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The High Priestly Prayer - Part 3 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Open up your Bibles to John 17.
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So we've been on a three-week journey that kind of ends today.
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Thank you for the encouragement that many of you have given me over the last few weeks
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! Just in how you've been blessed just through John 17,
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which is known as the true Lord's Prayer,
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and also really the high priestly prayer of Christ.
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And I've just sort of emphasized every week that this prayer that Jesus prays
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has just blessed my life so much.
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And so for quite a while I've wanted to delve into it,
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just to pass it on in hopes that it would just really strengthen your heart
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and refer to as the high priestly prayer.
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It's just really only about 600, roughly 650 words.
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It takes a couple minutes to read, but as I've been saying,
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you could spend an eternity just diving into the words and phrases and implications
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that are made in this prayer.
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And I've been really blessed, just even in the study time of it.
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One of the commentaries, I just try to narrow it down to a few good commentaries.
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I have three that I've been looking at for the most part.
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I try to get some more current, modern-day guys,
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as well as some of the old dead guys who kind of speak to a lot of these things.
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But Calvin, John Calvin, has a great commentary on the Gospel of John.
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And this is something he says about the high priestly prayer.
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He says,
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This prayer of Christ is a safe harbor,
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and whoever retreats into it is safe from all danger or shipwreck.
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For it has Christ in it,
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and he has sworn solely that he will devote his care and his diligence to our salvation.
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Let the world then condemn us a thousand times,
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this alone not to satisfy us,
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that Christ acknowledges us to be his heritage and pleads with his Father for us.
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So this prayer really does stand out as preeminent in many ways in God's Word.
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It's, again, toward the end of what has been referred to as the upper room discourse,
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or the farewell discourse of Christ in the Gospel of John.
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It starts in chapter 13 and ends right here in chapter 17.
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And he is preparing himself to go, to be arrested, to be betrayed, and to die.
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And this is what's on his mind.
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His followers are in many ways very anxious.
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They're afraid because he's saying,
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I'm about to leave you, and I'm going back to the Father.
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So he's been encouraging them with the thought of the Holy Spirit,
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how he will come and comfort them and lead them,
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and even saying it's better for you than for me to go away,
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and for the Father to send the Spirit.
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And he's contemplating heavily the events of the cross.
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And farewell prayers are very common in Hebrew culture.
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And it sounds like the prayer of Moses in Deuteronomy as he's praying to God
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before he's departs from this world.
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And I've been giving you just sort of a rough outline of the whole chapter every week
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just so you can go back.
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But it's been traditionally broken up in about three different ways.
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But if you look at verses 1 through 5,
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you see that Jesus more or less is praying for himself.
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And the focus of that is his Father's glory,
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and then in return, his own glory.
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Secondly, as we looked at last week, verses 6 through 19,
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Jesus is specifically praying for his disciples, the apostles,
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the ones he was about to just leave behind.
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And he really just prays for their mission and their protection,
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their preservation.
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That they would remain steadfast.
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And then today, we're going to look at the last part of it.
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And I just find this part so humbling,
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that Jesus prays in verses 20 through 26 for future believers,
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which include us.
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That's me and you.
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And I've often given the thought of,
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I know there are many people in your life that when they pray around you,
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or when they pray for you,
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you just feel like you could just face anything because of the depth of that person
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or the relationship that person has with the Father.
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And you feel like you could just go out and take on the world after a certain person just intercedes for you.
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But how much more, I think, you know, that Christ himself, if he prayed for us, if he interceded for us.
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But that is the reality.
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He is praying for us.
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And he says, if you look at verse 20, here's sort of our context.
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I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.
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So this is us.
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So with that, let's just go ahead and read verses 20 through 26.
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Praying to the Father, he says,
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I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
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that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
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that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
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The glory that you have given me, I have given to them,
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that they may be one, even as we are one.
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I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one,
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so that the world may know that you have sent me and loved me, even as you love me.
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Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am,
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to see my glory that you have given me,
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because you love me before the foundation of the world.
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O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you,
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and these know that you have sent me.
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I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known,
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that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.
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Let's pray together.
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Father, I just want to take a minute to just say thank you for your grace,
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and thank you for the chance to gather with your people this morning.
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Lord, I just pray that you would work in and through me,
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knowing that there is nothing of value I can bring to the table this morning,
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only what you convey through your word and by your spirit to our hearts and our minds.
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So Lord, just please help us in this time.
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May we just walk away from this place changed,
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built up, encouraged, challenged.
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And I just pray your word would have its desired effect on each individual this morning.
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In Christ's name, amen.
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So, does that not sort of wow you that Jesus is now not just praying for his disciples,
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then he turns and he's like, I'm praying for them,
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those who will believe in their word,
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knowing that the apostles were going to go out,
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and they were going to preach the gospel,
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and the church was going to conquer, really.
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The church was going to advance.
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It says early on in Acts that the church devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching.
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Right?
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So they were, in many ways, how God started the church.
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Kickstarted, I'd almost said, but not really kickstarted.
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Not the way you want to phrase that.
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But it's a confirmation for us to know that our faith is founded on the gospel that the apostles taught.
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And they learned it, as we know, from the Lord himself.
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But just before we get back into this,
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I just want to emphasize that this is called, again, the high priestly prayer of Christ.
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And it's because he fulfills one of the roles in our lives that we desperately, desperately need.
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As sinners that are unclean, guilty, and unholy,
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we need someone to stand in the gap for us,
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for someone to intercede for us to a holy and righteous God.
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If any of us, on our own accord, by ourselves,
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tried to enter into the holy presence of God,
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we would all be just consumed.
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We cannot stand before God.
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So Christ, as I spoke of last week,
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he became the final sacrifice for our sins.
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But he also gave us his righteousness to stand clean before God
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and now intercedes for us as our great, eternal, sympathetic high priest.
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Amazing.
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We are in all need of that.
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I've only been to court a few times in my life.
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And a few years ago, I went to traffic court to battle a,
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how do you say this all respectfully,
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highest respect for law enforcement,
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but a piece of junk ticket that I got.
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And needless to say, I represented myself.
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Like I was my own lawyer.
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I was just like, this is my desk.
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That's my jug of water.
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I can, you know, I want to speak into the judge.
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Got the cross examined, the witness kind of thing.
