The High Priestly Prayer - Part 2

Good morning. Well, open up your copies of God's Word to John 17.

! For those of you who have been praying for me this morning, I'm really grateful.

! The two hours of sleep are slowly being overtaken by pre-workout and Jesus,

to which all pre-workout would be worthless.

So I drank the most potent stuff I could find this morning, so here I am. We're ready.

But usually when I'm tired, one of the first things to go are my reading out loud ability for some reason.

So show me a lot of grace today if you can find it in your heart.

So for those of you who are new on the scene, last week we began a three-week series on John 17,

which is known as the true Lord's Prayer or the high priestly prayer of Jesus.

And it is a passage that I've been enthralled by for many years.

Truly, I don't just say that like I really mean that.

It's one that just kind of stands out and tucked away in the pages of Scripture.

And so for a long time I've been wanting to hopefully encourage other people with how my soul has been blessed by this prayer.

We know that our Lord was in constant prayer.

We know that He was completely devoted to prayer and communing with the Father.

But the content of Jesus' prayers are not really out there for the most part.

But John 17, we get a peek, we get a glimpse of what it looked like for Jesus to talk to the Father.

And you feel almost like you're eavesdropping on a very, very intimate conversation.

And many people throughout the history of the church, many people have been awed by John 17.

19th century preacher Charles Spurgeon, not a stranger to this crowd.

He said,

And so what's been commonly again referred to as the Lord's Prayer.

It has about 650 words in it.

It just takes a couple minutes to read, but there's enough depth in this prayer for you to spend eternity just diving into.

So what I'm able to preach in three weeks won't even come close to tapping in to what's really here.

So I encourage you to seek this passage out in your own study and ask the Lord to teach you from it.

So Martin Luther, the reformer, he said about this prayer,

It sounds so honest, so simple, yet it is so deep and so rich and so wide that no one can fathom it.

This prayer does stand out as preeminent in God's Word.

Philip Melanchthon, who was a friend of Luther's, another hero, if you would, of the Reformation.

Before he passed away, before he died, he gave a final lecture to his students.

And this was the passage that he preached on, John 17.

And he stated this,

And again, I feel very inadequate to explain or to reveal or try to expound on all that is in this.

So please go and allow God just to work in your heart as you read it.

But before we turn to the passage,

I think it would be really important to understand one of the roles that our Lord Jesus plays in our life,

a role that he fulfills, particularly exemplified in John 17,

is that of the high priest, the great high priest.

See, as sinners who are wretched, unclean, broken, and guilty before God,

we are like in desperate, dire need of someone to come and intercede on our behalf before a holy God.

So, praise be to God, that role is being fulfilled by our Lord Jesus.

Scripture has much to say about Christ being our eternal, perfect high priest.

The writer of Hebrews particularly goes at length to talk about how all the ministries of the Old Covenant,

the tabernacle, the temple, the priesthood, the sacrifices,

all these things were imperfect representations pointing toward a greater fulfillment.

And we all know that all those things were brought to completion in Christ.

Turn, if you would, just to Hebrews 7.

But hold your hand, John 17, Hebrews 7.

You see, all the animal sacrifices,

all the high priests that were appointed in the Old Covenant,

were imperfect in many, many ways.

No animal sacrifice was good enough,

because it couldn't suffer for human sins ultimately.

It had no moral life.

It couldn't bear the guilt of man.

And sinful priests who served in the temple

had to first make atonement for their own sins

before they atoned for the other people's sins.

So, they were imperfect,

and they couldn't remain either because they were mortal.

They died.

And so, all these things, this imperfect system,

was pointing toward a greater fulfillment in Christ.

So, if you look at Hebrews 7, look at verse 23.

It says,

For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest,

holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners,

and exalted above the heavens.

He has no need, like those high priests,

to offer sacrifices daily,

first for his own sins,

and then for the sins of those of the people,

since he did not once for all,

excuse me,

for he did this once for all when he offered up himself.

For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests,

but the word of the oath,

which came later than the law,

appoints a son,

whom has been made perfect forever.

So, Jesus fulfilled all these things.

He was sinless,

so he had no need to offer a sacrifice for himself.

This is what our passage teaches.

