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[0:00] Please take your Bibles and we look at two passages and jump start from these two, looking at these two.

[0:11] Let's go to Galatians chapter two, Galatians chapter two, verse 20. In that black Bible, if you go to the back, in the chair in front of you, go to the back in that black Bible, to page 148, Galatians chapter two.

[0:30] Galatians chapter two, verse 20. Galatians 2.20. Familiar verses, I'm sure.

[0:44] So start here in Galatians 2.20 reading. Galatians 2.20. I have been crucified with Christ.

[0:55] Christ is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. In the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

[1:14] You want to put your finger or your pencil or your piece of paper that you're taking notes on or what have you in Galatians 2.20 and go back in your Bible to the gospel of John. John chapter 17.

[1:26] John 17. The Lord's Prayer. Our Lord's Prayer. John chapter 17. Page 40, excuse me, page 87 in that black Bible.

[1:39] John 17.20. John 17.20. Starting verse 22. John 17.22. 22 to 24.

[1:54] John 17.22. And the glory which you've given me and I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one, I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that you've sent me and love them even as you've loved me.

[2:14] Father, as are they also whom you've given me, be with me where I am, or that they may behold my glory which you've given me, for you've loved me before the foundation of the world.

[2:27] Verse 25, we can read that as well. A righteous Father, though the world has not known you, yet I've known you, and these have known that you've sent me.

[2:39] I'm in verse 26. And I've made your name known to them and will make it known that the love wherewith you've loved me may be in them and I in them.

[2:58] Live not by lives. A fairly new book brought up by Rod Dreher. I haven't read the book, but Denny Burke, he's professor of biblical studies at Boyce College, undergraduate school of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

[3:19] He read it and evaluated it and posted some thoughts and evaluation on his blog post this past Wednesday. And he brought up some startling things that Dreher pointed out in his book, Live Not by Lies.

[3:37] Denny Burke says this, quote, Rod shows that the dystopian, totalitarian visions of Huxley and Orwell in their books, Brave New World by Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell, respectively, are not that far from reality in 2020.

[3:55] End quote. Now he says, Denny Burke, it's not the hard totalitarianism of 1984, but the soft totalitarianism of the book Brave New World.

[4:11] And then Burke in his blog, he makes the point that our culture is making people say that two plus two equals five. And then Denny Burke, again, he's evaluating Live Not by Lies, his book by Rod Dreher, he says this in his blog post, quote, those who look at the failed Soviet experiment and conclude that it can never happen here are overestimating human nature and therefore underestimating the threat we are facing.

[4:41] The parallels between our time and that of this dissidence are obvious, yet many people are unaware of them. Dreher traces all of this out in excruciating detail and paints a pretty dark picture of the days ahead, end quote.

[5:03] The attack upon the church has been declared by our culture. The attack upon the truth of the gospel has been waged by our culture.

[5:15] It started, I think it was in Genesis chapter 3. And they will not stand down. They want to destroy us.

[5:29] And we need to pay attention. Pay attention to the storm and be ready for it. Yet, Denny Burke says this, quote, nevertheless, Dreher does say that there is hope.

[5:47] Christians have weathered such storms in the past and will do so again, end quote. So how do we weather this storm?

[6:05] A storm that could come as a result of this year's election, nationally and locally. How do we weather this storm? This possible storm, which is how he titled the message, how do we weather this pending storm?

[6:23] How do we do it? And that's the point of the message today. I told you earlier, a message really for me. I needed this for a focus for me.

[6:35] Which means you need it too. As your pastor, as a shepherd, I need to shepherd you in this. And, what's the point of the message today?

[6:49] It's this. And there's many aspects we can go into about the gospel. I'm gonna zero in on one aspect and give that one aspect to you for this service for today, especially as you're gonna partake of the physical, tangible elements of the gospel.

[7:08] that the father's love for you and the son's love for you will compel you towards gospel kingdom living and a gospel kingdom focus.

[7:23] That their love for us would drive us towards his kingdom, not a political ideal or person. Trump's not your savior, Jesus is.

[7:37] Biden's not your savior, Jesus is. So you should not be looking to them as your savior. And that's the point. And you are in John 17 and we're gonna start here in John 17 and actually John 17 22 through 24 and then we're gonna hit verse 26.

