Us Against The World (John 17:11-19 Jeff Kliewer)

Cornerstone Church

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October 23, 2023

Sermon Notes: notes.cornerstonesj.org Us Against The World

00:00: Jesus, look full in His wonderful light.
00:10: The things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace.
00:28: Turn your eyes to the hillside
00:34: Where justice and mercy embrace.
00:42: There the Son of God gave His life for us
00:49: And our measureless debt was erased.
00:57: Jesus, to You we lift our eyes. Jesus, our glory and our praise adore
01:12: You. Behold You, our Savior ever true.
01:18: O Jesus, we turn our eyes to You. Turn your eyes to the morning
01:43: And see Christ the Lion awake.
01:50: What a glorious dawn! Fear of death is gone
01:57: For we carry His life in our veins.
02:05: Jesus, to You we lift our eyes.
02:12: Jesus, our glory and our praise adore
02:20: You. Behold You, our Savior ever true.
02:27: O Jesus, we turn our eyes to You. Turn your eyes to the heavens.
02:44: Our King will return for His own.
02:52: Every knee, every tongue will shout
02:59: All glory to Jesus alone. Jesus, to You we lift our eyes.
03:14: Jesus, our glory and our praise adore
03:21: You. Behold You, our Savior ever true.
03:28: O Jesus, we turn our eyes to You. Jesus, to You we lift our eyes.
03:43: Jesus, our glory and our praise adore
03:50: You. Behold You, our Savior ever true.
03:57: O Jesus, we turn our eyes to You. O Jesus, we turn our eyes to You.
04:37: You have been our dwelling, our resting, before the man
04:58: You were before. And still our lives turn when the sun comes up.
05:20: Satisfy us before the day has passed us by.
05:30: Before our hearts forget all Your goodness.
05:39: Satisfy us with Your love. When that shoebox is open, they're overjoyed.
05:46: You can see them shouting, jumping. Oh! Look at how much they are excited.
05:53: This is the first time those children are receiving their shoeboxes. They are so happy. Every box is a porthole.
06:00: Every box is an opportunity to tell a child about God's love about His Son, Jesus Christ. If you get the heart of the child, you will reach the heart of the parents, you will reach the heart of the family, and then you will touch the community.
06:15: That gift box is the beginning into their hearts. Isn't it incredible how these gifts touch the lives of these children?
06:23: Every year we see tens of thousands of children discipled. And we couldn't do this without you, so thank you for packing the boxes.
06:30: Thank you for praying for these children around the world. God bless you, and keep packing those boxes. Christmas Child is an amazing ministry.
07:08: It also can provide you with an opportunity to perhaps be with your neighbors.
07:14: If you were to take a couple of extra boxes, and maybe you have a neighbor that you know, they don't perhaps go to a church or whatever, and you say, hey, we're doing this opportunity to bless children around the world, give them a...
07:32: For some reason, people are willing to do something like that for kids, and it could open up a door for you to talk to them about the
07:38: Lord. So if you're taking a couple of boxes for yourself, take a couple of more extras, and intentionally go talk to your neighbors.
07:47: I'd like to open us up in prayer in Proverbs 10 verse 2, verse 28. The hope of the righteous brings joy.
07:56: The hope of the righteous brings joy. For those of us who know God, those who are his child, those who have come to him, following God, there is a future hope that we have that cannot be destroyed, that cannot be defeated.
08:12: It's a guarantee by God. Now the world is going to be pushing you in a lot of ways, and in one of the ways when the world is pushing you, it's trials, it's temptations, it's difficulty.
08:26: There's no trial, there's no temptation that Satan or this world can lay at your feet that will defeat you.
08:33: You are a child of God. We have righteousness that brings joy. Keep your eyes on God.
08:39: That's our challenge. And remember Solomon's encouraging words, the hope of the righteous brings joy.
08:46: That's who we are. A couple of announcements. You come into church, and you come into the foyer, you can do a handful of things.
08:55: Talking and fellowshipping, great thing to do, I encourage that. Picking up a whole bunch of Operation Christmas Child boxes,
09:03: I encourage that. And then on the table is the sign -up for our Thanksgiving Fellowship dinner.
09:09: We're going to be having our Thanksgiving Fellowship dinner on the 18th, the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
09:15: And so on the table there are two sign -ups, two sign -ups, not just one. One is we're going to come, your family name and how many people, so we have an understanding of how many people will be here, how many chairs and whatever.
09:29: But on the other side is a sign -up for things that you would be willing to bring for the buffet, whether it's turkey, gravy, or whatever.
09:36: So please pick up the boxes and sign up for the Thanksgiving Fellowship.
09:44: There's also a sign -up for church cleanup. We do need people who are willing to participate in that.
09:51: And tonight I really encourage you to come back at 6 o 'clock for our time of prayer.
09:58: Let's turn to prayer right now. Lord, we do turn to you as the author of all truth, as the source of all righteousness, as the creator, the sustainer of all, as the one who loves us, as the one whose son died on the cross for our sins.
10:21: Help us, we pray, O Lord, to deny the temptations of the world and to be focused on your righteous blessings.
10:30: And as Solomon proclaimed, the hope of the righteous brings joy. So we turn to you.
