John 17:24-26
A House of Prayer
Introduction
Review chapter 17: Glory, Sanctification, Protection, Joy, Unity
Prayer is a Wanting After the Glory of Christ (v24)
Prayer is wanting after the glory of Christ. What I mean by wanting after is that groaning deep within every believer’s soul to see and to enter into the glory of Christ. Jesus says, “Father I want those you have given me to be with me where I am and to see my glory…” This is very personal for Him. Is it personal to you? Do you want Him like He wants you? That sentence in verse 24 just leaps off the page at me, “Father I WANT those you have given me to be with Me where I am, and to see my glory…”
If you know Him then those are some of the dearest and most personal words to your heart that Jesus has ever spoken. He wants you. I want to draw out of this verse 3 things He wants for us.
#1: First, He wants us to be with Him. He said in John 14:3, “And if I go [to my Father’s house] and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may be where I am.” This was the hope Paul gave in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, “For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
The key to wanting Christ more is to see more and more how much He wants us. The more we want Him the more we will pray. We won’t pray more by simply wanting more “prayer”. Wanting to pray is the natural expression of wanting Christ. Do you want Him like He wants you? Do you really see how much He wants you? Do you see why He came, and what He did when He came? Do you see it was so that His prayer in verse 24 could be answered – He came to you so that you could go to Him.
I think not being wanted is one of the most hurtful experiences in someone’s life. How many of us know the bitter pain of rejection? Maybe it came from your parents. Maybe it came from your husband or wife. Maybe it was your employer. Maybe even it was a church somewhere along the way. Whose words or actions to you said, “I don’t want you?” …… “Father, I want them to be with me where I am…” There is no rejection in Christ. There is acceptance – eternal acceptance. This is what Paul was saying in Romans 8:35 when he asked the question, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” His answer is loud and clear – “No One” Nothing will ever cause your Savior to reject you and cast you out. “Anyone who comes to me I will never drive away”. Is there ever a chance of being rejected? Not a chance. Too many people who have been stung by rejection are seeking the wrong things to lessen the pain of that rejection.
#2: Second, He wants us to see Him. “Father I want them to be with me and see my glory…” Moses cried to God, “Now show me your glory” (Ex. 33:18). John the Baptist shouted to the crowds, “Look, the Lamb of God!” (1:29). Jesus said to Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” (11:40). Speaking of the return of Christ, John said in Revelation 1:7, “Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him…”
I want to see Christ. The more I learn about Him in the Word, and the more I am with Him in prayer, the more I want to see Him in His glory.
If you look at the timing of this prayer, it comes right before He’s arrested and crucified. In His mind He was seeing what comes next. It’s almost like He was already there in His mind. He knew where He would be going after He had gone to the cross. It’s like we’re seeing here what the writer of Hebrews talked about, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross…” That joy was before Him. The shame of the cross was right in front of Him but just beyond the cross He saw the joy of His restored glory in heaven waiting for Him.
Notice again what the writer of Hebrews says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…” I was thinking this past week about prayer: Prayer is putting our mind where Christ is. We can’t be with Him right now while we are in these bodies (2 Corinthians 5:6-8 talks about being away from the Lord while we’re in these bodies). But we are told to put our minds where Christ is at right now (Colossians 3:1-3 says fix our eyes on Christ who is seated above at the right hand of the Father).
David said in Psalm 27, “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.”
Prayer is putting our minds where someday we will be in our new bodies – in the presence of the glory of Christ. Prayer places our minds above and beyond the things and circumstances of this life. Prayer takes our minds up to heaven so that we can then look upon the world with the eyes of heaven.
And it is this fixation on seeing Christ in His glory in heaven where True passion for Him on earth is born. Each time we separate ourselves from the busyness of life and all the distractions in the world, we leave it all to go to that place where Christ is – at the very throne of God in heaven. And it’s when we enter into that atmosphere in the throne room of God by prayer when we find our supply of strength, the holding up of our eyes to heaven, and the renewal of peace and joy and love. There is no greater holy effect on our minds than for our minds to approach and be absorbed in the One who is Holy.
#3: Third, our Lord wants to share His glory with us. We will not be the same as we are now when we see His glory. We will be glorified with Him, and we will be glorified with His glory. First John 3:2 says, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see Him as He is.” Philippians 3:20-21 says, “[The Lord Jesus Christ] will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Romans 8:17 says we are “co-heirs with Christ…” and, “that we also [will] share in his glory. Then Paul says in the next verse, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
When we are finally with Christ it will be then that the glory process will be complete in us. We will finally be brought to that ultimate condition of Christ-likeness. This is the glory that is being worked in us and will be brought to perfection. Right now we are growing in Christ – we are growing in the glory of Christ. Second Corinthians 3:18 says, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory…” It is the lifelong process where God is changing us into the glorious image of His Son
Prayer is Because we Know God(v25)
We pray because we Know God. Five times in verses 25 and 26 the word “know” appears. Jesus said in verse 3, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God…” Knowing here is knowing by experience. The life that Christ experiences is the life that becomes your experience. Eternal life is not existing forever it is LIVING Forever. People in hell are going to exist forever, but they will not have life.