[7:59] But I do wanna point something out to you before we hit verse 22 to 24 and verse 26. Point something out to you in just a couple verses before that in verse 20.

[8:12] Jesus says, I do not ask on behalf of these alone but for those also who believe in me through their word. So notice from John 17 first Jesus was praying for us.

[8:30] He's praying for you. So from this point on he's specifying Christians, Jesus followers, Christ disciples and by the way he was praying for us and he still is.

[8:54] He's interceding for his own. For them he's interceding pleading now before the throne. Remember you sang that a few months ago? Oh yeah.

[9:07] There's a method why I choose the songs that I do. First Jesus was praying for us but second notice the father now is when we come to verse 22 to 24 the father truly loves adores and is enamored with his son.

[9:23] Do you see this? with Jesus the father is well pleased. Matthew 17 5 is my beloved son with whom I'm well pleased.

[9:37] Listen to him Peter. Listen to him. 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 17 Peter's relating the experience on the mountain and the majestic made this utterance is my beloved son.

[9:51] The father truly loves adores is enamored with his son. Look at verse 24 I desire they also whom you've given me may be with me where I am in order that they may behold my glory which you've given me for you have loved me before the foundation of the world.

[10:13] and the greatest way that the father showed his oh he's just like mmm with his son his utter pleasure with his son was by raising him from the dead.

[10:32] So your justification is sealed. you can be made right with God only through Christ it's done there's nothing else.

[10:45] The father was so pleased with that that what the son did dying for sinners in the place of all his chosen ones he was so pleased with that he brought him back to life.

[10:57] That's how the father feels about his son and this love that the father has had for his son has been for all eternity.

[11:13] Did you hear what Daniel prayed? Daniel prayed that God loves himself more than he loves you.

[11:27] You realize that right? And because he loves himself more than he loves you that's why the love for you is so sure. He loves his glory he loves his son he's enamored with his son and it's been like this forever.

[11:44] The father loving the son the son loving the father and then you throw the spirit in there the spirit loving the son and the father the one God and the three persons loving each other fully satisfied with each other they don't need you.

[11:59] They don't need me. What makes you think that God needs you? What makes you think that God needs you to love him? He doesn't need that. Fully satisfied.

[12:16] So you have Jesus praying for us. You have the father truly loves and adores he's enamored with his son and this love that the father has for his son has been for all eternity. I'm getting somewhere so keep tracking with me.

[12:29] Don't fall asleep yet. Don't fall asleep. You can fall asleep later. No, don't ever fall asleep. Daniel, wake up. Third, Jesus prayed that that same love would be in us as his disciples.

[12:47] Verse 26. I have made your name known to them and we'll make it known that the love wherewith you've loved me may be in them.

[13:02] The love that the father has for his son that's the kind of love we need to have for each other as God's people. Amongst us and his local body and his church.

[13:17] And then fourth, this is where I'm going. Fourth, why are we able and called to have this same love for each other?

[13:31] Because the father loves us in the same way he loves his own son. Verse 23. And the glory which you, excuse me, verse 23.

[13:44] I in them, you in me, that they may be perfected in unity that the world may know that you've sent me and notice look what it says, and love them even as you have loved me.

[14:03] Do you get this? In Christ Jesus, the father loves you the same way he loves his son. It's not the first time I've said this.

[14:15] I've said this to you before. So remember, in all eternity, the father with the son, the spirit, the three persons are loving each other and there's perfect satisfaction.

[14:26] Now God does this. He takes you and pulls you in. Now you're in this love. You're in this love now.

[14:40] Christian, Christian, he loves you just like he loves his son. When you trust in his son, the father loves you in the same way he loves his very son.

[14:57] This is truly unbelievable and amazing. This is unbelievable. This is the graciousness, the kindness of God and it's because of that love the father had for his son, Jesus died and that's the same love the father has for you.

[15:17] God demonstrates his own love toward us in Mormons 5.8 in that while we were yet sinners, Christ did what? He died for us. This is shocking.

[15:33] This is where I'm going. The father loves you. Oh, Christian, this is gospel focus.

[15:45] This one needs to be our focus. There's a focus on that. You think God is just giddy and he just loves just out of love and yet there's a love that he has for his son, the same love that he has for his son, the same way he loves us because we are in his son.

[16:05] Unbelievable. Oh, and then it goes farther. You are in John 17. Go back now, or forward, to Galatians chapter 2. Remember what we read here?

