You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
Our passion is to experience and express grace.
Join us.
Amen.
Thank you, ladies.
You know, we pick offertory songs each week not to entertain you, not to emotionally manipulate
you, to give more while they're singing, but to prepare our hearts to hear God's Word.
This is our last week in Jesus' prayer in John 17.
It's often called His High Priestly Prayer.
You know why?
Because Jesus here is praying for us.
He is a great high priest whose name is love, whoever lives and pleads for me.
And we're seeing that here.
You know what the high priest does, right?
Every year he would go into God's presence on behalf of all God's people.
See, because we were made to be with God, to be near Him and in His presence, but our sin
messed up that relationship.
It separated us from God.
It kept us at a distance from Him.
We need to be near God, don't we?
But because of sin, someone has to go in for us, on our behalf, to talk to God for us so
that we can be brought back into God's presence.
Jesus does that, doesn't He?
He's the great high priest going before God for us as He prays, as He pays our penalty on
the cross.
The curtain is torn and now we are welcomed back into the presence of God through our great
high priest.
So as long as our perfect, spotless righteousness is there in heaven, no tongue can bid us depart
from God's presence.
Amen?
That's why you need a high priest.
Even today, Jesus, the great high priest, is still praying for us, right?
He ever lives and pleads for me.
That is such good news.
So as we read John 17, we are listening in to the one who restores our relationship with
God and we're marveling.
Every week we've been marveling that He prays for us, for us.
He started by praying for shared glory in His relationship with His Father that He invites
us into.
He prayed for us to know eternal life by knowing Him.
He's prayed God would keep us from the evil one even as He sends us into the world.
He prayed, we saw last week, for our unity in Him.
And now He closes by returning to our inclusion in that most glorious relationship.
Listen in one more time to our great high priest whose name is love, who still prays these things
for you now.
John 17 at verse 24.
Jesus prays,
Father, I desire that they also whom You have given me may be with me where I am, to see
my glory that You have given me because You loved me before the foundation of the world.
O righteous Father, even though the world does not know You, I know You, and these know
that You have sent me.
I made known to them Your name, and I will continue to make it known that the love with
which You have loved me may be in them and I in them.
Let's pray together.
Jesus, we hear Your words as You prayed them.
Amen.
We ask by Your Spirit that You would root them deep in our hearts, that we might know Your
love, new and fresh, and be changed by it.
We ask in Your name.
Amen.
How does God feel about you?
You personally, right now, today?
I've asked that question a lot over the years, one of those weird pastor questions.
I've heard a variety of responses to that question.
He's embarrassed, ashamed, probably disappointed.
Or some say, pretty good, I think.
Even, I've heard some say, well, I guess He loves me.
And I want you to know, for everyone here who would trust in Jesus, that last answer is
always the correct one.
except more clearly and more passionately and more completely than you could ever imagine.
God loves you.
That's what our hearts need to hear loud and clear in this prayer.
As we listen into Jesus, I want you to marvel that we are on His heart hours before going to the cross.
Remember, Jesus starts this prayer.
What's He longing for?
He's longing to return to the glory that He had with the Father in that perfect relationship.
Remember verse 5?
Now, Father, glorify me in Your own presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed.
That fully known, fully loved relationship.
And remember, we saw a few weeks ago that Jesus was going to die to include us in that glorious relationship.
That shared glory that they have is shared love.
This morning, as Jesus prays, He concludes by praying for us to get caught up into that glorious love of the Trinity.
It's what makes us glorious and beautiful.
Love is our word for the day, okay?
Jesus has actually been thinking about His love for His people this whole night.
Remember when we started earlier this fall, if you've been here that long, in the upper room,
Jesus says He's showing us the full extent of His love.
To the very end, He washes His disciples' feet.
As He speaks to them, He promises not to leave them alone.
He invites them to abide in Him, to trust in His Spirit.
And now before they leave and head to His betrayal and arrest and crucifixion,
what's His final request of His Father?
Look at verse 24.
Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am.
My disciples and all who will believe in Me through their word, I want them to be with Me.
This is the Son's love expressed in no uncertain terms.
What I desire is for them to be with Me.
That's love.
That's why with the holidays approaching, mothers everywhere are trying to figure out
how to get everyone together in the same place, right?
You know this.
Whatever we do, whatever we eat, I just want to be with those I love.
