“Glorify Your Son” [Matt's Messages] ~ Matt Mitchell

“Glorify Your Son”

Life in Jesus’ Name - The Gospel of John

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

September 22, 2024 :: John 17:1-5

This morning we’re going to start listening to Jesus pray.

We’re going to listen closely to what our Lord Jesus Christ said to God the Father on the night before He went to the Cross.

For the last several months, we’ve been studying what Jesus taught His followers that night. What we called, “The Farewell Teachings.” Jesus said that He was going away, and He was getting His disciples ready for His departure.

And the very last thing He said in that section (chapters 13-16) is our current memory verse, John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33 NIVO).

And right then in chapter 17, Jesus begins to pray. And pray and pray! This is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus in the entire Bible. And His beloved friend John listened closely to this prayer and wrote it down for us to read and learn from today.

I have often called John 17, “The Real Lord’s Prayer.” Because unlike the Disciples’ Prayer where Jesus taught His followers how to pray, this is a prayer that our Lord Himself prayed to His Father.

And it’s not a prayer that is a model for us to pray. At least, not directly. Because we aren’t the Lord! We aren’t Jesus. This is a unique prayer of consecration by Jesus before He willingly goes off to His Cross. So, while not a model for us, we can learn all kinds of things by listening in and meditating on it.

You can learn a lot about a person by listening to their prayers.

Did you ever notice that? If you are listening to someone pray, you can at least know what they think is important for them pray for. You probably also can learn how they were taught to pray. And most of the time, if their prayer is genuine, you can know their very heart. And nobody prayed more genuinely than our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let’s listen to Him pray.

[VIDEO WILL BE EMBEDDED HERE.]

We’re going to spend at least three Sundays studying this prayer. There’s a logic to the flow of it based on Whom Jesus prays for in each successive section. In verses 1 through 5 (this week), He prays for Himself. And then in verses 6 through 19, He also prays for His disciples right there with Him, and then in verses 20 through 26, He widens the circle to include His future disciples and that directly includes you and me!

Think about that! On the night before the Cross, Jesus was praying for you.

But the first person that He does pray for here is Himself. And there is one major thing that He prays for Himself. He says it in verse 1 and repeats the idea in verse 5. Look at verse 1.

“After Jesus said this [‘Take heart! I have overcome the world.’], he looked toward heaven and prayed: ‘Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.”

That's our sermon title. Jesus' big request is: “Glorify Your Son.”

Jesus prays that God the Father would glorify His Son.

And that’s Jesus, right? Sometimes Jesus refers to Himself in the third person in this prayer. He calls Himself “The Son.” “He.” “Your Son.” And He even gives His name and title in verse 3, “Jesus Christ.” “Jesus the Messiah.” And other times, He uses the word “Me,” and “I” in the first person. But every time He says, “You” here, He’s talking to His Father.

He says, “Father, the time has come.” How many times over the course of the last year did we hear Him say, “It’s not time yet.” “It’s not my time yet.” Like He said to His mom at the wedding in Cana. “It’s not my time yet.”

But now, He says in prayer, “Father, I know it’s time. I’m ready to go. There’s nothing left to do but surrender myself to the awful thing that’s going to happen tomorrow. I’m headed to the Cross.”

“But there’s one thing I want you to do as I go there–glorify your Son. Father, please, bring glory to Your Son!”

What a striking thing for Him to pray.

What is glory? And what does it mean to glorify something or someone?

Glory is the beauty of greatness. Glory is greatness that is seen and known. God is glorious because God is great, and His glory is that greatness shining forth so that others can see it and know it. Glory is getting credit for being great.

And to glorify someone is to give someone that credit or allow that greatness to shine. To glorify someone is to shine the light on their greatness and make it known.

Someone could falsely glorify someone or something by puffing it up and making it look awesome when it really isn’t. But you can also glorify someone or something truly by shining a light on the true greatness or removing the curtain so that the true greatness that was hidden now shines forth from them.

That’s this one. Jesus is asking the Father to unveil the Son’s glory and shine the light of true glory on the Son. So that the greatness of the Son is seen and known.

Wow! What an audacious thing to ask for! We’ve said a number of times this last year that Jesus has a way of making everything about Him.

Imagine if anyone else prayed this way. Imagine if I said to my Dad this morning, “Hey, Dad, make sure you make me look good today. I want glory. And I’m asking you to glorify me.” You would think I was the biggest narcissist in the world! What an egotistical thing to ask for!

But not if you are truly this great. And not if your greatness means the greatness of your Father and the good of all who believe in You. Totally different.

Notice that Jesus’ glory is not selfish. Because look what His glory does. Verse 1 again.

“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.”

