Identification Truths

Today we're going to talk about a gift from God the Father to Christ. Who's the gift? We are. So let's maybe just set this up. We only really have two passages that we can read. And we remember back from John 17, somebody read 6 And then, well, let's see. Should I pick somebody? Find somebody with their Bible open. You've got yours open. Why don't you read 17.6. And Brian, you want to read 17.11 and 12. And Donna, 17.20.

Steve, John 10.28 and 29. And 30, I think. Yeah, 28, 29, and 30. Okay, John 17, 6.

I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou hast given me out of the world, as I am they that were, and thou givest them me, and they have kept thy word. Okay. And now I am not no more in the world, but these are in the world. I'm coming to thee, Holy Father, to keep to thy final name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as I was. While I wasn't with them in the world, I kept them in my name, those that thou gavest me. I have kept, and none of them is lost. But the sun of perdition and the scripture might be fulfilled. Okay, thank you. Donna,

20. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also that shall believe on me through their word. Okay, 10, 28 through 30. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never be perished, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand.

So, it's interesting, we the saints are the gift of the Father to the Son. You never think about yourself being a gift. And it's interesting, we are that valuable. Ever think of yourself of being that valuable? That the two persons of the Godhead would consider you a gift from one to the other?

It's kind of cool, you know? And you know what? You're a gift that's worthy of the giver. You know why? Because of what the giver had to do? What the giver has done. to make us suitable to be the right gift. So don't call me up this week and tell me you're just not cutting it. So these men out of the world, how long had they been in the possession of God? Since Friday, right? You know, I think you're right. Psalm 139, and I'll read it, 13 through 16. It's interesting.

You formed my inward parts. You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works. And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secret. and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Your eyes have seen my unformed substance, and in your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them." Isn't that interesting?

Psalm 39.9 says, And he spoke, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood fast. Here's the thing. If God has it in his mind, it's reality, whether it's been brought into existence or not. You understand that? You and I were conceived in God before he ever created the first molecule. Isn't that something? And you were created in such a way that you would be the gift from the Father to the Son, and you would be suitable.

Ecclesiastics 3.15 says that That which has been already and that which will be has already been. For God seeks what has passed by. It's interesting. We live in a time-space reality and everything with us is sequential. Let's see, I got up at 6, I did something at 6.30 and at 7, I took a shower, I got ready and I came to church. cognizant of my time, space, reality, life for three hours, right?

Well, God doesn't function that way. God has every thought, all knowledge, in play, all at the same time, right now. There's no sequence with him. I know your finite mind, like my finite mind, just went tilt, because you don't think like that, and we don't function like that, but we are eternal beings, and that's the way God deals with us.

I guess the other question is, how long have we been in possession of God? The 139 were known by Him, but are we His possession? Is the possession after Christ, and the eternality of... that's how I justify the Ephesians and stuff. Once we're in Christ, everything is true about Him. The eternality is through Christ. He knew about us. and formless and all that, but I guess the word possession, the possession, is that part in Christ or is that just a making? Yeah, that's a good question. I think the answer in John 17 is that they may be one Father as we are one in Christ.

And from our perspective, we've been in Christ ever since the time in which we believed. But I'm not so sure from God's perspective if it isn't from eternity. For those of you who haven't been privy to our ongoing conversation about this, let me explain where we are.

Romans 8, 28, and 29, where it says, and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew, not knew about, but knew personally, he also predestinated to be conformed to the image of his son so that he might be the firstborn. in whom he predestinated, he also called, and those he called he justified, and those he justified he glorified." So, again, to get a finite mind to maybe put a handle on this, here's what we arrived at, which was kind of cool, I think.

If you came into existence at the time in which your parents procreated you, that's your beginning history in Adam, and you're born and you live and you have your existence then, right? And as we've talked about in this class, even if you want to go back and say, well, I really was in Adam sinning, still there's a beginning time, is there not? Because Adam was created roughly 10,000 years ago, okay? So if that's true, then how can Romans 8, 28, and 29 be true?

