The Reason For This Hour

Q: What does the Bible say about the glory of God?

The Bible reveals that God's glory is the radiance of His perfections and is central to the purpose of creation. Scripture describes God's glory as the shining forth of His perfection (Exodus 33:18). In Psalm 29:10, it states that in His temple, all speak of His glory, showcasing the importance of acknowledging God's majesty in every aspect of life. In John 17:1, Jesus' request to the Father to glorify Him emphasizes that the ultimate purpose of His life and mission was to bring glory to God, confirming the centrality of God's glory in the narrative of Scripture. Every attribute of God—His holiness, justice, love, and sovereignty—contributes to the declaration of His glory in creation and redemption.

Q: Why is the glory of Jesus important for Christians?

The glory of Jesus is vital as it reveals God's character and purpose in redemption. Understanding the glory of Jesus is crucial for Christians because it showcases the magnificence of God's character and His ultimate purpose for saving His people. In John 17:1, when Jesus speaks to the Father, asking Him to glorify the Son, He indicates that His sacrificial death is intrinsically tied to bringing glory to God. This glorification is fundamental as it reveals Christ's divine nature and His role in fulfilling God's redemptive plan for humanity. Ephesians 1:6 further expands on this by stating that God's actions, including our salvation, are 'to the praise of the glory of His grace,' thus intertwining our salvation with the glory of Christ.

Q: How do we know that God is sovereign?

God's sovereignty is evident in Scripture where He is portrayed as the ultimate ruler over all creation. The sovereignty of God is established in numerous biblical passages that affirm His absolute authority and control over creation. Scriptures such as Romans 1:20 declare that God's invisible qualities are understood through creation, affirming His power as the uncreated Creator. Furthermore, His sovereignty is evident in the orchestration of events throughout biblical history, culminating in the redemptive work of Christ. In every circumstance, God accomplishes His will, making it clear that His rule over all things is unchallenged. This perspective reassures believers that even amidst chaos, God maintains absolute authority and purpose.

Q: Why did Jesus pray to God for glory before His death?

Jesus prayed for glory to manifest God's purpose in His sacrificial work and to highlight the importance of glorifying the Father. In John 17:1, Jesus' prayer for glorification signifies the deep relationship between the Son and the Father, emphasizing the goal of His impending sacrificial death. By asking for glory, Jesus is expressing His ultimate purpose: to magnify the Father's name through His obedience and atoning sacrifice. This moment reveals that glory is not just a personal accolade but is intricately woven with the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan. As believers, this interaction illustrates the significance of Christ’s work in glorifying God and hints at the shared glory believers will experience in eternity.

Verse 1, Father, the hour has come. Speaking of the hour of His death, the reason for which the universe was created. Father, the hour has come, and here's the reason for this hour. glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee. And there we have the reason for this hour, that God might glorify his son. that his son might glorify him. I've entitled this message, The Reason for This Hour. I'm approaching a message I realize that is way above my head and your head, way beyond my heart and your heart, the glory of God. God glorifying His Son, His Son glorifying Him. How do you speak of that?

You know, I really dislike it when preachers Announce to the congregation, I'm sorry for being here. I shouldn't be here. And we shouldn't be there, sit down then. I mean, I think that quite often, but I'm gonna have to apologize ahead of time. I'm not going to bring this message as it ought to be brought. I don't have any hope of doing that. I'm gonna try to do my best, which is not very good. May God, the Holy Spirit, bless this. Pray for me and pray for yourselves. as we consider this glorious subject, the reason for this hour.

Now, the first thing he says with regard to this hour that had come, the hour of his death, the first thing he says, glorify thy son. He couldn't glorify himself. If he sought his own glory, he wouldn't be any good. He says, you glorify me for this reason, for this purpose, so that I might glorify thee. As I said last week, there is no passage like this in all the word of God where we're permitted to listen as the son speaks to his father. And here is his first request. glorify me, that I might glorify thee. As he faced the cross, here was his one desire, that he might glorify his father. I realize that this is not an interesting subject to the natural man.

But it is to every believer. We read back in the back in Psalm 29, verse 10, in his temple, doth everyone speak of his glory. And this is what every believer is vitally interested in, the glory of God, the glory of Jesus Christ. And if that is not of Great interest to you, I hope God will make it so this morning. The glory of God. The glory of Jesus Christ. Now, Father, glorify thy Son.

