The Glory of Christ

I am very excited to be spending this weekend with you all, it’s not every day that you get to have YC or a church service in an indoor water park. This is definitely a first for me but I am excited and I know that all of you are excited to go out and see what the resort has to offer so I am going to try and get through this quickly but also efficiently. If you have your Bible with you, turn to John 17 and we are going to spend all 3 of our sessions in this one chapter. There are actually 3 natural divisions in this chapter and each of those 3 divisions will make up what we are going to do today and tomorrow. John 17 is a wonderful chapter, an incredibly heartfelt and comforting chapter. I think it is very refreshing and applicable for your life and for my life so I think as we come here to relax, have fun, and fellowship together, this chapter is perfect for us. We’re in the dead of winter and I know that there is a darkness that comes with the winter season. There’s the physical darkness of the days being shorter and colder but there is also an emotional and spiritual darkness that often comes alongside it so with that in mind, I can’t think of many chapters in the Bible that would be better for us than John 17. John 17 is an incredibly important chapter in the Bible and it contains the longest prayer that is recorded for us in Scripture that comes from the lips of Jesus. It’s referred to as Christ’s High Priestly prayer and this prayer is divided up into the 3 parts that I mentioned earlier: In verses 1-5 Jesus prays for Himself. In verses 6-19 He prays for His immediate disciples and then in verses 20 to the end of the chapter, He prays for every believer that would come to know Him through the teaching of the disciples, so you could say that He is praying for every believer between Acts 2 and the return of Christ. This is an amazing prayer that we are about to go through because it really shows the heart of our Savior. The great reformer, Martin Luther said, “This is truly, beyond measure, a warm and hearty prayer. He opens the depths of His heart, both in reference to us and to His Father, and He pours them all out. It sounds so honest, so simple; it is so deep, so rich, so wide, no one can fathom it.” The Scottish Reformer, John Knox, loved this prayer so much that he had this chapter read to him every single day at the end of his life. Matthew Henry called this prayer, “the most remarkable prayer ever uttered.” While we often think of the Lord’s prayer being in the sermon on the mount, the prayer of John 17, really is the Lord’s prayer. It is in this prayer where we not only see the work that Christ performs, but we see what is at the center of His very heart. I have often found that in order for us to really love someone, we need to know them. It is hard for us to love a total stranger but Jesus does not have to be a stranger to us. He lays out exactly who He is in these verses and that is what we are going to read this morning. Let’s pray and then we will turn to John 17:1-5

John 17:1–5 ESV

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

Verses 1-2

I think what might be best for us is to just go through these verses as we come to them and as we do, we will come face to face with the heart, person, and work of Jesus. We know that Jesus Christ truly existed. We know that He came into this earth at a set time with a set purpose. We also know that Jesus knew that He was not just another person or another prophet or another ruler. We know that He was fully aware of His deity and the purpose of His coming to this world. In verses 1-2, we see the answer to several questions but for time’s sake, we will only look at a couple of very important questions and those questions are Who is Jesus? Why did Jesus come? And finally what authority does Jeus have?

Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus? For those of us who have grown up in Church, grown up with the Bible, grown up with believing parents, we probably have an idea of what the answer to that question is but when we look at verses 1-2, we can learn several important truths as to who Jesus is and these things are just as important to the seasoned Christian as the unbeliever to know. The first thing that I will point out from verse 1 is how Jesus addresses God as Father. This is not a generic term of endearement but it reminds us that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. All that God is can be found in His Son. Hebrews 1:1-3 says,

Hebrews 1:1–3 (ESV)

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

This is no ordinary man talking to an ordinary father. This is the eternal Son of God praying to the Heavenly Father. The Son of God and God the Father are also the example of how we are to love each other. For all eternity, the Godhead has loved one another with a perfect love. We see that Jesus is one that is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory because He is God in the flesh and we know that His greatest desire is to glorify His Heavenly Father. We see that Jesus is sovereign over all things and that it was His desire and the desire of His Heavenly Father for Him to come at the exact time that He did. The hour that Christ speaks of in verse 1 is the hour by which He and His Father had chosen in eternity past to accomplish what would ultimately be the greater glorification of God and the salvation of the lost. Jesus is sovereign over all things, from the alignment of the universe, to the ongoing ticking of time, to something as small as the falling of the hairs off our head. God has come into time as the One that is sovereign over time to accomplish exactly what He predestined to take place. Paul says in Galatians 4:4-5

Galatians 4:4–5 (ESV)

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

What we also see is that Jesus does not lose His life; He lays His life down at the very moment of His choosing. Jesus says in John 10:17-18

John 10:17–18 (ESV)

