You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
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Amen.
I want to confess something to you all as we get started this morning.
I don't sing like that.
Nor do I play the piano like that.
But you knew both of those things.
I want to confess something else, which is that I oftentimes will walk around this building in the middle of the week.
It's dark and quiet.
And all of a sudden, coming out of the sanctuary will be the sound of this piano coming from a room that's otherwise empty.
And I'll stop and listen in to DJ playing beautifully.
It's inspiring, isn't it, to sit there and listen in and even to worship.
Especially to someone who plays the piano like that.
Especially if you are one who does play the piano, but just like a couple of chords with a couple fingers at a time.
Imagine for a minute that DJ was your piano teacher.
And he'd been telling you how to play this song.
Telling you that when you played it right, it was going to be so beautiful.
But you just couldn't quite hear it when you sat practicing playing with a couple fingers at a time.
It just didn't sound great.
And then you walked by here one day and he happened to be playing your song.
And you got to listen in and it was incredible and it was wonderful.
And as you listened in, you thought, I just want to play like that.
It would be beautiful.
That's a little bit of what's going on in John 17.
It's a little bit of what I want us to experience with Jesus this morning.
We're at the end of the upper room discourse.
Jesus' final teachings to his disciples before heading to his betrayal and arrest and crucifixion.
But here, Jesus stops talking to them.
He's not talking to them anymore.
He starts talking to his father.
And they get and we get this morning to listen in to this amazing prayer,
to this intimate time between son and father.
Jesus has taught his disciples how to pray, right?
We're going to hear some more echoes of that prayer that we prayed earlier this morning in this passage.
Jesus has taught them how to love God, how to live in a relationship with him.
But now he is enjoying that relationship himself.
And he's letting us, if you will, listen in.
What a glorious opportunity that is.
I tell you that because we're about to spend a few weeks listening in.
Looking at this longest prayer of Jesus recorded in the whole Bible.
Hearing what's on his heart to talk with his father about as he nears the end of his life on earth.
And there is so much here.
But it's really important that you're not listening for, you know, three easy things to do to make your life better.
Specific instructions for our lives.
There will be some practical lessons that we can glean along the way for sure.
But mostly that's not the point.
Imagine walking back there and hearing the piano music come out.
We are listening in to the master playing.
Right?
To the teacher of prayer praying.
We are glimpsing the glory of this divine relationship between father and son.
And we'll actually see that part of the glory of this relationship is that you and I are invited into it.
So what should happen is our hearts should be inspired to awe, to wonder, to anticipation of enjoying such glory ourselves to playing like that.
Our hearts should be comforted by the reality that Jesus prays for us.
That gets clearer through this prayer but we'll see it even here at the beginning.
Our hearts should be fortified that we don't go on the mission Jesus sends us on without his divine presence and protection.
I'd encourage you over the next few weeks, sit down a few times, read all of John 17 at once.
Meditate on that.
We're going to move slowly to catch some glimpses of glory.
Today, just the beginning, John 17 at verse 1, God's holy word.
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.
Thus far, God's word.
Let's pray together.
Father, even reading these few words, such knowledge of who you are is too wonderful, too lofty for me to attain.
How high above us, we confess, are your thoughts and your ways.
And so, Holy Spirit, we ask humbly and boldly that you would lift us to see a glimpse of your glory.
And we ask in Jesus' name, amen.
Amen.
Before we dig into what Jesus prays for, let's not miss, as we've been talking this morning, the one to whom Jesus prays.
Jesus says, Father.
Now, maybe we're used to that.
It's not surprising because Jesus teaches us to pray, our Father.
But that was not at all the way good Jews addressed Yahweh in prayer in these days.
It is, however, the way Jesus almost always addresses his prayers.
There's a personal warmth and intimacy there in the term of address.
Later on in this prayer, Jesus will add Holy Father and Righteous Father.