So, he became the final sacrifice.

Furthermore, he was immortal.

He never had to be replaced.

So, he is the one eternal mediator between man and God.

And lastly, he became human,

so he could bear the sins of humans.

And so, the writer goes on to say,

in chapter 8, verses 1 and 2,

Now, the point that we are trying to make is this.

We're trying to tell you this.

Do we have such a high priest,

one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in heaven,

a minister in the holy places,

in the true tent that the Lord set up,

and not man.

So, Christ is interceding on our behalf.

Can you imagine going to a courtroom of God,

being utterly guilty before him,

and having no one to plead your cause?

Jesus is doing this.

For those of us who are found in him,

he is our high priest.

Paul echoes this sentiment,

this idea, this truth in Romans 8.

Something that most of us might look over,

because Romans 8 is so familiar,

we're always trying to get to the end of Romans 8,

which is like the big, you know, huge punch at the end.

But have you ever noticed,

in Romans 8, 33, it says,

Who shall bring a charge against God's elect?

It is God who justifies.

Who is to condemn?

Christ Jesus, the one who died.

And here it is.

More than that.

Who was raised at the right hand of God?

Who indeed is interceding for us?

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

So Christ is our great, eternal, sympathetic high priest.

And that's why John 17 is such a huge glimpse

of his intercessory work.

Think about this.

He's only moments from being betrayed,

arrested, beaten,

treated so unjustly,

and crucified.

All that's right in front of him.

So if you were praying,

what would you mainly be praying for

in that time?

God help me.

God help me.

God help me.

Probably.

But isn't it amazing

that the bulk of this prayer,

probably three quarters of it,

is him interceding for his disciples

and for us?

It's not for his own.

He's not trying to pray for his own sake.

He understands what is coming.

So we see a glimpse of the heart of Jesus

for his people

as he's interceding for them

in John 17.

So what a Savior,

an intercessor,

we have on our behalf.

John wrote in his letter,

Little children,

I'm writing these things to you

so that you may not sin.

But then he throws in there,

but if anyone does sin,

don't panic.

It's okay.

Because you have an advocate

with the Father,

Jesus Christ the righteous.

So Jesus is standing in that gap

praying for us.

And as I said last week,

the magnitude of this,

and next week we'll look at

the final section of this

where Jesus is actually praying

for us today.

All those who would come

to believe in him.

That is astounding to me.

Robert Murray McShane,

a young Scottish pastor

in the 1800s,

he died at a young age

of tuberculosis,

so lung problem,

so I have a lot in common with him,

because I probably would have died

about the same age

that he did from lung issues

had I not had a transplant.

But something that he said,

he preached a sermon on John 17,

and I'll repeat this next week

because this is such a powerful statement to me.

He says,

If I could hear Christ praying for me

in the next room,

I would not fear a million enemies.

Yet distance makes no difference.

He is praying for me.

I pray that

that just resonates in us.

So, today we'll look at

the second section of

John 17.

Just because it's just a few verses,

I'll read 1-5,

and this is

the outline of the prayers

in 1-5,

Jesus is praying

for himself

and talking about

the Father's glory

and his own glory.

That's what we looked at last week.

We did a huge introduction

to this last week,

so you can go back

and listen to that.

And then the second part

of his prayer,

which we'll look at today,

is 6-19,

and he's praying for his disciples.

And the key word in this

is this idea of preservation.

And then next week,

the idea of future believers.

verse 1 says,

when Jesus has spoken these words,

he lifted up his eyes to heaven

and said,

Father,

the hour has come.

Glorify your Son,

that the Son may glorify you,

since you have given him authority

over all flesh,

to give eternal life

to all whom you have given him.

And this is eternal life,

that they know you,

the only true God,

and Jesus Christ,

whom you have sent.

I glorified you on the earth,

having accomplished the work

that you gave me to do.

And now,

Father,

glorify me in your own presence

with the glory that I had with you

before the world existed.

I have manifested your name

to the people

whom you gave me

out of the world.

Yours they were,

and you gave 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 received them,

and have come to know in truth

that I have 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 that you have given me,

for they are yours.

All mine are yours,

and yours are mine,

and I am glorified in them.

And 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,

as we are one.

