Transcript

Jesus Prays For Himself

John 17:1-5
Sunday, February 1, 2004
Pastor Randy Smith

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As we enter the seventeenth chapter of John's gospel, we are confronted with the longest prayer ever recorded from our Lord. Throughout the centuries, this prayer has touched many Christians in the most remarkable ways. Due to its profound and solemn nature, some have entitled it, "The True Lord's Prayer" and "The Holy of Holies of the New Testament." Other reverential titles include, "Christ's High Priestly Prayer" and "Christ's Prayer of Consecration."

According to Martin Luther, "This is truly, beyond measure, a warm and hearty prayer. (Christ) opens the depths of His heart, both in reference to us and to His Father, and He pours them all out. It sounds so honest, so simple; it is so deep, so rich, so wide, no one can fathom it." Philipp Melanchthon, Luther's most important colleague said, "There is no voice which has ever been heard, either in heaven or on earth, more exalted, more holy, more fruitful, more sublime, than the prayer offered by the Son of God Himself" (Quotes from: Pink, John, 904). It is said that God used the prayer in John 17 to convert the great Scottish Reformer, John Knox. On his deathbed, Knox has these same words read to him everyday for comfort and consolation. The Puritan, Thomas Manton, preached 45 sermons on this prayer alone. In recent times, James Montgomery Boice, who preaches 17 sermons himself on this prayer said, "(It) is the purest and most extensive example in all of the Bible of a direct, verbalized communication between two members of the Godhead." He went on to say, "This prayer should be to us something of what the burning bush was to Moses, for here we hear God speaking, and we should put off our shoes and bow humbly, being about to tread on the most hallowed ground" (Boice, John, 1246-1247).

The prayer begins in verse one by saying, "Jesus spoke these things." The "these things" refers to His discourse in the Upper Room recorded in chapters 14-16. Connecting these two themes, Matthew Henry said, "The most remarkable prayer followed on the most full and consoling discourse ever uttered in earth" (Pink, John, 903). Having departed from the Upper Room, Jesus on His route to Gethsemane, articulated this prayer aloud in the presence of His 11 disciples. Coming off the heels of His bold declaration in 16:33 that He has "overcome the world," Jesus marches to the cross with joy and conviction that His earthly ministry is coming to a dramatic and victorious closure.

Based upon the setting, the content of this prayer is a pipeline into the heart of Jesus. Often the prayer is subdivided into three sections. In verses 1-5 Jesus prays for Himself, in particular, He prays for His glory. In verses 6-19 Jesus prays for His immediate disciples. He prays that they may be sanctified and protected from the evil one. And then in verses 20-26 Jesus prays that all who believe in His name, the church, that they may be together in steadfast unity. So this morning, as we prepare our hearts for the Lord's Table, I would like to cover with you the first section of this prayer in verses 1-5. The sermon is simply entitled, "Jesus Prays for Himself."

1. CHRIST'S GLORY-DESIRED

Of all the things Jesus could pray for, we have to wonder what is most important to Him. Therefore, it is significant in the analysis of this prayer to notice that Jesus both begins and ends this section with a petition for His glory (Jn. 8:54). Verse 1 says, "Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, 'Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You.'" And in verse 5 we read, "Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was." (D. A. Carson defines this glory as "clothe in splendor" (Carson, John, 554). Don't let anyone tell you that Jesus is indifferent to His glory!

But here we run into a theological problem. If Jesus Christ is God He is already glorious. There is nothing anybody or anything can do to either add to His glory or take away from His glory (Jn. 5:41). So if this is the case, how can Jesus rightly pray in verse 1 and verse 5 to be glorified?

Part of the answer comes in the middle of verse 1 when Jesus refers to the arrival of His "hour." Throughout the gospel of John the anticipated hour referred to His death on the cross and the immediate events that follow. Though men would view the cross as an instrument of shame, Jesus wanted them to see His true glory. Jesus wanted His splendor to be made manifest as He accomplished His Father's work in dying for the sins of many. Christ wanted the world to see the cross as a profound demonstration of His glory.

The rest of the answer comes at the end of verse 5. Before the creation of the world, Jesus possessed both an inward sense of glory and also an outward sense of glory. (Footnote: This shows Jesus did not create the world to be more glorious.) However, during the incarnation, when Jesus became human, the inward sense of glory was retained, and it was seen by those who had the eyes of faith. Remember Jesus said to Martha, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God" (Jn. 1:14; c.f. 2:11; 11:40)? But the outward sense of Christ's glory, the visible glory that could be seen by all, was hidden and veiled and forfeited and laid aside. To most He was simply a man with "no stately form or majesty" (Isa. 53:2). Therefore in asking for glory, Jesus is praying to the Father that His visible glory, which He possessed before His coming to earth would be returned to Him.

