Session 3 The Beloved In Prayer

Lord Jesus, as we approach this wonderful text this afternoon, we see the veil drawn and we see a glimpse into the prayer life of the beloved of our Lord Jesus Christ. before he's arrested, before he goes to that hill of Golgotha for our redemption to willingly lay down his life as an atoning sacrifice so that we could be justified in you. And so, Father, this great chapter, it's a year's worth of study and we have 45 minutes before us. give us wisdom as we glean simple but yet profound truths thank you for this glimpse of eternity that you prayed in the upper room before the Father we love you Lord thank you for this truth thank you for this text for into the name of Jesus we pray and all God's people said Amen. Turn with me to John chapter 17.

John chapter 17 and we're going to see a few great realities here this afternoon. There are seven things that I want to draw your attention to. The beloved in prayer. We've looked at the barriers to prayer and the burden for prayer, but this is the beloved in prayer. and I've subtitled this, How Jesus Prayed for the Elect. And here we see this in a glorious way here this afternoon.

There are probably more than seven things, but here we're going to take time just to feast upon seven of them, seven of the great truths that of how the Lord has interceded for us before he went to the cross. In John chapter 17, and we're just going to read this entire chapter because it's important for us to feast upon its word upon its truths The Lord in his high priestly prayer says this when Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify your son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given Him authority over all flesh to give eternal life to all whom you have given.

There's the first of those key phrases. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do, And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. The first five verses speak of the glorification of Christ.

And verses 6 to 19, as we're about to read, speak of the great salvation of the disciples. He says, I've manifested your name to the people whom you gave me. out of the world. Yours they were, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your Word. Now they know that everything You have given Me is from You. For I have given them the words that You gave Me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from You, and they have believed that You sent Me.

I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world. Did we hear that? I am praying for them I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me for they are yours all mine are yours and yours are mine and I am glorified in them and I am no longer in the world but they are in the world and I am coming to you Holy Father keep them in your name which you have given me that they may be one even as we are one.

While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have granted them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction or perdition that the scripture might be fulfilled But now I am coming to you and these things I speak in the world that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in thy truth. Your word is truth. You sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world, and for their sake I consecrate myself. In other words, I sanctify myself. This they also may be sanctified in truth.

I do not ask for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word. and here he prays for those who will believe in the future. That they may all be one just as you, Father, in me and I in you, and they may also be in us, that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one.

I in them, in you, in me, that they may be perfectly one. That the world may know that you sent me and loved them as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am to see my glory. That you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Oh, righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you.

And these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name and I will continue to make known that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them. What a chapter. What a chapter. This is one of those chapters it would take us months to go through. We just have a few moments here together in these profound words and we're looking at how he prayed for the elect, but notice how the Lord constantly referring to his Father. he refers to him as holy father righteous father this is his prayer before the father as he is going to the cross he speaks of his again his glorification that he had with the Father to return to that glory in verses 1 to 5 6 to 19 how he prays for those whom the Father has given him especially the disciples in his company And then in 20 to 26, he prays for those who will believe because of their word.

I want to just, before we start to unfold these verses, notice in verse 19, and for their sake I sanctify myself that they also may be sanctified in truth. As we know, that word sanctify means to set apart. We know that it has four meanings in Scripture. We know that we are sanctified by the Holy Spirit in 1 Peter 1-2 that we are chosen by the foreknowledge of God the Father. by the sanctification of the Spirit, that we may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood.

And there we see Trinitarian work and salvation, foreknown by God, sanctified by the Spirit, sprinkled with the blood of Christ. The blood on the altar, that is God's commitment to us. The blood on the people, as only recorded in Exodus 24, that's our commitment to Him. His covenant to us our commitment to Him to live for Him and so as we see this there's a sanctifying work in regards to our salvation sanctification by the Spirit set apart from death to life darkness to light sin to righteousness lawlessness to obedience dead in sin to resurrected and newness of life we also know that there is a sanctification process by which daily we are conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

That we are perfecting holiness and the fear of God as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 7.1. So we know that there is a sanctifying process of our salvation, a set apart, a declaration, a justification where we are declared not guilty before the sovereign of the universe in order so that daily we may be conformed to Him. We also know that there's a sanctification in 1 Thessalonians 5.

23 that we will be wholly sanctified by God the Father and most guys stop there but if you read the verse we know when the fullness of that sanctification takes place and it's the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we see sanctification used in salvation, sanctification used in the process of holiness, and sanctification used in glorification. But now we see an unusual sanctifying here.

