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Turn in your Bibles to John chapter 
17. God willing, we will return to 
Matthew's Gospel next, Lord's Day. This morning, John 17, our 
focus is on verses 1 to 5. This entire chapter is called 
the High Priestly Prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the context, 
Christ has just spent time with his disciples in the Upper Room. 
Chapters 13 to 16 are called the Upper Room Discourse, where 
Christ basically is strengthening them, instructing them, encouraging 
them, because the time for his departure is at hand. He is equipping 
his disciples for the work of making disciples and planting 
churches. After he dies, he rises and he 
ascends into heaven. And much of what he emphasizes 
in chapters 13 to 16 to what we might call theology proper, 
the doctrine of God, specifically the Father, the Son, and the 
Spirit. It is the Trinity that Jesus 
speaks concerning, very often in 13-16, to encourage His disciples. As we look at this high priestly 
prayer, specifically in chapter 17, we see that Jesus prays for 
Himself. He intercedes for himself in 
verses 1 to 5, and then he prays for his immediate disciples in 
verses 6 to 19, and then all believers in verses 20 to 26. And what is unique about this 
prayer in the ministry and the life of our Lord Jesus is not 
necessarily its length, but rather the fact that it is the mediator, 
the god-man, prior to his death at Calvary, praying to his father. D. A. Carson says he is the incarnate 
son of God, and he is returning to his father by the roots of 
a desperately shameful and painful death. So I'll just read beginning 
in verse 1 of chapter 17. Jesus spoke these words, lifted 
up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify 
your Son, that your Son also may glorify you. As you have 
given him authority over all flesh, that he should give eternal 
life to as many as you have given him. And this is eternal life. that they may know You, the only 
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. I have glorified 
You on the earth. I have finished the work which 
You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me 
together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You 
before the world was. I have manifested Your name to 
the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours. You gave them to Me. and they 
have kept your word. Now they have known that all 
things which you have given me are from you. For I, or rather, 
for I have given to them the words which you have given me, 
and they have received them, and have known surely that I 
came forth from you, and they have believed that you sent me. 
I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, 
but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. and all 
mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, 
but these are in the world, and I come to you. Holy Father, keep 
through your name those whom you have given me, that they 
may be one as we are. When I was with them in the world, 
I kept them in your name. Those whom You gave Me, I have 
kept, and none of them is lost except the Son of Perdition, 
that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to You, and these 
things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled 
in themselves. I have given them Your Word, 
and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, 
just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should 
take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from 
the evil one. They are not of the world, just 
as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. As you sent 
me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And 
for their sakes, I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified 
by the truth. I do not pray for these alone, 
but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that 
they all may be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you. 
that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe 
that you sent me. In the glory which you gave me, 
I have given them, that they may be one just as we are one. I in them, and you in me, that 
they may be perfect in one, may be made perfect in one, and that 
the world may know that you have sent me, and have loved them 
as you have loved me. Father, I desire that they also 
whom you gave me may be with me where I am. that they may 
behold my glory which you have given me, for you loved me before 
the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world 
has not known you, but I have known you, and these have known 
that you sent me. And I have declared to them your 
name and will declare it, that the love with which you loved 
me may be in them, and I in them. Amen. Let us pray. Father, thank 
you for this glimpse into our Savior's prayer life. What a 
glorious statement it is. God, help us now as we navigate 
through these first several verses. We realize we tread on holy ground 
and we pray that you would fill us with your Spirit. We confess 
again our sin, our darkness, and we pray for the ministry 
of the Spirit to illumine, to guide, to lead us into truth. 
Father, as Jesus says so clearly here, the very essence of eternal 
life is the knowledge of God. We pray that we would receive 
that knowledge, that it would encourage our hearts and strengthen 
us for battle in this world. Cause us, Almighty God, to grow 
in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus 
Christ. And it's in His most blessed name that we pray. Amen. Well, as we look specifically 
at this first section, as I mentioned, verses 1 to 5, Jesus prays for 
Himself. and specifically He is praying 
for His glory. We see this great relationship 
that exists between the Father and the Son. The Father glorifies 
the Son, the Son glorifies the Father. We need to understand, 
as we move through this particular section, and whenever we consider 
the glory of God, or when we say we need to glorify God, that 
does not mean we add to God glory. It does not mean that we give 
Him something He didn't already possess. But rather, when Jesus 
says that the disciples will glorify God, it is so that we 
recognize what is already there concerning our God. We are ascribing 
glory to Him. We are not adding it to Him. 
