So welcome again on this Ascension Sunday, and happy Mother's Day.
My name is Jeff, and I'm one of the pastors here, and hopefully this will work.
Is that good to go?
I guess not.
I'll just use this.
That's great.
So my sophomore year of college, one Tuesday afternoon, my roommate Matt and I, we skipped
class and we drove to Richmond, Virginia.
And that night, at a music venue in Richmond, one of my favorite bands was playing, the
Goo Goo Dolls.
I don't know if you've heard of this band, the Goo Goo Dolls.
It might depend on which generation you're from.
They were a popular band in the 90s and the 2000s.
You may have heard some of their songs, Iris, Slide, Black Balloon.
Those may or may not be familiar to you.
But the reason why I was so excited is we weren't just going to attend a concert.
My roommate Matt, his girlfriend at the time, actually happened to be the drummer of the
band, Goo Goo Dolls.
And he had gotten us all backstage passes.
And I still remember getting there and arriving and going backstage, being escorted by security
and getting to meet all of the band members.
And I remember thinking, this is so surreal.
I can't believe this is happening.
I am getting to hang out backstage with one of my favorite bands.
I remember watching Uncle John, the drummer, drink almost an entire pot of coffee before
he went out on stage.
I remember seeing the set list of all the songs posted on a wall and all of the guitars lined
up for the whole concert.
And John Resnick, the lead singer, I remember that he clearly had way too much Botox in his
face.
And right before he went on stage, he walked past me and he said something really sarcastic,
not to me, but just as he walked past me, because he had to duct tape his mic pack to his belt
because he couldn't quite get it on.
And I still remember what that moment felt like.
I remember all of these memories and these feelings of being backstage.
It was this amazing experience because just for a moment, I felt like I was part of the inner circle of one of my favorite bands.
And the truth is that all of us have this longing.
We all have this longing to be on the inside, to be part of an inner circle.
Maybe it's at work.
Maybe there's a certain role.
Maybe there's a certain team.
Maybe there's another job that we've just always wanted to be part of.
Maybe it's a group of friends at school, a social circle.
Maybe it's a school that we're trying to get into.
In his essay, The Inner Ring, C.S. Lewis describes this dynamic.
In his essay, he says that in every person's life, we all have this desire to be on the inside of things.
And we feel a certain pleasure when we get invited in.
And we feel a certain anguish when we're excluded.
This is also Aaron Burr's character in Hamilton.
There's that song, right, where Aaron Burr sings what?
He sings, I want to be in the room where it happens.
I want to be in the room where it happens.
In many ways, this is Washington, D.C., where there are large buildings where highly exclusive conversations happen,
where only a select group of people get to make important decisions.
And there's armed guards outside these buildings to remind you that you are not one of them.
I think one of the more common features in our culture that creates this insider-outsider dynamic is perhaps the paywall.
The paywalls that tell you that the exclusive content that you really want can be yours.
If you click the subscribe button below and enter in your credit card information.
There's so many dynamics in our culture that create this insider-outsider dynamic.
And it speaks to this desire that we all have to be on the inside.
To be part of an inner circle.
And this core desire is actually what our passage in John 17 speaks to.
It's one of the most unique passages in the whole Bible.
Because it's a prayer of Jesus.
And in fact, it is actually the longest recorded prayer of Jesus that we have.
There's none other like it.
And in this prayer, what we're given is we are given exclusive backstage access
to the relationship that Jesus has with his Father.
And by studying this passage, we not only get to listen in on the inner life of the Trinity,
but we are actually invited to be part of it.
To join in on the very life of God.
So first of all, we're going to look at a few things.
We're going to look at how Jesus prays in this prayer.
We're going to look at what he prays and why it matters.
How Jesus prays, what he prays, and why it matters.
First of all, let's look at how Jesus prays.
This passage in John 17 is part of what's called the upper room discourse.
If you're following along in the Gospel of John,
you'll notice that chapters 13 through 17 are all one scene.
They're all part of Jesus in the upper room during the Passover meal,
the night before he's arrested and betrayed.
And in the upper room, following the Passover meal,
Jesus spends an extended time teaching his disciples in chapters 13 through 16.
And this prayer in chapter 17 comes at the end of all that.
And this is right before he heads to the Garden of Gethsemane,
where he is ultimately betrayed and arrested.
And this prayer of Jesus is often called his high priestly prayer.
His high priestly prayer.
And if we're going to understand what that means,
we need to do a little bit of Old Testament homework.
The work of priests in the Old Testament was complex and multifaceted work.
And it was the exclusive job of the high priest to offer a sacrifice for sin
on behalf of all the people on the Day of Atonement.
