Come, Know Jesus in His Glory and the Glory of the Father

[0:00] please take your bibles and go to john's gospel john chapter 17 probably one of my favorite chapters in john's gospel maybe it's yours as well john chapter 17 in that black bible in the chair in front of you if you need a bible go to the back of page 87 page 87 in that black bible john 17 we'll find john 17 and this morning we're gonna study the first eight verses I think the last time I preached this years ago I think I did a whole chapter I think I split up maybe in two messages I think I actually did the whole chapter I don't remember but I'm doing it in three messages one through eight nine through 19 and then 20 through 26 so it's been three weeks in john 17 just some real important truths that you see here and really this is the lord's prayer if you want to this is actually should be called the lord's prayer in john 17 so let me read the first eight verses these things jesus spoke and lifted up his eyes to heaven he said father the hour has come glorify your son in order that the son may glorify you just as you gave him authority over all flesh in order that all whom you've given him to them he may give eternal life and this is eternal life verse three that they may know you the only true god and the one whom you sent jesus christ i glorified you on the earth accomplishing the work which you gave me in order that i may do and now glorify me with yourself father with the glory which i had with you before the world was i revealed your name to the ones the men whom you gave me out of the world yours they were and you gave them to me and they have kept your word now they've come to know that everything you've given me is from you for the words which you gave me i gave to them and they received and truly understood that i came from you and they have believed that you yourself sent me watching nfl highlights this past year i loved watching two actions after a player would score a touchdown first i loved it when the player would jump up into the stands and letting all the fans like pat him you know patting his helmet and his shoulders and everything i loved that because i mean he's there for them he's like sharing that glory of the touchdown right i mean he's sharing that so he jumps up in the stands and they're like yeah yeah it takes a moment i love to watch that the second thing though i love to watch after the player would score a touchdown he would share the glory with his other teammates instead of just doing his little glory dance he would hug the other guys but especially when the running back would run in for the touchdown it just meant something when that running back would go to the offensive linemen and hug them and congratulate them he was sharing that glory because it wasn't just him i did that touchdown

[4:00] he understood it was the whole team especially that offensive lineman those offensive linemen they're the ones that open up that hole for that running back to go through if they don't open that hole you ain't going nowhere so he goes over and shares that glory with them i love to watch that sharing that glory with those offensive linemen jesus wasn't just out for himself his own glory he wanted to glorify the father the father the father loves his son he wants to glorify his son you see this sharing of the glory between the father and the son and the son and the father as we come to this part in john's gospel come know jesus if you're here you don't know jesus you should come know jesus repent and trust in jesus christ he'll save you can have relationship with god and for those of us who do know jesus we can come to know jesus in a deeper fuller way daily daily a deeper relationship with the lord jesus so come know jesus deeper and today we'll see in these first eight verses of john's gospel in chapter 17 come know jesus in his glory and the glory of the father come know jesus in his glory and the glory of the father come know jesus in his glory and the glory of the father the father will glorify the son and the son glorify the father and we glorify both of them by responding to their glory the father glorify the son the son glorify the father and we both of them glorify how by responding to their glory you know what's interesting is this prayer by jesus really really is a summation of the whole gospel of what you we've just seen the past 16 chapters in john's gospel and really what you're going to see in chapters 18 through 21 too because it continues on this work of jesus this work of the father glorifying the son and the son glorifying the father and then the call from john to us as readers that we respond to this glory we respond to their glory we respond to both the father and the son here's another way to put it the father glorify the son by giving him authority the son glorify the father by obeying and revealing him we glorify both of them by obeying knowing receiving understanding and believing this is how you can sum up these first eight verses and really the chapter here in chapter 17 really you can sum up john's gospel actually in chapter 17 we'll see that jesus prayed that his mission would glorify the father and he also prayed that as a result of his mission his followers would be preserved from evil they would see his glory they would share in the trinitarian love and then they'd imitate that same love with other

