Let us turn back to the portion we have read, and we have read in the gospel according to John, in chapter six. And we want to center our attention on words that we find in verses 39 and 40 in their context, and as the Lord enables. 39 and 40, this is the Father's will, which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day. These words at the end of verse 40, I will raise him up at the last day. There will come a final day in the history of this world. Bible tells us much about it. It will be a day when graves will give up their dead. The oceans will give up their dead. It will be the day of judgment. It will be a day when the Lord will say to those who were his and are his, come ye blessed. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the world. And it will also be a day when he will say to those who have rejected all the orators of the gospel, who have neglected them indeed, depart from me, and to the place prepared for the devil and his angels. It's an awesome day. But of that day, notice that the Lord Jesus Christ says, there are those whom he is going to raise up at the last day. And he's particularly referring there, not just those who will be raised up to damnation, but he's speaking of those who will be raised up to glory. All this in the context of the sermon that he has been preaching, that he himself is the bread of life. What we want to do tonight is to look at who are those whom Christ will raise up on the last day to glory. What is it that we are told of them? basic teachings of Scripture that you have heard before, that we look to the Lord to bless to us again on this occasion. First thing we can say of those who is going to raise up to glory, they are the elect of God. Notice how that is brought out before us in these two verses, 39 and 40. that of all which he had given me, the father gave to the son in his electing purposes in the everlasting council. From all eternity, before there was a speck of creation in being, before an angel was formed indeed, the all-prescient eye of God saw mankind not yet formed, but he saw them nevertheless with his all-prescient eye, and he saw them in the repulsiveness and sinfulness of their fallenness. He viewed them as fallen creatures. And from the midst of that fallen constituency, he chose to himself a people, He passed by some, but he chose to himself a people out of this constituency, and he gave them to his son with the purpose that his son would redeem them and be their savior. That is basically the doctrine of election. and none are going to be raised up at the last day to glory but that elect, those whom the Father gave to the Son and those whom the Son came to redeem. That is the first truth that we have concerning those whom are going to be raised up at the last day to glory. There was no compulsion on the father to choose any. Correct that, there was no external corruption. There was no external compulsion on the father to choose any. Look at how the fallen angels were committed to eternal perdition. And just as that was the case with them, so it could have been the case with the whole constituency of fallen mankind. The compulsion is an inward compulsion, his own grace and love. He chose a people in love. The wonder is that he chose any at all. And any who was found here this night, As a believer with a hope of glory, well, the wonder of the wonder that I should be among them. All of grace, all of God's mercy. But those whom he will raise up at the last day will belong to that constituency of the elect of God. Secondly, we can say this, The ones who we will raise up at the last day to glory, their redemption price, the price to redeem them fully has been fully paid. The redemption price has been fully met. Now you know this basic truth of scripture also. They were given to the Son in the everlasting council to redeem. And in the fullness of time, according to the plan of God, the second person, God, the second person, took our nature into union with his own divine person. He became man in that way. He didn't cease to be God, but he became man. He took our nature to himself in the miracle of the incarnation. And he came in our nature to be the redeemer of the elect of God. What was required of him? I've used the words before that the words of William Cunningham. what was required of him as the Redeemer, that he would bring forth the righteousness, the obedience, that he would bring forth the righteousness, which the righteousness of God himself, the perfect righteousness of God himself, requires of him to require of us. Christ, was to stand in the Roman place of his people and meet that requirement in their Roman place. And that he has done. What was the requirement necessary made upon them? Well, the requirement that the righteousness He must meet everything that was required of them in Adam before he fell. And he must meet everything that was required of them in Adam after having fallen. All mankind was in Adam, in his fallenness. Adam, in his unfallenness, was required to give perfect obedience to the law of God in every jot and tittle. Now that Christ must do in the Roman place of his people. Perfect obedience to the law in thought, deed, word, and