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

No one takes the life of Jesus without His say so. Christ’s betrayal, arrest, abuse, and death do not happen outside of His divine permission. John Calvin said, “Here is another consolation to encourage the disciples at the death of Christ. He is not forced to die, but offers Himself willingly for the salvation of His flock. Not only does He deny that men have power to kill Him without His permission, but He declares that He is free from all violence of necessity.” What we see here is that Jesus knew of the work that He was to do and He did it voluntarily. No one forced His hand. At any moment, Christ could have said, “This cup shall pass from me” but instead He fully submitted to His Heavenly Father. He fulfilled the Law perfectly and He submitted to His Heavenly Father perfectly and He died to pay the price for the disobedience of mankind. We could spend forever talking about who Jesus is from these 2 verses because each truth that we unravel flows into something else beautiful but for time’s sake, let’s look at our next question: Why did Jesus Come?

Why did Jesus Come?

When it comes to that question, there is a primary and a secondary reason as to why Jesus came into the world and why He did what He did and that which is the primary or the main reason may be a surprise to you. Let’s start with the secondary reason. The secondary reason that Jesus came was that we would receive eternal life. Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:15 “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” Jesus came not to make salvation possible but to make it an actuality. Jesus came to accomplish the plan of salvation with 100% certainty. This doesn’t mean that every single person in the world will be saved but that all for whom the Heavenly Father has given Him, every Christian will be saved, period. We are saved because the Father desired us to be. R.C. Sproul said, “The only reason I can give under heaven why I’m a Christian is because I’m a gift of the Father to the Son, not because of anything I’ve ever done or could do.” Now you might be wondering how our salvation is the secondary purpose behind Christ’s coming. You might be thinking, “Time out, I’ve been told my whole life that Jesus came to seek and save the lost, to give eternal life to sinners. How can that be the secondary reason that He came? And if that’s the secondary, what’s the primary?” Jesus gives the answer to that question when He says, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you.” Christ’s primary purpose for all eternity has been to glorify the Father and it is done best in His submission to the Father and by bringing about the salvation of mankind. Christ dies and is resurrected so that we may have eternal life and the purpose behind the giving of eternal life is that we may glorify our Heavenly Father. Jesus prays for the Father to glorify Him so that He may in turn glorify the Father. Again we see the perfect unity between Christ the Son and God the Father. Each desires to glorify the other. Christ asks that God would glorify Him so that the glory of God may be seen through what Christ accomplishes on the cross. He asks that God would glorify Him as He suffers, bleeds, and dies so that through His death, God would be glorified. What then is the primary purpose of Jesus’ coming into the world? It is the glory of God the Father. Finally, the last question that we will answer from these first 2 verses is the question, “What authority does Jesus have?”

What Authority does Jesus have?

We won’t spend a lot of time on this question but when it comes to the authority of Jesus, He has all of it. We read in Matthew 28:18

Matthew 28:18 (ESV)

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Nothing exists that surpasses the authority of Jesus. Jesus is above all things and therefore, has authority over all things. In verse 2 we read that Jesus says that God the Father has given to Him authority over all flesh. It is because Christ has authority over all flesh and all things that we as Christians can we confidently go and spread the Gospel. John Stott once said, “Only because all authority on earth belongs to Christ dare we go to all nations. And only because all authority in Heaven as well is His have we any hope of success.” To put it quite simply: the authority that Christ possess is an all-encompasing authority, nothing is outside of it. Let’s turn now to verse 3.

Verse 3

John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” With this verse we come to another question, namely, what is eternal life? Jesus gives us the answer: it is that we may know the one true God and Jesus Christ, whom God the Father has sent. What is the path to eternal life? It is only through Jesus Christ. Here we see Jesus making it clear that there is no other path to salvation, no other path to eternal life, no other path to Heaven than through Him. Heaven is real, hell is real, and the path to each is clear to all. There is no heaven without Christ, although there are many who desire that there would be. One does not ascend to the throne of Heaven without first falling down at the foot of the cross. Eternal life does not happen apart from Jesus Christ. If you are searching for it anywhere else, maybe in good deeds, other religions, or the hope that God will let you in because you have been “pretty good” you are looking in the wrong place. Matthew Henry said, “Eternal life could not be given to believers, unless Christ, their Surety, both glorified the Father, and was glorified of him. This is the sinner’s way to eternal life, and when this knowledge shall be made perfect, holiness and happiness will be fully enjoyed. The holiness and happiness of the redeemed, are especially that glory of Christ, and of his Father, which was the joy set before him, for which he endured the cross and despised the shame; this glory was the end of the sorrow of his soul, and in obtaining it he was fully satisfied.” Notice too in verse 3 that Christ says that eternal life involves knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom God has sent. Notice it doesn’t say that eternal life is simply knowing about God or knowing certain aspects of God; it involves knowing Him personally. That is the beauty of our redemption. God is made known to us in nature, He is made known to us in His Word, but He makes Himself most beautifully known through His Son. To know God means first off that God knows us and more importantly, He has chosen to make Himself known to us. J.I. Packer in his fantastic book, Knowing God, said that we can only know someone to the extent that they reveal themself to us and God makes Himself not just knowable but known; He reveals not just things about Him, He makes His very self known so that we may enjoy Him. We don’t know God first, He knows us first and He loves us first. Let’s look quickly at verses 4-5 again.

