John's Gospel, chapter 6, please.
John's Gospel, and that's the 6th chapter, please.
Verse 1.
John's Gospel, chapter 6, verse 1.
After these things Jesus went over the Sea
of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberius.
We're beginning to know about Galilee now.
You remember last week, or the week before,
it was called the Lake of Genezareth.
Sometimes it's called the Lake of Genezareth, and
I'm sure that's very near to the truth,
because it's just a lake.
Sometimes it's called the Sea of Tiberius, because
the city of Tiberius stands at the head
of the sea there.
I lived in Tiberius for a few days.
Usually it's known as the Sea of Galilee,
and it doesn't really matter what way you
name it.
But the Lord Jesus went over the Sea
of Galilee here.
Verse 2 says, And a great multitude followed
him, because they saw his miracles which he
did on them that were diseased.
These are the spectators that crowed around just
to see these miraculous things.
That's why these droppers in America who erect
these great tents and pretend to be medical
workers, that's why they can always gather a
crowd, because you can always get a crowd
like this.
Folks weren't asked to truthful.
They didn't love Jesus just to see the
miracles.
Verse 3, And Jesus went up into a
mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.
These are the true stoppard disciples.
Verse 4 says, And a Passover feast of
the Jews was now.
Now I believe, as many other scholars, that
between verses 3 and 4 comes that great
Sermon on the Mount.
It's not here at this particular part in
John.
But if you go back to Matthew's Gospel,
chapter 5, you'll get it correct.
Matthew's Gospel, chapter 5.
Just to get the proper setting, have a
look at verse 2 in chapter 4.
And this is more important than you think
it is.
Verse 23, And Jesus went about all Galilee,
teaching in the synagogues, and preaching the gospel
of the kingdom, and healing all manner of
sickness and all manner of disease among the
people.
And his pain went throughout all Syria.
Just get it into your mind.
And they brought unto him all sick people
that were taken with diverse diseases and torments,
and those which were possessed with devils, and
those which were lunatic, and those that had
the palsy, and he healed them.
And there followed him great multitudes of people
from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Mark it, and
from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond
Jordan, and seeing the multitudes, he went up
into a mountain.
When he was set his disciples came unto
him, and he opened his mouth and taught
them, saying, Blessed are the poor, and we
are starting the sermon on the mountain.
I want you to get the setting of
this because it's most important.
If he's enough to sail across the sea
of Galilee, and I was speaking on the
fishing boat one morning from the pier there
up by Darius across the sea in the
same direction that Jesus went, and brought him
to the shore just where the mountain comes
down to meet the sea on the other
side.
And I was told that this was the
mountain where the sermon on the mountain was
preached.
And I believe that these multitudes followed him,
and he went up the mountain and sat
down and began teaching.
Now let's get one or two things quite
clear as we set the stage.
Let's see the Master first of all crossing
the sea and then climbing the mountain probably
halfway up to where there's a very green
spot.
Let's see the Master.
Let's see the mountain.
Now let's see the multitudes because there's quite
a variety of folks here.
We're going to find that the farthest seas
were there.
They'd probably sit in a group by themselves.
And the farthest seas were there and they'd
probably sit away from the farthest seas in
a group by themselves.
There were publicans who were only tax gatherers.
And there were sinners, and I mean by
that Jews who never frequented the temple, who
never brought a notary, who didn't pay any
respect for the feasts.
I think of course there were some of
the Syrians who had come down and who
were now in the crowds.
I think there were heathen folks there.
I want you to try to get the
multitude into your mind.
Let's see the Master.
Let's see the mountain.
Let's see the multitude.
Then let's see the members of his own
flock because I think they sat round the
street you know, James and John and Andrew
and Peter and so on.
And a few other followers, Mary and so
on among them.
So I want us all to set the
stage.
Now the Sermon on the Mount begins here.
He opened his mouth and began and taught
them say.
Now I want you to know that it
runs like through chapter 5 and there are
48 verses in chapter 5 and it runs
through chapter 6 and there are 34 verses
there and it runs through chapter 7 and
there are 29 verses there and if you
add 48 and 34 and 29 you'll get
111.
Now the question that's mostly asked at Bible
readings is did the Master preach all this
at one session?
Did he sit down and preach this whole
message at once?
Or did he come again and has Matthew
only put them together?
Now I think he came more than once,
maybe more than twice.
