I love the old rugged cross. And probably the greatest line in there that is often overlooked is that we would cling to our own cross. which means that we would daily come and we would daily die, and one day we'll exchange that for a crown. And as we gather here this morning, as we hear the Word of God read and preached upon, that's really our prayer. We would not just hear God's Word, but we would take God's Word and we would apply it to our life and we would continue to cling to who God is so that we would faithfully obey Him throughout the rest of the week, right? Please open up your Bibles with me to John chapter 17. Last week we began the high priestly prayer of Christ. He began praying for God, the father to glorify him so that he would in turn glorify God, the father. So we said last week, Jesus was obsessed with what the glory of God as we should be. And this week we see that Jesus continues to pray and he prays specifically for God's children and only his children. So join me in John chapter 17 and for context, we will read verses 1 through 19. When Jesus spoke in 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 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 have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you. And they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them, and I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I have kept them in Your name, which You have given Me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the Son of Destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your Word, and the world has hated them." Because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake, I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified. in the truth. May the Lord add His blessing to the reading of His Word. Before we begin with verse 6, I want you to look back at verse 3 that we discussed last week. Jesus said this, And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. See, this is the fundamental problem with the world, but also the fundamental problem with the church. People do not know God. People do not know God. Well, Pastor, how can you say that even with the church? Because there's so many services that you can come to and so many sermons you can listen to. It's not about a sermon and it's not about a service. It's about meeting with the Lord, right? Isn't it about God's family coming together and worshiping him? Looking at what he has written and how we are to live and to go with our marching orders and to obey. People don't know God. Let me ask you these questions. Do you seek for God like you do for a lost penny? Or like $100,000 that you have misplaced? How much time do you spend in the labor of God? Shouldn't it be labor? I mean, our flesh and our spirit, right, they're at battle. They're at constant war with one another. Think about the things that you labored over. Right now in Texas, I'm laboring over weeds. In my front yard, in my backyard, in the flower beds. And I told my wife, if we ever move, I want to go to Arizona and just have rocks all over the front yard and all over the backyard. I don't want to deal with this stuff anymore, ever again. And so you labor over those things. You know, you sweat. I mean, you work hard at those things. You get down on your knees, you dig deep because you have to get to the root. Otherwise, you know, it's going to come back and there's going to be more there. Do we labor for that with the Lord? I mean, do we get on our knees? Do we cry out to him? Do we beg for him to do things in our life? Do we beg to know him more and more and more? Do you seek for God like a lost penny or like a thousand dollars that you have misplaced? How much time do you spend in laboring for the Lord? How much time do you even spend getting away from your Bible study and just praying? Close your Bible. Just talk to Him. In our society where it's so much full of noise and music and everything has to be going on at all times and Twitter and Facebook and the news and updates on everything, pull away. Most people can't handle five minutes of silence. Just get on your knees and talk to the Lord. Doctrines and principles are easy. Do you pursue God? It's easy to have a set of doctrines and set of principles that you live by, but do you pursue the Lord? Verse six, 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 have received them and come to know in truth that I came from you and they have believed that you sent me. So Jesus manifested God's name to those God the Father gave him. So Jesus Christ came from heaven to earth to fulfill a mission that was planned before the foundation of the world. And as Jesus was declaring last week and again this week, his mission was planned from the beginning and his mission was limited in scope. His work was limited and is limited today and it comes and is even limited in salvation, but his entire work will be accomplished. How do I know it's going to be accomplished? Well, number one, Jesus said it was going to be accomplished. And number two, it's not accomplished yet, is it? Why? We're not home. Like if we're home and this is it, sorry, I don't wanna be a part of it, right? Like really, is this the best that there is? No, that's why our hope is in Christ, because we're on our way home. And so his will will be accomplished because Jesus is not just a man, Jesus is God. fully man, fully God. Look at