In John 17, we have what is known
as the Lord's Prayer for us. He is our Great High Priest. You remember our study in the
book of Hebrews, seeing that we have a Great High Priest.
the Lord Jesus Christ who is passed into the heavens. Let
us hold fast our profession. So we're going to look the next
few weeks at John chapter 17, and I'm entitling the message
today, the Lord's Prayer Part 1. Now I don't know how many
parts we have. It may be five or six or seven
or eight. I don't know. I'm not going to
get in a hurry trying to get through this, but we'll take
our time and look at this. And I want us this morning to
carefully and prayerfully study the Lord's prayer for us. This is the Lord's high priestly
prayer for His People. He prays a special prayer specially
for those people. Look down at verse 9. He says,
I pray for them, them, those given to the Father in that covenant
of grace. I pray not for everyone. I pray not for the world, but
for them. He died for them. He prayed for
them. His church, which thou hast given
me, For they are thine. Now think about this. Remember
when Moses approached the Lord on that mountain, had the burning
bush, and the Lord said, I am that I am, speaking out of that
burning bush? Remember what the Lord told Moses
to do? Take off your shoes. This is holy ground. Again when
Joshua was about to march into Jericho that night before He
prayed unto the Lord and the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to
him You can read about it in Joshua chapter 5 and the Lord
Joshua asked the Lord Are you on our side or against us? Remember
and Joshua was glad to hear the Lord said, I'm the captain of
the Lord's hosts. And then the Lord told Joshua,
take off your shoes. You're in the presence of God
Almighty. And as I look at John chapter
17, we ought to take off our shoes. Now don't, don't do that
literally, but you got the point. This is holy ground. This is
special, special ground given. Words given. And think about
this. Our Lord prayed this prayer for
His church then and now. His prayers are without end. His prayers are unceasing. We
read in Scripture, our blessed Lord, He's able to save to the
uttermost all that come to God by Him, seeing that He ever lives
to make intercession for us. One old preacher of the past
said this, the words of the prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ did
not pass away as soon as He uttered them or when He ascended to glory,
But remains, this prayer remains perpetual, continual, prevailing,
powerful, and effectual prayer for us right now. I often think of this verse in
verse 24 every time a believer is called home. Look at verse
24. Father, I will. that they also,
whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may
behold my glory. For thou lovest me before the
foundation of the world. Every time a believer dies, to
be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Every
time a believer dies, that prayer is answered right there. Father,
I will that those that you gave me be with me where I am. Now we know of this, we know
of this from the Word of God, the Lord's Prayer, the Lord Jesus
Christ praying for us is always heard and always answered. Because He prays according to
the perfect will of God. He prays according to the perfect
will of God. The Apostle John writes this
in 1 John 5 verse 14. Ask, if you ask according to
His will, He hears us. Now we know the Lord Jesus Christ,
He said, I came to do the will of Him that sent me. He prays
according to the perfect, infinite, sovereign will of God. His prayers
are heard. His prayers are answered. Aren't
you glad? Now, let's take a look at verse
1. These words, These words spake
the Lord Jesus Christ. Words, words. And lifted up his eyes to heaven.
He prayed these words and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said,
Father. He says over here in verse 25,
O righteous Father. You see that in verse 25? The
world hath not known thee, but I have known thee, and these
have known that thou hast sent me. Oh father, righteous father,
the hours come. Glorify thy son, that thy son,
thy son also may glorify thee. I have spoken these words. Look
back at verse 33 of John 16, verse 33. These things I have spoken unto
you, that in me you might have peace. These things I have spoken. These words the Lord Jesus Christ
has given unto us. Now this refers back where the
Lord said in verse 1, these words refers back to all that the Lord
had been teaching his apostles beginning in chapter 13, 14,
15, and 16. It refers back to what
he already has said to them as the preacher sent from God, as
the prophet sent of God that God promised unto Moses, I'll
raise up a prophet from among the brethren, And he shall teach
my word. This refers back to all that
the Lord has said unto us in John chapter 14. Turn back over
there. Words of comfort. Words of comfort. He just told Peter and the rest
of them that you're going to forsake me and Peter, you're
going to deny me. But he says, let not your heart
be troubled. John 14 verse 1. Believe in God. Believe also
in me. In my Father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place for you. He goes to the cross, to Calvary,
to prepare us for the place and to put away our sin. And if I
go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, receive you
unto myself that where I am there ye may be also. Look down to
verse 6, the Lord said, I am the way, the truth, the life.