This is the Lord consecrating Himself, sanctifying Himself. Sanctifying Himself. What does He mean? That Jesus in the covenant of redemption and now displayed, born in an opportune time as one who will give Himself for us. He sets Himself apart so that He may consecrate Himself on the cross for our salvation. That's the greatest of all sanctifying works.

He consecrated Himself. We must do so because we are sinners. Even after regeneration, we are sinners. It was the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 1, many years after his salvation, he says, I know that I am the chief of sinners, and can't we all say that about ourselves this afternoon? but not so of our Lord he is sinless he was tempted in all points as we are yet without sin there was never a time he could have sinned he was divine he had a human nature and a divine nature but yet he was without sin he could not have sinned there was never a chance or possibility he could have sinned in thought, word or deed he was absolutely divine He was born of a virgin, but he was not conceived in sin.

He had no sinful nature by which to be tempted with. Tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin. But the writer of Hebrews tells us of his divinity as well as his humanity. Hebrews 4.15, we have such a high priest, tempted as we are, yet without sin. but in Hebrews chapter 7 and in verse 26, we also have a high priest in here the writer of Hebrews who I believe was Paul maybe even dictated through Luke or by him written by Luke but on behalf of Paul but yet through the Holy Spirit it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest holy innocent unstained or undefiled separate from sinners and exalted above the heavens tempted in all points as we are son of man but yet holy, innocent, undefiled exalted among the heavens separate from sinners God the Son fully man, fully God the God man but yet sinless could never have sinned could never have sinned he was always able not to sin one of the great verses in the gospel of John at the end of John 14 that speaks so well of His divinity was here He begins one of those great sections Let not your hearts be troubled.

Believe in God. Believe also in Me. And He concludes that wonderful chapter. He says the ruler of this world is coming. That's Lucifer. But he has no claim on Me.

I love that verse. no claim on him if there was a point where he could be tempted Satan would have an opportunity to deceive but he could not in fact every time in the gospel of Mark that you read that Jesus came upon one who was demon possessed the demon was terrified just at the presence of the Lord and they recognized him in incarnation for they would say son of the most high God the holy one what have you to do with us to torment us They know who he was. He was God, eternal God. They understood him from before the world began.

So what we see here is a holy consecration in this great chapter of him going before the cross. Martin Luther says of this great chapter, this is truly beyond measure a warm and hearty prayer. He opens the depths of his heart both in reference to us and to his father and he Pours them all out It sounds so honest so simple so deep so rich so wide that no one can fathom it Philip Melanchthon another one of the Reformers buried alongside Luther in one of his lectures before his death he says this There is no voice which has ever been heard, either in heaven or earth, more exalted, more holy, more fruitful, more sublime than the prayer offered up by the Son of God to himself.

John Knox, the great Scottish Reformer, He had this chapter read to him every single day while he was in his last days of a debilitating and life-threatening illness that eventually took his life. And in the closing scene of his life, the verses that were read from it consoled him and animated him in the final conflict as he entered glory. the 17th chapter by John Brown says this is without doubt the most remarkable portion of the most remarkable book in the world the scripture truth given by inspiration to God contains many wonderful passages but none more wonderful than this none so wonderful it is the utterance of the mind in the heart of the God man in the very crisis of his great undertaking and the immediate prospect of completing by the sacrifices himself the work has been given to him to do and for the accomplishment of all which he had become incarnate it is the utterance of these things to the father who had sent him what a concentration of thought and affection is there in these few sentences full of grace full of truth how deep and yet calm the feelings are here the capabilities of human language permit but yet worthily expressed all is natural simple expression nothing intricate or elaborate but there is a width and a depth and a height of the conceptions about the human understanding that no one can measure the depth of it cannot fathom there is no bringing out of these plain words all that is seen and felt in them and that And lastly, Bishop Ryle, he says the great chapter has now begun in the most remarkable in the Bible. It stands alone.

There is nothing like it in all of Holy Writ. Profound. Profound. So as we see this you seen this phrase appear here If you go to verse 2 you have given Him authority over flesh Now He gives eternal life to all whom you have given Him Notice the phrase. In verse 6, I have manifested Your name to the people of whom You gave Me out of the world. Yours they were, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your Word.

