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Eduardo Elizondo —March 23, 2024
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We're going to continue that message that we started last time that was based on Psa. 25 [transcriber's correction]. Let's go there just as a recap from what we discussed last time.
Psalm 25:14: "The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His Covenant."
We were talking about what is the secret of the Lord that is with those who fear Him, but it says, "…And He will show them His Covenant."
We started talking about this covenant and what this covenant is and what this covenant entails. We're just going to do a quick recap, and then we'll get into part two of this message.
In the first part, we talked about this covenant, that is a covenant between God the Father and Jesus Christ! This covenant has several aspects, and we talked about last time the first of these aspects is that God the Father and Jesus Christ are two Beings; there are two in the Godhead!
We know Jesus Christ, the Lord God of the Old Testament, but it was also then the Father whom Jesus came to reveal when He came in the flesh as Jesus Christ, as a Messiah, as a Savior. So, that was the first part.
The second aspect of this covenant that we started to study and go through together was that not only that there are two in the Godhead, but also that they have a covenant between Them that They are keeping.
We went to several Scriptures to show that this is a covenant from the beginning, even before the foundation of the earth. They already had this plan, that They already had this covenant between Them, that one of Them was going to come and give His life for all humanity if Adam and Eve sinned. We know that that's what happened, and that's exactly what They followed through with that plan. So, that's the second aspect.
Then the third aspect is what the covenant involved, and we went into the details. So, three sub-bullets to these three main points:
- there's two in the Godhead
- they have a covenant between Them
- what this covenant involves
- the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the salvation of those who are gods
- this sacrifice was agreed to before the foundation of the earth
- the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead as the promise of eternal life
It's not only that They had this covenant and that one of Them was going to come and He was going to die: the Savior, the Messiah, but also the resurrection!
In that part, you can see very clearly how the death was the first part, then the resurrection was the other part, the part that the Father carried that out!
The Father upheld His end of that covenant, of that promise that they made between Them. The Father resurrected Jesus Christ from the dead, making good that promise, not only to His only begotten Son, the Beloved, but also to all those of us who are now in this covenant, as well.
Then the third aspect of this covenant between them is the promise that Jesus Christ would reign on the earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This third aspect of the covenant, all these things that it involved:
- the death, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ
- the resurrection of Jesus Christ
- the promise of His coming as King of Kings and Lord of Lords
That obviously has not happened. Yet! But when we think about this covenant, when it says in
Psalm 25:14: "The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His Covenant." It's a wonderful thing to see this aspect:
- to know and understand that the Godhead is God the Father and Jesus Christ
- to know and understand that They have a covenant that They are keeping
then to go deeper into that covenant and understand:
- the sacrifice
- the resurrection
- the promise of the Kingdom
- the promise of the King—not only the Kingdom—that He would reign
That's part of them both, that through Jesus Christ, God is going to bring peace to all the earth!
When we think about this wonderful covenant and everything that it entails from the beginning, before the foundation of the earth, when we take a step back and just meditate on the enormity of this covenant. It is a wonderful, wonderful thing that They've done from the beginning, before they even made anything physical, before the foundation of the earth:
- They already had this covenant
- They already had this plan
- They already had agreed that this would happen
- that there would be a Savior
- that Savior would come and die
- that He would be resurrected
Then that same Savior would come and not only save those who are His, but also then bring peace to the entire world and a new Kingdom, of which there will be no end (Dan. 2:44)—the Kingdom of God! There will be no end of the Kingdom of God!
That is what we covered last time in the first message, and that's what we were talking about, how God will show those who fear Him, that His Covenant, this covenant, this understanding, and only those who fear the Lord will have this understanding!
Not only understanding, but really internalizing it, because that's the part that we're going to go into today.
- How does this apply to us?
- How does this involve us?
They have this covenant that they are keeping from the very beginning and is still in motion. We are just a tiny little part that is coming in this plan; a little part, but They invite us to that covenant. They invite us to be part of this covenant, the everlasting covenant, that covenant that was before the foundation of the earth. They invite us into that covenant through baptism and the laying on of hands!
Rom. 6—this is where we're going to begin this part. As we come close to the Passover and we are examining ourselves and we are meditating and preparing for the Passover; it's very important that we think about these things. Not only in the individual and the personal level, but we're going to see where we fit. Where do we fit?
It's not that we're trying to fit. It's just that God already determined that this plan. Out of His love, compassion and mercy that He's had towards us, He called us. He called us into being part of this covenant! We know and we have studied covenants in the past.
We know there were many covenants in the Old Testament. We know there was a covenant with Noah. There was a covenant with Abraham. There were many other covenants that God has made. There's a covenant with Israel.
But the covenant that we make with God of baptism is really us joining this covenant that He talks about here in Psa. 25:14, the one that He will show to those who fear Him. They will show that covenant to do that. He will show that covenant so that we know, so that we understand the enormity of what it is. They invite us here to this covenant!