It's a small point.
It doesn't really matter.
That's why you get bits of it in
some of the other Gospels.
But here Matthew has gathered all this teaching
together.
And I can tell you that this wonderful
sermon as it's called preached on this Galilean
hillside has many things in it that we
would need to be very careful with.
You see a great lot of these Jews
and these Pharisees and Sadducees and text-gatherers
too and even these sinners who never would
leave the Temple they were all wanting the
Kingdom to be set up.
Why even his own followers said after he
had risen from the dead we'll bow at
this time and restore the Kingdom to Israel.
You know they were just sort of nationalists
and they were looking for the Christ, the
Messiah.
The King to come to set up the
Kingdom.
And there's a great lot of teaching in
this Sermon on the Mount that belongs to
the Kingdom.
The teachings of the Kingdom are here.
Make you very sure of this or you'll
not be able to expand this wonderful sermon.
Of course there are teachings of grace mixed
through it and I'll tell you why in
a moment.
And when you and I sit down to
it we'll have to differentiate between the teachings
of the Kingdom and the teachings of grace.
Now while he didn't do the whole sermon
at once we're not doing it at once.
I'm just going into the sermon for the
parts of the sermon that deal with prayer.
And we're going to sit down to my
brother's feet and we'll be in the school
of prayer while Christ teaches us some vital
things about prayer.
So we're in Matthew chapter 6 now.
Matthew chapter 6 and at verse 5 please.
And this is Christ's first powerful utterance about
prayer.
It's the first utterance that's recorded in this
book about prayer that Christ gave.
I want you to be careful with this.
He said, And when thou prayest Well let's
try to see the scene now.
You see his disciples are around the brother's
feet.
That's what it said there in Matthew chapter
5 in verse 1 Seeing the multitude he
even got into a mountain and when he
was set his disciples came unto him.
So I think that just now he's looking
at his own disciples and he's saying to
Peter and John and Andrew and James and
Matthew and so on he's saying, And when
thou prayest Let's get the hold of that
because we'll change it in a moment.
So that it comes to us this evening
too.
And when thou prayest thou shalt not be
of the hypocrites.
He must have lifted his head and looked
over towards the father's feet because remember our
Lord was not afraid of the Christ.
No man that's going to be any use
for God needs to be afraid of the
Christ.
He's going to teach his own here something
about prayer and even though he has the
reverence of somebody else in the doing he's
not going to back out of it you
know.
Sometimes I may have things to say on
this platform and it may annoy some folks
I just can't help that.
That's the pity of you, the Lord must
mean you to be annoyed.
Maybe he's trying to teach you something.
But he's looking at his own and he's
saying, And thou when thou prayest thou shalt
not be of the hypocrites.
If this is what the father's feet and
father's feet prayed about that it is when
they love to pray standing in the synagogues
and in the corners of the streets that
they may be seen of men.
You know what he's telling them, he's saying
when you pray don't be man conscious.
You know if I were ever asked, put
in the corner and asked what is a
hypocrite?
I would say a man that stands up
in a prayer meeting and closes his eyes
and pretends to pray to God when all
the time he only wants to be seen
of men.
I'm sure that's a hypocrite.
And I'm sure there are hypocrites in our
prayer meetings at times.
I'm sure of that.
You know there is nothing so double-dived
as pretending to talk to God when you're
only wanting the amens of men.
That's hypocrisy of the deepest dive.
It's a mild feeling.
And you know it's so easy to close
your eyes and step into the holiest of
all and talk to the Lord and it's
so easy to come back to earth again
in the next second and you can play
the hypocrite in the prayer meeting now.
He says now don't do it.
I'm teaching you, don't you do it.
You're not to be man conscious at all.
And then he said this to them just
passed by verse 6 for the moment, verse
7 But when ye pray talking to his
own again use not vain repetitions of the
heathen do.
I think he might have looked over the
heads of the Pharisees and Sadducees now.
Some of the Sodians were there.
He says and thou will not rest but
when ye pray use not vain repetitions of
the heathen do for they think that they
shall be heard for their much speaking.
You know there are folks who get sort
of vain repetitions.
You know what pop music is, don't you?
They tell me that the main thing is
the beat.
Oh I do hear about these things, you
know.
And you must get the beat.
And this is the whole thing.
All the rest of the talk, it doesn't
matter.