C.S. Lewis in His wonderful use of imagery tried to capture the emptying of Christ's visible glory during the incarnation and the regaining of His visible glory during the ascension. He imagined Jesus as a diver suspended in mid-air with majestic form. Then as the diver enters the waters he passes "down through green and warm water to black and cold water, down through increasing pressure into the death-like regions of ooze and slime and old decay; and then up again, back to color and light" (Lewis, Miracles, 135).

Jesus Christ, the One who "dwells in unapproachable light" (1 Ti. 6:16), "the King of kings and Lord of lords" (1 Ti. 6:15) came down to the ooze and slime of humanity and traded His visible glory for that of an ordinary man subjected to the limitations of His creation. But this was only for a season. Therefore Jesus prayed that His visible glory would be seen in the Passion and ultimately seen for an eternity in heaven.

As we look ahead in Scripture, we know that that prayer to the Father was answered. Jesus is now glorified at the Father's right hand (Ac. 7:55) in heaven. The Apostle John, as he composed the book of Revelation, recorded the vision He had of Jesus on the island of Patmos. "Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, 'Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades'" (Rev. 1:12-18).

After His ascension, Jesus did not lose His physical body. He did not become "de-incarnated." Rather He currently exists in a transformed body enjoying greater visible glory than He had "before the world began" (Jn. 17:5 NIV).

Kent Hughes put it well. "Today (from our standpoint) our Lord has greater majesty as He reigns in His glorified human body at the right hand of God, beautified by His scars in the same way a skillful artist makes a figure more lovely than before by the marks of His tools. Infinite glory cannot be increased, but this glory is greater in that there is now a greater understanding by both men and angels. Jesus' prayer for glory was answered, and someday every true believer will experience the dashing ecstasy of it" (Hughes, John, 394).

2. CHRIST'S GLORY-DEFLECTED

Let's move to the second point, "Christ's Glory-Deflected." It is perfectly acceptable for Christ to pray for His glory. For the Father has ordained the Son to be honored as He is honored (Jn. 5:23). But even so, Jesus is not self-seeking in His pursuit of glory. His glory is not an end to itself. Jesus wants the glory He receives to be deflected back to the Father. Speaking of Himself and the reason for the pursuit of His glory in 7:18, Jesus said, "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him." He could not have been clearer in verse 1 when He said, "Father, the hour has come, glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You." The Father ordains the Son to pursue His glory. The Son in obedience prays for the reception of His glory. Then, He turns around and gives all His glory back to the Father.

In verses 1-5, Jesus gives us 4 ways He seeks to glorify the Father with the glory He receives.

The Father is glorified in Christ's death

Verse 1, "(Jesus) said, 'Father the hour has come." When Jesus dies on the cross, accepting the full fury of God's wrath for the sins of many, He will glorify Himself. But He will also glorify the Father by showing Himself as the obedient Son willfully carrying out the plans committed to Him by the Father regardless of the personal cost to Himself. He will show the world that the Father is worthy to be followed and obeyed. He will also reveal to the world the character of God, the holiness and justice of the Father as well as His love and mercy. The Father was glorified in many ways by Christ's work on the cross.

The Father is glorified in Christ's authority

Verse 2, "even as You (The Father) gave Him (The Son) authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life." God the Father gave God the Son authority over all humanity (Jn. 3:35; Mt. 28:18). This is specifically seen in this verse by the Son's permission to give eternal life to all those given Him by the Father (Jn. 10:28). The Father predestines some to salvation before the foundation of the world and gives those names written in the Book of Life to the Son whereby the Son may grant them eternal life. Not only does this verse teach election, but it also teaches that eternal life is more than simply a quantity of life. The eternal life that the Son gives is a quality of life. It is His life, abundant life with meaning and satisfaction. And the Son gives eternal life the moment individuals place their faith in Him. All this to say, the authority and lordship and eternal life granting power of Jesus is for the glory of the Father. Paul said the same thing in Philippians 2. "So that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, (That's the authority-Why was Jesus given this authority?-Paul goes on to say) to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:10-11).