So to understand that it's not just between God and me and my personal salvation, but to understand that we become part of that covenant, we become part of that plan that They created from the beginning and that we are coming into that covenant.
It's not just a new one that we're making with Them individually, which it is obviously at baptism, but it is that individual becomes part of the original covenant. That's why we become part of Their Family.
Romans 6:3—Paul says: "Or are you ignorant that we…"
He's talking about v 1: "…Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound? MAY IT NEVER BE! We who died to sin, how shall we live any longer therein?" (vs 1-2).
But in v 3 he says: "Or are you ignorant that we, as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into His death?"
We know, we understand, it's been explained before many times that when we are baptized, we are baptized into His death, we die! That's what Paul is going to explain in v 4, we die symbolically!
Verse 4: "Therefore, we were buried with Him through the baptism into the death."
We are buried into that baptism, into the death! That death is the death of the Savior, the death of Jesus Christ Himself. That's what it says in the in The Faithful Version, that we become partakers of the same. We are conjoined into that death, the death of the crucifixion, the death that was part of the plan, that first aspect that we talked about, that there would be a Savior and He would die for our sins!
It says we are buried with Him, we become part of that agreement, part of that covenant. That's why it says that we were
"…baptized into His death so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father…" (v 4).
That's the second part that we just talked about, that we recap from the first time when we saw that there would be a Savior, but the second part was His resurrection! Without that resurrection, we have no hope! God the Father made it happen. God the Father resurrected Jesus Christ, and that's what happened here:
"…just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, in the same way, we also should walk in newness of life" (v 4).
We know that's a promise in the future, but it says that we should also walk in newness of life, because what happens is—and we know and understand this—that we are begotten! We're not born yet, but we're begotten. Being begotten is already a new creation, is newness of life, because a baby conceived in the womb of the mother is already a new being, is already a new life, is newness of life! It's not born, yet, but it's newness of life!
Then it explains why in v 5: "For if we have been conjoined together in the likeness of His death… [aspect #1 that we talked about] …so also shall we be in the likeness of His resurrection"—aspect #2.
When we go to Rev. 20 and read about what it says, we see the third aspect, and then it says:
Revelation 20:4: "And I saw thrones; and they that sat upon them, and judgment was given to them; and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and those who did not worship the beast or his image, and did not receive the mark in their foreheads or in their hands… [these are the saints of God] …and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
Which is an amazing thing when we come back to, Rom. 6:5, that's the third part that is not written here, but it's written in Revelation. It's those three same aspects of that covenant that we become conjoined to them in that covenant!
Part one: there would be a Savior, that He would die for all humanity.
Romans 6:5: "…we have been conjoined together in the likeness of His death…" So, we are part of that first aspect!
Part two: "…so also shall we be in the likeness of His resurrection" (v 5).
Part three: Christ will come again and will reign over the whole earth and will establish the Kingdom of God forever.
We just read that we are partakers of that third aspect, IF we are faithful to the end, to reign with Christ for a thousand years.
So, all three aspects apply to us! They invite us to that same covenant, to be part of the same covenant that God the Father—think about it, brethren—and Jesus Christ agreed from before the foundation of the earth, before anything!
That is the secret, that is the biggest secret that people do not understand; people don't have this understanding!
It's not that we're better than anybody else. It's just that God has given it to those who fear Him! To us whom He's called right now! It's an amazing thing to just think about that the entire covenant—which has been established from the beginning—and They invite us to be part of that same covenant and conjoining Christ; conjoining with Him together in the likeness of His death, in the baptismal burial.
That's what it is. When we're buried under the watery grave, we go down exactly as they're going to put us under the ground when we die, it's the exact same way under the watery grave when we're submerged at baptism. So, it's the same.
We're conjoining the likeness of His death. The promise is there that we will be resurrected just as Jesus was resurrected after three days and three nights, the exact same way.
Jesus Christ is going to come down and He will. That's why He says, 'All shall hear His voice and will come forth'—from the grave! That's the likeness of the resurrection.
We just read the third aspect of the reigning, that is also part of those who fear God. He will show them His Covenant, this covenant that They invite us to be partakers of.
This is an astounding thing. All the prophecies and all the things that talk about this in the Bible is an amazing thing when we meditate, and when we just focus on the enormity of the Plan of God. This covenant truly encapsulates the entire Plan of God, the entire Plan of Salvation for humanity, before the foundation of the earth! The fact that They invite us to be part of it and to participate in is not only:
- I'll give you mercy
- I'll give you strength
- I'll help you in life
No! It's way more than that! It's way more! We're going to see the depth of this covenant! We're going to see the depth of this invitation and what They really desire for us.