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So, but I mean, needless to say,
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I took the cops at the cleaners.
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In Jesus' name.
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Legally, I knew that I was justified.
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The law justified me.
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Like I had not broken the law.
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And I could prove that.
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And he could not prove that I didn't.
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But I'm just telling you that I don't have that confidence at all to enter into the courtroom of the Most High.
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I have zero confidence.
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Negative confidence.
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Very confident that I would be condemned apart from our advocate, Jesus Christ, the righteous.
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You're in desperate need of someone to stand in the gap and to intercede for you.
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So Christ pleads his sacrifice.
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He pleads mercy.
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And we are given it.
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And I just find it astonishing that, I mean, think about what is in front of Jesus at this moment.
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Just how terrifying that would be.
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Not just the physical pain, but the spiritual torture he was about to endure.
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Anytime your face is something like that, it's usually just a prayer of like, God help me.
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God help me.
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Please help me.
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And I find it amazing that more than two-thirds of this prayer is devoted to praying for other people.
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He's not praying for himself as much.
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And so he's interceding for you and for I, as we see like in our text today.
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There's not many places for you to turn today outside of John 17.
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I've tried to cut down the turning, but I want you to look at Isaiah 53.
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So hold your hand in John 17.
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But it was prophesied about hundreds of years before Christ came that he would have this ministry of intercession for his people.
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Isaiah 53.
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And if you just look at a little part of it, look at verse 11.
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And this is talking about Jesus.
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It's talking about the suffering servant who would come.
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And see if you can pick up on the intercessory work of Christ in these verses.
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It says,
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Out of the anguish of his soul, he shall see and be satisfied.
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By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous.
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And he shall bear their iniquities.
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That's what I just mentioned a minute ago.
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Therefore, I will divide him a portion with the many.
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And he shall divide the spoil with the strong.
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Because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors.
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Yet, he bore the sin of many and makes intercession for the transgressors.
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That's what we have.
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We have a great eternal high priest making intercession for us.
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And before we start unpacking the text, I just thought it would be good to reread this short but very profound quote that Robert Murray McShane shared in the 1800s on a sermon from John 17.
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He says,
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And that's kind of like how I want you to think as we walk through this text.
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But there's only two real big things that we want to hit on as we walk through what we just saw in John 17.
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First off, number one, we see that Jesus is praying for the true unity among believers.
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He's praying for the true unity among believers.
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It stands out all over, but just look at verse 21.
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He says, he's praying that they may all be one.
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And this idea of oneness, togetherness, not split up, not, you know, divided.
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And so, have you ever heard, I used to kind of talk this way in my earlier Christian life.
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And like many people, I think I meant well, but I also was just very ignorant about what I was saying.
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And most of my earlier Christian life can be characterized by ignorance a lot.
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But it goes something like this.
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You've heard people kind of say this.
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College students say this a lot.
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Christians just seem so divided.
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We're so mad at each other all the time.
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We're so, why do not, why do not denominations exist?
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Why, why are we just angry with each other?
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Why can't we just lay aside all our doctrinal differences and just be friends?
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Jesus is the main thing, right?
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Like, he's really the main thing, so why can't we all just get along?
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We need to do something to create some unity, right?
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You ever heard that kind of language?
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And again, again, usually well-intentioned and usually well-meant.
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Not always, but most of the time.
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And it's a good sentiment, but again, just misguided.
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And what I want to propose to you today is often people want to create unity,
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which is really a false unity that comes at the expense of truth
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and comes at the expense of sound doctrine.
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And so two questions that I think will be good for us to examine our hearts
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as well as just people that we engage with in the church.
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What are the first things that people talk about when they're asked about their church?
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You ever thought about that?
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We've met some people in our neighborhood and some great, great people in our neighborhood.
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But one gentleman that I met, though, I do believe he's a brother,
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but I asked him about his church, and he just kind of went on about how great it was
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because of all the programs and kids' ministries and how friendly the environment was.
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And in the span of about ten minutes, just said nothing about Jesus.
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It said nothing about the Word of God.
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And then secondly, this is a really sort of like litmus test, if you would.
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What is the gathering component of a local church?
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What is the gathering component?
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Often in contemporary evangelicalism, there are local churches that have a large range of gathering components.
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They have an age demographic.
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So teenagers, singles, young adults, whatever you want to say, elderly people.
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That's like a certain age group.
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They have an affinity demographic.
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You know, again, married, single, college students.
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That's a huge demographic.
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Even just things like richer and upper class.
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I know some people that would not dare enter into a building that looked like it wasn't at least a million dollars
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because that's just their style.
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It's like they want to.
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I know people like that.
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They feel like they have to stoop to go to a place like that.
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So there's that.
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There's this music demographic.
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If you'll say, like, how cool a band is or how contemporary a service is or how traditional a service is,
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and that's the gathering component.
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I go there because I like the music there.
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The end.
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Then there's a...
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This one's huge.
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I would probably say this is probably the biggest one.
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A program demographic.
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We have a children's ministry, a youth ministry, a small groups ministry, a choir, a drama team.
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You just got to find your place to plug in.
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We have more outlets than the place over there for you to plug in.
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So come here.
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Really, there's a facilities demographic.
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Our building.
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Everything that we have that really offers comfortable, quote, worship environments.
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So there's even people, churches, that they send out polls.
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I've seen them.
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I've actually just thrown them away and just said, dude, you don't need to be doing this, and just, like, threw it behind my back.
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But there are people that will even take polls to see what it would take for people to come to their church.
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Like, what do we have to do to get you to come kind of thing?
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And I heard on a local Christian radio station a few weeks ago, which isn't a terrible station, all in all.
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But for 20 minutes, I listened to this, and I just wanted to jump to the radio and scream.
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But the question that they were having callers come in and just call about answer was, how do you do church?
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Like, that was, like, the question.
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And in 20 minutes, I heard every preference under the sun, but not once was it like, what does Christ want for the church?
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It was all those things.
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But the problem with focusing on demographics is, as the point of unity, is when that component is removed, the church falls apart.
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Have you all ever noticed that?
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I was in charge of a part of a really big church that split early in my Christian life.
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And I could write a book on what I learned just through that experience.
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But they had an immense children's ministry, huge children's ministry.
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I mean, thousands and thousands of dollars, children's ministry, and all these higher staff people.
