← Back to sermon library

Will please turn in your Bibles 
to John's Gospel, John Chapter 17. Our focus this morning will 
just be verses four and five, but I do want to read the entirety 
of the High Priestly Prayer. That's what we call this section 
in John's Gospel. After the upper room discourse, 
Jesus prays. Remember, the prayer probably, 
well, I know it didn't take as long as it's gonna take for us 
to work our way through it, so when Jesus speaks of the hour 
having come, he is gonna then be ushered into the passion, 
specifically in terms of his suffering and death. You see 
that in chapter 18, after he prays the high priestly prayer, 
when Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples 
over the brook Kidron where there was a garden. So we move quickly, 
or the history of our Lord at this point is moving somewhat 
quickly, As I said, he takes this time to pray, so I'll read 
beginning in verse 1. 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 finished, or 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 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 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. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father in Heaven, we thank you for this beautiful day. We thank 
you for the demonstration of your wisdom and your power and 
your goodness in the created order. As well, we acknowledge 
your glory in the providential order, that you govern all your 
creatures and all their actions. And on the Lord's Day in particular, 
we remember you and your redemptive work. We thank you for the gospel 
of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for his perfect life 
of obedience, his death as a sacrifice and substitute, and his resurrection 
again the third day. And we pray now that the Holy 
Spirit would guide us as we consider these very solemn words prayed 
on this particular occasion prior to his arrest in Gethsemane. 
Forgive us now for all of our sins and all unrighteousness, 
cleanse us in that precious blood of the Lamb, cause us to live 
in light of the gospel of our salvation, and to always remember 
that when we do sin, we have an advocate with the Father, 
even Jesus Christ the righteous. And God, for any and all who've 
come here this morning dead in their trespasses and sins, We 
pray that You would awaken them by Your Spirit, cause them to 
see their sin before a holy God, and may they see in Christ, that 
one in whom alone there is forgiveness and a righteousness that avails 
with You. And we ask this in Jesus' name, 
Amen. Well, as I said, this is a wonderful 
passage of scripture, not just by way of example. Jesus teaches, 
instructs his disciples, and then he prays. That's a good 
model or a good example for preachers of the word. We should pray that 
God's blessing would come upon that. But when Jesus prays, he 
prays first for himself in verses one to five. He then prays for 
the apostles in verses six to 19, and then he prays for all 
believers in verses 20 to 26. As I said, It's been called the 
high priestly prayer of our Lord. So last time we saw in this petition 
for himself the occasion. Notice in 17.1, Jesus spoke these 
words, primarily the upper room, chapters 13 to 16. And then he 
lifted up his eyes to heaven and he said, father, the hour 
has come. Now the hour refers to his death. The hour refers to that main 
purpose for which the son of man came. Certainly Jesus came 
to set forth a good example and we'll look at that a little bit 
later. The primary emphasis upon Jesus' mission is that He is 
the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He didn't 
just come to show us how to live and how we ought to treat one 
another. But no, he came in order to fulfill all of God's law that 
was placed upon us with reference to how we should live and how 
we should deal with one another. We don't do that because we sin. In Adam, we're dead. And as a 
result of that, actual transgressions proceed from our heart. And what 
we find in scripture is that all of us, all of our hearts 
are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. So we 
didn't just need a bit of an example from a really good man, 
but we needed the perfect obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ imputed 
to us and received by faith alone. We needed blood atonement, for 
as the Apostle says in Hebrews 9.22, without the shedding of 
blood, there is no remission. If you're familiar with the Old 
Covenant or the Old Testament, you will see that that was the 
yearly reminder of their sin and the necessity for atonement 
was on that day of atonement. So Christ comes to save His people 
from their sins, and as He's praying, the hour has come upon 
Him, His death, His resurrection, His ascension on high, and His 
session at the right hand of the Father. Now, after the occasion, 
we notice the content of his prayer. He requests glory in 
verse 1. Father, the hour has come. Glorify 
your Son that your Son also may glorify you. Now remember, he's 
praying this as the God-man. He's praying this as the mediator. He's not praying this according 
to his divinity. As God, he is prayed to. As man, 
he prays to God. And so here he is speaking specifically 
in that context, that the Father glorified the Son, and then reciprocally, 
what's the word here? In reciprocal nature, yeah, that 
word's too tough for me right now. Reciprocally, reciprocally, 
whatever. Whatever. Yeah, thank you. Whatever 
they said. Back and forth, one to another. The glory of the Son magnifies 
the Father, and we see that specifically purposed in the triune God. So Jesus is praying according 