We are not taking it away from Him. We do not have that ability 
as the creature. to add to God for the better 
or to take from God for the worse. So we need to understand, we 
are ascribing glory to Him, we are recognizing what is already 
present. If a man ran into a burning building 
and he saved a kid, we would praise him for that act of heroism. But that act of heroism was already 
present before he did the act. He was a heroic man, he was a 
good man. Good men run into buildings and 
they save burning children. So we see the act and it causes 
us to reflect upon the nature of that particular man. Same 
with God when we see the works of creation and providence and 
redemption. We don't glorify God and give 
Him something He didn't already possess, but rather we recognize 
what is there and manifest it through those particular works 
that He has engaged in. Note first, with reference to 
this prayer, the occasion. Jesus in verse 1 of chapter 17 
says, Jesus spoke these words, lifted up his eyes to heaven 
and said. So it's immediately on the heels 
of this upper room discourse. He has instructed, he has taught 
in 13 to 16, and now he prays. This is a very good manner. This 
is a very good way to go about things. Notice how he addresses 
his father. He says, Father, Holy Father 
in verse 11, Righteous Father in verse 25. We see the God-man, 
we see the mediator in his role as High Priest when he addresses 
the Father, he does so with that language of love to be sure But 
with these other statements, He is showing us something about 
the God to whom He prays. He is not our buddy in heaven. He's not just someone up there 
who is about doing us good. Rather, He is Holy Father. He's not like us. He is separate 
from us. He is different. He is transcendent. And He is righteous Father. We 
can learn at least this much from Christ's method of prayer 
here. There is a reverence. There is 
an esteem. There is a consideration of the 
majesty to whom we pray. There is that understanding that 
drives practice when we know God as God. It ought to be fleshed 
out. in the way that we live before 
God, whether it's praying, whether it's being conducting ourselves 
in private. The Lord Jesus doesn't just run 
Himself into heaven and just start laying out petitions. He 
addresses His Father with this reverence. Father, Holy Father, 
Righteous Father. Notice what He goes on to indicate. 
He says, Father, the hour has come. Now this hour refers specifically 
to the death, the resurrection, and the exaltation of the Son 
of God. It's already been introduced 
up to this point. Turn for just a moment to John 
12 at verse 23. John 12 at verse 23. The hour 
of His death is approaching. What does Jesus do when the hour 
of His death approaches? He takes His disciples, He goes 
up to the upper room, and He instructs them. He teaches them. 
He educates them. He equips them. He fits them 
for service. What does He do as the hour is 
approaching? He prays to His Father. He goes to the Lord in 
prayer. Notice in John 12, 23, Jesus 
answered them saying, The hour has come that the Son of Man 
should be glorified. Notice in verse 27, Now my soul 
is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. 
But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your 
name. Notice that statement. For this 
purpose I came to this hour. If anybody ever asks you, why 
did Jesus come into this world? What's your answer? Because He 
shows us a good example on how we are to live? He does do that, 
to be sure. Because He taught wonderful things 
concerning the Lord God Almighty? He does do that, to be sure. But how does Jesus define His 
purpose? How does Jesus describe His mission? And as he relates this in 17.4 
and says, I have completed the work which you have given to 
me, what is paramount in the Lord of glory is the reality 
of his death, of his resurrection, and of his exaltation to the 
right hand of the majesty on high. Christ died not in the 
first place to set a good example for us. The Jews seek after signs. Greeks are searching out for 
wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified. We didn't need just an example. We need a Savior. We didn't need 
just a model of love. We need one who dies and rises 
again. We don't need just a boost in 
the arm, but rather we need a crucified and risen Messiah. so that God 
in Christ can reconcile the world to Himself. Jesus always understood 
the purpose for which He came. There was no confusion. There 
was no frustration. There was no wonderment. There 
was no puzzlement in Him. We saw in Matthew's Gospel, in 
Matthew 16, He announces, I must go to Jerusalem. I must be tried. I must suffer and I must die. die and I must rise again the 
third day." Christ knew very particularly the mission that 
was spelled out for him. And as we see here in 27 and 
28, my soul is troubled and what shall I say? Speaking as man, 
concerning the reality of his death at the hands of godless 
men, but ultimately the wrath that would be poured upon him 
from the Father. It says, Father, save me from 
this hour, but for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, 
glorify Your name. The cross is the primary means 
by which we recognize, and we esteem, and we prize the glory 
of the Father. The works of creation manifest 
glory, don't they? When we look at the heavens, 
and we look at the earth, and we look at the beluga whales, 
and we look at Baltimore Orioles, and we look at childbirth, and 
we look at the human hand, and we look at the eye. We can't 
actually look at the eye, we can look in the mirror and perceive 
our eyes. These things manifest the glory 
of God. The fact that you can do that 
is an amazing proof of God's glory. But nowhere is that glory 
more fully seen than when the Father punishes the Son, not 
because of what the Son had done, but because of what we had done. 
And He heaps up that sin upon the Savior, punishes Him, and 
then when that Savior dies, He is raised the third day. Brethren, 
that is the display case of God's glory, and of His majesty, and 
of His excellence, and of His brilliance. It is the hour to 
which Jesus is moving that will ultimately bring glory to His 
Father. Speaks of it in verses 31 and 
32. Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will 
be cast out. He says, And I, if I am lifted 
up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself. This He 
said, signifying by what death He would die. 13. Now before the feast of the 
Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come, that He should 
depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own 
who were in the world, He loved them to the end. Ever ponder 
verse 1 of chapter 13? Having loved his own who were 
in the world, he loved them to the end. Isn't it interesting, 
Ryle points out, that Jesus really is gracious. How does he describe 
his disciples in verse 7? They have kept my word. They have kept my word. Brethren, 
as a disciple, do you always keep Jesus' word? If you say 
yes, you can speak to Pastor Cam after the service this morning. 
