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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to the Gospel of John, John chapter 17. John 17, we'll read the chapter. And then our focus will be on 
verses one to five. So John 17, beginning in verse 
one, Jesus spoke these words, lifted up his eyes to heaven 
and said, father, the hour has come. Glorify your son, that 
your son may 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 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 that 
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. "'While 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. 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 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 love me before the foundation of the world. Oh, 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 love 
me may be in them, and I in them. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father in heaven, thank you for your Word. Thank you for that 
incarnate Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray for the mind 
of Christ, even now, by the power of the Spirit, that we may be 
blessed and encouraged by this high priestly prayer. We praise 
you, God, for the gospel of our salvation, for what you have 
done in terms of the life and the death and the resurrection 
of our beloved Savior, and how that has been applied to us. 
We know that we have been forgiven, we have received that righteousness 
not because of good that we've done, but solely and alone due 
to your sovereign grace. We praise you for that. We bless 
you for blessing us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly 
places in Christ Jesus. We pray now that you would forgive 
us for all of our sin and unrighteousness. We pray that you'd open dead 
hearts to receive the truth as it is in Jesus. We pray that 
today would be the day of salvation. And for those in Christ, may 
we be edified, may we grow in our understanding and may we 
see the essence of eternal life is the knowledge of God and Jesus 
Christ whom you have sent. And we pray this in his most 
blessed name, amen. Well, we come now to what we 
call the high priestly prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ. And 
essentially what Jesus does is he prays first for himself in 
verses one to five. He then prays for his immediate 
disciples in verses six to 19. and then for all believers in 
verses 20 to 26. He makes specific petition on 
behalf of the disciples. But as I said, he first starts 
with himself. So I wanna look first of all 
at the petition or rather the occasion of his prayer. And that's 
just in the first part of verse one. And then secondly, the content 
of his prayer in verse 1B to verse five. There's a lot going 
on in here. This is indeed holy ground. Remember that the time frame 
we'll look at in just a moment more, but there's not a lot of 
time until chapter 18. In chapter 18, notice the connection 
in verse 1, when Jesus had spoken these words. So Jesus speaks 
to the disciples in the upper room discourse in chapters 13 
to 16. On the heels of that, he prays 
according to the chapter 17 verse 1 and following and then he's 
arrested he has tried and he is crucified so the hour is imminent 
he's already announced that he understands that he speaks in 
this particular section as if it's already occurred that's 
called to be proleptic or prolepsis he's speaking as something or 
speaking of something that is future as if it's already accomplished 
he is a man of on a particular mission, and He is going to accomplish 
it. So notice first the occasion 
of His prayer. Verse 1 tells us Jesus spoke 
these words, the upper room, chapters 13 to 16. And remember, 
what we saw there was Christ encouraging, fortifying, and 
strengthening His disciples. He's going to be put to death. 
He's going to be raised again. on that third day, but he's going 
to ascend on high and in his name and for his glory, they 
are tasked with going out, making disciples and planting churches. In other words, taking the gospel 
to the uttermost parts of the earth. There's going to be persecution 
for them in John 15, 18 to 16, four. He tells them that he alerts 
them to that. He tells them that at the close 
of the discourse in this world, you will have tribulation. So 
there's going to be a time of hardship and affliction and suffering 
for the disciples of Christ. And so he takes this opportunity 
in the upper room to instruct them and he encourages them, 
but he as well discloses something true of the father and of the 
spirit. In other words, he speaks concerning 
the triune God as the primary means with or which they will 
be encouraged and strengthened and helped in order to go about 
that worldwide task. So with reference to these words, 
it's the upper room. And then notice the particular 
theological context. It says, he lifted up his eyes 
to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. So the object 
of his prayer is the Father. And some suggest that he's simply 
setting forth an example here. It is an example. This is a great 
pattern. If ministers preach and teach 
such that we find in chapters 13 to 16, it's good to follow 
up with prayer. It's good to pray those things 
home, to seal them in. But I don't think it's simply 
an example that Jesus is doing here, but rather, according to 
his humanity, he is praying to the Father. Matthew Henry commenting 
in Mark's gospel says, though as God he was prayed to, as man 
he prayed. And that is precisely what we 
would expect of true humanity. So Jesus addresses the father, 
that one he has a special relationship to, that one who sent him, that 
one who begot him, and that one in the incarnation who clothed 
him with humanity, such that he could carry out that particular 
mission. He as well lifts his eyes up 
to heaven. Again, in terms of example, that's 
a good thing. Not all true prayer or all prayer 
necessarily means we lift our eyes to heaven, but I think it 
invokes at least the idea that Jesus addresses the God of heaven 
and earth with reverence and with respect. He doesn't just 
rush in and throw up this quick prayer, but rather there's a 
time of reverence. So when he comes to pray, he 
then says, Father, the hour has come. We've identified that hour 
several times as we've moved our way through the gospel narrative. 