10:35: We surrender to your will. We seek your wisdom. Lord, we continue to pray for your people,
10:43: Israel. We pray you would protect them. We pray that you would restrain the forces of evil.
10:51: We pray that your glory would be shown in all the world as you stand up for your people,
10:57: Israel. Be with our pastor, that your words would be in his heart, that your spirit would empower him and prepare our hearts to hear.
11:07: We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen. Glory to the name of the
11:59: Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
12:05: Most high. Glory to the name of the
12:12: Lord. Glory to the name of the Lord.
12:19: Glory to the name of the Lord. Most high. Glory to the name of the
12:29: Lord. Glory to the name of the Lord.
12:36: Glory to the name of the Lord. Most high. The name of the
12:44: Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and they are saved.
13:00: The name of the Lord is a strong tower.
13:08: The righteous run into it and they are saved.
13:18: Holy is the name of the Lord. Holy is the name of the
13:25: Lord. Holy is the name of the Lord. Most high.
13:35: Holy is the name of the Lord. Holy is the name of the
13:42: Lord. Holy is the name of the Lord Most High The name of the
13:50: Lord is The name of the Lord is
13:55: A strong tower The righteous run into it
14:04: And they are saved The name of the
14:10: Lord is A strong tower
14:16: The righteous run into it
14:21: And they are saved Blessed be Blessed be the name of the
14:29: Lord Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be the name of the
14:38: Lord Most High Blessed be the name of the
14:46: Lord Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be the name of the
14:54: Lord Most High Amen Yahweh is our strength and our rock
15:04: He is our fortress Let the name of Yahweh be blessed forever and ever Let His glory fill the earth
15:12: Let's continue to sing together Blessed be
15:27: Your name In the land that is plentiful
15:33: Where the streams of abundance flow Blessed be
15:38: Your name Blessed be
15:44: Your name When I'm found in the desert place
15:49: Though I walk through the wilderness Blessed be
15:55: Your name Every blessing
16:00: You pour out I'll turn back to praise
16:06: When the dark place closes in, Lord Still I will say
16:13: Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be
16:18: Your name Blessed be the name of the
16:24: Lord Blessed be Your glorious name
16:33: Blessed be Your name When the sun is shining down on me
16:40: When the world's all as it should be Blessed be
16:45: Your name Blessed be
16:51: Your name On the road marked with suffering When there's pain in the offering
17:00: Blessed be Your name Every blessing
17:07: You pour out I'll turn back to praise
17:13: When the dark place closes in, Lord Still I will say
17:20: Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be
17:25: Your name Blessed be the name of the
17:32: Lord Blessed be Your glorious name
17:39: You give and take away You give and take away
17:47: My heart will choose to say Lord, blessed be
17:54: Your name You give and take away
17:59: You give and take away My heart will choose to say
18:08: Lord, blessed be Your name Blessed be the name of the
18:14: Lord Blessed be Your name Blessed be the name of the
18:22: Lord Blessed be Your glorious name Blessed be the name of the
18:30: Lord Blessed be Your name Blessed be the name of the
18:38: Lord Blessed be Your glorious name
18:45: Amen, amen. And Lord, we come before you because you are worthy to be praised.
18:53: Let us praise your name, Lord Jesus, for your name is above every name.
18:59: It is to be exalted, and your splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
19:14: ♪ Reaches of heaven ♪ ♪
19:19: Starry heights ♪ ♪
19:24: Lights of the evening ♪ ♪ Dancing in silent skies ♪ ♪
19:34: Brilliance of morning ♪ ♪ Breaking day ♪ ♪
19:43: Oh, let them praise him, praise his name ♪ ♪
19:52: Oh, praise his name, oh, praise his name ♪ ♪
20:02: Let all his wondrous works declare his praise ♪ ♪
20:16: Mightiest mountains, peaceful plains ♪ ♪
20:24: Snowfall and fire, thundering ocean waves ♪ ♪
20:35: Kings and their kingdoms, age to age ♪ ♪
20:44: Oh, let them praise him, praise his name ♪ ♪
20:54: Oh, praise his name, oh, praise his name ♪ ♪
21:03: Let all his wondrous works declare his praise ♪ ♪
21:12: Oh, praise his name, oh, praise his name ♪ ♪
21:21: Let all his wondrous works declare his praise ♪ ♪
21:39: King enthroned in majesty ♪ ♪ All things made by his decree ♪ ♪
21:48: Hear creation's melody ♪ ♪
21:54: Praise him, praise him ♪ ♪ Everything with life and breath ♪ ♪
22:02: Everywhere from east to west ♪ ♪ Every heart raised from the dead ♪ ♪
22:12: Praise him, praise him ♪ ♪ Angels echo the refrain ♪ ♪
22:22: Jesus, lamb for sinners slain ♪ ♪ Name above all other names ♪ ♪
22:30: Praise him, oh, praise his name ♪ ♪
22:37: Oh, praise his name ♪ ♪ Let all his wondrous works declare his praise ♪ ♪
22:52: Oh, praise his name ♪ ♪ Oh, praise his name ♪ ♪
23:00: Let all his wondrous works declare his praise ♪ ♪
23:12: Oh, praise his name ♪ ♪
23:17: Oh, praise his name ♪ ♪ Let all his wondrous works declare his praise ♪
23:33: You may be seated. Let's pray.
