 Again, the title of our sermon this morning is Forever His Forever His and we're in part four From John 17 verses 20 through 26 this paragraph and as we've been working through this paragraph We've seen many ways in which through the words of the Lord Jesus Christ here that we are forever his saved or Elect according to the foreknowledge of God and eternity past Saved drawn to God born again in time a drawn to himself Sanctified and eventually will be glorified in him We are forever his as we come to verses 25 and 26 now to close out this paragraph We could say this morning that we are forever his in love forever his in love That's communicated to us through these verses. He says in verse 25. Oh Righteous father the world has not known you but I have known you and these have known that you sent me I have declared to them your name and will declare it that the love with which you loved me May be in them and I in them. We are forever his in love You know the truth of God the truth of God accords with love God Isn't love in terms of the world's Conceptions of love his love accords with his nature accords with his attributes accords with his his character And so when you think about the love of God you think about a love that is holy Think about a love that is righteous You think about a love that is true that is steadfast that is faithful that is unwavering a love that is immutable a love that is infinite Not like the love that the world conceives of or that we see in the world in fact the truth of God the truth of God is often seen in the world today as Unloving If you stand for the truth of God you are labeled as Unloving you take a stand for the truth of God. You're intolerant, right? In fact the cardinal sin of the world is to be intolerant or to be unloving or to be exclusive In the way that the Bible describes being loving and exclusive in Christ Acceptance is loving Only as long as it is acceptance no matter what right No concern for the love of God here. No concern for the love of his truth No concern for the character of God the holiness of God right no concern for his Righteousness most people would consider the practice of church discipline to be Exorbitantly unloving But God is true and every man a liar God is true and God knows what love is We're gonna see in this text today John chapter 17 the Lord's love for us We're gonna see our love for the Lord right three points on your notes We're gonna see the love of the father for the son has expressed in verse 25 the love of the father for the son We're gonna see the love of the son for the father We'll see that in verse 25 some in verse 26 and then we'll see the love of the father for his own Manifest to them in Christ now remember that as we close this prayer The Lord is walking with his disciples 11 men Judas is off on his satanically Charged errand to betray him and we're coming to the end of their walk in verse 18 our chapter 18 verse 1 Jesus when he had spoken these words he went out with his disciples over the Brook Kidron Where there was a garden which he and his disciples entered the Garden of Gethsemane So we're coming up on the final chapter so to speak in the Lord's earthly ministry Before he will depart by means of the cross and he is now in John chapter 17 these last few verses here Closing his prayer to the father for them and again. He prays in their hearing right he he draws them into the prayer The purpose for doing that is so they'd be encouraged by this All right, even in his prayer to God the father He's instructing them by his prayer right and they're learning from his prayer And I tell you what from verses 20 to 26 really from verse 1 to verse 26 there This is chock full of reasons to be Substantially significantly overwhelmingly encouraged by what the Lord is praying here If you're a believer that I encourage you to meditate on these things and let them fill Your heart let them enlarge your heart for the Lord It's often isn't it that as believers sometimes we can we can read passages of scripture like this and if we're not if we're not careful if we're not thoughtful if we're not Seeking Christ or seeking the Lord in his word then we can Pass through a chapter like this and it's sort of in one ear out the other right my the only one that is guilty of that at times So that happens We especially a chapter like this read this Thoughtfully meditate on the goodness on the glory of God the love of God for his own This is a glorious text. There's much here to encourage The saint so let's dig in right as the Lord in verses 20 through 26 is drawing this glorious prayer to a close His disciples are listening in as he prays now although He is praying to God the Father he encouraging encourages them With a stunning purpose of his work It's a blessed ending to this prayer and a blessed Aim or purpose if you will of the work that he is doing and will do on their behalf He prays in verse 26. I've declared to them your name and I will declare it So that for the purpose that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them In other words, the Lord is praying right may the love you have for me be in them It's an amazing statement. We want to unpack this statement from our text. All right now We want to do that first by looking at point one The love of the father for the son the love of the father for the son Now remember as we get into our text here. The Lord is not praying for the world if you look at verse 9 He does not pray for the world He's praying for those that the father has given to him out of the world You look at verse 6. He's praying for his disciples And in verse 20, he's praying for all those who had come to believe in him through their word In other words, he's praying for those who he's chosen those who he's chosen in Christ from before the worlds began from before time began from eternity past. That's Ephesians chapter 1 he's speaking here specifically of that special and distinguishing love that God the father has toward us those who