When Moses was on the mountain and saw the burning bush on fire and yet not consumed, we read that he turned aside to look at this sight, an unusual sight, a great sight. And God spoke to Moses. And he said, Moses, put off the shoes off your feet. Because the ground you stand on is holy ground. You're in the presence of God Almighty. When I come to this chapter in John 17, I feel more than I do at any other time that we're standing on holy ground here, John. Holy ground. This takes place right before our Lord goes to the Garden of Gethsemane where he's arrested. And much of what he speaks of here is fulfilled soon after that. Let's begin at verse 1 and we'll just read the first three verses in John 17 to start with. These words spake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, The hour is come. Glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal. Literally, it should read this way. This is life eternal to know, to know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. The last time I preached from these verses of scripture in John 17 was nearly three years ago, almost three years ago. When I came in that morning, there were two new faces here. And after I preached, and God granted some liberty, and I feel blessed his word, and I spoke with these two folks as they left, I couldn't help but wonder, well, will they be back? Will they be back? I've had folks since I've been your pastor tell me, oh, we'll be back. We love what we've heard. And that's the last time I saw them. That message that morning, I think, was that which these individuals were looking for. To hear the good news, the good news of our great God and Savior obtaining eternal redemption for all his people. That is good news to helpless sinners. That's good news that we have one who is mighty to save. Good news to those who in no way can save themselves. And of course, that couple were John and Kay Copeland. And I need not wonder anymore whether they'll be back, because they've been here ever since. Been here ever since. And I pray that God will bless his word again this morning from this passage that I preached then and make it effectual to our souls. Look what our Lord says again in verse 1, how he commences his prayer to his Father. He says, Father, the hour is come. The hour is come. That hour, that time, for which time itself first began. Christ says, it's here, it's arrived. This is that hour that was looked forward to from eternity past. That's so. Our Lord often spoke about it. Turn back a few pages here in John's Gospel to chapter 12. John chapter 12. This is what would take place in this hour that our Lord spoke of. In John chapter 12 verse 23, And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, the hour is come, that the Son of Man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But, but, if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. The hour for that to happen had come. This is that hour, that time, that will be looked back upon throughout eternity to come. Eternity past looked forward to this hour. And eternity to come looks back to this same hour. Throughout eternity, wandering angels will look back to what our Lord did here. Redeemed and adoring sinners will do the same. Turn, if you will, to Revelation. Revelation chapter 5. Revelation chapter 5. This is the theme of the song in glory. The glorious triumph of our Redeemer. What he accomplished in that hour for all of his people. This is what they sing about. This is the theme of the song of angels as well as the redeemed. Here in Revelation 5 verse 11. And I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beast and the elders. And the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands. saying with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. Turn a few pages over to chapter 7 in Revelation. Now you have the song of the redeemed. All of his redeem, as John quoted, referred to several times in his lesson this morning. Our Lord said, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me. They'll come to me. And blessed his name, by his grace, they come to him in time. He said, they'll hear my voice, my sheep will. They'll hear my voice and they'll come to me. in time, while they live. And then they'll come to me in eternity, every one of them. In that prayer we read the first few verses of in John 17, he also asked this, Father I will also that all those that thou has given me be with me where I am. Now you won't find a better definition of heaven than that. to be with Him where He is. Here in Revelation chapter 7, we have a picture of that. Verse 9, after this I'll be held in low, low, a great multitude which no man could number. of all nations and kindreds and people in tongues stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in their hands, and they cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which setteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb. The time that our Lord would do all that was necessary to Accomplish that, he refers to in this passage as being that hour. The time that he should finish the work, complete it, accomplish it. In chapter 4 here of John's Gospel, after the encounter, the very deliberate encounter, the purpose for which he went through Samaria, the salvation of that woman. After that, he says to his disciples in verse 34, my meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work. In Luke 18, he said, behold, we go up to Jerusalem, he told his disciples. And all things that are written in the prophets concerning the Son of Man must be accomplished. Must be accomplished. And look, if you will, in John chapter 18, and we'll come back to chapter 17. Here in John chapter 