[8:02] jesus followers so we're going to see in chapter 17 jesus is going to pray for this in short jesus prayed for his glory for his disciples and then for the church or to be very specific he prayed for us as a local church body cottonwood bible church jesus completed the work the father gave him and then prayed for its fulfillment through these eleven disciples and then all future disciples which you'll see in chapter 17 jesus consecrated us to god so we would give them glory we would trust in their protection and their provision and plan we would share in their joyful love and accomplish their mission for us to the world so i'm summing up john 17 holistically for you god's mission was consecrated to be our mission as christ's body and it will never fail because it's sanctioned by the trinitarian god god's ultimate purpose is his glory and his glory is primarily and ultimately revealed in the son's identity the god man and in his mission the cross and his glorification god's glory is accessible to us as humans how through jesus he's the ultimate final revelation final disclosure of god how how is this in jesus in his identity and mission identity and mission you see that throughout john's gospel so let's work through the text these first eight verses notice how it begins these things jesus spoke he's just talking about chapters 13 through 16 and lifting up his eyes to heaven he said father the hour has come the hour of glorification has come the hour the time when jesus would go to the cross but it will also include his glorification when he's resurrected when he's ascended his whole time on earth has been this focus has been pointed in this direction this was his mission it was the father's mission for him and he started all the way back in john chapter two with everything happening with turning water to wine and he said to mary his mother my hour has not yet come now he says here it's come the religious leaders they tried to seize jesus but john would tell them because his hour had not come his hour had come the hour of his glorification has come and look at what jesus says again verse one glorify your son that the son may glorify you glorify the son so that the son may glorify the father this is where we get the statement the father glorify the son the son glorify the father jesus is praised for that so again this this is summation of really the whole gospel that phrase glorify the son so that the son may glorify the father that's what you see throughout john's gospel jesus would never say anything outside what the father wanted him to say jesus would never do anything outside what the father wanted him to do and it was the father who sent him because jesus was the expression of the love of god the expression of a revelation of god so this phrase glorify your son so that the son

[12:02] may glorify you this is john's gospel now three questions arise from the text we're going to answer that three questions question number one and jesus will answer them how did the father glorify the son look at verse two just as you gave him authority over all flesh this gives further explanation of verse one glorify the son the son may glorify the father how does the father glorify the son jesus tells you the way that the father glorified the son was by giving to him authority over all flesh your translation might say all mankind all humanity jesus is the sovereign one he controls all because he created all it's given to him by the father this takes us back to the prologue john 1 1 in the beginning was the word the word was with god the word was god all things have been created by him nothing is coming to being that is not coming to beating without him jesus is the one who created it so how did the father glorify the son he glorified by giving him authority over all flesh what's the purpose for that look at the next part of verse two so that in order that here's the purpose all the ones whom you've given to him to them he may give eternal life the gift of authority to the son was for what purpose so that all those whom the father gave to the son would be given eternal life all of it ensuing upon the son's obedience to the father's plan of the hour we'll see that in a moment but here's the idea this is what jesus is saying the father glorify the son by giving him authority over all flesh and the purpose was that the son was granted that authority over all so he may give eternal life to a select few who the gift given to him by the father a select few a few people there was this gift gift the father gave to the son and so he gave him all authority so that those ones that give that the father gave to the son the son may give to them to those select few not all flesh to those select few eternal life that's what jesus just said put it another way the way the son would glorify the father would be given eternal life to those who are gifted to the son by the father this is not the first time jesus has brought this up john chapter six verse 37 all that the father gives me will come to me john 6 39 and this is the will of one who sent me that of all he has given to me i lose nothing friends once again we're faced with the truth of the doctrine of unconditional election jesus elects people the father elects people to be saved jesus only gives eternal life to those

[16:02] who are gifted to him by the father only those chosen by the father and this also tells us something else too this goes along with this jesus only died for his elect the gift from the father how else were they given eternal life the cross this this this is this is this is saying it was god's plan to magnify his glory and extend his life to his chosen ones through the identity and mission of the son he see god's glory to see god's glory is to be given this eternal life it's a gift the father's glory is seen in the son dying for the gift from the father to the son the father's glory is seen and the son dying for the gift from the father to the son he died for them so that he can give to them eternal life so to seek god's glory is to be given eternal life and eternal life is wrapped up in an intimate personal relationship with the trinity because look at what jesus says here now in verse 3 and this is eternal life that they may know you the only true god and the one whom you send jesus christ this is eternal life relationship with the father and the son so what's eternal life it's not a place it's not going to heaven it's not going to a place where there's no more cancer no more colds no more allergies no more flu no more covid no more sadness no more being poor or having trials or being hated or conflict that's that's not eternal life friends this is eternal life relationship with the father and the son to put it another way eternal life is the personal intimate knowledge of both the father and the son it involves the father's identity and the son's mission it involves the son's identity and his mission to have eternal life as to know