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And it got to a point where they had to, they really felt like they needed to shut her down.
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I can't tell you how many people just went, just left because of that.
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As we would say, like, a golden calf inside the church, a certain component.
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Or, again, I had people used to tell me, Clay, this is before I was married.
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Clay, why don't you go to a big, big, big church that has a ton of singles in it, then you can find a wife there.
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And I'm like, no thanks.
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God will bring the wife to me.
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And he did.
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So, but I mean, like, yeah, like, go focus somewhere where there's a bunch of singles, or there's just a lot of people who look just like you.
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This is such bull.
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And it's heartbreaking.
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And here's why.
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Like, look, if your gathering component is anything other than Christ, it won't stand.
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And, like, here's some of the questions I want you to think.
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Isn't it sad that the church of Christ that he bought with his own blood usually isn't the main gathering component of why many churches get together?
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That his life, his death, and his resurrection are not the central event that those people are coming around.
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It doesn't bother you that when it comes to doing church, everyone's opinions matter.
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But Christ, even though the church belongs to him and he is the head of the church, his opinion doesn't matter.
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Isn't it heartbreaking that thousands have flocked to local churches, even this morning,
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to get a quick fix, therapeutic, sentimental, pop psychology talk that has nothing to do with Christ or his word?
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We just read that in the previous verses, Christ prayed,
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sanctify them in your truth.
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Your word is truth.
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He removed the instrument of sanctification.
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You're on a bad course.
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And isn't it sad that the first thing that people think of is usually a pastor personality or a program
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that makes their life more enhanced,
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instead of really focusing on, like, the Son of God?
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Those are tragic things.
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And we don't need to meet these with...
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I'm more apt to be more hostile towards a pastor who kind of does this and just a congregate,
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but show mercy to people and love them and tell them, like, look, Jesus is the reason that we gather,
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to worship him, to be changed by the word of God.
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And if that's not there, the church really won't stand.
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I've even seen, you know, churches will...
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The main component will be a certain ethnic group.
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Or the main component will be even a certain theological persuasion,
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that they think everybody else is not right there, is not where they are, and they can't fellowship with them.
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It's...
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No.
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Jesus and the gospel are the main gathering components.
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But I shudder to think, like, if the Christ that we see in Revelation in the earlier chapters,
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the Christ that speaks to the seven churches,
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I would just tremble to hear what he would say to us as he comes at them and he says,
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this I notice about you,
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and I have this against you.
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Repent.
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Right?
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It would tremble, make me tremble to think about
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what he would say to the American Western church today.
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We know that Scripture and history teaches us
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that unity itself is beyond human ability or innovation.
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We cannot do it.
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We stink at it.
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Even the greatest empires in the world that lasted for hundreds and hundreds of years,
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they all eventually just fall.
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They can't survive.
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Because human unity can't winter.
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They can't make it.
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And so, we want to focus on our text.
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If you look at verses 21 and 22,
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23,
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is that what is the source of true unity?
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All right?
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We can see that in our text.
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What we see in our text,
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in verse 21,
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that they may all be one,
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just as you, Father, are in me,
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and I in you,
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that they may all be in us.
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Verse 22,
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the glory that you have given me,
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I've given to them,
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that they may be one,
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even as you and I are one.
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See all the emphasis here?
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To pick up on this,
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what we see in our text
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for the basis of the unity of the church
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is not something that we create.
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It's not of human origin.
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It's within the nature of God himself.
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You see that?
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Unity of all believers
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is grounded in the love
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and oneness that exists
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within the Godhead.
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It is the overflow
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of the relations
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between the Father,
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Son,
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and Holy Spirit.
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They are,
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if we study the Trinity,
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you will see that
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the Trinity is united
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in their motive.
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In all they do,
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they're devoted
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to the glory of the Father.
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Christ is devoted
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to the glory of the Father.
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Read the first five verses
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of this prayer,
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you'll see that.
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So they are together
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on the motive.
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But then also the mission.
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You ever notice that?
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The Trinity is dedicated fully
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to the mission of redemption
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in a united way.
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So many observations
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that could be made.
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But the spiritual unity
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comes from that reality
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of God's redemptive lives
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and our work.
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So the unity
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that we should be considering
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is not a physical outward unity,
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but a spiritual unity
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founded in the Godhead.
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All right,
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so let's just unpack that
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a little bit.
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Turn to Ephesians 4.
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I'm the second place
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to turn today,
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but...
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And I'm going to read
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just six verses here,
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but Paul,
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writing to the church
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at Ephesus,
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he's talking about
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spiritual unity
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within the church.
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And let's just make
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two observations
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particularly from this.
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verse 1,
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chapter 4.
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He says,
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I therefore,
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a prisoner of the Lord,
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urge you to walk
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in a manner worthy
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of the calling
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to which you have been called
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with all humility
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and gentleness,
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with patience,
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bearing one another in love.
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You ever notice
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that when a church divides
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and fights
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that those are the things
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that are absent,
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those things that we just read?
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He says,
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eager to maintain
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the unity of the Spirit.
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So there's a person
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of the Trinity,
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the unity of the Spirit
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and the bond of peace.
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There is one body
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and one Spirit,
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just as you were called
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to one hope
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that belongs to your call.
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One Lord,
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there's Christ.
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One faith,
27:38
one baptism,
27:40
and one God
27:41
and Father of all
27:42
who is over all
27:44
and through all
27:45
and in all.
27:47
So you see
27:48
in this text
27:49
at least a couple
27:50
of things.
27:51
You see the unity
27:52
of the Trinity
27:53
in their work,
27:55
but here's a couple
27:56
of things,
27:57
two observations.
27:59
Unity is completely
28:00
a spiritual matter,
28:02
not physical.
28:03
You see that?
28:06
Our passage,
28:07
indeed,
28:08
the rest of Scripture
28:09
doesn't at all
28:10
define unity
28:11
as a physical,
28:12
fluctuating,
28:14
visible unity,
28:15
of outward unity
28:16
of the church.
28:17
People just think
28:18
if we just got
28:19
all our money together
28:19
and built one huge,
28:21
huge building
28:21
that could hold,
28:22
you know,
28:22
50,000 people,
28:24
we would be unified.
28:25
We would not be unified.
28:27
And we all could gather
28:28
under one roof.
