The Way of the Cross

I would like you to turn your Bibles this morning to Matthew chapter 5.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

!

Wednesday evening, as we were enjoying the ministry of missionaries that are going to

be serving the Lord in England, I was listening to the preaching of the Word and I fell under

conviction for something that had been said on last Sunday, something that I said on last

Sunday.

And pastors don't get to bury retractions on the ninth page of the newspaper.

When it happens at the pulpit, it should be declared at the pulpit.

It's inappropriate for a pastor to be sympathetic with people who are struggling with depression

in his office and then be sarcastic in public preaching of the Word.

And I ask your forgiveness for that.

Turn in your Bibles to John chapter 17, verse 6 through 19.

John 17:6–19

Let me read the passage and have you follow along with me as we hear exactly what God has

spoken to us here in this passage.

I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world.

Yours they were, and you've given them to me, and they have kept your word.

Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you.

For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know

in truth that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me.

I am praying for them.

I am not praying for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.

All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.

And I no longer, I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you,

Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

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 Scriptures might be fulfilled.

But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world,

that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

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.

I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

Sanctify them in the truth.

Your word is truth.

As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world,

and for their sake I consecrate myself,

that they also may be sanctified in truth.

Join me in prayer.

Father, we unite together as your people

with one common desire,

that the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our God and Savior,

would be lifted up this morning,

and that we seeing Him would grow to be more like Him,

and that we would grow in our affection for Him.

I'm thankful that both the preaching of the Word of God

and the comprehension of the Word of God

are things that we may ask the Holy Spirit's help for this morning.

And I pray that your people would join me in praying

for the work of the Holy Spirit

in both the declaration of the Word

and then in our comprehension and appreciation.

I pray also, Father, for those that are here today

that perhaps have never come to saving faith.

They know perhaps the words of truth.

They've heard the Scriptures,

and yet they've never been drawn to the cross

to repent and confess their sins

and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And just as we pray that believers would be strengthened,

so we pray that sinners would be converted,

that Jesus, the Lord of life,

would be made much of today in this place.

And we ask in Jesus' name, amen.

This lesson here in John chapter 17,

John 17 · chapter mention

beginning in verse 6 and carrying through to 19,

is the second of three parts of Jesus praying

after He had had the Lord's table

and just before He went to the Garden of Gethsemane.

And you remember last week,

one of the things that I commented on

is that it's appropriate for us

to kind of remind ourselves of the sharp differentiation

between this prayer here,

where Jesus is praying for Himself,

for His disciples, and for us.

And then moments later,

when He goes into the garden,

and He pours out His heart,

and He says, listen,

if it is possible,

let this cup pass from Me.

Here we see the Lord praying

with this kind of divine overview

and interest that kind of transcends the moment

that was going to take place

in the very hours to come.

And He is praying about things

that were very, very close to His heart

and His interest,

namely,

His reunion with the Father,

namely,

the disciples that He had loved and cared for,

and namely for us

who have come to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ

because of His ministry

and because of the ministry of the disciples

that He prayed for.

It would be difficult for me,

and many of you have heard me on occasion

say this is my favorite passage.

It's almost become kind of a joke

because seldom is there a Sunday that goes by

that I don't come to the text thinking,

man, this is really good.

And I have to tell you,

Thursday when I hit the print button

and I heard it click out there in the copy,

Connie, are you in here working in the nursery?

Yeah.

Connie, what happened?

I just, wow!

Man, I've got to wait until Sunday.

But it's a good passage.

Just bear with me.

It is really good.

And the thing that makes this passage so precious

is that it informs us of the heart of Jesus.

Now look at me.

You know, at the heart of our religion

and at the heart of our faith

is not just a set of rules.

Now rules aren't all bad.

But listen to me.

At the heart of what we have in the Lord Jesus Christ

is a very real, personal, genuine relationship.

And one of the sure tests

of the authenticity of your relationship

is your affection and interest

in the person you have it with.

Would you agree with that?

Judith, my bride.

There she is.

She was sitting behind Chris.

And Chris is too tall.

Sorry, Chris.

I'm glad.

Did you notice, Chris, that she moved over here?

I saw her and I went back to let her know.