to His humanity, and He requests glory. And then he gives specific 
reasons why he should receive that glory and thus the Father 
be glorified in him. We noted last time the predestined 
mission of Christ in verses 2 and 3. Notice, as you have given 
him authority over all flesh. We know he's speaking according 
to his humanity. As the second person of the triune 
God, he always has authority. But he's speaking in that capacity 
as the mediator of the New Covenant wherein God the Father gave to 
the Son all that authority. And he doesn't just have this 
comprehensive authority over every tribe and tongue and people 
and nation, but it has a specific focus on the salvation of the 
elect. Notice in verse 2, as you have given him authority 
over all flesh, that, why does the Father give authority to 
the Son over all flesh? So that He should give eternal 
life to as many as you have given Him. Not to every single human 
being without exception. But all men, women, boys and 
girls, without distinction, that the Father had purpose to save, 
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, 
in love having predestined us unto adoption as sons by Christ 
Jesus our Lord. Jesus speaks this language in 
John 6.37. He says, all that the Father 
gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will 
not cast out. This is absolutely crucial because 
in John 6.44 he says, no one can come to me unless the Father 
who sent me draws him. So if dead sinners are to be 
saved, it's not owing to the wisdom, the ingenuity, the good 
works, or the good decisions of those dead sinners. It's owing 
to God's grace, the riches of His grace. And so Jesus acknowledges 
here at the outset of the hour that the Father will be glorified 
in the Son. As a result, the Father will 
glorify the Son. And then he gives this statement 
in verse three, this is eternal life, that they may know you, 
the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. It's 
the sum and substance of eternal life. That's the essence of eternal 
life. Certainly heaven's gonna be glorious, 
gates of pearl and streets of gold, and all the saints from 
every age gathered together before the lamp. But the glory of Immanuel's 
land is Immanuel himself, and the essence of eternal life is 
the knowledge of the Father and the Son. And the Spirit is obviously 
included, because wherever the Father and the Son are, there 
the Spirit is as well. So now notice, he moves from 
the predestined mission to the completed mission in verses 4 
and 5. Note what he says, 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. So he speaks here, again, with 
reference to the glory of the Father. But he speaks what we'll 
call proleptically. That means that something is 
as good as done. Your wife might say, I want you 
to mow the lawn tomorrow. And you say, it's as good as 
done. Well, here Jesus is referring 
to the hour as having been fulfilled, having been completed. That's 
the emphasis there in verse four. I have glorified you on the earth. Certainly, his life and ministry 
up to this point, the signs and the wonders that he had done, 
the healing miracles, the raising of the dead, the saving of sinners 
glorified the Father. But remember, he's living now, 
or he's speaking now in light of that hour. and he sees that 
hour and he sees that it's accomplished. So he's speaking proleptically. 
He's also speaking covenantally. The father gave to the son a 
certain number of persons the son covenanted to come into this 
world to save those persons by his grace and for his glory. 
He's speaking covenantally. The specific covenant we would 
refer to is the covenant of redemption. I would suggest as well he's 
speaking resolutely. There's no sort of, I may possibly 
not go through with this, I may back out at the last moment if 
the pain and the suffering is too much or the increase is too 
much, then I leave that exit gate as an option. No, it doesn't 
speak that way. I have glorified you on the earth. In the prophet Isaiah, in the 
third servant song, so our brother read, was it the first or second? 
Was it 42 or 49? 49. 42, the first servant song of Isaiah. 
Then there's another one in 49, and then in chapter 50, and then 
in chapter 53. And the servant there is Jesus, it's the Messiah. We know that from lots of things 
going on in the prophet Isaiah, but we know it as well from that 
meeting of Philip with the Ethiopian eunuch. Remember when Philip 
happens upon, in God's sovereign providence, that Ethiopian eunuch, 
and the Ethiopian eunuch is reading the prophet Isaiah in chapter 
53. And Philip asks him a question, asks him if he understands, and 
he says, how would I unless somebody explains it? And so the place 
where the eunuch was reading was Isaiah 53. And so it says 
there that Philip preached Jesus to him. And then in Isaiah 50, 
that third servant song, listen to the resoluteness of the Messiah 
that is to come. So, prophetically, the mouth 
of our blessed Savior, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, all 
through the prophets everywhere, all through the Psalms of David, 
He speaks concerning His mission. He's not going to shrink back. 
He's not going to deny. He's not going to not go through 
with it. He speaks resolutely. Luke 9, 
when it's time to depart to Jerusalem, it says, It came to pass, when 
the time had come for him to be received up, that he steadfastly 
set his face to go to Jerusalem. He steadfastly, he set his face 
like a flint. He's not shrinking back. He will 
not be prevailed upon, even by Simon Peter. Matthew chapter 
16, the Lord announces that he's going to go to Jerusalem. He 
must be tried. He must be found guilty. He must be crucified. 