No man comes unto the Father but by and through me. Words
of comfort. in time of trouble. In John chapter
15 the Lord speaks words of instruction. Look at John chapter 15. Look
at verse 4, now he said, Abide in me, and I in you. As a branch
cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine,
no more can you, except you abide in me. I am the vine, you are
the branches. He that abideth in me, and I
in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without me you
can do nothing. Words of comfort, words of instruction,
words of salvation, and then words of direction. Look at John
16 verse 13. Aren't you glad He gives us His
Word? He says over here, you find John 16, let me read this
to you over here in John 12. Remember the Lord said, I've
not spoken of myself, but the Father which sent me, He gave
me commandment, what I should say and what I should speak.
He speaks according to the commandment of God. Words of direction in
John 16, 13. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of
truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth. For He shall not speak of Himself,
but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak. And He will
show you things to come. He'll glorify Me, and He shall
receive of Mine, and show it unto you, all things. that the
father hath her mine. Therefore said I that he shall
take of mine and show it unto you. A little while you shall
not see me and again a little while you shall see me because
I go unto the father being resurrected from the dead. being delivered
for our offenses and raised again for our justification. He ascended
to glory and occupies heaven's throne for us. Words of comfort,
words of instruction, words of direction, words of salvation. The Lord having completed preaching
as the prophet of God, now begins to pray for us as the priest
of God. You see the difference between
a prophet and a priest? I can define it for you pretty
simply. A prophet is one who represents
God to us, speaking the Word of God, the truth of God. Our
priest is the one who represents us unto God. He is our prophet,
anointed, priest, anointed, and he's our king. He's prophet,
priest, and king. As king he reigns over us. in
all things. He prays for us. He ever lives
to intercede for us. Now, Father, look at John 17
verse 1, Father, righteous Father, holy Father, God my Father, the
hour has come. You see that? The hour, the hour,
the appointed time has come. Peter put it this way at Pentecost,
him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God, you have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain
the Lord of glory, but I raised him up from the dead. This is
that special appointed hour, the hour, the time, the date,
the place. You know, every man's death is
appointed of God. Our days, our months, and our
years are with the Lord. He knows exactly. He's decreed
the day of our death. It's appointed to the man who
wants to die, and after that judgment, his death. Now if our
death is appointed, how much more his? How much more His death? The hour has come. Talking about
the hour of His laying down His life for us. As the Good Shepherd,
He said, I lay down my life for the sheep. This is that special
appointed, decreed hour. Accomplishing all of our salvation. Obtaining for us perfect redemption. Bringing in everlasting righteousness
for us. Remember many times before He
said, when they came to arrest Him, or to stone Him, or to cast
Him over the hill, He said, My hour has not yet come. My time has not yet come. But
now, now He said, My hour is here. Look back one page. You
remember from last time, John 16 verse 32. Behold, the hour cometh, yea,
is now come. You'll be scattered, everyone
to his own, you shall leave me alone. And they did, exactly
as the Lord said, Matthew 26, 56. Everyone scattered. Yet he said, I'm not alone, the
Father's with me. The Father's with me. This is
that hour appointed of God. Now, several things. This is
that hour that all Scripture must be fulfilled. He dies for
our sin. You remember 1 Corinthians 15,
1-4? He dies for our sin according
to Scripture. Let's turn and read that. First
Corinthians 15. It'd be good for us to look at
this again. First Corinthians 15, verse one.
He dies at the appointed hour, at the appointed time, by the
decree of God. You remember he said, no man
takes my life from me, I lay it down. I have power to lay
it down. I have power to take it again.