But six times Father because, see, his Father is not some vague idea, some mystical force,
but rather the unique personal king of all who's totally in control.
He is the only true God, verse 3, who therefore always hears.
He's the judge who will unfailingly do what is right.
And so into the chambers of this glorious ruler, the Son comes boldly and personally.
We're listening in, right?
And what we hear is Jesus is talking to someone he knows, to someone he trusts, to someone he honors, his Father.
And perhaps the greatness of the Father makes what the Son prays for even more remarkable.
What's on Jesus' heart in this moment of all moments is glory.
Actually, it's shared glory.
Notice verse 1.
Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you.
Again, verse 5.
Now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
This may be the 396th time in the Gospel of John where we've seen evidence Jesus understood himself to be God,
that he was aware of his own deity.
I'm going to point it out again.
No other good person, good teacher would ask to share God's glory.
In fact, by definition, the God of the Hebrew Bible will not give his glory to another, Isaiah 42.
Jesus knows something significant.
He's already told us.
He and the Father are one.
That therefore praying for the Father to give him glory doesn't subtract from the Father's glory because they are one and the same.
In fact, they have hatched this eternal plan of salvation together that as the Son accomplishes it,
here shortly will bring glory to both Father and Son,
who like the only true God says, he gives eternal life.
No one else does that.
But eternal life, that's where we're going to be next week.
I can't wait to peer into the glory of that eternal life.
We'll come back.
But for now, just notice that to pray for God's glory doesn't mean that we're not also praying for ourselves.
God's glory is inextricably connected to our good.
Sometimes we forget that.
Jesus is praying for us by praying for God's glory
because he knows that they're tied together.
Boy, if I really grasped that reality, how my prayers might change.
Jesus starts here the way he taught us, right?
He taught us, Father, hallowed be thy name.
Holy, set apart, glorious.
Remember, glory is weighty, that it matters,
that he's worthy, that he carries ultimate significance.
Jesus is saying, Father, show me to be worthy
so that in so doing, it will show you as worthy,
and in so doing, it will bless these people I love with life, eternal life.
They're good in my glory.
At the same time, when you come to pray for yourself or for someone you love,
do you start by praying for God's glory?
I'll be honest, I've prayed a lot more prayers for my own comfort or success or fame
than I have for God's glory.
I was praying recently for a vacation to go just the way I wanted, right?
It was good.
There were good desires that I had, and I wanted it all to go that way.
The problem was it wasn't going that way.
And as I prayed, God helped me realize that he knew better what we really needed.
I could pray for us to see him as glorious together
rather than for the weather and my health and my schedule being controlled my way.
That was actually okay for me.
It was good.
Father, forgive me for my short-sightedness.
Father, help us remember you are so good.
You love us so much that praying for your glory is praying for our good,
for our heart to be directed toward the highest good,
for our eyes to be fixed on what really matters,
for our lives to be lived with true purpose.
Father, help us.
But when you pray that way,
it doesn't mean that it will immediately involve your success and comfort,
that kind of it being good for us.
It's not what Jesus is experiencing.
He clearly has in mind glory for himself
that is shared with his Father in two different ways here.
The first is in the first verse.
It appears to be actually,
if we think about what we think about his glory,
it appears to be the opposite of that.
It's the glory of the cross.
Where instead of being lifted up,
it appears he'll be beaten down.
Where instead of being crowned with worthy jewels,
it appears he'll be crowned with shameful thorns.
Where instead of being praised for his victory,
it appears he'll be scorned for his defeat.
Somehow that's glory?
How do we know that Jesus is talking about the cross here at first
other than Jeremy told us earlier and we believe him?
Well, we've been reading John long enough
to recognize that that word hour, right?
We've seen it so many times now, haven't we?
The hour has come.
On so many occasions, it was not yet Jesus' hour.
His hour had not yet come, but now it has.
Remember back to chapter 12,
just a few days ago in Jesus' life
where we'll see Jesus' hour and his glory connected again.
