[0:00] We are going to begin our service and we are going to be singing in Gaelic from Psalm 74.
[0:13] Psalm 74. We can read these verses first of all in English. Verse 9.
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[1:16] These verses beginning with Psalm. Verse 9. And so on. And so on.
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[10:11] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. companionship is concerned. But you are a friend indeed. You are a friend in need. You are someone who has promised to be with your own wherever they are. Grant to them a sense of their presence, that they may be comforted by it. Open the eyes of their understanding as they turn to your word and as they consider it, that they may know the truth of it in their own personal experience. We pray for your people who are engaged in the activities of the world. They are in the world but not of the world. We pray that you would bless them and keep them and keep their eye upon yourself. For in this difficult time we know that it is easy to be distracted by the things that are going on in the world. It is a world that is full of sorrow and full of uncertainty for many. It is a world that is so embroiled in worldly activities that when they are denied and when they are curtailed, that that world is turned upside down. And yet you teach your people in the midst of all these things that this world is not everything. This world is not at home. It is but a staging post to an eternal reality from which they will not be severed. We pray that you would encourage your people to go on in the faith and to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[12:15] May they look upon Jesus. May they seek him out even when their eye is like the person who who sits gazing at the horizon looking for a loved one who is coming and they are despairing of ever being able to see such a one because they have been looking so long and their eye is failing.
[12:53] But you have promised that you will be with them and that your presence will be an ever real thing for them to take hold of.
[13:09] We pray for this world. We pray that you would sanctify such dealings as you have with us through the pandemic pandemic that is ongoing. That you would be merciful to your church, to all who belong to it, to those who are yet to be numbered amongst them.
[13:30] We pray that you would bless the word of truth as it goes out. That you would encourage those who go out with it. that they may be blessed in their labours. That your world would be such as would gain a hearing.
[13:49] And that our heart would be filled. And that our souls would be nurtured and nourished. And that those who are hearers of the word would not just be hearers but doers of the word.
[14:03] We pray that you would mercy fully undertake for us as we pray not just for ourselves but for those for whom we have cares and concerns.
[14:14] We bring them to you. Those that we know and love. Our families, our friends, our neighbours, our communities, our island, our nation.
[14:24] And we pray for those who govern us and those who seek to deliver social measures that are in place to ensure the well-being of society.
[14:43] We pray that you would remember, Lord, all who have a place within government and who fulfil whatever the government of the day requires us to do as long as it is within the boundaries of what your law permits.
[15:07] We pray that you would bless those who are responsible for our care within hospitals and care homes and in the community.
[15:19] Nurses and doctors and all who have a part to play these things. So watch over us, we pray, and all we entrust to your care and keeping, we would ask for, that you would measurefully undertake for us and on our behalf, according to the riches of your measure in Christ Jesus the Lord.
[15:43] Continue with us, we pray, forgiving every sin. In Christ the Redeemer's name we would ask it. Amen. We are going to hear God's word as we have it in the Gospel of John.
[15:58] And we are going to read from chapter 16 at verse 17. John chapter 16 at verse 17.
[16:13] Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us? A little while and ye shall not see me. And again a little while and ye shall see me.
[16:27] And because I go to the Father. They said therefore, What is this that he saith? A little while. We cannot tell what he saith.
[16:40] Now Jesus knew that they were deciders to ask him and said unto themselves, Do ye inquire among yourselves of that I said a little while, And ye shall not see me.
[16:56] And again a little while and ye shall see me. Very livery I say unto you that ye shall weep and lament, But the world shall rejoice. And ye shall be sorrowful, But your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
[17:10] A woman when she is in travel hath sorrow, Because her hour is come. But as soon as she is delivered of her child, She remembereth no more the anguish, For joy that a man is born into the world.
[17:28] And ye now therefore have sorrow, But I will see you again, And your heart shall rejoice, And your joy no man taketh from you.
[17:40] And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, He will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name.
[17:54] Ask and ye shall receive, That your joy may be full, These things have I spoken unto you in Proverbs, But the time cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in Proverbs, But I shall show you plainly of the Father.
[18:11] At that day ye shall ask in my name, And I say not unto you, That I will pray the Father for you, For the Father himself loveth you, Because you have loved me, And have believed that I came out from God, I came forth from the Father, And I am come into the world again, I leave the world, And go to the Father.
[18:37] His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, And speakest no proverb. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, And it is not that any man should ask thee.
[18:50] By this we believe that thou camest forth from God. Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh.
[19:03] Yea, now come, That ye shall be scattered, Every man to his own, And you shall leave me alone. And yet I am not alone, Because the Father is with me.
[19:15] These things I have spoken unto you, That in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
[19:28] Amen. And may the Lord add his blessing To this reading of his word, And to his name be the praise. I would like to turn your attention now To some words we have in the next chapter, Chapter 17, And we can read at verse 6.
[19:49] I have manifested thy name unto the men Which thou gavest me, Out of the word, Thine they were, And thou gavest them me, And they have kept thy word.
[20:01] Now they have known That all things whatsoever Thou hast given me are of thee. 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.