Psa. 45—we read the first few verses last time when we were talking about the promise that Jesus Christ would reign on the earth. The first seven verses talk about that. But now we're going to go to v 13, because this is talking about that second part, when it talks about the Kingdom.
Psalm 45:1: "…I speak of my works to the King…"
This is a poem; this is reciting this song of love, of the greatest love that there can be, the love of God and the love of Their Plan that the Psalm is really putting here in this wonderful Psalm.
Verse 13: "The King's daughter is all glorious within; her clothing is trimmed with gold. She shall be brought to the King in embroidered garments; the virgins, her companions who follow after her, shall be brought to You" (vs 13-14)—Jesus Christ! It sounds like the wedding supper of the Lamb!
Then it gives us a little bit of a glimpse of that wedding supper of the Lamb.
Verse 15: "They shall be led with joy and gladness; they shall enter into the King's palace." That's what's going to happen! This is a prophecy.
Verse 16: "Your sons shall be in the place of your fathers; You will make them princes in all the land."
It's what we just read in Revelation talking about the sons of God, the ones who are called.
Verse 16: "Your sons shall be in the place of your fathers; You will make them princes in all the land. I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore, the people shall praise You forever and ever" (vs 16-17).
It is talking about the children of God, those who are called. That's what it says. It is an astonishing thing when we think about the covenant, but that They want us to fully participate in every aspect of them:
- being conjoined to the death of Christ
- being resurrected in the same manner that Jesus was resurrected by the Father
- reigning with Christ just as He is going to reign in His Kingdom.
In Rev. 3 it says, 'to the one who overcomes, I will give him to sit in My Kingdom, sit in My Throne, just as I have overcome, and I have sat in the Throne of My Father.'
That is a wonderful thing, because They want for us to do this. They want for us to be partakers of this covenant in all its fullness, even though we're joining (inaudible), obviously. We are the reason that this covenant even exists, but They don't want us to be bystanders or just recipients.
They want for us to be active participants in it. That's what we are going to renew at the Passover, renew that covenant again with both of Them, the covenant that we have made. The remembrance of being partakers of His burial, and also so that we can be partakers of the resurrection, as well. That is a wonderful thing when we think about it.
Psa. 16—I know we read this one, but we're going to see another little aspect of it, that They invite us into this covenant. We're going to see something here. We're going to see this is a secret treasure of David, and it's a secret treasure because it's something:
- very intimate
- very personal
- it's a treasure
It's really what he loves the most
- talking about God
- talking about his relationship with God
In this treasure, this secret treasure, we're going to see the words of David, and we're going to see how this invitation really applies, because we are part of that covenant.
We already saw that third aspect in Psa. 45 about reining, but we'll see another part, another aspect here of the resurrection!
Psalm 16:7: "I will bless the LORD Who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the nights."
You could say, 'He instructs my heart in the nights,' because that's what David was going through, and then he says:
Verse 8: "I have set the LORD always before me. Because He is at my right hand…"
Notice the closeness, just as Christ is at the right hand of the Father. David knows and understands that this relationship that he has with God is an extension of the relationship that God the Father has with Jesus Christ. It's a reflection and an extension of that, and we're going to see that.
"…Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore, My heart is glad, and My glory rejoices..." (vs 8-9).
Think about it, brethren, isn't that the greatest joy that we could have, that we are being invited to be part of this covenant with Them?
Then it says, "…My flesh also shall rest in safety… [don't have to worry about it] …for You will not abandon My soul to the grave; neither will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption" (vs 9-10).
We know it's a prophecy of Jesus Christ, but it's the same for us; 'He will not abandon our soul in the grave forever!'
We do see corruption, that is true, because the timing is different. We're not resurrected after three days and three nights, but it's the same. The only reason that it's a different timing is so that His Plan may be carried out exactly as He has said it, that they will be, and Paul says it, right: 'Christ the Firstfruit, then those who are Christ's at His coming.'
Obviously, we know then the rest—the rest of the children of God, the rest of humanity—to have an opportunity. It's a wonderful thing when we think about that 'He will not abandon our souls in the grave forever.' He will not!
Verse 11: "You will make known to Me the path of life…"
That path starts with this covenant. It starts when we make that decision to say:
- I want to be Yours forever
- I want to join in this covenant, in this death
- I want to be part of this wonderful plan that You are showing me
"…in Your presence is fullness of joy…." (v 11)—not just in the future in the presence of God! We are all in the presence of God all the time. He hears our prayers.
"…At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (v 11).
We're going to see that it's not just the joy and it's not just coming together. We're going to see so much more, because what They want is to be one with us forever.
This is very deep when we take this step back and meditate on the enormity of this covenant, this covenant that God is showing. It's a wonderful covenant that They agreed to before the foundation of the earth!
