1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,920 Once again folks, let's pray. 2 00:00:04,920 --> 00:00:12,760 Father, we thank you for this incredible chapter in the Bible, this incredible prayer. 3 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:20,600 Father, we will never in this lifetime ever get to the bottom of all the incredible glorious 4 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:24,080 things you have baked into this chapter of your Word. 5 00:00:24,080 --> 00:00:29,600 And I just pray that you would help us see a little bit more this afternoon, that your 6 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:38,000 Word would shine forth, and that you would use my fallible words to honor your infallible 7 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:43,520 Word, that we may worship and glorify you as your church. 8 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:44,520 Amen. 9 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:45,520 Amen. 10 00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:59,080 As I mentioned in our last session, God has an incredible plan that is being fulfilled 11 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:00,440 in our world. 12 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:07,640 And I'd like to read that plan again for all of us to hear from Ephesians 1 verse 7. 13 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:14,320 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according 14 00:01:14,320 --> 00:01:20,780 to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, making 15 00:01:20,780 --> 00:01:26,740 known to us the mystery of His will according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ 16 00:01:26,740 --> 00:01:36,360 as a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in Him, things in heaven, things 17 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:37,780 on earth. 18 00:01:37,780 --> 00:01:40,740 That's the big picture. 19 00:01:40,740 --> 00:01:43,300 What is God doing with sinners? 20 00:01:43,300 --> 00:01:45,600 How is He making all things new? 21 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:49,360 How is He dealing with the evil in our world? 22 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:52,260 God is uniting all things in Him. 23 00:01:52,260 --> 00:01:56,060 And that means that the church is massive. 24 00:01:56,060 --> 00:01:58,960 We don't want to underestimate the church. 25 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:04,600 We're told in Ephesians 3 verse 9 that this is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages 26 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:13,040 in God who created all things so that through the church, the manifold wisdom of God might 27 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:20,620 now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 28 00:02:20,620 --> 00:02:24,240 This world as we know it is being transformed. 29 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:32,200 And that means God is using His church, the body of Jesus Christ right here on earth. 30 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:44,440 And of course, all of this goes back to an incredible moment in history. 31 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:48,840 The crucifixion of Jesus Christ. 32 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:55,340 And before this, an incredible prayer, which is why we are in John 17. 33 00:02:55,340 --> 00:02:58,960 This is an incredible prayer with an incredible focus. 34 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:05,360 Four times in John 17, we have this emphasis on unity. 35 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:12,240 Ephesians tells us God has planned to unite all things in Him. 36 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:17,640 And in John 17, what do we see Jesus praying for? 37 00:03:17,640 --> 00:03:20,120 We see Him praying for this very thing. 38 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:21,120 Four times. 39 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:22,120 Here's the reminder. 40 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:27,840 John 17 verse 11, Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me that they 41 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:33,100 may be one even as we are one. 42 00:03:33,100 --> 00:03:37,280 Verse 20, I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through 43 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:38,280 their word. 44 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:40,540 That's you and I right here today. 45 00:03:40,540 --> 00:03:46,320 That they may all be one just as you Father are in me and I in you. 46 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:47,560 That's two times. 47 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:51,000 That they also may be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 48 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:53,840 The glory that you've given me, I've given to them. 49 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:59,880 Third time, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me. 50 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:07,800 Fourth time, that they may become perfectly one so that the world may know that you sent 51 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:10,760 me and love them even as you love me. 52 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:17,600 Four times, Jesus prays for this incredible unity between God and man. 53 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:22,640 A prayer that begins with glory and ends with love. 54 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:26,600 If you want to think about the structure of this prayer, there are three sections to it. 55 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:29,880 The first eight verses, we have Christ praying for Himself. 56 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:33,560 Verses 9 to 19, Jesus prays for His disciples. 57 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:39,640 And in the last section, 20 to 26, Jesus prays for His church. 58 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:44,400 But before we look at the details of this prayer, we must consider its position in time 59 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:45,400 and space. 60 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:54,560 Here's a prayer positioned poignantly and strategically before the greatest moment in 61 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:57,260 the history of our world. 62 00:04:57,260 --> 00:05:05,160 At the hinge of history, that pivotal moment upon which the weight of glory rests. 