Just get the beat in.
And there are people, you know who look
this up and tell me use vain repetitions
of this.
I don't want to rub it into you
Roman Catholics here.
But you know the rosary must be vain
repetitions.
And you go round it and you hear
Mary and you hear Mary and you hear
Mary.
It must be vain repetitions.
And I assure you the Lord doesn't want
it.
And you can leave the rosary down and
go into the jungle and you'll find folks
in the jungle with what they call a
prayer wheel.
And it's the same old thing.
And you can leave the jungle and come
to the prayer book.
It must be the same all the time.
And you can leave the rosary in the
jungle and the prayer wheel and the prayer
book and you can come to the Baptist.
They don't use the rosary and they don't
use the prayer book and they don't use
the prayer wheel.
But you've got a vain repetition just the
same.
Same old thing.
And there are folks in the world who
sort of believe that if they can say
it just like this that it's a sort
of magical sacrifice that moves the hand of
God.
And that's right.
I heard them saying that prayer moves the
hand that moves the world.
Ah, baloney.
I don't believe that.
I see it often in prayer meetings.
Prayer changes things.
I don't believe that.
I believe God changes things in answer to
prayer.
They don't think prayer is a thing that's
on the soul.
I believe God changes things.
Oh, listen friends.
Don't be not conscious when you come to
the prayer meeting.
The Lord's trying to teach us don't be
unconscious now.
Don't be word conscious.
Then there's a bit in the middle that
he said, verse 6.
But thou, and he's talking to his own
again.
But thou, when thou dost enter into thy
closet, you know you must get alone with
the Lord for this thing.
And when thou hast shut thy door, you
know this is a very vital part of
it.
Sometimes when I have to get alone with
the Lord about things that are most important,
I say to him, this is more my
work for you.
No matter who's on that phone or who
comes to that door, they're not seeing me.
Now I know that it puts the burden
on her shoulders.
I had a big man at the door
the other day when I was in the
upper room.
He says, I need to concede you're not
him.
She knew each of them and that's a
good idea.
Because I need to shut the door on
my family.
And they're not allowed to cross over me.
I need to shut the door on my
family.
And I need to shut the door on
my friends.
And I need to shut the door on
my foes.
Because sometimes when I want to get down
to things, the devil will send some old
fella round to the door.
Well I'm not seeing him.
Of course I misunderstood you now.
I don't give two hoots.
I'm too old now to be fussed about
people who misunderstand me.
The man above understands, that's good enough.
And he's teaching me, it was him that
taught me.
He says, when thou dreast, you go into
your room now, and shut thy door.
Look at it.
When thou dreast, enter into thy closet and
when thou hast shut thy door, pray to
thy Father.
That's a great baptism.
You know, that's being God conscious.
Or just go in and sit down and
shut the door and keep the world outside
for a minute or two.
Until you get really in touch with God.
Pray to thy Father.
And there's a prophecy of thy Father which
saith in secret, Shall reward thee.
Oh yes, it's God that answers prayer.
And so this first powerful utterance about prayer
that comes from the lips of the Master
in the school of prayer, it is teaching
us, now don't be man conscious when you're
in prayer.
And for anything, don't be word conscious.
But be God conscious.
And I'm sure that's great teaching.
And now we come to this bit, Christ's
pointed guidance to them.
He said this in verse 9, After this
manner therefore pray ye.
And I wish we would underline that, because
he didn't say after these words.
Not at all, he's not giving you a
prayer that you'll learn the lines, you know.
It's not the dramatic society you're joining.
When you join a dramatic society they give
you lines to learn.
And those boys can rattle off Shakespeare, Hilliard
and all the rest of it by the
yards.
They have learned their lines.
Our Lord didn't say after these words pray
ye.
He said after this manner.
It is not a prayer he's giving you
to learn.
It's a pattern he's giving you to follow.
I hear them rattling this off, you know.
It doesn't mean a thing to a whole
lot of them.
He says after this manner therefore pray ye.
Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be
thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it
is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our
debtors.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us
from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever.
And you know I'm afraid that some of
the kids learn this.
And they learn it just the way they
learn poetry at school.
My sister was married on a man who
was never sober.
He had a lot of money but he
was never sober.
But it doesn't matter who brought him home.
He was brought home in a taxi very
often.
Or whether some of his cronies from the
pub brought him home.