That is what we're coming into when we get baptized, and that is what we're renewing at the Passover. That we are there not only of the plan, we're not separate. We become part of that greater covenant that They had from the beginning. Here the Apostle Paul explains it:
Ephesians 4:4: "There is one Body and one Spirit, even as you were also called in one hope of your calling."
Meaning there's one Body and one Spirit. Why one Body and one Spirit? Because it all comes from God! It comes from God the Father to Jesus Christ to us, and "There is one Body and one Spirit…"
"…one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (vs 4-5).
- There's one Lord Jesus Christ, one faith in Him:
- in His life
- in His death
- in His resurrection
- in His promise of coming as King of kings and Lord of lords
That in one baptism that we become one with Them.
Verse 6: "…one God and Father of all..."
We talked about Jesus Christ in v 5 and in v 6 He's talking about God the Father.
Verse 6: "One God and Father of all, Who is over all, and through all… [How? Through Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit] …and in you all."
God the Father dwells in you! If you have been baptized you have the Holy Spirit; God the Father and Jesus Christ are dwelling in you through that indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
That's why it says, "…and in you all." That is the level. They want us to be one with Them forever!
- one Lord
- one faith
- one baptism
- one God and Father of all
Here we see the depth of the love of God the Father.
- Who is overall
- He's over us
- He's through us
- He is in us
- we're going to see that this was Their desire from the very beginning
- we're going to see an amazing thing because with this as background
John 17—we're going to read that prayer from Jesus Christ to God the Father. This is truly the Lord's Prayer! The other one is the model prayer. But this is the Lord's Prayer.
What it says in here is amazing when we think about and meditate. So, before we read it, let's remember that there are two beings: God the Father and Jesus Christ. They made a covenant before the foundation of the earth! That covenant entails those three main aspects:
- the death of Jesus Christ
- His resurrection
- the promise of His Kingdom
What we saw, They want for us to join Them. We are conjoined in baptism! We are basically agreeing and becoming part of that. Not that we can call ourselves or insert ourselves. They invite us to do that, but not just to be a part of it or aside. No, it's part of that same covenant.
We're going to see the depth of this. So, with this as background, knowing that God the Father dwells in us and Jesus Christ is one faith, one Lord, one baptism, we're going to see what it says in John 17.
The depth of this prayer, it's as wonderful as the mind of Christ. It really is! It shows you
- what He was thinking
- what He was feeling
- what He was conveying to the Father
right before He went and fulfilled that first part: dying for all of our sins and not just for us, but for the whole world!
As we're reading these verses, we're going to stop and reflect on these parts of the covenant. We're going to stop and reflect on what we've been studying with this covenant that God will show to those who fear Him.
John 17:1: "Jesus spoke these words, and lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, 'Father, the hour has come; glorify Your own Son, so that Your Son may also glorify You.'" He's asking the Father to do what He's saying:
Father, We had an agreement. Please carry on with that. I want to do that. I want to glorify You in My death. To overcome sin and overcome Satan, I want to glorify You. So, please carry that out.
He's not saying it, but that's the meaning of it. You can read in between the lines in this entire chapter the details of that covenant that They made from the beginning. And this is part of it:
Verse 2: "Since You have given Him authority over all flesh…"
The Father gave all this authority to Jesus Christ. It was by Him, by the Word, that He created everything.
"…in order that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him" (v 2).
He's talking about Himself in the third person, basically, that He had received all this authority over all flesh.
"…in order that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him" (v 2)—the Father gave to Jesus Christ!
Then He explains what eternal life is. This is exactly what Psa. 25:14 is talking about.
Verse 3: "For this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom You did send."
We've gone over this many times about why you say the only true God, because Jesus was in the flesh. He was susceptible to human nature. He did not sin, but He was susceptible to it.
So, the only true God at that point in time was God the Father. But also, eternal life is knowing Jesus Christ. He is also part of the Godhead.
Aspect #1: there are two in the Godhead, and they're both; They're both God. That's why eternal life is not only knowing the Father, but His Son, Jesus Christ, whom the Father sent. That part of the plan, the one of them was going to come and give His life, live the perfect life, only the life of the Creator would do.
Verse 4: "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work that You gave Me to do." That part of that covenant was finished:
- He had lived His life
- He had done His ministry
- He had revealed the Father
- He had instructed His disciples
- they had recorded His words for the Gospels
All that part was done! He had glorified the Father in everything!
He set the example for us to do the same, because that's what our lives should look like. We know and understand that we fall very, very short of that standard. But we have to keep looking to Christ, and we have to keep looking to His example, because He glorified the Father in everything on the earth. He finished the works that God the Father gave Him to do!
Verse 5: "And now, Father, glorify Me with Your own self, with the glory that I had with You... [When did this covenant start?]: …before the world existed."