The Father is glorified in Christ's salvation

Verse 3, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You sent. Through the granting of eternal life, God, the only true God, is made known (Jer. 31:34). This does not mean He is only intellectually comprehended, but more so that one enters into a personal relationship with Him based upon fellowship, trust and faith. God the Father is glorified as people enter into an intimate relationship with Him through the Son. And as more come to know God through Jesus Christ, the more God is glorified. The goal is Habakkuk 2:14. "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."

The Father is glorified in Christ's finished work

Verse 4, "I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do." In completing the task for which He came, Jesus Christ glorified the Father through His self-denial, obedience, suffering and submission and perseverance to the end.

The whole church age is about the exaltation of the Son to the glory of the Father. It has been established within the Trinity that that Father would receive ongoing glory through the Son. However, when the church age is completed at the end of time, the Son will take all He has received and all that He has accomplished and present it back to the Father, including Himself, as a love offering. 1 Corinthians 15 says, "When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all" (1 Cor. 15:28). In the end, all will be handed over to the Father for His ultimate and eternal praise and glory.

But while we live in the church age, we must remember that the glory of the Father begins with the exaltation of Jesus Christ for all the people who live on the face of the earth. John 5:23b, "He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him."

3. CHRIST'S GLORY-DEMONSTRATED

So as we move to the third point, I believe we need to press home some practical application at this time. If Jesus, as the opening of this prayer indicates, ultimately desires to be glorified for the glory of the Father, are we as His church exalting the Savior since that is the ultimate purpose of our existence? Do we glorify the Savior so He may glorify the Father? And, do we glorify the Savior as He glorifies the Father? Maybe we need to run through a little checklist.

Let's begin where we concluded last week. Is our joy in the glory of Jesus Christ? Is His glory pre-eminent in our affections? Does His splendor bring us more happiness than anything the world has to offer? Do we zealously pursue our joy in the glory of Jesus Christ? Is that obvious both to the believers and unbelievers who know us well?

Do we as a church eagerly desire to hear and heed the Savior's voice? Do we fail to glorify the Good Shepherd by allowing competing voices to receive greater attention? Are we hungry for the Word of God both individually and corporately? Are we excited to be doers of His Word?

Does the motivation behind our building project glorify Jesus? Are we more concerned about building a monument to ourselves or a church for Christ's purposes? Are we more interested in the outward beauty of a new building or the inward beauty of transformed hearts? Are we using words like missions, outreach, discipleship, equipping, prayer and edification to drive all of our plans?

Is the conversion of souls more important than staying a small church? Is Christlikeness more important than comfort? Is the financial pursuit of God's kingdom more important than the financial pursuit of our own? Is serving others more important than serving ourselves?

Do we show the world that we are Christ's disciples by our love for one another (Jn. 13:35)? If so, how are you doing that? Do we show the world that we are Christ's disciples by our unity (Jn. 17:21, 23)? If so, how are you contributing to that? Do you believe in the biblical safeguards for unity? Things like self-denial, personal ministry, "one-anothering," submission to church leadership and humility?

Does our corporate worship glorify Jesus? Do our prayers ultimately seek the glory of Jesus? Do our fellowships exalt the Savior? Are the teachings and musical lyrics according to His Word and edifying for the flock? Does our library material comply with sound biblical instruction? Is the special music an opportunity to praise the musician through applause or extol Jesus Christ in praise to Him? Are we preparing our hearts before we arrive, making every effort to arrive on time and then departing with intent on applying the message?

Bottom line: Is everything we do both individually and corporately for the glory of Jesus Christ? The Apostle Paul said, "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Col. 3:17).

Today is Super bowl Sunday. When the Super Bowl began some 38 years ago, it was about football. Today there is possibly more talk about merchandise and commercials and gambling and halftime shows (some of which are inappropriate to even mention from this pulpit). When the church began some 2,000 years ago, it was about Jesus Christ. Today the church is about politics and socials and humanism and morality and political correctness. Oh how the church needs to regain her purpose!

What a wonderful way Jesus began His awesome prayer to the Father. His initial and ultimate concern was for His glory so that He might glorify the Father. Is that our initial and ultimate concern as well? Does Jesus get the glory HE desires through us? Are we even remotely prepared to glorify Him for an eternity in heaven?

Jesus used all He was and all He had and all He did to glorify the Father. God has given us some wonderful gifts, talents, time and treasures. Do we use all we have to glorify the Son all of the time?