God is one God in three distinct persons. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, one God. There's not three gods, there's one God in three distinct persons. Somebody says, explain that to me. I can't explain that. It's just so. It's who God reveals himself to be.

One God in three distinct persons. And here, the Son, God the Son, prays to God The hour is come. God is. God is. He is, whether you believe that or not. And what we believe concerning Him has no bearing on who He is. God is. He that cometh to God must believe that He is. His isness. God is. Now, there are some things we can know about His isness from creation. And remember what I'm gonna try to preach on. The reason for this hour. God's glory. The glory of Jesus Christ. And we're talking about God's isness.

And we can know something about his isness by creation. This is His creation. You're living in His world. You are His creature. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein, you are His by creation. That fact alone tells us we ought to seek him. The psalmist says in Psalm 19, the heavens declare the glory of God. You look at this creation, it declares the glory of God. And the earth showeth forth his handiwork. How wicked it is to deny him the glory of creation. Somebody says, I don't believe God created the world. That's wicked. That's all it is, it's just wicked. You know better than that. Everybody knows that God created the universe.

Now people will deny it because they don't like the implications of it, because if God is, that means I'm answerable to him. But God is. Paul said in Romans 120, for 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 so that they are without excuse. Creation says someone all powerful made this. And nobody made Him. He is eternal.

Now we can know that about God's isness just from creation, but we can't know Him personally apart from revelation. He has revealed Himself in His Word. All Scripture, 2 Timothy 3, 16, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. We can't know His true character. We can't know His person apart from His Word and His revelation of Himself to us through His Word. Now, if you know God, if I know God, It's because God revealed Himself to me through His Word. I would have never have known Him had not He made Himself known through His Word.

Now in His Word, when He spake to Moses from the bush that burned and was not consumed, do you remember that story? In Exodus chapter three when Moses is out watching the sheep, backside of the desert. He'd left Egypt and was now 40 years in the desert, tending sheep. He had been somebody in Egypt. He's now nobody in the wilderness, tending sheep.

And he sees a sight. He sees a bush on fire. And I imagine when he saw it at first, he thought lightning struck it or something and it was on fire, but he looked again, the bush kept burning. I don't know how long he saw this bush burning, but it just kept burning and it wasn't consumed. And the scripture says he went to see this great sight. He wanted to find out what was going on, and that's when the Lord spoke to him from this bush.

And I love the glory of this bush that burned that could not be consumed. flame did not need the energy of the wood to keep burning. This speaks of the independence of God. He has no needs. He didn't need that wood for that fire to keep on burning. And the fact that the bush couldn't be consumed speaks of the perfect humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ that could not be consumed. That's why he never went into decay when he died. This speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ, God, man. God, no needs, perfect manhood.

And God spoke to him from that bush. And from that bush that burned and was not consumed, he said to Moses, he gave his name, I am that I am. I love His name. This is where Jehovah comes from. It means the self-existent one. God's personal name that He gives Himself, Jehovah. Self-existent one.

He has no needs. Now what that means is, listen real carefully, He doesn't need me. He doesn't need you. The God of glory, he doesn't need me. He doesn't need you. He is the self-existent one, but oh, how we need him. John chapter five, verse 26, as the father hath life in himself. So hath he given to the Son to have life in himself. That means he's not dependent on anything for his life. Now think about how dependent we are. I need air, I need oxygen, I need food, I need water, I need shelter. I'm a needy creature. You are a needy creature. He has no needs to keep his life constant.

God is, I am that I am. He was not created. He does not derive his being from another source. He says, I am that I am. His omnipotence is underived. Nobody made him that way. That's who he is. His wisdom is underived. Nobody taught him anything. He knows everything. His sovereignty is underrived. He didn't begin to be sovereign. Nobody made him sovereign. He is sovereign because he's God.

He's in absolute control of all things. His holiness is underrived. It truly is. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. His love is because He is love. This is who He is. That makes Him separate from us. He is other. He's holy. He's eternal. He's immutable. He's independent. His joy is not dependent upon His creation. His purpose cannot be frustrated by His creation. His glorious being is neither improved nor diminished by His creation.

His glory, who is a God like unto thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders. His glory is eternal, whether you and I acknowledge it or not. I love the hymn. Holy, holy, though the darkness hide thee, though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see, only thou art holy. There is none beside thee. Perfect in power, in love, in purity is glory.

