Christ s High Priestly Prayer

The following sermon was preached at Redemption Baptist Church on Sunday, 4 September 2016. We encourage you to look up the Scriptures that are referenced. May the Lord speak to your heart as you study His Word. Christ s High Priestly Prayer John 17:1-5 Over the past months, we have been studying John chapters 15-16. In these chapters, we ve read about the things that Jesus said to His disciples as they were walking from the Upper Room to the Garden of Gethsemane. First of all, He taught them that He is the Vine, and that they were the branches; and He commanded them to abide in Him (to draw their spiritual life and strength from Him), so that they might bring forth much spiritual fruit. He warned them that very soon, they would suffer great persecution for His sake. But He also comforted them with the promise that very soon He would send the Holy Spirit to live inside them, comfort them, empower them, and reveal truth to them. Now, there was something else that Jesus taught His disciples that night. He told them that very soon, they would have the privilege of going straight to the Father in prayer, in Jesus name. There would be no more veil between God and His people. Because Christ, the Lamb of God, was about to go to the cross to pay for our sins, and thus open the way to the Father, it would soon be possible for God s people to go directly and boldly to God the Father in prayer, in Jesus name. But there is something else that Jesus is to us. Not only is He the Lamb of God, who paid for our sins with His blood: He is also our High Priest, who goes to the Father on our behalf. As our High Priest, Christ now sits on His throne in heaven and continually prays for us. Yes, we have the privilege of praying directly to the Father ourselves, because of the sacrifice that Christ made for us on the cross; but Christ also prays for us to His Father. In Romans 8:34, the Apostle Paul wrote that Christ is, at this very moment, at the right hand of God, making intercession for us. In Hebrews 7:24-25 Paul also wrote, But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Why does Christ intercede for us in prayer? Well, for one thing, we, in our slothfulness and idleness, often neglect to pray. For another thing, we often don t know how to pray as we ought, because we are so perplexed by our struggles and problems. Also, when we do pray, we often pray with selfish, unrighteous motives. But Christ never ceases to pray for us; He knows exactly how to pray for us, because He knows our needs; and He always prays righteously. Christian, if you ve ever wondered what kinds of things Christ prays on your behalf as He sits on His throne in heaven, you are about to find out. Here in chapter 17, we find that Jesus, as He was speaking with the disciples, suddenly stopped, looked up to Heaven, and began to pray to His Father; and as He prayed, He prayed for His disciples. The disciples had just heard the doctrine that Jesus is our Intercessor; but now they were about to see and hear a demonstration of what Christ s High Priestly prayers sound like! Christian, it is my prayer that as we study this amazing passage of Scripture, you will get a little taste of heaven, as you see what kinds of requests Jesus, your High Priest, makes to the Father on your behalf. The title of this message is Christ s High Priestly Prayer. Read John 17:1-5