And Simon Peter tries to forbid it and prohibit him. And so Jesus 
rebukes him and says, get behind me, Satan. You're not setting 
your mind upon God's things. You're rather setting them on 
man's things. Jesus announces that again in Matthew 17. He 
announces it again in Matthew chapter 20. And then the several 
references to the hour in John's gospel indicates to us that he's 
resolute. And I think that's encouraging. 
The reality that Jesus came into this world not to be frustrated, 
not to be thwarted, not to be stopped. but to conquer, to give 
His life a ransom for many, to bring that forgiveness of sins 
that you and I desperately need, and to give us that righteous 
robe that we desperately need so that we can stand in the presence 
of God Almighty. He didn't haphazardly kind of 
obey in order to accomplish this. He was resolute. He was determined 
every step of the way. He lived in light of that hour, 
and that's what John is telling us as we get this window into 
the high priestly prayer of our Lord. And I would say he spoke 
comprehensively. I have glorified you on the earth, 
as I mentioned earlier, in his public ministry. in His raising 
of the dead, in His feeding of the thousands. In all that He 
did, it had glorified the Father up to this point. But here He 
is speaking beyond His life to the death, to the resurrection, 
to the ascension, and to the session. I have glorified you. My ministry has been blessed. I have fulfilled all that was 
given to me." Matthew Poole says God could not be glorified by 
Christ, so look at the language, I have glorified you on the earth. 
Listen to what Poole says. There's a lot of theology in 
this passage. I'm going to lean on Poole and Gill and maybe another 
one or two along the way. But he says, God could not be 
glorified by Christ by the addition of anything to his essential 
glory. The theologians of old, and hopefully the ones of new, 
make that distinction between the essential glory of God and 
the declarative or demonstrable glory of God. When Paul says, 
blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that 
means to speak well of God. It doesn't mean to add anything 
to God. So what Poole is saying is that 
Jesus, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and session don't 
make God more glorious essentially. God is glorious. There's no increase, there's 
no diminishment, there's no addition or subtraction. We don't make 
God more glorious, and I think that Poole is on the right path 
here. He's not suggesting that through 
the work of the Savior, through the work of the Son, that the 
Father gets more glorious. No, the Son's work reveals more 
of that glory to us. It is a manifestation. It is 
a demonstration. It is evidenced. God could not 
be glorified by Christ by the addition of anything to His essential 
glory. only by manifesting to the world 
his father's goodness, justice, mercy, truth, wisdom, and other 
of his attributes, all attributes which are manifested in the life, 
death, and resurrection of the blessed son. But then notice 
what Jesus goes on to say. After he says in verse 4a, I 
have glorified you on the earth, he then says, I have finished 
the work which you have given me to do. I have finished the 
work which you have given me to do." What's that work? Hopefully 
everybody right now is thinking in their head, life, death, resurrection, 
ascension, session. I have finished the work which 
you have given me to do. Now specifically, I think the 
context, or rather the reference, is to his earthly ministry. And 
here we see something of what we call in theology the active 
obedience of Jesus Christ. Some in the history of the church, 
and probably today in a pulpit somewhat similar to ours, at 
least in construction. I don't know, this is a pretty 
nice pulpit. Somebody's preaching that in 
Jesus there is forgiveness to be had. We preach that too. We believe that. The psalmist 
said, if thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who 
could stand? But there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be 
feared. That day of atonement when that high priest laid his 
hands upon that scapegoat and he confessed the transgressions 
of Israel and then sent it out into the wilderness, it was a 
blessed, blessed picture type and prefigurement of what we 
have in our Lord Jesus. But the forgiveness of sins is 
one part of the doctrine of justification. It's not only forgiveness that 
we have in the gospel, but it's also a righteousness that we 
have in the gospel. Remember Paul in Romans 1, he 
says, I'm not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of 
God unto salvation for everyone who believes, to the Jew first 
and also to the Greek. And then he says, for in it, 
the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed. That doesn't 
just mean the perfection of God's rightness. But it means in comparison 
with other texts with reference to this theme, the righteousness 
that God demands and the righteousness that God supplies. So he opens 
his declaration of the great gospel there in Romans chapter 
one on that note. So we call the obedience of our 
Lord Jesus in his earthly life the act of obedience of our Lord. So notice again in verse four, 
I have finished the work which you have given me to do. Jesus 
was an example. When we get back to Philippians 
chapter 2 verses 5 to 11, there is great, great Christology there 
in the context of the exhortation in verses 1 to 4 about being 
humble, about being unified, about being loving. Have this 
mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus. So the life of 
Christ is certainly an example. Peter invokes it that way in 
1 Peter 2 as well. Suffer the way that Jesus did. 
But that's not the only part of it. And in fact, we ought 
not to miss the most significant part of it, which is his active 
obedience under the law. Jesus was not only our substitute 
on the cross, he was our substitute in that 33 years of blessed obedience 
to the Father. We need righteousness. We need 
forgiveness, but we also need righteousness. And Jesus is amplifying 
that thought here for us. Turn back to John's Gospel, chapter 
4, just to see an emphasis on the active obedience of our Lord. 
