I've disassembled it somehow. You know, I get excited when I get up here. And I hope you can hear me well enough. And I know you're recording. And I just pray that the recording will go well. Well, this morning I've come to bring a word of encouragement to my brothers and sisters here at Red Mills. You've got two types of preachers. You've got a preacher that lives to preach and a preacher that preaches to live. Well, I'm one who lives to preach. There's nothing more rewarding for me as a servant of the Most High God than to encourage the people of God in the Word. And that's what we're going to do this morning. And I ask that you pray with me and pray for me. that I don't lose the breath. I get excited, you know. And when I get excited, Felicia, that's when, ah, ah, ah, ah. But today, we're going to pray that that's not happening. And so far, so good. Amen? And you've been praying, I can tell. You've been praying. So let's pray before we go into our word. And again, our Father in heaven, we're thankful. I'm so thankful for your grace. and the privilege to stand before these, your people, to break the bread of life. And as I give to them what you've given to me, I've always said the word comes to and through me, but it comes from you. Anoint these lips. Give me wisdom to articulate and to express that which you've given me, that your people might go from this place edified and determine to draw closer to you. For this is my prayer. In Jesus' name, amen. Now I want you to turn with me to the gospel of John chapter 17. And as you turn there, I want you to remember the setting. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is about to depart from the earth. He's going to the cross. But yet, before he goes, he's talking about the Lord's Prayer. Well, this is the Lord's Prayer. He prays for his church that he's about to die for. And picking up at the sixth verse, and we'll read through verse 19. I have manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they have come to know that everything you have given me is from you. for the words which you gave me I have given to them and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from you and they believe that you sent me I ask on their behalf I do not ask on behalf of the world but of those whom you have given me For they are yours, and all things that are mine are yours, and yours are mine. And I have been glorified in them. I am no longer in the world, and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name. the name which you have given me that they may be one even as we are while I was with them I was keeping them in your name which you have given me and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition so that the scripture would be fulfilled but now I come to you and these things I speak in the world so that they may have my joy made full in themselves. I have given them your word and the world has hated them because they are not of the world. Even as I am not of the world, I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes, I sanctify myself that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth." There's a whole lot in those verses. And if you would endure, I'd be here for hours. But I understand that you can't endure but so long. And I'm not going to hold you but so long. But there are three important points that I want you to understand. They all start with P. Proprietor, preservation. and purpose. As you have listened carefully to the prayer that Jesus prayed for his disciples, he wants to make sure that the disciples are prepared to continue the journey without him. What a great example for us under shepherds, us elders, to follow. to make sure that the sheep are prepared for the future and equipped to stand up against Satan's attacks when we are not around. You're not always around your elders. Your elders are not always around you. That's why you need to be equipped so that you when under attack, will know how you ought to behave and where your refuge is. When we are fully armed, we can stand up under the pressure of temptation. If we are to be sanctified by the truth, we must know the truth and let Him set us free. Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. There is one way, one truth, and one life, and his name is Jesus. And don't let no one tell you anything different. If Jesus is not the way you're following, the one you're following, the truth you're following, Your destiny is hell. I don't care what no one tells you. You can be ecumenical if you want. You're going to end up in the lake of fire if you compromise with the name of Jesus. As we look at verse 6, We note that Jesus recognizes who owns the disciples. He says, you gave me out of the world these men. God is the proprietor. He owns us. If you are born of the Spirit, you are not your own. You are a purchased possession. You're God's property. You are God's property. Only God has the authority to give them to Jesus. Jesus was sent to redeem them by offering his life a ransom for sin. But they belong, we belong to God. Jesus redeemed us back to the Father. Preservation second Jesus who knows all