1 00:00:00,840 --> 00:00:04,800 If you remain standing for the reading of God's Word from John 2 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:11,400 17 verses one through 26, when Jesus had spoken these words, He 3 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:15,920 lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come, 4 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:21,120 Glorify your Son, that the Son may glorify you, since You have 5 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:25,360 given Him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to 6 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:30,240 all whom you have given Him. And this is eternal life, that 7 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:34,160 they may know you, the only true God in Jesus Christ, whom You 8 00:00:34,160 --> 00:00:37,600 have sent. I glorified you on earth, having 9 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:40,320 accomplished the work that You gave me to do. 10 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:45,760 And now, Father, glorify Me in Your own presence with the glory 11 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:48,680 that I had with You before the world existed. 12 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:52,640 I have manifested Your name to the people whom You gave Me out 13 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:55,600 of the world. Yours they were, and You gave 14 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:58,160 them to me, and they have kept Your word. 15 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:02,280 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from 16 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:06,200 You, for I have given them the words that you gave me, and they 17 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:10,000 have received them and have come to know in truth that I came 18 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:13,560 from you, and they have believed that you sent me. 19 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:17,520 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world, 20 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:21,120 but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 21 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:25,320 All mine are yours and yours are mine, and I am glorified in 22 00:01:25,320 --> 00:01:28,120 them. I am no longer in the world, but 23 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:31,080 they are in the world, and I am coming to You. 24 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:35,840 Holy Father, keep them in Your name which You have given me, 25 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:39,400 that they may be 1 even as we are one. 26 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:43,080 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which You 27 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:46,680 have given me. I have guarded them, and not one 28 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:50,000 of them has been lost, except the Son of destruction, that the 29 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:54,760 Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and 30 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:58,320 these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy 31 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:02,680 fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word, and 32 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:06,440 the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just 33 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,520 as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them 34 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:13,880 out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. 35 00:02:14,640 --> 00:02:18,280 They are not of the world, just as I am not of this world. 36 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:24,040 Sanctify them and the truth. Your Word is truth, and You sent 37 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:27,920 me into the world, so I have sent them into the world, and 38 00:02:27,920 --> 00:02:31,120 for their sake I consecrate myself that they also may be 39 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:35,080 sanctified in truth. I do not ask for these only, but 40 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:39,520 also for those who will believe in me through their word, that 41 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:43,480 they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in me and I in 42 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:48,320 You, that they also may be in us, so that the world may 43 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:52,440 believe that you have sent me the glory that you have given 44 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:55,160 me. I have given to them that they 45 00:02:55,160 --> 00:03:00,760 may be 1 even as we are one, I and them and you and me, that 46 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:04,640 they may be perfectly 1, so that the world may know that you sent 47 00:03:04,640 --> 00:03:09,000 me and loved them even as you loved me. 48 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:14,000 Father, I desire that they also whom You have given me may be 49 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:18,280 with me where I am to see My glory that You have given me 50 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:22,280 because You love me before the foundation of the world. 51 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,040 All righteous Father, even though the world does not know 52 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:30,600 You, I know You, and these know that You have sent me. 53 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:35,320 I may know to them Your name, and I will continue to make it 54 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:39,640 known that the love with which You have loved me may be in them 55 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:43,600 and I in them. This is the word of the Lord. 56 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:47,440 All right, you may take your seats. 57 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:50,600 Now, I've been assigned a text that some scholars have called 58 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:52,400 the greatest chapter in all the Bible. 