28:29
the physical,
28:31
no.
28:32
Spiritual unity
28:33
comes to us
28:34
from that reality
28:36
of the Godhead
28:38
and His redemptive work
28:40
in our souls.
28:41
So,
28:43
it's not a focus
28:45
on a visible unity,
28:46
but a focus
28:47
on invisible unity
28:48
that exists.
28:50
And then secondly,
28:52
we see in this text
28:53
that unity
28:53
is maintained
28:56
or preserved
28:57
and not created.
28:59
You see that
29:00
in verse 3?
29:02
We don't create unity.
29:03
Why?
29:04
Because it already exists
29:05
in the heart
29:07
of believers,
29:08
of all believers.
29:10
believers.
29:11
So,
29:11
that's why we're called
29:11
to maintain it,
29:13
preserve it,
29:13
keep it,
29:14
because we already
29:15
have it in Christ.
29:18
So,
29:18
one of my greatest,
29:20
I guess,
29:21
things that I've seen
29:22
that I think
29:23
demonstrate this
29:23
over the years
29:24
is a conference
29:27
that I've gone to
29:27
about four times
29:28
in the last eight years.
29:30
It's called
29:31
Together for the Gospel.
29:33
And it's in
29:34
Louisville, Kentucky.
29:36
And you have
29:37
guys from
29:39
from mainly
29:41
three different
29:41
denominational backgrounds.
29:44
You have guys
29:45
like Mark Dever,
29:49
Al Muller,
29:49
John Piper,
29:51
David Platt,
29:52
who are all
29:52
Southern Baptists.
29:54
And then they have
29:55
their best buddies
29:56
who are really
29:57
PCA guys,
29:58
Presbyterian Church.
29:59
So,
30:00
you have like
30:00
Ligon Duncan
30:01
and R.C. Spurl,
30:03
who just passed away,
30:04
but
30:04
Kevin DeYoung.
30:08
So,
30:08
you have these
30:08
Baptists and
30:09
Presbyterians
30:10
getting together.
30:11
Then you even
30:12
have a few
30:12
charismatic
30:13
biblical
30:15
gospel guys
30:16
in that group
30:16
as well.
30:17
And so,
30:19
and they joke
30:19
about it.
30:21
They,
30:22
they're like,
30:23
no,
30:23
we have some
30:24
serious differences
30:25
on church
30:26
government,
30:28
baptism,
30:28
like,
30:30
oh,
30:30
we'll debate
30:31
each other
30:31
on those things.
30:32
They have to
30:32
just kind of
30:32
joke around
30:33
and ticket each
30:33
other about
30:34
those particular
30:34
topics at times.
30:36
But here's the deal,
30:38
they're best friends
30:38
with each other.
30:40
But they love
30:41
each other.
30:42
And they,
30:42
they talk to each
30:43
other weekly
30:44
on the phone.
30:46
You know,
30:46
you have a guy
30:46
like Matt Chandler
30:47
talking to a guy
30:48
like John MacArthur
30:49
on the telephone.
30:51
Just encouraging
30:52
and praying
30:53
for one another.
30:54
And it's because
30:55
it was saying,
30:55
like,
30:56
look,
30:56
we are united
30:57
in Christ
30:58
and we are united
30:59
in the gospel.
31:01
And that,
31:01
that,
31:02
that goes over
31:02
denominational lines.
31:06
And so,
31:07
don't think of
31:08
denominations
31:09
as necessarily
31:10
a bad thing.
31:10
It actually means
31:11
that people have
31:12
convictions about
31:12
the Bible.
31:13
But don't allow
31:15
it to divide
31:16
to the point
31:17
of this person
31:17
does know Jesus,
31:18
does believe
31:19
the gospel,
31:20
and I'm not
31:20
their brother,
31:21
and I'm not
31:21
their sister
31:22
because they go
31:22
to this location.
31:24
It is a
31:25
spiritual unity
31:26
that exists.
31:29
Then,
31:29
another observation,
31:31
this is the last one,
31:31
under this idea
31:32
of unity,
31:33
true unity.
31:35
You see it
31:36
at the second part
31:37
of verse 21
31:37
and the second part
31:39
of verse 23.
31:42
Why is he praying
31:43
for unity?
31:44
So that the world
31:44
may believe
31:45
that you have sent me.
31:47
In verse 23,
31:48
so that the world
31:49
may know
31:49
that you have sent me
31:50
and love them
31:51
even as you love me.
31:53
So true unity
31:55
is evangelistic
31:57
in its nature.
31:59
Sin causes
32:00
division and hatred.
32:02
The fallen world
32:03
has plenty of that.
32:05
But the church
32:06
is meant to be
32:07
the greatest ways
32:07
that we display
32:08
our love
32:09
or the love of God
32:10
for the world
32:10
by being united
32:11
as one,
32:13
being perfectly
32:13
one.
32:16
Jesus is saying
32:17
that as believers
32:19
we have all things
32:20
in common.
32:21
And when the world
32:21
sees this,
32:23
it's attractive
32:23
because they can't
32:25
create it.
32:26
They can't maintain it.
32:27
They don't have it.
32:29
And so when they look
32:29
at the church,
32:31
they're to see
32:31
the gospel made visible.
32:33
They're to see
32:34
what things were meant
32:36
to be like
32:37
in human relationships
32:39
before the fall.
32:40
They see that
32:41
and it's supposed
32:42
to be attractive
32:43
to the outside world.
32:45
Jesus says
32:45
that you are
32:46
the light of the world.
32:47
We are the city
32:48
that is set on the hill
32:49
to be a shining example
32:51
of what God
32:52
can do.
32:54
And again,
32:55
in the church,
32:57
as believers,
32:58
we have all things
32:59
in common.
33:00
Many of you
33:01
could give testimony
33:02
to this,
33:03
that Christ
33:04
can bring together
33:05
the most different,
33:06
odd type of people
33:07
ever.
33:08
He can bring
33:08
people that have
33:10
nothing in common,
33:11
at least in our
33:11
earthly sense,
33:12
together.
33:12
together.
33:14
And I love that.
33:16
One of my,
33:18
I was definitely
33:19
a lot more
33:20
of a country
33:22
good old boy
33:23
in my high school
33:24
college years
33:25
for sure.