I. Christ s first petition: That the Father would glorify Him on earth, so that He could glorify the Father (vv. 1-4). In Christ s prayer to His Father here in John 17, there are seven specific requests that He made. The first request is found right here in verse 1. Jesus first request was, Father, glorify thy Son. Now, at first glance, it may seem strange that Jesus, who is meek and lowly, would ask to be glorified. But when you look at the last part of the request, you find that it isn t strange at all. Jesus asked that He may be glorified, so that thy Son also may glorify thee. Whatever Jesus was about to do, it would bring glory both to Himself, and to His Father. Jesus was continuously seeking to bring glory to His Father; but every time He brought glory to His Father, He Himself was glorified, as well. Whatever Christ does, He does it together with His Father; and both are always glorified together. So, what, then, was this coming event that would bring glory to the Son and the Father? Well, we find the clue right here in verse 1. Jesus said that the hour had come for Him to be glorified. Christ had been talking about this hour ever since the beginning of His earthly ministry. Way back in John 2, Jesus told His mother, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. In John 7 Jesus told His half-brothers, my time is not yet full come. Jesus was constantly speaking of a coming hour or time when He would be glorified before the world. Of what hour was He speaking? To answer that question, let s look at what Jesus said about this hour in John 12. Read John 12:23-32 On this occasion, Jesus was very clear about what would happen in His future hour. He was talking about the time when He would be lifted up to die on the cross. As Jesus pointed out there in verse 27, it was for this cause that He came to this hour. The reason Christ came into this world was to die on the cross. He didn t come merely to preach and reveal truth about His Father (although He did do that). He didn t come merely to prove that He is the Son of God by doing many great miracles (although He did that, also). The number one reason why Christ became flesh was that He might die on the cross. And here is the amazing thing: in the Father s mind, and in Jesus mind, the hour of His death would be glory! The Bible teaches us again and again that Jesus Christ was glorified on the cross. Now, to the world of Jesus day, this message was foolishness. In the Roman world, the cross was the very symbol of death. The cross was an instrument of torture and execution, reserved for condemned criminals. It was the epitome of shame and disgrace. Yet, Jesus, God s Son, allowed Himself to be hung up on a cross, as though He were a criminal, so that He could pay for our sins on our behalf the just for the unjust. For most people in Jesus day, this message was incredulous. Not only could they not bring themselves to believe it, but they couldn t bring themselves to bow the knee to a Saviour who had died a shameful criminal s death. They could not humble themselves before the lowly Son of God, and rely upon Him for their salvation. But you know what? Nothing has changed. The cross is still foolishness to lost people. Most people are too proud to humble themselves before the Christ who died on Calvary. First Corinthians 1:18 says, For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. But, Paul said, unto us which are saved it is the power of God. Lost men, in their spiritual darkness and blindness, do not see Jesus death as glory : they see it as

shame and defeat, and folly. But in God s eyes, and in the eyes of all who have put their faith in Christ, the bloody sacrifice of Christ on the cross is the greatest glory ever because through it, our salvation was paid in full! Paul said, But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 6:14). The time when Christ hung on the cross was the ultimate hour of glory. To this very hour, men, women, and children are still being drawn to the cross of Calvary, and are placing their faith in the Saviour who died there. But it is not only Christ who is glorified by the cross; the Father is glorified, as well. How so? Because the Father is the one who sent the Son to the cross. It was the Father s plan (and the Son s plan, as well) for Christ to come into our world, and pay the price for our sins; and by carrying out that plan, Jesus glorified His Father. Read Hebrews 10:5-7 Now, there are several hours of glory for Christ and the Father which have followed since the cross; and there are still more hours of glory in the future. The first hour of glory that followed the cross was the hour of His resurrection from the grave. Read John 13:21-32 You ll notice that in verse 32 Jesus said that God (the Father) would glorify Himself by glorifying the Son; but then, He went on to say that the Father would straightway glorify him. In other words, almost immediately after Christ s first glorification, He would be glorified again. There were two glories on the horizon the glory of Christ s death on the cross, and the glory of Christ s resurrection. Now, these certainly were not the only hours of glory. Throughout Christ s ministry, the Father and the Son were glorified by Christ s miracles. For example, Jesus allowed Lazarus to die so that the Son of God might be glorified by His miracle of raising Lazarus from the grave (John 11:4). Christ is receiving glory at this very hour as He presides as the Head of each and every New Testament church. Ephesians 3:20-21 says, Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Also, there is coming a future hour when Christ will return in power and glory to earth, and will set up a glorious 1,000-year Kingdom of righteousness. In Matthew 16:27 Jesus said, For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Christ has had, and will continue to have, many hours of glory; however, none of these other glories would be possible if Christ had not been glorified on the cross. It was necessary for Christ to tread the path of suffering and death in order for Him and His Father to be glorified. Now, let s go back to verses 1 and 2. (Read verses 1 and 2 again.) It s important to read verses 1 and 2 together, because they are linked together by that word as. The word as (from Greek word kathōs) has the idea of in accordance with. Jesus is saying that the Father would glorify the Son in accordance with the plan that they had had from eternity past. Their eternal plan was that the Son would impart eternal life to sinners. Before the Triune Godhead