59 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:56,160 One commentator said this is the greatest prayer after the 60 00:03:56,160 --> 00:04:00,480 greatest sermon ever preached. One of my heroes, Doctor Martyn 61 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:04,240 Lloyd Jones, who's been called the last great Puritan preacher, 62 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:10,320 he devoted a whole year to John 17, and he preached 48 sermons 63 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:12,760 on it. No pressure. 64 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:17,720 I got one shot. Now, because this passage is so 65 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:22,040 loaded, I'm going to just focus on the main point and drive it 66 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:25,720 home. In 2002, my first year of doing 67 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:29,600 campus ministry with Ruf at Baylor, I was invited on a 68 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:32,880 sailing trip to the British Virgin Islands with 12 other 69 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:36,800 campus ministers. And I have never been sailing 70 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:40,080 before. So this week was a week of 71 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:45,160 conquering some of my greatest fears, namely sharks. 72 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:50,800 I love and then fascinated with sharks when they're on shark 73 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:54,920 week, but to actually see them in the ocean is a completely 74 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:58,840 different fear. On our first day I had to face 75 00:04:58,840 --> 00:05:03,440 that fear because, like I said, I have never been sailing and I 76 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:06,280 thought our sailboat was going to flip. 77 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:09,560 We had great wind. And the moment they hoisted up 78 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:13,320 the sail in the boat, tipped a little bit to the side, I 79 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:16,000 started panicking and freaking out because I'm like, Oh my 80 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:20,080 gosh, we're going over and I am going to be eaten by a shark. 81 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:23,680 And so I immediately jumped to the other side of the boat 82 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:26,720 thinking that, you know, I might counterbalance it. 83 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:30,560 But that did not work. And the three other men who are 84 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:32,720 they are laughing hysterically at me. 85 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:35,960 And then the captain tells me something I did not know. 86 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:40,360 He began to tell me about the keel, which is under the boat, 87 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:46,280 this huge iron rudder that weighs about 3000 lbs. 88 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:50,960 I learned that the function of a keel is to counterbalance the 89 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:55,760 boat when the wind causes it to go on its side so that it won't 90 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:59,320 flip over. And I also learned that it is 91 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:04,160 what keeps the boat moving forward when the wind catches 92 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:07,640 its sail. John 17. 93 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:12,560 It's meant to be the keel of our lives. 94 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:18,440 It is meant to keep our lives afloat and keep us right side up 95 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:22,960 when sin threatens to capsize and cast us off from the 96 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:27,760 security of God's presence. It is meant to keep us moving 97 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:33,680 forward when we are frozen with fear at the thought of losing 98 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:38,080 God's favor. You know what the most frequent 99 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:42,320 command in the Bible is? It's not to love one another. 100 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:51,480 It's do not fear over 360 times this command is given. 101 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:57,160 So if the most frequent command is do not fear, then that means 102 00:06:57,160 --> 00:07:01,320 that one of the greatest things we struggle with as human beings 103 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:05,760 is fear. And I'm not talking about fear 104 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:09,320 in general. I'm talking about the specific 105 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:13,360 fear that crashes into your life, that threatens to capsize 106 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:20,320 and overturn you. The fear that God will cast you 107 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:27,000 off and throw you overboard. The fear that God won't love you 108 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:32,080 anymore. The fear of losing God's favor 109 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:35,480 and no longer having God's delight. 110 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:39,880 See, some of you may believe that God has already cast you 111 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:41,960 off because of the things that you've done. 112 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:46,520 You think that the bad things that you have done disqualify 113 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:49,920 you from God wanting anything to do with you. 114 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:56,200 There's this dark cloud that is hanging over you because you 115 00:07:56,200 --> 00:08:01,920 think God is chasing after you, looking to punish you for all of 116 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:05,920 the things you've done wrong. And in fact, some of you right 117 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:11,720 now think that the bad things that are happening to you is God 118 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:16,080 punishing you. And then others of you, you may 119 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:19,080 not struggle as much with the fear over your past sins. 120 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:24,280 You struggle with the fear over your present sins, the perpetual 