And this is a job that involved multiple detailed steps.
The first thing the high priest would do would be to prepare his own body by bathing and cleansing himself.
And then he would put on the priestly garments.
This is what is referred to in our Old Testament reading, Exodus 28, that was read earlier.
The priest would put on an undergarment, a robe, a turban on his head, a sash tied around the waist.
But what Exodus chapter 28 goes into detail the most on is the breastplate.
The breastplate.
On the priest's breastplate were 12 precious jewels.
And on each jewel were engraved the names of the 12 tribes of Israel.
And so this is what, look at what Exodus 28 verse 29 says.
So Aaron the high priest shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart
when he goes into the holy place to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord.
So Aaron would carry the names of Israel engraved on his heart before the presence of God
as he went to make the sacrifice of atonement.
After putting on his priestly garments, he would then make two sacrifices.
Two animals, one for himself and one for all of the people.
And these sacrifices would be made outside the sanctuary.
Outside the inner presence of God, the most holy place.
And then the priest would bring the blood of the sacrifices.
He would bring them inside, into the inner sanctuary,
and sprinkle the altar with the blood of the sacrifice.
Now, all of this is actually really important, both to understand our passage in John chapter 17
and to understand what Ascension Sunday is all about.
For understanding the significance of the ascension.
See, the work of a high priest wasn't finished once the sacrifice was made.
And that's because the sacrifice occurred outside the inner sanctuary.
In order for the sacrifice to be effective on behalf of the people, it had to be brought in.
It had to be brought into the holy of holies, the inner sanctuary.
And so this is why when we think about Jesus being our great high priest,
the cross actually isn't complete on its own.
The cross isn't complete without the ascension.
In his death, Jesus makes a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.
Only unlike Aaron, he doesn't make a sacrifice for himself because he was sinless.
But it's in the ascension that he presents the finished work of his sacrifice
into the inner presence of God, in the heavenly throne room,
so that it becomes effective on our behalf.
This is what much of the book of Hebrews talks about.
Listen to Hebrews chapter 9, verse 24.
For Christ has entered not into holy places made with hands,
which are copies of the true things,
but into heaven itself,
now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
So in his death on the cross, Jesus pays the debt for our sin,
but it's in the ascension,
the ascension provides confirmation that that check has cleared.
And this helps us understand part of what Jesus is doing in John chapter 17
before he goes to the cross.
In this prayer,
Jesus is putting on his priestly garments.
He's preparing for his atoning work.
Just as Aaron bore the names of Israel on the jewels upon his heart,
so Jesus Christ is putting on a much greater brush plate.
He's bearing the names of all those for whom he would suffer and die.
He's going to the cross with your name and my name engraved upon his heart,
so much so that it calls him to pray for us,
to intercede for us before the Father.
He's saying to his Father,
this is who I love the most.
They are precious to me.
They are jewels upon my heart,
and I am praying for them.
And so this is why Jesus' prayer here in John 17
is called his high priestly prayer.
And as we'll see,
it's both a prayer that he prays for himself and for us.
It's a prayer that he prays both for himself and for us.
And that's the next thing that we're going to look at
is what Jesus prays in this prayer.
There are kind of three main things that Jesus prays for in John 17.
He prays for his glory,
for our holiness,
and for the church's unity.
He prays for our glory,
his glory,
our holiness,
and the church's unity.
So first of all,
Jesus prays for his glory.
And we see this in verses one and two.
Jesus prays,
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've given him.
I glorified you on earth,
having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
Now,
at first,
it probably seems a bit egocentric
for someone to pray for their own glory.
And that's true
for any person who isn't God.
But for Jesus to pray for his own glory
is actually a good thing.
And I want to show you why.
Because in this prayer,
we see the mutually glorifying relationship
of the Trinity.
We see that the Son
glorifies the Father
by accomplishing the work
that the Father gave him to do
in his life,
his ministry,
his death.
And the Father glorifies the Son
by rising him from the dead
and giving him authority
over all things
in his ascension.
And even though the Holy Spirit
isn't mentioned here,
it's implied.
Because how did the Father
and the Son glorify one another?
Through the power of the Holy Spirit.
And so here in Jesus' prayer
to his Father,
we get this window,
we get this backstage access
into God's own Trinitarian life.
The Trinity is this divine dance
of mutually glorifying love.
And the incredible thing
is that we are invited to join in.
We see this later in verse 24
where Jesus prays this,
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 love me
before the foundation of the world,
that the love with which you have loved me
may be in them.