Now I'm going to say this, knowing I don't really comprehend it, but I believe it. His glory is the shining forth, the radiance of His perfection. That's about as close as I can come to defining it, and I know it goes infinitely higher than that. His glory is the shining forth, the radiance of His perfections, the fullness of all that He is.

And when I say that, I laugh at myself. Not in irreverence, but knowing that I have so failed in describing His glory. You know, when Paul was taken to the third heavens, he said, I saw unspeakable things. which are not lawful for a man to utter. I can't even speak of them, and if Paul couldn't, I could mean you. But he does manifest his glory in his word. I love it when Moses in Exodus chapter 33, verse 18, he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory.

Now, remember what he'd already seen. He'd seen what God did to Egypt through the 10 plagues. He'd seen how the Egyptians were begging him to leave, giving him all their money and silver and gold. He'd seen the parting of the Red Sea. He'd seen manna come down from heaven. He'd seen water come out of the rock when Moses hit it. Another picture of the gospel. He'd seen the law, the giving of the law, the 10 commandments.

And he says, I haven't seen your glory. I beseech thee, show me thy glory. Can you pray that prayer? This is what I want to see. I want to see what you call your glory. And God replied, I will make all my goodness pass before thee." The glory of God is His goodness. God is good. Let me repeat that. God is good. All of His attributes are good. His sovereignty is a good sovereignty. His justice is a good justice. His wrath is a good wrath. Now somebody says, how can that be good? Well, it's the goodness of God that sends a man to hell to get him out of his creation. If I'm sent to hell, yes, it's God's wrath, but it's a good thing that he did it. All God does is good because he is good.

Every attribute of God, I'll proclaim my name before you. He said, I'll make all my goodness pass before you. I'll proclaim my name before you. Now his name is the person behind the name. It's all of his attributes. All of his attributes are good. My goodness, my attributes.

And then he said, I will be gracious. To whom I will be gracious. And I'll show mercy on whom I will show mercy. His sovereign mercy and grace. God's goodness. That is God's glory. Now, like I said, I know this subject to an unsaved man is not real interesting, but I have already quoted Psalm 29 10. Listen to it again.

In his temple, doth everyone speak of his glory. Now, if I'm part of his temple, His glory is everything to me. And I hope we'll understand that by the end of this message. How every believer admires His glory, the shining forth, the radiance of His perfections. We love His glory in creation. The vastness of the universe, the minutia of an atom, the amazing bodies we live in, life itself. Oh, how we admire the God of creation. And we admire his providence.

Now I realize everybody says, how could a good God let this happen? How could a good God let that happen? But if you're a believer, you know He's a good God. Whatever He does is right. You really believe that. You might not understand it, but you believe it. And how we admire His providence. He controls everything. He's the first cause of everything. And it's not hard for Him. And He controls He exercises absolute sovereignty over the free and uncoerced actions of men. You do what you want to do, I do what we want to do. God has absolute sovereignty over everything we even think. That's who He is and how especially we admire His salvation, how he's glorified in his salvation.

Turn with me for a moment to Ephesians chapter one.

I want you to listen for the word glory. Verse three, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him, in love having predestinated us under the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace. when he hath made us accepted in the Beloved, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace, wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed it himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him in whom we have obtained inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will, that we should be to the praise of his glory. who first trusted in Christ, in whom you also trusted after that you heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that you believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession under the praise of His glory.

That is why salvation is. to the praise of His glory. Now, back in our text, in John chapter 17, verse 1, Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy Son. Why? that thy son might glorify thee." In our text, this one who is described as the brightness of God's glory, facing this hour. And here, once again, we're way over our head to think of what he was facing in this hour. It said earlier in John 12, 27, now is my soul troubled? And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? For this cause came I into this hour.

When he thought of this hour and gets him in his garden, he knew he was gonna be forsaken by his father. He knew he was going to bear the full equivalent of an eternal hell. He knew he was going to be separated from his father. He knew he was going to see nothing and feel nothing but his father's awful frown against sin. He sweat great drops of blood at the contemplation of being separated from his father. And that's what I deserve. That's what you deserve, complete separation from God. He was separated. He was forsaken. And when he said, but for this cause came I into this hour, his next statement was, Father, glorify thy name. He knew this was the reason for this hour, the glory of God.

Look what he says in verse four of John 17. I have glorified thee. on the earth. I finished the work thou gavest me to do. Verse nine, I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them which thou has given me for they are thine and all mine are thine and I am glorified in them. Look in verse 22, this is amazing. And the glory which thou gavest me. What? I've given them. Verse 24, Father, I will that they also whom thou has given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou has given me.

