Gospel of John, 17:20-23
Gospel of John 17:22-26 · Mike Doyle · Nov 2, 2008
Gospel of John (2008), No. 44
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/492611540940

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Okay, lesson 36, right? What I'm thinking we're going to do, because I kind of, I guess I planned this okay, I'm not sure, but we only have after today probably a couple of verses to finish up 17. So what I thought I'd do next week is that I would I've got questions for next week, but then I think I'll get done a little early. And then we'll just quickly read the whole chapter and make some comments on the whole thing, because John 17 is a special chapter in the Word of God. So we have worked our way down to 20, 21, 22. And I think what I'm going to do is read some verses, starting with 20.

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them who shall believe on me through their word, that they all may be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me, and the glory which you gave me I have given them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them, you in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me. 24 Father I will that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which you have given me for you love me before the foundation of the world. So my first question was does God really intend to give us his glory. Now it's not a tough question. You can either say yes or no and you'll be half right. It seems that's the case in verse 22.

He does intend to share his glory with us, right? Why does he want to do that? Why would he want to do such a thing? What's that? so that we might be one? Yeah, I think the real answer is to glorify himself. God does everything for his own glory, right? Isn't that why he created, isn't that why he does everything? So if he has called us, chosen us in Christ, before the foundations of eternity, that we should be holy and blameless before him, not only individually but also corporately as a body of believers, what do we do? We manifest the glory of the Lord Jesus.

So that's the purpose. God is of such a character that anything associated with him must manifest his glory. It must. And you're right, there cannot be oneness without the glory and there can't be glory without the oneness either. So yeah, his purpose and his intent is to absolutely do that. And it's kind of astonishing, I think, when you first sort of bump up against that, that God really intends to do that. And just maybe to clarify a little bit, how would you define God's glory? His essence? His attributes? Intrinsic attributes?

But not just those alone. What would be the other part of glory? It would have to be demonstrated, wouldn't it? It has to be displayed. So we are the vehicles, the unique vehicles in which God intends to display this glory that he gave the Son through us for all eternity. It's pretty special and unique company and a designation that you're going to spend the rest of your time here and in eternity getting your arms around what that means. So what is the greatest of all conceivable blessings God could grant us? Making American, right? What's the greatest conceivable blessing that God could grant us? Unity. What did you say? Unity. Union. Salvation. Salvation. Redemption. Carol, what did you say? redemption? Yeah, I think union is the answer, don't you?

Imagine the God of the universe determined to make us, in Colossians it says we have been made meet or fit to become the inheritance of the saints and light. God has determined that he is going to fit us out for union with himself. Now, how big of a task is that? Only God can do it. Yeah, and think about it from, you know, looking from behind your own eyeballs and your experience and, you know, your frailties and your humanity and all that goes into what we are as humans but also as believers. and how profoundly disappointed we are in ourselves a lot of times, and others.

But the God of the universe has said, well, I think what I'm going to do, as a matter of fact, I don't think about this, I've determined what I'm going to do, is that I'm going to unite you to me, so that you can share my attributes. And I'm not going to do it when you die, I'm going to do it right now. So do you have to wait? No, you have it now, right?

So, the question I always ask myself when I'm addressing this subject is, what kind of a God would do that? I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't have done it that way. I'd have made you subservient, right under the thumb. Make sure you perform. But God has determined He wants us to be in union with Him so that He can manifest His glory.

Doesn't that sort of strike you as over the top maybe? The question I always ask is, do you believe it? Do you really believe it? Yeah, do you really believe that? As we have gone through John 17, there's a lot of things that have been proclaimed by the Lord Jesus or asked by Christ in his prayer that when you read them you think, When we've studied before who we are in Christ and we start going down that list of things that are true of us, became true of us at the cross, how many of those do you really believe are true of you? I doubt we believe very many of them because we always go to God and say, yeah, but how about my circumstances? And he always comes back and says, yeah, but did you read my word? It says 1, 2, 3, 4.

The other part about this that I found interesting was this, in fact, is the great mystery. This is something that nobody knew about way back from the beginning until Christ was manifested, that Christ would bring glory to the earth and share it with us at his appearing, but that we would would be because they had entered into a glory never before given to any creatures. Angels, Seraphim, Cherubim, nobody shares this glory but us. Nobody. Nobody. We look at angels as these incredible creatures. In Hebrews it says He was made a little lower than the angels and exalted above them. When He got exalted, where were you? You were in Him.