He needs to educate you. That's gracious. Our Savior is 
full of grace, full of mercy, full of love, full of kindness, 
full of truth. Back to 17.1, Jesus is near the 
cross. Father, the hour has come Note 
specifically the petition in the prayer, glorify your Son. Glorify your Son, so that your Son also may glorify 
you. John Calvin said this concerning 
the cross and the glory of God. He said, if it be objected that 
never was there anything less glorious than the death of Christ. You see, this is what you need 
to understand. Paul is countering these people in 1 Corinthians 
1. Jews seek after signs. Greeks 
seek after wisdom. As far as the Jews were concerned, 
Jesus was a stumbling block. As far as they were concerned, 
he was a scandal. As far as the Greeks were concerned, 
he was foolish. I have a book. In my study, you're 
welcome to see it, there is a picture. an actual picture of an actual 
carving on a wall. I think it was from a Roman prison. 
It shows a man on a cross with a donkey's head. You see, this was the Gentile 
impression, the unbelieving Gentile impression of a crucified Savior. This was foolish. This was folly. We come to the High Priestly 
Prayer, and Jesus moves closer to the cross, and He says, Father, 
glorify the Son. And in this, the Son will glorify 
the Father. So Calvin says, if it be objected 
that never was there anything less glorious than the death 
of Christ, which was then at hand, I reply, that in the death 
we behold a magnificent triumph which is concealed from wicked 
men. For there we perceive that atonement 
has been made for sins, the world has been reconciled to God, the 
curse has been blotted out, and Satan has been vanquished. So 
what unbelieving Jews and Greeks mock, what unbelieving Jews and 
Greeks consider a scandal, what unbelievers look at as something 
foolish, The Christian sees is the power and the wisdom and 
the magnificent display of God's glory. Brethren, you want to 
see the glory of God? Look at Calvary. You want to 
see the glory of Yahweh? See the death of Christ. This 
is what the Savior prays. Glorify your Son that your Son 
also may glorify you. And interestingly, as we move 
through this prayer, It is this that forms the basis for the 
inclusion of disciples into this glory. Notice in verse 20, I 
do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe 
in Me through their word, that they all may be one as You, Father, 
are in Me, and I in You. That they also may be one in 
Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me, and the glory 
which You gave Me, I have given them, that they may be one just 
as We are one. I in them, and you in Me, that 
they may be perfect in one, and that the world may know that 
you have sent Me, and have loved them as you have loved Me." Do 
you see what we're included in? Do you see what redemption has 
done for us? We are being brought in to this 
blessed intimacy. We are being brought in to a 
place where God and Christ have included us in the glory that 
is theirs. The Spirit too. You know, I think 
when we think about heaven, We can tend to think, and I think 
it's right to think this way. No more sorrow. No more pain. No more suffering. This is how 
the book of Revelation describes this new Jerusalem that comes 
down out of heaven adorned as a bride for her husband. It's not wrong to think that 
way, brethren. This is a wretched world. This is a bad place. Sin is a 
reality. Sin is a monstrosity. Sin is 
something that is so depressing. You don't even have to read the 
papers or look at the internet and say, wow, the sin out there 
is terrible. All you gotta do is ponder your 
own thoughts for a few moments and say, wow, sin is terrible. God made me to glorify and to 
honor Him, and yet I seek out many devices. Do we ever give 
cause, or do we ever give pause to consider that it's not just 
a place for no more sorrow, or no more tears, or no more death, 
but it's a place where the believer will behold the glory of the 
Father, the glory of the Son, the glory of the Spirit. We shall 
see God! That, brethren, that, brethren, 
is something we ought to ponder as well. Now notice the reasons 
for his petition. Follow in verses 2 to 5. The 
petition is, Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son. That's 
what Jesus is asking. Notice, He's about to face the 
death of the cross. Father, minimize the pain. Father, 
make sure everything goes well. Father, glorify your Son, so 
that in turn your Son may glorify you. It's interesting. When Jesus comes to pray, the 
Father comes first, and then believers. Just like in the Lord's 
Prayer. Where do we start? We start with 
God, and then we move to man. Christ enforces that pattern 
in his own prayer life. But verses 2 to 5 provide for 
us reasons for this petition. And I see three. First, the salvation 
of his elect. Secondly, the accomplishment 
of redemption. And then thirdly, the restoration 
to glory. But note first the salvation 
of His elect. Father, glorify Your Son, that 
Your Son also may glorify You, as, notice in verses 2 and 3, 
You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should 
give eternal life to as many as You have given Him, and this 
is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, 
and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. With reference to the salvation 
of the elect, Christ highlights His authority. He has authority 
over all flesh, doesn't He? Christ is not some ghetto savior. Christ is not some localized 
deity. Christ is not Baal. Christ is 
not Asherah. Christ is King of kings and Lord 
of lords. He has authority over all flesh. 
But notice in particular who Christ sets His affections on. He says, as you have given him 
authority over all flesh, that, from the mass of all flesh, he 
should give eternal life to as many as you have given him. So 
Jesus speaks of something preceding this high priestly prayer, when 
the Father gave him a people. Theologians call this the covenant 
of redemption. Our confession describes it as 
the eternal transaction between the Father and the Son. Basically, 
the Father says to the Son, here is a class of miserable, degraded 
sinners. And the Son says, I will go on 
their behalf, I will live a life of obedience for them, I will 
die in their place, and I will rise again. Father, require their 
payment at my hand. Jesus speaks specifically concerning 
the elect. He is speaking of His beloved. 