One of the deepest desires of Jesus
that he pleads for before the Father
as our great high priest
is that you and I
would get to join in
on the eternal glory
and love and life
that has existed
before all eternity
between the Father,
the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
In the Christian tradition,
this has often been called to,
been referred to as
the beatific vision,
the promise that one day
we will see God
and behold him in all his glory
and experience loving,
joyful communion with him forever.
This same love,
the same glory
that has existed
between the Trinity
before all eternity.
And this is why
Jesus' prayer for his own glory
is good news for us
because it gives us
insider access.
It gives us backstage passes
into the glory and love
of the Trinity.
Because our great high priest
who has ascended into heaven
bears our names
engraved on his heart
and he pleads before the Father
that we would share
in his divine glory
and the prayers of Jesus
are always effective.
You might say,
well Jeff,
I know that you have to talk
about this stuff
because you're a pastor.
You know,
things like glory
and love
and the ascension.
But if I'm being honest,
this sounds like a lot
of just super spiritual talk.
What in the world
does this have to do
with my real life?
And the answer
that I would give you
is everything.
Everything.
Because you and I
were made
for nothing less
than infinite glory.
We are glory hungry creatures.
We long for recognition.
We long for applause.
We long for approval.
We long for status.
And we spend our lives
seeking it
in a thousand different places.
in power,
in fame,
success,
money,
in jobs,
in relationships,
in promotions,
in titles,
in social media followers.
But none of those
can ever satisfy
our deep longing
for glory.
Why?
C.S. Lewis offers
this answer
in his sermon
called
The Weight of Glory.
And he says this,
If we consider
the unblushing promises
of reward
and the staggering
nature of the rewards
promised to us
in the Gospels,
it would seem
that our Lord
finds our desires
not too strong
but too weak.
We are half-hearted creatures
fooling about
with drink
and sex
and ambition
when infinite joy
is offered us.
like an ignorant child
who wants to go on
making mud pies
in a slum
because he cannot
imagine what is meant
by the offer
of a holiday
at the sea.
We are far
too easily pleased.
And this is
the human condition
that we are
far too easily
pleased.
The small glories
of money
and fame
and success
and power
are mud pies
compared to the
infinite glory
that we have been
invited into.
Jesus not only
prays that we will
see the eternal
beauty of God
but that we will
experience it
and be transformed
by it.
And far from being
an egocentric prayer
this is the prayer
that we most need
because the glory
of Jesus
and our deepest joy
are inextricably linked.
And what follows
in the rest
of Jesus' prayer
in John 17
flows from
this central reality.
Jesus continues
to pray
for our holiness
and for the church's unity
but all of these
things fit together
because they're all
about us participating
in the divine glory
of the Trinity.
In verses 15
through 19
Jesus goes on
to pray
for our
sanctification
our holiness
us growing
to become
more like him.
And he prays this
so that we might
share in his
nature
that we might
share in his
glory.
But this isn't
a holiness
that causes
us to escape
from the messiness
and brokenness
and fallenness
of the world.
It's actually
a holiness
that sends us
out into the world
on mission
just like Christ.
And he prays
to the Father
he says
Father as you
sent me
into the world
so I have
sent them
into the world.
As we share
in the glory
of the Trinity
we also share
in the mission
of the Trinity.
As the Father
sent the Son
and the power
of the Spirit
he sends us
also into the world.
This same logic
also applies
to the church's unity
which Jesus prays
for in verses
20 to 23.
He says
I do not ask
for these only
but also for those
who will believe
in me
through their word
that they may
all be one
just as you
Father are in me
and I in you
that they also
may be in us
so that the world
may believe
that you have sent me.
Why should we
pursue unity
in the church?
So we can have
peaceful community
and avoid conflict
so that we can
pursue common goals?
Those are all
good things
but they are not
the main reason.
The reason
that Jesus
gives us
is because
the glory
that the Father
has given him
he has given
to the church.
God himself
is a communion
of unity
amid diversity.
He's one God
in three persons.
This eternal
communion
of divine love.
And because
the church
has been invited
into this communion
this is why
the unity
of the church
is mission
critical.
Because when
the church
is unified
amidst its own
diversity
it sends a
powerful witness
to the world
that there is
a Trinitarian
God of love
who joins
a diverse people
into one body
one family
one communion
of love.
And when there
is loving unity
in the church
it reflects
the loving unity
of the Trinity.
community.
And when there's
not
it robs
the power
of our
witness.
And that's
true both
in the
universal
global church
and it's
true in
the local
church.
So we've
covered a lot
of ground
here in
John 17
so let's
bring it
home and
tie it
all together.
All of us
have this
longing to
be inside.
To be
where things
happen.
To have
insider
access.
And if
you try
to satisfy
that longing
by chasing
after the
inner circles
of jobs
and schools
and social
groups
you'll never
actually be
satisfied.