In verse 9, I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world, But for those whom you have given me, what wonderful hope in this. Sixteen times that verb, you gave me, is used in this simple chapter. And eight of them refer to that we have been given by God to the Son. Verse 24. Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am.

You see, this is the great hope. They are not of this world, just as I am not of this world. And so here we are, beloved, a love gift. I believe as Calvin first said, from the Father to the Son. in this chapter we see divine election foreknowledge which is the pre-establishment of relationship from all eternity predestination the marking out of the boundary of his elect adoption those that would be redeemed solely by Christ one of the most wonderful verses in all of scripture to this reality is in John 26 John chapter 10 verse 26 where he tells those that are trying to argue with him.

He says, you do not believe because you are not of my fold. He does not say you are not of my fold because you don't believe. The emphasis is not on disbelief. The emphasis is on divine election. You are not of my fold, therefore you cannot believe. Powerful.

My sheep hear my voice. This is the great hope that we have in this chapter. So how does the Lord pray for the elect here? How does he pray for the elect? Seven things. Let's look at them briefly, but yet profoundly this afternoon.

Verse 11 and 12, first of all, he prays for our preservation, our preservation. Notice this, but now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world that they may have joy fulfilled. And he says, I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you, Holy Father. Keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

Verse 12, while I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the scriptures might be fulfilled. Here he is speaking of Judas. The Lord chose 12, and he says, isn't one of them a devil? Judas was numbered among them, but he was never one to be elected by God, chosen by God, redeemed by the Son, or sealed by the Holy Spirit.

He was always the son of perdition. There was never a time where Judas was not the son of perdition. He was the one that would always give up the faith, in this case for 30 pieces of silver, and though he hurled those silver coins back at those who bribed him and he hung himself and went away sad, he was not repentant. He was always the son of perdition, kind of paralleling the great son of lawlessness out of 2 Thessalonians 2.

Would you go over with me please to 1 Peter chapter 1. 1 Peter chapter 1. And we see here how we are preserved again in God through Christ. 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ according to His great mercy He has caused us know the emphasis there we are not born again due to our own will of responding to the gospel which would be an impossibility because our will is conceived and dead in sin.

But it's according to His great mercy that He's caused us to be born again. And it a living hope How Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead Notice the preservation here in verse 4 To an inheritance that is imperishable undefiled unfading kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. Amen?

Tremendous hope. Kept in heaven. reserved by the power of God. Its inheritance imperishable, undefiled, unfading. It cannot be outlasted. It perseveres through trials. And we are preserved in Him for all eternity.

This is what Jesus is praying in John chapter 17. He prays for our preservation. Keep them in Your name, Holy Father. I kept them in Your name. There is the Son. If you go over with me to John chapter 10, again, a familiar set of verses here.

In John chapter 10, and let's look at verse 26, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me. There is the divine call. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hands.

I and the Father are one. And what was the Jews' response? Praise God, let's follow him. No. They picked up stones again to stone him. And Jesus answered, I have shown you many good works from the Father.

For which of them are you going to stone me? The Jews answered, It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you being a man, make yourself God. They got the message. the text got through and so here in John we see this great hope that we have in Jesus he prays for our preservation Secondly He not only prays for our preservation but for our satisfaction Oh, this is so wonderful in John 17, 13.

But now, I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have, notice the phrase, My joy fulfilled in themselves. This is powerful. My joy fulfilled in themselves. In Hebrews chapter 12, looking to Jesus, verse 2, the founder and the perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. in 1 John chapter 1 we see this also emulated by John here he writes for four reasons and one of them he states in 1 John chapter 1 verses 1 to 3 he says that which is from the beginning which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and have touched with our hands concerning the word of life the life was made manifest we have seen it, testified to it proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the father and was made manifest in us that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you that you may also have fellowship with us and indeed our fellowship listen is with the father and with his son jesus christ and i'm writing these things to you that our joy may be complete.

Amazing. If we say we have fellowship with Him and we walk in darkness, we do not practice the truth, but if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. In the blood of Jesus, His Son cleanses us from all sin. The fellowship with the one another there is not brothers and sisters in Christ communing in the gospel. The fellowship is with Christ. the fellowship with one another is communion with him no wonder the joy is full the joy is complete that which is of a people that were no people that which is those who were cut off without hope in this world that was us those that were in darkness that could never turn to the light apart from regenerating grace that is us Those that were conceived in sin that is us Those that were by nature children of wrath that is us.