121 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:30,720 sins, the persistent sin that you keep doing over and over and 122 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:37,919 over again, the sins that you've confessed over and over and over 123 00:08:37,919 --> 00:08:44,039 again. How can God still love me? 124 00:08:46,880 --> 00:08:52,920 Why would He forgive me again when I willingly choose to keep 125 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:57,760 sinning? Because we all struggle or will 126 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:01,760 struggle with the fear that God will cast us off and throw us 127 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:05,440 overboard. The question is, what do we do 128 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:13,520 with this fear answer? We listen to and trust that God 129 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:20,040 has answered His Son's prayer. See, the main point of what we 130 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:24,920 call Jesus's high priestly prayer is the eternal security 131 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:28,800 of God's people because there's a greater Son who has 132 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:32,680 accomplished their salvation. See, one of the questions that 133 00:09:32,680 --> 00:09:36,400 has intrigued me about our texts is why is Jesus audibly praying 134 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:39,160 this prayer at this particular time? 135 00:09:40,560 --> 00:09:45,800 Why does he pray what he says rather than teach what he says? 136 00:09:46,680 --> 00:09:49,240 I mean, he's just been teaching his disciples about his 137 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:53,040 departure, how he's going to return to the Father. 138 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:56,240 And when he leaves, he says, I'm not going to leave you as 139 00:09:56,240 --> 00:09:59,520 orphans. I'm going to send the Holy 140 00:09:59,520 --> 00:10:02,400 Spirit, who's going to indwell you, who's going to comfort you? 141 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:06,280 Who's going to remind you of all of the things that I have taught 142 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:09,760 you? Jesus knows that there's hearts 143 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:12,640 are troubled. He knows that they're filled 144 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:19,280 with sorrow over the thought of losing Jesus, so why not 145 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:25,680 continue to teach them? Why does he pray at this point? 146 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:30,400 I think the reason why is because the best way to really 147 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:35,120 know what is in someone's heart is to hear Him pray. 148 00:10:37,680 --> 00:10:42,960 Jesus is audibly praying so that His disciples can see and hear 149 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:48,160 what is in His heart, so that they can see and hear the 150 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:52,680 passion that He has for His Father's glory, so that they can 151 00:10:52,680 --> 00:10:59,120 see and hear the concern that He has for their eternal security. 152 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:04,600 See, in just a few short hours from now, Judas is going to 153 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:09,040 betray Jesus. Jesus is going to be arrested. 154 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:12,080 He's going to be handed over to the religious leaders, and then 155 00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:16,240 he's going to be illegally tried at night and then convicted 156 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:19,520 worthy of death and then handed over to Pilate so that they 157 00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:26,040 could carry it out. The disciples are going to flee 158 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:30,440 out of fear for their own lives. Their world is going to be 159 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:33,520 turned upside down. All of their hopes are going to 160 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:39,560 be crushed. They don't understand what's 161 00:11:39,560 --> 00:11:44,160 going to happen. They're going to doubt God's 162 00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:46,240 purposes. They're going to doubt their 163 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:50,520 standing with God. And because of this, Jesus wants 164 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:55,320 them to hear what is in His heart as He pours out His heart 165 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:58,720 and then hands them over to the care of His Father. 166 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:05,280 See, what is in Jesus's heart has always been in His heart. 167 00:12:06,560 --> 00:12:09,120 See, the most amazing thing about this prayer is that we 168 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:13,800 actually get a glimpse into the eternal counsel of the Trinity 169 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:18,120 before the foundation of the world was even created. 170 00:12:19,560 --> 00:12:25,280 Jesus's prayer reveals a plan, a plan that was discussed between 171 00:12:25,280 --> 00:12:28,240 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 172 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:33,400 Before God created the heavens and the earth, before God made 173 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:39,280 man in his own image, before God crowned him with glory above all 174 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:42,880 of creation by giving him dominion over all that he has 175 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:46,360 made. Before all of this. 176 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:48,840 God knew that Adam would rebel against him. 177 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:54,840 God knew that Adam would trust Satan's word over His word. 178 00:12:56,040 --> 00:13:00,760 God knew that Adam would spurn his love, throw God's rule off 179 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:04,040 in an attempt to rule his own life. 180 00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:09,240 God knew that Adam's sin would bring corruption into this 181 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:12,040 world, that it would bring death, that it would bring 182 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:16,400 darkness, that all of