This prayer is for His people. When He says in verse 9, I do 
not pray for the world, but for those whom You have given Me, 
for they are Yours. Of course, Christ has all authority, 
but there is a group called in the Bible, those given by the 
Father to the Son. He's already indicated this in 
John's Gospel. Look at John 6.37. John 6.37, 
a text that is very special and very important to many in this 
local church. 6.37, all that the Father gives 
me will come to me. You want to know where divine 
power for salvation comes? It doesn't come through the will 
of man. It doesn't come through the will of the flesh. It doesn't 
come through the wisdom or the ingenuity of the sinner. It is 
because God the Father has given to the Son and elect people. 
God the Father has given to the Son a people who He will secure 
redemptively. All that the Father gives Me 
will come to Me. And the one who comes to Me, 
I will by no means cast out. Verse 39, this is the will of 
the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me, I should 
lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. Isn't 
that beautiful? Yes, we persevere, preserved 
by God. Yes, we pursue those things which 
are pleasing in His sight, because the Holy Spirit dwells in our 
hearts. Even the good works that we do as believers, God gets 
the glory for. For we are His workmanship, created 
in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand 
that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2.10. You see, the 
Father is not playing games when it comes to the salvation of 
sinners. When the Father sets His affection upon a sinner, 
and the Father gives that sinner to His Son, and the Spirit enjoins 
the Word that brings that sinner unto Himself, brethren, we certainly 
are eternally secured. We are certainly and confidently 
going to march into Heaven. It may be a less than triumphant 
march than we might desire, it might be more of a low crawl, 
But by God's grace, I'd rather low crawl my way into heaven 
than walk proudly into hell." The Father gave to the Son a 
people. Jesus has authority over all 
flesh. He says specifically that He 
should give eternal life to as many as you have given Him. Notice, very specifically back 
in John 17. How does this fit? How does this 
work? What's the logic? Father, glorify 
your Son, that your Son also may glorify you. I say the first 
reason for the petition is the salvation of the elect. And I think it goes this way. 
What is one of the means by which Jesus brings glory to the Father? It is by the salvation of the 
elect. Because when the elect are saved, 
guess what the elect no longer do? They no longer blaspheme. They no longer miss church. They 
no longer reject God. They no longer despise the things 
of God. But now they have eyes to see. 
They have ears to hear. They have hearts to receive and 
appreciate just who God is. And I think that's teased out 
for us in verse 3. Jesus not only mentions that 
they are called out of darkness into marvelous light, that they 
have eternal life to as many as you have given Him, but notice 
how He describes or gives the essence or the meaning of eternal 
life in verse 3. And this is eternal life, that 
they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you 
have sent. I think the idea is clear. The knowledge of God leads 
the believer to glorifying God. You get that? Father, glorify 
your Son so that the Son in turn may glorify you. How does the 
Son in turn glorify you? He accomplishes the work which 
the Father gives Him. That we'll see in verse 4. But 
He grabs all these people that have been given to Him, that 
at one time formerly blasphemed. He grabs all these people who 
at one time formerly cursed. These people that at one time 
ran from God, and He saves them by His blood. And now they are 
a people who see, and appreciate, and prize, and value, and esteem 
the glory of God. For this is eternal life. that they may know you, the only 
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." So the salvation 
of the elect brings them to that place where they know who God 
and Christ are. And knowing who God and Christ 
are is to love and glorify them as is fitting. Now, I cannot 
say, to know me is to love me. I wish I could say that. I said 
it at least, or I didn't actually say it, but there's at least 
one woman in this world who might agree with that axiom. To know 
me is to love me. I doubt that's true with all 
the rest of the women in the world. To know God is to love Him. To 
know God is to glorify Him. To know God is to esteem Him. To know God is to prize Him. 
To know God is to value Him. When we understand who He is, 
and we understand what He's done, what is the natural expression, 
but to glorify Him. When you come to church on the 
Lord's Day, and we say, open your hymn books to number 105. 
Yes, there's a bit of ritual involved. Yes, we do that every 
week. Yes, we do 105, probably more 
frequently than another church may. But the ritual notwithstanding, 
when you begin to sing Psalms, and you begin to consider God, 
and you begin to consider Christ, and you begin to consider salvation, 
and you begin to consider His great love for us, what is the 
response? Glory, praise, adoration, honor. To know God is to glorify Him. To know God is to value Him. 
To know God is to prize Him. To know God is to esteem Him. 