Here's absolute proof that Jesus Christ was not a created being, that He had glory with the Father, because He was God (John 1:1). He had that glory before the world existed. But why does He mention that? Because He's referring back to the covenant! This covenant that God will show to those who fear Him. That's the secret of the Lord!
He will show them Who He is and what He's doing from before the foundation of the earth. That is amazing to know and to see in these words in this prayer from Jesus Christ to God the Father:
"…glorify Me with Your own self, with the glory that I had with You before the world existed."
He knew, He knew at that point, 'I'm just a man.' That is where we are right now. We're just human beings; we're just a man or a woman. But He, even in the flesh, knowing His condition, He asked the Father to restore that glory, as they had agreed, because He did His part in glorifying the Father always.
He had that glory before the world existed, referring back to that covenant. Then He starts outlining what He had done, because He said, "…I have finished the work…" (v 4).
Here's the work; v 6: "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world…."—meaning:
I came to reveal the Father and I manifested Your name, God the Father, Abba. I manifested Your name. They were Yours and You have given them to Me, and they have kept Your Word.
It's amazing because He Himself was the Word. The Word became flesh and tabernacle among men.
But when we think about that we were given by God the Father to Jesus Christ to be conjoined in that death.!
I would like for all of us to think about that as we come to the Passover. To think about that we have been selected and given by the Father to Jesus Christ Himself to be conjoined in that death at the moment of baptism!
I would like for all of us to think about that as we come to the Passover. To think about being selected by God the Father and given to Jesus Christ Himself! To be conjoined in that death at the moment of baptism! When we have made the covenant where we pledge our life and we say, 'IF I don't keep, if I'm not Yours and I don't obey You, and I don't follow You until the day I die, THEN I'm going to die forever!'
That's what we're pledging there. We're saying, 'I'm going to die if I don't keep this covenant.' But we have been given by God the Father to Jesus Christ to be joined in that covenant!
"…They were Yours, and You have given them to Me, and they have kept Your Word" (v 6),
Obviously, we know He's talking about the disciples, but it applies to us because we're going to read that He prayed for us, as well.
They were God the Father and He opened their minds so that they could come to Christ and to keep His Word.
Verse 7: "Now, they have known that all things that You have given Me are from You."
There is nothing that we have not received as the Apostle Paul says, and that's exactly what he's saying. That's exactly what he's acknowledging. He knows that all the things that he has as a human being, close to becoming the perfect sacrifice, close to being sacrificed for all the sins of all humanity. Knowing that there was nothing that was His, but that everything that was His was the Father's.
Verse 8: "For I have given them… [this is the work and it's an amazing thing, but it's all part of this covenant] …the words that You gave to Me; and they have received them and truly have known that I came from You…"
These words are not only the words that He spoke, they're also the words that He spoke in the Old Testament. As the Lord God of the Old Testament, He spoke all the words that God the Father gave Him. So this applies!
Verse 8: "For I have given them the words that You gave to Me..."
You see how it's beyond our comprehension how amazing all of this comes together, because it says:
"…and they have received them…" (v 8). They have received those words, the Old Testament, all those words from:
- the Prophets
- the Writings
- the Psalms
- the Law
and truly have known that I came from You…" (v 8)—because there were all of these prophecies!
They probably didn't even understand half of them until after, but God was patient. Jesus was patient. He says,
"…and they have received them and truly have known that I came from You; and they have believed that You did send Me" (v 8).
They believed in that part of the covenant, that one of them was going to come as a Messiah and save humanity.
Verse 9: "I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world, but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours."
It's amazing to think about it. He's not praying for the world, but those who 'You [the Father] have given Me,' and brethren, you and I have been given by God the Father to Jesus Christ, and we have said, 'Yes,' at baptism:
- yes, I want to be of Jesus Christ
- I want to belong to Jesus Christ
- I want to be a partaker in His death
- so that I can be a partaker of His resurrection
- so that I can be one with Them
We're going to see that!
Verse 10: "All Mine are Yours, and all Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them."
That is an active thing that is happening, because when this transformation is happening in our heart and mind, that is exactly how the Father is glorified when that transformation takes place, little-by-little.
Verse 11: "And I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I am coming to You…."
He knew where He was going. He knew what was going to happen.
"…Holy Father, keep them in Your name, those whom You have given Me, so that they may be one, even as We are one" (v 11).
- one Lord
- one faith
- one baptism
- one God and Father of all
He's saying, 'I want that, please keep them in Your name so that they may be one in the name of God the Father.'
It says that they may be one altogether, even as We—talking about Their personal relationship—are one! We're going to see that even deeper than that.
Verse 12: "When I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. I protected those whom You have given Me, and not one of them has perished except the son of perdition, in order that the Scriptures might be fulfilled."
This was not predestination, bad luck. He chose that way of life. There's a very good sermon on the CBCG site by Fred, The Enigma of Judas Iscariot that explains this. {truthofGod.org}
"…I protected those whom You have given Me, and not one of them has perished except the son of perdition, in order that the Scriptures might be fulfilled" (v 12).