believe and that love rooted and Grounded in his own love for God the son Lord praise in verse 24 father I Desire that they also whom you gave me may be with me where I am that they may be hold my glory Which you have given me for or because You loved me before the foundation of the world in other words Bring about the consummated end of all your redemptive purposes toward them Bring them to heaven to behold my glory Because verse 24 you loved me right because the father loves the son the son Praise for this in verse 24 in other words think of it this way we talked about this a little bit last week the glory of Christ Fills heaven The glory of Christ fills heaven the heavenly city doesn't need the Sun doesn't need the moon to shine in it why Because the glory of the lamb Illuminates it right the glory of Christ fills heaven the glory of Jesus Christ fills and lights up heaven and that glory that fills heaven is an Eternal expression of God the father's love for God the son All of heaven will be an expression of God the father's love for God the son all Glory all honor all praise all worship of God the son is An eternal testimony of the father's love for the son now in verse 24 We're gonna behold that glory in heaven forever. So as much as that is Testimony of God the father's love for God the son It's also a testimony of God the father's love for us in that we get to see and behold him in glory and verse 26 Here's the amazing end to our prayer here We won't just see that glorious love Jesus prays here that we would experience it ourselves that we experience it ourselves The love of God toward us Love of God toward us seen in all the blessings that come to us by grace Comes as we've talked about by virtue of our union with Christ all Of the blessings of redemption applied All of the blessings all of those graces in God in Christ come to us by virtue of our union With him Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3 He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ So God the father loves us and he loves us in Christ We are Ephesians 1 6 accepted in the beloved Again this love the love of God the father for his own is not referring to a General love of God toward all people. It's not what he's talking about here This is referring to the love that God has for those whom he has chosen in Christ Those whom he has predestined to adoption as sons by Christ Jesus to himself That's Ephesians chapter 1 verse 5, right? So this is referring to his electing love his saving love redeeming love a love that he has only in Christ for his own And notice also in verse 24 this love began All of this began as an expression of love from God the father to God the son at the end of verse 24 before the foundation of the world That love of the father for the son as well as the the perfect expressions of love within the Trinity that love is Eternal it's timeless. It's timeless The love with which he loves the son is obviously eternal. It's obviously infinite immutable It's based upon the character of God himself and God the son is infinitely lovable, right? infinitely all together lovely Now what does this all mean this? Inter-Trinitarian love the love that God the father has for God the son and the character and the nature of that love What does all this mean with respect to the love that God the father has for his own? The love that God has for you and I if you're in Christ if you turn from your sin And you put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone to save you then this is the love that God the father has for you God the father God the son are perfectly unified in their saving purposes Right in their purposes in their plan their purpose to save us in him God the father has loved us in Christ Jesus his son and he has given us to the son before the foundation of the world before time began Because God the father's love for God the son is infinite because his love for the son is Unchanging his love to us who are in Christ is also Infinite and unchanging do you see all based upon the character nature of God? because God the father's love for God the son is steadfast Unfailing unflinching unswerving Then God the father's love for those in Christ is Unfailing steadfast faithful unswerving all those the father has given in love to the son cannot and Will not ever Be taken from him and that's based again. It's based in the character of God The nature of God it's based in the character in nature of his love for God the son and In that Trinitarian love it's the we'll get there in verse 26 the same love with which he loves the son that means that no one and Nothing will ever diminish the love that the father has for the son will never ever Diminish the love that the father has for his own Paul says it this way in Romans chapter 8 beginning in verse 38 Paul says I am persuaded that neither death nor life Nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth Nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord If you are truly in him the nothing will ever Snatch you from his hand a Blessed reason isn't it to pursue assurance of your salvation in Christ? Right to trust him to entrust yourself to him Fling yourself to the cross clean to Christ Nothing will ever take you from him. We are forever his In a redeemed humanity the direct recipients of God's unmerited favor That redeemed humanity will worship the Son as an eternal Testament to the infinite greatness of God's mercy grace and love in Jesus Christ our Lord So let me ask you this morning and thinking about these things. Are you in him? Are you in him? Have you turned from your sin? Are you trusting in Christ alone? Are you clinging to him by faith in the Son of God who loved you and gave himself for you? Are you clinging to him for the hope of heaven? Are you clinging to him that when you stand before God in judgment you will be declared in him to be innocent? Clothed in his righteousness Are you in him? Listen if you're not if you've never turned from your sin