63 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:13,080 That an hour unlike any other hour this universe has ever seen or ever will see again. 64 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:17,480 When Jesus prays, we are approaching that central moment in time upon which everything 65 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:18,480 turns. 66 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:20,520 This is the fulcrum of this universe. 67 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:24,080 The hour for which everything was made. 68 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:27,840 So what does Jesus have to say about this hour? 69 00:05:27,840 --> 00:05:34,200 If you read through John's gospel, everything has been building up to this moment. 70 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:40,100 From as early as John chapter 2 verse 4, where Jesus' mother asks Him for help at the wedding 71 00:05:40,100 --> 00:05:41,100 of Cana. 72 00:05:41,100 --> 00:05:43,040 You might remember the story. 73 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:46,560 And Jesus says to her, woman, what does this have to do with me? 74 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:50,800 My hour has not yet come. 75 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:56,080 Right up to John 12 verse 27, when Jesus prays, now is my soul troubled. 76 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:57,080 And what shall I say? 77 00:05:57,080 --> 00:05:58,920 Father, save me from this hour. 78 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:03,600 But for this purpose, I have come to this hour. 79 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:05,960 Father, glorify your name. 80 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:12,360 And here we are five chapters later in John 17, where finally Jesus tells us in His prayer 81 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:17,660 in the very first verse, Father, the hour has come. 82 00:06:17,660 --> 00:06:18,660 Glorify your son. 83 00:06:18,660 --> 00:06:21,800 That the son may glorify you. 84 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:24,920 Friends, what is this hour of glory? 85 00:06:24,920 --> 00:06:27,200 What is Christ about to do? 86 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:37,040 Of course, this is where we obtain the preeminent symbol for Christianity. 87 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:39,400 The cross. 88 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:42,840 The hour of glory comes at the cross of Jesus Christ. 89 00:06:42,840 --> 00:06:50,080 And this tells us a lot about what God thinks of glory. 90 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:53,120 Because what is the apex of the glory of God? 91 00:06:53,120 --> 00:07:01,800 What does He reveal to this world in a moment of exquisite evil? 92 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:05,200 He shows us grace. 93 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:07,200 Incredible grace. 94 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:13,840 And to drive the point home, what do we find right there in the middle of the first five 95 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:17,660 verses of chapter 17? 96 00:07:17,660 --> 00:07:23,360 As Jesus is speaking about this glorification of the Father and the Son, the Son glorifying 97 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:28,720 the Father as the Father glorifies the Son, right in the middle of those five verses, 98 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:29,720 we see this. 99 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:31,680 How does the Son glorify the Father? 100 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:33,200 I'll read from verse one. 101 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:36,920 When Jesus had spoken these words, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, Father, the 102 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:38,300 hour has come. 103 00:07:38,300 --> 00:07:42,840 Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given Him authority over 104 00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:51,480 all flesh to give eternal life to all whom you've given Him. 105 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:54,360 Isn't that interesting that that's the center? 106 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:58,100 What do we see at the heart of this glory that Christ speaks of? 107 00:07:58,100 --> 00:08:00,720 We see eternal life. 108 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:02,440 Eternal life for sinners. 109 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:06,760 What will it take for Christ to give us this life? 110 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:08,880 What will it cost Him? 111 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:10,300 Everything. 112 00:08:10,300 --> 00:08:13,760 He must lay down His life for us. 113 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:15,760 He must take our sins upon Him. 114 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:17,120 He must die our death. 115 00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:19,500 He must suffer our punishment. 116 00:08:19,500 --> 00:08:26,520 He must bear the weight of wrath that can only be borne by humans by an eternity of 117 00:08:26,520 --> 00:08:29,160 hell. 118 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:32,880 This is how He gives us His life, eternal life. 119 00:08:32,880 --> 00:08:39,640 Friends, this is where the promise found in Psalm 133 comes true. 120 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:42,040 Where has God commanded His blessing? 121 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:43,660 Where do we have eternal life? 122 00:08:43,660 --> 00:08:46,000 Life forevermore? 123 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:47,280 At the cross. 124 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:48,480 That's where it comes. 125 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:54,080 That's where the dew of heaven falls. 126 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:56,420 And what is this eternal life? 127 00:08:56,420 --> 00:09:00,920 What does it really mean to live? 128 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:07,160 This world has got lots of opinions on what it means to live. 129 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:11,480 Advertisements selling you stuff for a better life. 130 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:12,480 Have this car. 131 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:14,200 Visit this location. 