That he foreknew me in Christ? He knew the whole thing. I mean, he knew before creation. He knew everything about creation. He knew all of us. He knew what everybody was going to live. He knew who was going to accept Him and who wasn't. And it's more than just knowing, like, I know Donna is going to do what she's going to do and I know during, given the right set of circumstances and so forth, she'll believe in my Son and come into Christ. It's not like that. I know Donna personally. Christ knew Donna personally then. Knew her. Now, here's how the equation goes.

So Donna is coming up through her life, and maybe we trace her history back to Adam. But at some point in time, she believes on the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and as we discuss in this class, she's taken out of Adam, positionally, and she's placed into Christ. Now, where's her history? What history does she have? Christ's history. She no longer has Adam's history, right? How long has Christ been in existence?

Eternity. So the father can say, yeah, I've known you, my son, for all eternity. Do you see the point? Does that make sense? Did I lose you? I don't know how else to explain it. Maybe it's... as we see the time-space continuum, because we think as we think, not as God thinks. Yeah. And God comes along and tells us these things, and no wonder we have to live by faith, because a lot of them aren't going to click into a time-space mind. So God foreknew us, and in this context, We were the gift proposed by God then, and if God proposes it, it's reality. There's no if at all. And you know that Psalm 139, your eyes have seen my unformed substance, and in your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.

So, in 2 Timothy 1.9, Paul says, "...who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was granted us in Christ from all eternity." Pretty cool, huh?

So, before time began, the Father actually took possession of us. In Christ. by making us the subjects of his gracious thoughts and counsels. That's how he did it. And his purpose and object in thus taking possession of us was that he might be able to give us to his son.

Isn't that cool? Everybody's a little nervous right now. You're going to get to talk about this in a minute, So what event secured the gift? The cross. The cross. And how did it secure the gift? Satisfied. Satisfied? What's the word for that? What's the proper word? Satisfaction?

Propitiation. Propitiation. John 12, 24, the Lord says, except a grain of wheat fall on the ground and die, it abides alone, or all by itself. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. So, the death of Christ is an interesting thing from this gift standpoint, that in order to be included as part of the gift, this death has to take place under spiritual and natural regeneration. In order for there to be life, there has to be death first. You see that? If you study the natural sciences, a seed has to die, even though the life is in it. The outward seed has to die for it to bring forth life. If it doesn't die, it just stays what it is.

Why do we have security there? In other words, Because an apple tree can't be a peach tree. You need to make that clearer. I thought that's pretty clear. So if an apple tree is a secure tree and a peach tree isn't it? So you've got to be in the right tree? Yeah.

All right, this is your turn to talk. From your viewpoint, How does it grab you that you're God's gift to his son? Boy, you're overwhelmed. Why? Can that be explained? From your viewpoint, can you explain it? No. What do you think about it? Do you believe it? Not really. Honest man. Honest man.

Somewhere Christ asked for I think it's John 17. Well, and the verse we read... Yeah, I think it's John 17 somewhere. That's a great chapter. Oh, it's an unbelievable chapter, I think. Come on, let's get with it. I want to know. How it grabs you for you to realize that you're a gift of God. That you are God's gift to His Son. Wow. Yeah, wow. Yeah, pretty cool. And God's a jealous God. Yes, He is. Yes, He is.

You can tell that they really thought about this question all week. Actually, what I was after here was one of those questions so that you would realize maybe how valuable you are. You know, sometimes you have a tendency to look at your earthly human, fleshly circumstances and don't realize how precious you are to God. The fact that He would save you and conform you and to just make you the gift to His Son.

You remember when we were talking about What did the Lord Jesus get out of the resurrection? He got two things. What did he get? What benefits did he derive? One is he got the satisfaction of fulfilling his end to the Father's pleasure of the covenant. What was the second thing he got? He got us. He got brethren.

