What Jesus means by that is that we
have many varying standards of righteousness that men
have established today.
And even within the church body, there are
different standards of righteousness in some church bodies.
It is very unrighteous for a woman to
wear any kind of makeup or try to
make herself look halfway decent at all.
I'm glad I don't belong to those churches.
But to them that constitutes unrighteousness.
Oh, the guy is dressed flashy to be
sure, but they try to put the women
in very dull and unattractive garb and, uh,
hair pulled back in a bun and so
forth.
And that to them is righteousness.
It is interesting to me that, um,
overall the church here in the United States,
um, is opposed to drinking any alcoholic beverage.
I personally am, but in Sweden, the Christians,
they're seeing nothing wrong with drinking beer.
And, and when we were in Sweden and
then we were out to dinner with, uh,
the ministers and all, they always said, you
want to drink beer?
And I always was shocked by that, but
some of them were very shocked that my
wife drank coffee.
Oh my brother, we'll pray for you.
You know, what a poor witness, your wife
drinking coffee while they were drinking their beer.
So there are different standards of righteousness that
quite often are cultural.
The mores of a particular society and the
standards of righteousness by which men set are
usually standards of comparison.
When I think of a righteous standard, I
look around and I say, well, I'm better
than he is.
I wouldn't do that.
And, and by looking at the faults of
others, I can sometimes feel very smug and
self-righteous.
Father, I thank you that I am not
like that.
I'm not like other men because I don't
do the things they're doing.
And I do this, Lord.
But Jesus said, you do err when you
compare yourself with men, because I don't care
how righteous you are or how righteous I
am, unless our righteousness exceeds that of the
scribes and Pharisees, we're not going to enter
the kingdom of heaven.
And as far as outward righteousness, and as
far as righteousness, according to the law, they
were so far beyond anything we ever dreamed
of being.
They practiced their whole lives, trying to obey
the finest points of the law, interpreting them
and obeying the finest points of the law.
And Paul the apostle was able to testify
of his own experience as a Pharisee concerning
the righteousness, which is in the law.
He said, I was blameless.
Jesus though said, unless your righteousness exceeds that
of the scribes and the Pharisees, you're not
going to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Don't you know that that blew the mind
of the disciples and caused them to say,
well, poof, what's the use?
Let's go back fishing again.
No way we're going to make that.
I give up.
If you think that's tough, Jesus ended that
message by saying, be ye therefore perfect, even
as your father in heaven is perfect.
That does it.
I'm through.
Washed up.
Hate to admit it, but I'm not perfect.
You don't have to take my word for
it.
My wife will be glad to confirm that.
Now, if my righteousness must exceed the scribes
and the Pharisees, if I can't create a
standard looking around at men, where is the
standard of righteousness that God will accept?
If he won't accept that rigid standard of
the scribes and Pharisees, what standard will he
accept?
And Jesus said, the Holy spirit will reprove
the world of righteousness because I go to
the father.
Now, Jesus ascending into heaven unto the father,
the Holy spirit bears witness by that, that
this is the righteousness that God can accept.
So the righteousness that exceeds that of the
scribes of the Pharisees is the righteousness of
Jesus Christ, which is imparted to us by
our faith in him.
And so when Paul talked of his own
righteousness concerning the law being of the righteousness
of the law being blameless, he then said,
yet those things which were gained to me,
this righteous standing I had as a Pharisee
blameless, those things which were gained to me,
I counted loss for the excellency of the
knowledge of Jesus Christ for whom I suffered
the loss of all things and do count
them, but done that I may know him
and be found in him, not having my
own righteousness, which is of the law, but
the righteousness, which is of Christ through faith,
the righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes
and the Pharisees and the righteousness that the
father will accept.
If I want the father to accept me,
if I want to enter the kingdom of
heaven, I must enter in the righteousness of
Jesus Christ.
Nothing less will do now that for the
moralist once and for all declares that no
matter how moral, honest, good, a person, benevolent,
charitable, you may be, you cannot make it
on your own.
We all need Jesus Christ.
We all need to believe in him for
believing in him.
My sins are forgiven.
I'm no longer condemned believing in him.
I now have the righteousness of Christ imputed
unto me and of judgment.
Jesus said, now I read in revelation that
there is a great white throne judgment where
God sits upon the throne to judge the
world and the nation small and great will
stand before him and the dead will or
the death and hell will give up the
dead, which are in them.
The sea will give up the dead, which
are in them and all the small and
great stand there before God to be judged
out of the things that are written in
the books and whosoever's name is not found
written in the book of life will be
cast into the lake burning with fire.