And that hour is his death. It is his resurrection. It is 
his ascension on high. It is his current session. It 
is the purpose for which he came into this world. The hour has 
come, he says. And when we notice what he says 
continuing in this brief section, he says it as if it's already 
completed. It is a most blessed reality. 
He set his face like a flint. He was steadfast in all that 
he did. He was a man under God, committed to doing the service 
of God, never relenting, never withdrawing, confident and completely 
resolved to do what the Father had given him to do. And so he 
speaks to the father in this instance, and he says, father, 
the hour has come. The specific meaning was his 
passion. And then he says specifically, 
or rather in terms of the content, there are two things that he 
says in verses one to five. First, he requests glory, and 
then he gives reasons why he should get that glory. Not reasons 
in some sort of a bartering way, but the rationale, the ground, 
the foundation, the petition. Glorify your son, that your son 
may glorify you. And here's the reasons why. Again, 
not the way I might ask, but in a holy and in a righteous 
and in a godly way. So with reference to the request 
for glory, he first says that, glorify your son. If you turn 
back to chapter 12, we've seen him make this petition already. 
Chapter 12, specifically at verse 23. Jesus answered them saying, 
The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. And 
then in verse 27, Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I 
say? Father saved me from this hour, but for this purpose I 
came to this hour. He prays specifically that he 
would be glorified in the act of mediation. He is not praying 
here according to his divinity. As God, he is prayed to. As man, 
he prays. And as man, he prays specifically 
for his own glory, because that will reciprocate in the glory 
of the Father. It is a wonderful thing that 
we see displayed here, stressing the divine nature, the unity 
of the divine nature, and the trinity of persons in the Godhead. 
As Gil says, as man and mediator, for as God, he needed no glory, 
nor could any be added to him. You can't glorify God more. And in fact, when we read in 
scripture that we're supposed to give glory to God, that does 
not speak to his essential glory. That does not mean God gets more 
glorious. Essentially, God is glory. But with reference to declaration 
and demonstration and an inscription of it, that's what we do when 
we glorify the Father. And so the Lord Jesus, according 
to His humanity as the mediator of the New Covenant, is praying 
for that glory. And again, that glory obtains 
in His death, His resurrection, His ascension, His session on 
high. All of that is purposed to bring 
glory to the Son and glory to the Father. So after that petition 
in verse two, I'm sorry, verse one, glorify your son that your 
son also may glorify you. If we look back at John 12, after 
Jesus says what Jesus says in verse 28, he says, father, glorify 
your name. Then a voice came from heaven 
saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. In the life and ministry of our 
Lord Jesus, He brought glory to the Father. In fact, turn 
back to John chapter 7. John chapter 7, specifically 
at verse 18. John 7, 18, he who speaks from 
himself seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of 
the one who sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in 
him. So Christ prays as man to be glorified by the Father, so 
that Christ as the God-man, the mediator of the New Covenant, 
can glorify the Father. And he speaks specifically of 
that in his earthly ministry. Notice in John 8 at verse 50. 
John 8, 50. And I do not seek my own glory. 
There is one who seeks and judges. John 11 at verse 14, dealing 
with the eventual case of Lazarus. Lazarus, notice in John 11, specifically 
at verse 4, when Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness 
is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of 
God may be glorified through it. There's this reciprocity. And kids, that simply means back 
and forth. If we go out to play ball, I 
put a mitt on my hand, you put a mitt on your hand, we throw 
the ball one to another, that's reciprocity, that is reciprocal, 
it is back and forth. And we need to understand that 
with reference to the unity of the divine nature. It's not as 
if there's a parceled out glory. The Father has 33 and a third, 
the Son has 33 and a third, and the Spirit has 33 and a third. That's 
not it. In fact, the very ministry and 
mission of the Spirit, according to John 16 in that upper room 
discourse, is that He glorifies the Son. There's this reciprocal 
glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is most glorious. And so notice, He speaks in verse 
14 then, "'Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes "'that 
I was not there, that you may believe. "'Nevertheless, let 
us go to him.'" And then once more, notice in verse 40, just 
building the case. Verse 40, Jesus said to her, 
"'Did I not say to you "'that if you would believe, you would 
see the glory of God?' "'Well, how do they see the glory of 
God? "'It's through the person and the work of the Son of God 
"'on behalf of sinners.'" So back to our text, the primary 
petition of our Savior is glory. Glory for himself and glory for 
the Father. Because glory for himself means 
glory for the Father. In terms of a parallel to this 
particular concept, you can turn to Philippians chapter two, the 
next section we will be coming to in Philippians chapter two. traces out the incarnation of 