John 12 at verse 23,
Jesus says to him,
the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
And he explains that for that to happen,
he's actually going to have to die.
For the hour of his glory to come,
it's gonna mean death.
He's gonna lose his life.
And as troubling as the thought of that is to Jesus,
he reaffirms his commitment to his Father's purpose
in sending him for this very hour.
It's why he's here.
What does he say?
Father, glorify your name.
Right?
All the way through this upside down idea
of the cross being the way to glory
is repeated from the lips of Jesus.
It's so important to him.
It is at the heart of Christianity.
So I just want us to glimpse the glory of the cross
for just a couple minutes.
We can't see it all,
but just a few ways we see glory
in the cross of Jesus.
For instance, glory in that on the cross,
God's sacrificial love is on display.
There is no other deity
in any other religion
that offers to humanity life
from his own death,
blessing through his own cursing.
And notice how that costly sacrifice
is shared glory for Father and Son.
The Son endures the excruciating agony.
He's the one who suffers death itself.
What a sacrifice.
While the Father endures the grief
of sending his Son to suffer,
of turning his face away
from the one he has always loved
and most longs to rescue.
What a sacrifice.
Most of us can't even imagine
making either of those sacrifices.
And yet in the moment,
when he is lifted up,
when the eyes of the world
are on the King of creation,
he sacrifices himself
to stand in their place.
It is glorious
because he is so far beyond us
that somehow he's not too good for us.
It boggles our minds.
It is God's glory.
It makes him wonderfully worthy
of all honor and praise.
Love, so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.
It makes us want to sing,
not just think about it.
And at the very same time,
the cross also displays the glory
of God's justice, doesn't it?
Sin must be punished.
Evil, oppression, and abuse
will be dealt with, not overlooked.
Anyone who can guarantee that for me
is surely glorious, right?
Do you feel that?
But again, it's shared.
The Son sees sin
as so requiring just punishment
that he becomes sin for us on the cross,
that he bears our sin in his body
on the tree.
It would seem so much easier
to just make light of sin, right?
But no way, says Jesus.
And the Father,
I mean, come on,
certainly there is some other way,
a way that would spare your Son,
the agony.
But we see his perfect justice
gloriously displayed,
even as it's his Son
who takes the sin on himself.
It is the Father's will
to crush him,
to put him to grief
for our iniquities,
for my sin,
for your sin.
No way.
If the Son's not getting out of that,
will you or me
or the one who has mistreated us
get away with it
before this just God.
But when the Son
takes our punishment,
justice smiles
and asks no more.
He has brought us home
to God
and we could just keep going
without even leaving the cross,
the glorious wisdom of God
to plan this way
of restoring our relationship, right?
The glorious presence of God
that he's right there
in the midst of the brokenness
of his people.
The glorious grace of God
and the forgiveness and life
that are purchased
through Jesus' death.
On and on.
This is what Jesus is praying for.
It is the first thing on his heart
when he prays,
Father, glorify your Son
that the Son may glorify you.
To paraphrase it,
he's saying,
Father, sustain me too
and strengthen me
through the cross.
Can you believe this?
Are you getting a glimpse
into the glory?
This is what's coming
out of Jesus' heart.
Father, help me
go to that cross
where I'll be lifted up
to show the wonder
of our love
even as I bear
the weight of sin
and lay down my life
to give life to others.
That's what he's praying.
Do you glory in that?
My sin held him there
but his dying breath
has brought me life.
I won't boast in anything else
except the cross of Jesus Christ.
And when I think
that God,
his Son not sparing,
sent him to die,
how do you feel?
I scarce
can take it in.
How great
thou art.
Does that well up
in your heart?
God, how great you are.
I want you to know
if you came here
wondering this morning,
does God love me?
And maybe some of you did.
If you came here
wondering if God
was worthy
of your worship,
if you came here
wondering if he was able
to meet you
in the mess of your life
and love you
and change your life,
look no further
than the cross.