[18:43] God in an intimate personal way which is only done through the son to know God the only true God because there is only one God to know God is to be transformed by God in order to love God and love others the way God loved them so you see here's these words knowing God involves these words fellowship trust intimacy relationship love that's eternal life that's what it means to be a Christian that's what it means to be a follower of Jesus do you have a relationship with the father and the son God should cast you out but he shows the great expression of his love in his son the Lord

[19:44] Jesus Christ who died in the place of sinners come and he'll give you his love come he'll show you as we sang about his grace grace greater than all our sin come he'll save you this is the heart of the gospel so this is how Jesus is explaining to us in his prayer how the father glorified the son now he's going to tell us there's a second question how did the son glorify the father see that in verse 4 actually there's two ways the first one you see in verse 4 oops sorry by obeying the father verse 4 I glorified you on the earth accomplishing the work which you gave me in order that I may do he accomplished the work in other words he spoke the words he did the works and the work here when he says work singular this looks to what

[20:50] Jesus has already done and what he would inevitably do going to the cross doing all that he was sent by the father to do it glorified the father because he obeyed the father that's why we read from Philippians 2 and became obedient to the point of death even death on a cross that's how the son glorifies the father he glorified the father by obeying the father and the work which the son would accomplish was the very mission given to him by the father to go to the cross which will celebrate that in a tangible real touch feeling tasting way in the elements he'd go to the shameful cross but no it wasn't shame friends it was glory that's the irony the son's horrible shame that some of you would be praised around the world

[22:04] Jesus dying for sinners in the place of sinners as a sinner would give Jesus glory and that act of obedience would give the father glory glory one writer said this god is clothed in splendor as he brings about this death slash exaltation of his son and how is he clothed with glory no with shame no with glory the shameful glorious cross he'd be glorified because he would take the weight of sin upon himself and he would display the very righteous just judgment of god and just as well he would also display the mercy love compassion and grace of god which in turn would glorify the father showing that he was gracious to send jesus it's amazing so what seemed to be defeat the cross it was victory what seemed to be failure was success what looked like to be shame glory this is how how the son glorified the father he obeyed the father now jesus does something here excuse me in verse five he talks about how the father would glorify the son in the future soon to be future look at verse five and now you glorify me with yourself father with the glory which i had with you before the world was so we see how would the father glorify the son returning the son to glory by the way these are not commands from the son to the father father i command you to do this but they're not even simple requests either this gives us a window into the relational intimacy between the father and the son and it also helps us to know how we supposed to respond to the father in our prayer requests as we pray to him the father will perfectly complete what the son asks which was to return him to his previous glory before the world was and his glory he already possessed he obeyed by going to the cross and the father would glorify the son giving him that previous glory so how did the son glorify the father by obeying the father because he obeyed he was going to bring him the father would bring him back to his previous glory now there's a second way though by revealing the father oops why was that there okay anyways second by revealing the father how I did that twice that's interesting look at verse 6 he revealed the father

[25:22] I revealed or manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world manifested or revealed we just talked about that in revelation to uncover made known Jesus revealed the father to these eleven disciples notice they were taken out from the world they were pulled out from the world here's the world they were pulled out from the world and given by the father to the son so he was deliberate and intentional with these eleven men the father and notice Jesus says I revealed your name what does he mean my name it denotes the full character of the father so Jesus revealed everything they needed to know about the father so it's something that we see here we see this principle we see this he chooses us and then he reveals to us what we need to know about him so that we would respond to him he chooses us then he reveals to us what we need to know about him so that we would respond to him which brings us to the third question how do we glorify the father and the son so we've looked at how the father glorified the son and we looked at how the son glorified the father

[26:54] Jesus answered that for us now this third question how do we glorify both the father and the son we do that by responding to their glory how do we respond to that glory one two three four five ways I'll give them to you right off the bat how do we glorify the father and the son we obey we know we receive we understand we believe that's how we respond to their glory you're going to see that verses six through eight now before we go into this remember this directly applies to these eleven disciples that's true so keep that in mind and yet also keep in mind this connects us to verse two when it spoke about the gift from the father to the son because Jesus will say in verse six yours they were so it indirectly applies to all of

[28:06] Jesus' disciples we are also part of this as well and that's why Jesus will extend out his prayer in verses 20 through 26 for all of Jesus' disciples so he says here again verse six yours they were they belong to you father and you gave them to me and notice what he says at the end of verse six and they have kept your word they obeyed the word of the father in that they followed and obeyed the son they committed their allegiance to Jesus as the Messiah the one who ultimately revealed the father look at what else Jesus says in verse seven about these eleven disciples which also indirectly applies to us now they have come to know that everything you have given me is from you they came to understand the father's mission for the son and through the son all that the father gave the son is from the father it's all from you father and now they've come to know that the work of the son is the work of the father the work of the father is the work of the son and these eleven came to a deep seated conviction that Jesus was the final ultimate messenger from God sent by

