Let us turn to God's Word in
the chapter that was read, John chapter 17. Those who were present a week
ago yesterday to the anniversary at HN Chapel will remember that
this was the chapter that was read on that occasion and then
Mr. Wells preached from the last
two verses of the chapter. A remarkable portion of course
is what we have said before us. Some have said it's a very inner
sanctum of the Gospel, this intercessory prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I want tonight to direct
your attention for a while to a verse that we have in the first
part. In verse 4 of John chapter 17,
I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished the work
which Thou gavest me to do." And then you remember later,
in chapter 19, as he executes that great work of redemption
by offering himself as the one sacrificed for sins, the Lord
says, it is finished, and He heals up the ghost. And A month
ago, when we observed the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, I did remark
there on the significance of that word, finished. The redemption that we rejoice
in is accomplished. And as it is accomplished, so
it is that that is also applied. in God's appointed time applied
to those who are of the election of grace. And I remarked at that
last ordinance on how my mind had gone back to that period two years ago when
I'd been unwell for a number of weeks and was unable to preach
I think for about six Lord's Days and then when I did preach
again I took from my opening text the words that we have at
the end of verse 11 in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul's words, though
I be nothing, nothing, a zero, a cipher, that's what we are.
Before God we're nothing. And when God shows us that we're
nothing, does He not also in His goodness and mercy show to
that soul that Christ is everything. And I was thinking again about
that period recently and how I did find much comfort in reading
through Joseph Hart's hymns. I read the preface, the golden
preface as Mr. Philpott calls it the nearest
thing to inspiration, he said, outside of the Holy Scriptures. And I do commend the careful
reading of that preface to the hymn book, Joseph Hart's Hymns
to You. But at that time I didn't just
read the preface, I read through the book. And I was very struck
by a number of the statements that we find throughout, particularly
with regards to this truth of a finished redemption. For example,
these are the numbers in Hart's book, in the hymn number 18,
he says, it is finished said the Lord in his dying minute,
Holy Ghost, repeat that word, full salvations in it. All for the Holy Ghost to come
and repeat the word to us. It is finished. I have glorified
thee on the earth. I have finished the work that
thou gavest me to do. We need the Holy Ghost surely
to bring that word home and to apply it into our hearts. But then again, In a later hymn,
number 24, he says, Think how loud thy dying
Lord cried out, It is finished. Treasure up that sacred word,
whole and undiminished. Ought to treasure up the sacred
words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to see that there is all
our salvation. Then one other of the hymns in
number 56 and the second part, Hart says, All is finished, do
not doubt it, but believe your dying Lord, never reason more
about it, only take Him at His word. And isn't that what we
must do as we come tonight? Under the Word of God, to take
Him at His word. And what is that word? that the
Lord would bring to us this evening? Well, it's the text that I've
announced here in John 17.4. Christ, in his prayer, says,
I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work
which thou gavest me to do. As I've said, the prayer is a
remarkable prayer. the very inner sanctum, as it
were, the Holy of Holies of the Gospel, the prayer life of the
Lord Jesus Christ. And the prayer can be divided
into three parts. In the first part, the first
five verses, we see the Lord Jesus Christ very much praying
for himself. And then at verse 6, from verse
6 through to verse 19, we see him, as it were, praying for
his disciples. And then from verse 20 through
to the end, he prays for the whole church. Verse 20, neither
pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe
on me through their word, that they all may be one, and so forth. prays then for himself in the
first five verses, prays for his disciples in verses 6 to
19, and he prays for the whole church in verses 20 to 26. And yet, in a sense, his prayer
can be reduced to one great petition. What is the great burden that
lies behind this prayer of the Lord Jesus. We see it in the
opening words as he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said,
Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy son, that thy son
also may glorify thee. Here is the great burden of Christ. He seeks the glory of God. He
seeks the glory of God, and that's what we have here in the text,
of course. I have glorified thee on the
earth, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do, and
now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the
glory which I had with thee before the world was. Surely, friends,
as we come before God in any prayer, this should be our chief
concern, that God is glorified. that God to us is so good, that
God He does so much good for us, we should be desirous of
His glory. And how God was glorified in
the life and death of the Lord Jesus. What does Christ ask the
Father? He says, glorify thy Son. and Christ himself was glorified
even in his death upon the cross. There is that sense in which
we see him enthroned upon the cross. Oh, that ignominious death
that he had to die, and yet there is the glory of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and we see it immediately after his prayer in chapter 18,
We read of him going over the Brook Kedron into Gethsemane
and then Judas comes with a band of men and officers from the
chief priests and Pharisees. They come to arrest the Lord
Jesus Christ and see what Christ says to them here. in verse 4
of chapter 18, he says, "'Whom seek ye?' They answered him,
"'Jesus of Nazareth.' Jesus said unto them, "'I am He.'" And we
observe how the pronoun is in italics. In other words, it's
been introduced in the translation. Literally, Jesus said unto them,
"'I am.'" And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with him.