23:46: Gracious Heavenly Father, your word has told us without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.
23:55: We want to thank you for the blood of the lamb. Thank you for our great high priest, Jesus Christ, who came to the
24:02: Holy of Holies, not bringing the blood of bulls and goats, but bringing his own blood shed for sinners like us.
24:12: We thank you that we are forgiven through faith in his precious blood.
24:19: A spotless lamb that was slain for sinners like us. And God, we thank you that Jesus ever lives to make intercession for us.
24:30: We have a great high priest behind the veil who's anchored for us the way of salvation.
24:39: And so, Lord, this morning, let all that is done be in the name of our great high priest,
24:45: Jesus Christ. And we pray that the priest, Jesus Christ, would open our ears to hear his word, that you would help us, intercede for us, to sanctify us in your truth.
24:59: Your word is truth. In Jesus' name, amen. Abram was called out of Ur of the
25:06: Chaldees. There in Ur, they worshiped a god called Sin. The moon god was called
25:13: Sin. If you worship a god that's called Sin, you have the wrong god. He was called out of Ur of the
25:19: Chaldees to go to a promised land to be blessed. But if God himself had not gone with Abraham, the world would have chewed him up and spit him out.
25:34: The world would have chewed Abraham up and spit him out. Abraham did not have,
25:40: Abram at the time, did not have the resources within himself to overcome the world.
25:48: When he arrived in the promised land, there was a famine and he had to go to Egypt.
25:57: Because of his own cowardice, he told the Pharaoh that Sarah, his wife, was only his sister.
26:06: Now, in fact, she was his half -sister. They had the same father, different mothers.
26:12: And so Abraham surely justified his lie by saying, you know,
26:19: I'm only telling half the truth, I'm not actually lying. But what he was truly doing was giving his wife over to protect himself, thinking they will see her beauty and they'll kill me to take her.
26:31: And so to protect himself, he gave his own wife over to the Pharaoh.
26:37: Now God, I think, preserved and protected her and gave her back to Abraham and by the grace of God, he went back, coming out of Egypt, I have called my son, a picture of the future
26:47: Exodus and a picture of Jesus having a time in Egypt, out of Egypt, I've called my son, he comes back to the promised land.
26:58: This particular sin would become a pattern in Abraham's life. Even when he had encountered
27:06: God and interceded for Sodom and seen the fire of heaven fall on Sodom and he knew the power of God, yet there came a time in his life where he was forced to sojourn again, south of the promised land, in the
27:21: Negev, that wedge of land between Egypt and Israel and the southern territory of Moab.
27:27: He went down to the Negev and seeing the king there, whose name was
27:33: Abimelech, he told Abimelech, this is my sister,
27:39: Sarah. And Abimelech took Sarah into his home but did not sleep with her.
27:46: That night, God showed up to Abimelech and said, you're a dead man. And Abimelech said, what did
27:54: I do? And God told Abimelech that this Sarah is actually the wife of Abraham.
28:00: And so Abimelech calls Abraham, why did you lie to me? Why didn't you tell me the whole truth here?
28:07: And of course, Abraham had been afraid for himself and in that cowardice, he had fallen into sin.
28:13: But God tells Abimelech, I did not let you touch her.
28:22: In other words, it wasn't Abraham's great faith, although he is the father of the faith.
28:28: In fact, when Hebrews recounts the story of Abraham in Hebrews chapter 11, it doesn't tell the stories of his falls.
28:36: It only focuses on his faith and his good works because at that point, all of this is under the blood.
28:42: But they are recorded for us in Genesis for our encouragement and for our instruction.
28:52: Abraham did not maintain his own standing in the world.
28:58: He stumbled and would have been chewed up and spit out if it were not for God. God said,
29:04: I did not let you Abimelech touch her. It was one with Abraham invisible to him that was keeping him.
29:16: When there was strife between the herdsmen of Lot and Abraham, Abraham had a gracious spirit.
29:25: The priest that was with him was helping him to be a peacemaker with Lot. And it was
29:30: Lot, though, who cast his tent towards Sodom, which ultimately would be to his own demise.
29:37: God was with Abraham in that conflict. Pressures within and pressures without.
29:44: In fact, it was Abraham who had led his wife Sarah into temptation by requesting of her, instructing her even to say that she was only his sister.
29:59: Conversely, there was a time when Sarah became a stumbling block to her own husband.
30:07: Seeing that they were childless, she proposed to him that he would go into Hagar, the slave girl, to bear offspring by her.
30:19: And because I think of Abraham's sexual temptation at that point, he was all too ready to accept that idea.
30:27: And he fell that way, sexually, with Hagar. Ishmael was born of this relationship.
30:35: And by God's grace, God would even bless Ishmael and protect him and make him a nation as well.
30:41: But it was not Abraham's faith and obedience that was keeping him. It was the intercession of God.
30:49: A priest was praying for him, even in his stumbling. There were physical threats around him.