the Son, the one who was in the form of God, took on our humanity. Notice in chapter two of Philippians 
at verse five, let this mind be in you, which was also in 
Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, did not consider 
it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, 
taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of 
men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself 
and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the 
cross. This is the hour. This is his 
passion. This is that series of events 
that he was purposed to undertake, dare I say, predestined before 
the foundation of the world to undertake. Notice verse 9, therefore, 
God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which 
is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee 
should bow of those in heaven and of those on earth and of 
those under the earth. Sounds like the glory of the 
sun, doesn't it? Sounds like what one would do 
if they were gonna glorify their son. Remember that bit in the 
book of Esther when Haman says, or rather the king asks Haman, 
what is it that you think would be appropriate for one whom the 
king wants to honor? Well, he'd put a great robe on, 
Haman's thinking it's Haman, of course. He'd put a nice robe 
on him, he'd put him on the horse's steed, he'd parade him through 
the city, and he'd say, this is the one. And of course, Haman, 
much to his chagrin, it turns out to be Mordecai, and that 
really upset that man. But notice, in terms of the incarnation 
of the son, the one who was in the form of God, the second person 
of the triune God, the one who has the same nature as the father, 
nevertheless, takes on our humanity to himself. and with our humanity 
lives for us, here he dies for us, he's raised again, the Father 
glorifies the Son, and then we see that reciprocal nature in 
verse 11. And that every tongue should 
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the 
Father. We need to make sure we don't 
mistake the glory of God as being parceled out or some sort of 
a competition. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit 
glorify one another. And so the Lord Jesus Christ, 
according to His humanity, not His divinity, is praying for 
glory as a result of His finished work. That brings us then to 
the reasons for His glory in verses 2 to 5. And there's two 
things I want to bring out. First, the predestined mission 
of Christ in verses 2 to 3. He wasn't earthly, manly, or 
had a humanity at the foundation of the earth. God, when He purposed 
all of this, there was a scheme, a plan, a purpose, predestination. And Jesus, according to His humanity, 
was part of that particular plan. So we see the predestined mission 
of Christ in verses two and three, and then we see the completed 
mission of Christ according to verses four and five. But notice 
this predestined mission, and here he speaks concerning those 
things unique to his humanity. First, the provision of authority. 
Look at what he says in verse two, as you have given him authority 
over all flesh. cannot be true of him according 
to his divinity, because he already has authority over all flesh. 
The glory of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ is seen in 
the Incarnation, that He assumes to Himself our humanity, with 
all the essential properties and the common infirmities thereof, 
and yet without sin. It's in this condition, it's 
as the Mediator, it's as the God-Man, that He has these prerogatives, 
these blessings, or these things. But notice that God the Father 
grants Him authority. Again, the nature of the provision, 
God the Father gives it to him. Daniel 7, 13 and 14. What happens 
at the ascension of Christ? The king, the ancient of days, 
gives to this one all authority. You see that in Matthew 28, 18 
to 20. All authority has been, what? 
Given to me in heaven and on earth. Again, it's not according 
to his divinity. He always possessed that. But 
it's as the mediator of the new covenant. He's praying as a man 
here. He's praying as the God-man. 
And the reason why I'm bringing this up is because this passage 
has been kind of turned on its head over the last couple of 
years, especially with verse 5. The idea being is that Christ 
had glory, he gave up glory, and now he wants glory back. 
That's not what the passage is teaching. The passage is simply 
teaching that as the mediator, according to his humanity, based 
on or predicated on his finished work on the cross, his resurrection 
from the dead, his ascension on high, his session at the right 
hand, glorify the Son, so that the Son then glorifies you. It's a glorious and wondrous 
thing. Gil says, it is not that original power over all things 
that he has. So again, verse two, as you have 
given him authority over all flesh, it's not that original 
power over all things he has as God and the creator of them, 
which is natural, essential, and underrived, but it's a derived 
and delegated power, which he has as mediator, as subservient 
to the ends and designs of his office. See, brethren, what John 
is doing here, or Jesus is doing here, and John is recording it 
for us, is perfectly consistent with the prologue. How do we 
have, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, 
and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among 
us? How do we make sense of that? The rest of the gospel! We learn 
that Jesus and the Father are one. We learn that Jesus has 
true humanity. We're going to see that he bleeds. 