Those of us who have committed sins of utmost rebellion against the Most High God, that is us. But to sinners He made by His grace through the foreknowledge and choosing, electing love of the Father to be redeemed by the Son, regenerated by the Spirit, sealed by the Spirit until the day of glorification. And He chose us out of a sinful people to be a possession for Himself.

That's salvation. That's satisfaction. Can we say here tonight, Psalm 23.1, The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want, I desire nothing else. Asaph says in Psalm 73, Who on earth compares to you in heaven? I desire no one else.

Are we content with Christ? Listen, let them strip away everything out of our lives. If we have Jesus, we have everything. Satisfied in Him, He prays for the elect that they may be satisfied. By the way, isn't it wonderful that we can be in a Baptist church and use the word elect and not have to worry about being drummed out of the church? Can I just say that as a footnote?

All right, let's get back to the text. John chapter 17. He not only prays for our preservation, for our satisfaction, but for our prevention. We'll see this a bit in the next session as well. But in verse 15, I do not ask that you take them out of the world. this is not escapism this is not escapism that's why we wait not for a rapture of the church but for the second coming of Christ we'll deal with it in the Q&A in verse 15 I do not ask them that you take them out of the world this is not something that is escapism Lord come quickly so I don't have to go through suffering but that you keep them from who?

The evil one. The evil one. Now we know that God uses Satan to buffet those who blaspheme his name, but even Peter, the Lord went to him and said, Peter, Satan has requested to sift you like wheat. And Peter didn't say to the Lord, well, Lord, I hope you bound him. Hope you cast him to the bed. Hope you took authority over him.

I hope you told him I'm a king's kid and I should not ever have to have any negativity in my life ever again. No, what does he say? To keep from the evil one, from the influence of the evil one. How do we resist this evil one? How do we keep from it? How do we stand strong in being prevented from being overcome? come.

We know this in Ephesians chapter 6, this great chapter on the armor of God. Be strong of the Lord, verse 10, in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities, cosmic powers, again, ranks of demons, this present darkness against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places.

Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand firm, stand therefore. Notice he uses that little wonderful word istami. Stand. Four times. Stand therefore. Stand with the armor of God.

Stand. We are not called to fight demons. We are called to stand. That's our battle. Faithfulness. Strengthened with our feet shod with the gospel of peace.

We are to stand. We are to stand. This same word is used in James 4.7. This same wonderful word, James 4.7. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee.

That little word therefore resist is istami, to stand. It's the same word. the emphasis here is not again fighting demons the emphasis is living for him submit yourselves therefore to God It an absolute submission It presenting our bodies as living sacrifice It's parallel to the burnt offering in the Old Testament that only God could have. The priests could not partake of it.

The people could not partake of it. It was solely for God. So when Paul says after 11 chapters of profound theology, he moves from the indicative to the imperative And he says, therefore, brothers, by the mercy of God, I beseech you, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable, pleasing unto God. What is he saying? Be the burnt offering.

Your life is only to be consumed by him. He has purchased us. We are not belonging to ourselves. Our lives are now lived to him. We are his bondservants, his slaves, his redeemed. we no longer have a right to ourselves submit yourselves therefore to God live under His authority resist, stand against the devil how? faithful living clothed with the armor of God faithfulness, the breastplate of righteousness the helmet of salvation the buckle of truth the belt of truth the shield of faith the sword of the spirit our feet shod with the gospel of peace this is an armor that we put on And I love to see these would-be preachers on TV that go through the motions of saying, Are you dressed?

Have you put on the armor? And they look like it's something you can take on and take off. He's talking about obedient living in Christ. Faithfulness that endures. In salvation. In faith.

In righteousness. In truth. In the gospel. With the sword of the Spirit. And so here he says, resist the devil. Stand against the devil. and when a life is submitted to God and you are living in righteousness and holiness and you stand against the wiles of the devil, he will flee.

What a great promise, isn't it? He will flee. You don't have to say to him, Satan, depart. I bind you. It's always amazing. I was at an event many years ago and the pastor that brought me in, he was praying to the Lord and then he says, and now Satan, we cast you away from here.

We bind you. You have no ability to be here. We want you away from our building and blah, blah, blah. And I didn want people to think that I believed that So when he introduced me I ran over and I grabbed him and I brought him back to the mic And I said brother can I ask you a question He said what that And I said, I'm honored to be here and thank you for having me part of this outreach tonight.