if you're still living for yourself If you're still living in your sin acknowledge your wickedness acknowledge your rebellion acknowledge your sinfulness Confess your sin to him come to him and be saved Turn to him this morning and be saved give your life to Christ and trust all that you are to all that he is And let him shed abroad in your heart the love of God in Christ Seek the Lord while it may be found call upon him while he is near To the glory of God right to the glory of his son To your everlasting joy Those who reject the love of God in Christ will forever glorify him in their torment That's the way this works. All right. This is the way this is If you reject the love of God in Christ, listen, there is no indifference here. There's no neutral ground, right? You love Christ Or if you reject his grace if you reject his mercy you reject that free offer of his love by your rejection You show hatred for him. You show contempt for him. There is no middle ground You're either in Christ. Are you a god hater? Turn from your sin turn from your rebellion turn to your only hope and be saved If you're not in him Then you will glorify God as an object of his wrath for all eternity Right, we're going to get there in this text, but God will administer his justice And in administering his justice he will do so on those objects of wrath that are eternal testaments Of his justice by there or through their judgment their torment their punishment so The love of God the love that God has for us Is rooted and grounded point one in the love of the father for the son Now we also see characteristics of this love point two in the love of the son For the father the love of the son for the father He begins in verse 25. He prays Oh righteous father The world has not known you but i have known you and these have known that you sent me The love of god the son For god the father is expressed in verse 25 By this statement I have known you Right, he says of the father. I have known you this wicked world doesn't know him Right this wicked world doesn't know him, but the son knows him perfectly Those of us in christ know him, but we know him partly we know him Dimly right now one day we will see him face to face But christ god the son knows him fully If you've never been born again If you've not had your life just radically transformed by the grace of god in christ Then you know about him And you're hearing about him this morning But rest assured you don't know him god the son knows him perfectly You know, it's a it's a far different thing to say right that I Know about someone Knowing about someone is far different than saying I know them right? I can say that I know about the president, but I cannot say that I know the president right It's a different there's a distinction in the words here and everyone understands that right the clear reading of the text Would make that clear God the son knows God the father Intimately john chapter 10 verse 30. Jesus says I and my father are one Colossians chapter 2 verse 9 for in him in christ Dwells all the fullness of the godhead bodily in other words. Jesus christ is Possessing the fullness of the divine nature in himself. So he knows god the father intimately knows him fully So the lord knows the character of god. He knows the nature of god He knows the the wisdom of god the mind of god the grace of god the mercy of god the holiness of god He knows the justice of god christ knows the father And therefore he addresses him in verse 25 like this Oh and listen to the word that he chooses righteous Father verse 11 he addressed him as holy father those two things closely related holiness and righteousness Here in love mind you right in love. This is the love of god the son for god the father. He addresses him Oh righteous father Entirely separate from sin Entirely separate from sin and in everything that he does Everything that he thinks everything that he says everything the purpose is in everything. He is righteous the psalmist says In psalm 145 verse 17 the lord is righteous in all his ways Gracious in all his works in other words Always good never evil Right always good never evil always true never false The love of god therefore the love of god is a righteous love The lawless the laws and commandments of god are righteous laws and commandments The judgment of god is a righteous judgment the wrath of god is a righteous wrath He is righteous in all his dealings with the wicked Now the lord jesus christ we know from scripture Delights himself in righteousness right So what does that say about his love for the father? It's a delighting love Right that god the son delights in love for god the father god the father delights in love For god the son and so the lord addresses him in this way because Righteousness Accords with love for god the father. Oh righteous father to know him then Is to delight in him To know him is to delight in his attributes to delight in his character Now you think about that for the genuine christian the genuine christian the one who truly knows him Is one who delights in him Delights in his righteousness delights in his holiness delights in all his judgments delights in all his purposes delights In his justice delights in his wrath To know him is to delight in him to delight in his character The one who knows him savingly will delight in him mathieu chapter five verse six The lord says blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled Hosea chapter 14 verse 9 for the ways of the lord are right and the righteous walk in them This address verse 25 this address of our lord to our righteous heavenly father Is made here in the context of this wicked world And it's in the context of this wicked world and we see it in contrast With those in verse 25 that do not know him this wicked world He says in verse 25 a righteous father the world has not known you That's because This world Is wickedly and offensively unrighteous Sin depravity corruption Nowadays right calling evil good calling