things is praying for the protection from the dangers awaiting His disciples after his departure Verse 11 says I am no longer in the world. He's going Even while he was saying this he was still here, but he was thinking after I'm no longer going to be here, Father. That's the way he's praying. But they're going to be here. And what happens when the shepherd leaves the sheep? Here come the wolves. Here come the wolves. And he's praying for preservation. Father, I'm no longer going to be here. But I want you to keep them in the world. Keep them from the enemy, protect them, preserve them. The world's pleasures and problems can be overwhelming at times. While he was with them, he protected them and guarded them. He did not lose any except the son of perdition, Satan, who was never saved. A lot of folks say, oh, yes, he was. No, he wasn't. Nowhere in the world, the Bible even predicted that he would be among a false believer, a false, a pretender with the disciples. Soon they will be without their master teacher. Foreigners in a hostile environment. That's who we are. Bible says we have pilgrims and strangers here. This is not home for us, my dear brothers and sisters. Don't get too comfortable here. Watch it. Home is heaven. We're ambassadors here. We're here on a mission. We're here to testify of the goodness of the Lord. We're here to exemplify the grace of God, the mercy of God in the world, but not of the world. Therefore, hate it. That's what we are. Hate it because of who we represent. Don't take them out of the world, Jesus says. preserve them in it. And he does. And he does, as long as we stay in his word. What did David say? Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, a light along my pathway. Thy word is hidden in my heart. What do you mean hidden? It's deep down where they can't take it. I may not have the Bible, but I got the word in me for the purpose of protecting me from sinning. And third, Jesus prayed for their continual sanctification. He says, sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth. Keep them from the evil and make them good. Substantiate or validate your work of sanctification in them. Secure good resolutions. Have you been validated as a true Christian? I mean, really. If God would call you right now, are you certain that you'd be in heaven with Him? Are you sanctified in the truth of His Word? Is His Word richly abiding in you continuously? Are you growing in grace? Do you really know Him? I mean, really, do you know Him? I like what Brother John said this morning. Brother John, that was a beautiful class this morning. Thank God for you, brother. You don't come out of Sunday school, you're missing a means of grace that God has provided for us. God has blessed us here at this church. with wonderful teaching. What is the New York motto? I don't play lotto, but they say, you got to be in it to win it. Well, you got to be in the word. You got to be in the word, my brothers and sisters. And I mean on a 24-7 basis. You're not going to stand up against, and you're not going to be validated, and you're not going to be able to stand against the devil's weapons of destruction. That's right, weapons of destruction. if you don't know the word that's why he says sanctify them in the truth set them apart in the truth the word truth of the word you go along everyone knows you we meet people in there come along Tony and asked us all kinds of questions. You're a Christian. What does it mean to be a Christian? What do you mean you're a Christian? Well, I know Jesus. Well, everybody knows Jesus and know about Jesus, but they don't know Jesus. They know about Jesus. Some historical figure they figured, you know, but they don't know Jesus. But they're questioning you about your faith, about your belief. And God has said to us, be ready to give an answer of the hope that's within you. And you cannot give an answer of the hope if you haven't been sanctified in the truth of the Word. You must know His Word. You must live His Word. in order to fulfill his purpose. Let your light so shine that men may see the good work and glorify your Father in heaven. Are you shining? Yeah, you're shining in here. I see you're shining beautifully. But what about in your neighborhood? On your job, Are you ashamed to name the name of Christ? I mean, I'm not talking about wearing a big Bible on your arm and a cross and going around, hallelujah, praise the Lord, everybody. I'm talking about the way you live, the way you perform your job, your work. Are you a witness? Is your light shining? Is the Word of God living out and through you? Or are you a hypocrite? Now what can we glean from this priestly prayer of Jesus? We must admit to the fact that we are under new management. I like that. You go around every now and then and you see, under new management. You are under new management if you save. Satan no longer has dominion over you. You're no longer in his kingdom. You are a child of God. Under new management means you got a new authority, a new head who's making plans for new direction. We must refuse the temptation to compete with God or complain about how he