And this is the second death.
That's not the judgment that the spirit is
testifying about.
Well, there's another judgment.
There's the judgment seat of Christ before which
all of the Christians have to appear to
receive the things done in their bodies, whether
good or evil, where our works are to
be judged by fire and whatever remains will
be rewarded for what sort of works we
have done.
There will the motives of the hearts be
tested.
Jesus said, take heed to yourself that you're
do not your righteousness before men to be
seen of men.
For I say unto you, you have your
reward.
If you're only doing it for a show
so people can look at you and say,
oh my, isn't he sweet?
Isn't he wonderful?
Isn't he good?
And if that's your motive in doing it,
those products and applause and all that you
receive from man is all the reward you'll
ever get.
We are to do our righteousness before God
in such a way as to not try
to draw attention to ourselves.
Let your light so shine before men that
when they see your good works, they will
glorify your father, which dwells in heaven.
And so we will all stand before the
judgment seat of Christ.
And there we will be rewarded for the
way that we have run the race.
But that isn't the judgment that the Holy
Spirit is speaking about of judgment.
Jesus said, because the prince of this world
is judged.
Interesting.
He doesn't talk about our judgment, but he
talks about the prince of the world being
judged.
And where was the prince of the world
judged?
He was judged upon the cross.
Paul tells us in Colossians chapter two, that
Jesus spoiled those principalities and powers, which are
rankings of evil spirits.
He spoiled them there on the cross, making
an open display of his victory, triumphing over
them through the cross.
Therefore, let no man judge you.
The prince of this world has been judged
there on the cross.
Christ defeated Satan.
Satan has tremendous power.
When God created the world and placed man
upon it, God gave to man the dominion
over the world.
God said unto Adam, you're to have dominion
over the fish of the sea, the fowl
of the air, over every living and moving
and creeping thing.
For I have given it unto you.
But man in the garden of Eden gave
it unto Satan so that man was no
longer the ruler over the world, but Satan
became the ruler over the world.
And we see today the disastrous consequences of
Satan's rule in the wars, the suffering, all
of these things, disastrous consequences of Satan's rule.
We pray thy kingdom come, thy will be
done in earth as it is in heaven.
But you do not see that yet.
As in Hebrews, we read, God has put
all things in subjection unto Jesus, but we
do not yet see all things in subjection
unto him.
We still see a world in rebellion against
God, and we still see the fruit of
that rebellion in this world in which we
live.
One day, by the grace of God, we
will live in a world that God intended.
And there are marvelous descriptions of that world
in the Old Testament, where the lion will
lie down with the lamb and a little
child will lead them, and the deserts will
blossom like a rose, and there will be
streams in the deserts and rivers and dry
places, and the lame will leap for joy,
and the dumb will be singing praises unto
God, and the blind shall behold the glory
of our Lord.
No physical maladies, for the former things will
be passed away and all things become new,
and there will be no sorrow or suffering,
for you'll see the world in harmony with
God, and you'll see the world as God
intended it and wants it to be.
But right now, we see a world in
rebellion, and we see men under Satan's control.
The Bible tells us that Satan has taken
them captive, even against their wills.
Paul said that we might take them from
the captivity of the enemy who has taken
them captive against their wills.
Paul tells us that the God of this
world has blinded their eyes, that they cannot
see the truth.
There are men today who cannot see the
truth.
They are bound by Satan's power.
They are blinded by him.
We see men in bondage of corruption, bondage
of sin.
We see it holding men in its power.
And we have seen the vain, futile struggle
of man to try and free himself from
that power of darkness.
Now, the Holy Spirit is reproving the world
of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, because
the prince of this world was judged.
What that means is that you don't have
to be under Satan's power.
You don't have to be under the bondage
of corruption.
But because of the cross of Jesus Christ,
His victory over Satan there at the cross
can become your victory, and through the power
of Jesus Christ, you can have complete victory
and power over the world, the flesh, and
the devil.
You don't have to be under His power.
Actually, what Satan holds today, he holds by
what is called usurped power and authority.
It's not really his.
He still usurps it.
You remember that when God rejected Saul from
being the king of Israel because of his
disobedience, God said to Samuel, now go down.
How long are you going to grieve for
Saul?
Let's move on.
Go down to the house of Jesse and
anoint one of his sons to be the
king over Israel.
So Samuel snuck down to the house of
Jesse for fear of Saul.
And he said to Jesse, would you bring
your sons before me?