good evil. It's rampant in our culture. It's Seemingly out of control seemingly out of control Like isiah as the lord prays this As we sit here today. We are a people of unclean lips and we dwell amongst the people of unclean lips Incidentally here. This is the world that he doesn't pray for That in verse 9 he refuses to pray for because they are unrighteous Right look look back at john 15 just one page to left john 15 and Drop down to verse 18 He's not praying for the world Listen verse 18 the lord says if the world hates you You know that it hated me before it hated you If you were of the world the world would love its own Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world therefore the world hates you Remember the word that I said to you a servant. It's not greater than his master If they persecuted me they will also persecute you if they kept my word they will keep yours also But all these things they will do to you for my name's sake because they do not know him who sent me If I had not come and spoken to them they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin He who hates me hates my father also see no middle ground with god Right no middle ground love or hate love or hate If I had not done among them the works which no one else did they would have no sin But now they have seen and also hated both me and my father But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law. They hated me without a cause Is it that the world didn't know about him? Is that what the lord is referring to here and back in john chapter 17 Is it because the world didn't know about him? No, the world knew about him, right? Many today know about him Many today know about him There's a distinction in the use of that word. These are those in the world who are Unregenerate they're not born again. They have not the spirit of god. They are none of his This is the unsaved masses. They have a nature That is enslaved To sin john chapter one verse 10 describes that christ was in the world And the world was made through him and the world did not know him didn't know him Certainly the most evident demonstration of that lack of knowing god Their utter ignorance of god was the murder of his own son Which is fast approaching in our walk through john The world does not know god's wisdom And it doesn't know god through their wisdom paul said in first christians chapter two verse eight None of the rulers of this age knew For had they known they would not have crucified the lord of glory They're blind in their ignorance Deaf in their ignorance dead in trespasses and sins They don't know him. They don't know him Listen to this the psalmist psalm two Describes the nations as raging against him and the people of the world as plotting vain things He says this in psalm two The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the lord and against his anointed saying Let us break their bonds and pieces and cast away their cords from us If you are here this morning, you've never given your life to christ Then your life has been a day by day hour by hour minute by minute effort to break In pieces the bond that he has over you But let me tell you this morning that is a futile and hopeless cause That bond is unbreakable. He made you he made you and wake up Listen, you're born into a covenant under him your creator Whereby in order to be justified with him you must live in perfect righteousness And you're sitting right now here sinning Breathing in his air in rebellion against him So how should the lord how should the lord who is righteous? How should he respond to such rebellion? Listen to verse four He who sits in the heavens shall laugh Now think about this with me for a moment This is frightening right. This is absolutely Terrifying our god is a consuming fire. He is not to be trifled with what you so that will you also reap God is not to be mocked and god To your petty little rebellion that you've got going god sits in the heavens and laughs The lord shall hold them in derision Then he shall speak to them in his wrath And distress them in his deep Displeasure This is omnipotent god who is angry at you. He is angry with a wicked every day He's not Loving you but angry with your sin He is angry at you Yet I have set my king. That's christ. I have set my king on my holy hill of Zion And I will declare the decree the lord has said to me. You are my son today I have begotten you ask of me god says and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession You shall speaking of the lord jesus christ here and the lord jesus christ coming in judgment You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel Now therefore be wise. Oh kings be instructed you judges of the earth Serve the lord with fear and rejoice with trembling kiss the sun Lest he be angry and you perish in the way when his wrath is kindled But a little blessed are all those who put their trust in him the wise warning The lord in this period of time holds out the free offer of grace in the gospel Right. He holds out an offer of grace and an offer of mercy that if you'll turn from your sin and trust christ alone Then you can be saved Right, but there will come a day When as the lord says my spirit will not always strive with men When his patience when his grace and when his mercy toward you runs out And he abandons you to your sin. It's called the wrath of god's abandonment He gives you over to a debased mind to do that which you by nature want to do And then judgment comes the lord jesus christ will come back in judgment Look at romans chapter one turn over there with me romans chapter one Look at verse 18 romans chapter one verse 18 And we're speaking about god and his righteousness And the lord jesus christ his righteous love for the righteous father verse 18 Paul writes for the wrath of god the wrath of god is revealed from heaven Against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in their unrighteousness Because what may be known of god is manifest in them for god has