It's really important to them. Way at the top of the list. Let me ask you a question. We were saying that for some reason I was going to die. Trust me, you are. We have no doubt about that. We can argue that point. Peach tree and apple tree. Anyway, you could save me and now we're not going to get into going to heaven. If you saved me by sacrificing John, would you? That's the answer I would give. But Christ, while we were yet ungodly, Christ died for us. It's interesting that it shows you the character of God. That he would in fact do that. And you might say, well he had an out, he was going to raise him up. But he was going to have to kill him first. He was going to have to die. I've heard someone say that God doesn't necessarily need us. You know what? I've just always wondered about that because it seems like that's, like you said, it's the second part of his purpose. But is he lonely? You know what? Good question.

I think that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are totally fulfilled by each other. They don't need a creation. But they determined that they would create creatures like us who could appreciate them, and so that they could manifest their glory, that they could love a creature and be loved back. Does it increase or enhance? No, I think it's more to do with the fact that the core of God is love and He wants to share who He is.

And because He is God, He can't go around and find some other God. He's got to do the creating. So He does it in such a way that He can bring us, especially the church, into the closest intimacy that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit share. And we're going to enjoy that for all eternity.

I guess when you think of it, our finite minds can't comprehend, especially in a sinful state, why we would be God's purpose. But it doesn't matter, that's His purpose and He's going to fulfill it. Yeah, and it's tough sometimes for us to think how incredibly giving this love of God is. You know, how self-sacrificing it is. and how we were talking yesterday, Don and I, about how grace functions and how totally opposite it is to everything we know.

Yet it's the environment or the operating system in which we live. We live in grace. We grow in grace. And it has its own principles and functions its own way, which means that we're the receivers and God is the giver. And anytime we think that we have to be contributing when you're right outside the realm of grace. It's not the way it works. So your mind, like my mind, would go to God and say, Why would you do all this grace? It doesn't make sense to me. Maybe you ought to stop.

You know? Donna? Well, when you think about that question, you can only appreciate what God has done graciously by faith. That's the only way. For us to ask that question means you're not even understanding... She's not picking on you. ...the graciousness... No, that's right. ...of what he's done. That's exactly right. Because when you ask that question, you immediately look at yourself. Yeah, that's right.

You're looking at your unworthiness rather than God's graciousness. I was just thinking about so much emphasis placed on self-esteem today, And then they preach grace, and they turn right around and say, now this is what you need to do to please God.

And I'm thinking, look at the price that was paid for that gift to us, to Him. And I think they can turn that around. Sure they do. It was a gift to us, the other way around. And it's totally lost. Grace is a very interesting thing because the fact that God has determined that we are going to be the gift to the Son is totally within the realm of grace. If there's any effort on our part to enhance the gift, or make the gift more pleasing, or speed it up, slow it down, We've stepped outside of the realm of grace and we've spoiled it. It's not a gift to him.

That's right. Because the Father has done it all. Or to think you're unworthy. Yeah, to think you're unworthy. What's that in Newell's Romans, the great secret is, as you recognize your unworthiness, yet you expect to be blessed by God. You expect it because of who you are. So it sounds like a paradox, but it's not. It's really the way it is.

One of the things in investigating Wayne Blackney's life and what he was about spiritually, I discovered, I had several people tell me, Wayne Blackney always prayed from the viewpoint he was overwhelmed that God loved him. He just couldn't figure out why. And he always thanked God for loving him.

Well, okay. It's cool, isn't it, that a man has that viewpoint, that he thanks God for loving him, and he has nothing within himself that knows that God, he doesn't deserve it at all, and he's just as overwhelmed that God does it anyway. Well, that's grace, and that's how you live in grace. So, it's cool. Now, I swear we're going to get through this whole thing today.

We've discussed in the past what does oneness with God mean. Do you remember anything about that? Just to refresh you, it's back in week 9, and actually I was tracking pretty good then, it was week 9. When we were talking in John 17 back then, and the whole discussion was on the union between the Father and the Son, and the union between us and Christ, the oneness that Christ talks about, and actually remember we even mentioned that maybe the highest union in existence was the union between I use the term hypostatic, the union between the second person of the Trinity and becoming a man.