And he would be stupid drunk at times.
But they would never get him into bed
until he would kneel and say Our Father
which art in heaven hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
And so on.
And he could do it.
He didn't know what he was doing sometimes.
It's after this manner you know.
It's not after these words.
And then you know they try to teach
me sometimes that this is the Lord's prayer.
I can tell you the Lord dare not
pray this.
And could not pray this.
He's not giving you words to learn.
He's given you a pattern before and we'll
come to the pattern in a moment.
You know our Lord Jesus Christ could not
have got down on his knees and said
Forgive us our debts.
You don't think he could do you?
I know there's another version that says Forgive
us our trespasses because we forgive them the
trespass against us.
Well he couldn't say that either.
Because he had made a debt to the
trespasser.
They didn't expect the Lord to pray that
I hope.
Oh not at all.
You see there's something about our Lord that
we'll need to be very conscious of.
And you can go through these four Gospels
very carefully and I assure you I've done
this.
And you will never find our Lord Jesus
Christ praying in the prayer meeting with the
disciples.
You just can't do that.
You see sometimes in our prayer meeting Jim
Cousins, these fellas don't mind me picking them
up.
He would say Lord we have lost the
vision.
Where there is no vision the people perish.
And I can say Amen to that and
I go along with him.
Because sometimes I feel I've lost the vision
and I can say Amen.
Sometimes you'll find somebody else sometimes Chuck McCulloch
will say Lord we're cold and we're lukewarm
and we're falling apart and I have to
say Amen to that.
You don't think that our Lord could kneel
with these fellas and say that he's cold
and he's careless and he's lukewarm and he's
lost the vision.
You don't think he would.
He can't do that.
He never prayed with the disciples.
You know he got up before it was
day and went to a solitary place and
he could stall the disciples.
When he's in Gethsemane he went on a
little further.
These three boys were sweeping Jesus off.
Sometimes he prayed before them as we're going
to see.
Not with them.
Just broke into prayers we'll see in a
moment or two.
And they stood around watching.
In fact it was one day when he
had soared into the heavens in real prayer
that they came and said Lord teach us.
He had so moved them.
This is not the Lord's prayer.
I'll show you the Lord's prayer in a
moment or two but this is not it.
Now this is a patron they've given them
and you know if you would have a
look at the patron you'll find it's quite
simple.
After this manner.
Not after these words.
You know, Our Father which art in heaven
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it
is in heaven.
You know all this is for God's glory.
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done.
And all the rest of it.
Give us this day.
Forgive us.
Lead us.
Deliver us.
It's all for our good, isn't it?
And the Master's teaching is to play, isn't
it?
He says now don't be word conscious for
anything.
And don't be man conscious.
Be God conscious and make sure that if
you're talking to God that your hearts must
be for His glory.
Let the glory of our God be first.
And make sure it's for the good of
saints and sinners.
It's simple after that.
Now I want you to get this very
carefully.
He's guiding you.
You can see our Lord's first powerful utterance
and you can see our Lord's point of
guidance here.
Now I want you to watch this.
Verse 9 he says, After this manner therefore
pray ye.
And then he ends it like this in
verse 13.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us
from evil for thine is the kingdom and
the power and the glory forever.
And then he said Amen.
Now he begins talking again.
For if you forgive men their trespasses.
I don't think he's talking to his own
now at all.
I think he's been talking to them.
He's been telling them how to pray and
he has given them the manner.
I think he lifts his eyes after the
Amen and he's talking to the Pharisees, all
the boys that wanted the kingdom.
Now you just watch it carefully so you
see.
For if ye forgive men their trespasses your
heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if ye forgive not men their trespasses
neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses.
Tell me this tonight now.
Have you got forgiveness of sins as you
sit there?
Tell me that you get forgiven because you
forgive somebody.
Because I'm afraid I'll have to put your
name off the road when it's off like
that.
That is teaching that belongs to the kingdom.
That's got nothing to do with grace.
Sure it wouldn't be grace if I had
to forgive somebody to get forgiven.
You're not sure?
All right.
Come with me to Ephesians chapter 4.
The letters will be Ephesians chapter 4 and
there's no doubt that Paul's writing to believers
and atheists.
And he's trying to teach them and in
verse 31 he says this Ephesians chapter 4
verse 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and
anger and trauma and evil speaking be put
away from you with all malice and be
kind one to another tender hearted forgiving one
another even as God for Christ's sake hath
forgiven you.