She works in the nursery once a month, you know.

And so I was like, that's always a bad Sunday for me

because I like to see her.

And then she decided she's not one of those people

who likes to sit at the very front, you know.

She likes to kind of be in the back.

And she was sitting behind Chris.

And Chris is just too tall.

And I told her, honey, you have to move so I can see you.

Here's the point.

If you have a relationship,

now, if you have a relationship,

there has to be some affection with that.

Would you think so?

Well, and so when we step into this passage,

we have an opportunity to understand a little bit more

about how Jesus loves us.

And understanding that, listen to me,

understanding that will whet our appetite for him

and cause us to love him more.

So, if you're sitting here this morning

and your heart, very frankly,

is just about stone cold to Jesus,

I'm really not all that interested

in how many Bible verses you have memorized in the past

or whether you were baptized

or whether or not you go to church on a race.

I'm really interested if you love him and you know him.

Because at the heart of what we are engaged in

is relationship with the Lord of glory.

And as we look at this passage,

we are getting an opportunity

of looking into the heart of Jesus

and understanding how he loves us.

Truthfully, today,

we are looking more at how he loved the 11.

But here's the interesting note.

If he did fairly well at loving the 11,

and what do we know about the 11?

Just follow me here, okay?

The 11 were the most famous

and most significant men in the ancient world.

Phenomenal, spectacular,

men of renown and repute

and incredibly brilliant, right?

I mean, how are we doing so far?

They were low-life fishermen,

flunky tax collectors.

I mean, just a bunch of rude guys.

I mean, it's like,

Jesus, are you kidding me?

These are the guys you picked?

Well, here's the deal.

If Jesus can love those kind of guys,

he probably will do a fairly decent job loving me.

You.

You got it?

So when we look at how Jesus loved the disciples

and prayed for them,

our hearts should be encouraged to know

that he cares for us the same way.

So let's look this morning at,

first of all,

who Jesus was praying for in this passage.

This is called the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus.

I want you to know,

just because I have to say this,

we're going to cover John 17 in three sermons.

Next Sunday,

Pastor Shearer is going to be preaching.

Pretty good.

I like that.

To cover John 17 in three sermons

is just about over the top for me.

Marcus Rainford has written a book called

Our Lord Prays for His Own.

It's 476 pages long,

and it's just phenomenal.

But I have to get this done in this sermon.

Okay, who was Jesus praying for?

I have manifested, verse 6,

your name to the people whom you gave me

out of the world.

Here in John 17, verse 6,

John 17:6

and carrying down through verse 9,

we're going to see Jesus lay out

some of the markers,

the characteristics of the men

that he was praying for.

First thing we see here

is that these are men

that the Father had given him.

Now remember that Jesus

had manifested the Father's name publicly.

He had preached the kingdom

and repentance to all kinds of people.

He had healed individuals.

He had performed miracles.

He had fed the multitude.

He had done all kinds of things,

and people had seen and seen

and heard and heard,

and nevertheless had really not come to faith.

And here we have 11.

And Jesus identifies

that these individuals

are ones who were a select group.

Now look what it says there in verse 6.

It says,

whom you gave me

out of the world.

I want you to understand

that these 11

were individuals

that the Father

had given to Jesus

as disciples,

but they are also individuals

that the Father

had given to Jesus

as converts,

as believers.

Now we know

that Jesus chose 12.

And I don't want you to think

that Jesus,

in choosing Judas,

had made a bad pick.

because it tells us

and we can take the time

at another moment

and kind of look through

the life and work of Judas

and his role

in the plan of redemption.

I just want you to understand

that the 11

that are being referred to here

are the ones

that God had given to Jesus

sovereignly as His own.

It's interesting to mark

how often we see this issue

of God being the one

who gives individuals to Christ.

You find it three times

in John 17.

Put your finger there

on verse 6.

Put your finger then

on verse 37.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Hold it, hold it.

What am I doing here?

John chapter 6,

John 6:37

verse 37 and 39.

That's my mistake.

Go there for a second.

John chapter 6,

verse 37.

All that the Father gives me

will come to me

and whosoever comes to me

I will never cast out.

How is it that people

come to Christ?