This is why your pastors, your elders say, come to church to 
learn the Word. Because if you don't learn the 
Word, you won't know God. If you don't know God, you won't 
esteem God. You won't glorify God. You won't 
praise God. That's why your elders, or your 
fathers, or your mothers, or your wives, or your husbands, 
or your people in your life say, read the Bible. Why? Because 
the more you come into contact with your God, the more you'll 
behold Him. The more you understand your 
God, the more you'll worship Him. The more you understand 
the truth that He has saved us from our sins, the more you can't 
help but reciprocate in praise. You see the logic. Glorify your 
Son. That your Son may also glorify 
you. The first means by which Christ 
does this is He gives eternal life to as many as you have given. The very essence of eternal life 
is that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ 
whom you have sent. And when they know that, when 
they understand that, when they roll that around in their minds 
and in their hearts, they can't help but praise you. They can't 
help but speak well of you. They can't help but glorify you. Brethren, I'm not suggesting 
that your knowledge of theology has to be as intricate as Francis 
Turretin. sent out a message about a paper 
the other day. It is technical. Don't read that 
and say, man, there's no way I can be a Christian because 
I don't understand all these particular terms. I'm not suggesting that. But I am suggesting you need 
to know the true God. What does Jesus say? The only 
true God. When David in the psalter says, 
I will stand and praise you before the gods, Do you think King David 
of Israel actually acknowledges the presence of competitor gods? No. He is mocking. There is but one only, the true 
and the living God. This morning, in our study in 
the Confession, Pastor Kim led us in an excellent presentation 
of Christology. Specifically, the person of Christ. And more specifically, what is 
called the hypostatic union of Christ. Again, don't go from 
here and say, I don't know what hypostatic union is, I'm going 
to hell. No, not necessarily. You're going to hell if you don't 
believe on the Lord Jesus. You see, it becomes important, 
brethren, to understand more and more about this Savior. You 
know, when your two-year-old says, I love you, Daddy, it's 
great, isn't it? It's encouraging. It warms your 
heart. If you're like me, you like that one of your kids actually 
said Papa or Daddy before Mommy. I don't know if that actually 
happened, but I could see me finding a secret delight in that. 
He said Dad first. There's something pleasant and 
beautiful and wondrous about that. But if you're a 22-year-old 
whom you have raised, fed, clothed, provided hot showers for, given 
money to, you know, world without end, say, dude, maybe you can 
articulate some reasons here. You see, we don't diminish the 
two-year-old's lisping praise to God. But the hope and the 
intent and the prayer is that two-year-olds become 22-year-olds 
who can say, you know, Father, You have blessed me in this way. 
You have provided me over here. I have esteemed Your glory. I 
have seen Your honor. I have admired Your power. Brethren, 
the same is true in the church. Yes, you can lisp along as a 
two-year-old and enter into heaven. That's a beautiful thing. But 
if Christ gives us the essence of eternal life, He brings it 
down to its core. Again, this is eternal life for 
us. We would say, no more sorrow, 
no more pain, no more injury, no more headaches, no more hunger, 
no more thirst. And again, we'd be accurate, 
we'd be right and we'd be correct. But how many of us would say 
the very essence, the very pinnacle, the very summit, the very Everest 
of eternal life is not the fact that I will no longer be hungry, 
but that I know God. that I know the One who made 
me, that I know Him who created me and the One who redeemed me, 
and the One who was pleased to bruise His Son in my place, putting 
Him to grief. You know what heaven is going 
to be, brethren? It is going to be increasing 
in the understanding and the knowledge of who God is. I don't 
know if we're going to just walk into heaven and boom, we know 
everything all of a sudden. I really doubt that. It's going to be like Rick Anderson 
described it, the kid going to the amusement park. Every turn, 
every corner, he sees something new and he's going... His breath 
is being taken away from him. It might be you in landscapes, 
you see some beautiful display in the sky and it takes your 
breath away. You go in and you see what your 
wife cooked for dinner and it looks beautiful. You see your 
wife, your husband, and they take your breath away. It's an 
amazing thing. That's heaven. It's the glory 
of God. We cannot exhaust it. We will 
not spend it. We will not get to the point 
where we say, all there is to know about God, I know. It's 
going to continue to take our breath away in the eschaton. How that all works, I don't know. 
Email Rick Anderson and ask him. Do you see the very essence, 
the very sum and substance of eternal life? It's the knowledge 
of God. It's the knowledge of God. Jesus 
goes on to give as a second reason for his petition that the Father 
glorify the Son, the accomplishment of redemption. Notice verse 4, 
I have glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work which 
you have given me to do. Jesus is speaking here what's 
called proleptically. He is speaking with the confidence 
that he will in fact die and rise again. In other words, he 
is able to say, I have finished the work. because he knows that 
he's going to go to the cross. He knows he's not going to shrink 
back. He knows he's going to taste 
the wrath of God. He knows that he's going to feel 
the sting of men. He knows these things. And so 
in his high priestly prayer, approaching into that hour, he 
is able to say in verse 4, I have glorified you on the earth. I 
have finished the work which you have given me to do. This 
work comes to us in two ways. First, his active obedience. 
The fact that He always did what? Please the Father. You see, brethren, 
we need the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received 
by faith alone, which we wouldn't have if He didn't fulfill all 
righteousness. This was the statement to John 
the Baptist, permitted, because it is right for us to fulfill 
all righteousness. And here Jesus says that, essentially, 
I have finished the work which you have given me to do. John's 
Gospel, he says, I always do that which pleases the Father. 
You see, that's what the Father demands, brothers and sisters. 
He demands for people to enter into heaven who are able to say, 
I always do what pleases the Father. Obedience to the first 
commandment. None of us can do that. There 
must be one. There must be a champion. There 
must be a Savior. And Christ is the one who always 
did what pleases the Father. We see as well a reference to 
his passive obedience. I have finished the work which 
you have given me to do. To death at Calvary we need atonement, 
we need sacrifice, we need blood. Without the shedding of blood, 
Hebrews 9.22, there is no remission for sins. The blood of bulls 
and goats can never take away sin. It is the blood of the Lamb 
of God who takes away sin. You see, brethren, Jesus prays, 
Father, glorify Your Son, so that Your Son may glorify You. 