That's why we're so hurt as we miss loved ones.
Because no matter what we do, what we eat, we aren't with them.
That's why couples falling in love often drive their friends crazy.
Because they just want to be together all the time.
Love longs for presence, for being together.
Now think with me about that for just a minute.
It is not hard to understand why we would want to be with Jesus.
I mean really.
He is so tender.
So loving.
So patient.
So wise.
So forgiving.
So powerful.
His disciples have heard Him speak inspirationally.
They have eaten food that He has made miraculously.
They have watched Him heal powerfully.
Of course they are grieved.
They're crushed that He's leaving them.
But on the other hand, why would He want to be with us?
His disciples are about to abandon Him in His hour of need.
They fall asleep at the switch like selfish friends.
They're going to leave Him alone right when He is overwhelmed.
Yet He has just washed their feet.
Yet He is now praying,
Father, I want them, these guys, to be with me forever.
And it's not just them, right?
We're a part of this prayer too.
I mean, you and me who have done what?
We've chased after other gods?
Relentlessly we've done that.
We've disobeyed Jesus' commands.
We've even been ashamed to acknowledge that we know Him before others.
Y'all, our wanting to be with Jesus is understandable.
His wanting to be with us is unbelievable.
Yeah, I mean, He probably actually doesn't want...
He doesn't mean it, does He?
Actually, unbelievably, He does.
This verse tells us why.
Who are we to Jesus?
Look at verse 24.
We're the ones His Father has given Him.
In the original language, it's even stronger.
It reads, Father, the ones You have given me,
I want them, those ones, the ones You've given me,
I want them to be with me too.
The ones You've given me.
Why does Jesus love you?
Because the person that He loves most and longest
gave you to Him.
I have some artwork in my office
that you would never find in a museum.
I have some cards saved
that anyone else would throw away.
I've had drawings on my refrigerator
that no one else can even make out what they're of.
And yet they are precious to me.
Why?
Because they're gifts
from someone I love deeply.
I even have some of my girls' art
and notes on old Father's Day cards
in this old fireproof safe in my closet
that my family makes fun of
because nobody even has one of those
and how would it help anyway?
I so value them
that that's what I put in the fireproof safe.
Because they're gifts
from someone I love.
Friends, Jesus loves you.
He doesn't want you to be far from Him ever.
Not because your life is a picture
that has been colored in the lines perfectly.
No, that's not it.
But because before the foundation of the world,
His Father gave Him a special gift
of these people to be His.
He gave it to His Son.
He sent His Son to redeem us.
He came to bring us back home.
That is the glory of His eternal love
that we look forward to,
that we look forward to sharing in with Him,
being with Him.
That is glory.
Nothing could be better than that, right?
It's what He promises to the thief on the cross.
Today you will be with me in paradise.
That's what makes it paradise.
It's our hope, even in death,
that the moment we are absent from the body,
we are where?
Present with the Lord.
It's the highlight of heaven.
When the Bible talks about heaven,
it builds all the way up
and says,
so we will always be with the Lord.
Jesus loves us.
The Bible tells us so in many places.
But Jesus is driving at home on this final night
when He's got to say the most important thing.
I mean, an hour ago,
He said,
as the Father has loved me,
so have I loved you.
That's a lot.
Earlier in this prayer,
He says,
He won't lose a one of us.
We are so precious to Him,
such a treasured gift.
And now He prays,
and we hear His love pouring from His heart,
us to be with Him forever.
It's actually more here about love, though.
In this eternal relationship of perfect love,
we now hear about the Father's love.
Verse 24.
Jesus' glory given from the Father
because you loved me
before the foundation of the world.
What was God full of before creation?
Father, Son, Spirit,
and in perfect relationship,
best we can understand it,
so much by nature love,
so full of love in that relationship
that it overflowed into a world,
into a people,
into a love story.
To write the love of God above
would drain the oceans dry,
nor could the scroll contain the whole,
though stretched from sky to sky.
Certainly, the Father loves the Son.
That's what He's saying here,
and we don't doubt that,
that fully known,
fully loved relationship.
And when God loves,
what does God do?
God gives.
In this case,
we see He gives glory to Jesus.
The essence of love
is that self-giving relationship.
Once again,
it is actually the glory
that Jesus is returning to
and that He's bringing us into with Him.
It's that loving relationship.
See, we believe that the Father loves Jesus,
don't we?