Oh, just arbitrarily decide

one day.

No, it says here

they come because

the Father gives them.

There, verse 39.

It says this,

And this is the will

of Him who sent me

that I should lose

nothing of all

that He has given me

but raise it up

on the last day.

Look at John chapter 10,

John 10:29

verse 29.

Those who Jesus

was praying for

were those that

the Father had given Him.

John chapter 10,

John 10:29

verse 29.

My Father who has

given them to me

is greater than them all

and no one is able

to snatch them

out of my Father's hand.

Now stop just for a moment.

There's a little sidebar.

A little note.

To believe in

eternal security

means that you're

ultimately resting

on the same

theological foundation

that the doctrine

of God's sovereign grace

in choosing rests on.

Does that make sense?

Jesus makes it clear

over and over again

that the Father

is the one who gives

and He doesn't lose them.

And so if you're sitting

here this morning

and you're a believer,

I want to encourage you

to know this.

The reason you've

come to faith

is because of His call

and His enabling

and you are incredibly blessed.

Furthermore,

you are not going

to fall away.

I like that.

Second thing

that I want you to mark

about these individuals

that Jesus was praying for

is that these are those

who have kept

the Father's word.

Look at the last part

of verse 6.

And they have kept

your word.

In addition,

to the fact

of the sovereign will

of God

in choosing those

that He would give

to Jesus,

we see that there

is another marker

given to us

in the text

about the characteristic

of these individuals

who are genuine believers.

What is it?

They obey the word.

They follow the word.

They do the things

that the Father

has called them to do.

And so I want you

to recognize

that there is no accident

that there is

this close correlation

or connection

between divine appointment

and willing obedience.

There is no denying

the fact

that one of the characteristics

of those who are

genuinely called

is that they are wired

and God is at work

in helping them

grow in obedience.

Do you follow that?

Now listen to me.

Just an illustration.

I got to tell you

for me to sit

I was sitting right over there

wrestling with

the bad words

that I'd said

on Wednesday

and kind of thinking

do I really want to stand

in front of God's people

and say

that was wrong?

Now how many of you

think that was

yeah, yeah

I can't think of anything

more exciting.

But here's what.

I who have been saved

by the grace of God

have no other call

but to be obedient

to the word of my Savior

and I had to choose

between whether

I was going to play

to my pride

or I was going

to humble myself

and exalt him

whose word

is my command.

And as we look

at the passage

Jesus makes it

very, very clear

that those

who he was praying for

are those

who kept

the word.

And so if you're

sitting here this morning

and you're one

of those individuals

who you grew up

in a Christian home

you learned the vocabulary

you got it all down

but the fact of the matter

is this

you do not see

a continuing path

of obedience

you do not see

growth in obedience

I would ask you

to double check

your birth certificate.

Where's the proof?

If you're his child

there will be

a growing interest

in obeying him

regardless of the cost.

Third

I want you to mark

that those

who Jesus was praying for

were those

who'd received

the word as gods.

Now they know

verse 7

that everything

that you have given me

is from you

for I have given them

the words

that you gave me

and they have received them

and have come to know

in truth

that I came from you

and they have believed

that you sent me.

When Jesus prayed

for these

eleven disciples

he wasn't praying

for those

who had merely

believed

in the physical

evidence

that they had

enjoyed

when Jesus

fed the five thousand.

I mean do you

follow that?

Here you are

stuffing your face

with bread and fish

and you have to say

well this is pretty

spectacular

I mean hey

we started out

with one little boy

with his lunch

and we're all eating.

I have to admit

I believe.

But did they believe

in Jesus

as the Savior?

Did they believe

in Jesus

as the one

that they were trusting

for their salvation?

No.

In the vast majority

of cases they didn't

and here's Jesus

saying

these who I am

praying for

are those

who have received

the word

that I have given

as God's.

They heard

what Jesus said

and they accepted

that it was

actually God's word.

They didn't just

nod and grin

they obeyed it.

Next thing

that I want you

to mark

is that those

who Jesus

was praying for

are those

who believed

that Jesus

had been sent

by the Father.

Here's Jesus

praying specifically

for his eleven.