The first petition is because I have saved these people. I 
have accomplished redemption on their behalf. The second specific 
is verse 4. I have accomplished redemption. I have undertaken. I have done 
what that eternal covenant stipulated, or that covenant of redemption 
stipulated. Something interesting about the 
Covenant of Redemption, it's the basis for the Covenant of 
Grace, isn't it? Think about it. Covenant of Redemption, 
the Father gives to the Son, the elect. The Son willingly 
undertakes to be the surety and the mediator, to go and to fetch 
them by His life, by His death, and by His resurrection. That's 
the Covenant of Grace, isn't it? Aren't we participants in 
the covenant of grace? I hope you're nodding at least 
inwardly, saying, yes, praise God, we are in the covenant of 
grace. Do you know, for Jesus, the covenant 
of grace was not a covenant of grace, it was a covenant of works. 
This is the beauty about the covenant of grace. It is the 
covenant of works, kept for us. Burkhoff says it this way, though 
the covenant of redemption is the eternal basis of the covenant 
of grace and as far as sinners are concerned also its eternal 
prototype. It was for Christ a covenant 
of works rather than a covenant of grace. For him the law of 
the original covenant applied, namely that eternal life could 
only be obtained by meeting the demands of the law. As the last 
Adam, Christ obtains eternal life for sinners in reward for 
faithful obedience, and not at all as an unmerited gift of grace. And what He has done as the representative 
and surety of all His people, they are no more in duty bound 
to do. So it's beautiful. It's the covenant of works kept 
for us by Christ. With whom was the covenant of 
grace made? It's not made with you, it's 
made with Christ, the mediator and the surety of a better covenant. 
And with Him, all the elect, as His seed. Birkhoff says, the 
work has been done. The reward is merited. And believers are made partakers 
of the fruits of Christ's accomplished work through grace. Praise God Almighty from whom 
all blessings flow. You may not be tracking with 
every jot and tittle of this. Keep at it. You know, this is 
something I've experienced as a pastor. Sometimes people get 
converted. They're new Christians. They want this body of knowledge 
right now. It's not going to happen. You're 
not born again as Paul. You're still born again as whoever 
you are. And it is through a due use of 
the ordinary means that you grow in the grace and in the knowledge 
of the Lord Jesus. I gotta tell you, I don't know 
if I've shared this with Pastor Cam, it was probably just the 
last couple years I finally came to appreciate fully what chapter 
7, paragraph 3 was actually teaching in our confession. I said, well 
you've been a Reformed Baptist, yeah, but you gotta grow, you 
gotta learn, you gotta put in the spade work, you gotta pay 
attention. You've got to be faithful. You've 
got to show up. You've got to do the task of 
putting your shoulder to the plow and plowing, brethren. Manton 
says it's something like, we cannot grow without plowing through 
prayer. We gotta use God's means in order 
to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. 
You may not get all these references to the Covenant of Redemption. 
Don't leave here saying, well, I'll never understand. Pick up 
a book. The Confession is too hard. They 
have these other things. They're really interesting. They're 
called catechisms. And catechisms don't typically 
have all the technical language. It just boils it down to the 
bare bones. So that you can see how it's 
fleshed out. They put the scripture text in 
there, so you can look at the scripture text and say, wow, 
now I see what they're saying. Brethren, the Christian life, 
when you enter it, you need to enter it as a marathon. Not a 
hundred yard dash. Or a whatever meter dash. Is 
it a hundred meter dash? Is that what they do? You're in it for the long haul. 
And if the essence of eternal life in the Eschaton is knowing 
God, what do you think the essence of eternal life in the present 
age is? It's knowing God. This is eternal 
life. That they may know Thee, the 
only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Unitarians 
and Arians said, Oh, Jesus is making himself inferior to the 
only true God. No, the grammar of the text doesn't 
allow it, neither does the theology of the Bible. Jesus is speaking 
as man. He is speaking in terms of being 
the mediator between God and man. He's not saying he is lesser 
than the Father. Gnosko. No. The one verb and 
the two objects, the Father and the Son. actually argues for 
his equality with the Father in that particular verse. And 
then notice finally the third petition, and now oh Father, 
verse 5, glorify me together with yourself with the glory 
which I had with you before the world was. Reference to the pre-incarnate 
state of our Lord Jesus. How does John introduce his work? In the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Here Jesus 
tells us that in the beginning He was glorified with the Father. And now, O Father, glorify me 
together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You 
before the world was. So prior to the Incarnation, 
Christ as God is glorified. But interestingly, after the 
Incarnation, Christ as God-Man is glorified. Christ as Mediator 
is glorified. This is Philippians 2. This is 
Ephesians 1. God was pleased with the Son's 
work. So He seated Him at His right 
hand. He gave Him a name which is above every name, that at 
the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess. 