Did they forgive to get forgiveness?
Or have they got forgiveness and now they
were ready to forgive?
Tell me which way it is now.
Well if you read it you can't be
mistaken.
Forgiving one another even as God for Christ's
sake hath.
You've got forgiveness now.
Then go and forgive.
You're not forgiving to get forgiveness.
You're forgiving because you've already got forgiveness.
Oh friends we don't want to mix up
the teachings of the kingdom with the teachings
of grace.
I hear them mixing it up every day.
There are folks you know in this world
who think that this is the way to
heaven.
If I forgive everybody everything that you want
me then God will forgive me.
Friend you'll go to hell.
You see this says here in the sermon
on the body of Jesus It says to
the Pharisees who were longing for the kingdom
it does.
I tell you friend if you're going to
make the basis that you're going to heaven
you're forgiving everybody.
I tell you that you left out Christ
and God won't forgive you.
Oh no you'll go to hell.
We'll solve the kingdom business in a moment.
You'll need to get round to grace again.
Because you get forgiveness of sins through grace.
Have a look at Ephesians and we're at
the first chapter.
And Paul's talking about Christ in this first
chapter.
And he says in verse 7 In whom,
that is in Christ we have redemption through
his blood the forgiveness of sins according to
the riches of his gifts.
I really need to do something to get
this.
If I do something it's no more grace.
You're on the works again.
Ah that just doesn't work you see.
So you have to be careful as you
go down the sermon on the month that
you don't mix up the teachings of grace
with the teachings of the kingdom.
Let's go to hear Paul preaching in the
Acts of the Apostles for a moment.
We're at Acts 13.
The Acts of the Apostles chapter 13.
And he's preaching in a synagogue.
And here's what he said to the people
in the synagogue.
Excerpting verse 38.
He said be it known unto you therefore
men and brethren that through this man, the
Lord Jesus he was talking about.
That through this man is preached unto you
the forgiveness of sins.
And by him all that believe are justified
from all things from which he could not
be justified by the law of Moses.
Oh no you get forgiveness when you come
to Christ.
And accept him and grace gives you forgiveness
of sins.
You see that some people would love it
was this way.
That they could work their way to heaven.
They would take the teachings of the kingdom
and they would do away with the dispensation
of grace and they would do away with
Christ too.
But I'll tell you this.
That if these folks are going to get
into the kingdom.
Millennial kingdom I'm talking about.
Thousand years of the kingdom of God on
earth.
I'll tell you they'll have to believe in
Christ again.
Oh yes they will of course.
And then the teachings of grace will come
in the age of the kingdom.
But we are living in the age of
grace.
I don't do anything to get anything.
I do because I've already got.
I have got all that God wants me
to get.
All spiritual blessings are mine and such.
I think it is a tremendous thing just
to get the hold of that properly.
Now let's get this bit quite clear too.
That not only does Christ give an utterance
here about prayer and this guidance through prayer.
But he gives assurance of prayer.
Let's have a look at Luke's gospel chapter
18 for a moment.
Luke's gospel chapter 18.
Verse 1.
Lord Jesus is speaking.
And he speaks a parable unto them to
defend.
That men ought always to pray and not
ate.
Now there's something about this parable that I
want you to get the hold of just
now.
You see you get the meaning of the
parable here before you get the matter of
the parable.
I think that's the first and only time
in this book that it's done.
You see he speaks a parable unto them
to defend.
And he gives you the meaning of the
parable.
And the meaning was that men ought always
to pray and not to sin.
And you get the meaning before you get
the matter.
And it's the meaning of course that we
are after.
You know I think this is tremendous just
how the Lord puts this.
That men ought always to pray and not
ate.
I gave a lecture once on the do's
and don'ts of prayer.
And this was one of them you know.
I said you know when you're going through
this dispelling wilderness.
You will either cry to God or collapse
in the pilgrimage.
It's either cry or collapse.
It's either pray or faint.
And the Lord wants us.
He's saying to us don't collapse.
It's so easy to collapse you know.
Little things go wrong in the business.
Little things go wrong in the home.
You think it was the end of the
world.
Now don't collapse.
Start crying to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Don't faint.
Pray.
You remember what Paul said writing to the
Philippines?