So what does this blessing afford us to be able to do now and in eternity? So the blessing is, the secret is, you have union with the God of the universe, with the Lord Jesus Christ. And it affords you some opportunities right now and in eternity. What's the most important one?

Behold Christ. Pretty good. Intimate fellowship I think is the answer. The fact that believers can have fellowship. What I find interesting when I study John, as we've studied John, Have you noticed this intimacy that has been going on between the father and the son? Have you noticed that as you've read it? And it's like they are never separated, they are never out of communication, and they certainly are always in sync in terms of purpose and direction, mindset. And it goes on all the time. It never stops. So here he is saying, I've united you to me, for the purpose of you having fellowship with me.

Is that only when you're on your knees praying? Or when you've got your act cleaned up and you're really holy? When does this happen from a practical sense? All the time? Dare I ask for a raise of hands? This is the privilege of every believer to function on a moment by moment basis intimately with the Lord Jesus Christ. So why aren't you doing it?

I'm worried about the election. You know, that's a wonderful answer, because that is the right answer. Or I'm worried about something, or I'm concerned about something that's earthly based, or I'm worried about some sort of perceived disaster in the future, medical, financial, kind of thing, that's really the reason.

And you think about it, you have a raid against you, not only within your own sin nature, but the world you live in, plus all those beings that control the world, spiritual beings, and what are they trying to do? They're trying to snuff out, as best they can, this intimacy that every believer has. That's really the goal. is to separate the believer from intimacy with his Lord.

And it's really subtle how it's done. It's done with religion. It's done with politics. It's done with do-goodism. It's done with education. It's done with philosophy. It's done with all kinds of subtle things. Anything but Christ. Colossians says that in Christ dwells treasures of wisdom and knowledge in him as you're completing him, right? And we say, well that's fine, but what's the Dow Jones going to do tomorrow? I'm going to North Carolina, am I going to be able to switch planes and is it going to be alright? Is my son going to ever wake up? Whatever your deal is.

And we have his word, and we have his spirit, and we engage all the time to foster, create, and maintain this intimacy. What do you think about that? That goes back to what we were talking about, the defeated foe. He allows these things to happen for the sole purpose of drawing us to him. When we focus on the world, the politics, the Dow Jones and all that, you know, we have doubt, we have fear, we have all those things, and it's meant to then refocus us on Him and the fellowship that we have with Him, as we realize that the things of this world don't give us any comfort, peace, rest. And where is that? It's back, you know, so He allows these things to happen if we get wrapped up into them for the sole purpose of I think the realization that we are, we don't have peace, we don't have rest, we don't have a focus, and it's to refocus us on Him.

Yeah, I find that He's so loving that when I go to Him and say, I want to go be a political junkie, He says, OK. But then I learn through not being a political junkie, there's no rest, there's no intimacy, there's no fellowship, you know. Or I want to be healthy, wealthy, and wise or something. Anything outside of him gives you nothing. Nothing. Just because you're suited out. I wrote this down.

The conclusion must be drawn from this that there's an entirely new divine undertaking that has been introduced into the world. Its objective being the outcalling of a company of saints, each one of which company will have been perfected forever. and being in Christ and that each has obtained that exalted position by the one act of believing in Christ. To intimacy.

I don't think in Christian environments these days that intimacy is talked about much. Do you agree? We're too interested in being theologians or being apologetic or doing something like that. But we seldom talk about intimacy. in the Gospel of John is all about intimacy. That's what it's all about. Paul's epistles, that's all he ever talks about is intimacy.

We are all one in Christ, position of oneness with the Holy Spirit that can work out practically into a unity of fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Tough question coming up. List as many as you can name of the grace and blessings we have because of our union with Christ. Give me some examples. Okay, you're done. Somebody else, somebody else. What else?

We're studying, we have studied the 34 blessings we have in Christ. And then those are in that class, at the end of the class I gave you a list of 215. So all of those, every single one of those is absolutely true and all designed to either promote fellowship or that fellowship would be the result and that the manifestation of the glory of God would be all the time. Because of who you are in Christ. Can anybody else do any homework other than winning?

How can the world know and believe that the Father sent Jesus by the fact that, quote, that they may be one as you Father are in me and I in you that they also may be one in us? How can the world know and believe? And as I was working on this question, I came up with another question that I probably should have asked. Is the world supposed to know right now, or is the world going to find out when Christ comes in glory?