This is the Father's blessing of glory upon the Son, the Mediator, 
Christ. The office the Lord Jesus did 
most willingly undertake, that He might discharge, He was made 
under the law, He perfectly fulfilled it. He underwent the punishment 
due to us, which we should have borne and suffered. He was made 
sin and a curse for us. He endured most grievous sorrows 
in His soul, most painful sufferings in His body. He was crucified, 
died, and remained in the state of the dead, yet saw no corruption. On the third day he rose from 
the dead, with the same body in which he suffered, with which 
he also ascended into heaven, and there sits at the right hand 
of his Father, making intercession, and shall return to judge men 
and angels at the end of the world." Christ, present at the 
right hand of the Father. Two natures in one glorious person. without confusion, without conversion, 
without composition, that blessed Christ says, and now, O Father, 
glorify me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with 
You before the world was. Well, in conclusion, we see, first of all, Jesus' 
priority. Jesus' priority is the glory 
of His Father. Never forget that God-word reference 
when it comes to redemption. Yes, Jesus loves us. Yes, Jesus 
gives himself for us. Yes, Jesus has redeemed us. All of that is true, but to the 
glory of the Father. The Father, God, Majesty, that 
comes before our happiness and our felicity. And it ought not 
to be otherwise. God is the most glorious being. God deserves honor for being 
the most glorious being. That we are included in this 
redemptive plan is a beautiful and wonderful thing, but Jesus' 
priority at the throne of grace is the glory of God Most High. Secondly, with reference to this 
statement in verse 3, this is eternal life, that they may know 
you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I 
want to tease this out just a little bit before we close. The knowledge 
of God and salvation. Some teach that Jesus is giving 
us here how men enter into salvation. I don't think that's the case. 
I think He is describing further what eternal life looks like 
in verse 2. But having said that, the Bible 
does teach us, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word 
of Christ. You must hear and understand. 
You must learn the truth concerning God, concerning Christ, concerning 
the Gospel, to believe it. As I said before, as I said last 
week, if you are an unconverted person, you're an unbeliever, 
my aim is not to pick on you. My aim is not to expose you and 
say, you horrible monstrous person. I understand that everybody in 
this world is horrible and monstrous. Every single one of us, all we 
light sheep have gone astray. There is none righteous, no not 
one. There is none on their way to 
heaven right now, on their way to heaven, because they're good, 
because they're better, because they're wiser, because they're 
more pure. Because God is holy, God is merciful, and God reaches 
down and saves. But my exhortation to you, if 
you think for a moment that you are not saved, you ought to be 
under that word. You ought to learn who God is. 
You ought to learn of His anger toward sinners. You ought to 
learn of the fact that His eye is too pure to look upon any 
evil whatsoever. That God has created hell for 
the devil and his angels, and for all impenitent. You need 
to understand what people today would call those dark things 
that we don't want to consider. God Most High is angry with the 
wicked each and every day. God Most High doesn't redefine 
sin. It's man who calls it same-sex 
attraction. God calls it sodomy, homosexuality. Man says, we were just playing 
around. God says it's adultery. And adulterers 
and whoremongers will find their place in the pit of hell. We 
say, it was just a little white lie. God says, you shall not 
bear false witness. We say, you know, I really just 
want that thing for myself because it'll make me so happy. God says, 
do not covet. You see, brethren, God is a holy 
God. And if you are unconverted here 
this morning, you need to understand that. God's not going to wink 
at you when you sin. It's not going to be the day 
of judgment when you appear before His tribunal and you say, well, 
you know, it was me, God. Oh, well, then, there you go. 
Just come on in. That's not the conception that 
the Bible gives us. It's not the revelation of who 
God is. You're playing games. If you 
think you're going to wander up before the judge of all the 
earth and somehow finagle your way in, there's one path in. It's through the cross. There 
is one means by which men can be saved, and it's Jesus. There 
is one way alone, and you need to understand that. You're in 
a world that does redefine sin. Your own heart redefines sin. 
You probably have convinced yourself many, many times, you know, I'm 
not that bad. I'm really not that bad. Butler speaks of monsters. 
He speaks of beasts. He says we're worse than rats. 
I'm not worse than a rat. I'm a pretty decent Joe. I'm 
a pretty nice guy. I'm a pretty good girl. All have 
sinned and fall short of the glory of God. You need to hear 
that. You may not like to hear it, 
but you need to hear it. You need to hear about God's 
mercy, about God's grace, about God's goodness, because you see, 
that's another thing this world distorts, and your own heart 
distorts. The world tells you, try harder, 
be better. Your own heart says, try harder, be better. But you 
see, the problem is, you can't try harder, and you can't be 
better to the place where it will please God. There's one 
way. It's through the cross. It's 
one means. It's blood atonement. It's one 
way. It's salvation by grace through 
faith. You need to hear that. If you're unconverted, the knowledge 
of God is what you need. Who He is, what He's done, what 
He says, what He'll do. You're not going to get that 
apart from the Scriptures. What about the knowledge of God 
in the Christian life? Do you know what will hopefully 
cause you to persevere as I mentioned earlier from Hebrews 3? It's 
not who you are as a person. It's who God is as a Lord. Isn't it? Anybody who's gone 
through trials, anybody who's gone through difficulties, anybody 
who's had any hardship and come out on the other side will testify 
pretty consistently it's God's grace. was God's grace. How'd you manage to deal with 
that? It's God's grace. How'd you get out of bed each 
day going through that misery? God's grace. How did you not 
go postal? God's grace. How did you manage to get... 
