THINE THEY WERE
John 17:6 ¶ I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
These words are part of the glorious prayer that we are most blessed to have preserved for us, prayed by the Eternal Son to the Eternal Father, just prior to his crucifixion. We must approach such glory in an humble, worshipful spirit and never with just a human curiosity! For the essence of his glory is unapproachable! 1Timothy 6:14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: 15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; 16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
None but the God himself can fully know God! But we have the precious benefit of having Divine Mediation to reveal unto us that which is essential to our salvation! John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. Matthew 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 19:35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
And if there is one thing that the Holy Son of God makes us know is that every soul for whom he is to atone, were first the Fathers. And that the Father gave them to him for the purpose of causing them to know the Father! John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? John 10:30 I and my Father are one.
But how were they the Father’s to give them to the Son? They were his in an eternal love. They were his by his own eternal choice. No one else existed! No angel. No Adam. No atom! It was just his electing love choosing them beforetime! Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Therefore the Lord Jesus prays that all thine in eternal election, are mine for redemption here in time. And then he repeats this from the opposite stand point when he prays, all mine are thine! The atonement was as wide as the Father’s electing love. 1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
But the Father did not give them to his Son in such a way as to give them away from himself! For it is the Father’s love that preceded the actual redemption of the Son. There is no division in the Godhead! For eternal life is given and secured at the “hands” of both the Father and Son. And the Holy Spirit preforms and secures all of their redemption! John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and my Father are one. John 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Also we should notice in this prayer the various phrases Christ used that most definitely attribute all which he ministered to the peoples to be from the Father. Notice in verse six of our text the two phrases, thy name, and thy word. Christ ministered the name of the Father to all. For he clearly states that it is knowing the Father which is salvation! (See John 17:3). And he attributes all his own preaching to be only that of the Father’s word!
John 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
And it is not like we don’t have record of the Father’s actually speaking forth for himself! Consider these verses. Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Matthew 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
John 12:28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
2 Peter 1:17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
And Genesis 1:26 clearly shows that there is communion and communication within the Godhead! And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
And it is also clear that the Holy Spirit, sent by the Son’s request to the Father, also speaks to the church that which he hears from God! John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Another thing which we must consider is that the Father’s giving not only reveals his love, but also reveals the origin of our faith. The scriptures teach us that faith’s origin is love! Galatians 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. And we truly know that God IS love! (1 John 4:8,16). And God so loved the world, that he gave … John 3:16. One cannot love without giving! And God giving his chosen people to his Son for their redemption was the origin and course which our faith took. John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. The Lord Jesus authored our faith when he, unlike any other man ever has, stood before God on his own merit! – And that by a faith which he originated! Here is his prayer of faith – For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27.
Dear Reader, just a casual reading of the first fourteen verses of the first chapter of Ephesians will reveal that the salvation of the soul is a three-fold work of the Triune God! The Father’s work is shown in verses three through six in his having chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world. The Son’s work is shown in verses seven through twelve as providing redemption and forgiveness through his blood. Then the Holy Spirit is listed in verses thirteen and fourteen as being the ernest of our redemption to seal us until the day of final redemption at the resurrection. And each and every one is said to do these things for the good pleasure of their own will!
I know that the Harlot system of religion has brainwashed us into believing that salvation is the work of man. But these verses give all the glory of redemption and salvation to God alone. And that’s where it belongs! Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
The Lord Jesus Christ not only reveals the Father to the elect, but he also reveals their new identity to them. For they are now a new creation in Him, old things having passed away, and all things becoming new! Therefore they cannot know themselves any more from the results of their natural birth! 2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. 16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
It is Christ alone, like the task undertaken by the first Adam, who names for identification his Bride of the new creation! Genesis 2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
John 1:42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. Revelation 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
It is grace that even defines the new-creation believer to himself! For none other that the Giver of the spiritual life can identify us. Therefore it matters not what others judge us to be, he is the sole definer of our being! 1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 4:3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
1 John 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. 20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
When the Apostle Peter was questioned by the Lord as to there being love in his heart for the Lord, he had to defer the answer of the question to the Lord. His heart condemned him. So God, who is greater than his heart, had to settle the matter Himself! Peter uses the phrase thou knowest two times to make sure that it was Christ interpreting his nature for him! John 21:17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
Dear Soul, it won’t be your religious track record, nor your biblical knowledge, nor your affiliation with any group on earth, religious or otherwise, that shall gain you entrance into an eternal glory! It will be whether Christ has named you as a new creature or not! John 10:3 …the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
Pastor Gene Breed
March 27, 2015