This commandment have I received of my father. First Corinthians
15, look at verse one. Moreover, brethren, I declare
unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you received,
and wherein you stand, but which are also saved, if you hold fast
what I preached unto you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered
unto you, first of all, that which I also received, how that
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." Now he didn't
die according to the wishes of the Jews, although they plotted
and planned his death. He didn't die according to the
decree of Caesar or Pilate or Herod. He died according to the
Scriptures. This was the will of God. This
is the decreed determination of God. He died for our sins
according to the Scripture. The Lamb of God that takes away
our sin. He fulfilled every type and picture. He's the Passover Lamb. He's
the Atonement Lamb. He's the Smitten Rock. The Brazen
Serpent that's lifted up. All these types and pictures.
The Lord Jesus Christ in Him crucified. He fulfilled every
type and picture. He died for our sin according
to Scripture. He was buried according to Scripture. And he rose again
the third day according to the Scripture. You see, everything
he did, you remember how many times we read in Scripture, all
this was done, and this was done, and this was done, that the Scripture
might be fulfilled? You see, everything, every step
he takes, every word he says is all decreed and appointed
of God. This is at appointed hour. It's
calm. It's now, it's here. This is
that decreed hour of redemption that was purposed from all eternity,
way back in eternity. We say, and I don't know in creature
language, how can you describe eternity? In eternity past, we
say, or in the council halls of eternity, whatever that is.
But the Lord Jesus Christ has always been decreed as the lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. God decreed it in
eternity, and in time, he came. the appointed Lamb of God. This
is that decreed hour, the appointed hour, this is the chosen hour
to put away our sin by the sacrifice of Himself. You remember Hebrews
9, 26, once in the end of the age He appeared, He just didn't
come on the scene, just show up one day, hey, here I am, sin
of God. Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel, the foreknowledge of God. In the fullness of time,
God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law
to redeem them. He didn't come unsent. He's no
amateur Savior, no rookie Savior. He is the Lord God, our Savior. This is the chosen hour of all
eternity to come and to die for our sin. and to put away our
sin by the sacrifice of Himself. This is that fixed hour. The
hour has come when justice will be satisfied. The penalty of
the law will be honored. He redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us. This is that special
hour, the time for the glory of God. Look what it says. Glorify thy Son. The hour has
come, this is the hour of His glory, isn't it? Why thought
the death of Christ was a terrible defeat and humiliation? Well, in the eyes of God, And in the
purpose of God, this is the hour of triumph. This is the hour
of glory. This is the hour of exaltation.
This is the hour of victory. The hour of power. When the glory
of His mercy is magnified. When the glory of His justice
is magnified. When the glory of His grace is
honored. And the glory of His love is honored here in His love.
Not that we love God. He loved us. He sent His Son
to be our sacrifice for sin. Aren't you glad the hour has
come? The hour has come. Father, righteous Father, holy
Father, God our Father, the hour has come. All eternity, past
and future, all focus on this hour. This is the hour. This
is the time. You know, all history revolves
around this hour. This is the greatest moment of
all human history right here. This is the hour now. Look what
he says here, glorify thy son. Glorify thy son. Glorify the son that thy son
also may glorify thee. Glorify the son, glorify the
father. In the death of Christ, here's
the grand design of all that God does, is it not? The grand
design of everything that God does, His glory. His glory. That the Son may be
glorified, that the Father may be glorified. Who is due all
honor and glory for such great salvation that's accomplished?