His only begotten,
perfectly obedient,
always loving Son.
Of course He loves Him.
You know what we struggle to believe?
We struggle to believe
the Father loves us adopted,
often disobedient,
inconsistently loving sons.
But verse 23 says this,
I in them and you in me
that they,
that's us,
may become perfectly one
so that the world may know
that you sent me
and loved them
even as you loved me.
Loved them,
my people,
even as,
just as,
in the same way
as you loved me,
Jesus says.
God delights in us,
how?
With an everlasting love,
with a faithful,
covenant,
steadfast love
that endures forever.
Even when we break His covenant,
He loves us like that.
It's a forgiving love
that restores failures
because of the Father's love
that gives.
In our case,
He gives us who?
Jesus.
You sent me,
Jesus says.
God so loved the world
that He gave
His only Son.
Behold what manner of love
the Father has given to us
that we should be called
sons of God,
loved even as He loves His Son.
See, His love is not based
on perfection.
It is based
on His perfect character,
His perfect love.
It doesn't demand
that the object of His love
perform perfectly,
color within the lines,
keep life straight.
It is as Sally Lloyd-Jones
memorably describes it,
a never stopping,
never giving up,
unbreaking,
always and forever love.
You know this part
of the love story well.
Father and Son
having covenanted together
before the foundation
of the world
to pour out their love
on undeserving sinners
now enact their plan
in human history.
In order to bring
these many sons home
to glory,
God sends His only begotten Son
to earth,
to the cross,
to demonstrate
His own love for us
in dying for us.
And Jesus,
as He prepares to do that,
as He sees the cross coming
from His loving heart,
pleads with His Father
to bring us home
to share in the delight
of being loved by the Father.
It's what He wants us to experience
because He knows how great it is.
That His glorious relationship
to which the Son knows
He's returning soon,
that's where we are headed.
You and I,
we're going to that same place.
We can taste that future hope,
that coming glory,
even now,
as we revel in God's love
for us.
I so love the picture
of God's love
that Ruth Graham shared
at the funeral
of her father,
famous preacher,
Billy Graham.
Ruth was newly divorced,
already devastated,
when she found herself
in another relationship
that her parents
and her children
told her was not good
for her.
But she was far away
from them
and didn't want to listen.
In her words,
now,
this is the rest
of her story.
Being stubborn,
willful,
and sinful,
I married this man
on New Year's Eve
and within 24 hours,
I knew I'd made
a terrible mistake.
After five weeks,
I fled.
I was afraid of him.
What was I going to do?
I wanted to go talk
to my mother
and my father.
Understandable,
she would want that,
right?
But would they want her?
It was a two-day drive.
Questions swirled
in my mind.
What was I going
to say to daddy?
What was I going
to say to mother?
What was I going
to say to my children?
I'd been such a failure.
What were they going
to say to me?
We're tired
of fooling with you.
We told you not
to do it.
You've embarrassed us.
You don't want
to embarrass your father,
but you really
don't want to embarrass
Billy Graham,
she said.
And as I rounded
the last bend
in my father's driveway,
my father was standing
there waiting for me.
As I got out
of the car,
he wrapped his arms
around me and he said,
welcome home.
There was no shame.
There was no blame.
There was no condemnation.
There was just
unconditional love.
And you know,
my father was not God,
but he showed me
what God was like
that day.
when we come to God
with our sin,
our brokenness,
our failure,
our pain,
and our hurt,
God says,
welcome home.
Unconditional love.
Maybe Billy's love
for Ruth is not
that big of a stretch
for you
because you know
you love your own kids.
So,
yeah,
God loves Jesus.
How could he not?
But will you believe
on the authority
of God's word
and the prayer
of Jesus
that God loves
you
like that too?
Adopted child
covered
in the perfect
spotless
righteousness
of the son?
you don't want
to embarrass
your father.
You really don't
want to embarrass
Billy Graham.
But you mostly
don't want
to embarrass God,
do you?
Have you felt that
anybody else
when you've failed
again?
When you've
tried it your own way?
When you've failed
to share his love?
God knows it all.
Everything in my heart
what will he say?
Except God
is not embarrassed.
He's not ashamed
to be called
your God,
your father
because your real
home
where you will be
perfect forever
and he knows it
because he's making
it so
is with
him.
We don't need
to doubt
that he loves us
because of what
we feel.
we don't need
to search
for love
somewhere else.