God's grace. So you don't know that if you're 
not studying who God is. But the love of God. It's one 
of the things about this paper on impassibility, more so in 
the report, but it certainly found its way into the position 
paper. Glorious doctrine of the love of God. The opponents of 
the classical position charge that impassibility reduces God 
to a Hellenized God, a God of the greats, who's static, he's 
inert, he's immobile. It's just the opposite. Impassibility ensures that God 
is most Loving. He doesn't increase because there's 
no more love He can have for you. And He certainly doesn't 
decrease because He's God and change is not. Brethren, I don't 
know of a more practical truth to encourage the believer. I 
don't know of something to give a boost in the arm of those who 
are downcast and sorrowful. God has most love toward you. That's great. What about the 
providence of God? We say God moves in mysterious 
ways, his wonders to perform. Do a little study on William 
Cooper. It's written Calper. I've heard it pronounced Cooper. 
Some say Calper. If you're a Calper person, Calper, 
Cooper, potato, potato, read up on the brother. He didn't 
just write, God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform. 
He doesn't just write, behind a frowning providence he hides 
a smiling face, because Cooper just lived a life of ease and 
happiness and joy. What sustains the believer in 
the midst of hardship, trial and travail? The knowledge of 
my God. He will see me through this. 
He will sustain me, and He will bring me out on the other end. 
It's not my well-being. What's the most famous psalm 
in the entirety of Scripture? It's an expression of great faith. Yea, though I walk through the 
valley of the shadow of death. I'm not going to stay there. 
I'm not going to die there. I'm not going to end there. But 
I'm going to walk through it. And when I'm in the midst of 
it, and I'm through it, and I'm there, and I'm down, and I'm 
sorrowful, and I'm depressed, and I'm hurting, I know that 
you're with me. I know that your rod and your 
staff, they comfort me. I know it is you who will see 
me through to the very end. Brethren, I just don't know what 
more can encourage the believer than the knowledge of his God. What about assurance of salvation? 
Our confession is beautiful here. Where is our assurance grounded 
on? It's not upon our ability. It's not upon our performance. 
It's upon the triune God. It's upon the covenant that God 
has established. It's upon the very character, 
nature, and being of who God is. You see, if this is eternal 
life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus 
Christ whom you have sent, this is the stuff that encourages, 
this is the stuff that builds up, this is the stuff that brings 
us comfort and help and the ability to stay in the race. It's not 
you you need to know more of in trial, it's God. It's not 
you you need to be more encouraged about, it's God. And not just 
God, the only true, Jesus Christ whom you have sent. You know, 
I often say Jesus is not primarily in the Bible as an example. He's 
there as a bleeding sacrifice, a resurrected Savior and an ascended 
Lord. But He is an example. Looking 
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Well, we're running 
that race with endurance. Yes, it's looking in faith, justifying 
faith, to be sure. Sanctifying faith is a reality 
as well. I don't even want to speak of 
justifying faith, because that sounds like it's somehow a process. 
One time, belief on the Lord Jesus Christ, we're justified 
freely by His grace. And then we run. And what do 
we focus on? We focus upon Jesus, the author 
and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured 
the cross, despised the shame, and is sat down at the right 
hand of the Majesty on high. Brethren, we need to know God. We need to know the Lord Jesus. 
And that brings about, finally, a responsibility. You know, I wish that we lived 
in a world where we just lived by love and fresh air, as my 
brother Steve likes to say. We don't. We don't live in a 
world where we live on love and fresh air. If you try that, you'll 
make it three days and then drop dead, because you've got to eat. 
It's not just love and fresh air. Love is good, fresh air 
is essential, but so is food. We don't live in a world of love 
and fresh air. We also don't live in a world where people 
don't need to be encouraged to do things they already know. 
I don't want to be the nagging mother that every time on a Sunday 
comes up and says, read your Bible, pray and go to church. 
But read your Bible, pray and go to church, Brethren, growth in grace and 
in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ does 
not come apart from reading your Bible and praying and going to 
church. It just doesn't. Take your math 
book home, seventh grader, and put it under your pillow and 
go to sleep and see if you wake up in the morning knowing algebra. 
It's not going to happen. You have to open the book. I 
know it's bizarre. You've got to open it. You've 
got to read it. You've got to study it. You might have to make 
flashcards. How many Christians just think 
that God's going to wave this magic wand and we're going to 
know what the hypostatic union is and we've got 7-3 all figured 
out in our confession. We can recite Chalcedon. You've 
got to study. Gotta learn, gotta grow, but 
there's nothing better to study, to learn, and to grow in than 
the knowledge of God, the knowledge of His Son, the knowledge of 
the One alone who is able to save sinners from their sins. You have not believed? Believe. 
If you have believed, then read, pray, study, learn, because the 
very essence of eternal life that you possess is the knowledge 
of Him. Well, let us pray. Father, we 
thank you for your Word, and we ask God that you would bless 
it to our hearts and our minds. Cause us to see that theology 
is so practical for our Christian life, for our very existence. Help us, God, to increase in 
our knowledge of who you are, who your beloved Son is, who 
the Holy Spirit is. Cause us to learn these things, 
so that you may be glorified, that as we learn further elements 
concerning Scripture and theology, it would redound to the praise 
and the honor and the glory of our God Most High. Go with us 
now. Bless the time that we spend 
at the hospital today. Help us to encourage, to minister 
to the people there. And we pray for those who are 
sick. There are many in our church, I think, at home today. God, 
comfort and encourage their hearts. And we pray these things through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.