As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, literally, I am,
they went backward and fell to the ground. Oh, it is God, is
it not, who is the great I am? I am that I am. And here the
Lord Jesus is pronouncing His deity, He is Jehovah. And even
as they come now to arrest Him in the garden, they cannot lay
a finger upon Him, because He manifests something of His glory.
They cannot take Him. He goes willingly. His sacrifice
is going to be a voluntary sacrifice. And when we see Him crucified,
do we not there upon the cross see something more of the glory
of Christ? We're told that from the 6th
hour there was darkness over all the earth until the 9th hour. From high noon till 3pm when
the sun is at its zenith, there's darkness. All the glory of the
sun is taken away before the glories of the Lord Jesus Christ. All that glory that belongs to
the sun is as nothing. there is darkness, because now
this is the Lord of glory who hangs between heaven and earth. How He is glorified, you see,
even as He comes to die. Go back to chapter 12 and see
again the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ there at verse 27. He says, Now is my soul troubled?
And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour,
but for this cause. Came I unto this hour. Father,
glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from
heaven, saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. How Christ is glorified in the
cross. He says later, And I, if I be
lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This, he
said, signifying what death he should die. Oh, by that death
upon the cross, what has Christ done? He has destroyed all the
works of the devil, he has destroyed sin and Satan. A great purist
and divine, Dr. John Owen, in his remarkable
work on the atonement, gives it that title, the death of death,
in the death of Christ. Christ is glorified in dying
there upon the cross as he makes that great sin atoning sacrifice. And God is glorified. God is
glorified in the doctrine of the cross. The glory of God,
of course, is seen in all his works, the heavens, declare the
glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork day unto
day, uttereth voice night unto night, showeth knowledge, says
the psalmist. This line goes out into all the world. He is
the creator, he is the sustainer, and there is that general revelation
of God. And so, men are without excuse. The invisible things of Him,
from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood
by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead. And they are, says Paul, without
excuse, so they never hear anything of the Word of God. There is
a revelation in creation. and in providence and we can
witness something of the glories of that creation can we not?
We've enjoyed these past days beautiful weather and when we
behold the scenery all about us at this season as we move
from summer into the autumn and the color of the trees and so
forth there is a glory and it but reflects something of the
glory of God himself but What is that general revelation of
God in creation and providence in comparison with what we witness
in the Scriptures, this special revelation? And all leading us
to this, even to the Lord Jesus Christ, search the Scriptures,
he says. These are they that testify of mercy. All the Scriptures
and the Lord bear one tremendous name. And what do we see in the
person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ? We see God. We
see that God is just. God is just and God is the Saviour. He is just and He is the justifier
of him that believeth in Jesus. There upon the cross We see the
attributes of God. He is a holy God, a righteous,
a just God. He can by no means clear the
guilty. Sin must be punished. And yet,
when Christ dies as a substitute, do we not see that God is a merciful
God and a gracious God? He has made provision whereby
sinners might be reconciled unto God. Now the psalm, it says,
mercy and truth are met together. righteousness and peace have
kissed each other. Oh, the harmonizing of all the
holy attributes of God in that great work that the Lord Jesus
executed at Calvary. The doctrine of the death of
the Lord Jesus Christ, the doctrine of the cross, It is the glory
of God. We sang it just now in the hymn
here. The whole deity is known, nor
dare a creature guess which of the glories brightest shone,
the justice or the grace. And it is the Lord Jesus, of
course, who comes to give this revelation. of God. He makes God known, does he not? And he says it in his prayer.
Verse 3, This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the
only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. What a revelation! We witness then in Christ, no
man hath seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which
is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him. And what
a declaration that is, he's the image of the invisible God. And how was he revealed, God?