created mankind, they knew that mankind would sin, and be condemned; and so, they had already devised the plan to restore mankind, and thereby bring glory to themselves. There are several important things I d like to point out in verses 2 and 3. First of all, please notice that Jesus has power over all flesh to give them eternal life. And what is included in eternal life? Well, the eternal life package includes many promises; but, ultimately, it includes the promise of resurrection from the dead in a glorified, sinless body. Read John 5:25-29 Read Philippians 3:20-21 If Jesus have the power to resurrect people from the dead, what does that mean? It means that He is God! Only God has the power to bring the dead to life! First Samuel 2:6 says, The LORD killeth, and maketh alive; he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. Verse 2 teaches the deity of Christ in a powerful way. But that s not all. Please notice what else Christ said. He said that the Father gives eternal life to as many as the Father has given Him. Seven times in this prayer here in John 17, Jesus states that saved people are given to Him by the Father. Think of that for a minute! Those who are redeemed are, literally, the Father s love gift to the Son. The Father has given those who are saved to His Son for safe keeping. Jesus said, All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out (John 6:37.) By the way, when God gives a new believer to Jesus as a gift, He doesn t take His gift back. In Romans 11:29, the Apostle Paul said that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. What does that mean? Well, when you look at the context of the chapter, the meaning becomes clear. Paul is saying that God will not abandon the nation of Israel forever. God gave Israel a unique gift the privilege of having a covenant relationship with Himself, and of being used to bring Him glory before the nations of the earth. Now, even though most Jewish people are currently rejecting Christ, God is not done with them. He will one day bring them to repentance and faith in Himself, and use them for His glory. God will not repent, or change His mind, about Israel; He will follow through on His promises to them. But the same principle applies with the gift of salvation. After a soul repents and puts his faith in Christ, the Father will not repent, or change His mind, about His decision to give that soul to His Son for safekeeping. He will not ever say to the Son, You know, that Stephen Finley has sinned one too many times since he s been saved. I know I gave Him to you for safekeeping; but I m going to take Him back now. I want you to cast Him out of my family. Christian, you needn t fear about the status of your salvation. The Father will never take back His gift. The Son will never cast you out. Your daily fellowship with Christ will certainly suffer until you confess your sin and get right; but you will never lose your salvation. What the Father gives to the Son, He does not take back; and you are the Father s gift to the Son! Now, let s move on to verse 3. (Read verse 3 again.) Jesus just said that the Father had given Him power over all flesh to give eternal life to men. But what is eternal life? Well, in our biblically-illiterate, humanistic, modern world, a good many people think that the best

hope they have of eternal life is to live for hundreds, or maybe thousands, of years (that is, if the scientists should discover some way to extend people s life spans dramatically, through genetic engineering). This is not what God s definition of eternal life is. (In fact, it s just the opposite. It is man trying to live forever without repenting and turning to God!) Now, there are many people who have had at least some exposure to a Christian worldview; and to most of these people, eternal life means living in heaven forever. But this is a false definition of eternal life, as well. That is not how God defines eternal life. Yes, it is true that those who have eternal life will live in heaven forever; but living in heaven forever is not what makes eternal life what it is. According to Jesus, life eternal is to know the only true God, and His Son Jesus Christ. To have eternal life means have a relationship with God the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. This relationship does not begin after a Christian dies, and enters through the pearly gates of heaven. It begins the moment a person believes on the Lord Jesus Christ and repents of His sin. The moment a person believes on Jesus, the Spirit of God comes to live inside that person; and he passes from spiritual death (separation from God) to eternal life a relationship with God that lasts forever. For a true Christian, there is no question mark about what lies on the other side of physical death. True Christians know that they have eternal life right now; and they know that physical death cannot separate their soul from God. They know that they have a relationship with God that will last throughout this short time on earth, and for eternity. Read John 5:24 Read 1 John 1:1-4 Now, let s look closely at verse 4. (Read verse 4 again.) Folks, when Jesus said, I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do, He did not mean that He had glorified His Father most of the time, or that He had done most of the work that His Father had given Him to do. We often try to flatter ourselves that we have glorified God, when we have, in reality, glorified Him only part of the time; but not so with Jesus. There was never a time in Christ s life when He did not glorify the Father. His life was one of continual obedience to the Father. But there is something else I wish to point out, here. Please notice the order of this statement. Jesus said, I have glorified thee on earth: I have finished the work. He did not say, I have finished the work; and I have glorified thee. Glorifying the Father came first; and then the work. If Jesus had said it the other way around ( I have finished the work: I have glorified thee ), He would have been saying that because He did the work, He therefore glorified the Father. But that isn t how He said it. He said, I have glorified thee; I have finished the work. What Jesus is saying is that because was first resolved to glorify the Father, He therefore did the work (and finished it). Christian, I believe that we can find an application of this to our Christian lives. Instead of working so that we can glorify God, we need, first, to glorify God in our hearts and minds, so that we will then have the right motivation to do the work. When your heart attitude is I wish to glorify God, then your labour for Him will flow from a right heart attitude.