Now I'm not going

to get over

into the issue here

but remember

Judas by this time

had left

to betray Jesus

and it tells us

later in the passage

that Judas

was the son

of destruction.

he was the one

who had been

ordained providentially

by God

to do the thing

he did.

Now if you're

sitting here

trying to put

all the pieces

together

let me know

when you get there

because

but it's true.

Mark the fact

scriptures tell us

of the reality

of human responsibility

but also of God's

sovereignty

and the way

he does things

and so we kind of

humble ourselves

and say okay

in this case

what we're looking

at however

is not the issue

of Judas

but the ones

that Jesus

is praying for

and his prayer

was this

that they

who he

was praying

for would

believe

they'd been sent

by the Father.

What's the emphasis

here?

That they would

be locked

into the reality

that Jesus

had been sent

on a divine

mission

by God

to accomplish

a particular

purpose.

You got that?

Now stop

just for a moment.

I want you

to move forward

in the passage

just a little bit

okay

to verse 18.

As you sent

me into the world

so I have sent

them into the world.

what's Jesus

saying?

Back up

just for a moment

because we

want to understand

this.

Here is Jesus

saying I want

these people

to really

understand

and the ones

I'm praying

for get it

that you

sent me

into the world.

Aren't you

glad that Jesus

came?

Are you glad?

For real?

He sent you

for exactly

the same

reason.

I had

an epiphany.

Do you

know what

an epiphany

is?

How many

of you

like cartoons

where the

little bubbles

kind of

represent people

that are

thinking and

not saying

it?

Okay.

An epiphany

is a bubble

moment.

I was driving

down the road

and you're

kind of

thinking to

myself

about 14

months away

from retirement

and what am

I going to

do when I'm

retired?

I thought

I'm going

to do the

same thing

I'm doing

now.

I'm going

to serve

God.

Is there

no change?

Do you

understand

that?

That was

a bubble

moment.

It's like

what?

You mean

I don't

get to do

just one

and one

go fishing

and hunt

all the rest

of my life

and maybe

garden a

little bit?

No.

I'm going

to do

the same

thing I

was doing

before.

I'm going

to serve

Jesus.

Just the

same thing.

Why?

Because

he sent

me.

His sending

doesn't stop

when I turn

70 if I

get that far.

Do you

follow that?

You got

that?

Here is

Jesus saying

listen I'm

praying for

these guys

and I'm

really glad

that they

believe you

sent me.

By the

way I

am sending

them.

So before

we go on

from this

little who

is Jesus

praying for

let's kind

of put our

heads around

this for a

second and

let's ask a

couple practical

questions.

Just kind

of put it

out there and

have you chew

on it a

little bit.

hey am I

someone who

actually is

following what

Jesus says?

We live in a

messy messy

world.

Do you

realize that?

We really

do.

the greater

concern I

have today

is not

about the

unregenerate

world around

us.

But the

fact that so

many people

who have been

called by Christ

to be salt

and light are

not the least

bit interested

in anything

but their

own private

agenda.

And I

got to tell

you when the

salt stops

being salt

the meat

goes bad

quickly.

And that's

what we're

seeing.

So are you

one who is

obedient to

Christ?

That's a

practical

question.

Another

question is

this is that

hey you and

I are tickled

pink that

Jesus was

sent to be

the savior

of the

world.

Now look

at what it

says there

again.

Just put

your finger

on it.

Verse 18

as you

sent them

into the

world.

The Greek

word there

is kathos

which means

in the

same manner

in the

same manner

that you

sent me

into the

world

I have

sent them

into the

world.

So practical

question is

this is

your life

as wrapped

up in the

glory of the

father and

in the work

of redemption

that he

came to

accomplish

and sent

us out

to be

messengers

of or is

it all about

your personal

comfort and

preferences and

all the little

nuanced details

that reflect

you?

Coming back

just for a

moment.

Hebrews chapter

Hebrews 1:1

1 verse 1

and 2 it

says this it

says that God

at various

sundry times he

spoke through the

prophets etc etc

and then he says

in verse 2

but in this

last day he

has spoken to

us through his

son.

What it's saying

is this is what

Jesus says has

got some weight

right?