motive. That he did, you know, that after having been 30 plus years in this world, he could say, the prince of this world, referring to Satan, the accuser, the prince of this world cometh, but he will find nothing in me. Nothing but he could point at, accusingly at Jesus and say, there is sin there. Not in thought, deed, or motive. Perfect obedience to all that is required of us in Adam before he fell. But that was not enough, even if we had been a million years in this world. There was still further requirement that he meet the penalty due to his people as fallen in Adam. And you know that penalty, in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. Death threefold, temporal, spiritual, and eternal. Spiritually eternal, really one. Expulsion from God. Christ bore that, particularly on the cross. Not exclusively, but particularly, it reaches its climax there on the cross. He who knew no sin in himself was made to be sin. Particularly in these three hours of darkness, he bore the wrath and the curse. He bore the damnation of his people in their Roman place. He bore their hell in their Roman place. And he could say, at the end of that, it is finished. And when he said it is finished, everything that was required of Zanardim before he fell, and everything that was required of Zanardim when he fell, fully met. perfect righteousness that the righteousness of God requires of Him to require of us. Met in our substitute, in our substitute Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. And those who will be raised up at the last day to glory, well, this is true of them. They're in Christ and the righteousness of Christ is put fully to their account. And then thirdly, those whom the Lord will raise up to glory at the last day, they will be ones who will, let's find the words in their text, Verse 39 and 40. Verse 40, this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone would see of the Son and believeth on him. May he have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day. This is a requirement that will be met by all of them. They will be believers in Christ. they will have faith in Jesus Christ. Now you know your catechism, faith in Jesus Christ is our saving grace, whereby we receive Christ and, can't get the words in their full order now, and lean the whole weight of our soul's security upon his passion and finished work. That's what happens when we believe. It's not just that we believe intellectually, it's that we trust. It's like we lean the weight of our never dying soul security upon his passion and finished work. We acknowledge that we contribute nothing at all to this salvation, but our sin. The glory of it belongs exclusively and entirely to Him. Now I hear you asking a question. How can I believe, how can I have that trust in Christ when I am dead in trespasses and sins? It's a good question. Or some might even be saying, you're bringing another statement to us here tonight. Some might be saying, well, only the elect are going to be saved. And if I'm in the elect, well, I'll be saved. If I'm not in the elect, there's nothing I can do about it. A fatalistic approach. but there is a responsibility that belongs to us as creatures, an accountability that belongs to us. Admittedly, admitted first and foremost, I cannot of myself believe. I am dead in trespasses and sins. I cannot do it. I can shut my eyes until I see sparks. And I cannot, of myself, have that trust in the Saviour. I want the glory of that to belong to myself. I cannot bring myself to bring the glory entirely to somebody else. It goes against my fallen nature. I cannot do it. It's a truth. You're right to say that. but the responsibility is still you. There is one who can help. And it is your responsibility and privilege to call for that help and helper, the Holy Spirit of God. and what you cannot do, he can do and enable you to do. And that is your responsibility to seek the help of the Holy Spirit to enable you to do what you cannot but must do yourself. And you know, When you actually ask for that help of the Holy Spirit, it will never, it will never be withheld. Never ever will a father withhold that request from those who truly ask for it. And it's our responsibility to ask prayerfully. Is it not written that if a man If a son asks for a fish, will a father give him a serpent? Well, if that is true in the world, it is much more true in this spiritual sense that when we ask for the help of the spirit, no serpent will be given, we will be given the spirit to help us. And it's our responsibility to seek that help. to enable us to do what we cannot ourselves do. It will not be withheld. Now you might ask, how then, when I ask for the Spirit's help, how will I know that I have received it? Well, the Spirit is invisible. God is invisible. But there will be some signs that you are to look for. that will indicate to you clearly that the spirit has been given to help you to do this. The way of salvation. The way of salvation as the spirit opens your understanding. Part and partial of this seeking the help of the spirit is we are to be directed to Christ. He directs us in the truth to Jesus Christ. Look at the way the text puts it. Verse 