Now, according to these verses: knowing God means you know two things about Him. You know 1) His Righteousness, and 2) His Love. Knowing these about Him means His love and His righteousness are becoming the experience in your life.
Jesus says, “Righteous Father, though the world does not know You I know you, and they know that you have sent me.” I think it is important that Jesus addresses the Father as “Righteous Father”. This is the only time in the NT that the Father is addressed as “Righteous Father”. Jesus came from righteousness and was returning to it.
This is a unique way of addressing Him but Jesus was emphasizing the righteousness of the Father as opposed to the unrighteousness of the world. The world does not know Him so the world does not know righteousness. The ignorance of the unbelieving world means that they only know unrighteousness, and act unrighteously.
Turn to Ephesians 4:17-24 (read)
Verse 18, what are they ignorant of? The righteousness of God.
The principle is simple: those who know the Righteous Father know and act according to righteousness.
Secondly, we come to know His love. Jesus says in verse 26, “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
A man may know many of the words of God without knowing the love of God. Satan knows the word of God, as seen when He tempted Jesus in Matthew 4. A man may know that God exists, like James 2 says that even demons believe there is a God. But that man may not know the love of God.
Jesus says, “I have made you known” and God has been made known so that people can know His love. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Through Jesus the love of God has been offered. And it is by receiving this love, experiencing this love, knowing this love, that a new kind of love is born in us. God’s love will live in us – even Christ will live in us, “and I too will be in them.” John 14:20 Jesus said, “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” First John 3:24, “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.” Colossians 1:27, “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Conclusion
Have you entered into this love? Have you received that love? You can do that today by receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior. Let Him make the Father’s love known to you. Let Him show you who God really is. Open your heart, open your eyes, and put your trust in Him. He will wash your sins away and give you new, eternal life in His name if you would but trust Him for it.
A House of Prayer
Introduction
Review chapter 17: Glory, Sanctification, Protection, Joy, Unity
Prayer is a Wanting After the Glory of Christ (v24)
Prayer is wanting after the glory of Christ. What I mean by wanting after is that groaning deep within every believer’s soul to see and to enter into the glory of Christ. Jesus says, “Father I want those you have given me to be with me where I am and to see my glory…” This is very personal for Him. Is it personal to you? Do you want Him like He wants you? That sentence in verse 24 just leaps off the page at me, “Father I WANT those you have given me to be with Me where I am, and to see my glory…”
If you know Him then those are some of the dearest and most personal words to your heart that Jesus has ever spoken. He wants you. I want to draw out of this verse 3 things He wants for us.
#1: First, He wants us to be with Him. He said in John 14:3, “And if I go [to my Father’s house] and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may be where I am.” This was the hope Paul gave in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, “For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
The key to wanting Christ more is to see more and more how much He wants us. The more we want Him the more we will pray. We won’t pray more by simply wanting more “prayer”. Wanting to pray is the natural expression of wanting Christ. Do you want Him like He wants you? Do you really see how much He wants you? Do you see why He came, and what He did when He came? Do you see it was so that His prayer in verse 24 could be answered – He came to you so that you could go to Him.
I think not being wanted is one of the most hurtful experiences in someone’s life. How many of us know the bitter pain of rejection? Maybe it came from your parents. Maybe it came from your husband or wife. Maybe it was your employer. Maybe even it was a church somewhere along the way. Whose words or actions to you said, “I don’t want you?” …… “Father, I want them to be with me where I am…” There is no rejection in Christ. There is acceptance – eternal acceptance. This is what Paul was saying in Romans 8:35 when he asked the question, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” His answer is loud and clear – “No One” Nothing will ever cause your Savior to reject you and cast you out. “Anyone who comes to me I will never drive away”. Is there ever a chance of being rejected? Not a chance. Too many people who have been stung by rejection are seeking the wrong things to lessen the pain of that rejection.
#2: Second, He wants us to see Him. “Father I want them to be with me and see my glory…” Moses cried to God, “Now show me your glory” (Ex. 33:18). John the Baptist shouted to the crowds, “Look, the Lamb of God!” (1:29). Jesus said to Martha, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” (11:40). Speaking of the return of Christ, John said in Revelation 1:7, “Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him…”
I want to see Christ. The more I learn about Him in the Word, and the more I am with Him in prayer, the more I want to see Him in His glory.