just by way of it being fulfilled or being done, and then we'll 
look at a bit of theology in some other passages to show the 
significance behind it. Notice in John 4, verse 34, my 
food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his 
work. Brethren, again, don't misunderstand 
me. That should exemplify the way 
that we live. Our food should be to obey God. 
But let's just be honest, it's not. And that's why it was for 
Jesus. Now, I'm saying we should get 
better. As God's people, be better. You know, everybody loves that 
phrase. They love to hear that, be better. You're going to hear 
that this morning, be better. But with reference to Jesus, 
He actually did it. My food is to do the will of 
Him who sent me and to finish His work. Notice in 530. John 
5.30, again, the fact that Jesus does what the Father sent Him 
to do. I can of myself do nothing, as 
I hear I judge, and my judgment is righteous, because I do not 
seek my own will, but the will of the Father who sent me. Notice 
in John 6 at verse 38, 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. 
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." Look at 829. 829. It's 
all the way through John's Gospel. We've been in it for a bit. We've 
seen Jesus' obedience to the Father. Here in 17.4 in the High 
Priestly Prayer, He says, I have fulfilled the work. We shouldn't 
be surprised in 17.4 because we've seen him fulfilling that 
work every step of the way. Notice specifically in John 8 
at verse 29. He says, and he who sent me is 
with me. The Father has not left me alone, 
for I always do those things that please Him. We needed that 
because we didn't always do what pleased Him. It's the forgiveness 
of sins that we have in that Lamb of God who takes away the 
sin of the world. But it's that robe of righteousness laid upon 
us such that we're fit to enter in to God's presence. It's the 
glory of the gospel, justification by faith alone. And hopefully 
right now you're saying, we hear this a lot. Brethren, I'm a Martin 
Luther. I preach justification by faith 
alone every Sunday because people forget it. by every Sunday. It is something that we have 
to keep fresh in our minds. It is the doing and the dying 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was delivered up for our offenses. He was raised for our justification. So we have the accomplishment 
of the act of obedience of our Savior. Note the theology in 
Romans chapter 3. Romans chapter 3. Romans 3 is a contrast, 321 with 
118. 118 begins with the wrath of 
God revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who 
suppress the truth and unrighteousness. And then Paul goes on to condemn 
the Gentiles, and he goes on to condemn the Jews, and he comes 
to bring that to conclusion in chapter 3, verses 1 to 19 by 
saying, all men everywhere are under the just condemnation of 
a holy God. And then in verse 21, he shifts 
directions. He says, but now the righteousness 
of God apart from the law is revealed. Again, brethren, it's 
not the perfection or the attribute of God's rightness, but it's 
how God not only is righteous, but supplies a righteousness 
to needy sinners so that God can be both just and the justifier 
of the one who has faith in Jesus. That's Paul's point here. Before 
Paul gets into the beauty of justification by faith for the 
sinner, Romans 4, end of Romans 3 and end of Romans 4, he first 
says how this vindicates, demonstrates, and glorifies God. God's justice 
and His righteousness, they're not compromised in the gospel, 
they're upheld in the gospel. Notice again in 321, but now 
the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being 
witnessed by the law and the prophets. In other words, this 
isn't some brand new thing. When he gets to proving it, he 
goes to David, he goes to Abraham. It's witnessed in the Law and 
the Prophets. Even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus 
Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference. 
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Being 
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is 
in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His 
blood through faith to demonstrate His righteousness because in 
His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously 
committed to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness 
that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has 
faith in Jesus. Notice in 5.18. 5.18. Again, we've got the act of obedience 
of Jesus spoken of as fulfilled and completed in John 17.4. We 
see the theology of active obedience applied to the elect in the New 
Testament epistles. Notice in 5.18, therefore, as 
through one man's offense, judgment came to all men, resulting in 
condemnation, even so through one man's righteous act, the 
free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. In 
Adam all die, in Christ all shall be made alive. God deals with 
man through the framework of the first Adam or the last Adam. 