creation would be affected by this. 183 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:24,440 And Jesus's prayer reveals that before Adam sinned, God had an 184 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:29,520 eternal plan to deal with sin and to save His people from what 185 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:34,720 their sins deserves. So this plan, it originates with 186 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:39,240 the Father, it is carried out and accomplished by the Son, and 187 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:42,920 then the benefits are applied and given to God's people by His 188 00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:46,760 Holy Spirit. Which means before the 189 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:51,480 foundation of this world, your salvation has been on the mind 190 00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:56,480 of God. Your salvation has been 191 00:13:56,480 --> 00:14:00,720 perfectly planned from all eternity. 192 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:07,640 So Christians, this means that you were the object of his 193 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:12,800 affection and love before he created the world. 194 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:20,160 From all eternity you have been on his mind and in His heart. 195 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:24,640 There has never been a time when God has not thought of you, 196 00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:30,880 never been a time when you haven't occupied His mind and 197 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:35,040 His heart. And because of this, this means 198 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:43,120 there is nothing in time that will ever change that because 199 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:46,960 for all eternity God has planned to save you. 200 00:14:48,720 --> 00:14:50,960 And then Jesus's prayer. We see how. 201 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:58,920 Look at verse one, Father, the hour has come. 202 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:05,640 All throughout John's gospel. Jesus has said, my hour is not 203 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:10,760 yet here. My hour is not yet Now he says 204 00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:16,640 it finally is. The hour of Jesus's glory is 205 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:21,120 finally here. The reason Jesus came into the 206 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:27,000 world is just about to unfold. Jesus is about to do what the 207 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:32,200 first Adam failed to do. And before we look at the work 208 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:36,280 that the Father sent him to do, I want us to see, and I'm going 209 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:40,480 to say it this way, I want us to see what Jesus is passionately 210 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:43,800 obsessed with. It's the only way to describe 211 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:46,640 it. You cannot read this prayer 212 00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:51,920 without concluding that Jesus is passionately obsessed with His 213 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:56,800 Father's glory and the good of God's people. 214 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:03,440 Everything Jesus does is to magnify the glory of who God is 215 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:10,520 for the benefit of God's people. See, if the full spectrum of 216 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:15,880 Jesus's prayer takes us back into eternity past and then 217 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:21,840 pushes us forward throughout all of human history into eternity 218 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:28,920 future, then there has never been nor will there ever be a 219 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:34,480 time when Jesus is not passionately obsessed with God's 220 00:16:34,480 --> 00:16:39,640 glory for the good of God's people. 221 00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:48,680 Which means Jesus's eternal obsession with God's glory means 222 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:53,200 he is eternally obsessed with your glory. 223 00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:57,040 Look at how he begins in verse one. 224 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:02,360 Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son so that the Son 225 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:06,000 may glorify you. Now look at verse 5. 226 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:11,359 And now, Father, glorify me in Your own presence with the glory 227 00:17:11,359 --> 00:17:14,880 that I had with you before the world existed. 228 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:18,839 And then look at what Jesus says near the end of verse 22 and 24. 229 00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:24,160 The glory that you have given me, I have given to them. 230 00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:30,360 Father, I desire that they also whom You have given me may be 231 00:17:30,360 --> 00:17:36,120 with me where I am to see my glory that you have given me 232 00:17:36,120 --> 00:17:40,640 because you love me before the foundation of the world from 233 00:17:40,640 --> 00:17:45,400 eternity past into eternity. Future Jesus obsession with His 234 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:49,360 Father's glory means he's obsessed with Your glory. 235 00:17:51,360 --> 00:17:58,400 He desires that believers not only be present to see His glory 236 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:03,800 for all of eternity, but for all of eternity. 237 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:09,680 He wants them to possess and have His glory. 238 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:22,240 Jesus laid aside His glory so that you could eternally have 239 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:30,400 it. And because Jesus laid aside his 240 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:35,280 glory to accomplish his Father's will, the Father gives a gift to 241 00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:44,040 his Son, a bride, a chosen people who will become one with 242 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:49,440 God, who will be united with God for all eternity. 