Heaven is beholding his glory. Why did Christ make this request? Father, glorify thy son, that thy son might also glorify thee. This was his greatest desire, to glorify his father. This hour of his death is the greatest manifestation of God. All of his attributes, are made known in the death of Jesus Christ. First thing I think of is God's no respecter of persons.

When sin is found in his son, you say, what do you mean sin was found in his son? Well, the scripture says he bore our sins in his own body on the tree. They became his sins. He took ownership of them. Of course, he never committed a sin, but the sins of God's elect became his sins. And God's no respecter of persons, even in his blessed son. He's not going to let sin go unpunished. God killed his son. Yes, men were used for it, but God was the one that did it. It pleased the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him.

God's absolute justice, no sin will go unpunished. Yet God's great wisdom in finding a way to be just, absolutely righteous, and justify. Declare not guilty, people like me and you. Oh, what glory there is in the cross, the glory of His love, the glory of His purpose. All of God's attributes are manifest in the cross. Father, glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee.

Now, let me try to humanize this, because when we think of the glory of God, you know, it just goes over our heads and understanding and on human terms. When we glorify somebody, what do we do? We acknowledge their credit for what they did. You know, when somebody takes credit for what they didn't do, it's despicable, isn't it? It's disgusting. Glorifying is giving someone the credit for what they've done. So, think of that concept. If you're glorifying God, you're giving him the credit for what he did. If you glorify Jesus Christ, you're giving him the credit for what he did. The father glorifying the son. This is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. He was referring to his death, the hour that was come, when he said, therefore does my father love me because I lay down my life. that I may take it up again. No man takes it from me. Don't ever feel sorry for Jesus Christ. He doesn't need your pity. I love it when he said to those women weeping for him, he said, daughter of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves. He's no victim.

He's achieving glory for his father by his death. He said, therefore does my father love me because I lay down my life that I might take it again? how his father glorified him when he came to this earth in obedience to his father's will. I love the cry of the angels, glory to God in the highest on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. I love to think of the father beaming in pleasure upon his son when his son said to his earthly parents, how is it that you sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my father's business? Oh, how the father beamed in pleasure at his son. Don't you love the thought of his baptism when he went under the water, came up, the heavens opened, a voice came down from heaven. This is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. hear ye him, oh how the father was pleased with every minute of his life. Here's the way you would summarize his life. I do always those things that please the father.

And in his life, he perfectly glorified God. He magnified and honored God's holy law. Now is the time, now is the hour has come, how he glorified God in his obedience to death. He humbled himself and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross. How he glorified God by his obedience, by his faith, He never doubted God. He never quit believing God, even when he was forsaken by God. It was him, not Job. Job said, though he slay me, yet I trust him. But he did a lot of untrusting, if you read the book of Job. But Jesus Christ said, though he slay me, Yet will I trust him.

This is all about the glory of God and his death completely glorified all of God's attributes. Father, the hours come, glorify thy son that thy son might also glorify thee. Now remember this thought. We glorify somebody when we give them the credit for what they've done. Now, in this thing of salvation, if I'm a believer, I'm the gift of the Father to the Son. He gave Christ a people before time began as a gift to His Son. And His Son agreed to take these people as His bride to pay for their sins.

And this is what is so glorious. We couldn't be what we are, we'd just be creatures. And we are creatures, I realize that. This is, again, I don't understand this, I just believe it. Because of the death of Christ, I'm more than a creature, I'm a son.

I'm a son of God. I have the very nature of God. It's a lot better than it was even before the fall of Adam. Adam, I'm better off than Adam was before the fall, before he sinned. I'm better off. I'm a son of God. I've been born of God. I've had all my sins put away. I've been perfectly conformed to the image of his son. You couldn't say that about Adam before the fall. Wasn't Adam holy? No, he was innocent. He was Blameless, he hadn't sinned yet, but he wasn't holy, because if he was holy, he would have never sinned.

Now we're given a holy nature. Now, who gets the credit for that? The fact that I'm elect, chosen of God, whether God saw something special in me, he must have really loved me. No, I'm elect because of Jesus Christ. That's the only reason. He gets all the glory. I'm justified, stand before God without guilt, by Jesus Christ. To think of this, I stand before God as one having never sinned. Perfect in God's sight. Who gets the glory for that? Jesus Christ. My redemption. I didn't have any part in that. He by Himself purged our sins, put them away with no help from me. He didn't have any help from you. He did this by Himself.