While I was with them,

I kept them in your name,

which you have given me.

I guarded them,

and not one of them

has been lost,

except the son of destruction,

that the scripture

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 would take them

out of the world,

but that you would keep them

from the evil one.

They are not of the world,

just as I am not of the world.

Lord,

sanctify them in the truth.

Your word is truth.

As you sent me into the world,

so I sent them into the world.

And for their sake,

I consecrate myself,

that they may also

be sanctified in truth.

Pray with me, please.

Lord, we,

upon looking at these words,

and just are amazed

at how much you care

about your people.

And Lord,

I just ask that you would

teach us in this time

that we wouldn't walk away

from this hour the same,

that you would renew our hearts,

our minds,

refresh our souls to go out

and to live for you

with the confidence

of knowing that you pray for us.

In Jesus' name, amen.

So,

a few things

we're going to look at.

We're going to break them down

into the two statements,

and then underneath

those two statements,

a couple of things.

I'll give them to you first, though.

The first one is,

Jesus affirms them

as genuine apostles.

Jesus affirms them

as genuine apostles.

That's the first thing

that we see.

And then secondly,

Jesus prayed

that they be kept

by His Father.

Okay, so those are

the two main points.

And underneath those two,

we're going to have

a couple others.

But to the first point,

Jesus affirms them

as genuine apostles.

So, underneath that,

we see in verses 7 and 8,

if you'll look at 7 and 8,

we see that it's because

because of their faith

in Him as the Son.

Because of their faith

in Him as the Son,

He affirms them

as genuine apostles.

So, though they had been

with Jesus for several years,

they had followed Him,

they had seen Him

work miracles,

they had heard Him preach,

they saw how He lived,

He walked with them

on a daily basis.

They had some understanding

of who He was

and the mission He was on.

But, and then there were occasions

where they kind of revealed that,

that they knew who He was.

But the full measuring

of who He was

had not yet been revealed to them.

But in this case,

as we see in verse 7,

He's like,

now they know

that everything you have given Me

is from you.

So they were beginning

to really clearly understand

who He was.

and they believed,

they believed in Him

as the Messiah.

And they believed

that He came down

from the Father

to be the Savior.

And Jesus,

while He was with them,

He says,

I manifested

who you were, Father,

to them.

One, because He was

the Son of God incarnate.

He was walking among them.

He was the visual

representation of the Father.

Jesus said in John earlier,

if you have seen Me,

you have seen the Father.

And putting Himself

pretty much

on the level of God.

So He walked among them.

He manifested His name to them.

And they believed.

And they obeyed.

And they kept His Word.

They followed Him.

So that's the first reason

they are affirmed

to genuine apostles,

because of their faith in Him.

But,

one that we will spend

some more time on

underneath this,

so part B, if you would.

Because they were given to Him

by the Father.

Alright?

They were affirmed

as real, genuine apostles

because they were given to Him

by the Father.

So look at verse 6.

He says,

I've manifested Your name

to the people

who You gave Me

out of the world.

Yours they were,

and You gave them to Me.

And they have kept Your Word.

And if you jump down

to verse 9,

I am praying for them.

I am not praying

for the world,

but those whom You have given Me,

for they are Yours.

All Mine are Yours,

and Yours are Mine,

and I am glorified in them.

So,

there's another reason

this idea

that being genuine disciples

is affirmed.

In fact,

it's really the source

of the first reason.

So,

notice really carefully here

that these words

that are used,

the disciples receiving,

knowing,

and believing in Jesus

that you see

in verses 7 and 8.

Notice how 7 and 8

is kind of sandwiched

in between

verses 2 and 6,

9 and 10,

which revealed

that the Father

has chosen,

elected a people

out of the world

and has given them

to the Son

to manifest Himself to.

Now,

I know that

now that some of the hair

is standing up

on some of your necks,

things,

I want to just go ahead

and throw out there

that though I believe

that in this passage

elsewhere in Scripture

that the doctrines

of election

and particular atonement

are here

before us today,

that's not the only point

of this message.

And I'm not going to just

make that a soapbox,

but it is here,

so we are going to deal

with it,

but my calendar is open

for if you'd like

to hang out

and just talk about

this stuff

and look at God's Word.