And the first son Eliab came in, big
guy and handsome.
And Samuel thought, all right, this surely is
the one that God has chosen for the
king.
And God said to Samuel, Samuel, don't look
on in the outward appearance or I don't
look on the outward appearance.
I look on the heart.
Eliab's not the one.
So one by one, the sons of Jesse
marched in and marched past Samuel and each
one, the Lord said, no.
Finally, Samuel turned to Jesse and he said,
don't you have any other sons?
Oh yeah, I have one more, but he's
just a kid.
He's out watching the sheep.
Well, call him in.
And when David came in this ruddy little
kid, the Lord said to Samuel, that's the
one.
And he took his oil and he poured
it over David's head and anointed him as
king of Israel.
Now, as far as God was concerned, David
was the king.
God anointed him as king.
However, Saul didn't believe that.
And we read in the next few chapters
how that Saul did his best to destroy
David and to hang onto the kingdom, which
God had taken away.
Because you have rejected God from ruling over
you.
God has rejected you from the kingdom.
The prophet had told him, but he did
his best by force to hold on that
which God had taken away.
Now, the same is true today in the
lives of people.
Jesus, you see, has died for the world,
but Satan still holds people under his power,
but it is like Saul.
It's usurped power.
It's no longer legally rightfully his.
Jesus has purchased them by his blood.
And therefore, we can enter into that victory
of Jesus over Satan.
And we can also lay claim to lives
that Satan is holding.
That we might take them from the captivity
of the enemy who has taken them captive.
And I can bring these people before the
Lord case by case.
And I can say, now, Lord, I claim
the power of Jesus Christ and his victory
over the power of Satan that is holding
them and blinding them.
Lord, deliver them from the power of the
enemy and from the blindness.
Now I can't save them from through my
prayers, but I can at least bring them
to the freedom of choice.
We talk about free moral agency and it's
almost a misnomer.
There is no way you can say of
a sinner that he is a free moral
agent.
He's the most bound person in the universe.
His eyes are blind and he's being held
by the power of Satan.
How can you say he's a free moral
agent?
He's a slave under the tyranny of the
enemy.
But through prayer, I can make him a
free moral agent.
Through prayer, I can break the bondage in
which he is held by Satan's power.
And through prayer, I can open his eyes
to the truth.
At that point, being a free moral agent,
he can then choose without this oppressive work
of Satan blinding his eyes and twisting and
perverting his logic.
And so that really is the thrust of
prayer towards the sinner is that of setting
them free from this bondage of Satan because
Satan was judged at the cross and he
has no legal rights over them anymore.
And we can claim the victory of Christ
life after life, setting them free from the
bondage of darkness.
Now, Jesus said, I have many things to
say to you, but you can't bear them
now.
They're not ready for them.
So when he, the spirit of truth has
come, he will guide you into all truth
for he will not speak of himself.
Talking of the Holy Spirit, he declares that
he will be a guide for us into
all truth and he will not testify of
himself, but whatsoever he shall hear that shall
he speak.
And he will show you things to come
and he will glorify me.
So the ministry of the Holy Spirit is
not to exalt himself.
And I do think that when as a
church, we start making a big emphasis upon
the Holy Spirit, we are placing an emphasis
where God hasn't placed an emphasis for the
emphasis of the Holy Spirit is upon Jesus
Christ.
He doesn't testify of himself, but he glorifies
and seeks to glorify Jesus Christ.
And he will tell us things to come.
Paul, the apostle was directed by the Holy
Spirit in his ministry.
And he was shown by the spirit, the
things that were going to happen in his
life.
I have had a very marvelous experience of
having the Holy Spirit lay out for me
the things that God had in store and
was planning to do in my life.
And the Holy Spirit will testify of things
to come and will glorify Jesus Christ for
he shall receive of mine and shall show
it unto you.
In other words, he will receive from me
and reveal to you all things that the
father hath are mine.
Therefore I said that he shall take of
mine and will show it to you now
a little while and you will not see
me.
And again, a little while and you shall
see me because I go to the father.
Now he's talking about the cross and about
his death a little while and you're not
going to see me, but yet a little
while you will see me because I go
to the father.
Then said some of his disciples among themselves,
what in the world is he trying to
say to us a little while and you
will not see me.
And again, a little while and you will
see me because I go to the father.
And they said, therefore, what is this that
he is saying a little while?
I don't know what he's saying.
Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to
ask him and he said unto them, do
you inquire among yourselves of what I said
a little while and you will not see
me and yet a little while and you
shall see me.