We don't need
to fear
that he's quit
loving us
because of our
circumstances
or our failures.
Fully known,
fully loved.
That is our story.
The one who knows
us best
loves us most.
The father
himself
loves you.
Jesus says
the father
himself
loves you.
Jesus' prayer
closes
by bringing
our love
into this
glorious
divine love.
Jesus has
revealed the
father
that the
fullness
of his
love
for us
in fact
he will
by his
spirit
especially
keep
making
the
father
known
that the
love
with which
you have
loved me
may be
in them
and I
in them.
What does it
look like
when the
love of God
the very
love that he
has for his
son Jesus
is in
us?
It means
we too
welcome
home
people
deserving
to be
pushed
away.
It means
as Jesus
has already
told his
disciples
to love
one another
as he
has loved
them
that we
give
sacrificially
washing
one another's
feet.
It means
that we're
present with
others
as we
long to be
present with
Jesus
to abide
in him
and in fact
he says
not just
his love
in us
but his
very self
in us
by his
spirit
producing
what?
What fruit
will the
spirit
produce?
Where does
it start?
Do you
know the
first one?
Love.
Just a few
minutes ago
Jesus has
said to
them
abide
in
my
love
as the
father
has loved
me
so have
I loved
you
abide
in my
love.
Stay
there
beloved
make
your
home
here
delight
in the
voice
of your
father
singing
you
to
sleep
rest
in
the
loving
embrace
of
the
son
only
then
will
love
like this
overflow
from you
to lots
of other
people
even more
to the
point of
Jesus'
prayer
here
only
then
will
you
start
to
taste
the
glory
that's
to come
it's
the thing
he most
wants
for you
Jesus
is continuing
even now
even in
moments
like this
to make
the love
of God
known
to you
so that
you become
a part
of the
relationship
of love
that he
prayed
for you
to know
forever
he's praying
it because
he and his
father planned
this from
all eternity
this is the
relationship
that you
were made
for
it's the
relationship
you were
redeemed
for
you don't
need to
leave here
this morning
thinking of
how much
you must
love
you need to
leave here
this morning
thinking of
how much
you are
loved
that's where
it starts
that's where
it comes
from his
spirit
because see
no matter
what's going
on in your
life right
now
no matter
how good
it is
no matter
how hard
it is
it's another
part of the
great love
story that's
been going
on since
before the
foundation
of the
world
this is the
part where
God is
continuing
the good
work that
he began
in you
in terms
of the
great love
story he
has redeemed
you and now
he is
remaking
you into
a perfectly
pure
radiant
bride
to give
you to
his son
forever
so that
he can
keep loving
you perfectly
and forever
Jesus
prays
that you
will be
with him
to see
his glory
the glory
of love
that we
get a glimpse
of here
and then
we get
a more
glistening
picture of
in
revelation
I want to
read you
just a few
verses
I want you
to listen
with longing
and with
joy
for what's
to come
and I
saw the
holy
city
new
Jerusalem
coming
down
out
of
heaven
from
God
prepared
as a
bride
adorned
for her
husband
and I
heard a
loud voice
from the
throne
saying
behold
the dwelling
place
of God
is with
man
he will
dwell
with
them
and they
will be
his
people
and God
himself
will be
with
them
as their
God
he will
wipe away
every tear
from their
eyes
and death
shall be
no more
neither
shall there
be mourning
nor crying
nor pain
anymore
for the
former things
have passed
away
and he
who was
seated on
the throne
said
behold
I am
making
all
things
new
and an
angel
says
come
I will
show you
the bride
the wife
of the
lamb
and he
carried me
away in
the spirit
to a
great high
mountain
and showed
me the
holy city
Jerusalem
coming down
out of
heaven
from God
having
the glory
of God
its radiance
like a
most rare
jewel
like a
jasper
clear
as crystal
you know
who he's
talking about
that's
you
that's
you
and me
shining
sparkling
as we
never
have
before
as we
can't
imagine
feeling
see the
picture
here is
of the
father
overflowing
with love
as he
brings the
bride
down the
aisle
to give
her
to his
son
in his
eyes
the
son's
eyes
are
overflowing
with
tears
because his
heart is
overflowing