132 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:15,200 Buy these clothes. 133 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:16,640 Eat this food. 134 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:24,000 Have this experience so that you can live and have life abundantly. 135 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:28,840 But Christ says, I have come that you may have life and have life abundantly. 136 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:35,780 He is the only one that can give us this quality and quantity of life. 137 00:09:35,780 --> 00:09:37,640 And so what is this life? 138 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:43,900 Jesus tells us in John 17 verse 3, and this is eternal life. 139 00:09:43,900 --> 00:09:52,280 That they know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 140 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:59,120 Eternal life means knowing the only true God revealed in Jesus Christ. 141 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:01,560 But how do we obtain this knowledge? 142 00:10:01,560 --> 00:10:02,560 How are we to have this life? 143 00:10:02,560 --> 00:10:10,600 How do we have this exquisite relationship with God that we can call Him our Father? 144 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:14,920 And the answer is the Word of God. 145 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:19,320 Look at chapter 17 verse 7. 146 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:25,960 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you, for I have given them the 147 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:32,840 words that you gave me and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I 148 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:37,800 came from you and they have believed that you sent me. 149 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:40,060 How do we know God? 150 00:10:40,060 --> 00:10:43,120 We know God through His Word. 151 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:45,800 And that's where the miracle happens. 152 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:50,160 That's why we're spending this weekend a lot of time sitting here. 153 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:51,160 Words. 154 00:10:51,160 --> 00:10:55,120 Friends, words are powerful. 155 00:10:55,120 --> 00:11:00,040 God has ordained words for us to know Him by. 156 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:03,080 Words that can make dead people live. 157 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:08,680 Words that can turn nothing into everything as they once did at the beginning of time. 158 00:11:08,680 --> 00:11:09,680 Powerful words. 159 00:11:09,680 --> 00:11:12,000 Our God is a creator. 160 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:15,940 Fundamentally a creator of life. 161 00:11:15,940 --> 00:11:19,080 And He speaks. 162 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:23,400 And that's why the Bible is no ordinary book. 163 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:30,160 Is why we devote our lives to studying and meditating and preaching and teaching and 164 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:35,000 singing and encouraging people to go back to the book. 165 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:36,360 Because in it God speaks. 166 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:38,120 It's not a dead word. 167 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:40,160 It is a living word. 168 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:42,520 Sharper than any two-edged sword. 169 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:45,320 Piercing to the division of soul and of marrow. 170 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:47,320 Discerning the thoughts and the intentions of the heart. 171 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:56,800 This is a word that can take stony hearts and turn stony hearts to life. 172 00:11:56,800 --> 00:12:00,360 And that's where the miracle happens. 173 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:04,620 That's why at the heart of Christianity, at the heart of the church, there is a book. 174 00:12:04,620 --> 00:12:05,760 An incredible book. 175 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:07,860 A book that reveals God to us. 176 00:12:07,860 --> 00:12:12,500 A book through which Christ speaks. 177 00:12:12,500 --> 00:12:15,400 Look again at what Jesus prays in verse 17. 178 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:19,520 Sanctify them in the truth. 179 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:21,640 Your word is truth. 180 00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:24,080 Friends, this is what unifies the church. 181 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:27,480 This is the basis for our unity. 182 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:31,220 The church is not founded on wishful thinking. 183 00:12:31,220 --> 00:12:36,720 The church is born of the infallible word of God. 184 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:43,720 1 Peter 1 verse 23, you have been born again not of perishable seed but of imperishable 185 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:47,960 through the living and abiding word of God. 186 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:51,680 For all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. 187 00:12:51,680 --> 00:12:55,720 The grass withers and the flower falls but the word of the Lord remains forever and this 188 00:12:55,720 --> 00:13:00,380 word is the good news that was preached to you. 189 00:13:00,380 --> 00:13:03,160 The church was born by the word of God. 190 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:06,520 And as Romans 10 verse 17 tells us, faith comes through hearing and hearing through 191 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:08,880 the word of Christ. 192 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:10,480 This is how we live. 193 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:11,960 This is how we grow. 194 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:12,960 Sanctify them in the truth. 195 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:14,560 The word is truth. 196 00:13:14,560 --> 00:13:21,760 Which means that our unity as a church rests upon our understanding and obedience to the 197 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:23,640 word of God. 198 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:30,760 And that's why the word has to be central to everything we do. 199 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:35,760 Central to our worship, our fellowship, our singing. 