30:56: Did you know there came a time when four great kings, Chedorahmar and Ariok and Tidal, they came against some allied peoples.
31:06: Lot was living in Sodom, Gomorrah, and these five kings. There was a massive war in the Middle East.
31:12: Four kings against five. One group wiped out the other and took
31:19: Lot captive. In his own strength, this little tribe of Abraham could do nothing to rescue
31:25: Lot. But Abraham was not alone. Giving chase by a supernatural work of grace, he was able to rescue
31:37: Lot and his family and bring them back. When Abraham was sent out of Ur of the
31:45: Chaldees into the world, he did not have in himself the resources to overcome the world.
31:55: But we see in Genesis 14, verses 18 to 20, a brief encounter that Abraham had with God.
32:06: If Melchizedek is Jesus pre -incarnate, then he's encountering
32:11: Jesus himself. It could be, however, that Melchizedek was a regular guy who was only a type of the coming
32:18: Messiah. But in Genesis 14, Abraham encounters a priest.
32:25: This is very important. If Abraham had gone alone out into the world, the world would have chewed him up and spit him out.
32:34: But all the while, he had a priest praying for him. Praying for his forgiveness when he fell sexually.
32:40: For his cowardice when he fell that way. His lack of leadership with his wife.
32:48: And praying for him in battle that he would come back victorious. He encountered this priest in Genesis 14, 18 to 20.
32:55: Mysteriously, a man named Melchizedek appears to Abraham after the battle in which he rescued
33:03: Sodom and Gomorrah and all of these people. Melchizedek, his name means
33:09: King of Righteousness. But he is identified as priest. Priest of the
33:15: Most High God. He brings bread and wine. Abraham tithes to this man.
33:23: And this man blesses Abraham. In all of this, we have a prophetic picture of Jesus Christ, the
33:29: Great High Priest. Jesus is that King of Righteousness. Jesus is the priest of the
33:36: Most High God who comes from Salem, City of Peace, Jeru, Salem. Jesus is the true
33:44: Great High Priest who does not bring merely bread and wine to refresh Abraham after a difficult battle that he was in.
33:52: Our priest Jesus brings the bread of his broken body on the cross.
33:58: The wine of his shed blood for sinners like us. He blesses us and he keeps us.
34:06: That promise of Genesis 12, 1 to 3 that you will be blessed and everyone who blesses you will be blessed.
34:12: That is utterly dependent on the Great High Priest blessing Abraham. And Abraham tithes up to him which indicates that this one is greater than Abraham and therefore greater than Levi who comes from Abraham.
34:27: This is the Great High Priest. He has no beginning because he comes out of nowhere.
34:33: The text doesn't introduce him. He just appears out of nowhere and Abraham is tithing to him.
34:39: He has the power of an indestructible life because after that event you never see him again.
34:46: He ever lives. Prophetic of Jesus's eternal ministry. This to say,
34:52: Abraham would have been chewed up and spit out by the world, but he ever had a priest.
35:00: Turn with me to John 17. This passage is the high priestly prayer of Jesus.
35:09: Like Abraham, if we had to go it alone to face this world with temptations within and struggles without, we would be defeated.
35:22: It is only because we have a Great High Priest who ever lives to make intercession for us that we are more than conquerors.
35:32: That we will overcome, that we will not fail. There are those who will tell you that salvation can be lost.
35:44: They will say that you can lose your salvation. That is a school of theology. But I tell you by the word of God that if you could lose your salvation, you would.
35:59: You don't have the power to keep it. The forces of the evil one and the world and your own flesh would overwhelm you and eventually your faith would fail.
36:15: Peter was told that Satan has demanded to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith would not fail.
36:22: Church, your salvation is kept by the intercessory ministry of Jesus Christ.
36:31: John 17 is his high priestly prayer where he is interceding, mediating between a holy
36:38: God and sinful men. And it is this work of the priest that keeps us. Now, to review, in verses one to five, we see that the world does not revolve around us.
36:52: This priest is the center of the story. John, I love what you've coined that term, the glory story, because the
37:00: Bible and the story of history and all of the universe is the story of his glory.
37:08: It's not really about us. We're not the center of the story. And so the first thing that Jesus prays in John 17, one to five, is for himself to be glorified.
37:20: Now, if you know someone, maybe a baseball player, a basketball player, a football player, who makes a great play and he invites the praise of the people, there's something ugly about that.
37:36: It's great that he's being cheered for because he did well. But there's something ugly when people glory in themselves.
37:44: Boasting, I mean. Boasting is, it's ugly and it's repulsive because we're not made to be the center.
37:50: But listen, Jesus prays for his own glory. And this is good and right and beautiful because he is the glorious center of the universe.
38:03: It's right for him to want to be glorified because he deserves it. And he is the center point.
38:11: It is only beautiful that he prays to be glorified. And this is why I say this is the
38:16: Lord's prayer. Only he can pray it. We don't pray, Father, glorify us with the glory we had with you before the world began.
38:26: That is alone his prayer to pray because he is the eternal son. Next, we saw in verses six to 10 that we do have a part in the story of his glory.
38:38: We talked about the ordo salutis, the order of salvation, as given in verses six to 10.