Notice in verse 19, for as by one man's disobedience many were 
made sinners, so also by one man's obedience many will be 
made righteous. Better constituted or reckoned 
righteous. It's the imputation of Christ's 
righteousness to the elect, forgiveness of sins. We associate that with 
what we call passive obedience to the law. But we have this 
imputed righteousness. In Psalm, our metaphor form, 
we're cleansed in his blood, clothed in his righteousness. 
Notice in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. This is a necessary emphasis, 
brethren. I know you hear it a lot, but it's something you 
need to hear a lot. We don't compromise on this aspect 
of the imputation of Christ's act of obedience. It is crucial 
that we get this, forgiveness and righteousness in justification 
by faith. Notice in 2 Corinthians 5.21, 
for he made him, Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, 
that we might become the righteousness of God in him. And then one final 
text, not the final text, there's other texts, but notice in Philippians 
3.9. Philippians 3.9. He speaks concerning gaining 
Christ, that's what he says at the end of verse 8, he says, 
and be found in him, not having my own righteousness which is 
from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the 
righteousness which is from God by faith. So the theology of 
Christ's words here in the High Priestly Prayer works out in 
this way. Through his bloodshed, you have 
forgiveness. Through his life lived, you have 
righteousness. In other words, you have everything 
in Jesus. Paul says as much in 1 Corinthians 
1, 30 to 31. He is the wisdom of God. He is our righteousness, our 
sanctification, our redemption. All that a sinner needs is to 
be found in Christ. And for us as sinners, saved 
by grace, hopefully this is a time to muse and reflect and say, 
man, praise God that Jesus in this high priestly prayer was 
able to glorify the Father and fulfill the work of all that 
the Father had given to Him. But if you're not a believer, 
realize that Jesus is a real Savior for real sinners. He doesn't 
get frustrated. He doesn't get thwarted. He doesn't 
get stopped. He does say, and make sure we 
understand this in John 6.37, all that the Father gives me 
will come to me. And then he goes on to say, and the one who 
comes to me I will certainly not cast out. So there might 
be, especially depending on your church background as you're represented 
here, well how do I know I've been given to the Father? How 
do I know that I'm elect? How do I know that I've been 
chosen in Him before the foundation of the world? In other words, 
you feel like you have to sort of square that edge before you'll 
believe the gospel. May I just suggest believe the 
gospel? Let God deal with the sovereignty 
issues. Let God deal with all that the 
Father has given. Will come. Just listen to the 
will come. or the one who comes to me, I 
will certainly not cast out." In other words, he is a real 
savior for real sinners. There's everything in Christ. 
The Song of Solomon describes him as altogether lovely and 
chief among ten thousand. He's the one that's described 
by the bride in the Song of Solomon in such a way that the daughters 
of Jerusalem say, where is your beloved that we may find him 
too? In other words, He is everything. And so when He speaks here concerning 
His hour, and He says, I have finished the work which you have 
given Me to do, the blessed reality is, is that our confession of 
faith is not making this up. When it speaks of what salvation 
or justification by faith is not, it then goes on to say, 
but by imputing Christ's active obedience unto the whole law 
and passive obedience in his death for their whole and soul 
righteousness by faith, which faith they have not of themselves, 
it is the gift of God. It is most blessed, most wondrous 
what we have in justification by faith. Now notice in our text 
Jesus continues and speaks once again of the glory of the Son. 
He does that in verse 5. in terms of completion, the finishing 
of the work, and then in verse 5, and now, O Father, glorify 
me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You 
before the world was. Now, there is an incorrect interpretation 
of this passage, and it kind of goes like this. Christ had 
glory, Christ gave up glory, and now Christ wants glory back. 
That's incorrect. Christ had glory, Christ gave 
up glory, and now Christ wants glory back. The word is kenosis, 
okay? We'll get to this in Philippians 
2, which I had hoped to be tonight, but it's not gonna be tonight. 
But in Philippians 2, in the ESV, for instance, it says, and 
he emptied himself. the King James tradition has, 
he made himself of no reputation, which is a good interpretation. 
I'm going to suggest you can use emptied himself as long as 
you nuance it and share it or explain it properly, but kenosis 
is basically the Greek word for empty oneself. It's become a 
theory or a doctrine where Christ got rid of or divested himself 
or put out of view completely his divinity and hence his glory. And so the idea is that he had 
glory, he gave up glory, and he's now praying for glory to 
return to him in verse 5. I don't think that's correct. 
Remember, the whole emphasis in the section is that Jesus 
is praying according to his humanity. As God, he is prayed unto, as 
man, he prays to God. And so what Jesus is not doing 
here is evidencing or demonstrating that he was glory-less at any 
time in his work of mediation. In fact, turn back to John 1, 
just to show that this is incorrect. that he had divinity, gave up 
divinity, and the glory associated with it. And then, now, there's 
a modified kenosis. Those who say that he gave up 
the glory probably don't mean, I hope they don't mean, that 
he gave up the divinity as well. I'm sure there are those out 
there. But notice in John 1, 14. And it's speaking of the 
mediatorial office of the Word. And the Word became flesh and 
dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the 
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Look 
at 2.11. 2.11. Just to show that He didn't 
have glory, give it up totally and entirely, and now asks for 
it back in verse 5. of chapter 17. 2.11. This beginning 
of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory 
and His disciples believed in Him. Look at 12.41. 12.41. 1241 in terms of Isaiah, these things 
Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him. Probably not 
the best example because that's a bit of a tricky one to explain, 
but look in the context of the high priestly prayer in 1722. 
1722, in the glory which you gave me, 
I have given them, that they may be one just as we are one. So the idea that Christ was completely 
devoid of glory is not correct. He had glory. The Word became 
flesh, dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as 
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." The 
idea, however, is that it's associated with His work as Redeemer. His work as mediator, just like 
in verse two when it says that the father has given the son 
authority over all flesh. That cannot speak to Christ concerning 
his divinity because he always had authority over all flesh. And even in verse 5, the glory 
that is restored or given or upped, it's not according to 
His divinity. Christ as God is never devoid 
of a drop of glory. But Christ as God-man, Christ 
as mediator of the New Covenant, Christ at the brink of the hour 
that He is going to fulfill, that He's going to accomplish, 
the work that the Father sent Him to do being completed, glorify 
me as the God-man. Glorify me as the mediator. Glorify me on the condition of 
me having fulfilled all that was laid upon me with reference 
to the covenant of redemption. It's obviously not a had glory, 
no glory, wants glory back. had glory, continued to have 
glory, and says with reference to the glory, based upon the 
hour, the glory of the God-man who has fulfilled everything 
that the Father had given him to do. It's the glorification 
of Christ as mediator. It's the glorification of Christ 
as redeemer. It's the glorification of Christ 
as triumphant Lord. Remember, in John 16, 33, he 
says, in this world, you will have tribulation, but be of good 
cheer. I've overcome the world. He's not speaking there according 
to his divinity. As God, he's always overcome 
the world. But he's speaking there as triumphant Lord, as 
successful servant, as the one whom the prophets had spoken, 
as the one who is the yea and amen of all the promises of God. 
And on that, he says, glorify your son. Glorify me with that 
glory which I had with you before the world was. Gil, this is a 
bit of a lengthy quote, but I think he gets it. I'm sure he'd love 
to hear my affirmation that he got it. I mean, this guy forgot 
more theology than I'll ever know. His footnotes show a breadth 
of reading that is amazing. I doubt he ever slept. I don't 
know, maybe it was the chocolate that he ate. Didn't he eat chocolate 
for breakfast? Maybe that energized him and empowered him such that 
he could read old rabbis and the history of the church. He 
was a machine. He was a machine. But he says, 
nor is the glory of the divine nature abstractly considered 
here meant. He says, this glory indeed Christ 
had from everlasting. So think back with me to John 
1.1. In the beginning was the word, the word was with God, 
and the word was God. Christ had glory as the word 
who was with God and who was God. What is being commented 
on is the John 114 reality. The word became flesh. How do we deal with that? Well, 
the history of the church has shown us how we deal with that 
and thankfully have given us some good strategies or tips 
or tactics, we call those in theology hermeneutics, to deal 
with it. In fact, 2025 is the 1700 year 
anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. You're probably gonna 
see lots of books this year on Nicaea, articles on Nicaea, and 
that's good. In fact, Grant just recently 
had one on Nicaea. Everybody's celebrating, why? 
Because Nicaea made up the doctrine of the Trinity. No, no, no, no, 
no. they articulated what the Bible 
teaches concerning the doctrine of the Trinity. So Gill says, 
this glory Christ had from everlasting, he had it with his father in 
common with him, being in union to him. And it is true that it 
was in some measure veiled and covered in his state of humiliation. 
Nobody's arguing that. Nobody says, well, you know, 
he didn't just walk around glowing like a light bulb. Of course 
not. The incarnation itself was a veil, right? He walked among 
us, He ate, He drank, He suffered, He died, He bled. Yeah, the glory 
of the unchanging God was veiled. Again, that's not the issue. 
As long as you're careful and you nuance, you can talk about 
veiling, you can talk about even hiding, it's hid through the 
incarnation, the assumption of our flesh. So he says, it is 
true that it was in some measure veiled and covered in a state 
of humiliation. For though there were some breakings 
forth of it in that state. Think the Mount of Transfiguration. Remember that? This wonderful, 
glorious sort of vision or reality of Christ and his glory. But 
that wasn't the norm. We look at the Mount of Transfiguration 
as a unique event because he didn't walk down the streets 
in Israel shining as a light. No, the prophet tells us. He 
has no form, no comeliness. There's nothing in him that would 
attract us to him. It wasn't that he had all these 
things. He says, these were seen but 
by a few, wherefore he is thought by some to pray here for the 
manifestation of this glory. He says, but this glory was essential 
to him. As God, it was essential to him. That's not how he's praying in 
17.5. He's praying as the mediator. He says, it was his natural right 
and not to be prayed for, and which he then had as much as 
ever, and of which there could be no suspension. Glory in the 
divine, like love in the divine, like righteousness in the divine, 
like justice in the divine. We could do this for a while. 
All the perfections of God They don't get turned on and off. They don't increase or diminish. God is His perfections. All that is in God is God. There's 
no variation. There's no turning. There's no 
mutability. No. All that is in God is God 
all the time, and Christ as God the Son was true of Him. He says, 
but this designs the glory of him as God-man and mediator. He was not only predestinated 
to be a mediator, but was really set up as such from everlasting, 
and had a mediatorial fullness of grace put into his hands, 
and had the honor and glory of that office given unto him by 
the other two persons. And now that he might appear 
to be what he was, to be made, that is, made manifest, that 
he was both Lord and Christ, He here prays, which was to be 
done upon his ascension to heaven and session at the right hand 
of God by the pouring down of the Holy Ghost. It's an obvious 
reference to Acts 2, therefore let all the house of Israel know 
assuredly that God has made this Jesus both Lord and Christ. It is for that as the mediator. One other quote from Matthew 
Poole, it's a bit shorter, might stretch the mind at least in 
one direction, but it needs to be stretched in that direction. 
Let the glory which as to my divine nature I had with thee 
before the foundation of the world be communicated also to 
my human nature. that my whole person may be made 
glorious. From hence is easily concluded 
against those who deny the Godhead of Christ that Christ was glorified 
with his father before the world was, which he could not have 
been if he had not been eternal God. He here begs of his father 
that that glory might shine upon his person as mediator. That's the point. Not glory, 
no glory, want glory back. But glory, like I had with you 
before the foundation of the world, that is particular with 
reference to my office as mediator, as the successful God-man. And by successful, I don't mean 
like a businessman. Successful having glorified the 
Father, having fulfilled the work, having completed the mission. Glorify me. And that is precisely 
what happens on the day of Pentecost, should happen every single day 
in our hearts, it should happen every Lord's Day as we sing together, 
we reflect on the doing and the dying and the rising of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, and it causes us to ascribe glory to Him. which then glorifies the Father 
and the Spirit, because God Most High is worthy. Well, in conclusion, 
we have the reciprocal glory of the triune God. It's so clear, 
Father, glorify your Son, that your Son may also glorify you. 
How does the Son do that? Through the hour. His life, death, 
resurrection, ascension, and session. We have the reciprocal 
glory of the Trinity. We have the mediatorial office 
of the Son. Listen to Cyril. He says this 
glory runs from the Father to the Son and back from the Son 
to the Father. It's beautiful. They're not at 
odds, they're not in competition, there's not, you know, jockeying 
amongst the persons of the Trinity. The glory of the Father is the 
glory of the Son and the Spirit. The glory of the Son is the glory 
of the Father and the Spirit. The glory of the Spirit is the 
glory of the Father and the Son. You get that. In this divine 
and infinite being, there are three subsistences. One God in 
terms of essence or substance, three in terms of person. How 
do we distinguish those persons? It must be by subjection, it 
must be by obedience. No, it's by what's called eternal 
relations of origin. The father is unbegotten, the 
son is begotten by the father and the spirit proceeds from 
the father and the son. That's the way we distinguish. It's 
the way Nicaea taught and that's the way the 16th century or 17th 
century confessions picked up on it. In this divine and infinite 
being, in terms of substance or essence, one, But in terms 
of person or subsistence, three. What distinguishes those three? 
I bet it wouldn't surprise you that some people suggest that 
it's the subjection of the son to the father that distinguishes. 
They do do that. That's been commonplace for probably 
2,000 years. It's come with a vengeance in 
our own generation. It's called eternal functional 
subordination of the son or eternal relations of authority. These 
are wrong. You won't find the church fathers 
distinguishing the son from the father in terms of theology, 
in terms of who God is in himself with subjection or with authority. 
They don't do that. Why don't they do that? Because 
the Bible doesn't do that. With reference to the distinction, 
it is unbegotten, begotten, and procession from the Father and 
the Son. That's how we distinguish the 
persons, and I would suggest as well, we note consubstantiality, 
the one substance-ness of the three persons. But in terms of 
just the practical emphasis in our passage, and I want to close 
here, let us not forget what Jesus says in verse 3. You're probably going to say, 
oh, he's going to tell me to read my Bible and pray. Yeah, read 
your Bible and pray, but notice in verse 3, this is eternal life 
that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom 
you have sent. I sufficiently hit that nail 
with the hammer last week about read your Bible and pray. It's 
ought to inform our lives as Christians. The essence of eternal 
life is the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ, whom you have 
sent. Then what we ought to be about, 
or what should we be about as Christians? The pursuit of that 
knowledge. The understanding of who God is. Understanding 
the Trinity. When I say understanding, obviously 
through revelation. We won't ever understand the 
way God knows himself. But I just want to end with this 
emphasis to any that may not be believers here this morning. A day like this teaches you a 
lot about God. It teaches you a lot about God. 
You may not reflect upon that. You may not say, well, that sunshine's 
really teaching me a lot about God. But according to the Apostle 
Paul in Romans 1, the creation itself teaches sinners a lot 
about God. It teaches something of His eternal 
power. It teaches something of His Godhead. And it teaches something 
of the fact that it's righteous with Him to punish sinners. So 
in the created order, you get lots of knowledge about God. 
If you stumbled on a Bible and you read the law of Moses, you'd 
learn a lot more about God. You'd learn he's just. You'd 
learn that he's righteous. You would learn the attributes 
or perfections that are clearly revealed in the Old Testament. 
But it's the knowledge of Jesus, and that's why Moses is writing, 
is to point us to Jesus. But it's the knowledge of Jesus. 
Note what he says, this is eternal life, that they may know you, 
the only true God, and, and? Who says and, and puts them in 
the same sentence as God the Father? Could you do that? Could I do that? You turn to 
the book of Revelation, and where's the lamb sitting? on the throne? How can that possibly be? Because 
the word became flesh and dwelt among us. That word that was 
in the beginning, that word that was with God, and that word that 
was God. John 17.3 not only emphasizes 
for the believer to pursue the knowledge of God, because that 
is the essence of life, of eternal life, but it calls to the unbeliever 
to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. There's no saving knowledge of 
the true God apart from the one sent. Creation doesn't tell you 
about blood atonement or the act of obedience. The law of 
Moses does, but by way of shadow, by way of prefigurement, by way 
of type. The gospel teaches us that it's 
through faith in Jesus that we're saved, that they may know thee, 
the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Cyril says 
that is because the only way one can attain perfect knowledge 
of the Father is if the knowledge of his offspring, Son, that is 
the Son, comes along with it and is intimately connected to 
it. It's not just vague notions that 
there's a deity out there, but it's the knowledge of God the 
Father and God the Son. It's the knowledge redemptively 
that Christ came into this world, sinners, to save. It's the knowledge 
that Christ shows forth in John's Gospel. If you have seen the 
Father, or if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. I am 
the way, the truth, the life. No one comes to the Father except 
through me. So all this text calls believers 
to study more. It calls unbelievers to look 
to Jesus and be saved. to believe on that one who has 
come to reveal the Father. And this completely kind of finishes 
or brings to full circle that John 1.18 emphasis. No one has 
seen God at any time. The only begotten Son who is 
in the bosom of the Father has what? He has declared Him. He has demonstrated Him. He has manifested Him. So if 
you are dead in your trespasses and sins, if you know in your 
heart of hearts you are a transgressor, that you are lawless, that you 
are a rebel sinner, that you are part of that confederacy 
that raises its fist at God, I'm gonna encourage you to believe 
on the one in whom alone there is forgiveness, and there is 
a righteousness that comes, that clothes, and that prepares you 
to enter in to the presence of God Most High. Because this is 
eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and 
Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father in heaven, we thank You for Your Word, we thank You for 
what Jesus prays in this passage concerning Himself, and what 
we learn, and what a glorious Savior we have, who assumed our 
humanity with all the essential properties and the common infirmities 
thereof, and yet without sin. That He lived for us, that He 
died for us, that He was raised again for us, and we have that 
great promise in John 14. that He will come again in glory 
to receive us unto those mansions prepared. We bless you, we praise 
you, we ask for your grace to be upon saints and sinners in 
this place. Cause us to grow in the grace 
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. Cause sinners to 
look unto Him and to be saved. And we ask this in Jesus' name.