33:26
And when I first
33:27
became a Christian,
33:29
I went on a
33:31
mission trip
33:32
to Puerto Rico
33:33
and a kid
33:34
there recently,
33:35
I think he was
33:35
like 18,
33:36
came to know
33:36
the Lord
33:37
named Joe.
33:39
He was more
33:40
like your gothic
33:41
punk rocker,
33:43
like had long hair,
33:44
but like,
33:44
like that
33:45
when he played
33:45
the drums.
33:46
And we had
33:47
like zero in common.
33:49
And he became
33:49
one of my
33:50
closest little buddies.
33:51
Like we were
33:52
so tight
33:53
because we had
33:53
Jesus in common
33:55
and that's all
33:55
we talked about
33:56
was Jesus.
33:58
Nothing in common
33:59
in the natural.
34:01
I have many
34:02
other friends
34:02
that are scattered
34:03
over the globe.
34:04
I'm sure many
34:05
of you do.
34:05
You just have
34:06
to bump into
34:07
somebody
34:08
who's another
34:09
believer somewhere
34:10
else in the world
34:11
and you're like
34:11
immediate connection.
34:13
This person
34:14
knows Jesus.
34:15
That spiritual
34:15
unity that I'm
34:17
talking about.
34:18
So don't think
34:19
of it in terms
34:20
of the natural.
34:22
Please don't.
34:24
So that's
34:24
the first thing
34:25
that Jesus
34:26
prays for
34:26
is true unity
34:27
among believers.
34:30
And then
34:30
secondly
34:31
and lastly
34:31
Jesus prays
34:34
for the future
34:35
glory
34:36
of believers.
34:38
And I hope
34:38
you're encouraged
34:39
by this.
34:41
Verse 24
34:42
Father
34:43
I desire
34:44
that they
34:45
also whom
34:46
you have
34:46
given me
34:47
may be
34:48
with me
34:48
where I
34:49
am
34:49
to see
34:50
my glory
34:51
that you
34:51
have given
34:52
me
34:52
because you
34:53
love me
34:53
before the
34:54
foundation
34:55
of the
34:55
world.
34:57
So at the
34:57
outset of
34:58
Jesus'
34:59
prayer
34:59
if you look
34:59
back in
35:00
the first
35:00
five verses
35:01
he's asking
35:02
that the
35:02
father would
35:03
restore him
35:04
to that
35:05
point of
35:05
glory that
35:06
he had
35:07
with the
35:08
father
35:08
before
35:09
creation.
35:10
He's asking
35:11
for that
35:12
intrinsic glory
35:13
that rightfully
35:13
belongs to
35:14
him as
35:15
the son
35:15
that's been
35:16
in a way
35:17
veiled while
35:18
he was here
35:19
on the
35:19
earth.
35:21
So he's
35:21
asking for
35:22
that but
35:22
then he
35:23
throws in
35:23
there
35:23
verse five
35:25
where he
35:27
says glorify
35:28
me in your
35:28
own presence
35:29
with the
35:29
glory that
35:30
I had
35:30
with you
35:30
before the
35:31
world
35:31
existed.
35:32
All right
35:33
so here's
35:35
how we're
35:36
going to
35:36
do this.
35:36
I want you
35:36
just to
35:37
think.
35:38
I want you
35:39
to ponder
35:39
the most
35:40
beautiful sight
35:41
you've ever
35:41
seen or
35:43
the most
35:43
beautiful noise
35:44
you've ever
35:44
heard.
35:46
Just think
35:46
about what
35:47
that could
35:47
be.
35:48
It could
35:49
be a
35:49
sunset over
35:50
the ocean
35:50
or the
35:51
mountains,
35:52
a stunning
35:53
musical
35:53
concert or
35:55
a monumental
35:56
sporting
35:56
event.
35:59
And when
36:00
you get it
36:00
in your
36:01
head,
36:02
let's just
36:02
make two
36:03
observations
36:03
about that
36:04
event.
36:05
There's
36:05
usually two
36:06
things that
36:07
happen.
36:08
One,
36:10
something in
36:10
us long for
36:11
someone else
36:12
to be there
36:12
with us to
36:13
share that
36:14
event.
36:16
You ever
36:16
notice that?
36:18
We say,
36:18
wow, this is
36:19
so amazing,
36:20
so glorious,
36:22
so awesome.
36:23
I wish,
36:23
fill in the
36:23
blank,
36:24
so and so
36:25
is here with
36:25
me to see
36:27
this or to
36:28
hear this.
36:29
And especially
36:30
the people that
36:31
we love and
36:32
we're close
36:32
to, we
36:33
want that to
36:33
be the
36:34
case.
36:35
And I
36:35
believe that's
36:36
in a way
36:36
what Christ
36:37
is saying.
36:38
He wants
36:38
us to be
36:39
there to
36:40
behold his
36:40
glory that
36:42
he had with
36:43
the Father
36:43
before the
36:44
world existed.
36:46
So that's
36:47
amazing.
36:48
That's the
36:48
first thing
36:49
that sort of
36:49
comes to our
36:50
mind is the
36:52
longing for
36:52
someone else
36:53
to be there
36:53
to experience
36:54
what we're
36:54
experiencing.
36:55
thing.
36:56
Then secondly,
36:58
underneath that,
36:59
we don't just
37:01
want to behold
37:01
something magnificent
37:03
from a distance.
37:05
We don't want to
37:06
just see it far
37:08
off and just
37:10
stare at it.
37:11
We really want to
37:12
be in the middle
37:13
of it.
37:13
We want to
37:14
become a part
37:15
of it.
37:15
You ever
37:15
notice that?
37:17
I remember the
37:17
first time I was
37:21
with Jonathan
37:21
Laws, but Andy
37:22
Truett took the
37:23
same trip with
37:23
me.
37:24
But the first
37:25
time I ever
37:26
went to the
37:27
Scottish Highlands,
37:28
I was on a
37:28
bus, and when I
37:29
was looking out
37:29
the window, I was
37:29
like, this is
37:30
awesome.
37:31
I wanted to
37:32
dive through the
37:33
window, like drop
37:33
me off now and
37:34
let me get out
37:35
there and be a
37:36
part of that.
37:36
Let me dive in
37:37
that place.
37:40
I remember as a
37:41
little kid listening
37:42
to the Braves win
37:44
the World Series
37:44
on the radio on
37:45
my bed.
