Embracing the Gift: Jesus' Mission and Our Salvation

Now notice what Jesus says he makes this remarkable statement about the Father's will this is the will of him who sent me that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me but raise it up on the last day. You see what Jesus is saying the Father has given this vast company of people to me Jesus is saying these people come to me they look to me they trust me as their savior and as their Lord and I will never let them go this is the will of my Father. [06:56]

Now I want you to notice particularly what the Lord Jesus says here it is the Father's will that he should lose what answer nothing nothing now that is a very unusual expression you would expect Jesus to say here it is the Father's will that I should lose none of what he has given to me but raise them up on the last day after all that is what Jesus did say in John chapter 17 a little bit later in this wonderful gospel he says of the disciples I have guarded them and not one of them has been lost none of them has been lost. [06:51]

And what a marvelous truth this is that Jesus never loses any of his own and that is why can you picture this in the book of Hebrews in chapter 2 we're told that on the last day Jesus will stand in the presence of his Father with all of the vast company of the redeemed people can you imagine us all standing there along with millions and billions of other people gathered in the presence of the Lord and Jesus standing in front of us will say to the Father Father here I am and here are the children you have given to me they're all here and not one of them is missing. [07:39]

But what I want you to see in this verse that we're looking at today is that Jesus says something else he says this is the will of him who sent me that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me but raise it up on the last day do you see in John 17 Jesus is saying that none of his people will be lost but here in John chapter 6 it's as if he focuses in on you as an individual believer and he says no part of you will be lost. [08:24]

In John 17 Jesus says to the disciples I will save every one of you in John 6 Jesus says I will redeem every part of you I will lose nothing now what does that mean well Jesus is clearly referring to the resurrection of the body and that becomes clear when you look at what he says next I should lose nothing of all that he has given me but raise it up on the last day. [09:12]

Now when you die your soul will be separated from your body that's what death is it is the it's a it's our final undoing it it's the separating of what God has joined together it's the ultimate effect of the fall of humanity and of the entrance of sin into the world your soul is separated from your body now we know that for a believer to be away from the body is wonderfully to be at home with the Lord the body will be laid to rest and over time of course it will decay God said dust you are and to dust you will return. [09:46]

But what we see in these marvelous words of Jesus is that this is not the end for the body Jesus says to his disciples now you are the gift of the Father to me and I will not let any of you go but not only will I save each of you I will redeem every part of you I won't lose your soul and I won't lose your body I will lose nothing of all that the Father has given to me. [10:14]

Now friends this is the most marvelous promise over the years your body declines and those who are older don't need me rubbing this in uh particularly uh today but you you know what this is like you know your eyes need stronger glasses your hearing needs a little bit of assistance your aches and your pains increase your mobility isn't quite what it was and you keep saying oh I can't remember that person's name you know and and your mind begins to slow down and the more this happens the more you feel a sense of loss and the worst thing about it is you know it's not going to get better this is the beginning of your troubles but Jesus says this is the will of him who sent me that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me but raise it up on the last day brother sister the will of God is that every part of you will be redeemed. [11:21]

The mission of Jesus is more than saving your soul he came to bring you soul and body into the joyful presence of the Lord forever and forever and no part of you will be left behind here's what that means on the last day you're hearing you're seeing you're remembering you're running you're singing you're dancing it will all be wonderfully restored and it will be raised to a whole new level you have capacities you never had before and that will be in a strong and in a beautiful and in a healthy body that is modeled on the resurrection body of the Lord Jesus Christ himself and Jesus says this is the will of God wonderful this is the will of him who sent me that I should lose nothing of all that he has given to me but raise it up on the last day. [12:40]

And here I want us to look at verse 38 where Jesus says I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me now notice these wonderful words Jesus tells us something that no one else in all human history could ever have truly said he says I have come down from heaven the life of the Lord Jesus Christ did not begin in the manger before he ever laid in the arms of Mary he was at the right hand of God the Father in heaven and he says I've come down from heaven no prophet could ever have said that no religious teacher or leader could ever say that heaven was and is his home. [14:08]

But now why did he come down from heaven well he tells us not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me here's where I came into the world Jesus as I came to get the Father's will done here's why I came your will be done on earth as it is in heaven Jesus says this is why I came into the world I came to do the will of him who sent me see God has a plan God has a purpose God has a will and God gets his will done through Jesus Christ and Jesus says that is why I am here. [15:01]

Now if you put these things together and you can draw this on a piece of paper you have in these verses what I'd like to call the triangle of a believer's security why is it that Jesus will never cast you out why is that well here's the triangle of a believer's security from John 6 verse 37 and verse 38. the first side of the triangle the Father gave you to Jesus the Father gave you to Jesus second side of the triangle the will of the Father is that Jesus will lose nothing of what he's been given the Father gave you to Jesus the will of the Father is that Jesus will lose nothing of what he has been given and the third side of the triangle Jesus says I have come to do the will of the Father now if you put these three things together you have a triple lock security it's unbreakable this is the assurance that you have as a Christian believer. [16:19]