shown it to them For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes are clearly seen Being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power and godhead so that they are without excuse Because although they knew god you see They knew about god They did not glorify him as god nor were they thankful But they became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened professing to be wise They became fools Because god is righteous It's in his nature to be just All right, if you think about those two things together right because god is righteous It's in his nature to be just to be just that means No offense goes unpunished right no sin goes unpunished Because god is righteous and because he is just The world will receive those who don't know god the unbelieving world You today if you're here and you don't believe you've not put your faith and trust in him The world will receive the administration of god's righteousness god will Administer his righteousness toward those Who have sinned against him? It's called his retributive or his punitive Justice and we've if you had mom or dad like i did you've experienced punitive justice before haven't you? Came at the broad end of a kuchata when you disobeyed It is by gods just penalty right And that just penalty being hell It's by that just penalty that god Vindicates or administers or exercises his righteousness on those who have sinned against him Justice then right justice demands that justice be done Justice demands that sin be judged It demands that sin be punished and that happens in one of two ways Happens in one of two ways to accord with the righteousness of god the father to accord with the righteousness of christ either one God's judgment the administration of his righteousness the Dolling out of his justice so to speak falls upon the guilty sinner In other words god's righteousness is upheld by punishing the sinner or to God's judgment falls upon a perfect and gracious substitute In falling upon a perfect substitute a perfect sacrifice god's righteousness is upheld And grace and mercy Is provided to the center in other words in his provision of a substitute righteousness and peace kiss as the psalmist says Here's where god's righteousness is revealed in the gospel look at romans 1 Back up to verse 16 Paul says in verse 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel of christ for the gospel of christ is the power of god to salvation For everyone who believes for the jew first and also for the greek For in it The righteousness of god is revealed from faith to faith as it is written the just shall live by faith martin hoy jones said it this way He said how can god be just? And justify the ungodly do you see the problem? How can god be just and yet still justify the ungodly? He says the answer is that he can Because he has punished the sins of ungodly sinners in his own son He has poured his wrath upon him He bore our Chastisement by his stripes. We are healed god has done what he said he would do He has punished sin He proclaimed this through the old testament everywhere and he has done what he said he would do He has shown that he had that he is righteous. He has made a public declaration of it He is just and can justify Because having punished another in our stead. He can then forgive us freely And he does so On calvary. He does so god was making a way of salvation so that you and i might be forgiven So in that blessed substitution of jesus christ for the rebellious sinner Your sin transferred to christ christ bears that penalty His perfect righteousness the righteousness of god in him his perfect obedience perfect life Transferred to you so not only not only are you seen in christ? As if you've never sinned But you're seen in christ as if you've perfectly fulfilled every requirement of god's law That you obeyed everything that you fulfilled the just demands of god's law So much more than just merely asking forgiveness, right? Go to the door you're witnessing to someone witnessing to someone not long ago. I just asked for forgiveness That's all you have to do to be saved, right? Just ask for forgiveness now. It's so much more It must be and can only can be appropriated by repentant faith David brainard was staying in the home of jonathan edwards in his last days This was not long before david brainard died went to be with lord And he expressed This thought this way He said oh the glorious time is now coming That's how he referred to his death I love that right The glorious time the glorious time is approaching a glorious time coming if you're not in christ It is a terrifying time If you're in christ, it is a glorious time Brainard said the glorious time is now coming I have longed To serve god perfectly listen to his heart, right? And now god will gratify those desires He often used the epithet glorious This is edward speaking When speaking of the day of his death Brainard said near night While I attempted to walk a little my thoughts turned to thus how infinitely sweet it is To love god and be all for him Upon which it was suggested to me Little devil whispering in his ear, right? You're not an angel Not lively and active In other words, you're not fit for heaven To which my whole soul immediately replied I as sincerely desire to love and glorify god as any angel in heaven Upon which it was suggested again, but you are filthy You're not fit for heaven Hereupon instantly appeared the blessed robes of christ's righteousness Which I could not but exult and triumph in And I viewed the infinitely the infinite Excellency of god and my soul even broke with longings that god should be glorified That's the heart of a genuine believer. Amen If you're in christ, that's your desire The the transforming work And the heart of a sinful rebel by the spirit of god and med made righteous in the blood of the lamb The notice here back in john 17 That Jesus didn't say that the world isn't religious He didn't say that the world isn't religious that the world doesn't