verse six. He said, 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. So Jesus is praying to God the Father. He is telling them that he has manifested his name to everyone that he was given. So in other words, Jesus perfectly revealed who God is, his character, his nature, his attributes to those he was sent. If you want to know God, do a study of Christ. That's how you will know God. So perfectly revealed, what does this mean? This means that Jesus did not just command people and teach people, but He showed them who God is because He showed them who He is. Jesus did this perfectly. This would be impossible for a mere man to accomplish. This is why Jesus said what He said. in our journey that we've gone through in John and in other scriptures. I want you to write these texts down for you to review during the week. John chapter one, John chapter one, verses one through five says in the beginning was a word. The word was with God and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him and without him was not anything made that was made in him was life and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not over Come it, that's God. John chapter 12, 44 through 46. And Jesus cried out and said, whoever believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me, sees him who sent me. I've come into the world as light so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. Colossians chapter one, beginning in verse 10. So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. See, that's what's needed today, right? It's not just the knowledge of God that we've heard. It's increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power according to his glorious mind for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the beloved son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins and that good news. He's brought us to that. He's transferred us from darkness to light and to the kingdom of God. And it says this, because of this, because of who He is, He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, for by Him, all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross. There's a well-known pastor and he's often confronted by individuals after he preaches. And people will ask him, men, women, children, they'll come up to him and they'll start asking him questions. It was like, pastor, like I'm young. Like, what is the best thing for me to spend my time doing? Like, how do I know God how you know God? His response, systematic theology. He's like, no, no, Pastor, I'm not sure if you heard my question correctly. It's like, what's the best thing for me to do? How do I really know God and pursue Him and love Christ like you do? Systematic theology. He's like, well, what do you mean by that? He said, so many people They want a nice little devotional books. So many people, they want a quick read. So many people, they just want something that they can write down really fast and read really fast. And he says, the greatest thing you need to do is to spend your life knowing God. Knowing Him. You work harder at that than anything else. Knowing who He is. Listen to this, Hebrews chapter one, verse one. Long ago at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. And we have these preserved right here in scripture and most people don't read them. But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his son. We're in the last day. whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of his nature. He upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high." And what's interesting is we have not only the prophets, but we have the actual words of Jesus right here. to know Him and to make Him known. So Jesus perfectly revealed God the Father to the world. And today, because of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, we perfectly can know what we are to know. There are too many pastors who say, well, we really can't know much about God. That's been popular over the last 10, 15 years. And it's very evident what they mean by that because they read this and they close it and they say a bunch of stories for the rest of the remainder of the time. It's not open. It's closed. Most of the time it's right here. You have a comfortable chair that you sit on before the people and, uh, you try to lure the people into a bunch of entertainment and it's not about knowing God. And so that's what God's people are to do. We're to spend our life knowing who he is. Why? Because you're surrounded by people who don't know him. You're surrounded by him. It's your work and your home and your family. But Jesus continues. Look at the end of verse six. Yours they were and you gave them to me and they have kept your word. Who is Jesus talking about here? They have kept God's word. Who's done that? So God elected a man or a woman before the foundation of the world. He chose that person and said, they are mine. And these people were and are given to Christ and they have kept and will keep God's word. Now, this does not mean that they're gonna be perfect because if that were so, then all of us would be disqualified. It's saying, and this doesn't mean that we're not gonna struggle with sin either. We've all struggled with sin this week, haven't we? We struggle with sin with our spouse, with our neighbors, with our friends. This means that those whom God chose, they will hold on to and believe the central truths of the gospel. That