38:45: The first point being for knowledge that God has predestined. That is to say, he has a people, in verse six, who he then elects or gives to the son as a treasured possession.
39:00: And then he will call this people by the preaching of the word, the calling and the drawing of the spirit in order that they would believe.
39:10: And it says, verse six, they will keep your word. The word goes out as an effectual call. They then will keep that word.
39:18: We learn that this is faith, which produces perseverance. And finally, the last step in the ordo salutis, of course, is glorification.
39:27: Verse 10, I am glorified in them. So we pick up in verse 11, seeing that there is a people that God is preparing for salvation and has saved.
39:42: He will ultimately glorify them, that they would be eternal worshippers of the son. And now we move into verses 11 to 19, and the subject here becomes sanctification.
39:57: Sanctification. To sanctify means to set apart.
40:06: God is set apart from his creation. He's distinct from it, above it, better than it, over it all.
40:13: He's separate. He's holy. That's what it means. To be sanctified is to be set apart from the world, to be made holy.
40:22: Your feet washed, no longer muddied by the dirt of this world.
40:28: It's being made like Christ. It's a process. It's in that ordo salutis, near the end, and it results finally in glorification.
40:38: Make sense? So let's read it. Verses 11 and 19. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you.
40:53: Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
41:03: While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost, except the son of destruction, that the scripture might be fulfilled.
41:18: But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
41:29: I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
41:40: I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
41:47: They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth.
41:53: Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world, and for their sake
42:02: I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
42:11: In verse 11, Jesus begins by saying, I am no longer in the world. But does that phrase strike you as strange?
42:20: He's praying in the presence of the 11. Judas has gone out from them.
42:26: He's praying in the world. He's still here.
42:33: He has not yet died and risen and ascended to the right hand of the Father, and yet he prays,
42:39: I am no longer in the world. What do you make of that? Well, I think the first easy answer is that in John 13, he finishes his public ministry in the world.
42:54: That is, he closes it down. He pronounces judgment according to Isaiah 6 that their hearts would be hard, they wouldn't receive.
43:02: And now he's come out of the world into that sacred space, the holy place with his disciples, and he's teaching them.
43:12: So in that sense, he's come out of the world. I think that could be the answer, but I think there's one deeper level as well.
43:19: Jesus knowing that these words would not be written until the 90s AD. And then we would have the
43:27: Gospel of John for all of church history to read these words. They are spoken with reference to us.
43:34: I am no longer in the world. As we, reading these words, remember that he said that, we know where he is.
43:42: And sometimes prophetically, a prophet will speak in a past tense, although something has not yet happened in time.
43:50: So it's anachronistic. It's out of time. But if you read Isaiah 53, the prophet is speaking in the past tense, yet the
43:58: Lamb of God has not yet come. The point being, it's as good as done.
44:04: It's written, it will happen. And in the same way, Jesus speaks here as if he's already seated at the right hand of the
44:12: Father. It's a certainty what he will do on the cross, that he will raise, that he will ascend, and he's giving us a glimpse of what his high priestly prayer looks like.
44:24: So truly, we are in the holy of holies when we look here. We're seeing him pray for us.
44:31: Now it's specifically for the apostles, but I'm saying to you, I think he's speaking with reference to us, so you would see him in the holy of holies.
44:41: I am no longer in the world. Picture him there. He's at the right hand of the
44:47: Father. He'll pray for us in that way. But here, technically, they are in the world and I am coming to you.
44:55: So he's looking forward to being at the right hand. Notice how he addresses God in verse 11.
45:03: Holy Father. Unless we understand that God is holy, sanctification will mean little to us.
45:14: But when we understand that he is the separate one, in all glory and brilliance, brighter than the sun, and we recognize here we are on earth, we ought to let our words be few.
45:27: He is holy. And the problem is sinful man and holy God are separate, but notice he doesn't just call him holy
45:35: God. What does he call him? Holy Father. Which indicates that this holy one is a loving
45:42: Father who will rescue and care for and provide for us.
45:48: The Holy Father is addressed, keep them in your name.
45:57: Church, if you hear nothing else today, all attention, if you hear nothing else today, understand this, that if you had to keep your own salvation, you would lose it, but you have a high priest who prays for you, his intercessory ministry, which is his shed blood in time and his ongoing appeal to the
46:24: Father is what keeps you. I've often said that I can't even keep my abs into my 40s.
46:36: Now, I've told my kids sometimes, I actually do have a six -pack. Did you know that? It's just covered by a lot of insulation, so it can't be seen, but it's there.
46:49: If I can't keep my abs, how would I be able to keep my heart pure before the holy
46:57: God? Amidst all the temptations of this world, internal and outside of us, all the struggles of this life, the power of the evil one arrayed against you as strongly as he opposed
47:13: Job, he opposes you, your own flesh still part of your nature, you wouldn't keep it, but he keeps you.
47:27: See him pray, verse 11. Keep them in your name.
47:32: In your name here means identified with you, not falling away.
47:38: In your name. Name is identity. What is the name of God?
47:43: His personal name in the Old Testament. He reveals it to Moses at the burning bush. What is his name?
47:50: Yahweh, Jehovah. And then he says, which you have given me.