Jesus Christ protected all of His disciples, and He knew exactly what was going to happen.
Verse 13: "But now I am coming to You; and these things I am speaking while yet in the world... [this is why]: …that they may have My joy fulfilled in them."
That Secret Treasure of David that we read in Psa. 16 is that same joy. It says in the presence it is fullness of joy. David saw that, he saw this joy. He had not heard the words of Jesus Christ here, because this prayer had not been made, but he had that same joy in himself.
That is the joy that we should also have, that we have been invited to this amazing covenant. That's why He was speaking while yet in the world.
Verse 14: "I have given them Your words, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You would take them out of the world, but that You would keep them from the evil one" (vs 14-15).
They know that this is a perfect training ground:
- with affliction
- with challenges
- with joy
- with success
- with every human experience
is the perfect training ground to be perfected, to become more like Jesus Christ!
That's why He doesn't pray that He [the Father] would take us out of the world.
You know, sometimes we do want to be done with this world, but Jesus didn't pray that. Only that we would be kept from the evil one! God does that!
We have the example in Job, right in the first chapter, that God has to give permission or allow Satan to do certain things, but He limits him. Jesus Christ prayed that the Father would continue to do that!
Verse 16: "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world…. [because we're not of the world, the world hates us] …Sanctify them in Your Truth; Your Word is the Truth" (vs 16-17).
Sanctify means set apart! Set apart for a special purpose, for a Holy purpose, for God Himself, so that we may be one with Them.
Verse 18: "Even as You did send Me into the world, I also have sent them… [speaking of His disciples] …into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, so that they also may be sanctified in Your Truth" (vs 18-19).
He did it first to open the way, to show that it can be done, to live our lives completely dedicated to glorifying God the Father. That's what Jesus did. That's the example.
That's why He sanctified Himself; "…so that they also may be sanctified in Your Truth." so that He may cleanse us. Because if He had one sin, He wouldn't have been the perfect sacrifice to pay for our sins. He would have been like us, a sinner like us, but He did not sin, ever.
That's why He says, v 19"And for their sakes I sanctify Myself… [through that conduct, through staying close to the Father all the time.] … so that they also may be sanctified in Your Truth."
Jesus Christ Himself said, 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.' So, He Himself is the Truth. He is the embodiment of God in flesh. That's Who He was; He was God in the flesh. And the embodiment of His entire Law: His commandments, His precepts, His way of life. That's why He's a perfect example.
This is for us in v 20: "I do not pray for these only, but also for those who shall believe in Me through their word."
Jesus Christ in John 17:20, never forget, prayed for you individually!
Jesus knew what He was going to do with Paul, who was Saul at the time, and who was going to start persecuting the Church. He prayed for those who were going to believe through Him and through the rest of His disciples.
This is Their desire. This is where we come to the pinnacle of that original covenant, that covenant that talks about in Psa. 25, that is the secret of the Lord.
Verse 21: "That they all may be one, even as you, Father, are in Me and I in you."
Their first desire is that we will all be one, all be one in Them, just as Jesus Christ and God the Father. But it goes further. It says that They also may be one in Us! That means to be one, all of us, not only together, but we've got the Father and Jesus Christ. That doesn't say with us. It says that They may be one in us, that we would dwell in Them, and They would dwell in us through the same Spirit, because that's what it says in John 15 Jesus Christ very clearly says, 'Dwell in Me and I in you.'
Basically on the heels of that, which is part of the New Covenant, is what He prays here
Verse 21: "That they all may be one, even as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, in order that the world may believe that You did send Me."
That the world may see this group of people that are different"
- that love their God,
- that love their neighbor
- that even love their enemies
That we do not understand what kind of people these are. Why? Because we're different. We're not different by ourselves. God is making us different. But it says "…that the world may believe that You did send Me"—to be a testimony, the testimony of Jesus Christ is what He's doing in our heart and in our mind. This is through the Holy Spirit:
Verse 22: "And I have given them the glory that You gave to Me, in order that they may be one, in the same way that We are one."
That glory is the Holy Spirit, and that's the way that we become one with one another through the same Spirit. That's the way that we become one with God the Father and with Jesus Christ, because its the same is the same Spirit. Then it explains it further in:
Verse 23: "I in them…" Think about that covenant! Think about what we've been studying about this everlasting covenant. This is the end result. This is the finality of it in:
Verse 23: "I in them, and You in Me, that they may be perfected into one; and that the world may know that You did send Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."
- Do you think about that, brethren?
- Do you think about that God has loved you the way that He has loved Jesus Christ?
- that's the Truth
- that's why God is showing you His secret
- that's why God is showing you this covenant
Because that covenant is out of love for Each Other and out of love for all Their children.