How great he is.
His glory is there.
His love
and justice meet.
He comes to meet you
in the cross
and he wants you
to see his glory
and feel his embrace there.
He loves you.
That wasn't in the notes.
I got lost.
Since we've seen
the Father gloriously answer
that prayer of his Son,
we can trust
that he answers
this next one too.
Jesus says in verse 4,
I am finishing
all that you sent me
here to do.
Verse 5,
and now Father,
glorify me
in your own presence
with the glory
that I had with you
before the world existed.
There's that shared glory again,
isn't it?
You see it there?
Let me paraphrase
this prayer too
because it's a little bit different
even though
some of the words
are the same.
Father,
all I have done
and said
has put your majestic greatness
and your pure goodness
on display.
So now bring me home
to the perfect life
with you
that I have known
since eternity past.
Now I think we can all
understand Jesus' longing
for that,
can't we?
Doesn't it sound
much more comfortable
than the cross
to wear the crown?
This that he's talking about
is his resurrection,
his ascension,
his return
to the glory of heaven
as the prince of heaven
is crowned
in glory
for all time
over all things
and that is all true
but let me make sure
we catch
what part of that
is especially
on Jesus' heart
here in verse 5.
It sticks out
even more
in the original Greek
that the glorifying
that Jesus
is asking for here
is all about
his relationship
with the father himself.
The words
just pile up.
He's saying
glorify me
alongside you,
with you.
The glory God,
you know,
the one before the world
alongside you,
with you,
he keeps saying.
He's not asking
merely for resumption
of his divine powers
and riches,
comforts
and control.
That's not the primary
thing on his heart.
Rather,
it's the most glorious
of all of heaven's glories.
It is the restoration
of the eternal relationship
between father
and son.
It's more about
that relationship
than it is
his location.
Now talk about
peeking into something
that we can only
glimpse.
I mean,
you could
daydream on
this relationship
all afternoon.
We're never
going to plumb
the depths.
Martin Lloyd-Jones
writes,
Jesus shared
in full
the ineffable,
indescribable glory
of the eternal
Godhead.
As a result,
Sinclair Ferguson
says that,
of course,
he's homesick
for his father's
house.
He misses
that perfection
of relationship.
I don't want to
pretend that our minds
can comprehend this,
but perhaps if we
acknowledge we're just
scratching the surface,
Christy and I
enjoyed a great
day together
on Friday.
Sitting together,
hiking together,
learning new things
about one another
because after
20 years,
there is still
so much
that we don't know.
But even that
wonderful day,
one of the best
we've had in a while,
there were moments
of disagreement,
misunderstanding,
even disappointment.
And of course,
the greatest
disappointment
that after just
a few hours,
we eventually
had to go
our separate ways.
Here, however,
is a relationship
of perfect love
with complete
knowledge,
fully known,
fully loved,
yet simultaneously,
somehow it's
infinitely rich
in things to learn
about one another.
And all those things
are shared together
with absolute unity
of mind
and heart,
total delight together
in ultimate goodness.
And all of those things
without any of the
earthly things
Jesus is experiencing
here.
Can you imagine
a relationship
with no time limits
outside of time?
No jealousy.
No weariness.
No storms.
No betrayal.
No separation.
Ever.
Oh.
Can't you feel
that must have been
the most grievous
part
for both
father and son
about that
plan of salvation
that they hatched
together
in eternity past?
Can you feel
what it must have felt like?
That separation
of the inseparable?
The break
in the unbroken
relationship?
The father
turns his face
away
from the
apple
of his eye.
It's what
Jesus knows
he's walking
toward
at the cross.
And he longs
for that return
home
to glory
to his father.
He prays for it
here.
He is longing
to return
to the one
who loves him
perfectly.
To the one
who shares
with him
all glory
all power
all grace
together with him.