We're going to see that he suffers. We're going to see that he dies, 
which is not true of God, cannot be true of divinity. But according 
to this blessed person who has a divine and human nature, he 
can and does do this. This is the rationale behind, 
or rather the demonstration of the prologue. This one who was 
God and assumes our flesh is able to go through all these 
things for the glory of the Father, for the good of his people, and 
in this instance he says, you have given me authority over 
all flesh. something true of him according 
to his humanity. The emphasis is on his unique 
person, that he is both God and man. As well, note the comprehensiveness 
of this authority, as you have given him authority over all 
flesh. That's encouraging, isn't it? By the way, for those who 
were attending the confession study this morning, that's how 
we're supposed to understand 1 Corinthians 15, 20 to 28. When 
Christ is subject to the Father and God is all in all, that's 
as mediator. That's not as the second person 
of the Trinity. He's doing that as the mediator 
of the new covenant. But with reference to this all 
flesh, As I tried to make it practical this morning, we've 
covered chapter 31 in the Confession of Faith, eschatology, or the 
doctrine of last things, or end times. What do we do in the church? We fight about premillennialism, 
amillennialism, and postmillennialism. And I'm not suggesting that's 
necessarily a bad fight. But one of the things that biblical 
eschatology does is it promotes hope. It promotes encouragement. It promotes the steel in the 
backbone so you can get out of bed and do the things that God 
has called you to do, even in the midst of hardship and affliction 
and suffering and woe. I used the very real and relevant 
example this morning. I'm sure it's all in your heads, 
hopefully not right this moment, but tomorrow you can think about 
that. Trade war with the US, that seems unwinnable. Do you 
know what? This is momentary light affliction, 
and it will give way to an exceeding weight of glory. Whatever happens 
to us, whatever difficulties economically, whatever difficulties 
in terms of any persecution or opposition, whatever hardships 
we face, we can face them in the spirit of the apostles in 
Acts 5.41, that they left there having been scourged, rejoicing, 
why? Because they were counted worthy 
to suffer shame for the name of the Savior. We can live in 
light of 2 Timothy chapter 3, that all who desire to live godly 
in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Why? Because we have a hope in 
heaven. We have Christ the bridegroom. We have the blessedness of the 
eternal state. We have all that the Lord Jesus 
Christ has promised to us. And we have that Jesus Christ 
who has authority over all flesh. There's no randomness out there. There's no government leader 
or persecutor of the church or a soul of Tarsus that exists 
untethered from the sovereign reign of our Lord Jesus from 
the right hand of his father. When he says all authority has 
been given to me in heaven and on earth, he really means it. 
He absolutely positively means it. When Paul says that the Father 
has raised him up and given him that name which is above every 
name in Philippians chapter 2, he means it. Or in Ephesians 
chapter 1 where he has comprehensive authority over all things and 
he specifically had to the church. Scripture means that. Scripture 
means it in the book of Revelation when we see the contrast with 
the beast from the sea and the land to the lamb and his fair 
army standing on Mount Zion in Revelation chapter 14. The scripture 
means it when it says the Lord God omnipotent reigns. The scripture 
means it when it says the nations of the earth are gods and the 
lambs. Brethren, Christ was given authority 
over all flesh, he says here, as the mediator, as the God-man, 
as the surety of a better covenant. This is one of the things that 
he's rehearsing by way of rationale, glorify the Son, because the 
Son will glorify you. And one of the reasons why is 
because you have given me all this authority. But he doesn't 
stop there in terms of the authority. He makes that specific application 
in terms of redemption. He has comprehensive authority 
over every tribe, every tongue, every people, every nation. He 
has comprehensive authority over every man, every woman, every 
boy, every girl. There's not one untethered from 
the sovereign reign of our blessed Savior. But he then hones in 
specifically on the salvation of sinners. Notice in verse two, 
as you have given him authority over all flesh, that. Why did 
the Father give him authority over all flesh? Yeah, to maintain 
the universe. Yeah, to govern all his creatures 
and all their actions. Yeah, to engage in the messianic 
reign. Yeah, all that, but with a specific 
focus upon the salvation of his people. Notice in verse two, 
that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given 
him. This was the purpose for his 
coming. We can't ever forget that. Brethren, 
we're not, you know, early 20th century neo-Orthodox liberal 
theologians or modern Christians. The Lord Jesus wasn't first and 
foremost an example. He is an example. I think Paul 
says that in Philippians. Well, I know he does. Let this 
mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. But the primary 
emphasis upon Jesus' mission was to save His people from their 
sins. So He got all this authority 
over all flesh that, that He may give eternal life to as many 
as you have given Him. This is the purpose for which 
He came. Look at John 1. John 1, already referred to the 
prologue, verses 1 to 18. We move from that theology to 
the economy of redemption in verses 19 and following. I think 
one way to summarize the entirety of the economy with an Old Testament 
allusion is chapter one, verse 29. The next day, John saw Jesus 
coming toward him and said, behold, the Lamb of God who takes away 
the sin of the world. Notice in John three, John three, 
specifically at verse 14. And as Moses lifted up the serpent 
in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. 