Verse 24: "Father, I desire that those whom You have given Me may also be with Me where I am..."
- it's not just a prophecy that Christ will come and reign
- it's an allegory to sit in His Throne
that the one who overcomes, He wants to do it, that's His desire.
"…so that they may behold My glory..." (v 24).
That's what Jesus was praying to the Father that we will come, that we will be with Him!
"…so that they may behold My glory, which You have given Me..." (v 24).
In the Transfiguration, God did that for a short period of time so that He would be a proof of Who He was. It got engraved in their minds; they never forgot that.
"…because You [Father] did love Me… [When?] …before the foundation of the world" (v 24).
When this covenant, this covenant that He will show those who fear Him, that secret of the Lord (Psa. 25) is that covenant that God the Father loved Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world. That Their desire is that you and I are there in Their Kingdom at the resurrection. That we are not only there with Them, that we are in Them and that They are in us!
That starts now because the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is already after baptism. If you have been baptized and you have had hands laid upon you and you have had the Holy Spirit come to you through that laying on of hands, that indwelling is now!
That's Their desire! Because this covenant and this love was before the foundation of the world.
Verse 25: ": Righteous Father, the world has not known You, but I have known You…"—perfectly! Nobody has ever known the Father as well as Jesus Christ has, being one with Him.
"…and these have known that You did send Me" (v 25).
We know it also. We've agreed to be part of this covenant as well.
Verse 26: "And I have made known Your name to them… [the name of the Father] …and will make it known…"
Because He was going to go out to all the world by all His disciples, and through everybody who is preaching the Truth of God.
"…so that… [this is the reason] …the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them" (v 26).
That's the depth of this covenant, that this love with which the Father loved Jesus Christ would be in us and that He would be in us, as well.
Now that we know this desire, this deep desire of Jesus Christ… If you think about what God desires, this is what He desires:
- He wants all of us to be one with Him
- He wants to share His life with us now.
- Do we want to share our lives with Him now with Jesus Christ and God the Father?
- Do we do that in prayer?
- Do we do that in our thoughts?
- Do we do that in our actions?
We're striving to do His will! That's the motivation that we have been conjoined to. This is what we are to do now. This is what we are to do now.
This is the covenant that He will show to those who fear Him. This is a wonderful thing.
Rom. 6—we read vs 3-5, but if we read from v 6 on, it will tell us what we are to do now, and our part in this covenant
Romans 6:6: "Knowing this, that our old man was co-crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be destroyed, so that we might no longer be enslaved to sin."
Because IF we're enslaved to sin, we cannot be one with Them! That's an impossibility! He will not dwell where sin is.
Verse 7: "Because the one who has died to sin has been justified from sin." That's us through baptism!
Verse 8: "Now, if we died together with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him"—part two!
Not only conjoining in the crucifixion, but also be justified and then also live with Him, the resurrection.
Verse 9: "Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has any dominion over Him." We know that He lives forever!
Verse 10: "For when He died, He died unto sin once for all… [for you and me;that's the covenant] …but in that He lives, He lives unto God."
Now that we are in new creation, we're also to live unto God. Paul explains that:
Verse 11: "In the same way also, you should indeed reckon yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God through Christ Jesus our Lord." That's what They want!
That we are now alive to God, not because of our righteousness, but because of the righteousness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! What are we to do?
Verse 12: "Therefore, do not let sin rule in your mortal body by obeying it in the lusts thereof."
We have to fight with all our might. We have to allow God's Spirit to dwell more fully in us so that He can empower us to overcome. That's the only way that Jesus overcame sin, because He was full of the Holy Spirit! That's what we are to do.
Verse 12: "Therefore, do not let sin rule in your mortal body by obeying it in the lusts thereof." That's what we have to do!
Verse 13—another thing to do: "Likewise, do not yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin; rather, yield yourselves to God… [give yourself to God; He gave Himself for you] …as those who are alive from the dead..."
That's what we are, brethren. We are alive from the dead, because we were dead in our trespasses and sins; the Bible says that.
"…and your members as instruments of righteousness to God" (v 13).
That is what we are to do. Why? Because Jesus Christ died for us!
Verse 14: "For sin shall not rule over you because you are not under law, but under grace."
We are not under Law! The penalty of the Law has been paid for us so that we may obey the Laws of God with love!
- desiring to be one with Them
- desiring to be part of this everlasting covenant that He will show those who fear Him
Psa. 25—there are more things to do here. We read v 14, but really the first 13 verses are the ones that tell us what to do. Those are the ones that are telling us now that we understand that this is what we are to do.
Verse 14: "The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant."