Thank God, Jesus finished the work that His Father gave Him to do which included going to the cross. By the way, Jesus had not even gone to the cross yet; yet, He spoke in the past tense ( I have finished the work ). In His mind, the work was as good as done already. As God, His purposes are eternal, and irrevocable. Aren t you glad that Christ is the God in whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning? If Christ had done everything else that the Father had given Him to do, yet had stopped short of going to the cross, we would have no hope of redemption! We would all be doomed to hell, with no chance of pardon. Aren t you glad that our High Priest s request was answered? Because Christ was glorified on the cross, we may have the gift of eternal life. II. Christ s second petition: That the Father would glorify Him again in heaven (v. 5). (Read verse 5 again.) Before I go any further in explaining this verse, let s first go to the Old Testament, and see what God had to say about sharing His glory. Read Isaiah 42:8 God makes it very clear that He does not share His glory with anyone else. Yet, in this second petition that Christ made to His Father, He asked that the Father would glorify Him with the glory that He had shared with Him before the world was. Stop and think about that! If God will not share His glory with any other, yet He does share His glory with Jesus, it can mean only one thing: Jesus is God! If Christ shared the Father s glory from before the world began, then He Himself must be equal with God. He is separate from God the Father, yet one with Him in being, essence, and glory. But this raises a question: If Jesus was about to return to heaven and share the glory that He had once had with His Father, what does that mean about the time when He was on earth? Did Jesus empty Himself of His deity when He became a man? Did He stop being God? No, He did not. Christ emptied Himself of the outward dignity and rights that belonged to Him, and allowed His glory to be veiled from human eyes; but He never stopped being God. Remember when Jesus took Peter, James, and John up to the mountaintop, and they saw Jesus face and clothing shining like the sun? On that occasion, they were allowed to get a little peak of His glory. They didn t see Him in His full glory as God, or else they would have dropped dead; but they did see a small taste of His divine glory. As John put it years later, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:12). Jesus never lost His power or omniscience as God: He merely waived His rights to use His power and omniscience all the time, or for His own convenience. Could Jesus have turned the stones into bread, and not have worked for His bread? Yes, He could have done so; but he didn t. Could He have destroyed the men who arrested Him and nailed Him to the cross? Yes, He could have done so; but He didn t. As a Man, He lived in humiliation; and He allowed Himself to be put to death by wicked men. But, when He returned to heaven, He resumed the full, divine glory that He had always shared with His Father. Read Philippians 2:5-11

In verse 5, we are reminded of just who our High Priest is: He is God! Aren t you glad that your High Priest condescended to set aside His heavenly glory.for you? Conclusion: As we close this morning, I would ask this: Are you saved? If you have not repented and believed on Jesus, and received His gift of eternal life that He provided for you, what are you waiting for? Your Creator emptied Himself of His glory, lived in humiliation, and died a terrible death on the cross, so that your sins might be paid for; so that you might escape the damnation of hell; and so that you might have a wonderful, eternal relationship with Him instead! That is how much He loves you. Doesn t He deserve your heart, soul, and life? Won t you come to the Father in faith and repentance, and allow Him to hand you to the Son for safekeeping forever? Christian, this message is for you, as well. The Son glorified His Father by going to the cross; and you should be glorifying Him with your life, as well. Christian, resolve, above all else, to glorify God with your whole life. And then, with an eye to God s glory in all things, do the work that He has commissioned you to do.