But what Jesus

is saying here,

in other words,

is that their faith

in Him

is the result of,

evidenced of,

the Father's choosing them

and giving them

to the Son.

This is what we see

in our text.

It's repeated three times

in this whole prayer.

This idea of the Father

giving a people

to the Son.

So earlier in John 15,

Jesus said to His disciples,

You did not choose Me,

but I chose you

and appointed you

to go and bear fruit.

And remember,

their faith in Him,

again,

a result of the Father's

electing them.

Earlier in Matthew 16,

this is very clearly shown.

Simon Peter,

Jesus is asking people,

Who do people say

that I am?

And He threw out

some things

and then He asked,

Who do you say I am?

And Simon Peter said to Him,

You are the Christ,

the Son of the living God.

And Jesus answered him

and said,

Blessed are you,

Simon Barjona,

for flesh and blood

has not revealed this to you.

You didn't figure this out,

in other words.

But my Father,

who is in heaven,

has revealed this to you.

So,

the truth that God

has graciously,

emphasized that word,

graciously,

mercifully,

chosen a people

to give to the Son

to save,

is repeated three times

in John 17.

And again,

it's not the focal point

of this whole prayer,

but it's a big part

of this prayer.

So,

you may think,

wait a minute,

these verses have to do

with the disciples

being chosen

and given to the Son.

So,

surely that doesn't mean

that all believers

come to faith

in the same way.

that's not true

for all Christians.

I used to argue that way

until I read the rest

of the prayer

in verse 20,

where Jesus turns

His attention

to all believers,

like you and I,

and He says

in verse 24,

Father,

I desire that they also

whom You have given Me.

So,

this is

all of us.

It was God's

eternal plan

to mercifully

call out a people

for salvation,

to give them

eternal life

through the ministry

of His Son.

So,

remember that

as you read

the Scripture,

think of the idea

that redemption

is a Trinitarian effort.

It wasn't just

the Father,

it wasn't just

the Son,

and it wasn't

just the Spirit.

It was all three

of them playing

a unique role

in our redemption.

And the Father's

role in this

was that He

planned,

ordained,

the plan

of redemption.

He chose

those whom

He would give

to the Son.

The Son came

and He died

on behalf

of those people.

And the Spirit

now regenerates

those people.

It is,

He applies

the work

of the Trinity,

the Holy Spirit.

So,

you may again

say,

wait a minute,

doesn't Jesus

love the world.

Right?

John 3,

16.

Very,

very clever.

So,

I've heard

many people say,

Jesus loves

the entire

world.

He loves

all people,

even from

Adolf Hitler

to Mother Teresa.

Jesus,

their love

is no different.

So,

I would just

argue with you

humbly,

like no,

no,

Jesus did not

come to save

every single

person in the

world.

And though God

does have a

certain care,

a certain love

for the world

in general,

He has a

very specific,

very unique

care for

His people.

right?

The special

fellowship that

exists between

the Savior

and those He

came to save.

So,

what I'm trying

to tell you

is that Jesus'

atonement was

an exact

atonement,

not a potential

atonement.

Can you imagine

the Father

sending His

Son to the

earth to

die a

terrible,

wretched

death,

shedding

His precious

blood,

and then

just saying

to Jesus,

I hope

some people

make the

most of

this sacrifice

you made.

I really

hope they

do.

No.

No.

The blood

of the Son

is far too

precious to be

wasted.

And so,

we all believe

that the

atonement of

Jesus is

limited in

some way.

we know

according to

the Scripture,

and indeed

just looking

at our own

lives,

that not all

people will

have eternal

life.

We know

that some

will be

separated

from God

because of

their willful

sin and

rebellion.

We know

that.

We know

that some

people are

going to

perish.

So,

if you

believe that

Christ's

atonement was

for the

entire world,

for every

single person

ever to

walk,

then it

was limited

in its

power.

because it's

not going

to save

everybody.

But I

believe the

Scripture

teaches,

not as here

in John 17,

but everywhere,

that the

atonement was

limited not in

its power,

but its

extension.

It was given

to save those

exactly who it

was meant to

save.

The blood of

Christ made

an exact

purchase.