He said be anxious for nothing.
But in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto
God.
He said the same thing over again.
He said don't panic.
Pray.
Don't collapse.
Cry.
Don't panic.
Pray.
Oh we all get into the panic business
don't we?
Just panic and you neither see God nor
his word nor the promises nor nothing.
He is saying don't panic.
It's you not to collapse, you to cry,
you not to panic.
You remember when Herod the king arrested Peter
and put him in prison.
Ah that was the government of the day
doing something they shouldn't do and sometimes governments
do this.
But you know the church of Jesus Christ
they never went and knocked at the door
of the parliament or anything.
No they went into the back streets and
the church prayed unto God for Peter.
And I would say don't interfere with the
government.
Intercede with the Lord.
Did you get that?
Because you don't collapse, you cry.
You don't panic, you pray.
You don't interfere, you intercede.
Do you remember Elijah looking for rain?
And he gets down on the dust, lying
on the top of Mount Carmel.
And he sent a servant to the brow
of the hill.
It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea and he's looking
right across the sea now.
No sign of it, he comes back, no
sign.
Elijah never moves, he's in the dust.
He says go again.
So he went again.
And he came back again, no sign.
Elijah never moved, he says go again.
And he did it seven times.
And at the seventh time, my he saw
a little cloud didn't he?
He knew it's coming now, the rain's coming.
You know friend, you've got to surrender.
You've got to submit it.
The trouble with us you know is that
we cry for a moment, then collapse.
The trouble is that we pray and then
we fall.
The trouble is we would rather interfere with
men than intercede with God.
And the trouble is that we surrender far
too soon.
And the Lord is taking this parable and
he's teaching them.
Keep on, keeping on.
And you're sure to get an answer.
My old mother prayed for me when I
dottered in home drunk every night.
What a home it was, a fight every
night.
My big brother would hit me.
And I can see that little mother of
mine and I bless God for her.
And when I get to heaven and see
the Savior, I'll look for her and I'll
put my arms around her.
I can see her on her knees praying
for her drunken son.
And she never gave up.
That's why I'm here.
She neither fainted nor panicked.
She just prayed.
And God answers you now.
Have a look at this.
This is Matthew 18.
Matthew chapter 18.
And the Lord Jesus said this.
He said, mind you.
He said, again I say unto you.
That if two of you shall agree on
earth as touching anything that they shall ask.
It shall be done for them.
You know this importunity in prayer.
Where you keep on keeping on the great
thing.
And this unity in prayer.
Where even two of you can get down
together.
Oh, it's really funny.
When I arrived at Stanton Leave.
The big man that's in charge of the
meeting there.
He said, you know you've been travelling all
morning.
I know.
Let's stop at the chapel as we pass
by.
And we'll go in and kneel down on
our knees.
And we'll ask God to bring the folks
four miles around.
You should see this big creature.
You know he's down on his knees.
And they don't get two dozen at this
place.
And his hands are up, you know, big
hands.
Lord, bring folks from Sheffield, and Bradford, and
Leeds, and Derby, and Furness.
Please let on to the street.
I am God did it.
If two of you listen to Jesus.
You and your da, or you and your
ma.
Or you and your husband.
If two of you agree on earth as
touching anything.
Which is your last?
Listen to it.
It shall be done.
Now don't let Christmas unbelief rob you.
Because Jesus meant it.
In fortunity and unity.
Have a look at John's Gospel, chapter 15.
John 15.
This is this great chapter about the true
vine.
He said in verse 7.
This is a verse that has been with
me all my life.
Verse 7, Jesus is talking.
If ye abide in me.
And my words abide in you.
Ye shall ask what ye will.
And it shall be done unto you.
Do you believe it?
Because I assure you I believe it.
I believe it with every favour of my
being.
God for I who said told me this.
I owe him a tremendous lot.
He said you know when I went to
the moody memorial of the pastor.
You know he was brought up in the
brethren.
And I think he was a brethren to
the end of his days.
There he is.
And he means to be a brethren to
the end of his days.
Bless him.
Oh thank you.
And Dr. Ryan said told me.
He said you know when I went to
the moody memorial.
And I heard women praying for the first
time.
It shook me a bit.
But he said you know there was a
girl there who could really pray.
And he said I was conscious that this
girl was in touch with the Lord.
He said there were times when I opened
my eyes to just look at her.