If you look at the timing of this prayer, it comes right before He’s arrested and crucified. In His mind He was seeing what comes next. It’s almost like He was already there in His mind. He knew where He would be going after He had gone to the cross. It’s like we’re seeing here what the writer of Hebrews talked about, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross…” That joy was before Him. The shame of the cross was right in front of Him but just beyond the cross He saw the joy of His restored glory in heaven waiting for Him.
Notice again what the writer of Hebrews says, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…” I was thinking this past week about prayer: Prayer is putting our mind where Christ is. We can’t be with Him right now while we are in these bodies (2 Corinthians 5:6-8 talks about being away from the Lord while we’re in these bodies). But we are told to put our minds where Christ is at right now (Colossians 3:1-3 says fix our eyes on Christ who is seated above at the right hand of the Father).
David said in Psalm 27, “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.”
Prayer is putting our minds where someday we will be in our new bodies – in the presence of the glory of Christ. Prayer places our minds above and beyond the things and circumstances of this life. Prayer takes our minds up to heaven so that we can then look upon the world with the eyes of heaven.
And it is this fixation on seeing Christ in His glory in heaven where True passion for Him on earth is born. Each time we separate ourselves from the busyness of life and all the distractions in the world, we leave it all to go to that place where Christ is – at the very throne of God in heaven. And it’s when we enter into that atmosphere in the throne room of God by prayer when we find our supply of strength, the holding up of our eyes to heaven, and the renewal of peace and joy and love. There is no greater holy effect on our minds than for our minds to approach and be absorbed in the One who is Holy.
#3: Third, our Lord wants to share His glory with us. We will not be the same as we are now when we see His glory. We will be glorified with Him, and we will be glorified with His glory. First John 3:2 says, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see Him as He is.” Philippians 3:20-21 says, “[The Lord Jesus Christ] will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Romans 8:17 says we are “co-heirs with Christ…” and, “that we also [will] share in his glory. Then Paul says in the next verse, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
When we are finally with Christ it will be then that the glory process will be complete in us. We will finally be brought to that ultimate condition of Christ-likeness. This is the glory that is being worked in us and will be brought to perfection. Right now we are growing in Christ – we are growing in the glory of Christ. Second Corinthians 3:18 says, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory…” It is the lifelong process where God is changing us into the glorious image of His Son
Prayer is Because we Know God(v25)
We pray because we Know God. Five times in verses 25 and 26 the word “know” appears. Jesus said in verse 3, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God…” Knowing here is knowing by experience. The life that Christ experiences is the life that becomes your experience. Eternal life is not existing forever it is LIVING Forever. People in hell are going to exist forever, but they will not have life.
Now, according to these verses: knowing God means you know two things about Him. You know 1) His Righteousness, and 2) His Love. Knowing these about Him means His love and His righteousness are becoming the experience in your life.
Jesus says, “Righteous Father, though the world does not know You I know you, and they know that you have sent me.” I think it is important that Jesus addresses the Father as “Righteous Father”. This is the only time in the NT that the Father is addressed as “Righteous Father”. Jesus came from righteousness and was returning to it.
This is a unique way of addressing Him but Jesus was emphasizing the righteousness of the Father as opposed to the unrighteousness of the world. The world does not know Him so the world does not know righteousness. The ignorance of the unbelieving world means that they only know unrighteousness, and act unrighteously.
Turn to Ephesians 4:17-24 (read)
Verse 18, what are they ignorant of? The righteousness of God.
The principle is simple: those who know the Righteous Father know and act according to righteousness.
Secondly, we come to know His love. Jesus says in verse 26, “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
A man may know many of the words of God without knowing the love of God. Satan knows the word of God, as seen when He tempted Jesus in Matthew 4. A man may know that God exists, like James 2 says that even demons believe there is a God. But that man may not know the love of God.
Jesus says, “I have made you known” and God has been made known so that people can know His love. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Through Jesus the love of God has been offered. And it is by receiving this love, experiencing this love, knowing this love, that a new kind of love is born in us. God’s love will live in us – even Christ will live in us, “and I too will be in them.” John 14:20 Jesus said, “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” First John 3:24, “Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.” Colossians 1:27, “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Conclusion
Have you entered into this love? Have you received that love? You can do that today by receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior. Let Him make the Father’s love known to you. Let Him show you who God really is. Open your heart, open your eyes, and put your trust in Him. He will wash your sins away and give you new, eternal life in His name if you would but trust Him for it.
Comments
Post a Comment