They're supposed to see Him in us. What's that? They're supposed to see Him in us and react to us. Okay. If the world is to see Him in us, does it portray to the world the fact that that the world may believe that you sent me. How is that fact presented now or when Christ is revealed? Can it be presented now to a non-believing world and would they get it? Not unless they want to. See their need. If they don't feel needy, if they think they're in control and that's all the control is needed, don't see a need for God.

Well, what the Lord Jesus is saying to the Father is that the world will know that you sent me because they are one in us. So call up that guy in Iran, ask him if he knows. Call up the Denver Post and say, do you realize, have you ever had this thought? that you can tell that the Father sent the Lord Jesus to the earth because I'm a Christian.

The guy would hang up on me. So that's what the question that hit me as I was working on this. Well, when is this going to happen? Because I don't see it happening now. There is a definite, there is definitely that God uses believers to call out other believers, others that he has chosen. because there's a life and a hope within us, but not the world. As a matter of fact, what did the Lord Jesus say the world's reaction to him and being in us would be? They'd hate us. Does that prove that he sent his son? I don't think they have... Well, he did say, because they hated me, they're going to hate you.

I came to the conclusion that this is talking about the millennium, that the effect of all the immense and immediate as indeed one could not conceive it otherwise, the world will contemplate with amazement the church in the glory and the glory of God in the church. Or as the Lord says, the Father in him and he in them glorified. It is a unity perfect both in connection with its source and is manifested in divine glory. And then here's another verse I ran on and thought, gee whiz, Colossians 3 says what? That I died and my life is hid with Christ in God. It's hidden. From who? I think it's hidden from the world.

So if I had been thinking when I was asking the question, I probably would have asked that question first. Does he mean Millennial Kingdom, when he's gloriously manifested and so are we, or does he mean now? Now that I've asked the question, those of you who thought he meant now, what do you think? Bob? Didn't he give us the word though?

He gave it to us, that's right, sure did. Well anybody can pick up the Bible and read it. That's right. It's available. That's right. But the anybody, is that the world? I think that's the distinction. The world system will never realize this. But an individual in the world, if the Holy Spirit leads them, will realize it. Sure. I agree with that. I absolutely agree with that. Anybody have any other comments? Doug? Instead of millennium, what about tribulation? Okay. The world here is the system. And look what's going to happen during the tribulation. The world system will be exposed. The Antichrist. All those things will be exposed at that time. I think that is what they're going to realize more than the millennium really. Is that where I'm coming from? I do, absolutely.

I remember years ago, Art Lothar gave me a book called The Revelation Record or something. It was kind of an interesting book and it addressed that subject that with all of the last part of the tribulation and all of the wrath of God against sin and against people on the earth and the devastation here is just going to be, does it cause him to turn? The word of God says no. It causes them to hide under a rock and shake their fists.

I think again it's on an individual basis. I think there will be individuals in that. There will be. But I still think the world itself will still say no. And I think that's the point that he's making here and he's going to make it again about love. I don't think the world gets it now. What do you think, Carton?

Well, I'm just looking at this whole section. If you take it in section, but now I come to you in these sayings, I speak in the world so that they may have my joy made full of themselves. I've given them your word and the world has hated them because they are not of the world. These are all past tense, aorist tense. This is talking about this world now. Yeah, I think that's right. So this whole context is in the world now. I don't think it's speaking in the millennium. I think it's right now.

And it says they've hated him, but the world is going to know, the world will know by you. And I think the one in verse 20, I do not ask on behalf of these alone, for those who also believe in me through their word. So it's talking about us, you know, the word going out to the world now. And they, you know, speaking of us, you know, and I think it's of this world now, not of the millennium. I think so too.

Oh, you think the manifestation of the glory is now? Well, I think what he's talking about all through here is about the world now. He's not talking about the millennium. All the context of this is about past tense, world and everything from the point of Christ going to the cross. I think this is all speaking of the things in the world and for the disciples, everything. The whole context is the world now.

In verse 9 he says, I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them whom you gave me, for they are yours and mine. And then, where's the verse he said, And I don't only pray for them, but I pray for those who will believe on my name because of them. The problem I have is that...

I think it's interesting in 1 John 3, John writes and says, Behold, what foreign manner of love has the Father bestowed upon us that we should be called children of God? And then John writes, therefore, the world knows us not, because it knew him not.