It wasn't

wasted on

some and

then made

much of

by others.

I believe

that the

Father

honored the

sacrifice of

His Son and

gave Him a

people to

become His

bride to

save.

And again,

if you look

at Romans 9,

read Romans 9,

there's an

argument,

this idea of

that's not

fair.

God is

being unjust.

He's being

not right in

doing that.

if He's

going to

save people,

He needs

to save

us all.

Well,

first of all,

know that

sinful man is

in no

position to

accuse God

of being

unjust.

I am

not.

I wouldn't.

I can't

imagine me

pointing a

finger at God

and saying,

you are

unjust and

I am

right.

And that's

an argument

that Paul

makes.

Who are

you,

oh man,

to talk to

God that

way.

But I

want to

paint the

picture for

you this

way.

In our

Western

democratic

minds,

we have

a skewed

view in

some ways

of what

justice

means.

But in

the ancient

and the

medieval

world,

this was

very clearly

seen.

But we

know that

a king

or an

emperor

would also

serve as

a judge

over his

people.

And many,

many times,

like there are

examples of

the Bible

of this.

I could

give you a

lot of

examples of

history,

but you

would all

fall asleep.

But there

are examples

when a

king or

an emperor

would be

presented

with a

whole band

of rebels

or criminals.

All guilty.

All have

come against

the king.

And sometimes

this is what

would happen.

The king

would say

something along

the lines

of,

all of you

have rebelled

against me.

All of you

are guilty.

None of

you deserve

to live.

True,

right?

They're all

guilty.

But then he

would say

something like

this,

but because

I am a

merciful king,

because I

desire to

show my

people that

I am

merciful,

I will

pardon you

and you,

but the

rest of

you get

the sword.

Because I

also need to

show my

people that

I am not

a pushover

and that

I take

this sin

very

seriously.

And so

at that

same time,

that king

would have

demonstrated

his justice

and his

mercy with

one act.

And can

you imagine

the ones

who were

spared just

standing there

trembling,

saying,

why me?

Like,

why was I

spared and

not this

other?

And that

is the

position that

we are

in.

If you

think that

you could

walk up to

God and

be like,

I deserve

mercy.

This person

deserves

mercy.

None of

you would

stand.

None of

us would

make it.

The king

is merciful.

So we

are not

in the

position of

an innocent,

sweet,

deserving

child of

God's mercy.

We are

all rebels,

criminals,

all deserving

justice.

But,

because he

is merciful,

he has

showed us

justice,

or showed

us mercy.

So,

a lot

in all

of that.

But what

I am

trying to

say is

that Jesus

came here

to die

for those

that the

Father had

given him.

Right?

It is all

in John

17 and

other places

in the

Gospel of

John.

So,

that is

the first

part.

Jesus

affirms

them as

genuine

disciples.

And he

does it

because of

their faith

in him,

but even

underneath

that,

because the

Father had

given them

to him

as a

gift.

This

brings us

to our

second

point.

We see

this in

verses 11

through 16,

that Jesus

prays that

they be

kept by

his Father.

So,

underneath

this,

this idea

of being

kept by

the Father,

he prays

for a

couple of

things.

First,

spiritual

protection.

Spiritual

protection.

11

through 16,

he identifies

two

enemies,

two things

that are

going to

come against

them.

The first,

he says,

is the

world,

the

cosmos,

the

established

order.

It's not

speaking of

like the

beauty of

creation or

the order

that God

has created

in the

universe.

It's not

what it's

saying.

The world

in this

way is

being used

in a

way of

displaying

ungodly

ideology,

things that

have alienated

itself from

its creator.

It's a

way of

fallen,

sinful,

organized

system of

human

civilization

that sets

itself

against

God.

And that's

all around

us.

We just

got to

open our

eyes and

see how

the world

is against

God,

against

everything

we stand

for.

That's

the

cosmos,

is this

idea of

everything,

being against

God,

a world

hostile to

its creator.

So,

he prays

for their

protection from

the world.

Something I

might not have

mentioned a

second ago was,

do you notice

that Jesus

says in this

prayer,

I am not

praying for

the world?

He said

twice.

I'm not

praying for

every single

individual,

but I'm

praying for

those that

you gave

me out

of the

world.