By executing that work that the Father had given him to do. The words then of our text, here
at verse 4, I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished
the work which thou gavest me, to do? Well, as we come to the
text, first of all, I want us to consider Christ's obedience
in life. I have glorified thee on the
earth, he says. I have finished the work, the
work that was given to him. Now, remember that he is God. He can say on another occasion,
I and my Father are one. He is the Eternal Son of the
Eternal Father. He is equal to the Father. He
is in no way inferior. This is that great mystery of
the Trinity, is it not? That God is three persons, Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost. and the three persons are one
God, and they're undivided, and they're indivisible, and they're
equal, and they're eternal. There's no inferiority. There's
no posteriority. He is equal to the Father, and
yet, in order to the salvation of sinners, there is a covenant. that covenant of redemption,
that covenant of grace, that the persons of the Godhead have
entered into. And now in that covenant, the
Eternal Son of God willingly becomes the servant, the servant
of His Father, the Father's first elect. Behold My servant, whom
I uphold, Mine elect. in whom my soul delighteth, I
have put my Spirit upon him." He is that one who is anointed
and anointed to be the Christ. He comes in as the promised one,
the Messiah. He is God's with us, that is
his name, is it not? A virgin shall conceive and bear
a son and shall call his name Immanuel. which is by interpretation
God with us. All that great mystery of godliness. God manifest in the flesh. And how we see Him here upon
earth in a state of humiliation. And He comes to do the will of
Him that had sent Him. He comes to finish the Father's
work. This is the burden of his whole
life. My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish
his work. He will serve the will of the
Father at all times. And we find these sort of statements
many times, do we not, in John's Gospel? Look at chapter 8 and
verse 26. He says, I have many things to
say and to judge of you, but he that sent me is true. And I speak to the world those
things which I have heard of him. They understood not that
he spake to them of the Father. Then said Jesus unto them, When
ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then ye shall know that
I am He, and that I do nothing of myself, but as my Father hath
taught me, I speak these things. Now again, observe what is written
here in verse 28. The he, the pronoun there is
in italics. When ye have lifted up the Son
of Man, then shall ye know that I am, is what he literally says. And that I do not think of myself,
but as my Father hath taught me. He who is the I am, in the
covenant, he humbles himself. He thought it not probably to
be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation and took upon
him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men
and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and
became obedient. His life, friends, was one of
obedience to all God's commandments. I have glorified thee on the
earth, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do."
How he finished that work, he was holy, he was harmless, he
was undefiled, he was separate from sinners. His life was one
of perfect obedience. This man, who by the miracle
of the virgin birth, in the great mystery of the incarnation, was
free from every taint of sin, What does the angel say to Mary
concerning that that was conceived in her womb by the Holy Ghost,
that holy thing? That is the human nature, the
human body, the human soul that was joined to the eternal Son
of God, that holy thing. He was sinless in his birth,
he was sinless in his life. Now the first man, the first
Adam was also sinless. He comes from the hand of his
Creator, pristine, pure, without any sin. But alas, how we have
that sad record in Genesis 3, the fall of our first parents,
the entrance of sin into the world. But you see, God views
two men. There are two Adams. There is the first Adam and there
is the last Adam. There are two men. There is the
first man and there is the second man. We have that in 1 Corinthians
chapter 15 and verse 47. The first man is of the earth,
earthly. The second man is the Lord from
heaven. The first man is of the earth. Think of Adam. How did
God create him? He took of the dust of the earth.
He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. He became
a living soul. The first man is of the earth. Earthly. Ah, but the second man, that's
the Lord, from heaven. And then again, there in 1 Corinthians
15, 45, we read the first man, Adam, was made a living soul.
The last Adam, was made a quickening spirit. There are two Adams,
you see. There are two Adams. There's
the first Adam, who though created, sinless, foul, transgressed,
and then there is the last Adam, who comes and doesn't fall, but
in his life he's holy and righteous and just, who only does all the
commandments of God. Now, we read of him again in Romans chapter 5. Let's turn
to that chapter, Romans 5, at verse 18, Paul writes, Therefore
as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation,
he's speaking of the first Adam, By the offense of one judgment
came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness
of one, this is the last Adam, this is Christ, even so by the
righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification
of life. For as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many
be made righteous. or the obedience of the Lord
Jesus Christ. That is the righteousness of
the saints. The Lord is well pleased for
His righteousness sake. He will honour the Lord and magnify
it. And that's what He has done.
I have glorified Thee on the earth. I have finished the work
which Thou gavest Me to do. All Christ, you see, is speaking
of that life that he has lived. That holy, obedient life. In the previous chapters, he's
seen as that great teacher. Remember the content of those
previous chapters, 14 and 15 and 16? When we come to chapter 17, we're
told these words by Jesus. That's a reference to what he
had been saying. And then he turns from addressing the disciples,
he turns from addressing men, and lifts up his eyes to heaven
to address his father. But now when we see him there
in those previous chapters, he is clearly the great prophet.