200 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:38,680 This is the basis for our unity. 201 00:13:38,680 --> 00:13:44,400 Now you sometimes have these phones that go dead. 202 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:50,560 We all carry phones and phones without software are dead phones. 203 00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:53,200 That software on your phone is called firmware. 204 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:54,920 Some of you might know this. 205 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:56,800 And the firmware gets scribbled. 206 00:13:56,800 --> 00:14:00,600 It doesn't matter how great the phone is. 207 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:01,600 It's a dead phone. 208 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:04,520 It's a useless phone. 209 00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:06,040 Phones need software. 210 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:12,740 They need words put in them, instructions given to them so that phones can live and work and 211 00:14:12,740 --> 00:14:18,000 thrive and be useful so that we can do things with these phones. 212 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:22,040 God's word is the software that gets us going, that makes us come alive. 213 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:24,040 Without His word, we are dead phones. 214 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:27,040 We're useless. 215 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:30,360 We're bricked. 216 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:35,520 And most importantly, God's word connects us to God Himself. 217 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:38,080 God's word reveals God to us. 218 00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:39,840 God's word shows us Christ. 219 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:42,080 God's word shows us glory. 220 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:46,760 God's word creates. 221 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:51,640 When we receive the word of Christ by faith, what happens? 222 00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:55,640 Is a creation that takes place, a new creation. 223 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:57,120 Sinners are transformed. 224 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:02,760 God's people are sanctified and the church is glorified. 225 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:04,140 And I find this fascinating. 226 00:15:04,140 --> 00:15:07,240 Look at verse 10. 227 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:16,160 All mine are yours and yours are mine and I am glorified in them. 228 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:19,280 Christ is glorified in the church. 229 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:22,280 Verse 22, this is what Jesus prays. 230 00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:30,140 The glory that you have given me, I have given to them. 231 00:15:30,140 --> 00:15:31,740 That's us. 232 00:15:31,740 --> 00:15:34,520 That they may be one even as we are one. 233 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:39,440 What is this glory that Christ speaks of? 234 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:45,440 How is the church glorified? 235 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:50,540 And to answer this question, I want to first ask, well, what is this glory that Christ 236 00:15:50,540 --> 00:15:55,560 anticipates right at the beginning of this chapter when He says, Father, the hour has 237 00:15:55,560 --> 00:16:01,440 come, glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you. 238 00:16:01,440 --> 00:16:04,440 Where do we see this hour of glory? 239 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:08,640 Where do we see the Father glorifying the Son as the Son glorifies the Father? 240 00:16:08,640 --> 00:16:09,800 What's about to happen? 241 00:16:09,800 --> 00:16:11,920 The cross. 242 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:16,560 What is the glory of God? 243 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:20,280 And you know, again, there's a fascinating story from the Old Testament, Exodus 33, where 244 00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:22,720 Moses asks this question of the Lord. 245 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:26,720 He says to the Lord, please show me your glory. 246 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:28,760 And you know what the Lord says to Moses? 247 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:32,960 You know what I'm going to show you, Moses, so you see my glory. 248 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:40,480 He says to Moses, I'll make all my goodness pass before you and I will proclaim before 249 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:46,560 you my name the Lord and I will be gracious to whom I'll be gracious and show mercy on 250 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:50,480 whom I will show mercy. 251 00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:53,620 What do we see when Christ hangs on that cross? 252 00:16:53,620 --> 00:17:00,040 We see love, the like of which no one has ever seen, ever. 253 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:04,600 Can you calibrate a love that can do that? 254 00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:09,440 Has there ever been greater love than the love that we see that keeps Christ on that 255 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:17,080 cross from one moment to the next, when in an instant he could vaporize this planet? 256 00:17:17,080 --> 00:17:20,560 Here's the one that lays down his life of his own accord. 257 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:22,600 What incredible love. 258 00:17:22,600 --> 00:17:30,920 Here we have these sinners spitting at him, mocking him, egging him on. 259 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:35,600 At any moment he could have just ended it. 260 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:37,720 What incredible love. 261 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:39,540 Joy. 262 00:17:39,540 --> 00:17:44,100 You say to yourself, what does joy have to do with the crucifixion? 263 00:17:44,100 --> 00:17:45,840 And yet in Hebrews, what do we read? 264 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:49,900 For the joy that was set before him, Christ endured the cross. 265 00:17:49,900 --> 00:17:53,760 Has there ever been anyone more serious about joy than Jesus Christ, that he was prepared 266 00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:56,280 to go through a crucifixion to get it? 267 00:17:56,280 --> 00:17:58,960 Love, joy, peace. 