#1. THAT THE SON MAY GLORIFY THE FATHER.

If Jesus gets glory, it won’t just stay there on Him, it will bounce back onto His Father. Their glories are mutual and reenforcing and intertwined. They are, in fact, one. If God the Father glorifies God the Son, then God the Son will glorify God the Father. It’s an unending circle.

If God the Father glorifies God the Son, then God the Son will glorify God the Father. (And we know from chapters 14, 15, and 16, that God the Spirit is in there, too.)

It almost like two giant mirrors. And if the light of the Father shines on the mirror of the Son then it will be reflected back on the mirror of the Father. Light and glory everywhere!

“So, Father, please, glorify Your Son.”

What is He asking for, specifically?

I think He’s asking that the crucifixion be effective. He’s agreeing to go to the Cross, and scorning its shame, but He’s asking that the Father would make it all worth it. For our salvation and for the display of God’s glory.

So that Jesus is seen to be worthy.

So that God is seen to be holy.

So that Jesus is seen to be humble.

So that God is seen to be gracious.

So that Son is glorified in the Cross. Lifted up!

And the Father is glorified in the Cross because He was obeyed.

If God the Father glorifies God the Son, then God the Son will glorify God the Father.

And I think He’s praying for the resurrection. Because if the Cross works, if the mission is completed, then Jesus can’t stay dead. Sin will be paid for and righteousness will be fulfilled. And Jesus will have to come alive.

“Glorify Your Son by giving Him life once again!” And that will bring glory to the Father because He will be seen to be powerful. Just and righteous and gracious and merciful and powerful. If God the Father glorifies God the Son, then God the Son will glorify God the Father.

And I think He’s praying for the ascension that the risen Jesus with ascend to the right hand of the Majesty on High. That the Son will be enthroned beside the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe.

“Glorify Your Son by crowning Him Lord of all!” That that will bring glory the Father! If God the Father glorifies God the Son, then God the Son will glorify God the Father. Do you see it?

You can learn a lot about a person by listening to their prayers.

This is what Jesus is all about. Jesus is all about glory. His heart desires for Him to be glorified and His Father to be glorified by Him.

That might surprise you. If I asked you whom Jesus loves the most in all the universe, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear some of you say, “Us.”

And He does love us. It’s amazing. But the answer is that there is no One in the universe that the Son loves more than the Father. And there is no One in the universe that the Father loves more than the Son. That’s because there is no One greater in all the universe! There is no One more lovable, no One more wonderful, no One more awesome than God Himself.

And that’s what makes the sacrifice of the Cross so audacious. That the Father would love the rebellious world so much that He would give His One and Only Son to save it!

And the Son so loved the Father that He went when He was sent. And the accomplishing of that mission will bring glory to the Son which will bring glorify to the Father in an unending circle of love and light!

Here’s a question for you: Do you pray like this? Is this how we pray?

You and I can’t and shouldn’t pray, “Father glorify us.” But we can pray, “Father, please glorify your Son that your son may glorify you.”

We tend to pray for lesser things, don’t we? And we should. We can pray for whatever and about anything. We can and should pray for our daily bread and everything else we’ve prayed for so far in this worship time. But under and through and above all of those requests, we should pray for glory.

Don’t just pray for safety for your son fighting wildfires. Pray that Jesus would be glorified if He would keep your son safe.

Don’t just pray for a good experience at Capernwray Hall for your son. Pray that God would be glorified by your son learning and worshiping and living with those other growing Christians.

That’s what it means to pray in Jesus’ name, isn’t it? That Jesus would get the ultimate glory from what we pray for.

“Father, glorify Your Son that your Son may glorify You.”

And catch this, that will always be for our ultimate good. We never lose when we pray that Jesus will get the glory. In fact, here it means our eternal salvation. That’s point number two.

Glorify Your Son:

#2. FOR THE GIVING OF ETERNAL LIFE.

See the reason why Jesus says that He should get glory in verse 2?

“For you [the Father] granted him [the Son] authority over all people that he [the Son] might give eternal life to all those you have given him.”

There’s a lot there, isn’t there? That’s why we’re only going in five verses this morning.

Here’s the logic. Jesus should get glory because He’s been given authority by the Father to give eternal life to all the people the Father has given Him. And that’s everyone who eventually will be saved. What the Bible calls elsewhere the "elect" or the "chosen."

Have you ever thought about yourself as someone who is the gift of the Father to the Son? That’s going to be a major theme in this prayer. We’ll see in verses 6, 9, 12, and 24. We’ll come back to it the next two weeks. But you and I are a gift of the Father to the Son. And as His gift, the Father has given the Son authority to give a gift to us.

What is that gift? Eternal life.