That you have a person there who is 100% God and 100% man. And he's God and he's man, he's both. And they're united, those two entities are united with each other. it's important for us to understand that the issue about the gift has to do with our oneness with God. Because the Father couldn't give a gift to his Son that wasn't suitable to him, right? So what suits God? God suits God. You see that? So what does he do? He takes us and puts us in Christ, making us suitable, and gives us to Christ. We share the same life. That's what makes us suitable, and makes us the perfect gift, because it's of God. Easy question, who's the son of perdition? Who'd you say? Oh yeah, it's Judas Iscariot. By the way, did you see that there's a new gospel showing up? The gospel of Judas. He and Jesus worked out a deal. He betrayed him on purpose. They were good buddies? They were friends, yeah. Probably why he went out and hung himself, huh?

Yeah, probably. Well, I don't know. I didn't read the gospel of Judas. I'm hoping to get a copy. Someone might say he's only referring to those saints then. How can we say that we are we of the church are included." In other words, he might only be talking about those 11 guys in the upper room. How do you know you're included?

Yeah, verse 20, I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in me through their word. So, actually that verse is very assuring to you and me because We know that by believing that we are partakers of this immeasurable grace that the Lord Jesus is talking to the Father about.

Describe the new undertaking God introduced in John 17 when it comes to securing the gift to Himself. It's kind of a complicated or difficult question. I'll see if anybody has the answer. This was a brand new undertaking. that God introduced in John 17. And in light of the context of what we're studying today, it secures the gift to himself. What's the undertaking in John 17 that's new?

What do you think? Yeah, it's union. This is a whole new thing. Moses wasn't united to Christ, neither was Abraham. They were accounted righteous, but they weren't united. Do you see that? In verse 11, that they may be one as we are. Sure. That's right. Is it warm in here? Should we open the door? I've been asking too many questions, you guys are getting nervous.

So how was this union communicated through the centuries? Through the church? The word of God. And the word of God, or the gospel, was preached through the centuries, and men believed it. And that's what has kept the union going through all of this time. Is there any way you can cease being included in the gift of the Son of God? Why not? That's right. Give me a verse. Yeah?

And John 6.39 too. And this is the will of Him that sent me, that all that which He hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day." See that? How many of you are convinced that your salvation and security is of God and not of you? If you'd have been at Wayne Blackney's funeral on Monday, you would have heard a different viewpoint. that you've got a lot to do. Can we ever decide to go back? You can decide to go back. Can't you? The problem is, do you go back? No. Conditionally. Conditionally, well, but even then. I mean, positionally you can't leave your position. You see that? Because, how do I say this? When a person is presented, a non-believer is presented with the gospel, he believes in the person and work of Christ. He enters into salvation by faith. Which entity has the value?

What he believes or his faith? His faith. How many think it's his faith? How many think it's the values in what he believes? He didn't say that. It's totally in what he believes. His faith is his door. See, faith is the one thing a man can do that he doesn't get any credit for. It's not in the works column. So all the value and all the work and all the transaction is on the what he believes side. So what happens? Who he believes. As we've studied in this class, what happens to the man or woman who believes?

They are identified with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, right? So now they're risen, seated in the heavenlies, positionally in Christ Jesus. Did they have anything to do with that? With the death, the burial, the resurrection, the ascension, the seating? They had nothing to do with it, right? God did it. The Holy Spirit did it. So they get up there and they're seated in the heavenlies, and Wayne Blackman says, I've had enough of this.

I want to go back. What's the problem with that? In order for him to go back, or you to go back, Christ has to go back. He'd have to, you know, he'd have to reverse the real, and he'd have to come down, you know, go back in the grave, come to life up on the cross, boom, and none of that ever happened. That's the only way.

Now, I'm not saying that there aren't believers, because I've known some who were genuinely believed who turned their back on Christ. and lived as though they weren't believers. But the problem with that is, from a biblical standpoint, they're the ones that are miserable, they're still the gift, they're still God's sons, they're still positioned in Christ. I think it's just a bunch of disciplined men. Or, in some cases, the Lord takes them out of here. Either way, they're blessed.