47:59: When the virgin born child comes forth, they call him
48:04: Jesus. Yahweh is salvation. Jehovah. Yahweh saves.
48:12: Savior. His name is Jesus. This name is his identity.
48:18: It speaks to who he is, the son of God, God in flesh. The holy one dwelling among men.
48:29: This is the name given him, the name of Jesus, and you are identified in him.
48:35: You are a Christian. We are Christians identified in Christ.
48:44: We're not keeping ourselves here. He's keeping us from falling.
48:50: And yes, we stumble, but as John, 1 John 1, 7 and 9 says, if we do stumble, and if anyone says they don't have sin, they're a liar.
48:59: But when you do, you have an advocate with the father. That advocate is a priest.
49:05: He's a mediator, an intercessor. And you confess your sins, and he is faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
49:15: You have a priest. He's the one keeping you. It goes on to say in verse 11 that they may be one, even as we are one.
49:26: It's not you against the world. If it was you against the world, you lose.
49:36: It's you with Christ in you, the hope of glory, resisting the world. But the point here is it's not just even that.
49:43: It's the church. Everyone who's named under the name of Christ together as one.
49:51: We stand together as one. Us against the world. Thank you.
49:57: And verse 12 and 13, notice, while I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me.
50:08: I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost.
50:16: And this is what we've been saying. He keeps his own. The good shepherd,
50:21: John 10, he says not one of them will be lost. And then there's a scary word inserted at verse 12, and that is accept.
50:32: Accept. Oh, wait a minute. There's an exception. That's a problem.
50:39: Except in the context here, verses 11 to 19 is a prayer for the apostles.
50:49: In verses 20 to the end of the chapter, we have us explicitly brought in to the equation.
50:57: And of course, he is praying this way for us to hear and understand things about our relationship. But understand, in verse 12, the apostles were called to walk with him.
51:14: And one of them, the exception, refers not to Christians losing their salvation, but to a promise, a promise of the
51:24: Old Testament fulfilled in one who never was a son. How do
51:29: I know that? Because he's called the son of perdition. He's the son of destruction.
51:37: He was never a son of God. Look at verse 12. I have guarded them and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction.
51:45: That the scripture might be fulfilled. Have you ever heard Arminian theology teach that you can lose your salvation?
51:53: Or perhaps that God wants to save everyone equally and there's no distinction in his eternal plan.
52:01: And the problem is, according to Stephen Furtick, who espouses this, there's one thing that God cannot do.
52:10: God cannot override your unbelief. Think about that for a minute.
52:19: Is that true of the omnipotent God of the universe? God cannot override your unbelief.
52:24: If that were the case, then this verse 12 would go on to say,
52:35: I tried but I couldn't override Judas' unbelief. This is not what the text says.
52:41: What does it say? Look carefully. Not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction.
52:52: That the scripture might be fulfilled. What Judas did was absolutely scripted.
53:04: That is not to say he wasn't responsible because his real creaturely will was exerted against God from the beginning.
53:12: He was of the world and he never followed
53:19: Christ. He always stole from the money bag. He was the treasurer who was siphoning off money for himself.
53:27: He was designing betrayal his entire life. He was a deceiver and never saved.
53:36: John Newton was that slave trader who was given a new heart.
53:44: And so he wrote Amazing Grace. How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
53:50: He also wrote, if it were possible for me to alter any part of God's plan,
53:56: I could only spoil it. God's plan is certain to unfold and ripen fast.
54:09: It unfolds every hour in the words of William Cooper. I want us to turn and just look at one of these prophecies.
54:15: We could look at Psalm 55 but we'll go to Zechariah 11 verses 12 and 13.
54:21: Just spend a few minutes here. There's probably somebody here, maybe you're a young person kind of debating this
54:29: Christian faith that you've been raised with. Or maybe you're older and your faith is beginning to wobble.
54:36: When we look at the prophecies of the Old Testament which are fulfilled in detail in the life of Christ, your faith is shored up and your feet are set back upon the rock.
54:46: So pay attention. Zechariah 11 and 12. It's the second to last book in the Old Testament, not hard to find.
54:57: There are a few prophecies of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot. In Psalm 55, as I mentioned, the psalmist laments that he could have taken it if it was an outside enemy like Hamas breaking in or Cheder Loamar and Tidal, these wicked kings conquering.
55:19: He could have handled that, but he says, but it was you, my trusted friend, my companion. We used to worship together.
55:27: And Judas stabbed him in the back. A prophecy of Judas. Look at Zechariah 11, 12, and 13.
55:36: Zechariah is a prophet speaking of his own experience, but I'm saying to you, it's prophetic of Judas betraying
55:43: Jesus. Then I said to them, if it seems good to you, give me my wages, but if not, keep them.
55:55: And they weighed out as my wages 30 pieces of silver. That's written hundreds of years before Christ came.
56:05: Then the Lord said to me, throw it to the potter, the Lordly price at which I was priced by them.
56:12: So I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord to the potter.
56:21: The key thing I want you to notice there is the value that the people of Israel set upon their prophet.
56:30: The prophet Zechariah was worth 30 pieces of silver to them. Tell me what it's worth, this word from the
56:37: Lord. What do you value my ministry at? 30 pieces of silver.