[16:20] Galatians chapter 2, verse 20. I've been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.

[16:34] In the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God. I'm trusting in the Son of God, notice, who loved me and gave himself for me.

[16:46] So it's not just a father now. Now the Son loves you. Jesus loves you just as much as he loves his father.

[17:04] So I was going through my message last night. Thought of this verse, John 14, 21. He who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me.

[17:17] And he who loves me shall be loved by my father. And I will love him and will disclose myself to him. And notice, if you would, in Galatians chapter 2, the personal pronoun.

[17:32] He loved me, Paul says, and gave himself for me. John Piper's book, 50 Reasons Why Jesus Had to Die, was very helpful at this point.

[17:48] He points this out. Christ suffered for me. My sin cut me off from the Father. My hard-heartedness demeaned Christ's worth.

[18:01] I am lost. I should perish, spending eternity in hell, having offended and rebelled against an infinitely holy God. Sin against an infinitely holy God becomes infinite sin, therefore deserving infinite punishment.

[18:20] I deserve justice. And all I can do is plead for mercy. All I can do is plead for grace. And Jesus gives his love.

[18:35] Loving the church and giving himself up for her. Ephesians chapter 5, verse 25. He decided to love us and call us his friends.

[18:48] Laying down his life for us. John 15, 13, greater love is no one than this, than one that laid down his life for our friends. And then Jesus says, I've called you friends.

[19:03] He came to serve us. His creation. What? I did not come to be served, but to serve. I give my life as a ransom for many.

[19:16] Matthew 20, 28. He loved me and gave himself for me. So you make that personal.

[19:31] You come to the Lord's Supper, you need to make that personal, Christian. You need to remind yourself of this gospel truth. Jesus, you love me. You gave yourself for me.

[19:43] Father, you love me the way you love your son. Because, how do you know this?

[19:54] How do you know this is for sure? If you have repented and believed in the gospel, Mark 1, 15, Jesus says, repent and believe in the gospel. If you called upon his name, Romans 10, 13, everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

[20:08] If you believed in him, John 3, 16, will not perish, but have everlasting life. If you received him, to those who received him and gave the right to become children of God, John 1, 12, then you have the confidence that he loves you and gave himself for you.

[20:26] Take that. Right, Doug? Yeah, Doug's like, yeah, man. Rock on. We're justified. I'm credited with the righteousness of God.

[20:39] I'm clean. I'm free. I'm loved by God himself. But if you're not trusting Christ, if you've not received the Lord Jesus Christ, if you've not repented and believed in the gospel, if you've not called upon his name, then you will face eternal punishment.

[21:17] Something that we all deserve. Somebody asked me Friday, do you believe homosexuals go to hell? I said, no, everyone should go to hell.

[21:34] She didn't know what to say about that. We all deserve judgment. If you've not trusted Christ, then you should repent today. What are you waiting for?

[21:46] Trust Christ. Trust Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. He will love you. Just like he loves his father. The father will love you. Just like he loves his son.

[21:58] For it's at this cross, at his death, at his sacrifice, in his very substitutionary atonement that we see the greatest display of the glory of God.

[22:13] That's why Jesus brings that up in John 17. To see and savor your glory. What's the greatest glory of God? The greatest display of the glory of God. What did you do?

[22:24] Moses asked for that. Remember? What is Exodus 33? Show me your glory. And God says, boom, I'm going to show you how I made creation.

[22:37] He says, I'm going to let all my goodness pass before you. You'll see my back. Exodus 34. He sees the back. But then, it wasn't about what he saw, but it was words.

[22:51] Words were spoken. What words? Yahweh. Yahweh God, the compassionate and gracious one, slow to anger, and abounding in covenant love, forgiving thousands.

[23:09] Friends, what's the greatest display of the goodness and the glory of God? Jesus, the cross. Because what does Jesus say? John 17, chapter 17, verse 1 and 2.

[23:22] Now, show your glory. He's about to go to the cross. In His suffering and death, we see His glory.

[23:38] The pinnacle of His goodness, compassion, kindness, mercy, and grace, we see the very love of Jesus, Messiah for us. For me.

[23:50] Nobody loves me like you love me, Jesus, as the song goes. Jesus, He loves me. He loves me. Can I doubt His love for me?