with love
for his
bride
for us
the ones
he
redeemed
the greatest
gift
of love
ever
and he's
received
and he's
overwhelmed
one more
section
and I
saw no
temple
in the
city
for its
temple
that's
our
temple
we're the
city
the bride
its
temple
is
the
Lord
God
the
almighty
and the
lamb
and the
city
has no
need of
sun
or moon
to shine
on it
for the
glory
of God
gives it
light
and its
lamp
is the
lamb
do you
hear that
do you
know why
you're
sparkling
there
why you're
shining
so
brilliantly
it's because
the God
of glory
and of
love
is shining
on you
bringing
you into
this
glorious
relationship
because
he wants
to be
with you
forever
just as
Wesley
looked down
the aisle
last week
and with
tears of
joy
and love
in his
eyes
as his
bride
Emma
came
down
to him
that's
how
Jesus
feels
about
you
having
you
being
given
to be
with
him
it's
the love
story
of the
whole
Bible
it's
the
whole
thing
and
then
not
just
does
Jesus
feel
that
way
but
the
father
having
given
his
bride
to
his
son
runs
away
while
the
ceremony
is
still
going
on
if you
will
to
welcome
us
home
to
prepare
the
fatted
calf
so
that
he
can
celebrate
with
us
and
pour
out
his
love
upon
us
too
that's
how
excited
he
is
God
goes
and
prepares
a
feast
of
love
for
us
revelation
calls
that
feast
of
love
the
marriage
supper
of
the
lamb
at
that
supper
the
bridegroom
who
loves
us
is
also
the
one
sacrificed
to
bring
us
home
he
makes
everything
new
for
his
bride
he
wipes
away
our
tears
he
clothes
us
in
white
he
loves
us
so
deeply
so
passionately
that
we
never
want
to
leave
each
other's
side
forever
so
this
morning
with
a
marriage
supper
of
the
lamb
in
the
future
what
we're
doing
is
we're
rehearsing
okay
it's
a
wedding
theme
we're
rehearsing
for
the
marriage
supper
here
right
here
at
this
table
the
great
high
priest
whose
name
is
love
is
also
the
great
sacrificial
lamb
and
though we
get only
a taste
here
of the
feast
of love
though we
see him
only through
a glass
dimly
we look
forward to the
day when we
we see him
face to face
and we become
like him
because we see him
in his glory
as he is
we become
fully known
and fully
loved
then
even
as he
now
fully
knows
us
and fully
loves
us
that's
where we're
headed
beloved
what
glory
Jesus told us
to do this
to celebrate
this feast
in remembrance
of him
the same night
he prayed
for us
he took
bread
and broke
it
and he
gave it
to his
disciples
as I
ministering
in his
name
give this
bread
to you
he said
take
and eat
this is
my body
given
for you
because I
love you
in the same
manner after
supper
he took
the cup
and said
this cup
is the
new covenant
in my
blood
shed for
many
for the
forgiveness
of sins
drink
from it
all of
you
for as
often
as you
eat
this
bread
and drink
this
cup
you
proclaim
the
Lord's
death
until he
comes
you
proclaim
he
loves
me
so
much
that he
gave
his
life
for me
if you
are his
beloved
your heart
is pounding
right now
according to your
own personality
in very different
ways
your heart
should be
pounding
with his
love
for you
so come
and eat
and rehearse
for the feast
of love
that you will
share
with him
forever
if
this all
sounds
nice
to you
but that's
not really
how you
feel
you're not
sure at
all that
you need
Jesus
love
or that
Jesus
could
really
love
you
then
don't
come
and take
these
elements
this
morning
we don't
want
to pretend
that
just
this
little
taste
of it
would be
what
would
fulfill
you
we want
you
to know
Jesus
first
you're
welcome
to come
and observe
to come
and pray
with us
or to sit
where you are
and just
consider
the love
of Jesus
shown in
its full
extent
right here
laid out
before you
and a
father
who sent
his son
to say
to you
welcome
home
let's pray
and then
we'll
celebrate
together
Jesus
thank you
for
this
reminder
of your
love
would it
be a
taste
of
glory
to us
because
there's
nothing
better
than
sitting
with you
and soaking
up your
love
use
common
elements
for that
for doing
something
very
eternal
in our
hearts
that we
would actually
believe
that you
love us
like this
and that
we would
look
forward
to seeing
that
and knowing
that fully
one day
we ask
in your
name
amen
for more
information
visit us
online
at
southwood.org