[20:16] And they have believed That thou didst send me. I pray for them. I pray not for the world, But for them which thou hast given me, For they are thine.
[20:28] 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.
[20:42] Holy Father, Keep through thine own name Those whom thou hast given me, That they may be one, As we are, And so on.
[20:54] May the Lord be pleased To add his blessing To these readings of his word, And to his name Be the praise. Now as some of you will know, We are engaged in a very brief study Of chapter 17.
[21:12] Many of the thoughts expressed within What is called a prayer of the Lord, May well be worthy of deeper reflection.
[21:23] But our purposes in this study Are best served in taking note of What mattered most to the Lord Jesus That took him to the Father In this fashion.
[21:37] We know he prayed. We know he prayed often. As someone has remarked With regard to the description Of his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.
[21:50] And being in an agony, He prayed more earnestly. Surely his prayers were always Earnest prayers.
[22:02] He came to the place of prayer Always for a reason. And always with an earnest desire. Prayer, not only that God would hear him, But that God would answer.
[22:15] As we saw in the first part of the prayer, Jesus is praying for his own glory. But because of who he is, It involves the glory of his heavenly Father To whom he is praying.
[22:32] As someone has well said, It is a prayer that fills both Eternity and history. Now this second main part of the prayer Focuses on the disciples.
[22:45] And this evening we are looking at The first part of this prayer For the disciples. It is Robert Murray McJane who said, If I could hear Christ praying for me, I would not fear a million enemies.
[23:04] He and we can be assured That he does pray for his church. Here the specific focus Is on the disciples accepting Judas, Who as we are told in chapter 13, Following the supper, Judas went out into the night.
[23:25] The first thing we can notice Is the revelation of God. I have manifested thy name Unto the men Which you gave me Out of the world.
[23:39] It seems a very long-winded way Of describing the disciples. But it is important For their understanding.
[23:50] Not just anyone can see God. And the only way they can see God Is if Christ reveals God to them.
[24:00] And the only way he is revealed Is by the truth Being given to them. Them hearing And believing that truth.
[24:12] Now there is a lot contained In a few words there. The Father's name is not just One of his many names. We come across Many names given to God Within the scripture.
[24:27] Jehovah Creator Almighty Saviour El Shaddai And many, many, many others.
[24:41] But making his name known Is to reveal Who God is. Reveal the true nature Of his character.
[24:54] No one has ever seen God We are told. Even Moses Among the most venerable Of the race of Adam Who spoke to God Face to face Was not allowed to see him.
[25:09] All that was given to him Was to see his back parts As God passed him by. God's hand covered his face So that he could not see The face of God.
[25:23] But as William Hendrickson And the commentator Commentator Interprets these words Of our text. He says Jesus Is the exegete Of the Father.
[25:35] He is As John 16 John 6 rather Puts it He is the only begotten God Who lives In the Father's person.
[25:46] It is he That has made him known. God himself No one has ever seen. We do not see himself But his revelation In Jesus Christ.
[26:01] Secondly What we see is The effect of the revelation. It is clear That Jesus Wants Us to know That they belong To God In the first instance.
[26:16] And it was he Who took them Out of the world And gave them To the Son Who then Made God Known to them. The theologian Don Carson Explains it In the following way.
[26:31] Of these people Jesus can testify To the Father That they have Obeyed Your word. Jesus Who is at one And the same time.
[26:43] He is the revelation As well as The deliverer. It is As The word Of God. Let me quote Exactly what Carson says.
[26:57] Jesus' words Are God's words. And Jesus himself Is God's Self-expression. God's word Incarnate.
[27:09] The disciples Have received The word. Received Christ And received The words Of Christ. They have Believed the words.
[27:21] And they know That he is From God. And sent By God. And this is Not just Through about This particular Situation.
[27:31] It sets a seal As it were On the word Of God As the Bible Which God Has given To us. If you are Listening with The Bible In your hand You have In your hand Something None other Than God Has given To you.
[27:50] Perhaps you have Something in your home That is special Because of the one Who gave it to you. Or because it has An association With that passion. But this is God's word To us.
[28:04] His son Is his word. The Bible Which preeminently Speaks to us About Christ Is his word. That is why There is This emphasis On them Receiving And believing The word.
[28:23] The word Is something To believe. But it is Also something That is To be lived out. Even if the disciples Had been Learned men Able to memorize The words Of the Lord He looked For more Than That As is suggested By the word Kept In verse 6.