Verses 4-5

Jesus says in John 17:4-5 “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” Here we continue to see the heart and work of Jesus and we also see one of the most comforting doctrines in all of Scripture: the assurance of our salvation through Christ’s accomplished work. We see in these verses that Jesus is the greater Adam, the greater Abraham, the greater Moses, the greater David, the greater Isaiah, the greater Daniel, you name it because He was able to do that which every person has failed. Jesus Christ upheld the law perfectly. He was totally and utterly sinless. John says in 1 John 3:5 “You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.” Peter says in 1 Peter 2:22-23 “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” Christ was perfect righteous, perfectly sinless and yet He died a sinners death. R.C. Sproul said that this exchange, our sinfulness for Christ’s sinlessness, our imperfections for HIs perfections, our unrighteousness for His righteousness, our life for His death, we will never be able to fully comprehend the magnitude of that reality this side of Heaven. Christ glorified God on earth by fully accomplishing the task that He gave Him to do. He followed and fulfilled the Law where every human being has failed. His perfect obedience to God and the Law make Him the only person who could pay the price of the Law and His deity makes Him the only one that could offer the forgiveness of our sins. Now there is something really important in that word accomplished that is used in verse 4. What does Christ mean when He says that He accomplished the work? It means that there is nothing else that you or I can do to finish His work of our salvation. For Christ to fully accomplish the work of salvation means that there is nothing that we can do as Christians to screw it up. All true, blood-bought Christians will receive eternal life. No one that is supposed to be in Heaven will not be there. All for whom Christ has atoned for He has atoned to the fullest. Christ’s accomplished work and person is the grounds of our salvation and assurance. It is God’s plan and will that all Christians will be with Him forever and this has been His plan for all eternity. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “There is no greater ground of security in this world of time than to feel that you are a part of the grand plan and purpose of God. None of these things are accidental, none of them are fortuitous. It does not matter what may happen in the future, nothing can disturb this plan. My friend, if you are a Christian, do you know that you were the object of God’s interest and concern before the foundation of the world? All these things have been worked out in eternity, before time, so we must always remember that nothing can happen in time which will make the slightest difference.” Finally, I would say that as we look at verse 5, we are reminded that Jesus is exactly who He has been for all eternity. He has and always will be God. He has and always will have glory. He has been and always will be the mediator between God and man. He is the One that we are to cast all our cares and anxieties too.

Application

Let’s pull this all together and see how these 5 verses apply to our lives. The first thing I would say is that if you have never truly known Jesus, you know Him today. You may not know Him perfectly but you know Him because He knew you first. You know that He is the eternal Son of God that was sent to give eternal life to all that are called and He accomplished this task fully by way of the cross. He accomplished this by passing where all others have failed and from before time began, the cross was His mission. There is no salvation without crucifixion. We also know that there is a huge difference between us knowing about God and knowing God. Some of you may know a great deal about God but you may not yet know Him personally. You may know about Christ but you may not know Him as your Lord and Savior and I pray that if you don’t know Him in that way, that this very morning you would come to know Him as your Savior. That this very morning you would lay your life down and pick your cross up and follow Him. I would also say that based off of what we have read today, we as Christians can live very boldly for Christ because we know that the work of salvation is in the hands of Christ. We can go to some of the hardest to reach places in the world, some of the most hostile places to the Gospel in the world confidently because Christ Himself sees to it that His work is accomplished and the Word of God accomplishes all that it intends to. Isaiah 55:10-11 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” I would also say that we can all be encouraged by the fact that at the very heart of what all Christ did, spoke, and thought, was a desire to glorify God. In the darkest moments of His human life, His eyes were set on His Heavenly Father and if Christ has His eyes and hearts so firmly set on the Father and His glory, we would be wise to do the same. If Christ can go through the agonies of Gethsemane and Golgotha with His eyes set to glorifying God, there is not a thing on this earth that can happen to you that should cause you to lose sight of God’s glory. Finally, and this is something that we will also see tonight and tomorrow morning, we have before us a model of prayer. It begins with glory and it ends with glory. It begins with God above and before all things and it ends with God above and before all things. At the heart of Christ’s prayer is the glory of God and before we present our requests to the Lord in our prayers, we should first relish the fact that we can approach the throne of God as His dearly beloved children. Let’s do that now as we go to the Lord in prayer and then we will worship together.