What’s The Deal?

Transcript

Alright. Thank you very much and hello again, radio friends. How in the world are you? You doing alright today? I trust so. Bless your heart. Hope things are going okay at your house. Well, some of you struck a rough day or a rough night, as the case may be, because some of you listen in the evening hours, I know. Whatever’s happening in your life just now, remember if you know the Lord Jesus Christ, you are in His hands. There’s no good or bad luck for Christians, just the will of God. Step by step by glorious step. Look up and trust your Blessed Lord. And if you’re going through the wringer and things are rough, look up say, “Lord, I don’t like it but I’m yours. Glorify yourself through this. See me through.” He will. You learn that after you live a while. Things aren’t always the way you wish they were and life has its hurts and its disappointments, as well as its joys and pleasures. And when you strike the rough times on the road you just look up and say, “Lord, I’m yours,” and He sees you through. Hallelujah for that.

You and I have been looking at John 17, and the last time we got together we were looking at the 21st verse, “That they all may be one.” “As Thou Father art in Me and I in Thee that they also may be one in Us.” One heart, one mind, one commitment, one Lord, one spiritual dynamic on which we depend, these are the things that bind us together. One inspired word to God’s inerrant, inspired Word, the Bible, for us in these days. And one Savior, Who died and Who rose again and Who lives to be our intercessor and Who is our coming King. One in us.

Now, the ultimate convincing proof of the Gospel’s legitimacy is the presence of God in the believer. Look at this, the end of this verse 21 with me, will you? “That they also may believe.” That they also may believe. Now, you’ve got the little Greek word “hina,” the purpose word, in order that. In order that. What is the purpose of this Christian experience? It is to become the ultimate convincing proof that Jesus is Who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do.

Bob Pierce, who is now with the Lord several years, leukemia took him a few years back. Great heart for God. The founder of World Vision, as you know. A dear personal friend and, of course, a coworker in the early years, a coworker in the work of Youth for Christ. He was preaching in Taipei, over there in the Republic of China, on Taiwan. And there was a large rally that had been scheduled in the stadium and Bob very frequently took a very simple, simplistic approach to the Gospel and on this occasion he simply said, “Jesus is Who He says He is and He can do what He says He can do.” Jesus our Lord very clearly claimed to be God in the flesh and He said that the person who believed on Him, committed himself to Him, would be saved and life would be different and changed. And so our Brother Pierce preached in that fashion.

Well, all of the dignitaries were there. Madame Chiang Kai-shek and others were there and it was a great meeting and there were many people who responded to the Gospel invitation. So the meeting finished, the night went on. Early the next morning, our Brother Pierce was at the airport to take off for Tokyo and then to catch a plane to the US. At the airport there came this distinguished-looking gentleman, who said, “Were you at the meeting last night?” “Yes.” “Are you Dr. Pierce?” “Yes.” “Did you say that if I committed myself to Jesus I would know that He is Who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do?” And Pierce said yes.

He said, “I have to talk with you.” Just at that moment the flight was called and Bob Pierce said, “I’m sorry. I have to get on the plane. I’m sorry I can’t stay and talk with you.” And so he got on the plane, but when he got on the plane, here was this gentleman who was also on that flight, it developed. And as soon as they were airborne, he came on over to where Bob Pierce was seated. He said “Now, tell me more about this.”

And Brother Pierce opened the Gospel to him and the gentleman said, “I wanna trust Him now.” And so he got down on his knees right there in the aisle. The flight attendants were walking back and forth. They had to step over him as he was kneeling there in the aisle right beside Bob Pierce’s seat, and he gave his heart to the Lord Jesus. And when they got to Tokyo he said, “I have to talk more with you. I have to learn more about this.” Well, Bob said, “We’re going on such and such a flight to the US, we can’t stop and talk.” He said, “I’ll see you.” And so by some magic or other, here he was on the flight back to the US. And Bob said they had a kind of a Bible conference all the way across until they landed. It developed that this was a highly-placed official who was going back to the US to purchase x-ray equipment for a hospital, but he found the Lord Jesus Christ on the simple basis of Jesus is Who He says He is, the Son of God. He can do what He says He can do. He can save to the outermost.

Well, the ultimate proof of the truth of the Gospel is the presence of God in the believer’s life. “As Thou Father art in Me and I am thee, they also maybe one in Us.” Jesus said in John 15, “Abide in me and I in you, that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me.” The turning point of unbelief is the rejection of the concept of God in the flesh. You can find people all over the world in many different countries representing many religions who will speak to you in friendly fashion concerning the influence of Jesus, the teachings of Jesus, the followers of Jesus. They will speak to you in friendly fashion about these subjects. But when you turn the conversation to the idea that the Lord Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, God incarnate, you find immediate resistance. The turning point of unbelief is the rejection of the concept that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. “That the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me,” Jesus said.

How do you overcome, then, this innate, almost automatic rejection of the Deity of Jesus Christ? Do you argue about it? Well, of course you can, but I have seen very few people converted by argument. Polemics and argument and debate, very rarely, as I’ve observed it at least, change a person’s heart attitude. You don’t change human nature by argument. Any married person knows that. You could argue with your spouse all life long, and some do, but very little change is experienced as a result of that. And so you can argue about the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. And although your logic may be perfect, the human heart still resists. Right?

Well, then, what do you do? He said, “I in them, Thou in Me, that they may be one in Us.” The presence of the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in you is irrefutable proof that Jesus is real. It was said of Stephen when he was brought before the Sanhedrin, it said, “They looked steadfastly at him and saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.” Now, he gave them his straightforward message. And it said, “When they heard these things they were cut to the heart and gnashed on him with their teeth, then brought him out and stoned him. Killed him.” And as he died he looked up and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

But the proof of the truth of what he was saying was in the presence of God in his life. Does that say anything to you and to me today? The Lord Jesus wants to be so real in our lives that He himself becomes the ultimate proof of the truth of the Gospel. How do you accomplish that?

Well, look at verse 22. “The glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them that they may be one even as We are One. I in them and Thou in Me that they may be made perfect, grown up, mature in one. That the world may know that Thou has sent Me.” Verse 21, “That the world may believe.” Verse 23, “That the world may know that Thou hast sent Me and hast loved them as Thou hast loved Me.”

Now, what is this? He said, “The glory which Thou gavest Me, I have given them.” Go back to John 1, he said, concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, “We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” What is the essence of the glory of Jesus? He is the embodiment of God’s grace. He is the expression of God’s truth. He is the embodiment of God’s grace and He is the expression of God’s truth. That is the essence of the glory of the Lord Jesus as revealed here in the Word of God.

Now, when the Holy Spirit is in control of your life and mine, what happens? It says, “With great power,” I’m looking at Acts 4:33. “With great power gave the apostles witness,” there’s the spoken Word, the truth, “Of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.” So there you have His glory. The glories of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. The concept of God’s truth spoken and proved in your life. The concept of God’s grace resident and shining through your life. And he said, “That is what I’ve given them.” Why? So the world may know that You’ve sent Me and that You love them. Well, we’ll get at this the next time we get together. It’s a blessed, wonderful truth and may God fill your life with His truth and His grace today.

Father God, today may we be one in Thee through Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Till I meet you once again by way of radio, walk with the King today and be a blessing!