243 00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:53,520 Look at verses 2 through three. Since Jesus has been given 244 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:58,600 authority over all flesh, He gives eternal life to all whom 245 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:02,280 the Father has given to them. And then he says, And this is 246 00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:06,960 eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and 247 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:12,080 Jesus Christ whom you have sent. Because Jesus is passionately 248 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:17,200 obsessed with his Father's glory, The Father gives Jesus 249 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:25,920 authority to find and save a people for himself and then give 250 00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:30,640 them eternal life. You see, eternal life is not 251 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:35,240 just a quantity of time, Jesus says in verse 3. 252 00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:40,400 It's a quality of relationship. It's a quality of relationship 253 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:46,560 where we know who God is, where we believe and trust that Jesus 254 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:53,800 is God and that God sent Him to save us from what our sins 255 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:58,280 deserve. Look at how His chosen people 256 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:02,920 are kept guarded, protected, and eternally secure. 257 00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:07,200 In verses 6 through 14, Jesus says I have manifested your name 258 00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:10,000 to the people whom you gave me out of this world. 259 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:14,640 They have kept Your word. Now they know everything that 260 00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:19,440 you have given me is from You. I have given them the words you 261 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:23,560 gave me. They have received them, They 262 00:20:23,560 --> 00:20:27,160 have come to know in truth that I come from you, and they have 263 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:32,760 believed that you sent me. I am glorified in them. 264 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:43,400 I kept them in your name. I have guarded them so that none 265 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:49,000 of them is lost except the Son of destruction, which shows that 266 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:53,040 Judas was never really one of those given to the Son. 267 00:20:57,440 --> 00:21:06,480 Jesus did not make salvation possible, he accomplished it and 268 00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:11,840 Jesus's prayer, In his view, the salvation of God's people is a 269 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:16,880 done deal. Mission accomplished, task 270 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:22,760 completed, all that I have been sent to do done. 271 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:30,640 Nothing is lost and nothing is left undone. 272 00:21:32,520 --> 00:21:35,280 And in case you think that Jesus is only talking about his 273 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:38,040 disciples, look at verses 20 through 26. 274 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:44,240 He's not just praying for his 11 disciples, He's praying for 275 00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:48,480 everyone throughout all of history who will believe in him. 276 00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:54,640 Through their witness and their words, they too will be given 277 00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:59,680 Jesus's glory. They too will behold Jesus's 278 00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:04,920 glory for all eternity. See, at the heart of Jesus's 279 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:10,280 prayer is the eternal security and the eternal glory of all of 280 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:15,680 God's people. All that the Father has given as 281 00:22:15,680 --> 00:22:20,400 a gift to his Son are set apart from the world they are 282 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:24,680 recreated in and to a newness of life. 283 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:32,240 Jesus personally makes known to them the meaning of God's name, 284 00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:40,920 and Jesus gives them God's word. They receive God's word, they 285 00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:45,360 believe and trust that Jesus is God and that God has sent His 286 00:22:45,360 --> 00:22:50,040 Son on a search and rescue mission to save them. 287 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:57,600 Throughout all of their lives. They are kept in His name. 288 00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:05,720 None of them will be lost. All those kept in God's name 289 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:12,960 will one day behold their Savior face to face, the day when they 290 00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:17,920 exchange faith for sight. And the moment they see Jesus, 291 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:25,840 they will instantaneously be changed and have His glory for 292 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:32,040 all eternity. So how does Jesus do it? 293 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:40,960 How does God save us? With the glory of his Son? 294 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:48,200 Because Jesus laid his glory down. 295 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:56,520 Look at the end of verse 5. And now, Father, glorify me in 296 00:23:56,520 --> 00:24:02,560 your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the 297 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:06,760 world existed. What happened to the glory that 298 00:24:06,800 --> 00:24:09,840 Jesus had before the world existed? 299 00:24:11,360 --> 00:24:16,920 The eternal Son of God, who shared in the eternal love and 300 00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:19,680 delight of his Father and the Holy Spirit. 301 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:24,720 The one who was adorned in heaven by the angels as the most 302 00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:34,480 radiant being said to his Father before he created the world. 