18, look what he says in verse 11. Peter sees the mob coming. They're surrounded by this bloodthirsty mob led by the traitor Judas. And Peter leans upon the arm of flesh and pours out his sword and smites the servant of the high priest and cuts off his ear. Verse 11, Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath, the cup which my father hath given me. Shall I not drink it? Shall I not drink it? This is what he refers to in the passage that we read in John 17. The hour had come that he should finish the work, the work of putting away sin, of by himself purging our sin, of satisfying the justice of a holy God by bearing the penalty of their sin, bringing in a perfect righteousness. Those, and there is so much more than that, but those things are not small things. My soul, all the blood of every type of bullock and goat, every Passover lamb, every morning and evening sacrifice, every day offered. None of those sacrifices could ever, we read in Hebrews 10, could ever take away sin. Never could. Never were intended to. Oh, but this man, this man, the God-man, our high priest that utters these words, of finishing the work, of the hour being at hand, the hour had come, he by himself. Is it any wonder? The wonder would be if they didn't. If the angels didn't, as we read a moment ago, in glory sing worthy is the Lamb. If all the redeemed didn't sing salvation to our God and unto the Lamb that setteth upon the throne. My soul, what an accomplishment. What a work. Does any other hour in history or all the hours taken together or any act done by any man or all the accomplishments All the works done by all men put together compared to this, compared to what our Lord refers to, this great work of redemption, this work, His work alone, can satisfy the justice of God. Only His work can do that, brother Lord. God will forever as he looked forward to it from eternity. Looking back on it now, we'll forever find complete, everlasting satisfaction in what his son did on the behalf of his people. What Christ did on Calvary enabled God to extend mercy to sinners without any infringement, without any relaxing of His justice. Now God Almighty, on the basis of the work of Jesus Christ for His people, can be just and He must be just. He must be just, Mike. He must be just. And when he forgives sinners, he's perfectly just in doing so because of what the Lord Jesus Christ does concerning that work of redemption, concerning satisfaction to God of atonement, of all the sins, of all of his people being born away forever, You know what he said. Look with me for a moment here in John's Gospel chapter 18. Or I'm sorry, chapter 19. Look what he says. Verse 30. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, listen, It is finished. The same word in verse 28 that's rendered accomplished is the same word he used here. It is finished. It's accomplished. It's complete. It's done. Oh, child of God. This is where a sinner like me can fall down, can lay the weight of my immortal soul right here, right here, on the finished work of my glorious Redeemer, who on the behalf of all of His people cries out It is finished, complete, accomplished, done. I rest on His finished work. My Savior has done all. He's accomplished all. In glory to His name, He has paid it all. Paul asked a few questions in Romans 8, in Romans chapter 8. Verse 33, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? And my Redeemer answers that. He answered that question when he said, it is finished. It is God, Paul says, that justifieth. All charges have been answered for. Isn't that a comfort? Isn't that a comfort? Every charge that the Holy Lord God had against every sinner for whom Jesus Christ died, for whom he was their glorious substitute, every charge against them has been answered. Their case in the court of heaven has already been dismissed by the righteous judge of all the earth. It is finished. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Paul asked another question in verse 34 of Romans 8. Who is he that condemneth? Who is he that condemneth? Again, he answers that question. It is finished. It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who even is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. There is now, therefore. Oh, I like that. I like that. There is now, therefore, right now. Where does now find you, my fellow pilgrim? Where does now find you? Does it find you without trial? Of course not. Does it find you without heartache? Does it find you Not bearing a heavy burden? Perhaps not. Perhaps not. Oh, but those things can't touch this. Those things in no way affect this. that regardless of where now finds you in your present circumstance, being a child of God, being one of those for whom your Redeemer cried, it is finished, now finds you right here, right here. There is therefore now no condemnation, to them who are in Christ Jesus. That's where now finds every child of God and always will. Always will. No condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Look again, if you will, here in John 17 at verse 3. Our Lord says, this is life eternal to know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Eternal life experienced is the title of our message. You remember well in this same book, this same Gospel of John, our Lord told that teacher, teacher of the law, That master in Israel, he told him that night that he snuck to him, didn't want to be seen speaking to the Lord, I suppose in the light of day, the other brother Pharisees might see him and kick him out of the local union of self-righteousness. He said, Lord, I know that you're a teacher come from God, because no man can do the things that you do except God sent him. And