God's chosen children, they persevere because they have been born again and chosen to do so. And we've already discussed this, John chapter 10, verse 27 and 28. My sheep, what? Hear my voice. What do they do? I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life. They will never perish, and no one can snatch them out of my hands. See, God's children are in the hand of God, and anything in the hand of God perseveres. Do you understand that? Like, if you belong to the Lord, you're going to persevere. You will finish your race. Why? Because God has elected you to do just that. He's given you the strength and the power to do that. No one perseveres because of their hard work. We persevere because of God and his glorious grace. But as a child, are we to work hard? Who would say no to that? Anyone? All right, so who would say that they worked really hard for the Lord this week? All right, so we're all in the process of sanctification, right? We are to work hard. We're to daily die and to live for him. We're to become physically and mentally exhausted both. What do you mean by physically exhausted? Did you see Jesus take naps? Some of you are going to like this part. Yeah. Why? He got tired. He was fully man and fully God, right? There was times when, I mean, you remember in the storms when they get in the boat? What'd Jesus do? Did He hang out with His disciples and chat and talk? Nope. Took a nap. And then trials would come and different things and they'd go up and they'd wake Him up and Jesus was like, oh my gosh, oh you of little faith. Really? And so there's times for naps, but it's not because we should be physically exhausted for the things of this world. We should be physically exhausted and spiritually exhausted because we're living for the Lord. That we become so tired because that's where most of our energy should go, right? where to daily live for Him. Listen to this, Philippians chapter two, verse 12. It says, therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now not only in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. See, fear and trembling, that's because you and I are exhausted. We become mentally and physically, spiritually exhausted with searching after the Lord. What else is there? See, many people think, well, I'll just spend my life here doing all these different things and collecting all these different things. And then once I get to heaven, I'll start to know who God is. Well, number one, if you live in your life, not for the Lord, you're not gonna be in heaven working at knowing who God is. You're gonna be in hell under his wrath. But the second thing is you're living your life for him today, right? Yesterday, tomorrow, that's what we are to live for, for the Lord. What do you work hard for? Most of us, we work hard for a paycheck. How about the kingdom of God? John Piper said this, the problem is that professing Christians are spending 10 minutes reading scripture and then half their day making money and the other half enjoying and repairing what they spend it on. It is not heavenly mindedness that hinders love. It is worldly mindedness that hinders love. Even when it is disguised by religious routine on the weekend, where is the person whose heart is so passionately in love with the promised glory of heaven that he feels like an exile and a sojourner on the earth? I have a really good friend. He had a birthday this past week and he kept texting me or calling me and asking me the same question over and over. and over again, and I was very reluctant to answer. And the question he kept asking me is, are you okay? What's wrong? Are you okay? Like, what's wrong with you? In a roundabout way, I answered the question, but the real answer is, I'm tired of this place. I'm really tired of this place. I'm ready to go home. I want to be with the Lord." And then comes training that you're so tired, that you're physically, mentally, spiritually tired, and you just want to be with Christ. And so, That's what it's saying. It's like as children, we should be working so hard for the Lord that we become tired, but we get on our knees and we ask the Lord to fill us and we cry out to him because we want to meet with him. Look at verse seven. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me and they have received it and have come to know in truth that I came from you and they have believed that you sent me. So Jesus declares, those you chose, they know all that has been done to them is because of you. And the words they have heard is because of your gracious will. They know your grace. Jesus is saying, I've accomplished everything. They've heard your words. They have received your words. They believe I came from heaven and they believe you sent me. Jesus declared who God is to those he was sent to. Praise Jesus, he obeyed perfectly, right? Praise Jesus that he never sinned, that he fulfilled everything. But here again lies the problem. People don't know who God is. Most people know a few verses to be scary and for the most time, heretical. For example, I'm sure over the last year and a half, I have said something from this pulpit that some people probably disagreed with, and they disagreed based on a tradition that they were taught from childhood, not a tradition or a tradition of a past pastor. Now, don't hear me wrong. I'm definitely not perfect. I make mistakes. You can ask Brian, Brian, Blake, Travis, my