[24:05] As the song goes, no, because by the cross of Calvary, I am His, and He is mine. The cross is the greatest display, not only of the justice and the righteousness and the holiness of God, yes, that's there, but His love, His goodness, His mercy, His grace, His compassion for sinners.

[24:28] Make it personal. For me. For you. For you. During the Lord's Supper, this is, I encourage you to do this.

[24:41] And this is why the Lord's Supper is not for someone who doesn't know Jesus. Because how can you say this, if you don't know Jesus? It doesn't make any sense. How do you, you can't say that.

[24:52] If you don't know Christ, it's not for you. You can watch. This is the vivid, tangible tasting of the very gospel that we proclaim.

[25:03] The bread and the juice reminds us of His body given to us. Shedding His blood, giving His life. So we celebrate.

[25:15] You make it personal. Jesus, you love me. Father, you love me. How are you going to weather this storm?

[25:28] How do we weather this approaching, pending storm that will eventually come our way as Christians? We recite, we remember, we reflect, we solidify our devotion to Christ and to the gospel.

[25:44] We remember these truths. The Father loves me. The Son loves me. We remember. We stand on the gospel.

[25:55] We remember. It's important to the message today. May the Father's love for you, His love for you, that it will compel you towards gospel kingdom living and a gospel kingdom focus, that their love for us would drive us towards His kingdom.

[26:12] kingdom. Not a political ideal. Kingdoms rise and fall. But God's kingdom lasts forever.

[26:25] We need this to be our focus as the nation looks to humans to be their leaders. To be their saviors. So next week, next Sunday, no matter who sits in the White House, we pray that Joe Biden will be saved, Donald Trump will be saved.

[26:51] We pray for that. They would trust Christ. And that they would call the country to fall before Jesus Christ and say, we must repent, turn from our evil ways and put our hope in Jesus.

[27:09] Can you imagine if that were to happen? That would just be unbelievable. That's what we should pray for. No matter who sits in the White House, God is still on His throne.

[27:22] And remember, God placed Him there. God wants Him there, relatively speaking.

[27:36] And God will show His amazing grace building His church. Remember what we said last week? The church is the ultimate expression of the presence of the kingdom of God.

[27:46] God is still on the church. That's what we are. God is still on the earth. God is still on the earth. That's what we are. We are scars and mars and sinfulness and my stupidity. Everything.

[27:59] We are the ultimate expression of the presence of the kingdom of God. It's here when we come together and gather together His church. This is it.

[28:10] Ain't nothing glamorous here. Don't got all the bodyguards in the limos driving up, right? We got just our old jalopies coming and that's it. This is us, man.

[28:22] And yet we're the display of the glory of God. We're the trophy case of God's love. He loves me. Your kingdom come.

[28:33] Your will be done. He loves me. The Father loves me. And look, you might be from a different church partaking of the Lord's Supper.

[28:48] If you come from a church of like faith and practice and our preference would be baptized by immersion. From a church of like faith and practice, partake of the Lord's Supper with us. And remind yourself of this gospel truth.

[29:00] We need to remember this. I need to remember this. Man, I'm so angry over things that I see what's going on. Just get infuriated.

[29:13] I'm so upset. Don't you? It's just nonsense. God is on His throne. Father, You love me. Jesus, You love me. Remind us to be solid on the gospel.

[29:26] Will you pray with me? Amen. Our Father, we are just struck by the love that You have for us.

[29:42] Jesus, we are just dumbfounded the love that You have for us. You love us like You love Your Father. Father, You love us like You love Your Son. We are in this love.

[29:55] We have been brought in. And we will celebrate it. We will celebrate, remember this great sacrifice, Jesus, that You've, by which we are able to have this love.

[30:13] The means by which we are able to be brought into this love is because of Your death, Jesus. We remember. And our prayer is that as we remember this gospel, it would so affect us that we would love each other the same way You love us, Father.

[30:37] Same way You love us, Jesus. Jesus, we pray to that end. So I encourage you at this time, please examine your heart and proclaim this gospel to yourself.

[30:59] Maybe reading through John 17, parts of it again, or Galatians 2.20 or other verses. To reflect upon the gospel, upon the truth of the gospel, after a few moments, we'll sing a verse to one of the songs, the communion hymn.

[31:23] I love that hymn. We'll sing that, but just a few moments. You and the Lord, time of silence, reflecting on the gospel. Do that, please.