56:44: Throw it to the potter. How valuable is the prophet, priest, king named
56:52: Jesus Christ? According to Judas Iscariot, he's worth 30 pieces of silver.
57:00: That's the Lordly price, the handsome price at which you value the
57:05: Lord of glory. And Judas then with pangs of conscience goes back to the people that he had sold the
57:13: Lord out to and tries to offer it back to them and they say, no, keep it. The deal is the deal.
57:19: So he throws it on the temple floor in accordance with this prophecy. Thrown to the potter.
57:25: But who's the potter? In Zechariah, we don't know. In the New Testament, in the gospel, we learn that those who take up those 30 pieces say it's blood money.
57:36: We can't just put it in our pockets. Let's buy the potter's field. Akkodama, field of blood.
57:46: The prophets foretold the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot for the exact price, the unfolding of that event, the throwing of the money on the temple floor, what it was used to buy afterwards.
57:58: All of these things were written ahead of time. That's what Jesus is praying about in John 17.
58:05: Church, do you think you can trust the word of God? The prophecies that are written and fulfilled, the specific details, we looked at one, but there are literally hundreds and hundreds of these in the
58:17: Old Testament fulfilled in Christ. And so here we are with faith because our priest has called us.
58:26: And we're believing the word. But next point, as you hold on to the word, it sets you at odds with the world who will increasingly hate you.
58:37: The degree to which you are sanctified by the truth will be the degree to which you're hated in the world.
58:45: Jesus prays therefore. Let's look at verse 14 to 16. I have given them your word and the world has hated them because they are not of the world.
58:59: Now notice the reason why Christians are hated. Listen, they don't hate you because you believe in Jesus.
59:07: They could care less if you believe in Jesus or Muhammad or the flying spaghetti monster as the atheists like to mock.
59:17: They don't care who you believe in. According to the text, why do they hate you? Because we are not of the world.
59:31: Peter will flesh this out. They mock you and they despise you because you do not plunge with them in the same flood of dissipation.
59:43: You're fine to believe whatever you want. But as you're sanctified in the truth, you're holding to the word and he's conforming you into the image of Christ.
59:51: They notice the difference between you and them. Noah was a preacher of righteousness who condemned the world,
59:59: Hebrews 11. Not by being condemnatory, he was inviting them to come and yet they saw how different he was.
01:00:07: He didn't do what they did. He was sanctified from that, separate from that.
01:00:13: When you separate yourself from the world, the world will notice that and begin to hate you for it.
01:00:20: It's your sanctification that puts you at odds with the world. Does that make sense? And that's important to understand.
01:00:29: Because you make a stand on the word of God, it may just be your life. You might say nothing, they'll still hate you, according to our text.
01:00:40: Because, the Bible says, they are not of the world, just as I am not of it.
01:00:50: That is us, we're not of this world. You know you're in this world and not of it? I do not ask that you take them out of the world.
01:01:01: He's not saying that you should go become Amish and escape from the world. You shouldn't go live in a monastery and spend your days in asceticism.
01:01:13: I do not ask that you take them out, but that you keep them from the evil one.
01:01:19: He's praying for protection from temptation, stumbling into sin. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
01:01:31: Lastly, verses 17 to 19, we circle back to Jesus as our priest. Sanctify them in the truth, your word is truth.
01:01:39: Have you noticed that when I open in prayer, for preaching, very often, maybe half the time,
01:01:46: I'll quote John 17, 17. Sanctify them in your truth, your word is truth.
01:01:54: It's because this word is what sanctifies us. This is the means God uses for us to be sanctified.
01:02:02: The hearing of the word, it changes how we think. We become like Christ as we hear his word and we begin to make a break.
01:02:12: How much of the worldly influence are you able to tolerate in your life?
01:02:19: How much media can you absorb? It's probably less than you think that you can handle.
01:02:30: The world tries to press us into its mold, Romans 12, one and two.
01:02:36: Conform us. And that influence is much more subtle than we realize and it's more pervasive, it's constant.
01:02:45: It's a current that you're swimming in and you don't realize how it's moving you down the river. But there is a force more powerful than the world and that is the word of God.
01:02:59: It may only be five minutes before you run off to school it may be your lunch break for half an hour it may be listening to the
01:03:09: Bible app while you're falling asleep at night but do not underestimate the power of the word to sanctify a
01:03:16: Christian. Listen, you're in a war zone. The world around us is constantly trying to wipe you out like Abraham.
01:03:24: But your priest prays for you and the means he uses to keep you is the word of God.
01:03:30: There is a synergism, a cooperation between the sanctified Christian, the one who has the spirit, you've been regenerated and the work of God to keep you.
01:03:41: You're not passive in this. In salvation you're a dead sinner. There's not much you bring to the table to get saved.
01:03:51: Nothing that you bring to the table. But to be sanctified there's a synergy that happens.
01:04:00: That means when you open the Bible and read and spend some time praying and the spirit working in you is praying, interceding for you.
01:04:11: That time of intimacy with God is conforming you into the image of Christ.
01:04:17: This is what it's saying. Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world so I have sent them into the world.