plans our future. Why are we Christians always questioning God about what he's doing in our lives? Why? Oh God, why this? Why me? Why now? Why not you? Why not this? Why not now? Whose property are you? Who redeemed you? Who do you belong to? He is the potter. We are the clay. He molds us, bending and mending as it pleases Him. That's right. We're under new management. But sometimes the new manager has to go in and do some work. with the team that he's now managing. There's a lot of old stuff that the new manager has to deal with. There's some old stuff that we've got to, God has to deal with with us. Some old attitudes. Some terrible dispositions. Some false ideas. Jeremiah 17 verses 7-8 says, Blessed is the man whose trust is in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. Not like that. My trust is in the Lord and my trust is the Lord. I am not concerned about anything. Why? Because I know who's sovereign, who's in control. Songwriter says, I know my heavenly father watches over me. Though sea billows roll, he keeps my soul. 24-7, he watches over us. Then it goes on to say, for he will be like a tree. That is the man whose trust is in the Lord. You ever see a tree by the water? Hallelujah. You look at the tree by the water. You ever notice a tree by the water? Well, listen to what the word says. A tree planted by water that extends its roots by a string and will not fear when the heat comes. But its leaves will be green. And it will not be anxious in a year of drought, nor cease to yield fruit. You hear that? No matter how hard it might be, no matter how difficult it is, when your trust is in the Lord, You are that tree by the living water You ain't gonna dry up You ain't gonna give up you ain't gonna give up and you ain't gonna give in Because there's a constant replenishing water of life flowing from the father to the tree Are you connected to him? Are you connected to him? Are you by the water? Are you on the desert? Let me tell you, the water of the word, sanctify them in thy truth, thy word. You wonder why some Christians stand up under the pressure. You know, how many of you, you don't have to raise your hand, think about, you ever read the Fox's books of martyrs? You know, you think about we're going through, we ain't going through nothing. We talk about, oh Lord, oh, me, me, me, me, me. Come on, saints. Light affliction you're going through, I don't care what it is, compared to the saints of old, who were torn asunder, thrown to the lions, put in fires. Everybody didn't come out like they said about Meshach and Abednego, you know. Everybody didn't come out to the lions then. But they stood fast because of the Word. They held on to the promises of God. It's not what you see that counts, my brother. Faith ain't what you see. If you can see it, it ain't your faith. Faith is in who you know. I know in whom I believe. How about you? I know When it's all over down here where I'm going, how about you? I know that his word is true. How about you? I'm steadfast, unmovable, abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that my labor in the Lord is not in vain. How about you? God will persevere with us until the day of Jesus Christ. Jesus told his disciples that he was going away, but he said to them, I will not leave you comfort less. We too can rest on the same promise. We know that in this world, we are going to have tribulations of all sorts, but because Jesus has overcome the world, we have overcome as well. You know you're overcoming with Him? Do you know that? Are you convinced of that? That there's nothing that can separate you from His love? There's nothing? Your sickness? Your loss of job? Your unsaved spouse? Your unsaved children? That contrary boss? You're God's property. Nothing can separate you from His love. You're under new management. And He's looking after you. He's a good shepherd, Michael. He's a good shepherd. He's not a hireling. He's not going to run off on you. He's going to see you all the way through. All the way through to the end. You can trust Him. Are you sanctified in the truth? Don't become distracted by what you see going on all around you. Your divine protector, your good shepherd, is looking out for you. His promise is never to leave or forsake us. What a comforting thought that is. My wife was very concerned about me. And that's natural for a wife to be concerned about a husband, a spouse to be concerned about a mate. For months, the hacking cough, the restless nights. I never complain. I'm not a complainer. You know, I come from a... I haven't shared this with many of you, but my father was a What a role model he was for me. A man of men. A man among men. He wasn't an educated man, but he committed himself to the Lord his whole life. He was sold out for Christ. And he told me, son, if you You're never one for any good thing. You'll never worry about anything. God will see you through. On his dying bed, he died of esophageal cancer. That's why we were so concerned about me. But you know, he never claimed cancer, Tony. He never said, oh, they say I got that thing. He never claimed it. Never in pain. He just