you remember what our Lord said. It's as though he didn't even hear it. Just ignored that flattery, that compliment, and said, Nicodemus, except a man be born again, he shall not see the kingdom of God. He shall not see the kingdom of God. You must be, our Lord taught, by the Spirit, From above, by a miracle of God's mighty power and grace, you must be born again. And I have to point out that he didn't say, Nicodemus, it's something you can do for yourself. He didn't say that, did he? He said the very opposite, didn't he? That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. You must be born again. Turn, if you will, to 2 Peter chapter 1. Peter speaks of this as regeneration. The new birth is what he's speaking of here in 2 Peter 1. Verse 2. Grace be unto you and multiplied, never divided, multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ our Lord. according as his divine power, have given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of him," that's what he said in his prayer, that they might know thee, through the knowledge of him that called us to glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature. having escaped the corruptions that is in the world through lust, a partaker of the divine nature. Turn back, if you will, to Galatians. Galatians chapter 1. Paul likewise speaks of the same thing here in Galatians chapter 1 verse 27. This is what our Lord spoke to Nicodemus about. Verse 27, to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, and this is it, which is Christ in you, Christ in you, the hope of glory. Christ in you. That's eternal life. And that is a work of God's grace that makes all who experience it new creations in Christ Jesus. This is what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, behold, he's a new creation. He's born again. He's been given the precious gift of eternal life. He has within his soul the very life of God Almighty Christ in you, the hope of glory. Let me share, you're perhaps familiar with it, but old John Newton, that one who wrote that good old hymn, Amazing Grace. And his old age, when he couldn't see any longer to read, was nearly blind. He heard someone recite these words, this text. By the grace of God, I am what I am. And he remained silent for a time, and then, as if he were speaking to himself, he said, I'm not what I ought to be. Oh, how imperfect, how deficient. And I'm not what I wish to be. I abhor that which is evil, and would cleave to that which is good. I am not what I hope to be. But he went on to say, soon, soon I shall put off mortality, and with mortality all sin and imperfection. Though I am not what I ought to be, what I wish to be, what I hope to be, yet I can truly say, I am not what I once was. That's exactly what Paul wrote. If any man be in Christ, he's a new creation. I'm not what I once was, a slave to sin and Satan. I can heartily adjoin with the apostle and acknowledge by the grace of God I am what I am. Eternal life doesn't begin when a believer, or rather for a believer, when he enters heaven. Eternal life begins the very moment that he's born again. The very moment that God in mercy passes by, like we're taught in Ezekiel 16 concerning that dead infant cast out in the wilderness, God said, when I passed by thee, I said, live. That's when eternal life begins. Mike, I have eternal life now. If I'm a child of God, I possess eternal life at this very moment. They that possess, rather every child of God, possesses the same life now that they'll enjoy throughout eternity. I have the same life in me now that Enoch has enjoyed in glory for thousands of years. You know why? Because it comes from the same source. He who said, whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. I'm the resurrection and the life. Because I live, he says, ye shall live also. Isn't that a glorious thought? That the life The life, that eternal life in every born-again believer is the same life in our Lord Jesus Christ. The same life in the head flows to every member of His body, the church. And the proof of that life in Christ in you is this. Turn if you will to 1 John chapter 5. I want you to look at this verse. 1 John chapter 5. How can I know that I'm born again and thereby have this eternal life? Can one know? John tells us right here in the first verse of chapter 5. He writes, Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Now my faith doesn't produce the new birth. Faith is the fruit of the new birth. It's not that what that which is commonly taught in our day You believe and then you're born again. No, no, no, no. You can't believe until you're born again. You're born again in order to believe. This is what John says. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. His faith is the evidence of it. And everyone that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. I saw that fella the other evening as I was channel surfing, Osteen, I think is his name, that motivational speaker, and after he told everybody that God had a wonderful plan for their life and they could step up higher and have everything they wanted, all the health and all the wealth and all blah, blah, blah, blah, just before he closed his broadcast he turned to the camera and said, we don't want to end our broadcast until we give you a chance to be born again. Will you say this little prayer with me? If you said that little prayer, you've been born again. Oh no, no. So isn't that sad, Joe? Isn't that sad? That the mighty work of our great and glorious Savior has reduced to that? Oh no, it's not so. In heaven, in heaven, this body of death We'll be gone, as old Newton said. The old nature gone forever. My soul. Now I cannot, Lord, I can't