Notice that eternal life is a gift. It’s not something that you buy or rent or earn. Jesus gives it. He doesn’t sell it. The church doesn't sell it. A lot of people have misunderstood that. Eternal life is a gift. We simply receive it.

Have you received it? Have you been given this gift by Jesus of eternal life? The four who were baptized last Sunday were telling the world that they had received this gift. They didn’t earn it. They didn’t deserve it. They didn’t buy it. They had just received it by faith, by believing in Jesus, they have life in His name.

In verse 3, Jesus explains what eternal life actually is. Obviously, it’s life that is eternal, but it’s more than that. In its essence and effect, it’s more than just living forever. Here’s what Jesus says. Look at verse 3.

“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

Oh. So that’s what eternal life is. That’s what eternal life means. It’s not just that you don’t ever die. It’s that you know God forever. Wow! It’s not just that you go to heaven when you die or even that you get resurrected eventually when the kingdom comes. It’s that you know God. You actually know Him. Not just about Him. Lot’s of people know about God but they don’t know Him personally. This is knowing Him personally.

Eternal life is not just a duration of life, but a quality of life. It’s a relationship. And it’s not just for later. It’s for right now. “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God [the Father], and Jesus Christ [the Son], whom you have sent.” (And we know from chapters 14-16 that it includes God the Spirit, as well.)

Eternal life is knowing God. If that doesn’t appeal to you, then you probably don’t have eternal life. If you want eternal days without knowing the eternal God, then you don’t want eternal life. That’s why our church is all about bringing people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Because that is eternal life. And it is the gift of God.

Do you know Jesus? Do you know God the Father? There is one true God and only one true God and He can be known. The way we know Him is through His One and Only Son.

We learned this way back in chapter 1, didn’t we?

“No one has ever seen God [the Father], but God the One and Only [Son], who is at the Father's side, has made him known” (Jn. 1:18 NIVO).

And guess what? That is the essence of eternal life. If you have never come to know God, you are invited to do so right here and right now. Put your faith and trust in Jesus and believe in what He did for you on the Cross and receive the gift of eternal life.

The Father sent the Son. How many times have we read that this last year? He’s going to say it a bunch more. The Father sent the Son so that you and I could know the Father.

You can’t know the Father except through the Son. He is the Way to the Father and the only way.

But if you come through Him, you get the Father and the Son. And you get them forever! And that brings glory both of them.

Father, Glorify Your Son.

#3. WITH THE GLORY THAT WAS, IS, AND WILL BE HIS.

In verse 4, Jesus reminds the Father that He is accomplishing the mission on which the Father sent Him. Verse 4.

“I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began” (vv.4-5).

Jesus prays with the full knowledge that He is going to be successful at the Cross and the Empty Tomb.

Remember, He just got done saying, “Take heart! I have overcome the world.” Has He yet overcome the world? He hasn’t died yet. He hasn’t risen yet. He hasn’t ascended yet. But to Jesus, it’s as good as done.

And He knows that He has brought glory to the Father. Which is good because that’s His number one goal! And now, He’s asking for the Father to restore His glory like He had before the incarnation! Before He took on flesh. Even before the world was created!

So before John 1:18. Before John 1:14. Back to John 1:1.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1 NIVO).

Jesus wants that glory. “Glorify me in your presence (with God) with the glory I had with you before the world began.”

Now, Jesus is always worthy of that glory, right?

He was.

And He is.

And He will be.

But that glory was hidden. It was behind the veil. Behind the curtain. That glory was hidden in His humility and His humiliation. In His enfleshment and incarnation. He had the greatness but the greatness was not shining forth. And now Jesus is asking for His greatness to shine as He deserves. He’s completing the mission. He’s done everything the Father has sent Him to do.

And now, He’s asking for the Father to raise Him from the dead and exalt Him to the highest place.

You know what? That is actually not an audacious prayer request.

Because He deserves it.

He deserves every inch of it.

Jesus is worthy of all of the glory.

He always has been. And now He’s done something even more glorious. He has died for us! He has died on the Cross. He has obeyed the command of the Father to lay down His life only to take it up again.

The Son deserves this. He always has and now He does even more. And He always will.

And guess what? The Father said, “Yes.” to this prayer.

This is the real Lord’s prayer. The real prayer of the real Lord Jesus Christ. And the real one true God, said “Yes.”

“I will glorify you, Son. I will glorify You.”

The greatest application of these first 5 verses of the Real Lord’s Prayer is simply to rejoice that the Father is granting everything the Son asked for.

Because, guess where Jesus is right now? He’s in the Father’s presence with the glory He had with Him before the world began. Jesus said, “Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.”

And the Father said, “Amen.”

And so do we.