know him So john eight if you remember john eight Lord's talking to obsessively religious people and telling them that they were of their father the devil I say one God rails against israel for their Contemptible attempts at worship God saying he hates their worship of him Because of the sin in their hearts This world is idolatrous paul talks about this world seeking to establish its own Righteousness, right? The jews not submitting to the righteousness of god in christ Do you know him? Do you know him? Turn from your sin turn from your sin and trust yourself to christ Know the one who can save your soul know the anchor of your soul It's that one who is right with god who goes to heaven Psalm 15 listen lord Who may abide in your tabernacle? Who may dwell in your holy hill? here's who He who walks uprightly and works righteousness and speaks the truth in his heart All this is a fruit of the spirit's work in the life of a believer. This isn't a works righteousness All right, this is a salvation that works. This is faith working the spirit of god working in the life of a genuine believer What does that look like who may abide who may dwell in your holy hill? Verse three he who does not backbite with his tongue nor does evil to his neighbor Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend in whose eyes a vile person is despised But he honors those who fear the lord He who swears to his own hurt and does not change He who does not put out his money at usury nor does he take bribe against the innocent He who does these things shall never be moved. Look with me at first john I'm gonna stay in john's writings here first john chapter two first john chapter two For the sake of time listen quickly first john chapter two beginning in verse three Now by this we know that we know him How do we know that we know him if we keep his commandments? We don't keep his commandments in our own strength If you're serving the lord from a pure heart of clear conscience That is a work of god's spirit We know that we know him if we keep his commandments not in a legalistic heartless ritualistic way But from the heart of love for Christ to the glory of god He who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar And the truth is not in him When the bible says evangelize you go evangelizing the bible says meditate on his word you meditate on his word When the bible says to love the lord your god with all your heart soul mind and strength you strive Heart soul mind and strength to do that. We're gonna obey those things perfectly. Are we gonna live sinlessly? No But it's the heart's desire and longing of every genuine christian to hunger and thirst for righteousness Verse five whoever keeps his word truly the love of god is perfected in him By this we know that we are in him. He who says he abides in him ought himself also to walk Just as he walked To know god Or rather to be known by him as paul would say Is to delight in him as the sun does to delight in his righteousness to delight in his character to delight in his laws The world does not know him Matthew 11 27 or 25 says this Jesus answered and said i thank you father lord of heaven and earth that you have hidden these things from the wise And prudent and have revealed them to babes Even so father for so it seemed good in your sight All things have been delivered to me by my father and no one knows the son Except the father Nor does anyone know the father except the son And the one to whom the son wills To reveal him So why is it that they do not know? Because it has not been revealed They and their sin reject the lord jesus christ And it is the lord jesus christ who will reveal the father to him to them So now in verse 25 back in john chapter 17 It's these that know that god the father has sent god the son verse 25 Oh righteous father the world has not known you but i have known you and these have known that you sent me The reason that we know him is because he's made himself known to us We loved him because he first loved us right And those that love him know that he has been sent by god God sent moses to deliver the people out of egypt God sent joshua to lead his people into the promised land god sent amos hosea isaiah mica jeremiah all those Prophets as covenant lawyers to turn his people from their sin He sent john the baptist preaching a baptism of repentance But none greater than the lord jesus christ his own son Last of all as the bible says he sent his son He's the prophet that moses was pointing to he fulfilled the prophecies of isaiah Joel amos john the baptist all just men none of them could take away sin Jeremiah can't deliver you out of hell So what did this world do? What have you done in your sin? Crucify the lord of glory It would it would be far better right it would be far better to be a slave in bondage in egypt Than to be a slave to your sin So we looked at the love of god the father for god the son we looked at the love of god the son for god the father And quickly point three. Let's look at the the love of the father for his own verse 26 I have declared to them your name And will declare it that the love with which you love me may be in them and i in them Love seen first His love seen first in the fact that he sent his son verse 25 Love seen secondly in the work of christ verse 26 I have declared to them your name and will declare it lord declared it in his earthly ministry preaching it to them he will declare it again in his Crucifixion in his resurrection in his ascension This is the lord's mission John chapter 1 verse 18 says no one has seen god at any time The only begotten son who is in the bosom of the father. He has declared him So this refers to the mission and work of the lord jesus christ to seek and to save that which was lost Loving his own who were in the world. He loves them to the end right That his name when he says i will declare your name refers to who god is The name refers to his essential character his essential nature Jesus christ declares