imagine what that'll be like. Can you? Can you? I mean, what will it be like not to have that fallen carnal nature? The old Adam. is the reason we always struggle the flesh against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. That's why sin is mixed with everything a believer does. Everything. Every prayer. Every word. Every thought. Every message he tries to preach. Everything he does is tainted with sin. Oh, what will it be like when old Adam is gone forever, and the only nature I possess is the nature of my glorious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, that will be heaven for me. The essence of eternal life, our Lord says here in John 17, 3, is this. To know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast There's no true knowledge of God apart from Christ. I know we hear fellas, mystics and religious folks talk about finding God, standing outside looking up at the stars. Oh, I had a religious experience. I came to know God. Well, the creation certainly is evidence of God as Paul says in Romans 1. evidence of the great creator behind his creation. But you know what men do? Paul said they worship their creation. That doesn't bring them to a knowledge of God. They rather worship their creation rather than the creator. They become frog kissers and tree huggers and never have a clue as to who God is. No, John wrote, no man has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him. How did He do that? How did He do that? How did He declare the otherwise incomprehensible, which is still so, unknowing unless He did this? The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Now, Philip. Now, Thomas. You've seen me. You've seen God. You've seen the Father. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. It's not, as you've often heard say, It's not what you know, it's who you know. This is what our Lord said. This is life. To know Thee, the only true God. To know Christ. To personally know Him. Let me read you a statement. This man said, of all the poison which at this day is diffused in the minds of men, corrupting them from the mystery of the gospel, there is no part that is more pernicious than this one perverse imagination that to believe in Christ is nothing at all but to believe the doctrine of the gospel. That sounds familiar, doesn't it? But you know that was written by John Owen in the 1600s? And that's the very thing we see going on today. That is exactly what's happening in our day. Many talk about faith in Christ and imagine that it's no more than agreeing to certain facts presented before them from the Word of God. And they count that as saving faith. That's not saving faith. No, saving faith to know the Lord Jesus Christ is not a mere acknowledgment of certain biblical facts. Oh, to know God, it requires a revelation to the soul by God Almighty Himself. No man knows the Father except Christ reveal Him to him. Flesh and blood, Peter, have not revealed this unto you, that is, who Christ is, but my Father which is in heaven." Now isn't that something? Peter had been with the Lord for three years, a little more. And yet, our Lord said, your knowledge of who I am You've not derived from all your acquaintance with me. God Almighty has performed a miracle, Peter. He's revealed to you who I am. That requires a miracle. Is that still true? Is it still needed? Is that still necessary? It's a burden of my heart that in this religious day that the miracle of God's great and wonderful salvation is reduced to man's decision. How sad. What a burden to see my great God and Savior dishonored as being no more than a doormat to heaven or a fire escape out of hell. Hear what he says here. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Does that sound like a helpless savior to you? Does he sound like he needs your help? God help you to hear me. If you think salvation is up to your decision, if you really think that Jesus Christ is standing at your heart's door like a beggar asking you to let Him come in, you have been terribly deceived. It's not so. He's Lord of lords and King of kings and He's not begging you to do anything for Him. Hear the words again. All power is given unto me. He told his disciples in heaven and in earth in Matthew 28 and then again here, Thou has given him power over all flesh. All flesh. That's you and that's me. All flesh to give eternal life to as many as Thou has given him. Christ is not waiting for you to allow him to give you life? Oh no, no, no. When he stood before the tomb of Lazarus, he didn't say, Lazarus, pretty please, will you pretty please come forth? Oh no, oh no. He said, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead, come forth. And you know what? That's exactly what he does. when He raises man who by nature is dead in trespasses and sins. That's exactly what He does. That's what He did for you, child of God. He came to your dead soul and He said, live, live. And you lived. You lived. Suddenly, you couldn't understand it. You didn't know why, but suddenly you begin to hunger and thirst after God. Suddenly you wanted to know God, the true and living God. You were made aware of that which you never knew before. That you were the sinner, and the cry of your heart became, Oh, that I might know God. That I might have His great salvation. What happened? You became alive. You became born again. And Christ then enabled you to behold Him, to behold Him, the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world, the sin of all His people. The true God and Savior said, live. Oh, is that your need? to need Him, nothing less will do, to have His great salvation, eternal life, knowing Him, the true God. My youngest son, Roger, called me the