Verily, verily, I say unto you that you
are going to weep and lament, but the
world shall rejoice.
Talking again of his crucifixion, you're going to
weep, you're going to lament, and the world
around you is going to be rejoicing and
you shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall
be turned into joy.
Can you imagine the joy of Easter morning,
the resurrection when they saw the risen Lord,
their sorrow turned into joy.
A woman when she is in travail hath
sorrow because her hour is come.
But as soon as she is delivered of
the child, she remembers no more the anguish
for the joy that a man is born
into the world.
And so Jesus uses this as a graphic
illustration of what he was about to go
through.
The travail of his soul, the anguish of
the cross.
But in order that men might be born
into the kingdom, you know, all of the
pain and the suffering and all is so
quickly forgotten when you're swallowed up in the
joy of the birth of a new child.
You forget.
They say that it's one of the hardest
pains to bear and one of the easiest
to forget.
A child has been born into the kingdom.
For the joy that was set before him,
Jesus endured the cross though he despised the
shame.
So he's talking really of himself, the anguish
that he was to go through.
But for the joy of those being born
into the kingdom, he was willing to do
it.
Ye now therefore have sorrow, but I will
see you again and your heart shall rejoice
and your joy no man can take.
From you, you're going to be you're going
to go through this time of sorrow, but
oh, you're going to rejoice because I'm going
to see you again.
And in that day, you will ask me
nothing.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye
shall ask the father in my name, he
will give it you.
You're not to ask me.
Your prayers are to be unto the father.
They are to be in the name of
Jesus Christ.
And our prayers today should actually be addressed
to the father in the name of Jesus.
Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name.
Ask in the Greek.
It's imperative.
Please ask intensive and ye shall receive that
your joy may be full.
So the Lord is saying, if you'll ask
in my name, you will receive.
And through this prayer life, receiving brings such
fullness of joy to the life of the
believer.
Now, these things have I spoken unto you
in Proverbs, but the time is coming when
I will no longer speak unto you in
Proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of
the father.
And that day you will ask in my
name.
And I say not unto you that I
will pray the father for you, for the
father himself loves you because you have loved
me and have believed that I came out
from God.
And so our prayer is to the father.
We have direct access to the father.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne
of grace that we might make our needs
known before God.
In the name of Jesus, I can approach
the father.
And yet I really fear and tremble for
those who think that they have direct access
to the father apart from Jesus Christ.
They have lost the consciousness of the holiness
of God.
The Jewish people today say, we do not
need Jesus.
We can go directly to the father.
They forget that their fathers did not go
directly to the father, but they came through
much sacrifices through the priest and the priest
went to the father for them.
Jesus said, I'm not going to say that
I'm going to ask the father for you.
You can go directly to the father.
If I can go directly to the father,
then surely I don't need to go to
Mary to ask Jesus to go to the
father for me or any of the other
saints.
And prayers to Mary and the saints are
church dogma and tradition without scriptural foundation.
There's no value in praying to Mary.
In fact, I would be a little hesitant
to do so, lest Jesus said, who is
my mother?
For when Mary was outside, could not make
her way to Jesus because of the crowd.
She sent a message in and said, tell
my son, I'm out here.
His mother is out here with his brothers.
And Jesus, when they brought the message, your
mother's outside.
She wants you.
He said, who is my mother?
Who is my brother?
Now, if I was going to Mary in
heaven and say, no, dear Mary intercede for
me.
And Jesus would say, who is my mother?
I would be in trouble.
I don't have to go through Mary.
I can come directly to the father through
and in the name of Jesus.
I came forth from the father and I
am coming to the world again.
I am leaving the world and going to
the father.
I came from the father.
I came into the world.
He who was in the beginning with God
thought it not robbery to be equal with
God.
In the beginning was the word.
The word was made flesh and dwelt among
us.
I came into the world.
The world was made by him, but the
world knew him not.
He came to his own, his own received
him not, but I'm going back now to
the father.
You see, he said, you haven't asked me
where I'm going.
Now he's telling them I'm going back to
the father, his disciples entered him.
Oh, now you are speaking to us plainly
and not in a proverb.
Now we are sure that you know all
things and you need not that any man
should ask you by this.
We believe that you came forth from God.
You see, they were asking among themselves, what
are they talking about?
You know, um, you're going to see me
a little while you don't see me.
And, and then he says, why is it
that you're inquiring among yourself?
What am I talking about?