So,

he's not

praying for

the cosmos.

And then

secondly,

we see he

talks about

protecting them

from the

evil one.

Satan,

the adversary

who prowls

around like a

roaring lion,

seeking someone

to devour.

The devil,

which means the

slanderer,

the accuser,

who hurls up

accusations at

us and at

God.

But one name

that kind

of stands

out of

Satan's

that I

think is

really

important,

at least

according to

John 17,

is that he

is called in

Revelation the

accuser of

the brethren

who brings

up charges

against us

day and

night.

That's

Revelation 12,

10.

And so,

though we

know,

if you keep

reading in that

chapter,

that Satan

no longer

has access

to God's

presence,

we do get

a picture

of who he

is.

It betrays

Satan as

the anti-intercessor.

So if Jesus

is interceding

for us,

Satan was

accusing us,

saying he

has done

this,

she has

done this,

right?

So he's

like the

anti-intercessor

in this way.

So,

but again,

Christ is

pleading our

cause and

the Father

listens to

his Son.

Awesome.

And so,

it talks

about the

world and

the devil

hating,

hating them.

That is

this idea

of like

someone

pursuing

another with

great,

intense

hatred.

Like so

hateful that

you're going

to like

go after

them,

hatred.

A detest

to detest.

And Jesus

knows that

their love

and their

obedience to

him is

going to

collide with

the world

that hates

God.

He knows

that.

Hold your

hand,

John 17,

and flip

back two

chapters to

John 15.

So Jesus

has been

telling them

this.

He's been

doing a lot

to prepare

them.

John 15,

John 15:18

verse 18.

He says,

if the world

hates you,

know that

it hated

me before

it hated

you.

If you

were of

the world,

the world

would love

you as

its own,

but because

you are

not of

the world,

but I

chose you

out of

the world.

Therefore,

the world

hates you.

Remember

the word

that I

said to

you,

a servant

is not

greater

than his

master.

If they

persecute

me,

they will

also

persecute

you.

If they

kept my

word,

they would

also keep

yours.

But all

these things

they do,

do to you

on the

account of

my name

because they

do not

know him

who sent

me.

So,

Jesus had

been warning

them,

this is going

to come.

So he was

telling them

that,

you know,

horizontally,

and now he's

praying about

it vertically.

This is going

to come.

So,

Lord,

Father,

protect them

against the

persecution

that is

coming.

So,

but what does

this mean?

Jesus isn't

praying.

He says

right there

that,

I'm not

praying that

they will

be taken

out of

the world.

So he's

not in

a position

of an

overindulgent

parent trying

to protect

their child

from any

kind of

trouble

in the

world.

That's

not how

he's

approaching.

He knows

that persecution

will come.

Rather,

he's praying

that they

would

persevere,

remain

steadfast

in him,

and then

triumph in

him.

So real

genuine love

for Christ

will incur

opposition

from the

world.

Paul wrote,

indeed,

all those who

wish to live

a godly

life in

Christ Jesus

will be

persecuted.

persecuted.

So it's

not an

overindulgent

protective

parent.

It should

be more

seen as

a general

who loves

and cares

about his

soldiers,

but he

sends them

out on a

really dangerous

mission because

that mission

is so

important.

But yet he

equips them

for that

mission,

gives them

all they

need,

and then

promises

them that

they will

have victory

in the end,

that this

is not a

losing battle

that they

are fighting.

And in

fact,

he's not an

armchair

general either.

He's actually

leading the

way by

going himself

first to

the cross.

So he's

prepared that

way, going

before them,

showing them

that example.

So that's

the prayer he's

making, that

they will

persevere,

they will

remain

steadfast,

and that he

prays that his

father would

keep them.

He says the

only person

that was

lost was

Judas Iscariot,

if you see

that in our

passage.

So on

several occasions

though, so

know this, I

heard a preacher

on radio many

years ago talk

about how we

could lose

our salvation,

and he was

using Judas

as an example.

And that is,

it's like, have

you read the

rest of John

where Jesus

repeatedly says,

this one does

not belong to

me?

Like it's very

clear that Judas

never belonged

to Jesus.