37:47
Braves won,
37:48
Braves won.
37:48
I was like,
37:51
dang, I wish I
37:51
was there to
37:52
let me be a
37:53
part of that
37:54
celebration, to
37:56
be in the
37:57
middle of that.
37:59
And so when we
38:00
see something
38:01
magnificent, we
38:02
just don't want to
38:03
look at it from a
38:04
distance.
38:04
We want to
38:05
become a part
38:06
of it.
38:07
C.S.
38:08
Lewis said this
38:09
about glory.
38:10
He said,
38:11
we do not
38:13
merely want to
38:14
see beauty,
38:15
though God
38:16
knows that is
38:17
bounty enough.
38:18
We want
38:19
something else
38:19
which can hardly
38:21
be put into
38:22
words.
38:22
we want to
38:23
be united
38:24
with the beauty
38:25
that we see,
38:26
to pass into
38:27
it, to receive
38:29
it into
38:29
ourselves, to
38:30
bathe in it,
38:31
and to become
38:31
a part of it.
38:33
And that's
38:34
what I believe
38:35
heaven will be
38:37
like forever
38:38
with God, to
38:39
behold the
38:40
Father and the
38:41
Son and all
38:41
their glory and
38:43
all their
38:43
majesty.
38:44
We'll become
38:45
there with it,
38:47
a part of it,
38:47
in it.
38:48
God's
38:49
love.
38:49
And Paul
38:50
wrote, I
38:50
mean, how
38:50
great is
38:51
this?
38:51
It's better
38:52
than anything
38:52
this world
38:53
has to offer.
38:53
It's greater
38:54
than anything
38:54
you can
38:54
imagine.
38:56
Paul said
38:57
in 1 Corinthians
38:58
2,
39:00
what no eye
39:01
has seen
39:01
nor ear
39:03
has heard
39:04
for the heart
39:05
of man
39:06
imagined
39:06
for what God
39:08
has prepared
39:09
for those
39:09
who love
39:10
him.
39:11
Just think
39:11
about that,
39:12
the immensity
39:13
of glory
39:14
that we
39:15
will get
39:15
to see
39:17
and we'll
39:17
be there
39:18
with all
39:18
the redeemed
39:19
throughout the
39:21
whole history
39:21
of the church
39:22
to take it
39:22
in and
39:24
we'll become
39:24
a part of
39:24
it.
39:26
Then another
39:27
observation that
39:28
we can make
39:28
is this means
39:29
we will have
39:30
unhindered
39:31
fellowship
39:31
with the
39:33
Godhead.
39:34
The sweetest
39:35
times of
39:36
fellowship that
39:36
you and I
39:37
have had on
39:37
this earth,
39:37
just think
39:38
about that
39:38
time.
39:40
It could be
39:40
in the middle
39:41
of anything
39:42
and you've
39:42
had these
39:43
wonderful
39:43
moments
39:43
with the
39:44
Father
39:44
where he
39:45
seemed to
39:46
almost manifest
39:47
his presence
39:48
to you
39:48
in a very
39:49
unique way.
39:50
You just
39:51
felt his
39:51
nearness
39:52
in an
39:53
abnormal
39:53
special way
39:54
and your
39:56
heart was
39:56
just overwhelmed
39:57
with joy
39:58
and gratitude
39:58
and you
40:00
wished you
40:01
could just
40:01
kind of hit
40:01
pause and
40:02
stay right
40:03
there.
40:04
You know
40:04
what I'm
40:04
talking about?
40:06
And you
40:06
just wished
40:07
that that time
40:08
would not
40:09
leave.
40:10
However,
40:11
we get just
40:11
glimpses of
40:12
Christ here
40:13
and there's
40:14
interference.
40:16
There's always
40:17
something that
40:17
steps in to
40:18
kind of end
40:19
that moment.
40:20
We have
40:21
hours of
40:22
contemplation
40:22
but then
40:23
our quiet
40:23
time with
40:25
the Lord
40:25
is interrupted.
40:27
We get
40:27
hungry,
40:29
hangry,
40:30
for some
40:31
of you.
40:32
You get
40:32
tired.
40:33
There's a
40:34
knock at
40:34
the door.
40:35
There's a
40:35
phone call.
40:36
There's a
40:36
stupid text
40:37
message.
40:38
There's all
40:38
kind of stuff
40:39
that just
40:39
distract us
40:40
from that
40:41
moment that
40:42
we're enjoying
40:42
with the
40:43
Father.
40:44
Naturally,
40:45
so many
40:46
things can
40:46
just happen.
40:47
And it's
40:47
kind of like
40:48
we're going
40:50
toward heaven
40:51
and then we're
40:51
just like pulled
40:52
back down,
40:53
kicking and
40:53
screaming.
40:54
Like,
40:54
no!
40:55
Leave me
40:56
in this
40:57
place.
41:00
But,
41:00
but,
41:02
when we
41:03
die,
41:04
when this
41:04
mortal
41:06
shell is
41:07
peeled off
41:08
and our
41:09
souls are
41:09
set free
41:10
and we
41:12
go to
41:12
glory to
41:13
be with
41:13
the Father,
41:14
we will
41:15
have
41:15
uninterrupted,
41:16
unhindered
41:17
fellowship for
41:18
all eternity
41:19
with the
41:19
Son and
41:20
the Father.
41:21
Eternity
41:22
will be
41:22
spent,
41:23
not by us
41:24
trying to
41:25
pay God
41:25
back and
41:26
give Him
41:26
what He's
41:27
due,
41:28
but we
41:29
will enjoy
41:30
the grace
41:31
of His
41:31
kindness
41:31
to us.
41:33
You won't
41:34
be bored.
41:35
Boredom
41:36
is something
41:36
that the
41:37
human,
41:39
fallen human
41:39
nature
41:40
struggles
41:40
with.
41:41
We get
41:42
tired of
41:42
the same
41:43
thing.
41:44
But the
41:44
closest you
41:45
could probably
41:45
get to is
41:46
those of you
41:46
who have been
41:47
around kids,
41:47
have kids,
41:48
grandkids,
41:49
nieces and
41:50
nephews,
41:50
whatever,
41:51
want something
41:52
they love
41:52
to do.