When I say this and they say, Hey,
we are, no, no, you know, what's going
on, you know, uh, and, uh, you don't
need any man, uh, should ask the Jesus
answered them.
Do you now believe behold, the hour is
coming.
Yes, is now come when you're going to
be scattered every man to his own.
And you're going to leave me alone here.
They are affirming Lord, we believe in Jesus
said, well, yes, but you know, it, in
just a little while, you're going to be
scattered.
Your faith is going to be tested.
Like you can't believe.
And you're going to leave me alone.
And Jesus said, yet I'm not alone because
the father is with me.
And these things I have spoken unto you
that he might have peace in the world.
You will have tribulation, but be a good
cheer.
I have overcome the world.
And so Jesus said, I'm telling you these
things because I want you to have peace
in the world.
You're going to have tribulation.
Now he is not saying here that the
church is going through the great tribulation.
And there's a vast difference between the tribulation
that I experienced as a child of God
and the tribulation that the world is going
to experience as a rebel against God in
the world, you will have tribulation.
Why?
Because you're not of the world.
Where does the tribulation originate against the child
of God from Satan, from the
world itself?
Where does the great tribulation originate?
Its origin is God.
As God comes to judge the world for
the rejecting of his son.
So there's a vast difference between the tribulation
that the church faces in the world and
the great tribulation that the world will face
when God has removed his righteous remnant out
of the world and then begins to judge
it for its rejection of his son.
These words speak Jesus and he lifted up
his eyes to heaven.
Now he is finished with his disciples and
he turns now to the father.
He said, I'm not alone.
The father is with me and conscious of
the father.
He now offers what should be titled the
Lord's prayer, for this is indeed the Lord's
prayer.
He gave to the disciples a model prayer,
which is often called the Lord's prayer, but
this is the true Lord's prayer.
He lifted up his eyes to heaven and
he said, father, the hour is come.
When he began his ministry in Cana of
Galilee and Mary came to him and said,
son, they have run out of wine.
He said to his mother, what's that to
me?
My hour is not yet come.
And all through his life, he was conscious
of his movement towards a definite hour, a
definite time.
And this was always from the beginning of
his ministry.
The movement was towards this hour.
And many times we read for his hour
was not yet come.
He was always conscious of the hour that
was coming.
And now he has come to it and
he declares, father, the hour is come.
Glorify thy son, that thy son also may
glorify thee.
The hour is come, but how is the
son to be glorified?
By being lifted up on the cross.
And so here Jesus is talking to the
father about the cross and saying, let's go
on with it.
Glorify thy son, that in and through the
cross, he might glorify God as you have
given him power over all flesh, that he
should give eternal life to as many as
thou hast given him.
How is the father glorified?
By Jesus granting to you eternal life, citizenship
in the heavenly kingdom.
Father, the hour has come.
Now glorify me.
Let me go ahead and bear the cross.
Let me die in order that through my
death, I might grant eternal life to those
who will believe.
As many as you have given me.
Interesting term.
In Acts we read, and as many as
were ordained to eternal life believed.
And this is life eternal, that they may
know thee, the only true God and Jesus
Christ whom thou hast sent.
I have glorified thee on the earth and
I have finished the work which you gave
me to do.
Jesus said that he came to seek and
to save that which was lost.
Now he declares his work is finished on
the cross.
It was complete.
He cried out his last words before commending
his spirit to the father.
It is finished.
What?
The work of redemption for man.
The path back to God is complete.
Man does not have to live alienated from
God any longer.
Man can now walk in close communion and
fellowship with the father once again.
His work of redemption is finished.
Provision for man's sin is now made, and
that which has separated man from God can
be put away and man can live in
fellowship with God.
And now, oh father, glorify thou me with
thine own self, with the glory which I
had with thee before the world was.
Now this is moving on from the first.
The first was talking about the cross.
Now he's talking about that glory in the
heavenly kingdom.
Now father, the work is finished.
I'm going to the cross.
It's finished.
Now glorify me with the glory that I
had with thee before the world was.
He who was in the beginning with God
and thought it not robbery to be equal
with God.
Now father, I want to enter back into
that glory that I had with you before
the world ever existed.
I have manifested thy name unto the men
which you gave me out of the world.
Thine they were and you gave them to
me and they have kept your word.
Now what does Jesus mean?
I have manifested thy name unto the men
which you gave me out of the world.
God is not his name.
God is his designation.
Lord is not his name.
That is his title.
His name is Yahweh or Jehovah.
And how did Jesus manifest his name?