We've seen all the aspects of this covenant. We've seen the depth of this covenant and the desire of God the Father and Jesus Christ that everything that They are:
- They are for us
- They want for us
- They did for us
That's what we're about to renew with the Passover. That's the meaning of that entire chapter in John 17, that entire prayer, is
- that we may be one with Them
- that we would be conjoined in the death
- then in the resurrection
- then in the Kingdom of God
- that we would be part of that plan completely
But we have to do these things first:
Psalm 25:1: "To You, O LORD, do I lift up my soul."
That's what we have to do, we have to lift up our soul to God every day:
- in prayer
- in thoughts
- in actions
Verse 2: "O my God, I trust in You…" That's what we have to do!
- we have to lift up our soul
- we have to trust God
"…do not let me be ashamed, let not my enemies triumph over me" (v 2).
He's not going to let the ones who love Him be ashamed.
But we have to trust in Him. Do we trust Him until the end? If things have not resolved themselves, it's not the end, yet.
Verse 3: "Yea, let none who wait on You be ashamed… [that's our prayer] …let them be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause'—but not the ones that trust in God!
Verse 4: "Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths."
That's another thing that we have to do because this is part of the process:
- we have to lift up our soul to God
- we have to desire Him
- we have to love Him
- we have to know Him
- we have to trust in Him
- we have to ask Him to show us His ways
If we don't even know His ways, how are we going to do them?
Verse 4: "Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths."
Then once we have lifted up our soul to Him. That's what we did when we were crying out that He would rescue us from our misery, when He was calling us. Then we trusted in Him. That's why we made the decision to get baptized, because
- we trust in Him
- we trust in the promise of His Word
- we trust in the resurrection of Jesus Christ
- we trust in His sacrifice
- we trust in the Word of God
When He shows us His ways; this shows the entire process of conversion, then He shows us His ways; He teaches us His paths.
Verse 5: "Lead me in Your Truth and teach me…"
He has to lead us. It's not only knowledge. We have to walk, and we have to be led by Him through the Spirit.
Verse 5: "Lead me in Your Truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation..."
He is the God of our salvation! They have this eternal covenant. There are two in the Godhead in this pact, this eternal covenant before the foundation of the World.
"…on You do I wait all the day long" (v 5).
That's the next thing that we have to do. Wait! Wait for Him! Don't despair! Don't give up! Wait on Him!
Verse 6: "Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your loving kindness, for they have been of old."
We have to ask Him that. We have to ask Him to remember all of that, to continue to treat us with kindness and with love.
Verse 7: "Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to Your loving kindness remember me for Your goodness sake, O LORD."
That's what we have to ask Him. To erase all of that and take it out of our mind and out of our memories. All the sins of our youth, all our transgressions. That we would be remembered according to His loving kindness for the goodness of God, because there's no goodness in us.
That's our part! Then it shows what He will do:
Verse 8: "Good and upright is the LORD; therefore, He will teach sinners in the way."
That's what he's doing with you and me. When we are coming to this covenant, when we understand the secret of the Lord, "…He will teach sinners in the way." We were sinners!
Now, we don't practice sin. We still sin, but we don't practice sin. That's not who we are. That's not who we want to be. We are being cleansed from those impurities constantly.
Verse 9: "The meek He will guide in judgment… [the one who lets himself be guided] …and the meek He will teach His way." The meek!
That's what meekness is, the ability to be led by God! and "…the meek He will teach His way."
Verse 10: "All the paths of the LORD are mercy and Truth to those who keep His covenant…"
Which covenant? The covenant that He is going to reveal to those who fear Him. The covenant that we've been studying.
"…to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. For Your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my iniquity, for it is great" (vs 10-11).
- we constantly come back to this
- we constantly come back to repentance
- we constantly come back to asking for forgiveness
- we constantly come back to the Passover and renewing that covenant and examining ourselves
- we constantly come back to God and ask Him to forgive us
Verse 12: "What man is he who fears the LORD? He shall teach him in the way that He shall choose."
God will teach us in the way that He chooses for us. IF we fear the Lord, IF we're that man who fears the Lord.
Verse 13: "His soul shall dwell at ease, and his seed shall inherit the earth."
That's a promise! That's the end result of this covenant. That is the most amazing thing that can be, to inherit the earth and all things with Jesus Christ and God the Father!
As we have seen in these last two messages, the secret of the Lord:
Verse 14: "The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant."
May you all have a wonderful Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread!
Scriptural References:
- Psalm 25:14
- Romans 6:3, 1-5
- Revelation 20:4
- Romans 6:5
- Psalm 45:1, 13-17
- Psalm 16:7-11
- Ephesians 4:4-6
- John 17:1-26
- Romans 6:6-14
- Psalm 25:1-14
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Daniel 2:44
- Revelation 3
- John 1:1
- Job 1
- John 15
Also referenced: Message (truthofGod.org)
The Enigma of Judas Iscariot by Fred R. Coulter
EE:bo/po
Transcribed: 4/15/24
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