Though salvation

is secure for

true believers,

scripture warns

that faith that

many people have

in Christ is

not genuine,

and that it

won't persevere,

especially under

a trial.

And so Jesus

says that Judas

did this in

fulfillment of

scripture.

Psalm 41,

9 and others

talk about how

the Messiah

would be

betrayed.

But Jesus

is saying he

never belonged

to me in the

first place.

So he didn't

have it, and

then lost it, he

never had it in

the first place.

So Jesus told

them earlier,

if you continue

in my word,

then you're

truly my

disciples.

Judas did not

persevere.

And so,

again,

understand that

God's electing

and choosing

is so key

to us

keeping our

salvation.

All right?

I want you to,

I want to unpack

this for you a

little bit.

Their spiritual

protection, the

disciples and

ours, is not

based on our

resolve, our

willpower, but

fully on God's

redemptive work.

Jesus repeats

that twice in our

text.

He says, keep

them, guard

them in your

name.

So there are

two things in

this.

He says, by the

power of your

name.

In the ancient

world, a person's

name stood for

who they were

and what they

represented.

And so,

someone like

Caesar, his

name would be

powerful and

would provide a

ton of protection

for those under

that name.

So, but

there's no more

powerful name in

the universe or

in existence in

God's name.

Proverbs 18.10

says, the name

of the Lord is

a strong tower.

The righteous

man runs to

it and is

safe.

So he says,

keep them safe

by the power of

your name.

And then

secondly, and I

think this is so

cool, that Jesus

says that they

will be protected

by their being

one, spiritually

unified in him.

we see in

various ways

throughout this

prayer, the

indwelling of

believers by the

Father and the

Son.

So, if you

can, just look at

John 17 and try

to follow this.

21 and 23

indicate that the

Father is in

the Son.

And then you

add to that

verse 21,

where it says

the Son is in

the Father.

And also in

verse 21,

believers are in

the Father and

the Son.

And then you

add, 23 and

26, the Son is

in all believers.

You see that?

It's just like

this indwelling,

this unity, us

being united to

the Father and

the Son.

If that is true,

that is a safe,

secure, impenetrable

place to be.

That is our

unity to Christ.

The faith that

we have that

unifies us to

Christ.

So, all being

kept by God's

power.

And this is what

I was getting

at a second ago.

If salvation is

synergistic,

meaning that we

cooperate with

God, he comes

to the table,

presents his

deal, and says,

look, you're in

trouble.

And here's my

deal.

So, if you

take my son, I'll

save you.

But you probably

have to be, you're

going to have to be

humble and wise to

probably take my

son.

So, but that's the

deal I'm presenting

you.

Take it or leave

it.

If you take it, I

reward you with

salvation.

The problem,

though, is that

though God would

keep his end of

the bargain, man

can surely violate

his.

His end of the

contract.

Might not be

upheld.

So, therefore,

this idea of

us discussing

the ultimate

security of the

believer, it

lies in the

Father.

Do you see that?

If salvation

really is a

cooperation with

God, at some

point, we can

screw that up.

If it was up to

me to cooperate

with God for

being saved, I

think I would

lose it every

day.

God's

faith in the

Thankfully, again,

our eternal

security rests in

the unconditional

election of the

Father.

All right, look at

John 10.

This is the last

place I think you

have to flip, but

John 10.

Trying to keep you

in John all I

can.

So, but I want

you to see this.

John 10, verse

John 10:24

24.

And that is a

consistent theology

that many have

held, a consistent

theology that says

if you have the

ability and the

right to choose

Jesus, you also

possess that same

ability and right

to walk away from

Jesus.

That's a correct

thinking, but

unbiblical.

Right logic, I

should say.

Look at John 10,

John 10:24

verse 24.

So the Jews

gathered around

him and said

to him, how

long will you

keep us in

suspense?

If you are the

Christ, tell us

plainly.

Listen to this.

Jesus answered

them, I told

you and you

don't believe.

The works that I

do in my

Father's name

bear witness

about me.

Now listen to

this, verse 26.

But you do not

believe because

you are not

among my

sheep.

He doesn't say

you are not my

sheep because you

don't believe.

He says you

don't believe in

the first place

because you

don't belong to