Oh, never man spake like this man. Nicodemus said to him, we
know that thou art a teacher come from God, no man can do
these miracles that thou doest except God be with him. Christ in his prophetic office
and how his ministry as a prophet, as a preacher, as a teacher was
so very different to that of the scribes and the pharisees.
They were the Jewish religious leaders at the time, of course,
the Scribes and the Pharisees. Christ speaks about how they
sat in the seat of Moses, and therefore they were to be respected,
they were to be recognized. The opening part of Matthew 23,
Then spake Jesus to the multitude and to his disciples, saying,
The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat, all therefore
whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do. But do not
ye after their works, for they say and do not." They did not
practice what they preach. They said what they didn't do.
Or they gave commandments to others, telling them how they
should live their lives. But their lives did not conform
to those commandments, but how different with the Lord Jesus
Christ. He was ever about his father's
business. I must work the work of him that
sent me whilst it is day, he says. The night cometh when no
man can work. But we had a work to accomplish.
And how he was burdened until that work was altogether fulfilled. So different, you say. They say
and do not all that he said he did. All that he said he did. And it was this, was it not,
that gave such authority to his teaching. And the people recognize
that, as we see at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. The
closing verses of Matthew chapter 17, when Jesus had ended these
sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine, or as the Margin
said, at his teaching. Why were they... astonished because
he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. Where does his authority come
from? The holiness of his life. How he obeyed the Father in all
things. I have glorified thee on the
earth. I have finished the work that
thou gavest me to do. But you see how witnessing Christ
in his prophetic office in those previous chapters, when we come
to chapter 17, we're introduced to him more particularly now
in his priestly office. And we see him here, of course,
as a priest interceding, praying. And then in chapter 18 following,
we see that other aspect of the priestly office, he is to sacrifice. That's what the priest did. The
priest prayed, and the priest made sacrifice. And so the Lord
Jesus, you see now, as he intercedes, he enters into his priestly office.
And that will continue, I say, right through this gospel as
he goes on to make that one sacrifice for sins forever. And so, let
us turn in the second place to his obedience in death. spoken
of his obedience in life there was also obedience in death being
found in fashion as a man he became obedient unto death even
the death of the cross that was the great end of his
coming into the world was it not? He is born to die, made
of a woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under
the law. He must therefore be obedient
not only in living but obedient also as he comes to die. He must not only honor and magnify
God's holy law by obeying all its precepts He must also honor
and magnify that same law by bearing all its terrible penalties. Now, men speak of the death of
the Lord Jesus Christ, his obedience in dying as his passive obedience. His passive obedience. But he's not really passive when
he comes to die. Is he not as active in dying
as ever he was in living? They don't take his life. They
couldn't lay a finger upon him as we saw here at the beginning
of chapter 18. They fell backward. They couldn't
touch him. He must put himself into their hands. And the sacrifice
that he will make, it's a voluntary sacrifice. In chapter 19 we're
told how he bowed his head. Bowed his head and gave up the
ghost. Luke says, at that time, he says, Father, into thy hands
I commend my spirit. And he bowed his head and gave
up the ghost. That separation of body and soul,
you see. He is the one who makes the offering. into thy hands I commend my spirit."
What does he say here in John chapter 10? Therefore does my
Father love me because I lay down my life that I might take
it again. No man taketh it from me. I lay
it down of myself. I have power to lay it down and
I have power to take it again. This command have I received
of my Father. This was the great command in
the Covenant that He must come and die. How could he die, this
holy man, this righteous man? The wages of sin is death, says
the Word of God. The soul that sinneth, it shall
die. And Christ was without sin. He
could never die. He dies, you see. He dies to
atone for sins not his own, he's dying as a substitute in the
room and in the steds of his people. And so what does he say? I have
glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which
thou gavest me to do. In a sense it's a prophetic word.