01:04:25: You're in hostile territory. The world around you. You're in it but you're not of it. The other option would have been for him to just rapture you as soon as you got saved.
01:04:36: But the world needs you here. That's why Paul said it's better for you that I remain. I'm convinced
01:04:41: I'm going to stay because you need my ministry. In the same way every Christian should hope to stay here as long as you can as salt and light in the world.
01:04:51: Your family needs you to be sanctified and helping to hold them up. It's not you against the world.
01:04:57: It's us against the world. You're needed in the world as long as God has you here.
01:05:04: And then he'll call you home in his time. But because you're not called home that means he wants you right here.
01:05:11: Lastly, verse 19. For their sake I consecrate myself. That word consecrate there in the
01:05:18: Greek is actually the same word for sanctify. But it's translated consecrate here
01:05:23: I think rightly because he's saying I'm setting myself apart as a priest consecrated for this hour.
01:05:31: Remember he began this prayer that the hour had come. The time for his glorification.
01:05:40: He's consecrating himself for what? Church, so important.
01:05:46: His cross work. The priest is consecrating himself to bring a sacrifice that will please
01:05:54: God. The priests have consecrated themselves for years with their special washings and all of their special clothing.
01:06:03: And they've gone and on the day of atonement behind the veil the high priest would make atonement on the altar once a year.
01:06:13: And each time a sinner knew that they were sinful they would come and bring an offering and the priest consecrate himself.
01:06:19: This has gone on for years and years but this is the moment that it all pointed to. Jesus consecrates himself as the great priest and he's not going to bring another lamb.
01:06:34: He is the lamb. The great priest is going to bring blood and it's going to be his own.
01:06:43: The priest consecrates himself that they may be sanctified in truth.
01:06:49: How important is your sanctification to the priest? If he's bleeding for it how much does it matter that you resist the influence of the world the flesh and the devil?
01:07:03: He wants us to be sanctified. So in closing it is us against the world.
01:07:11: The word that we have is sure. We have Melchizedek appearing to Abraham with bread and wine endless life indestructible life king of righteousness king of peace from Salem all the prophecies are fulfilled in Jesus.
01:07:30: We have little things like the betrayal of Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. The word is sure.
01:07:36: You can stand on it. The world is going to assault you from all directions even from within temptations within.
01:07:46: Your own heart being tempted towards sexual sin and all of these things. You must fight.
01:07:55: Sanctify them by the truth. Your word is truth. Let's pray. Father God we thank you
01:08:13: Lord for the great high priest. Thank you for Jesus who was always with us.
01:08:22: Jesus was with Abraham so the world did not chew him up and spit him out.
01:08:30: And Jesus you are with us. And Lord so we want to pray according to your prayer that you would make us one.
01:08:38: Unified as you are one. And for each of us individually
01:08:43: Lord that we would be sanctified by the truth. Your word is truth.
01:08:51: We praise you Lord for your great work among us. We recognize it's not our doing but you are keeping us.
01:09:00: We give you all the praise and all the glory and we just want to say thank you. Thank you
01:09:07: God. Keep us from the evil one. Deliver us from temptation. Sanctify us by the truth.
01:09:14: Your word is truth. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Please stand.
01:09:21: I believe you gave sight to the blind.
01:09:35: I believe that the dead came to life. I believe there are wonders and signs and you're still the same.
01:09:49: I believe every word that you said. I believe there are scars in your hands.
01:09:59: That your goodness is good without end and you'll never change.
01:10:08: I will tell of your wonders. Sing of your grace.
01:10:14: The God of creation knows me by name. The Lord is faithful.
01:10:22: Yesterday, now and always. Always. Your mercy is mighty age after age.
01:10:34: All generations will bow down in praise. The Lord is faithful.
01:10:41: Yesterday, now and always. Always. I believe you will come in the clouds.
01:10:55: I believe you are here even now. In your presence
01:11:01: I know there is power. Power to save.
01:11:08: I will tell of your wonders. Sing of your grace.
01:11:14: The God of creation knows me by name. The Lord is faithful.
01:11:22: Yesterday, now and always. Always. Your mercy is mighty age after age.
01:11:33: All generations will bow down in praise. The Lord is faithful.
01:11:41: Yesterday, now and always. Always. You were.
01:11:49: You are. You always will be
01:11:55: God. You were. You are.
01:12:01: You always will be God. Yes, you always will be
01:12:08: God. I will tell of your wonders. Sing of your grace.
01:12:15: The God of creation holds me by name. The Lord is faithful.
01:12:23: Yesterday, now and always. Always. Your mercy is mighty age after age.
01:12:35: All generations will bow down in praise. The Lord is faithful.
01:12:42: Yesterday, now and always. Always. You were.
01:12:50: You are. You always will be
01:12:56: God. You were. You are.
01:13:02: You always will be God. Yes, you always will be
01:13:09: God. Your mercy is mighty age after age.
01:13:17: All generations will bow down in praise. The Lord is faithful.
01:13:24: Yesterday, now and always.
01:13:30: Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy.
01:13:41: To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever.
01:13:51: Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
01:15:15: Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
01:15:55: Amen. Amen. Amen.
01:16:23: Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
01:16:59: Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.