There's an element in which the world cannot understand the eternal quality of life that a believer has in Christ. And the position we have is just so foreign to them. When you talk to them about it, they can't understand it. That's why we don't talk to them about it, because they can't understand it. It's like going to an unsaved person and talking to them. election to him.

You give them the gospel, and once the Holy Spirit illumines their mind and saves them, then they can start growing in those areas. I absolutely agree with that. They have no idea what we have. I absolutely agree with that. You should never have a discussion with a non-believer other than salvation. That's it. You don't talk about any other subject. Because election is not for them.

So I'm hanging my hat on the fact that he's talking about the millennium. Even though Courtney disagrees with me, I think I can suck it up and go for it. I mean there's no question that believers now are to be conformed to his image from glory to glory. But it all has to do with our intimacy with Christ and our fellowship with him and with one another, but I don't think the world sees anything now. As a matter of fact, they hate us and don't understand us. But that was the question between what Inger brought up the last time, between 14, verse 14, where they hate us, and verse 21, where the world may believe. They're both, I mean... Yeah. That's where my question came from.

And I looked at the tenses and all the stuff, and it seems like it's still all talking about now, rather than future. It's not future tense, it's not... Well, go down to 25. I hate to jump ahead. Oh, righteous father, the world has not known me, but I have known thee, and these have known that you have sent me. Yeah, right now. Present tense. Right now. But just these, the world, right now, present tense, they don't know you.

But then you have to go back to verse 20 which says, those who believe, that's us. And that's from everyone, from those who he's talking about. Oh yeah, I don't have any problem with that. But the point is that the glory of the Lord Jesus is not revealed now in the believer like it will be and he will be revealed in which the world will have to acknowledge that the Father sent the Son and all that we know and believe in is in fact true. they'll not know that till then. But in the millennium they will not all acknowledge otherwise there would not be a rebellion at the end of it.

Oh yeah? Yeah. That's good. What do you think? These people have their own human thoughts that are not we don't know what percent but you know a whole lot of them are not going to be won over. So only the Democrats. Whatever the conditions are. She's absolutely right, but think about the Millennial Kingdom. Think about the environment. You have a planet that has been released from its vanity. In other words, your backyard will grow bushels and bushels and bushels of food.

It won't be restricted, there won't be any bugs eating it or anything. Everything will come into the perfection that God created it to be. There won't be any natural tragedies. There won't be anything like that. The lion will lay down with the lamb. All of those kinds of things, right? That's the world.

Then Christ will be here ruling and reigning from Jerusalem and you're going to be here ruling and reigning with him. Now how are they going to tell that you're one of them rulers and reigner people? How are they going to know? Because you've got a badge that says I am? No, they're going to know because the glory he's talking about will be manifested through everybody in this room for all of those in the world to see.

And there's going to be no doubt in their mind about who he is. But that doesn't mean they're going to like it. But that isn't what the verse says. It doesn't say whether they'll like it or not. They'll just know it. Sure, we'll be in glorified bodies. Sure, but that makes the argument in 25, although the world has not known you, they will know him in the millennium. I agree.

So that's why it doesn't relate to their millennium. Well what's it relate to then, now? I think it's all the time up through you know, the millennium. Because it doesn't make sense. The world is not going to know anything. They will know you in the millennium. Like you said, we don't have a jacket that says, I are a Christian. So this says, although the world has not known you, that means it has to be through this time period, because the world does not know us at this time. I mean, the world does not know him at this time. At this time? Yeah, and through the time of the millennium. Because at the time of the millennium, they'll know him. He'll rule and reign.

Okay, so, well, I think you're agreeing with me. We should stop this and beat each other up later, shouldn't we? Our usual beat-up time. A lot of times in the Greek grammar, one of the principles of Greek grammar is that a lot of times the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit uses what you call a many times the Lord anticipate from his standpoint the future and then speak in the present tense. Yes, which he's doing here. That's exactly what he's doing. Yeah, that's what he's doing here. Yeah, I'm trying to think of what that's called as a phrase, but I'm not sure.

Future present. What's that? Back in verse 19, King James says, and for their sake I sanctify myself. Okay, and the question is? Well, I'm trying to reconcile him sanctifying himself. Oh, okay. Anybody want to take a stab at that? Well, I have an opinion. I think it's keeping himself holy, not allowing himself to sin. So that he can perform the duties he's agreed to and been sent to do.