that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal 
life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten 
son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have 
everlasting life. And then turn to John 6, verses 
37 to 40. John 6, verse 37, all that the 
father gives me will come to me and the one who comes to me, 
I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, 
not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 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. Notice he doesn't say this is the will of the father who 
sent me, that I set a good example and call all my comrades to follow 
me by way of example. Again, brethren, the fact that 
Jesus is an example is not an unbiblical thought. He is an 
example. The primary emphasis is upon 
His living, His doing, His dying, and His rising again. Notice 
in verse 40, and this is the will of Him who sent me, that 
everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting 
life, and I will raise Him up at the last day. So when we go 
back to John 17, and Jesus makes the petition to be glorified 
so that the Father may be glorified, He then goes on to say, you have 
given Him authority over all flesh, but that specific reference 
is that He should give eternal life to as many as you have given 
Him. So the purpose of his coming is redemptive in nature. The 
purpose of his coming is with reference to salvation. Notice 
the beneficiaries of his coming, the ones that you have given 
him. So notice we've got all flesh 
and then a subset of all flesh. Jesus is not a universalist. 
Jesus does not teach that every man, every boy, every woman, 
every girl will be saved. The Bible doesn't teach universalism. It doesn't teach that every single 
human being is going to go to heaven. So Jesus speaks of this 
comprehensive authority, but a subset of that is that are 
those whom you have given me. This is particular. This is the 
priest functioning in terms of his intercession for those he's 
interceding for. Notice in verse nine, I pray 
for them. I do not pray for the world. 
Could you imagine the modern response to that if they actually 
knew what he was saying? Well, that's not fair. He's Jesus. He should pray for 
everybody. But he's not. As I mentioned 
before, by way of analogy or by way of parallel, the priest 
on the day of atonement in Leviticus 16, when he lays his hands upon 
the scapegoat, he confesses the sins of Israel. Not the Hivites, 
not the Hittites, not the Jebusites or any of the other Canaanites. 
He confesses the sin of Israel. When they cut the throat of their 
animals, it's a substitute. It's a substitute for the one 
going back in Leviticus who is bringing that animal to be sacrificed. This one I'm cutting the throat 
of is taking my place. That ram caught in the thicket 
with Abraham and Isaac in Genesis chapter 22 is the substitute. He goes in the place of Isaac. So we see here particular redemption. We see limited atonement. Not 
limited in its efficacy, but limited in its scope, and that 
according to the Father. Now with reference to this, the 
rest of scripture highlights this. So again, you have given 
him authority over all flesh, that he should give eternal life 
to as many as you have given him. In the birth announcement 
of our Lord Jesus in Matthew chapter one, We read, you shall 
call his name Jesus. Why? For he will save who? Every single human being, every 
tribe, tongue, people, and nation comprehensively? No, he will 
save his people from their sins. John 6.37, I read it about five 
or seven minutes ago. All that the Father gives me 
will come to me. How do you deal with that as 
an Arminian? How do you deal with that as a Pelagian? How 
do you deal with that as a Universalist? You don't. You just skip it. You just bypass it. And I've 
seen this in theological debate and just, well, yeah, can't really 
mean that. Whosoever loves, you know, whoever, whoever, whosoever 
believes in him, they just totally evade it. You can't evade it 
based on John 6, 44. No one can come to me unless 
the Father who sent me draws him. You can't evade it in light 
of Ephesians 2, 1 to 3, lifeless, helpless, hopeless. You can't 
evade it in light of a Jeremiah 17, the heart is deceitful above 
all things and desperately wicked. You can't evade passages like 
these. Rather, you should embrace them 
and say, praise God, because I wasn't seeking Him. I wasn't 
looking for Him. I wasn't trying to fetch blessing 
from Him. He sought me. He found me. Doesn't Jesus say as much in 
Luke 19 with reference to Zacchaeus? Everybody's grumbling. Everybody's 
complaining. They're murmuring that Zacchaeus gets to be a guest 
with Jesus at supper. Jesus says, the Son of Man came 
to seek and to save that which was lost. That's always been 
the pattern. When Adam and Eve sin, they run 
from God. It's God who seeks them out. 
When the tower builders at Babel want to build a name for themselves 
and rise up into the heavens, what does God do? He scatters 
them by giving them many lips, many languages, and then he calls 
Abram out of Ur of the Chaldeans. Why? Because in you, all the 
nations of the earth will be blessed. The glory of the Christian 
gospel is not that we accept Jesus into our hearts, but that 
God is reconciling the world to himself through his blessed 
Son. It's not that we accepted Jesus, 
it's that God the Father purposed before the foundation of the 
world in predestination and election to be saved by the redeeming 
power and work and blood of our blessed Savior. Jesus is praying 
here in the way or in the manner of men. As you have given him 
authority over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to 
as many as you have given him. Now, that brings us then to this 
explanation of eternal life. I'm trying to think through it. 