It's got some

weight and so

Jesus is saying

to you I'm

sending you out

for the same

purpose the

father sent me.

Well let's come

to another

profoundly encouraging

part because the

first part is a

little heavy.

let's look at

what Jesus

prayed for.

Verse 11

Jesus says I'm

no longer in the

world but they

are in the world

and I'm coming

to you holy

father keep them

in your name

which you have

given me that

they may be one

even as we are

one.

I have to tell

you having asked

earlier for

forgiveness for

sarcasm I want to

be very careful how

I tread with this

but listen to me.

I am flummoxed.

I'm stymied.

I'm confused.

And I don't know

what else to

attribute the

deficiency to other

than a general lack

of Bible knowledge.

Here's what I'm

talking about.

That was a long

wind up but here's

the point.

I just cannot

believe I was

watching TV the

other night a rare

occasion that I was

doing it and I

happened to watch

an advertisement

send in for free

miracle water.

Some of you are

smiling but I

hope you didn't

send in.

Our fountains are

cheaper than that.

Send in for free

miracle water and

one person after

another immediately

after the send in

for free miracle

water I sent in

with my free

miracle water and

I got a Lexus

and God blessed

me with he healed

me.

I'm thinking to

myself if Jesus

was really

interested in

healing us with

free miracle water

in the 21st

century could he

could he have

done it?

What's the answer?

Nod your heads.

Here's Jesus

praying for us

praying for his

disciples.

What is he really

interested in?

that we move up a

tax bracket or two?

That we have you

know what is he

interested in?

Okay well let's get

to it.

Number one that they

be kept in the

father's name.

That they be kept in

the father's name.

That they be kept in

the father's name.

Now the name of God

is more than vowels

and consonants.

It's more than

letters.

His name refers to

his character and

his truth.

In Romans and in

2 Peter we find

that the way in

which we behave as

believers ends up

reflecting on his

name and when we

misbehave we cause

his name to be

blasphemed.

It's no accident

that the first thing

that Jesus prayed

for as he was

praying for his

disciples was this

that they would

remain in the

center of the

character and

nature and glory

of God.

In essence when

Jesus said what he

did there keep

them in your name

he was praying

that his

disciples would

stay zeroed in

would stay focused

would remain

interested in the

glory and the

person of God.

What you think

about God and how

often you think

about God makes

all the difference

in the world in

how you act and

what you say.

Isn't that right?

I am a Baptist

pastor actually

seven days a week.

Now some days I

wear jeans and

some days I wear

shorts and some

days and sometimes

one of the things

that I always find

curious is that

you know I'm

working around the

yard or I'm

somewhere at Home

Depot a lot of

times and you know

and someone will

get to talking to

me and the next

thing that happens

is they say

something that is

a little off

color or a little

inappropriate.

I don't say

hey don't do

that I'm a

Baptist pastor.

I just kind of

go on go on go

on and a couple

minutes later I

say so what do

you do?

well I'm a

pastor.

Oh I didn't mean

to say that.

I'm sorry.

What I think about

what you said is

really irrelevant.

I'm checking out of

here soon.

It's what God

thinks that counts.

okay.

So it's the

desire of the

Savior that his

disciples stay

within focus and

interest in the

glory and the

supremacy of God.

Second thing that

we find here.

Jesus prays that

they will be one.

Look at verse

11 that they may

be one even as

we are one.

Hey.

I have the

privilege of being

father to four

children.

They are no

longer at that

point in life where

we all get in the

car together and we

say or I would say

from the driver.

Well actually I would

say from the

passenger seat because

Judith usually drove

for good reason.

I no longer say hey

where do you want to

go?

But I can tell you

when we used to say

that in the car I

ended up with five

different opinions.

I want to go to

McDonald's.

I want to go to

Arby's.

Everybody had an

opinion.

It's like stop.

Unity is not

something that we

are hardwired to do

because of our

depraved little

souls.

Would you agree

with that?

Huh?

Getting along?

Huh?

No?

Here's Jesus.

He says let me read

it again.

He says that they

may be one even as

we are one.

Here is Jesus

praying.

What's he praying

for?

That his disciples

be one as he is

one with the

father.