wife, and they'll tell you I make mistakes. But when you disagree over something that is taught, where do we run? Where do we run? The Bible. Did you know some of my greatest times of studying God's word has been I've heard someone declare something and I'll be like, that's not right. And so I would write it down and then I would go home and what do I do? I study. I open up the Bible, I lay it on the table, I get out, I'm old school, I get out a journal, I have a pen, I don't like pencils, get down a pen and I just write down this question. I'm like, okay, I'm gonna answer this bad boy. And I start flipping through God's word, I'm like, okay, I'm gonna look at this, I'm gonna look at this. And sometimes I make a T chart, I put a T chart down, I'm like, okay, this is what he says, this is what I believe. Am I right or is he right? And that's what you do. You forget all the tradition that you've learned and you really say, okay, Lord, I want to know you. I want to glorify you with this. If people would do this, the bride of Christ will look a lot more like Christ. His bride would have less wolves in it. The majority would be in their word and sharing the gospel because they were broken over their own sin and they're broken over the sin of the lost. I want to give you an example. Turn to Joshua chapter 11, verse 20, Joshua chapter 11, verse 20. Let's give you an example of this. Let's study about who God is. Now I'm not going to go into everything you can read into the historical context for it later. Joshua chapter 11 verse 20. It was the Lord's doing to harden their hearts. They should come against Israel in battle in order that they should be devoted to destruction and receive no mercy, but be destroyed just as the Lord commanded Moses. So what does this verse tell us about God? That God hardened people's hearts. What else? God devoted them to destruction. What else? God holds back His mercy from them. What else? He accomplished His will for His glory and for His people. This is the same God that we serve this morning and worship this morning. It is important to know who God is. Do you, did you live this past week in God's word? Did you transform your mind this past week more into the image of Christ? Have you been obeying the commands of God? Have you been living and working hard at growing God's kingdom? Look at verse eight from our main text. It says, and have come to know in truth that I came from you and they have believed that you sent me. Have you come to know this truth that Jesus is from God and that Jesus is God? I must ask this question. In this verse, Jesus said that his disciples came to know this truth. I believe there are many in this room who have not. You come to know that in your life to know that there is nothing else. How can you say that? How can an individual say, I know Jesus Christ is God, but I don't have time for my Bible. How can people say that? I mean, how can you literally say, I know Jesus is God, but I don't have time to listen to him? How can someone say, I know Jesus Christ is God, but I don't have time for prayer? Really? So you know Jesus is God. You know that Jesus went to the cross, that he bore the incomplete wrath of God, that he took it upon himself. And you're telling me you can come and you can sing to Jesus and say, you're everything. In fact, he's not everything. He's all that you have. Jesus is all that you have as a follower of Christ. It's like, and you can sing and you can say you don't have time to talk to him. What would Jesus say about that? How can someone say, I know Jesus Christ is God, but I will not tell others about him. Well, you don't have time to work the harvest. You mean Jesus came to seek and save the lost and you're saying you don't have time to tell other people the good news. Jesus would look at us and say, that means one thing. That means number one, you're not saved. Number two, the good news isn't good to you. So how does this happen? How can people honor God with their lips? Because people can honor God with their lips and still be a child of Satan. Jesus accomplished his mission and God's children will abide. They will persevere. They will work and they will accomplish the great commission. Now there are times in our life when the Lord, what he does through the preaching of his word is he nails down milestones, right? Y'all, have y'all had those? Have you had those when you've been reading God's word and you come to something and you're like, oh man, God totally just destroyed me. Have you had those moments where God just hammered on you and hammered on you and hammered on you and you finally fell broken before a Lord and you cried out to him? I hope you have. And maybe this is one of those times for you. But what about you? If Christ came back today, where would you be found? Are you on mission for yourself or are you on mission for the Lord? Look at verse nine. Jesus, he prays for the sheep. He says, I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours. and yours are mine. I am glorified in them. 