Just two chapters later, chapter 19 and verse 30, he will utter
those words from the cross. It is finished. But there's a
sensual scene which the work was already finished. He would
see that work through. He would accomplish all the goodwill
and pleasure of his father. But what a word is this? I have
finished. the work that they gave us me
to do. And the word they choose to finish,
it's so full and so rich and pregnant in meaning. It means
to bring to an end, to bring to maturity, to finish, to fulfill,
to complete, to perfect. That's what he did. That's what
he did. It's a perfect salvation, nothing
is wanted. All the work has been done and
it was done by the Lord Jesus Christ. Doesn't Daniel say as
much, speaking of him as he comes to finish the transgression,
to make an end of sin, to make reconciliation for iniquity,
to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal the vision and the prophecy,
to anoint the most holy, All is complete. All is finished
in and by the Lord Jesus Christ. And upon the cross, you see,
what we witness is the full fruition of His work. This is the fullness
of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's a remarkable statement
that we have in Hebrews 2.10, where we're told he was made
perfect through sufferings. He was made perfect through sufferings. That's the perfection of his
work. As I say, that's where it reaches all its fullness,
all its climax. Perfect. or how he loved the father and
he delighted to do all the will of the father he wanted to please
the father in all things and so he comes not to do his own
will but the will of him who has sent him to finish his work
but he doesn't only love the father how he loves his people
What love he bears to those that the Father had given to him in
the Covenant. Remember it was at the Feast
of the Passover that he instituted the Holy Supper, which we will
shortly observe. And we see the significance of
it, do we not, in the Paschal Lamb? Christ our Passover, says
Paul, is sacrifice for us. He's the fulfillment of the Passover
lamb. Remember how that Passover lamb
had to be without any blemish, to examine the animal, make sure
it was a fine specimen, a complete specimen, no blemishes in that
animal. Why? It's a type of Christ. the
spotless, sinless Lamb of God. And when He comes to His final
Passover, and He celebrates it with His disciples, He institutes
the Lord's Supper. And here in chapter 13 we're
told, there before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew
that His hour was come, that he should depart out of this
world unto the Father having loved his own which were in the
world he loved them unto the end having loved his own which
were in the world he loved them unto the end and the word there
that we have end it's from exactly the same root as this word finished
oh he loved them He loved them to full maturity. He loved them
perfectly. He loved them completely. This
is what motivates Him. It's not just that love that
He bears towards His Father. It's that love that He bears
to all those whom the Father has given to Him in the Eternal
Covenant. He loves these sinners. He loves
them. And He dies for them. and he
suffers all the agonies so willingly. He does it voluntarily, as we've
said, having loved his own. He loves them unto the end. Or do we not see, friends, that
all God's works are such perfect works? Whatever God takes in
hand, God is sure to complete. Moses says in Deuteronomy 32
concerning this God, His work is perfect. His work is perfect. Now if God has begun with you,
if God has taken you in hand and begun a work in your soul, God will complete that work.
You can be encouraged in that. He says, shall I bring to the
birth and not cause to bring forth? Shall I cause to bring
forth and shut up the womb? That's not the way of God. I
know the thoughts that I think towards you. He says thoughts
of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end. Oh, He knows
the end from the beginning. This God, He knows just what
He's about. His work is perfect. His works can never be aborted.
And so when the Apostle writes to the church at Philippi, what
does he say to those believers? Being confident of this very
thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform
it until the day of Jesus Christ. That's Paul's confidence. He
has confidence, you see, in all the works of God. And where to
have confidence? In all the works of God. And
where are we to look? Oh, we're to look to the Lord
Jesus Christ. We're to look to the Lord Jesus
Christ for everything. Looking on to Jesus, says Paul
the author and finisher of our faith. You see, faith begins
with Him. It is faith of the operation
of God. It is faith which is the gift of God. Where do you
find faith? You have to look to Christ. You
have to call upon Christ. You have to ask Christ to grant
you faith, indeed. who is the author and the beginner
of faith, is also the end of faith. His work is such that here we see salvation,
complete, entire, all the fullness of it in the person and the work
of Christ. How the Father has glorified
Him, He has not prayed in vain, when he comes to the father here
in the opening words of his prayer the hour is come glorify thy
son he says how the father has glorified him and how he in that
has glorified the father and he will yet perfect his work
in the souls of all his people he will do all to the glory of
the father All friends, this surely is to be our confidence.
Let us look to this Lord Jesus Christ and trust in Him and have
confidence in Him. He could say, I have glorified
thee on the earth. I have finished the work which
thou gavest me to do, and now, O Father, glorify thou me with
thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before
the world was, and so it is. And so it is, friends, he is
that one now who has entered into his glory. He's in heaven. And there he ever lives to make
intercession for all who come to God by him. Amen. Let us now join together in the
singing of hymn number 982, and the tune is Hallelujah 672. It is finished, sinners hear
it, it is the dying victors cry. It is finished, angels bear it,
bear the joyful truth on high. It is finished, tell it through
the earth and sky. Hymn number 982.