To the one
who will never
cease to enjoy
walking
and talking
with him
upholding
creation
with him
forgiving
and redeeming
people
with him
governing
the rulers
of the earth
with him
righting
wrongs
with him
raising
the dead
to life
with him
forming
people
into his
glorious
image
with him
that's
what they
do
together
I mean
as you
think
about that
is there
any way
that Jesus
resists
this ultimate
crown of
glory
for one
more
moment?
It's on
his heart
it's right
there before
him
won't he
just head
straight home?
Would you
blame him
if he did?
What a glorious
relationship
awaits him
there
he can have
it
Jesus
understandably
longs and
prays for
that glory
but he
refuses
to return
to that glory
without you
did you hear
that?
he refuses
to return
to that
glory
without
you
which is
why his
glory
involves
the cross
too
he indicates
this in
verses 2 and 3
we're going to
soak in the
glory of them
next week
but notice
how even
already
as he
prays for
glory
he prays
for us
it's how
he shares
glory with
the father
at the cross
as he gives
eternal life
to his
people
it will come
up again
at the end
of the prayer
when he
prays for
us to be
with him
and share
the glory
the father
shared with
him before
the world
began
that glory
I told you
all this
relationship
that we've
been just
peering
into
wondering
at
is a
relationship
that somehow
gloriously
we ourselves
get caught
up in
we have
to be
a part
of it
we get
brought
into the
family
to call
the God
of glory
our
father
we get
that because
of the one
time in the
whole bible
that Jesus
prays
and does
not call
God
father
my God
why
have you
forsaken
me
Jesus
cries
on the
cross
as the
father
turns his
face away
from the
sin
bearing
savior
and wounds
which mar
the chosen
one bring
many
sons
to glory
to a
glorious
relationship
where we
are fully
known
and fully
loved
forever
because the
father
glorified
the son
and the
son
glorified
the father
and they
shared
with us
their
glory
this sacrament
is a
holy sign
that Jesus
gives to us
so that we'll
taste just a
little bit
of that
he wants to
remind us this
morning of the
glory of the
cross
that nothing
else matters
more or is
more worthy
of shaping your
life today
and this week
and forever
than his
cross
Jesus gave
it to his
followers for
that purpose
the same
night that he
prayed about
the cross
he was then
betrayed to the
cross
and he took
bread
and he broke
it
and he gave it
to his
disciples
as I ministering
in his name
give this bread
to you
he said
take eat
this is my
body
given for you
do this
in remembrance
of me
and in the
same way
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
proclaiming
the Lord's
death
means that
you see
God's
glory
in the
cross
his
unbending
justice
his
sacrificial
love
for you
and you
say
his
glory
is my
grace
Jesus
is my
only hope
of knowing
this God
and enjoying
this glory
if that's your
profession this
morning
if you are a
baptized member
of any church
that preaches
salvation
relationship
with God
by faith
alone
through grace
alone
in Christ
alone
then you
come
and glory
in the cross
again
as Jesus
invites you
to come
and eat
if you don't
trust in Jesus
if you're not
yet sure
what you
believe about
Jesus
if maybe
you have
said what
you think
about Jesus
and you love
him but
right now
you're unwilling
to let go
of sin
in your
life
or to
reconcile
with a
brother or
sister
for Jesus'
sake
then
don't come
take these
elements
this morning
pray
where you are
come up here
with us
we'd love to
pray with you
consider the
gracious offer
of Jesus
consider coming
to him
for the first
time
or coming
back to him
and sharing
his glory
he invites you
into that
through his
cross
let's pray
and we'll
celebrate it
together
holy spirit
who meets
with us
here so
that we
know
the grace
of Jesus
and the love
of our
father
so use
these common
elements
for a holy
purpose in our
hearts that we
can't
manufacture
but you do
because you
love us
meet us
here that we
might know you
more and
worship you
more
amen
for more
information
visit us
online at
southwood.org