I'm reading several verses, beginning in verse number 9. Having talked about his disciples, he says to the Father, I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine. and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are. while I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me, I have kept, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition that the scripture might be fulfilled. That's reading verses nine through 12. Verse 12 is my text tonight. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me, I have kept. And none of them is lost, but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. You may be seated. It was my privilege to go to the Holy Land on several occasions in the past. And near Jerusalem, as we had come back from the hill country, the tour bus that was about, they usually kept them about 30 minutes apart, tour bus 30 minutes ahead of us somehow had gotten off the edge of the road and because of the wet ground had sunk down on that one side, he could not get it out. So they had sent for someone nearby, which happened to be a logger. He brought his truck and and hooked the chain to the bus, pulled it back up on the hard top. On the side of the hill there was a shepherd and his little flock. I'm sure this was more entertainment than he had had in over a month. And he kept bringing those sheep a little closer and a little closer so he could see what was going on. Of course, when the sheep got down close to the bus and to our bus while we were situated there, they wanted to check around. They wanted to check things out themselves. I'll never forget that shepherd getting in a very fast pace and going to each little sheep and getting it back off the road, getting it back up on the grass, up on the hill. Oh, how he managed his flock. Of course, I was glad they came down because I got some sheep pictures that I never would have gotten any other way. In these verses tonight, we have Christ's words, I have kept these that thou hast given me, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. Of course, earlier in that great account, of the shepherd and the sheep in John chapter 10. Jesus described in four or five ways the role of an hireling. First he said, he that is an hireling and not the shepherd whose on the sheep are not. Secondly, seeth the wolf coming. Thirdly, and leaveth the sheep and fleeth forthly, and the wolf catcheth them and scattereth the sheep. But then the Lord Jesus said in a couple of verses later, I am the good shepherd. It's a very interesting arrangement of words, it could be rendered, I am the shepherd, the good one. I'm not like the hireling. I know my sheep and am known of mine. So tonight we come to the I have of Christ's management. We've looked in the previous services at the I have of magnification. I have glorified thee on the earth. And the I have of ministry. I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And last night from verse 6, the I have of manifestation. He said, I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world." Tonight, he makes it clear that he's the shepherd that knows how to manage his sheep. I have kept them. None of them is lost. With his help tonight, I'd like to draw three conclusions from the text. Let me mention my thoughts. I want to say a word or two about the flock. The flock of Christ's management. Those that thou gavest me. Then I want to talk a minute about the force of Christ's management. He said, while I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. those that thou gavest me I have kept. Then lastly, I want us to look at the fulfillment of Christ's management, one of which involved fulfilling the scriptures. The I have of Christ's management. Let me begin by saying a word or two about the flock. I wrote a song many years ago entitled, Fear Not, Little Flock, based on the text where Jesus said, it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the King. And here we see how Christ manages his little flock. He said, while I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me, I have kept. Now, as we think for a few minutes about the flock that he managed, we're made aware of the shepherd's presence. The shepherd's presence is mentioned. Keep in mind, he's getting ready to leave his people. He's going back to the Father. But he says, while I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Now it's not that he's no longer in the world, but he has going back to the Father on his heart. And he speaks as though he's already there. While I was with them, in the world, I kept them in thy name." The shepherd's presence is mentioned. Now, oh how we need his keeping power. But there are times when we just need to know he is near. I read an interesting little illustration about a shepherd who said that in a bad storm or in a very dark night when the sheep seemed to get fidgety and they couldn't see him. He would take his long walking stick, the staff, and he would tap it on a rock. And he said just to hear that he was that close seemed to settle the flock. Sometimes I feel I need so much, I so much need His power. But then sometimes I just need His assuring presence. And Jesus said, while I was with them in the world, I kept them. And I was there with them. Then we not only have the shepherd's presence, mentioned. We have the shepherd's protection magnified. Those that thou gavest me, I have kept. I have protected. I have watched over them. By the way, this word kept is the same word that's used in Luke chapter 2 verse 8. where the shepherds kept their flocks by night. They were watching over them, taking care of them, protecting them. And here we're reminded of the idea of Christ's management of the flock. He manages his flock with his presence, with his nearness. with his closeness and he manages his flock with his protection. The Psalmist felt that when he said, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. You're protecting me. You're watching over me. And so we see, first of all, something about the flock of Christ's management. He's got a people that people were given to him by the father. And he said, I have kept them. Then I want you to notice two phrases. He said, I've kept them in the world. and I've kept them in thy name. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. I'm referring to this part of the verse to underline the force of Christ's management. He is not a poor, pitiful Jesus. But He is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all that we may ask of Him according to that power which worketh in us. You'll notice first of all, as we think about the force of His management, we're reminded of the authority of His force. I kept them in thy name. This has been big to me of late. All through the book of Acts, the issue at hand was not just that the people didn't like the disciples, but they were anti the name of Jesus. In fact, the disciples were told, we don't want you speaking anymore in that name. You remember Simon Peter said, there's none other name given unto heaven among men whereby we must be saved. The name of Christ was the issue. And he said, if you ask anything in my name, why would he say that? because his name is the authoritative factor of prayer. It isn't how loud I get or how eloquent one sounds. It isn't how quiet one is or how fast one prays. I was raised up in a mountain church. And we, I felt like we had to get in a certain gear before we really prayed. Any of y'all ride a horse? You know, that horse has got a certain gait. I felt like we had to get in a gait. Now I feel like some of my best prayers are just riding down the Lord, riding down the road and out of a desperate spirit crying out unto him, oh Lord, oh Lord. He's touched with the feeling of our infirmity. So Jesus said, Father, the force I've been managing the flock with has been in thy name. I've mentioned earlier that the name, as Jesus mentioned in verse 6, The name has to do with one's person, one's character. The name speaks of the individual. It isn't just the name John, it's the person John of whom you speak. And here Jesus said, Father, it wasn't that I just wanted to use your name, but that was my authority in dealing with my flock. I have kept them in thy name. And then you'll notice not only the authority of his force in thy name, but the arena of his force while I was with them in the world, I kept them. He said, Father, I'm leaving them now. I'm coming back But sit at thy right hand, Father, keep them. I have kept them, and I'm asking you to keep them. We saw that in those verses that we read. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are. What a prayer, what a petition. Sounds to me like they hope for us yet. We may be one as we are, he said. He not only managed the flock in the authority of the Father's name, the divine name, but he managed the flock in the arena of the world. He kept them. I wrote down a little word by Spurgeon. He said, you have been redeemed, but you must be kept. You have been regenerated, but you must be kept. Thank God we're kept, Simon Peter said, by the power of God. Somebody said, yeah, but you just don't know my back life, my previous life. And you don't know sometimes, Brother Hayes, about my doubts. And you don't understand some of my weak times, my feelings. No, I don't know all that. But I know that Jesus said while he was in the world, he kept them. And he's going to keep you and me by his sovereign power. by His divine enablement, by His authority in this world, in this world. Now we're not of this world, but we are in it. And we need His guardianship. We need His watch care. We need His protection in the world, in the world. When my girls got ready to go out on a public job. My oldest girl had been in college, got her in nursing school and got her nursing degree. She was getting ready to take the first job. And then our middle daughter. She had majored in music. When I was in Bible College. There was a woman in. on campus by the name of Miseries Herman. She taught voice. Her voice was the type of voice that would break glass. Not that it was terrible, but it was so powerful. And of all things, I criticized her the whole time I was in school, and of all things, they had her sing at my graduation. And then Angela came along and got to taking Special voice lessons. And I said on one occasion, Lord have mercy, and Miss Herman is in my basement, that little apartment where Angela stayed down there. But both of them said something to me about, Dad, now that I've got a job, do you have any word for me? Do you have something that might help me? And I encouraged my oldest daughter just to be herself. She has a great personality. She loves people. And she has done well by just being herself. And my middle daughter, I said to her, Angela, I've been thinking about this. If you don't do anything else, be thankful. I said to her, did you know that giving thanks does not cost a dime? Just thank everybody for what they do for you. I don't know if that's happened, but she's a very thankful individual. Just recently, Kathy and I did something for her. I don't know how many times she thanked us. Then when she got home, she sent us a text. Thank you again for thinking of me. And here may I say the Lord Jesus has not forgotten His sheep. He knows we're in this world. And we need His help. We need His grace. And He keeps us in this world. Glory to God. Somebody says, well, you don't have to worry about me. The world won't bother me. Good night. You're next. We need His keeping power. We need His authority. Now, before we go our way tonight, I want to come to that phrase, somewhat difficult, but somewhat blessed as well. He not only said, while I was with them, my little flock in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me, I have kept. We emphasized last night that God chose us and gave us to Christ. As the Bible puts it in several places, we're called his elect. No, I do not know why he would choose the likes of me. It's too late for anybody to worry about it. He's already done it. And so he has you who believe and others who believe. So he mentions it again. Those that thou gavest me, I have kept. And none of them is lost. but the son of perdition. The word perdition meaning destruction. But the son of destruction. That the scripture might be fulfilled. Having emphasized the flock of Christ's management. His little sheep. and the force of Christ's management in the Father's name and in the world He guards and watches over His own. I would underline thirdly tonight the fulfillment of Christ's management. Now, I'm not a carpenter. I always laugh at my own attempts to be a carpenter. Come