The name Jesus itself is a contraction of
the Hebrew Yahovah Shua or Yahshua, which
is Jehovah is salvation.
Jesus said, I have manifested your name.
He bore the name of the eternal God.
The name Yahshua Jehovah is salvation.
I have manifested thy name unto the men
which you have given to me out of
the world.
Thine they were.
You gave them to me and they have
kept your word.
Now they have known that all things whatsoever
thou has given me are of thee.
For I have given unto them the words
which you gave me and they have received
them and have surely known that I came
out from thee and they have believed that
you did send me.
And so Jesus in the first part of
his prayer is praying concerning this little company
of believers, the disciples that are with him.
And in this first part, he's his prayer
is centered around them.
You have given them to me.
I have manifested your name to them.
They are yours, but you've given them to
me and I have given to them your
words and things are now complete because they
believe that you have sent me and I
pray for them.
I don't pray for the world at this
point.
He's not praying for the world.
He's praying for this special group, the disciples,
but for them, which you have given to
me for they are yours and all that
is mine is yours and yours are mine
and I am glorified in them.
Oh, that Christ might be glorified, Paul said,
in my body, whether by life or by
death.
And that should be the desire of each
of us.
Oh God, glorify thy son in and through
me.
They are, I am glorified in them and
now I am no more in the world.
But these are in the world.
I'm coming to thee.
Holy Father, keep through thy own name, those
whom thou hast given me.
And now he commits the keeping of their
lives unto the Father himself.
Holy Father, keep through thine own name.
What a beautiful prayer of intercession.
And it lets us know a little bit
of what's going on in heaven.
The Bible says that, who is he that
condemned that his Christ who has died, yea,
rather is risen again and is even at
the right hand of the Father making intercession.
In Hebrews 7, 25, we read, wherefore he
is able also to save unto the uttermost
all who will come unto God by him,
seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for
us.
And this is a good example of the
intercessory ministry of Jesus as he is praying
to the Father for his disciples.
And what a fabulous prayer.
Holy Father, keep through thy own name those
that you have given to me, that they
may be one as we.
And now this is the prayer for his
disciples, this unity.
Lord, that they may be one.
And as we read this prayer of Jesus,
and as we, you almost feel like you're
eavesdropping, you know.
You feel a little embarrassed and a little
ashamed because it's such an intimate personal pouring
out of his heart to the Father that
we're given an insight here too.
Absolutely beautiful.
I love to just meditate on this 17th
chapter of John as I read this ministry
of Jesus for his disciples and then later
on for me.
And his prayer for them that they may
be one.
While I was with them in the world,
I kept them in thy name.
Those that thou has given to me, I
have kept and none of them is lost
but the son of perdition that the scripture
might be fulfilled.
I've kept them father all but the one,
the son of perdition.
That's quite a title.
Given to Judas Iscariot.
Another time we read this same title is
given to the antichrist.
He is called the son of perdition.
There are some who believe that Judas Iscariot
will be the antichrist.
There are indications that this is possibly so.
This is the strongest and the strongest argument
that they can present.
The fact that both of them are called
the son of perdition.
I personally do not believe that Judas Iscariot
is the antichrist but there is that possibility
and I don't deny the possibility.
If you want to say yes he is,
I won't argue with you because I don't
know.
I don't feel that he is.
I feel that evidence points to another but
I wouldn't argue with you and I would
say well it's possible that you are right
because it is possible that you are right.
It is possible that Judas Iscariot could be
the antichrist and I believe that on the
basis of them being called the son of
perdition.
Jesus said and now come I to thee
and these things I speak in the world
that they might have my joy fulfilled in
themselves.
Now here Jesus is talking about his joy
right in the face of the cross that
they might have my joy fulfilled in them.
Jesus said my peace I give unto you.
Not as the world give I.
We have his peace.
We have his joy.
We have his love.
These are those things that he imparts unto
us.
Nor the religious system does this.
Buddha didn't say now my love I give
to you.
Abide in my love.
They couldn't say that but Jesus does.
He is saying look it's my joy being
fulfilled in you.
And so it is the peace of Christ
which passes understanding that keeps our hearts and
our minds.
His peace, his love, his joy.
You see I cannot in myself fulfill the
divine ideal.
God wants me to love as he loved.
I can't but I can be an instrument
through which his love flows.
God wants me to have his peace but
I get upset.
I can't in myself just mesmerize myself into
a placid state but I have experienced that
glorious peace of Jesus Christ in the midst
of the most wild situations.
The most tense situations.
Suddenly that peace of Christ just comes down
and fills my heart and my life and
hey it's alright.