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. They may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the Son of Destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled." So Jesus is praying for the sheep. In these moments of going to the cross, the glorious cross, He is not only consumed with the glory of God, but he is continuing to teach and to pray for God's chosen. Jesus knows that he is about to be betrayed, whipped, nailed to a tree, and above all, drink the wrath of God, and he prays for those who will abandon him. He prayed for us, knowing that we would repent and believe, but we would also do what? Abandon. Jesus did not pray for the world, only for those whom are chosen. Why? Christ did not come for all the world, he came for the elect. He loves the world with a general love, yes, but the cross was a specific love for whom God chose. And specifically in this context, Jesus is praying for God's children to be kept by God, and he's asking God the Father to keep them. is what was about to happen. Jesus was going to die, but he was going away. Who was he leaving? The disciples. He was leaving the disciples. And so he's saying, Father, I mean, can you imagine you're about to die and you are concerned about your sheep who are going to abandon you in your greatest time of need? They're going to be scattered and leave. And you're praying, Lord, would you keep them? Keep them. You know where I'm going. I'm going to be gone for a while. Can you keep them, please? Till the Spirit comes, keep them. He didn't pray for the world. He prays for his children. Look at verse 10. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I'm glorifying them. I'm no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I'm coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. Hold on to them. He is praying, keep them in your name. Holy Father, keep them in your name which you have given me. They may be one even as we are one. So Jesus is praying for spiritual oneness, spiritual unity that exists for those who are in Christ, those who have been born again, those who abide. And the great thing is, look what God's Word says in Romans 8.34. Christ Jesus is the one who died, more than that, who is raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is what? interceding for us. So Jesus Christ is not only the way, the truth and the life is also the one who intercedes on our behalf today. He sustains us and keeps us. It goes back to that's why we will never fall away that we will always continue to persevere. We may have times and seasons of disobedience, but do we not serve a great God who is all powerful? Verse 12, it says, while I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them. Not one of them has been lost except to some destruction. Why? That the scripture might be fulfilled. See, some people will say that Judas was saved. Judas was not saved. And that later he lost his salvation. Well, you can't lose something that was never really yours to begin with. God gives it. And so what God gives, he never takes back, especially with salvation. And so he was not saved. He didn't lose his salvation. John chapter 6, 63 tells us this. It is the spirit that gives life. The flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe, for Jesus knew from the beginning who were those who did not believe and who it was who would betray him, Judas. Why did Judas fall? To fulfill the will of God. What Jesus was doing, he was quoting Psalm 41.9. He was quoting the Old Testament. Reading from John 13, truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. I'm not speaking of all of you. I know whom I have chosen, but the scripture will be fulfilled. He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me. I am telling you this now before it takes place. And when it does take place, you may believe that I am he. See, all the things that happen are sovereignly orchestrated, willed, and controlled by God. This is why this passage is so amazing. I mean, just thinking about it, you have God the Son praying for the disciples and for those who would come after He ascends into heaven. If Jesus prayed for us, don't we need to pray? I know what we would say. If I could spend time with each of you this morning and I sat down with you and I said, hey, how many all think prayer is important? I mean, first and foremost, you'd be saying, oh yeah, it's important. But if I dug a little bit deeper and I started asking, how much time do you devote to prayer? Okay, how much time is that compared to your entertainment? Do you spend more time driving than you do praying? Do you spend more time watching movies, listening to music than you do praying? Do you wear yourself out by getting on your knees and talking to the Lord? Look at verse 13. The sheep are called to sanctification and they are sent. He says, 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. Does the world hate you? Just as I am not of the world, I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth as you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake, I consecrate myself that they may be sanctified in the truth. See, our joy in our new life is found alone in Christ, especially while we are here in this world. The world hates us. We will be no earthly good if we are not spiritually minded, if we are not seeking God, resting in God and finding great joy in God. I'm not talking about finding joy in a study. I'm not talking about finding joy in scripture memorization. I'm not talking about finding joy and, uh, and going through a book joy in him. We're so overwhelmed with who he is that it brings about change in your life because you know that you have met with him. Verse 14, I have given them your word and the world has hated them because they are not of the world. So the word of God has been given to us as children. The world hates God and his children because they are still depraved and they love the darkness. They love their sin and they have not seen the light. They do not have ears to hear, but notice what verse 15 says. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. See, there's many people who they just want to die and go to heaven. And I made the comment earlier that I'm longing to be at home, right? But I'm not there yet. And Jesus says, hey, you're not there yet either. But don't wish that you were already there, that you miss the mission that I came for. You'll miss it. You can be so consumed with thinking about the things that are to come that you forget what your job is now. Imagine being a soldier that you're so consumed with the end when there's peace and there's no more war and no more battling that you forget that you're in the battle right now. It's not over. The mission of God is for the church to immediately not sit back, but to go into battle to invade the darkness. And in invading the darkness, penetrating the dark with the light, Jesus prays that we will be kept from the evil one. See, we are called to sanctification and we are sent, both of those things. Just like a good soldier continues to learn, continues to go through the basics, continues to be reminded of that, and they remind others around them of what their job is because they know it's not just dependent upon them. That if others forget different things, that's going to penetrate them even faster. That's the bride. Verse 17, they are not of the world just as I'm not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is true. So what is the greatest thing that keeps us on mission? What is needed daily to have a renewed mind? What is necessary for sanctification to continue and for us to know and to do the will of God? Jesus prays here that his children will be sanctified in the truth. So there is no God glorifying life without the word of God. Did you catch that? How will you glorify God if you don't spend time with them? How will you glorify God if you don't know his word? It's simple. We won't do it. We will become consumed with the things of this world. Truth is needed. Lies and falsehood kill and destroy and run rampant in this world. We must know truth. With truth, we can discern what is false. to know God. We must be in the word of God and we must go to him and prayer. What did Jesus say in John 8 31 and 32? He said, if you abide in my word, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. So why are so many people not going and sharing? Why are so many people not living for the Lord? Even those in the church, they don't know the truth and not that they deny the truth and they suppress it. you actually engage in the things of this world, you welcome the things of this world, and you suppress it because you love your sin more than you love Christ. See, without Christ, there is no sanctification. As sheep, we are called to be sanctified, and when we are called, we are sent. So how are you doing? What is your current spiritual pulse? Are you humbly sitting at the feet of Christ and growing? Are you going and sharing with others? See, it's not just sharing with others that are lost. I hope that when you get together with your brothers and sisters in Christ, the main topic of conversation is Christ, right? I mean, isn't that the single thing that unifies us as the body? What's it say if our greatest conversation with others is sports or hobbies or something else? That means we probably have more passion and more love for that than we do for the Lord. He should be the greatest thing that we talk about. Like others should be looking at us thinking, oh my gosh, Amanda's around us. She's going to talk about God. We'll just try to bypass this. We'll try to move past this. That's what a child of God does. I'll never forget, I got out of seminary and I was hanging out with a buddy of mine named Matt. And my wife and I went over there and we had dinner at their house. And the only thing they wanted to talk about was theology. That's the only thing. Like the whole time we were there was theology, theology, theology, theology. And I got in my car with my wife and I looked over and I was like, that was the longest three hours of my life. And I said, the only thing they wanted to talk about was God. And as I was driving home, I was thinking, well, we'll never do that again. Well, we never did. But as a, as I have peered back over that over the last 10 years, I look and I have Matt and I'm like, you know what? He was right. What do you mean? What? It's like, he was right. It's like, if God calls me as a child of God to come and to follow him and to come and live for him, and I'm wasting so much of my life talking and doing other things and not talking about God, and most of my conversation are about the things of this world, or who are the Rangers gonna draft, or who's gonna make it to Final Four, or who's doing what? I'm wasting my life. Matt was right. I was the one in sin. I was the one that didn't have things to talk about. I was the one that wasn't growing. I was the one that wasn't in the process of sanctification. So I am so thankful that in chapter 17 of John, you see God, the son saying, Lord, keep them. Now let's ask him for this same prayer. Amen.