other evening and he said, Daddy, I was looking at the pictures when you baptized me. They're sort of in sequence. Here, then here, and then here, and then... And he said, Dad, in each picture, your smile gets bigger and bigger and bigger. And I said, absolutely. I said, Roger, God did for you, my son, when only he could. Your daddy couldn't do it. I told you about God. I told you about Christ. I preached the gospel since you were old enough to remember anything. But I couldn't give you life. I couldn't give you life. Son, Jesus Christ came to you and breathed into you the very life of God. And I pray, son, Roger, that neither you or your father ever get over that. ever get over that. God omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, God over all, sovereign, holy, just, to know Him, the only true God. This is what salvation is. Nothing less than this. He that hath the Son hath life, but he that hath not the Son hath not life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Turn, if you will, back to 1 John for just a moment. 1 John again, chapter 5. 1 John, chapter 5, verse 10. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not shall not He that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Look down at verse 20. And we know, bless his name, we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know Him that is true. And we are in Him that is true even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is true God and eternal life. Almost the same words that our Lord used in His prayer. This is the solid rock of our hope. In this life and for eternity to come, Or with the apostle sitting in that dungeon, waiting for the executioner to come. He said, Timothy, I'm not ashamed. I'm not ashamed. Why, Paul? Because I know whom. John, you closed your lesson this morning, saying when the time came for you to leave this world, If anyone was present then, to point you to him, the Lamb of God. I know whom, Paul said, I have believed. And as David likewise on his deathbed said, this is all my salvation and all my hope. Like that old man in Jerusalem taking that baby in his arms and said, Lord, let me die. Mike, let me die. Let me depart in peace. How can you depart in peace, Simeon? You're a sinner like everybody else. What gives you any thought, any claim to leave this world and stand before God Almighty in peace? You know what it was? He said, because I've seen thy salvation. I've seen the Lamb of God. Will my knowledge of anything or anyone else comfort me in the hour of my death except that? Oh, I just cannot imagine unless I've lost my mind. In the hour of my death, I would tell someone, bring me Calvin's Institutes. I need something to warm my dying heart. Bring me Gil's Body of Divinity. Oh no, no, no, no. Point me to Christ. Direct my eyes to behold my Redeemer. Brother Montgomery, Maurice Montgomery's father, as he got older, Don had been his pastor for many years, but as he got older, he began to become somewhat senile, forget things. And he told Don one time, he said, Don, I'm troubled. I'm troubled. He said, I can't see the blood. I can't always see the blood. And Don said, oh, my dear brother, it doesn't matter whether you see the blood or not. God said, when I see the blood, God said, I'll pass over you. Archibald Alexander was a professor at Princeton for 40 years and a preacher for 60 years. And when he was dying, he said, all my theology is reduced to this one narrow compass. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. Turn, if you will, to Acts 20, and we'll wrap this up. We'll wrap this up. Acts chapter 20. You're familiar with this. Paul has met with the elders of the church at Ephesus. He's on his way to Jerusalem. And he tells them, I know to whom I've been preaching the gospel will never see my face again. And they wept. They wept. And he said, I know that when I depart there'll be wolves come in and not spare the flock. But this is what he said in closing his message. And now brethren, verse 32 of Acts 20, Paul says, now brethren, I commend you to God. I thought of this verse last night and I thought that would be a good note to close my message on. And it's another year, almost so soon, in a few weeks we'll draw to a close. As my life and yours swiftly draws to a close, my dear friends, My brothers and sisters in Christ, it sure gives your pastor comfort to say to you what Paul said to these elders. Brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. Children of God, you're in good hands. For he that had begun a good work in you will perform it into the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, to be found in him. To know him. I read this story just the other evening. A man years ago was condemned to death in a Spanish court. That's where he was. at the time in Spain, but he was an American citizen and of English birth. And ambassadors of both countries, England and the United States, interposed saying that Spain had no authority to put this man to death, but they couldn't prevail. They couldn't prevail. So they brought the flags representing England and America and wrapped that man in both flags, that prisoner, that was sentenced to be executed. And then they told the authorities of Spain, there now, you fire a shot if you dare, but you know this, when you do, you defy the countries that those two flags represent. And brothers and sisters in Christ, even so, I stand this morning wrapped, wrapped up in the blood red robe, the flag of my Lord's atoning sacrifice. And before God Almighty destroys this sinner, he must dishonor his son. And Joe, that's not going to happen. Glory to his name. That's not going to happen. God bless you. God bless you.