41:54
They find
41:54
something that
41:55
they like
41:55
and they
41:56
want it
41:56
done again
41:57
and again
41:57
and again.
41:59
And it
41:59
never ever
41:59
gets tired,
42:01
never gets
42:02
boring.
42:03
And I feel
42:04
like that's
42:04
how heaven
42:06
will be for
42:06
us.
42:07
We will
42:07
not grow
42:09
weary of
42:10
the glory
42:10
that we are
42:11
beholding.
42:13
Rather,
42:14
eternity
42:15
we will be
42:16
spending,
42:17
as Paul says
42:17
in Ephesians
42:18
2,
42:19
that all
42:20
this has
42:20
been done
42:21
so that in
42:22
the coming
42:22
ages,
42:23
he might
42:24
show the
42:24
immeasurable
42:25
riches of
42:26
his grace
42:27
and kindness
42:28
towards us
42:29
in Christ.
42:33
I was
42:34
debating on
42:34
whether or
42:35
not to
42:35
read this,
42:36
but if
42:36
you're able
42:36
to gird
42:37
up the
42:37
loins of
42:38
your minds,
42:38
just listen
42:39
as the
42:40
old term
42:41
goes to
42:42
this great
42:43
quote.
42:45
I try to
42:46
shy away
42:46
from quotes
42:47
because I
42:47
know some
42:47
people like
42:48
three-quarters
42:49
of their
42:49
sermon are
42:50
close.
42:50
I'm like,
42:50
you should have
42:50
given me
42:51
something to
42:51
read.
42:55
But,
42:55
this is
42:56
Spurgeon on
42:56
John 17.
42:58
He says,
42:59
I doubt
42:59
not that
43:00
there will
43:00
be many
43:01
joys in
43:01
heaven which
43:02
will amplify
43:03
the joy
43:04
that we
43:04
have there.
43:06
I feel
43:06
confident that
43:07
our meeting
43:08
our departed
43:09
friends,
43:10
the society
43:11
of the
43:11
apostles,
43:12
prophets,
43:13
priests,
43:13
martyrs,
43:14
will amplify
43:15
the joy
43:15
of the
43:16
redeemed.
43:17
So,
43:17
yeah,
43:17
we're going
43:18
to enjoy
43:18
seeing many
43:19
of the
43:20
people who
43:20
have gone
43:20
before us
43:21
and after
43:22
us in
43:22
heaven.
43:23
He says,
43:24
but,
43:25
still,
43:27
the sun
43:27
that will
43:28
give them
43:28
the greatest
43:29
light
43:29
will be
43:31
the fact
43:31
that they
43:32
are able
43:32
to see
43:33
the glory
43:34
of Jesus
43:34
Christ.
43:36
And now,
43:37
there may
43:37
be many
43:37
other
43:38
employments
43:38
in heaven,
43:40
but they
43:40
are mentioned
43:41
in this
43:41
text,
43:42
the chief
43:42
one,
43:43
that they
43:43
may behold
43:44
his glory.
43:46
Let us
43:46
pass as it
43:47
is in a
43:48
panorama
43:48
before our
43:49
eyes,
43:49
the great
43:50
scenes of
43:51
glory that
43:52
we shall
43:52
see after
43:53
death.
43:54
The moment
43:55
the soul
43:55
departs from
43:56
this body,
43:57
it will
43:58
behold the
43:58
glory of
43:59
Christ.
44:00
The glory
44:01
of his
44:01
person will
44:02
be the
44:02
first thing
44:03
that arrests
44:04
their attention.
44:06
There we
44:06
will sit
44:07
in the midst
44:08
of the
44:09
throne,
44:09
and our
44:10
eyes will
44:11
be caught
44:11
by the
44:11
glory of
44:12
his
44:12
appearance,
44:14
and oh,
44:14
how the
44:15
Christian will
44:15
stop at the
44:17
foot of his
44:17
master's throne
44:18
and look
44:19
upward,
44:20
and the
44:20
tears could
44:21
be allowed
44:21
in heaven.
44:22
Tears of
44:22
rich delight
44:23
will roll
44:24
down our
44:24
cheeks when
44:26
he looks
44:26
and sees
44:27
the man
44:28
enthroned
44:29
and says,
44:30
I often
44:31
used to
44:31
sing of
44:31
you on
44:32
the earth,
44:33
crown him,
44:35
crown him,
44:35
king of
44:36
kings and
44:37
lord of
44:37
lords.
44:38
Then Spurgeon
44:39
has a little
44:40
verse that he
44:41
writes,
44:41
he says,
44:42
millions of
44:43
years our
44:43
wandering
44:44
eyes shall
44:46
over our
44:46
savior's
44:47
beauty's
44:48
grove,
44:49
a myriad
44:49
of ages
44:50
will adore
44:51
the wonders
44:52
of his
44:52
love.
44:54
It's not
44:55
going to
44:55
get old.
44:57
Psalm 16
44:58
says,
44:58
in God's
44:59
presence is
45:00
fullness of
45:00
joy,
45:01
and at his
45:02
right hand
45:03
there are
45:03
pleasures
45:03
forevermore.
45:06
It won't
45:06
become boring.
45:10
For the
45:10
believer,
45:11
that's where
45:11
we all
45:11
long to go
45:12
and we
45:13
long to
45:13
be.
45:13
so,
45:15
another
45:16
thing,
45:17
and the
45:17
last thing
45:17
to mention
45:18
here,
45:18
you see
45:19
in verses
45:19
25 and
45:21
26,
45:22
that Jesus
45:23
really also
45:24
prays for,
45:26
we have like
45:26
a foretaste
45:27
now of that
45:29
glory.
45:30
See the
45:30
beautiful words
45:31
that he's
45:32
used here,
45:32
righteous
45:32
father,
45:34
it's this
45:34
idea that he's
45:35
having confidence
45:36
in the one
45:37
he's praying
45:37
to,
45:38
to bring
45:38
these things
45:39
about.
45:41
But he
45:41
says,
45:42
the world
45:42
does not
45:42
know you,
45:43
but the
45:44
son does,
45:45
and the
45:45
son has
45:45
made you
45:46
known to
45:48
those whom
45:48
you gave
45:49
him out of
45:49
the world.