We're going to be okay.
We're going to make it because the peace
of Christ has just filled my life.
And again that joy that is indescribable.
It's full of glory.
That joy of seeing God work.
My joy fulfilled in themselves.
I have given them thy word and the
world has hated them because they are not
of the world even as I am not
of the world.
Now I don't pray that you take them
out of the world.
I wish he had sometimes.
Sometimes I look at what's happening.
I see the deterioration of our nation and
I see you know the rising taxes and
I see the attempt of the schools and
the government to totally divorce the thought of
Jesus Christ and all from our public life.
And I see the rulings of the courts
and I see so many just plain stupid
inequities and I get out my atlas and
I start looking for some island in the
South Pacific.
And I dream of just selling out and
saying come on let's go.
Found this island out there in the South
Pacific.
It's uninhabited but it's got plenty of fresh
water good clean air and we can just
go there and and you know we can
build a new world a new society you
know.
And we could start over again just like
our forefathers had the opportunity when they came
to the United States.
But Jesus said father I don't pray that
you take them out of the world.
Oh that means I got to stick around.
But that you should keep them from the
world.
Don't take them out father but keep them
from it.
The Christian is like a ship which is
made to float in the water.
And as long as it's floating in the
water it's all right.
The only danger is when you get the
water in the ship.
The ship is to be in the water
but you get water in the ship and
then you get into trouble.
The Christian is made to live in the
world.
But you start getting the world in the
Christian you get into trouble like getting water
in the ship.
You're going to sink.
So father I don't ask you to take
them out of the world but do keep
them from the world.
What a beautiful prayer.
God keep me from the world.
Pressures sometimes are so great to conform to
the world to the worldly patterns.
We become accused of all kinds of things
but oh God keep us from the world.
They are not of the world even as
I am not of the world.
But sanctify them through thy truth.
That is separate them and the word sanctify
is to separate to set apart.
Set them apart father through thy truth for
thy word is true.
Keep them from the world.
Separate them from the world father through your
truth for your word is true.
And as you have sent me into the
world even so I have sent them into
the world and for their sakes I sanctify
myself or I set myself apart that they
also might be set apart through the truth.
Neither do I pray for these alone and
all right now he's expanding his prayer beyond
the realm of the disciples who were with
him at that moment and he expands it
right on down to you and to me
and now enter into that beautiful place.
I feel like taking my shoes off.
I'm on holy ground as my Lord now
intercedes for me and what does he pray
for me?
Neither pray I for these alone but for
them also which shall believe on me through
their word.
You see I've come to believe on Jesus
Christ through the word through the words in
the New Testament and because I have come
to believe on Jesus Christ through the word
I am included in this prayer that Jesus
was offering to the father there in John
17.
And what does he pray for me and
for you?
Again that they all 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 you
have sent me.
Jesus' prayer for the church is that of
unity that may might be one and I
think of how tragic it is and what
a poor witness to the world that the
church is so divided and so fractured.
Now that is not an indictment against denominations.
I see the purpose of denominations.
I have no problem with that.
The only problem I have is when people
get denominational.
When they cannot see the whole church and
the whole body of Christ but they see
their own little segment only and exclude the
rest.
That's contrary to the prayer of Christ.
Someone brought to my attention this morning a
letter that they had received from their pastor
who was all shook because they were going
to Calvary Chapel.
He said that name does not exist in
the bible thus it's a sin for you
to go to a church with that name.
And I can document from scripture that it's
a sin to go to a church that
isn't called the church of Christ.
And as I read it my heart ached
for the narrowness the short-sightedness.
He is actually going against the very prayer
of Jesus when he was praying Lord may
they be one.
May God free us from the narrow sectarianism
and kind of a thing that would say
well I'm of Calvary Chapel.
May we not identify with a particular system
or whatever but may we be able to
identify with just the body of Christ and
say I am a child of God.
I'm a Christian.
And let that be our identity.
And if someone else says well I'm a
Christian.
Praise the Lord I'm one with you.
Oh but I'm a Baptist.
I don't care.
Well I'm oppressed.
I don't care.
You love my Lord.
I'm one.
Divisions may come but God help us not
to be any part of the division when
it comes.
If people want to divide themselves that's their
problem.
God help us not to become any part
of a division of the body of Christ.
For when his body is divided he is
the one who bleeds.
I don't want to go against the prayer
of Christ in any way.
I want to be open to accept as
brothers in Christ anyone who has truly received
Jesus Christ as their Lord.