It's almost parenthetical. Or he just amplifies this. when he mentions that he should 
give eternal life to as many as you have given him. And then 
in verse three, and this is eternal life, that they may know you, 
the only true God in Jesus Christ whom you have sent. He amplifies 
this concept of eternal life. And in this, I think he's glorifying 
the Father and glorifying the Son. Wherein doth eternal life 
consist? Heaven, yeah. Exceeding weight 
of glory, yeah. The communion of the saints without 
sin, without problems, without difficulties, yeah. All that's 
true. Where in death eternal life consists? 
Well, those gates of pearl, those streets of gold, Emmanuel's land, 
yeah. But even more foundationally 
and fundamentally, wherein doth eternal life consist, it's the 
knowledge of God. And Jesus, in his amplification 
here, I think is very instructive for all of us. I think, one, 
this emphasizes his consubstantiality with the Father. He puts himself 
on the side of the Father. In the hand of heretics, this 
passage is turned on its head and made to teach that Jesus 
isn't God. That's precisely what it's not 
teaching. The true God here is not in exclusion, 
the Father in exclusion to the Son and the Spirit. It's the 
false gods of men. They may know you, the only true 
God, and could a creature say that? Could one of us say that? The knowledge of the essence 
of eternal life is to know the Father and the Son. Rather than disavowing his equality 
with the Father according to his divinity, he owns it. He is the object of knowledge, 
which is the essence of eternal life. Again, in the hands of 
heretics, they make this text stand on its head. Jesus stresses 
consubstantiality, one in being with the Father, through this 
compound object of knowledge, and Jesus Christ, whom you have 
sent. As well, He gives us a window 
in to the relations that obtain between the Father and the Son. 
This sending of the Son by the Father reveals something to us 
of God in Himself. The Father is unbegotten, the 
Son is begotten by the Father, and the Spirit proceeds from 
the Father and the Son. And as well, with reference to 
gospel blessing and salvation, the supposition or assumption 
is, you don't know the Father without the Son. You don't know 
the Father without the Son. Look at the text, and this is 
eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus 
Christ, whom you have sent. Now, general revelation, God 
revealing himself to us in the creation, creational order and 
providential order, that's real knowledge. We truly learn of 
God's righteousness through the heavens that declare that. The 
creation around us teaches us something of God's eternal power, 
of his Godhead, and of the reality that it's righteous with God 
to punish and judge sinners. That's all from Romans chapter 
one, around 19 to 21, and then 32. The light of nature is a wonderful 
instructor for what it instructs us in. It tells us there's a 
God, that that God is awesome, and that we must worship that 
God. Of course, we suppress those 
truths in unrighteousness. We try to evade the created order. 
We try to explain it all away. But according to Paul, God says 
that man knows that he is. So general revelation gives us 
a notion, true notion, about who God is. The law of Moses 
teaches a lot about God, doesn't it? If I said to you, what does 
Moses' law teach? Well, it teaches us that God 
brooks no competitors. You have no other gods before 
me. It teaches us that God doesn't wanna be blasphemed. God says 
to keep a Sabbath day. God says to be subordinate to 
lawful authority. God says do not murder. God says 
don't commit adultery. God says don't steal. God says 
don't lie, don't covet. We know something of God's justice 
and righteousness. And if you read through the Old 
Testament, you'll learn a lot about his judgment, So the law 
of Moses teaches us much, general revelation teaches us much, but 
the way to the father is through the son, John 14. No one comes 
to the father except through me. Jesus says, I am the way, 
the truth and the life. So Jesus here is showing us that 
the way to the father is through the son. And then some might 
say, well, with all this sort of Trinitarian stuff going on 
in the passage, where's the Holy Spirit? Where's the spirit in 
all of this? Well, I'd say he's in chapter 
16 and he's in chapter 15, but he's right here too. Thomas makes 
this observation. No mention is made of the Holy 
Spirit because whenever the Father and the Son are mentioned, and 
especially in matters pertaining to the grandeur of the divinity, 
the Holy Spirit, who is the bond of the Father and the Son, is 
implied. It doesn't have to be specifically 
referenced or mentioned. Where you see the Father, the 
Son, and the Spirit are there. Where you see the Son, the Father, 
and the Spirit are there. Where you see the Spirit, the 
Father, and the Son are there. The unity of the divine nature, 
not parceled out, not divided up, not 33 and a third percent, 
not God Inc., but the one true and living God who exists eternally 
as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Now, for those of you who are 
wondering if we're gonna make it to verse five or not, we'll 
put verses four and five, God willing, into next Sunday morning. But I wanna just explore this 
in a practical way. Again, look at verse three. And 
this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God 
and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. Huh. The knowledge of theology matters? 