[28:49] Some divines Suggests That the original Meaning of the word Has in it The idea of Guarding the word Treating it With great Respect But also In terms of Keeping it Or doing it If you go back A couple of chapters In chapter 14 And verse 23 If a man loves me He will keep My words And my father Will love him And we will Come unto him And make Abode With him He that Loveth me Not Keepeth not My sayings And the words Which you Hear Is not Mine But the Father Which sent Me That That is Important That we Appreciate The true Worth Of the word The next thing We have Is the Intercession
[29:49] Of Christ For the Disciples In verse 9 I pray for Them I pray Not for The world But for Them Which thou Hast given Me For they Are thine Perhaps the Emphasis That is In the Original Is lost In translation Not For the World I pray But for Those You have Given Me Now that Is not To be Understood As Jesus Saying I do Not Care For the World That Just Does Not Make Sense He Loves The World He Wants The World To Believe What They The Disciples Believe Is that Not what He says In verse 21 He Prays For The Church He Prays For Unity Within The Church So That The World May Believe That God Has Sent Christ This Is But One Of The Reasons The Prayer Is Called
[30:49] The Intercessory Prayer Of Christ For The Disciples Specifically How Precious That Thought Ought To Be To The Believer As John Says In His Epistle We Have An Advocate With The Father Often We Are Afraid To Say What Is On Our Mind Or Afraid That We Cannot State It At All So We Are Turned Tied But But But We We We But He Prays Because He Cannot But Pray For Them Because They Are His And They Are His Fathers Let Let We Quote The Words Of Carson Again However Wide Is The Love Of God However Salvific The Stance Of Jesus Toward The World There Is A Peculiar Relationship Of Love Intimacy Disclosure
[31:50] Obedience Faith Dependence Joy Peace Eschatological Blessing And Fruitfulness That Binds The Disciples Together Together That Is With One Another And With The Godhead The Disciples Bound With One Another As Well As With The Godhead Next We Read In Verse 10 And All Mine Are Thine And Thine Are Mine And I Am Glorified In Them There Is Absolutely No Jealousy In The Godhead There Is No Envy The Glory That Is The Fathers Is The Sons And Vice Versa The Eternal Salvation Of The Disciples Brings Glory To Both Hence The Prayer
[32:50] For Their Protection That They Be Kept Bishop Ryle Writes The Special Intercession Of The Lord Jesus Is One Grand Secret Of The Believer's Safety He Is Daily Watched And Thought For And Provided For With Unfailing Care By One Whose Eye Never Slumbers And Never Sleeps I Suppose It Is True That Many Lay Claim To This Promise Of Intercession That Have No Right To It While There Are Others To Whom It Rightfully Belongs Who Often Live In The Valley Of Doubt But What He Said To Peter He Says To All His Disciples I Have Prayed For You That Your Faith Fail You Not When We Read Verse 11 And Now I Am No More In The World But These Are In The World And I Am Come To The
[33:50] Holy Father Keep Through Thine Own Name Those Whom Thou Hast Given Me That They May Be One As We Are You Would Almost Believe From These Words That Jesus Has Already Left This World Indeed As Some Have It He Has In Thought And Purpose He Knows That The Hour Appointed For His Death Is Upon Him And It Is As If He Is So Desperate For It All To Be Fulfilled But Just Because He Is Going To Leave The World He Is Not Going To Leave Them Or Leave Them Unprotected Perhaps Some Would Have Him Take Them With Him There And Then As Someone Put It He Is Going To The Father While His Own Are Left Behind In The Midst Of An Evil And Christ Hating World But They Will Be Kept In What Way And From What Well
[34:51] We Will Probably Say More On That Later But The Lord's People Can Trust That He Will Keep Them There Was Once A Minister In Nesco Duncan Macbeth Some Of The Stories Of His Ministry Were Still Repeated Even As Recent As A Few Decades Ago And Not Still But One Such Story Is Recorded Of Him Asking A Friend To Pray For Him Because He Was Made Aware That A Particular Temptation Was Coming His Way And The Prayer He Wanted His Friend To Offer Was That The Temptation Would Pass Him By But His Friend Was Wiser Than Himself At That Point And He Later Acknowledged That His Friend Said That I Cannot Do But I Shall Pray That The Lord May Support You Under The Temptation And Open A Way
[35:51] Of Escape For Your Soul Many Imagine That The Way Of Escape Is For The Temptation Not To Come But That Is Not God's Way Nor Is It His Way To Remove His Own From The World Before Their Time The Words Of Our Text Remind Us Of The Greatest Of Truths That As Long As His People Are In This World His Son Has Prayed For Them And That They Be Kept By Him For As Long As They Are Here May God Encourage Us To Reflect Upon The Words Of Intercession May He Bless These Few Thoughts To Us Now Let Us Pray Lord We Pray That The Spirit Of The Intercessor Would Permate
[36:51] Our Very Atmosphere Not That We Are His Equal The One Who Is The Son Of Your Boson But That We Should Bear One Another's Burdens As Something He Has Given To Us To Do That We May Remember One Another At The Throne Of Grace That We May Pray For Your People And That We May Pray That Still Others Would Be Added To That Number We Would Ask That You Would Remind Us When We Are In Difficulties That There Is One And They're Guiding Us With His Prayers May We Turn To Him At All Times And Commit Ourselves Afresh To His Care And Keeping What Jovers We Pray Cleansing From Sin In Christ The Redeemer's Name And Now May Grace Mercy And Peace From God The Father The Son And The Holy Spirit Be With You All Now And Always Amen for
[38:08] Gue Comeicherung akin obrig Universe honeymoon