Because there
will always
be some
inner circle
that you
will be
excluded
from.
But don't
you see
that the
real inner
circle that
your soul
was made
for is
the eternal
dance of
God.
The glory
and love
and joy
of the
Father
and the
Son
and the
Holy Spirit
that has
existed
before the
world began.
And don't
you see
that everything
that Christ
did was
to give
you access
into that
communion.
And if
you know
that,
if you know
that you've
been invited
into that,
you'll be
able to
experience a
certain kind
of rest,
a certain
kind of
freedom,
a certain
kind of
security in
your heart.
and that
will be
true regardless
of whether
or not you
get invited
to that
job interview,
whether or
not you
get invited
to be part
of that
friend group
or that
school.
You can
relax.
It won't
threaten your
core identity.
It won't
threaten your
self-worth
because you
know that
you've been
given access
to the
greatest inner
circle of
all.
How many
people in
a city like
Washington,
D.C.
have that
kind of
freedom,
have that
kind of
rest,
have that
kind of
security,
that they
know their
life isn't
just this
rat race of
trying to get
in on the
inner circle.
Maybe others
of you today
need to hear
about the
assurance of
God's love
for you,
that you
really belong
to him,
that he's
with you.
Maybe you've
been doubting
whether God
actually loves
you like he
says he
does.
But don't
you see that
the great
lengths and
the extravagant
detail that
Jesus Christ
went through
for you to
bring you
into the
very life
of God.
As your
great high
priest,
he went
to the
cross
with your
name
engraved
on his
heart.
And don't
you see what
the ascension
means?
It means that
Jesus didn't
just go to
the cross
with your
name engraved
on his
heart.
He didn't
just bear
your name
on the
cross,
but he
took it
with him
into the
heavenly throne
room before
God the
Father.
And he
still pleads
for you and
intercedes for
you on your
behalf.
Think about
that.
And let
that bring
the deep
assurance that
God is with
you, that he
loves you, that
he's for you.
You're so
precious to
him.
You're a
jewel upon his
heart.
You're on the
forefront of
his mind.
And finally,
maybe there's
some of you
who would
say, you
know, my
coming in
this morning,
my relationship
with God
just feels
flat.
My prayer
life is
stale.
I just
kind of feel
like I'm
in a
spiritual
plateau.
I'm in
a rut.
What
could
motivate us
more to
experience
fellowship
with God?
What
could
motivate us
more to
pray?
knowing that
Jesus Christ
as our
great high
priest is
already praying
for us.
He's praying
for you right
now, interceding
for you before
the Father.
He's praying
for you to
experience the
glory and the
love that he
experiences with
the Father and
the Spirit.
And when we
pray, we are
joining our
prayers to
his.
We are
joining this
Trinitarian
dance, this
Trinitarian
conversation that
has already
been taking
place before
the foundation
of the
world.
And that
transforms the
way we see
prayer.
Prayer isn't
just a
spiritual
exercise, but
it's about
having access
to the
greatest inner
circle of
all, joining
Jesus in
conversation and
fellowship and
love with the
Trinity.
Prayer doesn't
always feel
glorious.
In fact, most
times we don't
feel anything.
It feels fairly
ordinary and
mundane.
But the
more that we
learn to
pray, the
more that we
get a real
taste, a real
experience of
what our future
glory will be
like that Jesus
promises here in
John 17.
And I've
already quoted
C.S.
Lewis twice, so I
figure I will end
by quoting him a
third time.
At the end of
his sermon, The
Weight of Glory,
C.S.
Lewis says this,
for if we take
the image of
Scripture
seriously, if we
believe that God
will one day give
us the morning
star and cause
us to put on the
splendor of the
sun, then we
may surmise that
both the ancient
myths and modern
poetry are true.
At present, we
are on the
outside of the
world, the wrong
side of the
door.
We discern the
freshness and
purity of the
morning, but they
do not make us
fresh and pure.
We cannot mingle
with the splendors
that we see.
But all the
leaves of the New
Testament are
rustling with the
rumor that it
will not always be
so.
Someday, God
willing, we
shall get in.
Let's pray.
Our God and
Father, we thank
you that you have
invited us into
your inner circle,
Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, through
the work of Christ
and the power of
the Holy Spirit.
I pray that we
would, our hearts
would be fed with
the assurance that
comes from that.
I pray for those who
long to experience
you, who long to
experience your
fellowship, that you
would pour your
Holy Spirit.
Jesus, thank you
that you are our
risen, ascended
King.
You're our risen,
ascended High
Priest.
And you bear our
names on your
heart.
I pray this in the
Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit.
Amen.