268 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:02,120 Who is the greatest peacemaker? 269 00:18:02,120 --> 00:18:06,340 Did Jesus wait for us to come to him and say, please forgive me? 270 00:18:06,340 --> 00:18:11,120 Did he wait for his enemies to rock up and knock on the gates of heaven and say, sorry, 271 00:18:11,120 --> 00:18:12,760 we've let you down. 272 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:15,440 We've fallen short of your glory. 273 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:16,440 No. 274 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:18,600 He is the greatest peacemaker. 275 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:23,500 There's no one who is as committed to peace than Jesus Christ, that he would come into 276 00:18:23,500 --> 00:18:29,000 this world to people who hate him and die for them. 277 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:32,980 Love, joy, peace, patience. 278 00:18:32,980 --> 00:18:36,120 What incredible patience. 279 00:18:36,120 --> 00:18:37,120 Kindness. 280 00:18:37,120 --> 00:18:43,560 Think of the kindness he's there on the cross and the two criminals on either side of him 281 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:51,520 are rioting against him and he preaches the gospel to them. 282 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:55,160 And that one man, he says, today you'll be with me in paradise. 283 00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:57,040 He says from the cross, father, forgive them. 284 00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:58,800 They don't know what they're doing. 285 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:03,880 What incredible kindness, goodness, self-control. 286 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:05,560 Faithfulness. 287 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:09,280 Has a son ever obeyed his father to that extent? 288 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:14,600 What son would endure a crucifixion because his father says, my son, I want you to die 289 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:16,120 in this way. 290 00:19:16,120 --> 00:19:21,280 And yet Christ willingly, we see him in the garden of Gethsemane, not my will, but yours 291 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:23,480 be done, he prays. 292 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:29,120 Faithfulness, incredible faithfulness, humility. 293 00:19:29,120 --> 00:19:34,640 Who is Christ that he should die a death like that? 294 00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:40,360 We'd say if anyone doesn't need to be humble, surely it's Christ and yet he outstrips everyone 295 00:19:40,360 --> 00:19:41,360 in terms of humility. 296 00:19:41,360 --> 00:19:46,800 There has been no greater act of humility than what we see on the cross. 297 00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:47,800 Meekness. 298 00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:54,000 Friends, when we look at the cross, we see a spectacle of glory, the like of which this 299 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:57,320 universe wasn't prepared for. 300 00:19:57,320 --> 00:20:01,240 Stunning, staggering. 301 00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:07,680 Really Christ prays here, the hour has come for the son to be glorified and I will glorify 302 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:10,960 you my father in this moment. 303 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:13,520 And friends, here's the incredible thing. 304 00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:19,880 This glory that we're talking of, of which Moses said, please show me, is the glory Christ 305 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:23,240 gives to his church. 306 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:30,360 That we have his spirit in us to produce what kinds of fruit, love, joy, peace, patience, 307 00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:38,240 kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, humility, meekness. 308 00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:40,880 This is a stunning passage. 309 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:46,860 It's provocative. 310 00:20:46,860 --> 00:20:54,320 So being sanctified in truth, we are glorified in Christ. 311 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:56,220 And what does this glory mean for us? 312 00:20:56,220 --> 00:21:02,440 If he does glorify us in this way by giving us his spirit, do you know what it means? 313 00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:05,640 It means we are loved. 314 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:08,440 So incredibly loved. 315 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:11,480 You have never been loved like this. 316 00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:13,200 Here's the connection between glory and love. 317 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:15,880 Look at verse 22. 318 00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:20,360 Jesus prays, the glory that you have given me, I have given to them that they may be 319 00:21:20,360 --> 00:21:25,660 one even as we are one, I and them and you and me, that they may become perfectly one 320 00:21:25,660 --> 00:21:35,640 so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 321 00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:37,800 Being glorified means being loved. 322 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:38,800 Look at verse 24. 323 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:47,440 Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am to see 324 00:21:47,440 --> 00:21:54,880 my glory that you have given me because you love me before the foundation of the world. 325 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:57,480 Why was Jesus glorified by the Father? 326 00:21:57,480 --> 00:21:59,120 Because he was loved. 327 00:21:59,120 --> 00:22:01,760 What does Jesus pray for us? 328 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:02,760 Love. 329 00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:03,760 Why? 330 00:22:03,760 --> 00:22:08,040 Because he wants to glorify us. 331 00:22:08,040 --> 00:22:13,400 To which we ask, how much does the Father love the Son? 332 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:16,880 How can we measure such love? 333 00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:22,200 How much do a husband and wife love each other at their wedding? 