So you can't... if it were up to you, I would say, Steve, yeah, there's a possibility. But if it wasn't up to you, which it isn't, then how do you? You can't... it isn't your decision. Because faith isn't you deciding what you want to do or not do. Faith is simply believing in what somebody else has done. You know, I was like 10, 28, 29 when I was hearing my anchor verses for it. Have you ever had a doubt of salvation or anything? Right.

Because no one is able to smash him out of my hand. He gives him eternal life. And the other thing I always thought about is I can't climb out of his hand either. That's right. There's no one who can smash it. My doubt, my carnality, there was no one who was able to smash him out of my hand.

But you can jump out. You can't do a thing. No, you can't. You can't climb out. You can't do anything. When you say somebody who turns their back, you're still in his hand. That's right. No one is able to do that. Not me or anyone is able to get out of this.

And you know, when Vern talked about this 1029 some time ago, he explained that I give eternal life is in the perfect tense. Is it a perfect tense? In other words, I'm constantly, every minute, all the time, never ceasing, giving them eternal life. It isn't that I gave it to them then, and they got it and now they're walking around with it. No. It's a constant flowing of eternal life from now on.

Can't. It can't. I know the case of a young man who as a high school kid, believed in Christ, and then went to school in Boulder, took philosophy classes up there, and began to deny Christ, and was pretty vociferous about it. And at 32, he left the planet.

Yeah, the gifts and calling of God were without repentance. You know what's interesting about that? Only the natural mind infested with sin would think it can change God's agenda. Well, who's higher than God that could do that anyway? Yeah, you can't. And if you are saved on the basis of you somehow contributing to your salvation, then you're going to entertain a thought that I can somehow get unincluded But if you understand that salvation is based solely on grace, through faith, you know, I remember the day that I got saved, that was the scary part for me.

I knew that this was a one-time shot, and that if I believed, my life was over. I knew that. There was no going back. And I think the Holy Spirit makes that pretty clear. You know? Not that you're not going to have doubts, and not that you aren't going to try to be influenced by whomever, for you to think, well, you know, you're sinning more than Christian should, and maybe you're not. Nah. The more you understand and the more you spend time studying God's Word, the more you become aware of the fact that, boy, the grace is overwhelming. If nobody could snatch you out of God's hands, not even you can snatch yourself out of God's hands.

Well, isn't that part of the old man, too, trying to stay in the picture? Absolutely. on the old man being part of the equation. I wish he'd shut up. What was this guy you were talking about, he left the planet, what do you think was going on there? I think the Lord took him home. You know, there's all kinds of... He says in the Word that he'll take him home. I mean, I don't have any trouble with the Lord taking a soul home that isn't a witness for Him, because their job's done. You know, He wants us, He desires to have us with Him much more than we do.

So if we're not... I don't know how to say it. If you can't use us anymore, then... Let's reframe the question. It isn't that he can't use us. The issue is that he foreordained us to do good works that we should walk in them. And once we've walked in the last one, you're going home right now. He isn't going to wait until Thursday. He wants you with him right now. Now, doesn't the Holy Spirit change us and grow us and conform us.

But I guess this is my infinite mind, or my finite mind. So, God knows that that's it for this guy. Yeah, I mean, think about it. From the grace standpoint, being the gift of the Father to the Son, who loves you eternally, right? And you decide in your wonderful sin mind, I don't want any of that. And not only that, I'm going to go on a campaign and try to discredit as much of what I know about God.

And God comes along and takes you home. Did He punish you? Absolutely not. He blessed you. So no matter what you do, you can't get outside of the realm of grace. No matter what you do. Unless you become a law abider, Galatians 5 says. But that's on a conditional level. Grace is one of those things that as you grow in grace, that it motivates you. It's the greatest motivator there is, I think. Because God showers his unmerited favor towards you, and it's way beyond what you deserve or need. It's unlimited.