303 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:42,480 I will go and do all of your will. 304 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:52,320 I will carry out your plan. I will do what Adam failed to 305 00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:56,480 do. I I will lay aside my glory and 306 00:24:56,480 --> 00:25:02,520 rights as God in order to take on flesh and become like them. 307 00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:08,200 I will be the greater Adam, the greater Son. 308 00:25:09,520 --> 00:25:14,520 I will represent your people. I will experience everything 309 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:19,200 they experience. I will become their sorrows. 310 00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:24,280 I will carry their burdens and their iniquities. 311 00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:31,400 I will teach them and show them the great love that you have for 312 00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:37,120 them. I will perfectly obey your law, 313 00:25:37,120 --> 00:25:42,680 never once putting my interests above yours. 314 00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:53,080 I will fulfill your law for them because they will fail, because 315 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:58,640 my life revolves around you. I will revolve my life around 316 00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:03,240 them. I will serve them. 317 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:06,400 I will exalt them. I will never turn away from 318 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:13,880 doing them good because I will willingly lay down my life for 319 00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:21,280 them and suffer the penalty for what their sin deserves. 320 00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:30,240 I will allow them to beat me, to mock me, to torture me, to strip 321 00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:39,160 me, to humiliate me. I will stay on the cross until 322 00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:44,640 all of Your wrath, for all of their sin is exhaustively poured 323 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:48,840 out on me and Your justice is satisfied. 324 00:26:51,960 --> 00:27:01,320 I will endure your displeasure. I will face your back as you 325 00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:08,920 forsake me so that they will always have your face shine upon 326 00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:14,200 them. I will do this so that they may 327 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:20,800 know that you will always be for them and never against them, 328 00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:26,840 that you will always delight in them, that you will always love 329 00:27:26,840 --> 00:27:33,040 them with a love that will never change nor end. 330 00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:42,560 Why is Jesus praying this prayer at this time and why is John 331 00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:48,000 recorded it? So that Jesus's disciples so 332 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:52,280 that you and I would rest, secure, and then accomplish 333 00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:55,560 salvation that has been planned from all eternity. 334 00:27:55,760 --> 00:28:02,080 It has been achieved and won in history through the life, death, 335 00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:07,600 and resurrection of God's obedient Son, and then it is 336 00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:13,400 given to God's people as a gift that will endure forever. 337 00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:19,440 Lastly, look at verse 23. You just can't miss this. 338 00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:22,360 Do you realize what Jesus is saying here? 339 00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:28,640 Jesus says the audacity to say that God's love for His people 340 00:28:28,640 --> 00:28:31,960 is no different than His love for His own Son. 341 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:42,720 God's love for those who trust in Him is the same love He has 342 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:47,320 for Jesus. It is an infinite love. 343 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:53,960 It is an eternal love. It is a limitless, unchanging, 344 00:28:53,960 --> 00:29:02,200 never ending love. Brothers and sisters, if you in 345 00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:08,480 any way look at salvation in terms of yourself or your 346 00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:13,720 performance, the boat of your life is always going to flip 347 00:29:13,720 --> 00:29:22,560 over because you're sailing on a boat that has no keel to 348 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:26,520 counterbalance the wind of your fears. 349 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:32,960 The only thing that can keep you afloat when the fear that God 350 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:38,880 will cast you off hits you is to believe and trust in Jesus's 351 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:47,480 work to save you and also to believe that God has answered 352 00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:56,920 His Son's prayer. How do we know that the Father 353 00:29:57,600 --> 00:30:02,640 has answered what we call His Son's High Priestly prayer? 354 00:30:05,440 --> 00:30:11,040 Because in just a few, a few short hours, he's going to turn 355 00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:13,080 down his son's prayer and guess the enemy. 356 00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:18,480 Amen. Father. 357 00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:27,760 Yeah. We need your spirit to help us 358 00:30:27,760 --> 00:30:31,000 to believe the truths of what Jesus prays. 359 00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:38,200 The work is done. There's nothing left to do. 360 00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:46,040 We have entered into your eternal Sabbath rest because of 361 00:30:46,080 --> 00:30:53,160 Jesus's work. So now help us to believe and 362 00:30:53,160 --> 00:31:01,120 rest that it is finished so that we would step off of the 363 00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:06,120 performance treadmill believing that we must finish. 364 00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:15,480 You are the Lord of peace. Speak it and grant it to us now 365 00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:19,280 I pray in Jesus name, Amen.