That's a no-brainer, isn't it? Who is worthy of all honor and
glory and praise and adoration? The creature? The sinner? Oh, no. Rather, God Almighty,
the Creator. You remember David in Psalm 115? Not unto us, O Lord, not unto
us, but unto thy name do we give glory for your mercy and for
your truth. Your mercy and your truth. How
can God be just and justify the ungodly? How God can be merciful
and yet just and save sinners and not compromise His holy character? It's all about His glory and
that God forbid I should glory save in the cross of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now you know this scripture by
heart because I quote it almost every time I preach. But of Him,
are you in Christ? who of God is made unto us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. According as
it is written, he that glorieth let him glory only in, only in
the Lord Jesus Christ. And that comes from Jeremiah
Was it Jeremiah chapter 9? Let not the wise man glory in
his wisdom, nor the rich man in his riches, nor the strong
man in his strength, but let him glory in this, that he knows
me, that I am the everlasting and in the eternal God. Glorify thy son. You know, saving
faith, as we read this morning in our Bible study, saving faith
glorifies God. We're fully persuaded, as Abraham
was, that all that God has promised, He's able to do. Our gracious
and wise God has so ordained salvation, so as to shut out,
to shut out, to slam the door, on all creature merit." I mean
you shut the door right in your face. You're not coming in here
with creature merit. "...by the deeds of the lost
self, no flesh be justified." You see, salvation is all of
the Lord. Salvation is by His grace. God rightly takes all the credit
to Himself. His glory. Now let's look at
a couple of scriptures. Turn over here to the book of
Hebrews. You remember from Hebrews chapter
2? Hebrews chapter 2, and we can look at many others. Hebrews
chapter 2, we see Jesus, verse 9, who was
made a little lower than the angels by the suffering of death,
crowned with glory and honor. that he, by the grace of God,
should taste death for every one, that is, all of his covenant
people, described in the following verses, as the sanctified, as
the brethren, as the church, as the children, he is our merciful
and faithful high priest. You see, he's worthy of all honor
and glory. Turn to the Revelation, Revelation
5, Glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son
also may glorify Thee." Revelation 5, this is what it's all about,
His glory. His glory. They sung a new song,
verse 9. Revelation 5, verse 9. That new
song. It's connected with the New Covenant.
In His blood, thou art worthy to take the book, to open the
seals thereof, for thou was slain, and has redeemed us to God by
thy blood out of every kindred, tongue, and people, and nation,
and has made us under our God kings and priests, We shall reign
on the earth. And behold, I beheld and heard
the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts
and the elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times
ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying, singing with
a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb. to receive all power and riches
and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing and every
creature which is in heaven and on the earth, and under the earth,
such as are in the sea, and all that are in them. Heard I say,
Blessing, honor, glory, and power be unto him that setteth upon
the throne, unto the Lamb for ever and ever. All honor, all glory is due unto
the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive all honor and glory. Turn back one more page, Revelation
chapter 4, verse 8. The four beasts, each had of
them six wings about, and they were full of eyes within. And
they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord
God Almighty, which was and is to come, and when those beasts
give glory and honor and thanks to Him that sat on the throne,
who liveth forever and ever. And the four and twenty elders
fell down before Him that sat on the throne, and worshiped
Him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crown before the
throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and
honor and power. For thou hast created all things,
and for thy pleasure they are, and they were created. All things
consist for His glory and for His honor." Turn back to the
text again, John 17, and let me read this verse to you here.
You look at John 17, it says here in Colossians 1, "...for
by Him were all things created that are in heaven, that are
in the earth, visible, invisible, whether it be thrones or dominions,
all principalities and powers, all things were created by Him
and for Him and by Him and before Him, all things consist All things
are held together. Heaves the head. All honor and
glory is due unto the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Now you've got
John 17 again. Father? You see, I couldn't get
through 26 verses going like that, could I? I mean, we'd be
here several days. Maybe a month of Sundays. Father? The hour has come. Glorify thy
son, that thy son also may glorify thee." Now, the whole Godhead,
Father, Son, Holy Spirit, is worthy of all honor, glory, and
praise. Is that right? Okay. Let's turn
to Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1, and let's
see. in choosing, the Son in redeeming,
the Holy Spirit in regenerating and sanctifying and sealing us,
the whole Godhead is glorified in the salvation of a sinner.