god to us. That's what that means And you see that don't you the lord jesus christ being the express Image of his person every time the lord jesus christ Reaches out his hand and touches a leper to heal him Right. He's declaring god When the lord jesus christ Eight with tax collectors and sinners He's declaring god When he has compassion on people scattered as a sheep with no shepherd Lord jesus christ declaring the essential nature the essential character of god This revelation of jesus christ so complete so full in christ That the lord jesus christ could tell philip right if you've seen me you've seen the father Now all of this all of this comes to a staggering close And that close referring to the love that god the father has for his own jesus praise I've declared to them your name. I will declare it He will continue to declare it through the ministry of the holy spirit even now He is declaring god's name and he will declare it to his own the saint's in glory forever and ever heaven will be a glorious progressive Coming to a fuller and fuller knowledge of the glory of god in christ that same Infinite immutable steadfast faithful love with which god the father loves god the son Is the same love with which he loves those who are in christ Not as natural sons, but as adopted sons. You see the difference In he says that the love with which you love me baby in them that word in doing double duty in this case One it means in the believer the love of god shed abroad in your hearts by the spirit of god right that you Have an experience of that deep unspeakable insurpassable love of god the father for his own Shed abroad in our hearts, but also here the in means among believers And that love Experienced among believers in how we love one another in the church Ties back into that unity for which the lord prays earlier in our paragraph here That love in and among believers we are to love one another as we've been loved Now that love Being expressed here by verse 26 doesn't come In degrees to us. This is something important to think on to meditate on Because that love is in his son And his love for his son is infinite perfect Endless steadfast unwavering faithful Then that love toward us in christ is infinite Is unswerving is unfailing It doesn't come in degrees toward us to us in christ in christ He loves us as he loves his son first john chapter 4 As he is so are we in this world which is a staggering thought so That ought to strengthen you that strengthens me right emboldens me Not to give up and lay down and wallow in my sin But to keep fighting in listen when you sin Don't run for the bushes To cover yourself in your sin to hide yourself from the faith face face of god, right? Run to christ Where there's forgiveness for sin where that love is in all its fullness in him That doesn't mean that god isn't displeased with you and your sin But that's a fatherly displeasure. He loves you With the love with which he loves the son That should empower you right Strengthen you give you encouragement We have often because of our sin that love doesn't come to us in degrees, but we have Varying degrees With which we experience that love don't we when we're in sin We don't experience the fullness of that love sometimes we feel the heavy weight of god's hand is chasing hand upon us It doesn't change the essential nature of that love the essential quality or in quantity of that love But sometimes the our experience of that love changes based on our own sinfulness that is completely our own doing So when you think about the love of god in christ toward you Right we we should Think about seriously forgiving The way that god in christ has forgiven us right god in christ just He forgave us in christ Our sins have been done away with so it's how can you then Having been forgiven like that turn and for A hundred denarii debt Put your hands around the throat of your spouse Or put the your hands around the throat of your brother your sister forgive We should love one another as we have been loved in christ and all this just Strengthens me. I hope it does you too right to know that the lord jesus christ in john 17 Prayed this prayer for you prayed this prayer for me And now he ever lives in heaven making this continual intercession for us he continues to make intercession This is glorious john chapter 17 it just Gives me joy to think of our lord in heaven making intercession like this for us Before the throne of god continuously so grateful So how should we respond? How should we respond? First john chapter 3 verse 1 And there's so many texts so much that could be said about this John says behold Behold what manner of love the father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of god Therefore the world does not know us because it did not know him Beloved Now we are children of god and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be But we know that when he is revealed we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure We hunger we thirst for righteousness right with brainered With all our hearts we desire to be pleasing to him. Let's pray father in heaven Thank you for this text of scripture. Thank you for the lord's prayer here on our behalf and We rejoice to know that you always hear him That he has those petitions that he's asked for And that we are the beneficiaries of those if we've turned from our sin and put our faith in you Or we don't trust in our works. We don't trust in our own merits. We're not Out seeking to establish our own righteousness lord, but I pray that we're trusting in you alone Putting our faith in you and trusting ourselves to you For your righteousness That you have paid the penalty for sin and it will be clothed in your righteousness when we stand before god one day Thank you lord for that Infinite unspeakable love that you've shown us in your son And thank you lord that we will Enjoy and be satisfied and will worship and revel in that love for all eternity for your glory in jesus name We pray amen