334 00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:23,760 What about 10 years later? 335 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:25,080 20 years. 336 00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:28,160 Who's been married here for 20 years? 337 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:29,160 Hands up. 338 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:30,160 Anyone? 339 00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:33,160 20 years of marriage. 340 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:34,160 30. 341 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:35,160 40. 342 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:36,160 Anyone? 343 00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:37,160 Almost 40. 344 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:38,160 45. 345 00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:39,160 Wow, respect. 346 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:40,160 47. 347 00:22:40,160 --> 00:22:43,160 It's like an auction. 348 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:44,160 Sold. 349 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:54,560 So 50th is gold, yes. 350 00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:57,560 60 years. 351 00:22:57,560 --> 00:22:58,560 Diamond. 352 00:22:58,560 --> 00:22:59,560 70 years. 353 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:00,560 Platinum. 354 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:01,560 80 years. 355 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:02,560 Oak. 356 00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:03,560 90 years. 357 00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:15,560 That's good. 358 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:16,560 That's good. 359 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:17,560 Granite. 360 00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:20,800 90 years you get granite. 361 00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:22,720 That's a tombstone. 362 00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:29,920 Apparently, so there's a couple, and that wasn't this long ago, Karam and Katari Chand. 363 00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:34,200 Apparently, they celebrated their granite wedding anniversary. 364 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:35,200 That's not too shabby, eh? 365 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:36,200 90 years. 366 00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:38,280 Of course, we mustn't forget the patriarchs. 367 00:23:38,280 --> 00:23:42,120 Adam lived until he was 930 years old, and if he was married for most of that time, that 368 00:23:42,120 --> 00:23:43,120 would have been impressive. 369 00:23:43,120 --> 00:23:46,560 But can you imagine the depth of that kind of love? 370 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:53,800 Someone that you have shared your life with for 50, 60 years. 371 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:55,440 How close do you become? 372 00:23:55,440 --> 00:24:00,920 How hard is it to say goodbye when that person is taken away from you? 373 00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:07,560 Friends, how long has the father known the son for? 374 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:10,240 And what kind of a relationship was that? 375 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:15,080 Was it characterized by fights, disagreements, quarrels? 376 00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:18,080 Perfect. 377 00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:20,920 Perfect. 378 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:25,480 Perfect unending eternal love. 379 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:32,080 This is the love that Jesus prays for us. 380 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:39,820 Verse 22, the glory that you have given me, I've given to them, that they may be one even 381 00:24:39,820 --> 00:24:44,680 as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one so that the 382 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:54,120 world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you love me. 383 00:24:54,120 --> 00:24:59,920 Verse 26, I may known to them your name and will continue to make it known that the love 384 00:24:59,920 --> 00:25:07,440 with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them. 385 00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:12,160 How incredible is that? 386 00:25:12,160 --> 00:25:18,400 So this is a prayer that shows us unity in triunity. 387 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:19,880 What does Christ pray for his church? 388 00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:25,080 He prays that we may be one just as the Father is in him and he is in the Father. 389 00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:29,920 He prays that we might be, he might be in us and us in him. 390 00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:31,580 And at what cost? 391 00:25:31,580 --> 00:25:34,080 An infinite cost. 392 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:38,840 The cross of Christ, a glory the like of which there is no greater, a glorious cascade from 393 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:45,240 the Father to the Son to the church, as the Father gives his word to the Son so the Son 394 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:50,120 gives his word to the church, as the Father glorifies the Son so the Son glorifies the 395 00:25:50,120 --> 00:25:56,180 church, as the Father loves the Son so the Son loves the church, a glorious three-fold 396 00:25:56,180 --> 00:26:06,200 unity of truth, glory and love, sanctified in the truth, glorified in Christ, loved by 397 00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:07,200 the Father. 398 00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:08,200 Let's pray. 399 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:16,320 Father, we cannot ever understand this. 400 00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:21,400 This is incredible and when we think of the things we give our lives to in this world, 401 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:23,480 we are pathetic. 402 00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:30,800 The things that we consider to be important and crave, Father help us to know this love. 403 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:40,920 May your Spirit produce this, this glory in us as we produce your fruit and show the world 404 00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:46,360 this incredible unity manifest in the church. 405 00:26:46,360 --> 00:27:01,360 Amen.