You had to know I was gonna go this way. You had to. The knowledge 
of Christology matters? You mean it's not just about 
five principles on how to be a better me? No, not even a little 
bit. This is eternal life, that they 
may know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou 
hast sent. Jesus puts himself on the side 
of the Father as the only true God. John identifies him as the 
only true God in 1 John 5, 20. And so what Jesus is saying here, 
when you boil it all down, yes, you're forgiven of your sins. 
You've been accepted by God as righteous in his sight only for 
the righteousness of Christ imputed to you and received by faith 
alone. All that's true. So now what? We're believers 
in Christ, now what? Learn, study, meditate, contemplate, 
dive in. You've been brought out of darkness 
into marvelous light. Enjoy the view. Enjoy the scene. Enjoy the data given by God that 
instructs us on who He is. I think at times as believers, 
we get pretty well caught up in what God has given to us or 
what God has done for us. And I'm not suggesting we shouldn't 
get caught up in that. It's glorious. He's given us 
life. He's given us justification. 
He's sanctifying us. He's going to glorify us. It's 
good to contemplate the gifts of God. Specifically, that chief 
gift in the provision of His Son, God so loved the world that 
He gave His only begotten Son. We always think about what God 
has done. Let's think more about who God 
is. The God who is what He has done. In fact, in the prophet 
Jeremiah, God says this is really what's important. In Jeremiah 
chapter nine, specifically in verses 23 and 24, let not the 
wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory 
in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches. That's 
pretty. contra or paradoxical with reference 
to reality, what do wise men usually glory at? Their wisdom, 
right? And they'll tell you, I'm so 
wise. You should hear my nuggets. Sit at my feet, plebe, and listen 
to me ooze wisdom. Notice, let not the mighty man 
glory in his might. Isn't that precisely what the 
mighty man does? A guy with the 18-inch guns and 
the rocket chest puts a tight t-shirt on because he wants everybody 
to see his might. He's at the gym doing more weight 
than he should do because he wants them to see his might. 
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches. Well, that's kind 
of not the way it actually goes. I've got this, and I've got that, 
and I've got these, and I've got those. That's all fleeting. Notice the contrast, but let 
him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows 
me, that I am the Lord, exercising loving kindness, judgment, and 
righteousness in the earth, for in these I delight. See, what 
God does is not remove from who God is. But who God is, is a 
crucial investigation for those who have benefited from what 
God gives. And in the church today, we need 
to think through the doctrine of God. We need to think about 
the triunity of God. We need to think about the essential 
nature or unity of God. We need to think about who Jesus 
is. We need to make this our pursuit. These are good things. Listen 
to Gill's explanation of this knowledge. He says, but this 
is to be understood of an evangelical knowledge of God as the God and 
Father of Christ, as the God of all grace, pardoning iniquity, 
transgression, and sin, and of Christ as mediator, not a general, 
notional, and speculative knowledge, but a practical and experimental 
one, a knowledge of approbation and appropriation, a fiducial 
one, whereby a soul believes in Christ and trusts in his blood, 
righteousness, and sacrifice for salvation, and which, though 
imperfect, is progressive." Now, brethren, I just want to end 
on this. The Westminster Divines asked, what is the chief end 
of man? Chief end of man isn't your happiness. That's not a 
bad thing. Chief end of man isn't a bigger 
portfolio, more wisdom, more strength. The chief end of man 
is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. How do we glorify 
God and enjoy Him forever? Well, faith in the Lord Jesus 
Christ. When we're dead in our trespasses 
and sins, miserable wretches under God's wrath and curse, 
we don't glorify God. We don't know God savingly. We don't look to God experimentally 
or experientially. We don't usually care about God. But when we're saved by God's 
grace through faith in Jesus, when we come to grips with the 
reality that Jesus gives eternal life that all the Father had 
given to Him, when by that grace we believe, what is the reflex 
of that? It's to study and to know and 
to learn of God so that we may glorify Him and that we may enjoy 
Him forever. Isn't that the way it ought to 
be? And if you're wondering, is he 
gonna hammer me right now that I need to read my Bible tomorrow? 