Jesus cared very

much for the

well-being of his

disciples.

Listen to me.

And in

relationship to

that interest he

prayed that his

children, his

disciples would be

in unity with one

another.

Being in unity is

not in our human

nature, in our

depravity.

It is the work

of grace and it

is the work of

the cross.

In essence, to

put it together

this way, and it's

not the only thing

that could be said

about biblical

unity, but unity

is something that

comes about when we

are persuaded that

the glory and the

name of the

father is more

important than our

personal preferences.

Let me come to

one more point here

just for a second.

Not one more, so

you'll think I'm

done.

I want you to

mark also that

Jesus said, I'm

praying that they

will have their

joy fulfilled.

I want you to

recognize that when

Jesus is praying

that they have

their joy

fulfilled, he is

interested that his

disciples have a

joy, an abiding

joy that transcends

the moment.

What's going to

happen very soon is

that they're going

to watch their

savior betrayed, and

they're going to

abandon him, they're

going to know of the

crucifixion, and

they'll be pretty

disappointed and

grieved.

And yet here is Jesus

praying, and his

prayer is this, that

they would have their

joy fulfilled.

They would be full of

joy.

Let's think about that

just for a moment.

Where does joy come

from?

For one, it comes

from who you know.

And I have to say

this, that a

characteristic of a

believer whose heart

is marked by a sense

of the presence and the

glory of God is not an

unhappy person.

There are moments of

sorrow and their

heartache and their

days of shadow, but the

characteristic of a

believer who is

walking with the Lord is

marked by joyfulness.

joyfulness.

There's another thing

that I want you to

understand in relationship

to this issue of joy, and

I want you to go back

just for a moment to

John chapter 15, verse

John 15:9–11

9 through 11.

John chapter 15, look

John 15 · chapter mention

at the passage, if you

will.

John chapter 15, verse

John 15:9

9.

As the Father has loved

me, so have I loved you.

Abide in my love.

If you keep my

commandments, you will

abide in my love, just

as I have kept my

Father's commandments and

abide in his love.

These things I have

spoken to you, that my

joy may be in you, and

that your joy may be

full.

Now listen to me.

Everybody wants to be

happy.

Would you agree with

that?

I mean, just try it.

You're in the checkout

line at Walmart.

You come up to the

lady who's standing

there waiting for you to

scan your stuff or

whatever else, and you

say, hey, would you

like to be happy today?

Or when you drive up to

McDonald's and you order

your food at the window

and just say to the

lady, hey, would you

like to be happy today?

No, I'm really hoping I

can be pretty unhappy

today.

Today's a day for

unhappiness, and I'm

really into it.

I want to do my best at

it.

People want to be happy,

but here's the deal.

There is a correlation.

There's a connection.

There's a link between

obedience and happiness.

Do you follow that?

There really is.

There really is.

The other day, I found

myself in the process of

putting something together,

and I have changed.

One of the advantages of

growing older is that you

learn things the hard way.

And I was actually sat

down, and the first thing

I did was I took out the

instruction manual.

The first thing.

I used to think that I

could figure it out.

It didn't make any

difference what it was.

I figured it out.

And I've had so many times

where I would be about

three-quarters of the way

through the project and

suddenly realize that this

wasn't working.

And so back to the manual.

So now I'm at the point

where I've made this

connection between

following instructions and

getting it right seems to

be really close.

It makes me happy.

Now listen to me.

There are some of you out

here who just, I mean, you

can't figure out why

happiness just seems to be

elusive, but you are living

in perpetual, ongoing

disobedience to the Word of

God, and it isn't going to

work until you follow Him.

The fullness of joy and the

circle of obedience go

together.

Mark what it says next.

We find Jesus there in His

prayer saying, I'm coming to

you, okay, and I've kept

these ones, but I am asking

that you would guard them,

that you would protect them.

And so I want you to

understand as we think about

this fact that Jesus is not

praying that we'd be taken

out of the world, but that

we'd be protected.

I can't help when I read

from day to day of the

things that believers are

suffering all around the

world to not think that the

day is coming when people

here in America are going to

suffer very realistically for

their faith.

Do you realize that?

It's coming.