And you can't turn your back on that. God taking Christians home that aren't doing. You better get busy. You're out of here. There's no question about that. You can use it as a... get the work of your dad. Why wouldn't a lot of fighters be taken home? Say that.

I'm sure we've all been there, law abiders, purpose-driven Christians. That's interesting. I think that, and again this is my personal opinion, but it's based on Ephesians 4, that God has succinctly, not only did He know me in Christ before the foundations of eternity and call me, but He also designated on my behalf certain things that I was going to do. He determined them. Now the question is, am I going to miss any? Am I going to do more than He determined? No. I'm going to do exactly what He determined. So my term on the planet is really based on what God has called me to do. And the second part of that is that He loves me way more than anybody else does. and desires that I be home with him as soon as possible, so when the last one's done, I'm gone. I'm out of here.

It is the last one, usually. It always is. I remember talking to Miles Stanford two days before he died, and he was pretty sick at that point, and he was working on some paper, you know, he could barely hold a pen or typewriter. I said, you know, Miles, I said, when you have written your last word, you're going to lay down and go home. It's exactly what happened. Typed his last word, went to bed and went home. They said all my dates were written in his book before one of them came to be. Absolutely. And so there's no, you don't have any control over it. You don't, which is really cool.

Well, see, usually through that one person's death, others come to know the Lord. You know, so even his death, Look at the two guys we've been praying for around here now for one guy for several weeks and one guy for several months. Both of them with cancer, right? Both of them fairly isolated. Is God using both of those guys? Absolutely He is.

I told Strong this week, you're being used more now than you ever did in your life when you were out there hustling, you know? Down there in the mission and teaching all those Bible studies and in the you know, the Arapahoe County Correctional Facility. You're being used more of God now just by what people hear about you than you ever were used before.

Well, that upsets them a little bit. Sure, that's right. We've got a couple minutes. I've got some stuff I want to read to you, if I can get this untangled. This is from Charles Coates and it's called, and I won't read all of it, it's called Gifts to the giver. Coates is one of those guys that wrote in the late 1800s, early 1900s, and this guy understood, I think, the love of God as well as anybody I've ever read.

Nothing can be more edifying than to repose in the love of the Lord Jesus when it is known, and the heart set free to rest in it. The soul may have a long journey to reach it experientially, There may be needs and exercises to be met and removed on the way. The old man in the world may have to be learned.

But the great end of all our exercise, and I may add, of all our deliverances, is that we rest in the thoughts of divine love, and that love becomes a very real way the portion of our hearts. If our hearts are not in the circle of divine love, they have nothing. For as Christians, we have no portion on earth or in the world. Our portion is in divine love. Thank God it is a blessed and satisfying portion.

For some years, I thought that John 10, which we read this morning, was written to make the believer sure that eternal blessing was secured to him. I rejoice to know that it does this, but there is far more to it than this. The good shepherd laid down his life for the sheep that he might have the joy of securing them for himself and for his father. The father and the son wanted the sheep for themselves, and the death of Christ is the righteous title of divine love to take possession and to keep possession of them. They wanted a company whom they might introduce into the circle of divine love with a nature suitable to that circle and capable of appreciating and responding to it. Isn't that something?

That's who you and I are right now. Much may have to be done for us. We shall need support, preservation, discipline. If we are left here a little longer, we shall need grace, mercy, and forbearance of God in a thousand ways. But all that will be needed in the future to keep us for the Father and the Son is small compared with the stupendous cost at which love secured us.

Hereby perceive we love because he laid down his life for us. The Lord Jesus came from God alone, but he has gone to God as the head of a new and blessed race, and as one who has secured everything for God. He is the perfect contrast to Adam the first. who came from God, secured everything for God, and went to dust. The last Adam came from God, secured everything for God, and has gone to God as the glorified head of a new race brought into divine love in association with himself, the head of a new creation in which all the thoughts of that love will be effected and displayed forever.

Keep us close. Dear Father, how we thank you that we are the gift and how we rest in the fact that you are growing us up so we might appreciate the wonders of your son and the fullness of who he is and who we are in him. We thank you. We pray in his name. Amen.