45:51
And you
45:51
may say,
45:52
like,
45:52
yes,
45:52
heaven sounds
45:53
great,
45:54
but it
45:54
seems so
45:55
far away.
45:57
It seems
45:58
like that's
45:58
just such a
45:59
far-fetched
46:00
thing,
46:00
like we're
46:01
here on
46:01
this earth,
46:02
stuck on
46:03
this earth.
46:04
Well,
46:06
a couple
46:06
things.
46:06
First of
46:07
all,
46:07
that might
46:07
not be
46:07
true.
46:09
Some of
46:09
you could
46:10
be a
46:10
lot closer
46:11
to glory
46:11
than you
46:12
think.
46:15
None of
46:15
us know
46:16
the hour
46:16
that the
46:18
father may
46:18
send the
46:19
son back.
46:20
None of
46:21
us know
46:21
when he'll
46:21
breathe our
46:22
last.
46:23
We're just
46:23
tempted to
46:24
think that
46:24
we're just
46:25
going to
46:25
walk around
46:25
here forever.
46:27
And some
46:27
of you are
46:27
already having
46:28
problems
46:28
physically,
46:29
and you
46:30
know why
46:30
this can't
46:31
be it.
46:33
I hope
46:34
that that's
46:35
a joy to
46:36
you and
46:36
not something
46:37
to be
46:37
afraid of.
46:38
Because if
46:39
what we're
46:39
reading is
46:40
true,
46:40
that should
46:40
be something
46:41
that our
46:41
hearts should
46:42
long for.
46:44
But here's
46:45
kind of the
46:45
deal.
46:47
The good
46:47
news is that
46:48
we don't have
46:49
to wait to
46:49
get a
46:50
foretaste of
46:50
that glory
46:51
that's ahead
46:52
of us right
46:52
now.
46:53
A foretaste.
46:55
Christ initially,
46:56
if you read in our
46:56
text, he's like,
46:57
I have made
46:58
you known
47:00
to them,
47:01
and I will
47:01
continue to
47:02
make it known.
47:03
So, he's
47:05
saying, I will
47:06
continue to
47:07
show them
47:07
who you
47:08
are.
47:09
And this
47:09
is true
47:10
for us.
47:11
We initially
47:12
are shown
47:14
the Father
47:14
when we're
47:15
born again
47:15
in regeneration.
47:17
We initially
47:18
get to
47:18
behold him.
47:19
We're created
47:21
to be new.
47:23
We have eyes
47:24
to see that
47:25
we didn't
47:25
have before.
47:27
And then
47:27
the Father
47:28
gives us
47:29
the Spirit,
47:30
and he
47:30
continues to
47:31
make him
47:32
known
47:32
throughout
47:33
our lives
47:33
and
47:34
sanctification.
47:35
And so,
47:36
knowing Christ
47:36
and walking
47:37
with him,
47:38
enjoying him
47:39
is something
47:39
that we
47:39
can experience
47:40
right now.
47:42
Right now.
47:44
He is with
47:44
us every
47:45
hour of the
47:46
day,
47:46
wherever we
47:47
go.
47:48
He said
47:49
earlier in
47:50
John 10,
47:50
I've come
47:50
that they
47:51
may have
47:51
life and
47:52
have it
47:52
abundantly.
47:54
He's not
47:54
talking about
47:55
the fancy
47:55
new car.
47:57
He's saying
47:58
it like,
47:58
this is the
47:59
life that I
47:59
will give
48:00
you,
48:01
that you
48:01
are with
48:02
me.
48:03
And that
48:04
fellowship you
48:05
have with
48:05
me is to
48:06
have an
48:06
abundant
48:07
life.
48:09
So in
48:09
our text,
48:10
even now,
48:10
we get to
48:11
experience that
48:11
love of the
48:12
Father,
48:13
and we get a
48:13
head start
48:14
on eternity
48:16
by going
48:16
deeper into
48:17
what Paul
48:18
calls the
48:19
unsearchable
48:20
riches of
48:20
Christ.
48:22
We get to
48:22
start that
48:23
now,
48:24
and to
48:25
taste and
48:25
see that
48:26
the Lord
48:27
is good.
48:28
We have
48:29
that.
48:29
God,
48:30
and so I
48:31
hope that
48:32
many of you
48:33
have experienced
48:33
this.
48:34
I hope that
48:35
you're seeing
48:36
this prayer of
48:37
Jesus answered
48:38
in your life,
48:40
that you can
48:40
see the unity
48:41
of the church,
48:43
and see that
48:44
really is
48:44
something that
48:45
you really
48:45
possess with
48:46
other believers,
48:48
and that you
48:48
are longing for
48:50
the glory to
48:51
come.
48:52
You don't
48:52
really want to
48:53
stay here
48:53
forever.
48:55
That you want
48:56
to go and
48:57
behold the glory
48:58
that the Son
48:58
had with
48:59
the Father
49:00
before the
49:01
world existed.
49:04
Many of you
49:05
have been very
49:06
close to
49:07
crossing over
49:08
into the next
49:09
life.
49:11
I have,
49:12
and I can
49:13
tell you,
49:14
like,
49:15
nothing brings
49:16
you more joy
49:17
and more hope
49:17
and more comfort
49:18
than knowing
49:19
that that's
49:19
what's waiting
49:20
you on the
49:20
other side,
49:21
that Jesus
49:22
is there,
49:23
ready to
49:24
receive you
49:25
into glory.
49:25
so I
49:28
pray that
49:29
all of us,
49:31
as Psalm 73
49:33
says,
49:34
whom have I
49:35
in heaven
49:35
but you?
49:38
And on
49:39
this earth
49:39
there is
49:40
nothing that
49:40
I desire
49:41
beside you,
49:44
and that my
49:44
heart and my
49:45
flesh may fail,
49:46
but God is the
49:47
strength of my
49:47
heart and my
49:48
portion forever.
49:51
So we
49:52
conclude
49:52
John 17
49:54
today,
49:54
and I
49:55
pray that
49:55
it has
49:56
been
49:56
enriching
49:56
to your
49:57
heart.
49:59
Continue to
49:59
go back
50:00
and read
50:00
over it
50:01
and dive
50:02
into all
50:02
the riches
50:03
that are
50:03
there.
50:05
Let's pray
50:06
together.
50:06
Let's pray
50:06
together.
50:06
Let's pray
50:06
together.