[29:40] God teaching his truth and this goes for us as well we come to know to have a deep seated conviction of who Jesus is and his mission on dying for us else we would not partake of the elements we come to know him and that's what we take of the elements because we know this is the truth the gospel so again we obey and then we know then look at what Jesus does here he further explains what he says in verse seven here in verse eight for the words which you gave me I have given to them words denotes Jesus message which came from the father and those words reveal Jesus identity and his mission Jesus gave those words to them to the eleven and he gave them to us as well did he not

[30:46] Jesus only said what the father gave him to say Jesus only said what the father told him to say and these eleven received his words as a very true revelation of God because look at what he says next for the words you gave me I given to them and they receive notice the other verb so we looked at they kept first verb they know come to know second verb notice the third verb they received the words the fourth verb and truly understood that I came from you truly understood that Jesus came from the father and then notice the fifth verb the end of verse eight and they believed that you sent me that you yourself sent me they obeyed they came to know they received they understood they believed now you might say wait they understood they believed these guys a few verses later they're all going to ditch

[32:09] Jesus and a few verses later one of these guys is going to deny Jesus so why is Jesus saying this as compared to the world yes they did obey know receive understood believed as compared to the world Peter said this already we looked at this in the first hour in John chapter 6 these disciples they left Jesus some of these disciples and here's the 12 and Peter said to who shall we go chapter 6 verse 68 you have words of eternal life verse 69 and we have believed and come to know same verbs just switched that you are the holy one of God they did understand they did obey they obey the revelatory word that Jesus mediated to them from the father they did and

[33:31] Jesus will next pray for these 11 disciples to stay faithful and that the father would protect them but friends this is how we respond to the father choosing us then revealing himself to us he chooses us he reveals himself to us and then we respond we obey we know we receive we understand we believe these are our responses our decisions which can only be made possible because the father giving us gifting us to the son the lord Jesus and we'll respond even today as we partake of the elements we will remind ourselves of this gospel truth father I've obeyed the gospel I know the gospel I receive it I have understood it

[34:32] I believe the gospel I believe you Jesus that you came from God and father you sent him on my behalf for my sins you see again the father glorify the son by giving him authority the son glorify the father by obeying the father and revealing the father and for us we glorify both of them by obeying knowing receiving understanding and believing and these verbs they continue on for us it doesn't just stop we continue to obey we continue to know more and receiving the word and understanding the word and believing the truth don't we the father glorify the son the son glorify the father and we glorify both of them by responding to their glory so you can respond to their glory or taking of the elements and this is open to you if you're here visiting you come from a church of like faith and practice and you would probably prefer by immersion being baptized by immersion if you come from a church of like faith and practices open for you to partake as well but we would encourage if you don't know

[35:58] Christ Jesus for you to not partake of the elements is not for you and I would encourage you as well if you have something against another Christian or non Christian for that matter you have something against another Christian and have not gone to make reconciliation with that person first go reconcile don't partake of the elements first reconcile try to you can only do what you can do you try to reconcile and then you can partake of the elements later but this is a reminder to us of the gospel these do not give us grace the gospel is what gives us grace it's the word of God this points us to the word of God the truth of the gospel in a tangible way the gospel that you can touch that you can smell you can taste you see it and you feel the gospel it's tangible that Jesus died he gave his body he shed his blood it's a way for us to remember a better way a tangible way for us to remember this gospel truth so let's stop and pray for the

[37:05] Lord to prepare us for this time so father we pray by your spirit that your spirit will direct us will drive us right to the truth of the gospel that we respond to your glory the shameful glory of the cross the glory of you Jesus choosing us we did nothing to deserve this you Jesus dying for us giving us eternal life so may we respond and remember our commitment and allegiance to you we will obey we want to know you more intimately we want to receive you we want to understand your word and your ways father we want to trust you we trust you

[38:19] Jesus Jesus we cling to you only only you can save us so take this time if you would examine your heart lay it out before the Lord and preach this gospel to yourself oh friend proclaim the truth of the identity and mission of Jesus remind yourself of this gospel truth and as you do so it will prepare your heart as we will remember in this tangible way as we partake of the elements of the truth of the gospel looking forward to the time when Jesus will return to take us home take that time and do that now please to thank you for time to share the with a hand