And her face was shining.
And she was talking to the Lord.
He said I found out of course that
she was one of these out and out
women of the assembly.
And that everybody knew where she was and
who she was and all the rest of
it.
And then after I was there for a
year or two.
She began to cool off.
And when I made inquiries about her once.
I found she had been to a dance
with a lot of farmers.
I found she had been to some of
the picture shows that even the worldlings wouldn't
go to.
And then her father took seriously.
And he said the old man died.
And I was asked to take the funeral.
And after the funeral was over I got
her on her own in the room.
And I said what happened to you now?
When I came around here first you were
out and out for the Lord.
You were in fire for the Lord.
You encouraged me greatly.
She said I will never speak to the
Lord again.
He said maybe tell me what's gone on.
She said I know that I got away.
I went to the dances.
I went to the picture house.
I went to other places too.
But when my father took ill.
I came back to the Lord.
And I took this promise out of John
15.
He shall ask what he will and it
shall be done.
And I did it all night.
And God never kept it.
The old pastor said would it be right
for you to take a cheque to the
bank and try to cash it if somebody
else's name was on it?
She said no it would be wrong.
He said I'm afraid you've been trying to
cash a promise at the bank of heaven
that wasn't made out for you.
Let me tell you what it does say
now.
It says if he abides in me and
my words abide in you.
Could you honestly say that you were abiding
in Christ when you were on the dance
floor?
Could you honestly say that his word was
abiding in you when you were at the
pub?
She said the cheque wasn't yours Mary.
You're trying to cash a cheque on the
bank of heaven.
It wasn't yours.
And then she swung round the pendulum so
many times.
She said oh doctor I see.
If I had been in touch with the
Lord.
I could have saved my father.
He says Mary if you had been in
touch with the Lord you would have known
the Lord's will.
He maybe wouldn't have wanted to pray like
that at all.
He got the hold of this.
Because it's your responsibility to abide in him
and abiding in him means that you trust
him and obey him.
It's your responsibility to let his word abide
in you.
And you're going to see more of that
in a moment.
The Lord's teaching us isn't he?
Now let's come to John 17 just over
the page a little bit.
You've already seen this powerful utterance.
And this pointed guidance and this perfect assurance.
For if there's input unity and unity and
we keep up to our responsibility then God
will hear and answer prayer.
But we must be quick with John 17.
Verse 1.
These words spake Jesus at the first of
John 16.
He was preaching right down John 16.
These words spake Jesus.
And he just stopped the preaching.
And started the praying.
Just as natural as can be done.
These words spake Jesus and lifted his eyes
to heaven.
Just stopped naturally and suddenly.
And simply.
Lifted his eyes to heaven and said Father.
It was like that.
The hour has come.
Glorify thy Son.
And you'll note the word Father and you'll
note the word Son please.
Because it's the Son talking to the Father
in prayer just now.
And he said in verse 5.
And now O Father.
Glorify thy me with thine own self with
the glory which I had with thee before
the world was.
And if the Russellites could read it all.
There would be no trouble about the deity
of the Lord Jesus if they read this
verse.
Surely this verse proves the eternal sonship of
Christ.
Because it's the Son that's talking to the
Father.
And it proves the eternal fatherhood of the
Father.
For the Son is saying and now O
Father.
Glorify thy me with the glory which I
had with thee.
Father.
Before the world was.
Oh he didn't begin at Bethlehem you know.
He's from everlasting.
This is the eternal Son and the eternal
Father and they were together before the world
was.
For the Son is praying to the Father.
And he's saying this.
He says I have manifested thy name unto
the men which thou givest me out of
the world.
That's the men that God had given to.
He says in verse 9.
I pray for them.
This is the Lord's prayer.
He's praying for these that God has given.
I pray not for the world.
Make you sure of that now.
Because I'm praying for them.
You see what it says in verse 20.
Neither pray I for thee alone.
But for them also which shall believe on
me through their words.
So he prayed for you too.
Because you believed on him through their words.
So he's praying for all us believers.
Now I want you to see what he
prayed for you.
In verse 11 he says.
And now I am no more in the
world but these are in the world.
Not to leave them behind me.
And I come to thee.
Holy Father.
You can see him gripping the throne tighter
there can't you.
Keep through thine own name.
Those whom thou hast given me.
You know through thine own name is a
very wonderful phrase isn't it.