in, I said, well, Kathy, I did a halfway job again. I halfway did it. Why is it that someone who knows how to be a carpenter, they never leave the indention of the hammer where they drive the mill. But when I drive it, it looks like it's about a quarter inch deep. I don't have the touch. At any rate. Jesus said, Father, I've not done a shabby job. I've not done a halfway job. I have fulfilled this task. First of all, we see the fulfillment involving the sheep. He said, I have kept them and none of them is lost. I read a little story years ago. I've never been able to find the article again, but I've never forgotten it. And the article said that the shepherds in some lands would laud and exalt the shepherd that did not lose a sheep for the whole season. They would have a celebration and he would be like the shepherd of the year because he had not lost a sheep. I'm going to tell you we're headed for a celebration and we're going to praise the shepherd who has never lost a sheep. to be lauded and praised and exalted forever and ever. Here he said, none of them is lost. The word lost indicates none are perished. None are perished. Not a one of them. None. Not one has perished. I want to tell you, brother, he has an unblemished record. The fulfillment is involving his sheep. He's not lost a one. And that does not mean that his followers were perfect. Does not mean that they did not have blemishes, but he had not lost one. Not one of them had perished. And so we have the fulfillment of Christ's management involving the sheep. None of them is lost. He's not bragging. It's like a hunter saying, I hit everything I shot there. But he didn't go with me. I guarantee you I've missed the target. Jesus is not bragging. He's just opening up to the Father. And He said, none of them is lost, Father. They're all here. Now you can imagine a shepherd leaving his sheep, putting them in the fold, and maybe leaving them with the caretaker for a few hours. And then he comes back and he counts them and says, they're all here. The Lord Jesus says, Father, none of them are lost. They're all here. And so there's the fulfillment, firstly, involving the sheep. But then there's the fulfillment involving the scriptures. None is lost. but the son of perdition that the scripture might be fulfilled. Now there are those who would believe that Judas Iscariot could have been saved. But this is pretty forward, isn't it? This is rather clear. He's the son of perdition. He is the one that is lost. What scriptures were fulfilled about it then, Tom? Well, you might want to turn with me to a couple of verses in the Psalms. Psalm 41 and verse number 9 was being fulfilled in Judas betraying Christ. Here before it ever happened, before there was a Judas, before there was a little flock. The scripture says, Psalm 41 verse nine in a messianic tone. Yea, mine own familiar friend in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. John chapter 13 and verse number eight. shows that this is a reference to Judas. John 13, verse number eight, Peter saith unto him, thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, if I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Notice earlier, verse two says, and supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him. Here he's lifting up his heel against the Lord Jesus. Then look at Psalm 109. Psalm 109. Verse number 8. Let his days be few, and let another take his office. The reference involved with this in the New Testament is Acts 1.20. And also in John chapter six, we have this word, John chapter six and verse. Well, I've got the wrong verse written down. I apologize. At any rate, he certainly betrayed the Lord Jesus. And it was prophesied. It was set before, set forth before this hour. And then Jesus referred to it a couple of times in the Gospel of John. Here we have Jesus saying, none of them is lost but the son of perdition that the scripture might be fulfilled. Oh brother. Judas Selling Jesus, betraying Jesus was something that had been prophesied. Something that had been predicted. Of course, you know that he went to his place, the Bible tells us. He was the son of perdition, the son of destruction. Oh, Lord Jesus. What a sobering thought! May I say, the same sun that melts the snow hardens the clay. And some are a saver. The gospel to them is a saver of death unto death. But unto us who are saved, it's a saver of life unto life. I thought about this matter of his flock being kept. It's really not a bad idea here. There can be bad ideas, like a canary in a cage. That's pretty bad, isn't it? Instead of letting the bird have its freedom. We keep it, but we keep it in a cage. And then what about a coin? It's good to keep money in a safe, but if it's not usable, the keeping of it is in vain. You do know that once you leave in this world, your youngins and grand youngins are going to fight over it. Just a little word of warning there. So if you'd like to keep that from happening, just put me in your will. Lord, help me and have mercy on me, Jesus. This keeping the flock is not like keeping a bird in a cage. And it's not like keeping a coin in a safe. And it's not like keeping a prisoner or a captive in a cell. Here's my thought. It's like a mother keeping a child in her arms. Kept safe in the night. Kept safe during the storm. Kept safe when you don't know what the child is fearing. And Jesus said, Father, those that thou gavest me, I have kept. I've not kept them like a prisoner in a cell, or money in a safe, or a bird in a cage. I've kept them like a baby in a mother's arms. Sheltered in the arms of the Father. of Christ's management. He's taking care of us tonight. Yeah, but Tom, you don't know what I've gone through. No, but the shepherd does. But you don't know what I'm facing. No, but the shepherd knows. Yeah, but you don't know the pain I feel. No, but the shepherd knows all about it. He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. He's touched with our needs, with our limitations. May the Holy Ghost help us to benefit from this language, I have kept them. I have kept them. Aren't you glad it's not somebody else? He's the keeper. He's the watcher. He's the good shepherd. The good shepherd. Hallelujah. The I have of Christ management. You've been so patient. God bless your hearts. Would you stand with me, please?