He gets the glory. The fact that I'm born again, it's not because I decided to let Him save me. I'm born again for this one reason, because Jesus Christ died for me. That's the reason. It's not found in me, I'm preserved. He gets the glory in my redemption. He gets the glory in my preservation. The fact that I'm continuing right now, believing right now. There's only one reason. Now unto Him that's able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. He gets the glory.

And in this thing of Him getting the glory, This secures my salvation. And I've said this several times over the last several years, I guess. I've got a selfish motive in wanting him to get all the glory. Because if he doesn't get all the glory, that means salvation is in some way dependent upon me, upon my works. That's not good news.

I want him to have all the glory because that's the only way I'll be saved. Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy Son. Oh, don't you love Him being glorified? You know He's glorified in your salvation. You know that you're a trophy of His grace. You know He gets all the glory for your salvation.

And the only way the Father is glorified is if the Son is glorified. And in the Son being glorified, the Father is glorified. Now, let me close with this thought. Father, the hour has come. Glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also might glorify Thee. This is the reason. This is the reason for everything. God's glory, the glory of the Son, the glory of the Father. That's why He saved you, for His own glory.

Now, we get the benefit of that, and oh, He loves those in His Son. can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. But know this, you will glorify him one way or the other. I hope you glorify his grace. I want to glorify his grace, don't you? But if he sends you or me to hell, it will glorify his justice.

Now, I have to admit that of all the things in the Bible that I, hell's a hard thing to think of, to think of someone eternally suffering. And we can't understand it now as we will one day. But I do know this, if I go to hell, it will be to glorify his justice.

The Lord hath made all things for himself, yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. I mean, you're going to glorify him. We're either going to glorify his grace or we're going to glorify his justice. Now, that being said, and it needs to be said, God will right now, right this moment, meet you on the ground you come to him. So don't just think, well, it's all, you know, there's nothing I can do. I just gotta wait and find out on judgment day, whether or not I'll be saved or lost. No, God will meet you. You, put your name in there. He'll meet you on the ground you come to him. If you come pleading nothing but Christ, you got nothing else to plead. Your only hope is Jesus Christ. You don't plead your works or your merit or your anything. You look to Christ alone.

You say, Lord, let me come on the ground of your son. There's no other way for me to come. If you come that way, he will receive you. He said, him that cometh to me, I will in no wise, for no reason cast out. You come, you'll be received. Don't worry about whether or not you're one of the elect or whether or not Christ died for you. You come to Him pleading only Him, you'll be received. But if you come the other way, pleading something about you, your works, God will meet you there.

And it won't be good. I'm telling you right now, it won't be good. So, come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Somebody says, well, what's it mean to come? He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Let's just start here. Coming is believing.

Do you believe who he is? Do you believe he's God? Do you believe he's the God-man? Do you believe he accomplished salvation? Do you believe He's incapable of failure? Do you believe if He died for you, you must be saved? You can't be anything but saved if He died for you.

He's no failure. You believe the way the thief did. Lord, remember me when you come in your kingdom. You're coming back as a mighty reigning king. You believe on Him. That means you trust Him as all you have. You don't have anything else. You look to Him only. You will be received. You come in your works, you will be damned.

You and I are gonna glorify him one way or the other. Now, one of the glorious things about faith is if you believe, you do glorify him. You wanna glorify God? Somebody says, I really would like to glorify God. Well, listen to this scripture. Abraham staggered not, at the promise of God, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, being fully persuaded that what God had promised, he was able also to perform. If you believe the gospel, you glorify God and you're saved. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.

Let's pray. Lord, please, for Christ's sake, don't pass us by. Give us all the grace to believe on your son for his glory, the glory of his grace. Lord, there are, in our number, those that have never trusted your son. Lord, give them grace to trust him even now, to look to him only. Bless this word for Christ's sake. In his name we pray, amen.

The Reason For This Hour

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the glory of God?

Why is the glory of Jesus important for Christians?

How do we know that God is sovereign?

Why did Jesus pray to God for glory before His death?

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The Reason For This Hour

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the glory of God?

Why is the glory of Jesus important for Christians?

How do we know that God is sovereign?

Why did Jesus pray to God for glory before His death?

Sermon Transcript

About Todd Nibert

Comments

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