You see he was seeing all of us
as the children of God.
Remember we're his people that are called by
his name.
Yet he was praying for all preservation in
this world.
That we would be kept as one.
You know this class used to have a
motto.
It's all the word of God for all
the people of God.
Matters not who you are or what flag
you fly tonight.
You are most welcome to the food that's
in this class.
And the Lord Jesus is praying for the
preservation.
Do you see verse 15.
I pray not that thou shouldest take them
out of the world.
But that thou shouldest keep them from the
evil.
Not only preservation in the world but separation
from the world.
Get that.
And then he goes on to verse 17.
He says sanctify them through thy truth.
Thy word is truth.
You know that sanctification before the world.
It is how great for us that we
would be preserved.
And separated.
Sanctify.
You know people come round to talk to
me about sanctification sometimes.
And immediately they open their mouths I know
they know nothing about it.
Because they all want to talk about an
experience.
In the middle of the night somewhere.
Let me tell you once and for all
that you are sanctified through the truth.
You know I think that one of the
greatest saints that America ever had or maybe
ever will have.
Was Will Houghton.
Will Houghton was also the Chancellor of Moody
Memorial before Dr. Ironside was there.
But Will Houghton was one of the toughest
roughest men that ever lived before he was
saved.
And he was too given to drink.
Oh you can casually take this in but
you can take it from me it's the
very truth.
A little boy of seven died.
And he was lying in that little cotton.
And as they sometimes do in America the
little fellow was dressed up in the best.
And he had beautiful buckled shoes on in
the cotton.
Well Will Houghton was broke.
And he went into the room and shut
the door.
And stole the child's shoes from off his
feet and covered them over with a bit
of thing out of the cotton.
And took them down and pawned them.
And you can't get much lower than that
can you?
And then there came a day when God
revealed himself to this terrible man.
And this man got saved.
Wonderfully saved.
And Will Houghton who was on this land
on one occasion told me this.
He said you know when you and I
are sixes I don't think I was even
as low as him.
He says you and I are sixes he
says you know what put me on my
feet?
He says you know the day I got
saved I opened the Bible and I saw
this verse.
Touch not the unclean thing.
Funny verse you know for a fellow that's
just saved.
But it is truth.
He says I went down the street he
says and I could see the pub that
I used to go into.
It was called the Royal Arms I think
I remember him saying.
But he said where the sign was I
could see unclean thing.
He said I couldn't touch it.
I wouldn't let my feet touch the steps.
I wouldn't let my hand touch the knob
of the door.
I couldn't touch that.
He said so I got the victory over
this thing.
I could see in every pub in the
land the words the unclean thing.
And it certainly is.
He says you see when I was saved
now and I had money and I wasn't
drinking.
I thought I would slip into the picture
house and then I saw half naked woman
on the bill.
And I could see unclean thing.
So I couldn't go in there.
I used to get books out of the
library.
They were evil books.
I knew they were unclean thing.
And this verse so worked in this man's
life.
That even the toughest man in the town
where he was.
Said Willow Mountain has become a saint.
He was being sanctified by the truth.
You see for you young believers.
The Lord Jesus wants you to come and
remember his death.
Every Sunday.
This book says on the first day of
the week the disciples gathered together to break
bread.
Oh I know they teach you now that
every sixth month will do.
This book says as often as you eat
this bread.
Not as seldom.
Then you would need to obey it.
And this book talks about believers being not
parents.
Not parents.
Believers.
Then you would need to obey it.
And this book talks about believers uniting together
in prayer.
The church praying.
And you would need to obey it.
And you know as you begin to obey
the book.
You know you begin to become one of
these peculiar people.
You get sanctified by the truth.
This is what the Lord prayed for.
Preservation.
Separation.
Sanctification.
And then in verse 24 he said.
You know he prayed for glorification.
One of these days you know it will
be all over.
We shall be glorified.
Well I have done well tonight haven't I?
A quarter to ten.
I need to get overtime for this you
know.
Let's sing a couple of verses of this
old portion here.
311 it's just three short verses.
What various hindrances we meet in coming to
the mercy feet.
Yet who that knows the worth of prayer
but wishes to be often there.
Listen for the tune now.
And raise their heads to the
sky And raise their heads to the sky
Dear Lord, part us in thy fear And
with thy tender touch Take us to our
homes and safety Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen