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Well, you can turn with me in 
your Bibles to John's gospel. As we finished the high priestly 
prayer this morning, John chapter 17, our focus will be verses 
24 to 26. Remember in this high priestly 
prayer, Jesus had given the last discourse, the farewell discourse 
in the upper room to the disciples in chapters 13 to 16. He offers 
up this prayer for himself, for the apostles, and then for all 
believers. And that's the section we're 
in. So I'll read beginning in verse 20 to the end of the chapter. 
So John 17, verse 20, I do not pray for these alone, but also 
for those who will believe in me through their word, that they 
all may be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that 
they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that you 
sent me. And the glory which you gave me, I have given them, 
that they may be one just as we are one, I in them, and you 
in me, that they may be 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. 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 loved 
me may be in them, and I in them. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father in heaven, we thank you for your Word. We thank you that 
all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. We thank you that it's 
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and 
for instruction in righteousness. And may you now send your Holy 
Spirit, who gave us the Word, to guide us in our understanding 
of the Word. And may our hearts be drawn out in adoration and 
praise and worship to you. And may we have the hope that 
this text affords to us, that one day we will see Jesus Christ 
as He is. that one day we will behold His 
glory in that eternal state. We certainly have foreshadowing 
of that now, or down payments of that now, each and every Lord's 
Day, each and every time we take up our Bibles and learn of Christ. 
We look forward to that consummation of the age. We look forward to 
that realization, that fulfillment of all promises, wherein we will 
be in the presence of the Most High, world without end. Amen. 
God, may these things be a blessing to us, and may they indeed cause 
us to bring glory and honor and praise to You. Forgive us for 
all sin and unrighteousness, and we ask this through Christ 
our Lord. Amen. Well, as we have seen the great 
high priest here, our Lord Jesus Christ is praying for himself, 
his apostles, his disciples, and specifically for the believers 
that would believe that word. In fact, he mentions that specifically 
in verse 20. Father, I do not pray for these 
alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their 
word. And then the two specific petitions 
that he prays for is unity and future glory. He's already mentioned 
a glory that he has given to his disciples. Notice in verse 
22, and the glory which you gave me, I have given them that they 
may be one just as we are one. So the church, the believer, 
the people of God does possess a glory, that knowledge of the 
Lord Jesus Christ, that reflection of his work in us in terms of 
redemption, But here specifically in verses 24 and following, he's 
praying for that future glory, praying for our time in heaven. 
He's praying for what we just sang, the bride eyes, not her 
garment, but her dear bridegroom's face. I will not gaze at glory, 
but on my king of grace, not at the crown he gifteth, but 
on his pierced hand. The lamb is all the glory of 
Emmanuel's land. So Jesus is praying for the church. He is praying for those whom 
the father had given him, that one day they will be where he 
is, such that they can worship him world without end. Amen. Well, I want to look first at 
the prayer of the son in verse 24, and then secondly, the knowledge 
of the son in verses 25 to 26. Now, with reference to this prayer, 
we see the petition itself. Verse 24. Notice the specific 
content of this petition. Again, language that is suited 
to the humanity of our Lord. It's reminiscent 
of his time in Gethsemane. He says that I desire, or I would, 
that you would take this cup from me, but not my will, but 
thine be done. So Jesus here desires that they 
also, whom you gave me, may be with me where I am. Now, with 
reference to this particular where I am, I think he's speaking 
as if it's as good as accomplished. Remember, that hour is as good 
as accomplished in terms of our Lord's ministry. He knows that 
it's going to come to fruition. Verse one, in chapter 17, Jesus 
spoke these words, lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, 
Father, the hour has come, glorify your son that your son also may 
glorify you. So when he says in verse 24, 
he is not physically located in heaven at that particular 
time. According to his divinity, he never left heaven. He says 
as much in John 3.13, you cannot contain divinity. He's always 
omnipresent. He's always immense. So He's 
praying according to His humanity with the understanding that the 
death of His, the redemptive work that He's about to engage 
in is going to result in His place in glory. So Luke 24 in 
verse 26, in fact, turn there for just a moment. Luke chapter 
24, when Jesus has been raised from the dead and he is speaking 
to those men. In Luke 24 at verse 25, So when Jesus says what he says 
in terms of his high priestly prayer, that where I am, he understands 
that that is imminent. He's gonna be arrested in Gethsemane, 
he's gonna be delivered up to the Sanhedrin, he's gonna be 
delivered up to Pontius Pilate, he's gonna be crucified as a 
malefactor, he's gonna be raised again, and he's gonna be ascended 
to the right hand of the throne of God. So he's praying for that 
reality that he wants the people of God to be where I am. But 
notice here, specifically, when he says this in Luke's Gospel, 
"...ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to 
enter into His glory?" And he says that this is all that the 
prophets had spoken. The Old Testament is a message 
about the reality that Christ must suffer and be raised to 
glory. Ought not the Christ, who hath 
suffered these things, and to enter into His glory, is the 
subject matter of the prophets? And then in verse 27, beginning 
at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the 
Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Can you learn of the 
suffering of the Messiah and the entrance into the glory of 
the Messiah in the Old Testament? Will Jesus assume so? Jesus, 
in fact, calls these men slow of heart because they didn't 
get it. He calls them foolish because they didn't understand 
it. The Old Testament is a messianic document. It's all about the 
Lord Jesus Christ and the suffering and the death and the resurrection 
and the entering into glory. So as he prays this prayer with 
reference to the people of God, can I remind us, with reference 
to us, those who believe the apostolic testimony through the 
preaching of Christ's Word, we have come to know Him. So he 
says, I desire that they also, whom you gave me, may be with 
me where I am. In 1 Timothy 3, at verse 16, 
it says he's received up into glory. Whatever issues, whatever 
trials, whatever travails, whatever afflictions, whatever hardships 
the people of God have in this present evil age, it's ultimately 
going to end in the glory of being where Jesus Christ is. 
That's the emphasis in terms of His prayer. Notice back in 
1724, I desire that they also, whom you gave me may be with 
me where I am. the ones given by the Father 
to the Son for salvation. This is not a unique theme in 
John's Gospel. John 6, 37, all that the Father 
gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will 
not cast out. John 6, 44, no one can come to 
me unless the Father who sent me draws him. in this high priestly 
prayer. He has authority over all flesh, 
but to give eternal life to those whom you have given me." This 
is a prayer for his elect. It's a prayer for his people. 
It's a recognition that one day those people will be with him 
where he is. It is the future glory for the 
people of God that is in view in the mind of the Savior and 
the heart of the Savior with reference to this petition. The 
beautiful thing, he's already warned the disciples in John's 
gospel, in John 15, 18 to 16, 4, that they were going to suffer. 
They were going to be cast out of synagogues. They were going 
to be executed. They were going to be treated 
like criminals and like the scum of the earth. All that was true 
and all that wasn't going to change. But here, in the hearing 
of his disciples, he is praying specifically thus, I desire that 
they also whom you gave me, these men, and all those who will believe 
the testimony of these men, that they may be with me where I am. 
This does confirm, or rather shows from a different vantage 
point, what Paul writes in Romans chapter 8. You can turn there. 
Romans chapter 8. So Jesus highlights the reality 
that there is this group of people given by the Father to the Son. And that group of people given 
by the Father to the Son, the Bible calls the elect, calls 
believers, calls Christians. calls saints, calls disciples, 
whatever your particular, you know, desire is to be known as. The Bible envisages that all 
those whom Jesus died for and rose again for will be in the 
presence of that Lamb and behold Him world without end. Amen. 
It's a beautiful, wonderful petition and one that should catch our 
attention that he's praying thus just prior to going to Gethsemane. Notice in Romans chapter 8 and 
verse 28, we know that all things work together for good to those 
who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 
Another descriptor, those who are the called according to His 
purpose, the ones given by the Father to the Son. But then notice, 
Paul can say what he says in verse 28 because of what he says 
in verses 29 to 30. He says, for whom he foreknew, 
he also predestined. Now this foreknowledge isn't 
like what you might have heard. God kind of looks down the tunnel 
of time and sees that a person's going to perform well or he's 
going to believe properly, so God then predestines him. No, this is a foreknowledge of 
intimacy. This is a foreknowledge of setting the affection upon 
one. This is according to God's good pleasure. Whom he foreknew, 
these also he predestinated to adoption. Or I'm sorry, back 
to 29. I got another text in my head. He also predestined 
to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be 
the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he predestined, 
these he also called. And whom he called, these he 
also justified. And whom he justified, note the 
language, these he also glorified. Now, if we constructed an order 
of salvation, we could locate sanctification in between justification 
and glorification. It's that sort of continuum period 
that we find ourselves in presently, right? The good that I wish to 
do, I don't always do. The evil that I don't want to 
do, I find myself doing. Wretched man that I am, who will 
deliver me from this body of death? Sanctification is a reality. But in this particular order 
of salvation, Paul goes from justification to glorification. 
Paul says that those justified freely by God's grace can bank 
on the reality of a future glory in the presence of Jesus Christ 
the Lord. That is your purpose. That is your destiny. That is 
what God has predestined for those whom He is conforming to 
the image of His beloved Son. And our blessed Savior, at the 
high priestly prayer, the last petition proper is that these 
ones whom you've given to me will be with me ultimately in 
glory so that they can behold my glory. What a wonderful prayer! What a wonderful petition! He's 
not petitioning the Father in the way of, oh, these guys are 
going to treat me poorly in Gethsemane. These wretched, unbelieving Jews 
at the Sanhedrin are going to treat me poorly. Pilate's going 
to condemn me to death with the authority that you've given him. 
He doesn't do that. And he could legitimately, and 
it would be according to true humanity. He's praying for us. He's praying for our glorification. He's praying for the reality 
of Romans 8.30, these He also justified, and whom He justified, 
these He also glorified. Going back to the high priestly 
prayer, these are the ones given by the Father to the Son in redemption. According to God's free grace, 
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, 
that we should be holy and without blame, in love, having predestined 
us unto adoption as sons by Christ Jesus our Lord. So the Lord Jesus 
Christ is praying for our future glory, the ones given by the 
Father to the Son, who had been protected from the evil one, 
verse 15, sanctified for the Holy One, verse 17, will be glorified 
in the presence of the Holy One in the day of judgment. And then note the purpose of 
his petition specifically, back to 24. 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. Now, the glory 
given by the father to the son is not predicated on the second 
person of the Trinity, sonship. It's the mediatorial glory of 
the God-man. It's the John 1.14 emphasis. The Word, described in 1.1, became 
flesh and dwelt among us. When Jesus accomplishes all that 
the Father had given Him, the Father confers upon Him glory. The Father confers upon Him a 
name which is above every name. Incidentally, we're gonna look 
at that passage tonight in Philippians chapter two. He gives him that 
position at his right hand of supreme authority again. That's 
not because Jesus is the second person of the Trinity, but it's 
because Jesus, as the second person of the Trinity, took our 
humanity to himself, came into this wretched world, lived for 
sinners, died for sinners, and was raised again for sinners. 
And so that glory given by the Father to the Son, Jesus prays 
that we will go to heaven, that we will enter into where Christ 
is, and that we will behold His glory. If you ask the question, 
what are we going to do in heaven? We're going to behold the glory 
of God. We're going to stand, or kneel, 
or fall down, however it goes, in the presence of the glory 
of God. Notice, specifically with reference 
to this, the glory of the believer is to behold the glory of the 
Savior. In the hymn that we just sang, 
not at the crown he gifteth, but on his pierced hand, the 
Lamb is all the glory of Emmanuel's land. I would suggest that the 
glory of the Savior is what makes heaven heaven. It's what makes 
heaven heaven. Remember Moses in Exodus chapter 
33, he says to God Most High, if you don't go with us into 
the promised land, we don't want to go. What makes the promised 
land good? It's the presence of Yahweh with 
his people. What makes heaven heaven? It's 
the presence of Jesus with his people. Listen to the book of 
Revelation, a book penned by our author here. Revelation 21, 
22, and 23. But I saw no temple in it, for 
the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city 
had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for 
the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. Again, conceptually, we can't 
even imagine what it's like. In fact, there's a text I'm gonna 
end with this morning that says that. 1 Corinthians 2.9, the 
apostle invoking Isaiah 64 and Isaiah 65, I has not seen, nor 
ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which 
God has prepared for those who love him. Jesus speaks of it, 
the Bible promises it, the Bible demonstrates or rather illustrates 
it in the book of Revelation. But what it is to be in the presence 
of Almighty God, to behold the glory of Jesus Christ, the one 
who loved us and the one who gave himself for us, again, conceptually, 
I think we understand it, but in terms of experientially, no, 
not yet. We've already tasted the blessings, 
to be sure. I would argue that church and 
corporate worship, where Christ is walking in the midst of the 
lampstand, is a foretaste of that, but it's not the completed 
state of that. We've already received, but it's 
not yet been fully consummated. So Christ is praying for the 
elect that it will be fully consummated, that they'll be protected by 
God, sanctified by God, unified with one another, such that one 
day they'll enter into the glory of the Savior. And the purpose 
for that is to behold his glory, to stand in amazement, to marvel, 
to not look at the streets of gold and the pearly gates, Oh, 
there's John, there's Bill, there's Frank. I don't know, maybe we 
will do that. But the focus of heaven is Jesus. He's the crown, he's the jewel, 
he's the sum and substance. That's what John tells us in 
the revelation. The glory of the Savior was given 
by the Father to the Son. When Jesus fulfills all that 
the Father gives Him, when Jesus effectively accomplishes redemption, 
God was well-pleased, and God put Him at the right hand. God 
gave Him that mediatorial kingdom to rule and to reign, and He 
will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. He will 
offer up that kingdom to the Father, and then we will be in 
the presence of the Most High to stand in awe. In 1724, he 
says, 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. And then he gives this bit of 
a reason, not a reason for us entering into heaven. The reason 
why the Father gives glory to the Son. For you loved me before 
the foundation of the world. Now I would suggest that the 
predestination of Christ by the Father for his redemptive work 
is what is in view here. In fact, in 1 Peter 1, in verses 
20 and 21, we read, he indeed was foreordained before the foundation 
of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who 
through him believe in God, who raised him from the dead and 
gave him glory so that your faith and hope are in God. So the reason 
why the Father confers this glory upon the Son is the latter part 
of verse 24, for you loved me before the foundation of the 
world. In the mind of God Most High, it would be the Word who 
assumed our humanity, who would live for us, who would die for 
us, and who would be raised again for us. That Word is the object 
of the Father's love. That Word is the object of the 
Father's approbation. That word is the object of the 
Father's delight, and so the Father confers glory upon Him. Again, not the intrinsic glory 
that is essential to God, but to the God-Man who takes on our 
humanity and does all that the Father had given Him. The Father 
confers glory. positions him at his right hand, 
gives him the reins of the universe and orchestrate all things until 
he comes again in glory to judge the living and the dead. This 
highlights predestination of Christ as mediator and of the 
people of God in Christ as mediator. From the foundation of the world, 
Jesus took on our humanity according to 114, not from the foundation 
of the world, He took on our humanity in AD zero. That's a rough estimate 
there, or BC, whatever it is. There was a point in time in 
history, the fullness of the time, Galatians 4.4, God sent 
forth his son born of a woman. Well, that born of a woman-ness 
and that born under the law-ness did not happen from eternity. 
So when Jesus says, before the foundation of the world, it is 
as it were an appeal to the decree of God, what God had purposed 
in eternity past to accomplish in history in the sending of 
the son of his love. You love me from the foundation 
of the world. That language, again, if it does 
anything, it should not promote in us, oh, I don't like this 
doctrine of God's absolute sovereignty. It should promote just the opposite. 
I love this doctrine of God's absolute sovereignty. I love 
the fact that there's somebody in charge and that somebody is 
infinite wisdom. That somebody is infinitely glorious. That somebody is infinitely good. And that somebody governs all 
his creatures and all their actions such that when the time was come, 
he sends forth his son. Herod couldn't stop it. The devil 
couldn't stop it. No one could stop that. Why? Because God's in charge. When 
Christ is in His earthly ministry, He's purposed to do the will 
of Him who sent Him. And why does He do this? He does 
this to please and to glorify the Father. He does this to save 
His people from their sins. He does this for you and I. And 
then he prays that that salvation that they have, justification 
by God's grace through faith in Jesus, that sanctification, 
that day-in, day-out battle with the flesh, is going to result 
in glorification. That's not haphazard. There's 
no short-circuiting to be had. Why? Because God determined this 
before the foundation of the world. insofar as the persons 
that were going to be benefited by that, just as He chose us 
in Him before the foundation of the world. That decree of 
God means certain objective salvation for all those who were given 
by the Father to the Son. And so Jesus says, you will confer 
this glory on me because you love me from before the foundation 
of the world. Again, if we think of God in 
himself, the love of the Father and the love of the Son and the 
love of the Spirit, there was never a time when it wasn't. There was never a time when it 
began. Father, Son, Holy Spirit are 
from everlasting to everlasting. They live in a beautiful harmony 
of love. He's talking about His finished 
work as the mediator, His finishing of the hour as the God-man who 
has accomplished what the Father has given Him. And in His mind, 
in His prayer, is that you and I will be in glory. It really 
is glorious. Now notice then, after the prayer 
of the Son, we see the knowledge of the Son in verses 25 and 26. He does this in this prayer on 
a few occasions. Notice what he says in verse 
25, O righteous father. Interesting there. Prior, it's 
father. It's now righteous father. I 
don't think I could prove this beyond a shadow of a doubt, but 
it seems to make sense that O righteous father goes along with what he 
says next. The world has not known you. 
There's this kind of righteous, unrighteous motif going on in 
the scripture, or in the gospel of John. The world hates Jesus, 
and he acknowledges it right here. The world has not known 
you. Maybe the righteous father reference has as its backdrop 
the righteous God punishing that unbelieving world. Anyways, look 
at what he says, 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 love me may be in them and I 
in them. So he first excludes the world. 
Again, there's different ways that the Bible uses the word 
world. It doesn't always mean the exact same thing. There's 
obvious connection, but it's not always the same. He was in 
the world, John 1 10. That means earth. He wasn't on 
Pluto, which is not even a planet anymore, sorry to say. He wasn't 
on Neptune. He was in the world. That's the 
earth. and the world was made by him 
or through him. That means the entirety of the 
cosmos, even the declassified Pluto. Whatever galaxies, whatever 
things are out there, he made it all. It's the cosmos. And 
the world did not know him. Three times world is used in 
verse 10 of John 1 in different ways. Again, not completely, 
utterly different. Here it means dog, here it means 
cat. There's obvious connection in terms of the range, the semantic 
range. Jesus has been using world in 
this particular prayer to indicate the unbelievers, those not given 
by the Father to the Son. those enemies of Jesus and those 
enemies of the disciples. In fact, in verse 9, he says, 
I don't pray for the world, but again, I pray for those whom 
you have given me out of the world. He has made that distinction 
between the apostles and those who believe their testimony from 
the world. John does this in 1 John as well. In fact, we use that. Oh, well, 
don't be worldly. What do we mean by that? We don't 
mean don't live on earth. Of course we mean live on earth. 
We couldn't live anywhere else. We mean don't be wicked. Don't 
be wretched. Don't be godless. And so notice 
that in the high priestly prayer, and you should really pay attention 
to this if you're not a believer in Christ, because if you're 
a believer in Christ, I just pointed out that Christ prays 
for you to be where he is, heaven, to behold his glory. Now, for 
the unbeliever, notice what he says. Oh, righteous father, the 
world has not known you. I think that if you're listening 
and you're not in Christ, you're not a believer in Christ, you 
should believe. You should look and live. And 
if you go back a few minutes in the sermon and you say, wait 
a minute, Pastor Butler, I heard you talking about predestination. 
I heard you talking about election. I don't know how these things 
jive. It's all about predestined and 
all about elect. Then how can you possibly tell 
me to believe? Because the Bible tells me to 
tell you to believe. The Bible puts that emphasis 
in the apostolic preaching of the cross. Sirs, what must I 
do to be saved? Well, figure out if you're predestined, 
figure out if you're elect, figure it out and then come back. No, 
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved. The 
apostolic preaching of the cross, those men knew predestination, 
those men knew election, those men lived in light of those glorious 
truths, but it never mitigated preaching belief on the Lord 
Jesus Christ and repentance unto life. Never stopped them. Believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. I think it's 
the devil's logic that gets into the minds of people that gets 
you on this sort of sidetrack wondering if you're predestined 
when you should be believing the gospel. Wondering how do 
I know if I'm elect when you should look and live? Anything 
that keeps you from looking to Christ is not of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit's emphasis in the 
pages of the book of Acts, for one instance, and throughout 
the New Testament, isn't don't believe, don't look, continue 
in penitent, continue happily on your way to hell. That's not 
the thrust of the New Testament documents. It's not the thrust 
of the Old Testament documents either. What does Yahweh say? 
Look to me, all ye ends of the earth, and be ye safe, for I 
am God and there is no other. Isaiah 55.1, oh, everyone a thirst, 
let him come. The emphasis in scripture is 
not on don't ever look to Jesus, but try and figure out, read 
A.W. Pink and see if you're left. No, you can read A.W. Pink, that's 
great endeavor, but look to the Lord Jesus Christ and live. That's 
the emphasis in the apostolic preaching. backed by the glorious 
truths of predestination and election. I think this is Jesus' 
pattern, isn't it? I thank thee, Father, Lord of 
heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise 
and prudent, but you did reveal them unto babes. For even so, 
Father, it was well-pleasing in your sight. That's Matthew 
11, 25 to 27. You know what happens in Matthew 
11, 28? Well, y'all just figure that 
out. You sit in a room and try and figure that out. I praise 
my Father for hiding gospel truth from some and revealing gospel 
truth to others. I hope you have fun trying to 
figure that out. No, that's not how it ends. Come to me, all 
you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will rest thee. Beautiful. See, an understanding of absolute 
sovereignty not only does it not or should it not kill evangelism, 
it's the very foundation and groundwork for evangelism. Why do I go out, or why do we 
go out and tell sinners to believe the gospel? Because we believe 
that God, in His mercy and in His grace, has purpose to save 
a great multitude that no man can number, and they happen to 
be from every tribe and every tongue and every people and every 
nation. The very foundation of the missionary enterprise, the 
very foundation of evangelism, is the doctrines of sovereign 
grace. That those doctrines of sovereign grace should never 
keep a man or men or persons from telling others, believe 
the gospel. Again, it's the devil's logic 
that gets you wondering whether or not you're predestined before 
you can ever think about coming to Jesus. How about you come 
to Jesus? That's the better place to then 
look at that question. It's the better perspective, 
the better vantage point. It's almost a condition placed 
on gospel preaching. You need to make sure that you're 
qualified. Do you know what your qualification 
for coming to Jesus is? You're a wretched, horrible, 
hell-deserving sinner. You're like, that's it? Yeah, 
that's it. He came sinners to save. You're sinners. He came to save. Wherein lies the problem? Look 
to Him and be ye saved. All the ends of the earth, for 
I am God and there is no other. It's beautiful. This doctrine 
of God's absolute sovereignty is somehow killing gospel preaching 
is thoroughly unbiblical. It is thoroughly unbiblical. So as you look at the text now, 
note the distinction between those whom the Father has given 
to Christ and then the world. O righteous Father, the world 
has not known you. And if that parallel does exist, 
if he's invoking righteous father in terms of righteous judgment 
to come upon an unrighteous world, again, I'll say to you, believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ. Look to him in faith and live. 
Don't include yourselves or conclude yourself that perpetually you're 
going to just be in the world and I'm gonna hate and despise 
this. Stop. Wave the white flag. Come to 
the Lord Jesus. Look to him in faith. Believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. So Jesus 
says, O righteous father, the world has not known you, but 
I have known you and these have known that you sent me. The knowledge 
of Christ contra the unbelieving Jews. This comes out in John's 
gospel. If I say I don't know him, I'll 
be a liar. If I say that I don't know him, 
I would be a liar. Jesus knows the father and he 
speaks of that knowledge in this particular passage. But I have 
known you and these have known that you sent me. Now, when you 
think about this, the knowledge of the son in terms of I have 
known you, it cannot be according to his divinity. It just can't. There's never 
a time when God doesn't know God. I have known you in my humanity 
as my father. How? Magic. No, scripture. Remember that text in Luke's 
gospel in Luke chapter two? Jesus is behind, the parents 
of Jesus want to go find him out. And it says, he increased 
in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men. How do 
we think he did that? Through scripture. I mean, and 
through life and experience and doing what Jesus did prior to 
embarking on his earthly ministry. If Psalm 1 is about Jesus, as 
I believe that it is, Psalm 1 tells us of that man that his delight 
is in the law of the Lord, and in his law, he meditates day 
and night. When Jesus says, I have known you, he's not speaking 
here as the second person of the Trinity, the eternally begotten 
son of the Father, who's always been in the presence of the Father 
in terms of being the second person of the Trinity. He's the 
mediator. He's the man or the God-man who 
assumed our humanity. I have known you. I have communed 
with you. This was prophesied in the prophet 
Isaiah in chapter 11. Chapter 11, one and two, there 
shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse. conspicuously 
language according to his humanity, and a branch shall grow out of 
his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall 
rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the 
spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge, and 
of the fear of the Lord." So when Christ speaks or prays in 
this particular section, I have known you, and these have known 
that you sent me, These have known that because of the Old 
Testament scriptures, because of their interpretation in life 
and the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. The disciples had 
learned based on their understanding of the scriptures as well, based 
on what they had observed in our Lord's conduct, that he was 
in fact the one sent by the Father on this mission to save his people 
from their sins. Again, as he summarizes this 
prayer, It's gonna end on love. It's beautiful. Verse 26, 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. You know, as I've thought through 
this prayer and as we're working our way through this prayer, 
I can't imagine how it could be better. I just, I can't. must be infinite 
wisdom behind the text. Yeah, exactly. Infinite wisdom behind the text. 
The Spirit of God that produced the text. Yeah, John took the 
pen to the paper, but it's the Spirit who communicates that 
word. Think about where he's at relative 
to his humanity. He's about to go into Gethsemane, 
and he's about to enter in to horrifying treatment, just disgusting 
treatment. I think one of the lessons of 
the Passion is that we should see what man unchecked really 
looks like. Oh, we would have never done 
that. Really? You sure about that? And yet, 
when it comes to his concern for us, he wants us to be unified. He wants us to be glorified. 
And he just wants us to experience the love of God and the presence 
of God in our lives. Isn't that wonderful? So this 
prayer that they be where I am, he knows that's future. We know 
that's future. So what about that interim period? 
What about the not yet? Well, you get to experience God's 
love, and you get to experience God's presence. Beautiful. Again, can't imagine how this 
could be better calculated to promote help, encouragement, 
and comfort to the people of God. 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 you. Interesting future tense 
and will declare it. I think that's a reference to 
the day of Pentecost when he sends the ministry of the Holy 
Spirit. to reference to Jesus, the Spirit inspiring the disciples 
or apostles to write the Holy Scripture, and then the presence 
of the Spirit in the age of the church to illumine the minds 
and the hearts of people such that we have the mind of Christ, 
according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 2. So not only has Jesus declared 
the Father in his earthly ministry, vis a vis 118, not only has he 
underscored and shown what the Father had sent him to do in 
terms of his earthly ministry, But he speaks in terms of him 
being glorified, being where he is, and communicating revelation 
about the Father to the people of God. So on that high note, 
he ends the prayer. He wants us to be in glory, beholding 
His glory. And in that interim period, He 
wants us to just know that love and that communion with Almighty 
God. 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. John says elsewhere, and we have 
known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love and 
he who abides in love abides in God and God in him. communion 
with our triune God, the revelation, the recognition rather of God's 
love for us. Look at Ephesians chapter 3, 
a passage we looked at when we went through Ephesians that I 
think underscores this reality. In Ephesians 3, the Apostle Paul 
prays specific things for the church in Ephesus. He prays that 
they would be spiritually strengthened, that they would be spiritually 
knowledgeable, and that they would be spiritually filled with 
all the fullness of God. And those three petitions are 
found in chapter 3 in verses 16 to 19. Notice, for this reason, 
verse 14, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that 
He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to 
be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 
Prayer for spiritual strength. Notice then secondly, in terms 
of petition, that you, verse 17, about the middle, being rooted 
and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints 
what is the width and length and depth and height to know 
the love of Christ, which passes knowledge. You see what Paul 
is not doing? God, I want them to meditate 
upon how much they love you. No. We should love God. We should 
love him a lot. But wherein are you encouraged? 
When you go to prayer and ponder how much you love God? Or are 
you encouraged when you ponder how much he loves you? Paul wants 
you to be a scholar in the school of Christ's love. Where does 
he get that concept? I'm actually believing that there's 
a lot more in terms of the epistles dependent on John 17. And maybe 
it's just, I don't want to say lucky. What's the word? Providential. I wasn't actually going to say 
lucky, but providentially being in Philippians 2 and the high 
priestly prayer, there's a lot of parallels going on. They got 
this from Jesus. Jesus is about to depart. And 
what does he want the people of God to know? That there's 
a future glory where they get to behold his glory. But in the 
present, they know the love of God. They know the presence of 
God. They know the abiding of God. 
In fact, that's how Paul ends this particular petition at verse 
20, or in verse 19, to know the love of Christ, which passes 
knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 
So in Paul's prayer, he wants you to be strong. He wants you 
to be knowledgeable and he wants you to be full. Kind of like 
Jesus' prayer, wants you to be strong, protected from the evil 
one, sanctified unto the holy one. He wants you to be knowledgeable. They may know your love, Father, 
and he wants you to be filled, that they may know that you are 
in them, or I am in them. It's really a beautiful prayer, 
and I think from it we learn. The prayer of Christ expresses 
the mind of Christ. This prayer of Christ, again, 
according to his humanity, what occupies him prior to his arrest 
and his horrible treatment? What occupies him is his people. 
What occupies him are their spiritual needs. Make them all healthy, 
wealthy, and prosperous. No, he doesn't pray that. I'm 
not suggesting that's necessarily a wicked prayer. It is by Benny 
Hinn, but by normal, thriving, decent human people, yeah, health 
is a good thing. I mean, if you're working hard, 
do you see a man who excels in his work, he will stand before 
kings? That's built into the Proverbs. Those aren't necessarily 
bad things. You go ahead, pray for your health. 
But when it comes to the high priestly prayer, Jesus is about 
the spiritual things. Jesus is about that protection, 
that sanctification, that unity, and that future glory. It reveals 
his mind toward his disciples. And the prayer of Christ expresses 
ultimately, I think, the glory of the incarnation. He speaks 
concerning his task as already having been completed. He speaks 
as one who has accomplished all that the Father has given him. 
He speaks as one who has done this, not just simply as a grand 
example for others to follow, but in a redemptive sense, that 
those whom you have given me will be where I am, that they 
may behold my glory. I would suggest this prayer as 
well provides security for the disciples. It provides security 
and stability for the disciples. Again, listen to how he prays 
here. What's his concern? His concern is that you make 
it from point A to point B. His concern is that those justified 
are also glorified. And if that's the concern of 
the Savior, you know it is secure. He's not going to lose any for 
whom He died. He's not going to lose any for whom He lived. 
He's not going to lose any of whom the Father had given Him. 
There is security built into this high priestly prayer for 
the people of God. As well, the revelation of God 
is communicated to us through prayers like this, and His love 
is known by us based on what Christ has done. And then I want 
to end right here in terms of just an observation, a twofold 
one. There is an exhortation, I think, 
based on the hope of verse 24. So again, look at verse 24. I 
want to make two quick observations and then we'll close. Verse 24, 
Father, I desire that they also whom you gave me be with me where 
I am, that they may behold my glory, which you have given me. 
So the prayer there is for future glory. The prayer there is for 
us to go to heaven. Well, John gives an exhortation 
based on this in his first epistle. And that exhortation is thus, Beloved, now we are children 
of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But 
we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we 
shall see him as he is. And then the exhortation follows. 
And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just 
as he is pure. It's good exhortation, right? You have the hope of future glory. 
You've been justified freely by God's grace. You've been promised 
glorification. Don't forget there is that sanctification 
in the here and now. And I think that sanctification 
is best fueled and best prospered and best engaged in when you 
remember and ponder often the love of God for you, the presence 
of God in you. In other words, sanctification 
isn't just a matter of, oh, I'm going to move my alarm clock 
farther from the room so I get up early and read my Bible. Part 
of the sanctification process is to muse on, to contemplate 
on, and to consider and reckon often the glorious truths of 
the gospel. You're not just called to do 
well, to be better. Now do well, be better, but do 
it in the context of Christ in him crucified and resurrected. 
So everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself even 
as he is pure. So the exhortation based on our 
future glory is holiness, conformity to Jesus, being faithful, living 
in a manner that is consistent. But again, do all that in the 
context of God's love for you and God's presence with you. 
But the encouragement based on this text is obvious as well. 
Listen to Augustine commenting on this. He says, the Lord Jesus 
in verse 24, 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. Augustine comments, the Lord Jesus raises up his 
people to a great hope. He does, that's exactly what 
he does. He says, then which there could not possibly be a 
greater. Right? Doesn't get any better 
than that. There is nothing ever that this world has to offer, 
any world, any universe, any galaxy, any whatever, that can 
exceed being with Jesus and beholding his glory. Just not. That's the lie of the devil in 
this present evil age. Oh, this is going to make you 
happy. This is going to make you secure. This is going to 
make you complete. Usually it's sinful, wicked stuff. It's not. There's one that does. The Lord Jesus raises up his 
people to a great hope than which there could not possibly be a 
greater. Listen and rejoice in hope that since the present life 
is not a life to be loved, but to be tolerated, you may have 
the power of patient endurance amid all its tribulation. So 
if the exhortation is living in light of that future glory, 
conduct yourself in the fear of God, the encouragement has 
to be living in light of that future glory, smile, rejoice, 
delight, triumph. You're blessed immeasurably. As the kids sang in the Sunday 
school, this train is bound for glory, whatever this evil age 
throws at you. Whatever discouragement comes 
your way, whatever trial, whatever hardship, whatever affliction, 
we have to put things in proper perspective. Listen to the apostle 
Paul in 2 Corinthians 4, 16 to 18. Therefore we do not lose 
heart, even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward 
man is being renewed day by day for our light affliction. Now 
brethren, remember that Paul is writing this. He's not an 
ivory tower theologian that's unhurt by the common evils of 
the day. He writes this in 2 Corinthians 
4. If you look at his life in 2 Corinthians 11, you will realize 
that the man who says our light affliction was afflicted more 
heavily and more severely than all of us combined will probably 
see in a hundred lifetimes. But comparatively, he says, our 
light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for 
us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we do 
not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which 
are not seen. For the things which are seen 
are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. So I guess I wanna end with this 
encouragement. We're going to glory. We're going 
to heaven. We're going to be where the lamb 
is. We're going to know Revelation 21, three and four. And I heard 
a loud voice from heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God 
is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his 
people. God himself will be with them and be their God. And God 
will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no 
more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain for 
the former things have passed away. Every bad and terrible 
thing that happens on this side of heaven, it is giving way to 
that exceeding weight of glory. Jesus prays that we will be where 
he is, that we may behold his glory. I, for one, need to ponder 
this verse a whole lot more. I, for one, need to consider 
this a whole lot more. And if you're like me at all, 
and I hope you're not, you also need to ponder these things. 
We're headed to heaven. There's nothing more encouraging 
than that. Not based on our works, not based 
on our deeds, not based on our righteousness, not based on our 
sanctification, but based on the fact that this Lord Jesus 
accomplished the hour. He lived, he died, he was raised 
again. for us men and for our salvation. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for this priestly 
prayer of our blessed savior and the various emphases that 
we see here. And we know they're calculated 
to bring security and comfort and encourage to the people of 
God. And we bless you for that. We thank you that we are justified 
freely by grace, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. And we have 
this promise of glorification in the age to come. May these 
things encourage us and may they help us as we deal with the momentary 
light affliction. May we see that exceeding weight 
of glory that does wait for us. And we ask this in the name of 
the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. Well, we'll stand and sing 572 
to close our worship this morning. 572, please stand with me as 
we sing. is shall be This is more of a doxology than 
a benediction, but it's from Revelation chapter seven. After 
these things, I looked and behold a great multitude, which no one 
could number of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues 
standing before the throne and before the lamb clothed with 
white robes, with palm branches in their hands and crying out 
with a loud voice saying, salvation belongs to our God who sits on 
the throne and to the lamb. Amen. Well, please be seated 
for a brief time of meditation.