It's coming.

And interestingly enough,

we find that Jesus didn't

pray that we would be kept

from difficulty.

difficulty.

His prayer was that we

would be kept through it.

Last thing that I want you

to mark here, going down,

if you will, to verse 17,

it says, sanctify them in the

truth.

Your word is truth.

My Bible reading last Thursday

was through a portion of

Leviticus covering the

the ordination process and the

sanctifying process of Aaron

and his sons.

I mean, it was impressive.

Went on for seven days.

And what that did actually was

set Aaron and his sons apart

for the responsibility of

serving God.

The word sanctify means to set

apart, put apart for some

specific purpose or be appointed

for something.

And in the ceremony in the

Old Testament, the priest

put on special garments.

He offered specific sacrifices.

He had blood put on the right

lobe of his ear and on the

right thumb and on the right

toe, okay?

And it was all put together in

such a fashion that that

individual was set apart for a

particular responsibility.

That was their job, their call.

And here is Jesus praying for

his disciples and he said,

listen, I want them to be

sanctified in the truth.

I want them to be set apart.

Now listen to me.

The thing that makes us

different

is the word of God.

The thing that makes us

different is the word of God.

It's no accident that the

central part of our worship

today is the word.

And next week when Pastor

Shearer preaches, you'll have

someone who doesn't have gray

hair, who's a little younger and

a little slimmer standing up here.

But you know what's going to be

exactly the same?

It's going to be the word of God.

And the thing that

characterizes, now listen,

because this is something that

seems to be missing sometimes.

The thing that characterizes

authentic worship is that it's

never separated from the

centrality of the preaching of

the word of God.

Do you follow that?

Our singing is what it is

because of the word of God,

not despite, not apart, but

because.

And so here is Jesus praying that

his disciples would be

sanctified by the word.

The word.

The word.

So practically speaking, let me

ask you this.

You're sitting out there.

We're coming towards the end.

How important is the word in

your life?

How important?

Well, I read three verses in the

morning.

You know, pretty much that's all I

can get in.

Really?

Okay.

So when you have a question,

where do you go for information?

Well, I Google it.

So I got you there, didn't I?

Okay.

So where's the word in all of

this?

Do you follow that?

Malachi, to the law,

Isaiah chapter 8, to the law and

Isaiah 8 · chapter mention

the testimonies that they speak not

according to this, it's because there

is no truth in them.

Jesus says, listen, I want you to do

something for these 11 that I love.

I want you to sanctify them in the

truth and your word is truth.

Listen.

Jesus prayed for his 11 and he's

praying for you today in the same way.

If you want something that is an

incredible comfort, yes, it is a

comfort to know that Jesus died on

the cross for my sins.

But it says in Hebrews that he ever

lives.

Do you know what it says?

To make intercession.

Intercession.

Thank you, Mary Ellen.

To make intercession for us before

the throne.

I got to tell you, it gives me cold

chills to realize that Jesus is

praying for me today.

It doesn't get much better than that.

So practically speaking, listen to me.

If you are here and you know Jesus as

your Savior and you're kind of playing

loose and careless with obedience, are

you listening?

You're messing with the wrong Savior.

Because the one who is interceding on

your behalf is bent on bringing it

about, right?

Having begun a good work in you, he

will keep on putting the heat on until

you get the memo.

So don't mess with him.

If you are here this morning and you do

not know Jesus, let me tell you, now is

the appointed hour to cry out to him and

say, listen, my life's a mess and I

cannot make it and I need Jesus as my

Savior.

Now's the hour.

Let's close in prayer.

Our Father God, this morning as we take

the word in hand, we are thankful for

the blessing of the scriptures that you

have given to us that declares truth and

tells us of the Lord Jesus and his

ministry on our behalf, even today as he

intercedes for us before the Father.

I pray that as we sing this song in

closing, that those who are here that do

not know Christ would be drawn to the

cross, that today they would recognize the

burden and the darkness of their heart has

no remedy apart from crying out to Christ.

And believers that are discouraged,

believers that are uncertain about the

moment and the future would find comfort in

this, that the one who saved them,

even at this moment, intercedes for them

before the throne.

We ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.