We've been talking about a very sacred portion
of God's Word. That 17th chapter of John. Perhaps
the most personal sight of Jesus that we have
ever seen. Because when a son talks to his father,
Meetings the angels even bend low. There's something
about a son, an earthly son, talking man to man
with his dad, is something that's very sacred.
seldom do we ever get to even hear a part of
the conversation. Though they usually close the
door and they're very sure mom doesn't hear a
word of it. Or that the little sister doesn't
even get to listen in to the keyhole. It's man
to man. And it's sacred. You and I have been
given a glimpse of the Son of God, of Jesus in
the flesh, talking to his Heavenly Father. And
always keep in mind when you read this portion
of the Word of God, when you remember that Jesus
is talking to his Father, that Jesus has not
yet died. The cross is only ours in the future.
That while he is talking to the Heavenly Father,
he is as much man as though he were not God.
Know that. When he talks about his will, always
keep in mind that even while he's talking to
the Father, he has a will of his own that can
be exercised. separate and apart from the will
of the Father. Reminding you again, something
that I told you regarding this relationship is
the trust, the confidence. Everything is built
on trust. Everything is built on confidence.
Absolutely everything. Go back. When the plans
of salvation were being laid, when the plan for
man's redemption was being made, Jesus turned
to the Holy Spirit with perfect trust and perfect
confidence in the third person of Trinity. He
offered himself, first of all, through the Holy
Spirit to be given. He knew. the Holy Ghost.
He knew the power of the Holy Spirit. He knew
that as man he could not come to earth in the
form of flesh and withstand the temptation of
Satan. And he knew Satan. He knew Satan before
Satan ever fell. He knew Satan when he was one
of the three most beautiful angels that God had
created. He knew Satan's power. That's the reason.
Do not underestimate the power of the evil one.
Do not underestimate the power of the devil.
Jesus knew Satan when he was beautiful. Before
his fall, he knew the power that God the Father
had given to this created being. Sometimes I
marvel. at the ignorance of men or women, when
they so loosely associate with the powers of
Satan. Satanic power is strong, believe me. No
man fully realizes the power of Satan. And there
are only two forces in the world today, the power
of Satan and the power of God, the power of goodness,
the power of evil. Know that. And stay just as
far away from the power of the devil as you can
possibly get. Before Jesus left, to know he was
to come in the form of flesh, he also knew that
he would stand. and face Satan in and out of
his temptations. And to reassure himself that
he would not yield to those temptations, he offered
himself through the Holy Spirit and said, all
right, you be my strength in her. That's why
I say to you, those of you who are so afraid
of the third person of Trinity, especially to
ministers in the pulpit. You who try to steer
away from the Holy Ghost and become so frightened
whenever we speak of the power of the Holy Ghost
and the manifestation of the power of the Holy
Spirit, and you want to wash your hands of the
responsibility of this wonderful third person
of Trinity, may I say to you kindly, If Jesus
could trust the Holy Spirit, surely you and I
should be able to trust the Holy Ghost and put
confidence in him. There was trust. There was
confidence. And the Holy Ghost did not leave
Jesus. He came and he came on schedule. When
Jesus came up out of the waters of baptism, Who
was there? The Father spoke audibly. In that
moment, the Holy Spirit, oh, Jesus had not misplaced
his confidence. Jesus had not misplaced his trust.
The Holy Spirit was there and descended upon
him. In other words, the Holy Spirit was saying,
well, Jesus, here I am. You can trust me. And
that was why, before Jesus went away, the very
last gift that he gave to his church, and he
was saying, in essence, I trusted him. He didn't
let me down. I give to you the greatest gift
that is possible for me to give. I give to you
the same person, the same wonderful gift. You
can trust him. You can put your confidence in
him. He'll not let you down. And I can stand
on the highest mountain peak this very moment
and say to the whole world, and I wish I could
shout it to the whole world, I have put my confidence
in him. I have put my trust in him. And he has
never let me down. Unafraid. Why? I know there
will be miracles because the Holy Spirit will
be there. And he'll not let you down. And he'll
not let me down. God the Father had confidence
in his Son. That's the reason he sent him. That's
the reason he gave him. And yet when he sent
Jesus, He knew he would have to go in the form
of flesh. He knew that. He too knew satanic power.
He too knew the temptations. And remember, Jesus
had to go through these temptations because he
could not be a just judge. He could not judge
you and he could not judge me rightfully. There
would not be complete justice in his judgment
unless he had suffered everything that you and
I have had to suffer in life. How often you've
heard me say you cannot give to anyone else any
more than you have received yourself. You cannot
be a comfort to someone else. at the edge of
that open grave unless you too have had a death.