slept away one day. I never forget the last time I went to see him. They told me he wouldn't make it through the night. And I prayed. I said, God, you know, because I was holding on. You know, you know how we hold on to our love. But I didn't want to. That was my mentor, my dad, my bulwark. I said, Lord, don't take him. Don't take him. But he wasn't getting any better. And then one day I said, Lord, if you're not gonna heal him, take him. And you know, death is a healing. Do you know that? Folks don't understand that. To be absent from the body, the Bible says, if you're a Christian that is, is to be present with the Lord. The Apostle Paul says, this old earthly tabernacle shall be dissolved. We ain't gonna live forever. It ain't about here anyway. It's about up there. Aren't you looking forward to going home? We sing about it, don't we? I want to go where Jesus is. Heaven is home. Well, you got to die to get there. You got to die to get there. And when I released him, I'll never forget the last time I went to see him. I said, Pop. It was hard, but I said, it's all right. I'm going to stand for what you stood for. That's the word. I'm going to hate what you hate, everything that's not like God. And I'm going to be faithful like you to the end, for that's what the call of every Christian is. Be thou faithful only when things are going well, Is that what it says, Sister Barbara? Be thou faithful as long as you feel like it. Be thou faithful unto death. We're on a journey. My brothers and sisters, you who are in Christ are on a journey. And you young folk, you better catch up. You're never too young. You're never too young to die? Do you know the Lord? Have you called out for Him to save you? Have you asked Him to have mercy on you? I go by the cemeteries. I see young as well as old grave markers. Things are out of man's control, but they are not out of God's control. We are born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ to an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled. I like that. Which will never fade away because it is reserved for you and you're protected by the power of God. And how powerful is God? He's all powerful. What can separate us from his love? Nothing. Who can lay any charge against God's elect? No one. God has purpose to complete the process of sanctification through his word. We must read it, meditate on it, and apply it to our lives 24-7. No word, no truth. No truth, no fruit. No fruit, no root. No root, you're dead. What kind of application can we get from this lesson? Who owns you? Who owns you? I'm asking you a question. You don't have to tell me. You know, and God knows. Are you satisfied or are you anxious? Are you satisfied with what God's doing in and through you? Or are you anxious? Who protects you? Uncle Sam, the military might of America? That's who you're looking to? You're in the United States, the greatest country in the world, the most powerful nation on the face of the earth, and that's who you're looking to to protect you? What is his purpose? for us, for you, for me. I tell you what it is, to be conformed into the image of his son. And let me tell you something, brothers and sisters, that's a work. And you know what? He's going to complete that work. And sometimes it's through the fiery trial of difficulty, whether it be sickness or whatever, you name it. Domestic trouble, political, whatever it is, He'll put you through. That's why He tells us to rejoice when you find yourself into various, oh, King James, I can't remember the NAV, King, oh, I like the old King James. When you find yourself into diverse temptations, that's what it says, I think, in the King James. Look out, rejoice, because you have need of patience. So let patience have its perfect work. That is, its completed work in you. So it's not about Lord, why me? Why this? Why now? If why not me? Why not this? Why not now? If it's going to make me more like Jesus. Church I came out of said, I want to be more like Jesus every day. Every day, I want to be more like Jesus. We should sing that. I want to walk more in his perfect way. I want to talk just like him. I want to live just like him. I want to be just like him more and more every day. Sanctify them in thy truth. His word is truth. I hope that's your desire. Lord, sanctify me by the truth of your word. Anything in me that's not like you, take it out. Purify me, Lord. Break me, make me. Have thine own way, Lord. Father God, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the priestly prayer of our Savior Jesus Christ. Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth. Keep us from the evil one. Preserve us in the world. You are the proprietor. We are under your management. Lord, if there'd be someone here today who've heard your word and wonder, what about me? We pray that there will be no rest for them until that rest be found in you. You have assured us that if we would ask, we would be given seek, we would find knock, and the door would be open. And you don't make no false promises. Bless your people today through your word. sanctify them wholly for this is my prayer in Jesus' name.