40. This is the will of him that sent me, that everyone that seeth the Son. Now, how do we see the Son? He's no longer on the earth as the man Christ Jesus. Well, we see him in the Word of God. So this means that the Spirit directs us to the Word of God. Search the Scriptures, Christ himself said, these are they that testify of me. We are to be directed there by the spirit who comes into the life of this person. Indeed, directs us not to himself. It's a gracious, humble passion, the Holy Spirit. He directs us to the Lord Jesus Christ. He's, verse 40 again, which seeth the Son and believeth on him. Now the seeing is not just that we have the record, but we are to contemplate, we are to study, we are to search the scriptures, we are to do so reverently as it points us to Christ, the Holy Spirit through the truth pointing us to Christ. And the Holy Spirit pointing us to Christ as the Redeemer that we just looked at. the way of redemption that we just looked at. And this will be a truth concerning everyone who are led by the Spirit in this quest. They will be fully satisfied with the way that God has purposed, planned for the salvation of my soul. I couldn't have, I couldn't have, I couldn't have, I could not even have thought of a plan so wonderful as the plan that is here, that the Son of God in my natures should meet the penalty, should meet the requirement of the law, should meet the penalty in my Roman place, should satisfy the requirement of my own conscience. It's something amazing. When there's that sense of amazement at it, as you study the scriptures, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as you contemplate the scriptures under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as you look to the way of salvation as it is in Christ, the name wonderful that's given to him in the scriptures is one that you would give to him yourself, even if it were never there in scripture at all. You see, that's the way that we are entering into responsibility. The Spirit is given and the Spirit will direct us and we must be subject to the Spirit's direction and brought to see with great satisfaction and great wonder and amazement the plan of God from all eternity. For the soul of a sinner such as I am, You have every reason when you are brought into that state to believe that you are trusting in Christ. Faith may be the size of a mustard seed. but he has brought you into that place of satisfaction and amazement that is in Christ crucified as your Redeemer. There's much that we cannot analyze here. There is a spiritual birth here. Wind bloweth when it Well, here is the sound of the percussive hotel, once it comes up, there it goes. We cannot go into great depths here, but surely this must be a part of it, that we are brought to a heart satisfaction with the way that God has purposed for the salvation of my soul and to be led to Christ and to receive him. to receive him in his passion, to receive him in his work, to receive him in the sufficiency and suitability of his blood, of his atoning death in the Roman place of such as I am. And at that moment, when you are enabled to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are justified. The condemnation that was against you as a sinner is taken away. You were in the condemned cell, awaiting the execution of the day of judgment. But the moment you're closed in with Christ, there is no condemnation to you in Christ Jesus. Your sins are forgiven. You're acquitted of all guilt. by the judge of heaven. And you have entitlement to eternal reward. And the judge declares you to be acquitted of all guilt and to be justified in his sight. There may or may not be a consciousness of peace with God. subjectively at that moment. In many there is a sense of great peace, but it's not so with everyone at that moment. There is peace with God objectively the moment you're closed in, but the subjective. Some have it and some don't at that moment, but you will have it later if you don't have it now. but the work of salvation is begun in your soul the moment you receive and rest upon Christ for the salvation of your soul, as he is revealed in the gospel. And there's every encouragement. The Savior himself is saying, come unto me all that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And very often with the poor sinner, he's burdened Where am I? In the midst of your perplexity and in the midst of your burden. Oh, he's not, he's not, he's not standing aloof. Come unto me, he says, and I will give you rest. He will give you peace of soul in his own time. Peace that the world cannot give. Peace that the world cannot take away. in himself. Well, that is a third thing that must be there, not just the elect, not just that the redemption price has been paid in full in Christ Jesus, but that you are now wonderfully, amazingly enabled to lean the weight of your soul security. upon him. Where else can you go? He alone has the words of eternal life. And you can say, although I was blind, now I see the beauty, the satisfaction, the wonder of the way of salvation so suitable for my soul's need, so glorifying to the Saviour, so suitable to my need. and work has been begun, it might not be so great in your consciousness as you would desire at that moment. But when you're closing with Christ, yes, I might correct that, you're closing with Christ and you're consciously closing with Him. Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling. The work has begun. And the fourth thing that is there with those whom he will raise up at the last day to glory, where he has begun that good work, he is going to continue it in your life. It's his work. Yes, you must be engaged with him, working out your salvation with fear and trembling. And trembling there will be very often, but notice Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God that works in you. God's work. Yes, you're engaged, but it's God's work, and where he has begun the good work, he will continue it, and he will bring it to fruition. A whole program of sanctification will be there. He will give you desires that you never had before in your life. This is another mark of those who will be raised up. What desires are these? Desires to serve him, desires to know him. Now, some might say, well, I've got that already. But this is a desire to serve him, to put him to put him in your debt? Is it a matter of desire of serving to earn salvation? No, that's not the desire I'm speaking about. Desire to serve out of a sense of indebtedness, not to put him in your debt, but out of a sense of indebtedness to him. What shall I render to the Lord for all his goodness, his all gifts towards me? there will be that desires to know him, desires to serve him, and desires to worship him, to know him. But you'll find also, you'll find also, before you're very far gone in that journey, that pilgrimage of salvation, that pilgrimage of sanctification, that there's still an evil principle of sin that cleaves to yourself. Scripture speaks of it as a flesh. And it speaks of what the Lord is doing as the spirit. And there's a tug of war going on. There's a civil war going on. The spirit against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit. Satan will be there saying, ah, you're just a deceiver. You're deceiving yourself. You're a hypocrite. No right to call yourself one of the Lord's people. the Holy Spirit will be there directing you to show you through the truth that you have the marks and spots of those who are His people. But that goes on in the life of those in whom the good work has been begun. They already have eternal life the moment they believe, but they don't have glory yet. They don't have possession of glory yet. That's what he's going to do at the last day. But when he's begun that good work, yes, there will be this warfare. Yes, the believer will be like a walking civil war. But when the Lord has begun, he will continue. We noticed some of that already this morning. He may very well have to chastise. He may very well have to put them through the furnace of affliction. He may well have to cleanse them of much dross that still cleaves to them. But where he has begun, he's going to bring it to its fullness. And all this will be true of those whom he raises up at the last day to glory, to the possession of glory, the elect of God. those who have been redemption prize fully paid, and those who are enabled to enter into that responsibility in the way that I've been trying to say, dependent upon the Spirit of the Lord to help them to do what they cannot themselves do but desire now to do. and who are brought to realize with satisfaction the amazingness of the plan of God for the soul and to receive Christ consciously. Very much in their weakness and trembling, but nevertheless trusting alone in Him. And where that work has been begun, the Lord will continue it. Until that day, Well, even beyond death, the soul of the believer would be made perfect in holiness. But as a naked soul, no longer, the body would be committed to the grave and remain covenantally united to Christ. But the soul goes to heaven. But on the day, that final day that we're looking at, body and soul would be joined together to enter into the full possession of glory to all eternity, or to be among them. And those who will be among them, they will be singing that song that we sang together. God's mercies I will ever sing, with my mouth I shall thy faithfulness, faithfulness of God to his own covenant, all of grace, I will not leave you, I will not forsake you. Thy faithfulness, thy mercy will be my song. Let us pray. We tremble as we stand on the threshold of consideration of the mighty work of the salvation of a soul. But we thank thee nevertheless, that thou art sovereign, and that the sovereign one is him. Whosoever comes unto me, I will in no wise cast out. And we are thankful to thee for that word, whosoever, that rules none of but in a sense, those who rule themselves. May we be enabled to enter into the responsibility and privilege through the enabling of thy Holy Spirit in the truth, who consciously, maybe tremblingly entrust the welfare of our never dying soul security. into the hands of the one who came and said, I am come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly. Friends, as of all that would be amiss but receive us where we stand on truth and take away iniquity. For Jesus' sake, amen.