I would give you 60% on that answer. It's a good answer. No, it's a good answer. I'll take it. We didn't know you were going to get graded. To be set apart. So he's saying, I set myself apart. I'm stepping back, I'm setting myself, not stepping back, but I'm setting myself apart from the world.

Who's the I? Jesus. Is it the second person of the Trinity or is it the incarnate Jesus Christ's man? It's the man who's doing it. And why is he doing it? Because he and the Father have worked out this arrangement called the Eternal Covenant. So he's setting himself apart for God's purposes as a man. Willfully doing that. He's doing it. He's exercising, see he's 100% man and 100% God. He doesn't need to be sanctified as God. But as man, because he has a will, he willingly does this kind of thing. He's that perfect man. But a perfect man doesn't mean he's willless. That he doesn't exercise his volition. He certainly does.

His will and the Father's will. the same because he's decided it's going to be the same. Isn't that cool? It's not a switch that's automatic. Because he has a will, he decides. He willingly does it. It's like you and me. We willingly decide to be sanctified. We willingly decide to let the Holy Spirit do what he wants to do. If we don't exercise our will... No, but we willingly decide to let him do it. He can do it because he's the son of God, the son of man. He exercised his will, it wasn't just a robotic thing. That's why he says, I sanctify myself. I'm doing it.

And the reason I didn't give Carol a 100% answer is because she said he decided not to sin. No, he couldn't sin. But willingly, he always, willfully did the will of the Father. Always. He was engaged willingly for that. So there was no possibility he would sin, but it isn't that he's a passive investor here. He's active. But I think he continually made decisions. He was tempted, but sin free, and that's not without effort. Not on his part. It's impossible for him to sin. There's no effort in his part. He doesn't have a sin nature, so there's no tension.

And, as we're going to see, I'm trying to think of what class this is in. Maybe it's later on in this. I want to move on, because otherwise I'm going to run out of time. Question 6 in John 6.57 which is, As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he that eats me, he also shall live because of me.

Explain the lifeline from the Father to Jesus to you. Now the first thing you can say about the Father is that he has life in himself. That's the best way to describe him. He has life in himself and it's unique to him. And he is the life giver. And the Lord Jesus declares that he lives as the son of man because of the father. He makes that declaration. So the believer can say that he shall live on this earth by the life of the Lord Jesus. No, one comes to the Father, but by means. In the issue of life here, if you want to run the lifeline from the Father to you, it's the lifeline from the Father to the Only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to you.

Okay with that? Okay. So what does it mean that they may be made perfect in one? Oh, this is going to answer the question, right here. The word perfect means what? Complete. That you have come into reaching the intended purpose for which you created. Complete means that you're fully orbed in what your original design was to be. Everybody okay for that? So when I say that they may be made perfect in one, what am I talking about? They're all in Christ. That's right. And there's the key. Perfection has to be in the right location.

Because think about this, was Adam created perfect? Then how come he fell? If he's so perfect. Was Adam created perfect in one? He wasn't. Was Lucifer created perfect in one? No. So what's the risk if you're not created in one? You can fall. If you're in unity with the God of the universe, you cannot fall. You cannot fall. If you're created but not in unity in one, you can fall. You will fall. Do you understand the difference here?

That's why the language is really interesting here. When he says that they may be made perfect, if he would have put a period there and left the N1 out, it would have made me a little less secure. Right? Because I could be made perfect and if I wasn't in him, I'm in trouble. Because one of these days I'm going to make a decision against him. But if I'm made perfect in him, I cannot fall. Does that make sense? That's exactly what it is. Offspring. Offspring of Christ. So that's the difference between the first Adam and the second Adam. He was created, but we are now of Christ. Same organic offspring of Christ. So we can't...

So that's why we taught position and condition. You were made perfect, and notice, what's the tense of the word made? I bet it's aorist tense. or made perfect in one. Positional truth or conditional truth? Position. Got to be. Can you fall from your position? Absolutely not. You cannot fall. So you see what he's saying here. Made perfect in one is all the security you'll ever need because you cannot fall because you're in one. That's the cool thing about the Father in me and I in you and them in us.

You cannot go against what you are. The reason that the Lord Jesus can't sin is because he can't go against what he is. The reason you physicianally could never sin from this moment forward is because you can't go against what you are. So when you study a growth truce, that's why it's so important to understand that conformity to Christ is the issue.

You're being conformed to the one who you are already in. You're not working hard to get in. You're already in. It's perfect tense, so it's completed action with abiding results. So yeah, that fits. I was the receiver of the action. Right. In one. I can't overemphasize the in one. Is it possible for the believer to fall based on this verse? No, you can't.