You cannot bring comfort to someone with a broken
heart unless you have had your heart broken.
You cannot talk the language of the hungry unless
you have hungered. Do you understand what I'm
saying? If you've never been hungry, If you've
never suffered the pains of hunger, how can you
sympathize with one who is hungry? Do you know
what I am talking about? God the Father will
not be our judge. The Holy Spirit will not be
our judge. But we stand one day. We say we'll
stand before the judgment seat of God. But Jesus
Christ will be the judge. He's the one who'll
judge you and judge me. Because he's the only
one who can judge righteously. Because he's the
only one who has been here in the form of flesh.
He knew temptation. He knew sorrow. He wept.
He suffered as much man as though he were not
God. He hungered. He had to have all of these
things in his own life to be able to judge us
righteously. I could weep. When I think of these
things, millions live and die and never think
of these things. Christians live and die, still
conceited in their spirituality, and yet how
little they really know regarding the compassion
of the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to come back
to the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ. Old Paul
understood. Paul knew it. When Paul was going
through his suffering, he understood the very
thing that I'm talking about. He understood it
all. That's the reason he could talk about the
mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ. The mercy. The
compassion. of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love
of God, the fellowship, the communion of the
Holy Spirit. Mm -hmm. I pray the Holy Spirit
shall make that which I'm trying to say, and
yet I feel that I do not have the ability to
say what I really feel on the inside, what I
really know. The Holy Spirit will have to give
you. this beautiful revelation, and when you
see it, your consecration will be greater than
ever before. Your love for Jesus will be greater
than ever before. The plan of salvation will
be more real to you. You'll have a truer meaning
of what it means to be a Christian. For me to
live is Christ, and Christ is love. You'll have
a better understanding of your neighbor's troubles
and heartache. There'll be greater racial understanding.
We've got to get back again to this thing of
trust. We've got to do it. We've got to get back
again to confidence, to trust. We must. It's
a fundamental principle of God himself. The whole
thing is based on trust and on confidence. And
so Jesus was saying to the Father, You put your
confidence in me. I'm soon to come back. I haven't
failed you. My work is done. I've finished the
work which thou gavest me to do. I still have
not healed it. And now the last act. I'm... yielding
my will to your will. And your will includes
my death on the cross. It includes the crown.
It includes the spit of the angry mob. It includes
being crucified between two thieves. All of that
is in your will. and so even though in the flesh
i might shrink from these things nevertheless
i yield my will to your will i'll do it that's
the reason he could say i have finished the work
which thou gavest me to do oh to be able one
of these days to stand in his glorious presence
knowing that we've surrendered our will the father
that we've carried out his plan and then when
the last sermon will have been preached the last
day's work would have been done to be able to
say i have finish the work which thou gavest
me to do. Now watch. The entire prayer changes.
He's talked about himself as the Son of God,
referring to himself as the Son of God, as Jesus
Christ. Then he comes to the personal part. I.
And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine
own self, with the glory which I had with thee
before the world was. I'm coming back now, Father.
For again, I'm coming back in the position as
great high priest with the glory that I once
knew before I came in upon the flesh. I again
placed myself on coming back to the position.
The Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost. Now he does
something. He now talks about you and about me.
Not the world. There's a part in this conversation
that few people understand. Very... few people
understand. Get this glimpse. As surely as Jesus
had confidence in the Holy Spirit, as surely
as God had confidence in the Son, it was all
based on trust and confidence. We come now. to
men and women. He places trust. He places confidence
in us. There's nothing more. No person is bound
by any law to be a Christian. No individual who
has ever been born or will ever be born will
ever be forced. To serve God. It's all by choice.
The whole thing is by choice. You choose. I must
make the choice. It's something that's personal.
A husband has to make the choice. A wife must
make the choice. They're children. It's something
that's personal. It's an individual thing. And
before Jesus went away, do you know the responsibility
that he gave to men and women knowing it was
still of their own choosing? That's why years
ago, I remember so well when someone was talking
of a saint of God who one night had this dream.
It made a great impression on me. I cannot tell
you all the details, but I only remember a part
of what was said. When Jesus came back to glory,
and one of the saints who'd gone home to glory
prior to the coming of Jesus said to him, But
what? If Peter should fail, what? if john should
fail what if men and women should fail in carrying
out your plan jesus said very tenderly i am counting
on them i have no other plans