And I don't care if they baptize forwards
or backwards or they sprinkle or whatever.
I don't want to divide over those issues.
It's tragic.
The things that have divided the church of
Jesus Christ.
The divisions that have come.
And they're contrary to the very thing that
Jesus was praying.
May God help us to be so broad
and in our view of the church.
That when one member suffers we will suffer
with them.
When one is exalted we'll be exalted with
them.
That we'll not become jealous because we hear
that a fellowship over here is growing rapidly
and they've got this and that and the
other well you know they're this.
God help us keep us from that nasty
mouth of putting down the body of Christ.
Because they don't go along with us.
Lord we saw some casting out devils they
didn't want to come with us.
And so we stopped them.
Jesus said oh no you shouldn't have done
that.
If they're doing it in my name they
can't very well be speaking against me.
Lord they don't want to receive us over
there.
Do you want us to call down fire
from heaven and destroy them?
He said wait a minute you don't understand
the nature that you're to have.
And so his prayer is that we would
be one.
And the glory which you gave to me
I have given to them.
That they may be one even as we
are one.
I in them you in me that they
may be made complete perfect in one.
And that the world may know that you
have sent me and have loved them as
you have loved me.
Now Jesus is saying that this unity should
come to pass for a witness to the
world.
That the world may believe that you have
sent me.
And I believe that there are many people
that have been turned away from Jesus Christ
because of that terrible faction and party spirit
that exists in Christianity.
As people have put up their denominational barriers
and confined themselves you know we are.
And people look at the church fighting and
competing among itself.
They see the bitternesses that arise and the
church is not that witness that Jesus would
have us to be.
Father I will that they also whom you
have given to me this is what I
love.
That they may be with me where I
am.
That they may behold my glory which you
have given to me.
For you love me before the foundation of
the world.
Father those that you've given to me I
want them to be with me in that
glory.
That they might see me in my glory.
Oh how I long to behold Jesus in
his glory.
How I long to see him there sitting
upon his throne to see him in that
glorified state.
How I long to be a part of
that company in the book of Revelation that
sings worthy is the lamb.
Because he was slain and he has redeemed
us by his blood out of all of
the nations tribes tongues and people.
And that made us into our God kings
and priests.
And we will reign with him upon the
earth.
Worthy is the lamb to receive glory and
honor and dominion and might and power and
authority to see him in that glory.
I long for that day.
Now the thing that thrills me is that
I'm certain that if anybody's prayers are effective
they are the prayers of Jesus Christ.
When I got him praying for me I'll
tell you I can't lose.
I'm certain that his prayers are powerful and
effective and that the father is going to
answer his prayers.
I have all of the assurance in the
universe that I'm going to be there to
see him in his glory.
He asked the father that that might be
so and surely the father will not deny
his request.
That exciting oh righteous father the world has
not known you but I've known you and
these have known that you sent me and
I have declared unto them your name and
I will declare it that the love wherewith
you have loved me may be in them.
You see it's going to be in you.
Here's a love as he loved he'll put
his love in you.
He'll do it for you that you have
loved me the love wherewith you have loved
me might be in them and I in
them.
Christianity different from religion because Christianity is a
dynamic.
It is the dynamic of the author who
has come to dwell within me to take
up residence within my life and to do
in me what I cannot do in and
for myself through the power of the risen
Christ.
I have the power to live the life
that he has asked me to live and
so we have just made a cursory study
of this 17th chapter.
I would encourage you before you go on
into 18 and 19 to go back and
read it over two or three more times
just to meditate upon it.
Read it a verse at a time and
just stop and think about it and let
the Spirit of God minister the truth to
your heart and let the words just sink
in the prayer of Jesus on your behalf
and then we'll go on next week to
chapters 18 and 19.
You see 18th chapter begins now when Jesus
had spoken these words he went forth with
his disciples over the brook of Kidron where
there was a garden so this was spoken
somewhere between the upper room and the garden
before he came to the garden of Gethsemane
and so now we'll enter into the garden
with him and this experience onto the cross
in our next study.
May the Lord be with you this week
working in your life his glorious work.
May this be a time of spiritual growth
as you get into the word and as
you study and as you yield your life
to God that his love might be manifested
through you that his joy might be fulfilled
in you and that his peace might just
keep your heart your life your mind.
May you just begin to experience more and
more that beautiful work of God's Spirit in
your life as he conforms us daily into
the image of Jesus Christ and so God
bless you fill you with his Spirit keep
you in his love in the name of
Jesus.