So what's the basic truth of Paul's doctrine as talked about here? Courtney has the answer for this. This is his favorite doctrine. What's the basic truth that he's talking about here? That we don't find out about for another 20 years until Paul starts writing. It's the doctrine of identification. You see that?

10. Look in Ephesians 4.13, Ephesians 3.18, and can one believer contain all the fullness of God? One believer contain all the fullness of God. What do you think? I think it's each believer.

Ephesians 4.15 says, Till we all come in the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, there's that word again, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. That's each and all.

Okay, Ephesians 3.19, and to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. My contention here is that no single believer could contain the fullness of God in Christ.

It takes all of us, and even then we aren't enough. We will be filled to overflowing. But you know, at the beam of judgment, all of us are going to be rewarded and be filled with the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ to our capacity. And Carol's capacity is going to be a lot more than mine. But the cool thing is that from that moment in time into eternity, our capacities will never be the same. We will grow through all eternity to contain more and more of Christ and it will never end because He never ends in terms of His glory. When we've been there 10,000 years, you will contain and manifest way more glory than when you first began.

You see that? It takes the entire body of Christ to even approach the glory, to just get started and not one single believer could handle it all. That was my point. How will the world recognize that God loves us as he loved Christ? This is a similar question as the one we talked about a minute ago. Do you think there is anybody outside of Christ that takes a look at you and says, oh, you know what, I can tell that God loves Christ and loves you. I can tell. What do you think? John 15, 34 and 35.

That you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, that you have love for one another. Yeah, how cool is that? They will know that you're his disciples because they love one another. I don't have any problem with that. What I'm questioning is, will they recognize that God loves us as he loved Christ? That's the question. They don't recognize that God loves Christ, so how can they ever recognize that God loves us?

But the world can know, and I should have looked this up, there's a Greek or a Roman philosopher that wrote about that, that the one thing he noticed about these weird people of the way, was how they loved one another. It was Josephus, he was a Greek historian, and he said how they loved one another. How did he observe that there was a love in amongst these people called of the way or Christians? But my question is, does that show that the father loves the son?

No. I don't think it does. It shows that we love one another and we know the source of it. but I'm not sure the world does. No. The world looks and says, oh you people are such good people and you love one another and that's what everybody should do. Isn't that cool?

They don't know why. The first John 3 tells you again that 3.1 says it's just foreign. The Greek word there is foreign. What foreign manner, what foreign love has God left us? that we should be called that. But I do think, I really agree with Courtney, that believers, the demonstrable love of Christ in the believer for one another, the world can see that.

They can definitely see that. You know what? It scares them. It scares them. It really does. Because they don't function that way. They don't operate on love. I mean, you think about one of the great contributions that Verne has made to my understanding is his acumen in ancient history. When Paul writes, Husbands, love your wife as Christ loved the church. No husband ever loved his wife. Never. That was never part of any equation. Never. Can you imagine him writing this letter and sending it out to all these guys saying, Husbands, you better be loving your wife. They're going, what's that? See? We live in a society of Christian influence over 2,000 years. We understand loving one another. You take Christ out of the equation. All you have to do is watch the news at 10. You see any love there? I never see it.

I said Jacob loved Rachel, and he showed it in his life, in his actions. So, there were some. There were some, sure. Maybe it wasn't the common mode, but... Sure. I mean, I hate to pick on you, because it's what they're so easy to pick on. Is there any love in Islam? Anywhere? For anybody? No, they're a law-based system and if you don't adhere, you die. Real simple. Makes it easy that way. You know, Doyle, when you look at that verse in John 13, 34 and 35, you've got to remember when Jesus spoke it, the New Commandments. I give you.

That was never in the Old Testament. Rachel's love for, you know, what's-her-name's-love-to-Rachel was never like as Christ loved us. It's a totally different See, the new commandment, he says, that you love one another, that was old. But the new commandment part of it was, as I love you. And nobody is capable of loving one another as Christ loved us, unless Christ loves through us one another.

Yeah, he's talking about a different form of love. Okay, we've got to close. So we'll pick up next week with question 12. which is a good place to break because it's a different kind of thought. Dear Father, how we thank you for your, actually for your glory, Father, that you and your Son have determined to share with us how undeserving but how privileged we are, Father. We thank you and we pray in your Son's name. Amen.