Now think of it, the whole Godhead, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Ephesians
chapter 1, look at verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessing in heavenly places in Christ, according as He had chosen
us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy 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." Now, who gets the glory in all
this? The Father choosing, predestinating, adopting, You see all this? Blessing. Look at verse 6. To
the praise of the glory of His grace. Everything God does in
saving a sinner is to the praise of His glory. Father in choosing,
look at verse 7, the Son in redeeming. In whom, in the Beloved we are
accepted, in the Beloved the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we
have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according
to the riches of His grace. wherein he hath bounded toward
us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the
mystery of his will, according to the good pleasure which he
had purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness
of time he might gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven, which are on the earth, even in him,
in whom also we have obtained an 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 Whose glory? His glory, who first trusted
in Christ. You see, the whole Godhead, Father
in choosing, predestinating, adopting, and blessing, all comes
through in whom we have redemption, Forgiveness of sin according
to the riches of His grace. We've obtained an inheritance.
It's an eternal inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, that
fadeth not away. We're heirs of God and joint
heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ that we should be to the praise
of His glory. He's made us object of His grace
that we might be to the praise of His glory. And in the Holy
Spirit in regenerating and applying salvation and seizing us until
the day of final glorification. Look at verse 13, Ephesians chapter
1. In whom also you trusted. There's that faith. God-given. After you heard the word of truth.
Faith come by hearing and hearing by the word of God. The gospel
of your salvation. In whom also after that you believed. You were sealed. You were sealed
with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest token, the
pledge of our inheritance until the redemption, the purchase,
possession. God's gonna have what he bought.
You don't go to Kroger or to Walmart and you make out a list
and you buy all your groceries and you put them in your cart
and you wheel them out there in the parking lot. Well, what do
you do? You don't leave them there, do
you? Not on purpose. You bought them, right? What
are you going to do with them? You're going to take them home.
You bought them. You chose them. You wrote them down. Our names
are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. He bought us. And you
know what? He's going to take us home and
He's going to enjoy us forever. That's right. That we should
be the purchased possession unto the praise of His glory. His
glory. His glory. Holy Spirit regeneration. In Christ crucified, all the
attributes of God are glorified. His justice and His mercy. His holiness and His wrath. His holiness and His mercy, His
wrath and His love. Now let's see if we can find
that in Scripture. Where is that Scripture? That's
over there in Psalm 85, isn't it? Psalm 85. Most of you know
where this is. Psalm 85 verse 10. All the attributes
of God are honored in the salvation of a sinner. You see, Psalm 85,
look at verse 10. Mercy and truth are met together. Righteousness and peace have
kissed each other. Reconciliation. Mercy says, let
him go. Justice says, wait a minute.
The law says a guilty must die. How can mercy and truth be reconciled? Huh? Only in Christ. How can
righteousness and peace, how can they kiss each other? Only
in Christ crucified, my friend. And then verse 11, mercy and
truth are met together. Righteousness and peace have
kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth. Righteousness
shall look down from heaven. Yea, the Lord shall give that
which is good, and our land shall yield, increase. It's gonna be
a harvest. Righteousness, now look at verse
13. Righteousness shall go before
Him, this is the Lord our righteousness, as He ascends the forerunner,
He's entered into glory and seated as our forerunner, and shall
set us in the way of His steps. glorified in Christ Jesus. Mercy and truth are met together,
righteousness and peace have kissed each other. We have in
Christ, let's look at one more scripture, I'll let you, I'm
gonna quit with verse, we got through one verse. See, I told
you it might take a month of Sundays to get through this. Look at Ephesians 2. to His glory,
His glory, His glory. He has entered in for us. He
occupies heaven for us. The forerunner has entered in
and is seated in the heavenlies. He's blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in the heavenlies, in Christ, right now. Ephesians
2. Now, I know these are familiar
scriptures, but they never get old. They're ever new. But God,
who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved
us, even when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us together
with Christ, by grace are ye saved, and raised us up together,
and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. that in the ages to come He might
show the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness toward
us in Christ Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ, seated together
in the heavenlies according to His will, purpose, and glory. Father, the hour has come. Glorify Thy Son. that thy son
also may glorify thee." Redemption, salvation is all about His glory. His glory. His glory.