Yes, he is. The Bible isn't a chore. One 
of the things we noticed in our studies in Numbers, Numbers 21, 
a talking donkey. I defy anybody in the universe 
to tell me that the Bible is a boring book. It's not a boring 
book. You got a donkey reproving his 
master. That's exciting, brethren. That's 
good stuff. You got the story of Jonah, swallowed 
by the great fish. You got the life and ministry 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. You've got the kings of Israel. 
You've got Elijah on Mount Carmel, mocking the prophets of Baal. 
Maybe your God's on the toilet. You've got glorious truth in 
the Bible. I'm not gonna lambast, I'm not 
gonna harangue, I'm gonna encourage. There's everything in the Bible 
that you should want to read. Everything about that book you 
should want to value and prize. Understand the Old Testament 
and promise and anticipation and the New Testament and fulfillment 
and realization. Understand that when the apostle 
says, in the fullness of time, God sent forth his son, born 
of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, 
all that is behind that in terms of the Old Testament, in terms 
of a Genesis 3.15 promise, a Genesis 22 typology of the finished work 
of the Lord Jesus, the announcement of a prophet like Moses, but 
not in Deuteronomy 18.15, The Psalter, I've been struck 
with one of the old brothers that I've been reading recently. 
And he just says, Christ says of himself in the Psalms. Christ 
says of himself in the Psalms. Christ says of himself in the 
Psalms. If the essence of eternal life 
is the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ, whom he has sent, if 
that is it, that ought to affect the way that we live, our pursuits, 
our desires. I'm not telling you, quit your 
jobs, brothers. You know, come here every day 
and just study the text of scripture up there in the fellowship hall, 
shave your heads too, and learn to drink really dark black coffee 
and get yourself a Jetta, and we'll just all do this together. 
That's all I'm saying. I know that life is busy. I know 
that there's a lot of hands on our time. I get all that. But 
in many ways, brethren, we have been more help than any generation 
ever before us. We don't even have to physically 
wash dishes or clothes. We don't have to do things that 
people used to have to do by hand. We don't have to do that. We don't have to walk 10 miles 
to work. Ah, man, it's 10 miles. I struggle 
with having pulpit swaps with my, just a little outing of myself 
here, because it's such a far drive. And I get home late. Please don't rat me out to the 
Surrey people. I love them. Whenever I'm there, I'm happy. 
They meet at six. I'm home at nine. It's just a 
big thing. The point is, it's an air-conditioned, heated vehicle. Why does it never occur to us 
that in our pursuit of theology and the knowledge of God and 
Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent, we could actually get up a little 
earlier? We could actually not read something else that we were 
going to read? We can actually not watch something else that 
we were going to watch? We can actually not go to a sporting 
event that we were otherwise going to go to? Again, I'm not 
calling it a monkery. I'm not calling you to withdraw 
from the world and just study the scriptures. I mean, if you 
can do that and finance it, more power to you. But all of us, 
in every single day, have a little bit more time than we think. 
If the very essence of eternal life is the knowledge of God 
and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent, that really ought to affect 
us at some level individually with reference to the intake 
of scripture. I would suggest as well church 
attendance. Be a David. I was glad when they 
said unto me, let us go to the house of the Lord. Let us go 
to the house of the Lord. The Wednesday night study. If 
you've ever learned or read or heard of the book of Numbers 
or been anywhat familiar with it, there's a lot we don't know. 
There's a lot at the end. I say, comments? I don't want 
questions and comments because I don't think I can answer the 
questions. If you want to comment, comment till the cows come home. 
But it's getting us into the ballpark with what's happening 
in redemptive history. Why? Because the very essence 
of eternal life is that they may know thee, the only true 
God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. The God of Numbers 
21 is glorious. You should want to know him, 
who causes an ass to talk and rebuke his master that's very 
upset with him. That God is the most exciting 
object for investigation that there could ever be. So it ought 
to affect us at the individual level. It ought to affect us 
corporately. And if you're not a believer, 
my encouragement to you is to believe. The essence of eternal 
life is the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ whom he has 
sent The way to the father is through the son, so believe on 
him and you shall be saved. Well, let us pray. Our father 
in heaven, thank you for your word. Thank you for our Lord's 
prayer here in John 17. We ask God that you would just 
encourage our hearts, build us up in our most holy faith and 
cause us to take the prophet's admonition and not to boast in 
our wisdom, to boast in our might or to boast in our riches, but 
to boast in the reality that we know you. that we know your 
divine perfections as they're revealed in the created order 
and even more so in special revelation, and that we know your son, the 
Lord Jesus Christ, who came out of heaven or from heaven for 
us men and for our salvation. We thank you for your mercies 
to us. We thank you for your grace. Pray for your blessing 
upon the gospel wherever it is preached, that many would come 
to a saving knowledge of the Lord of glory. And we pray in 
Jesus' name. Amen. Well, you can stand and 
we'll