But why were you praying to God and then you chose to pray to Satan? He goes, what do you mean? I would never do that. I said, you were talking to him in first person like he's standing right here. He goes, well, I wanted to bind him. And I said, well, you can't do that. and he says what do you mean I said well if Christians all over the earth are binding Satan is he caught in a state of perpetual bound then why are we binding him anyway I said by the way if we have a second event tonight do you have to bind him again did he get loose between 7 and 9 o'clock you know isn't this wild isn't this crazy this is you wonder what they're smoking to believe this kind of stuff not only that, inhaling as they're smoking.

You know, this is how people see this kind of mystical approach. But you see, this is better. Obedient living, we submit to God. Stand against Satan. How? Live a holy life.

Live a godly life by his enabling grace according to the word of God. And Satan must flee. He must flee. What great hope. He prays for our prevention. Let's go back to John 17.

Fourthly here this afternoon, he prays for our sanctification. Oh, I love this. I love this. Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth. Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee. how can a young man or woman keep their way pure by taking heed thereto according to thy word thy word is a lamp to our feet a light to our path and the sum of all of it parts its truth oh how I love thy law it is good for me that I have been afflicted that I might not go astray you see when we are letting the word of God wash over our hearts and minds.

We're being sanctified by the truth. A sanctification of the gospel seed for salvation A sanctification daily conformed to His image and ultimately the hope of being glorified with Him Justified sanctified glorified on the promise and work of the living Word of God able to pierce soul, able to separate and divide spirit to where we live, any way it's wielded, it cuts, it's living and active. We want to be sanctified by the truth of God's Word. may I ask you, do you have a faithful, targeted program of reading God's Word?

I don't say that in a condescending way at all, but as pastors, we must not just approach the Word to study, to have a sermon to preach. It's our life, isn't it? As Christians. It's Christians. Many years ago, I started to read in a targeted way the Word of God, the Bible through in a year. And there's wonderful reading capabilities on different Bible apps, whether it's Mantis or whether it's Olive Tree or Lagos Bible Works or whether it's the YouVersion or whatever it is.

There's some wonderful, great, great Bible reading programs on there. And it's wonderful to just read it and let the Word of God rush over you. You can read that in a year's time and it goes quick. Whether you read it in a year or two years or four years, are you reading the word every day? Is it the thing that you turn to at night before you rest? Is it the joy in your heart in the morning?

Jeremiah says, I have eaten the word in Jeremiah 15, 16. It's the joy and the rejoicing of my heart. Job said in Job 23, 10, he considers the word of God more important than his daily food. This is the song David sang. this is the hammer Jeremiah pounded this is the word that Christ quoted to Satan sufficient enough to repel that wicked serpent and this is the word that sanctifies us do we read it do we let it consume ourselves I've tried to accelerate this program these last few years now I try to read through the scriptures four times each year I want to come in January to accelerating that a few more times a year I did a stock of my life.

I'm 64 years old and 65 this April. And I thought, Lord, I don't know how long you have for me on this earth. but say he allowed me to live past my three score and ten, and he allows me to live into 80 or 85 or 90 years old. I've had family members live to 112. I'd love that. But here, it's one of those things that I calculated. If I just read through the Word four times a year, and say I have 15 years left, that's just 60 times of reading the Bible.

That's not much. and it's just driven me to say, Lord, apart from the study for sermons and the writing of songs and other things, Lord, I love your law. Let it consume my heart. This is what he's referring to here. Number five this afternoon, he prays several times, but we'll look at verse 21. He prays for our unification. Our unification.

In verse 21, he says that they may all be one just as you, Father, and I are one and I in you that they also may be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. He's not talking about one denomination. What he's talking about is the unification that we have by virtue of the faith that we have in Christ by being baptized by Jesus with the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ. you remember that in Ephesians 4 one Lord, one faith, one Father one Spirit, one hope one calling that's the unity we have an instantaneous unity not uniformity but unity because of our common salvation in Christ again, verse 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith there's the doctrinal progressive growth the growth we don't arrive mature but we do arrive in unity the unity of the spirit and we are to guard that and protect that in the bond of peace listen you may not be a reformed baptist nobody's perfect but if you are you're close i love my presbyterian brothers very much even though they don't have biblical proudness for baptizing infants we give them grace don we We tolerate the tradition even though it not from the Word of God Again we deal with it in the Q It be wonderful But we have a unification because of our common salvation in Jesus.

And He is speaking to those that would be in Christ. I in you. He brings the example to the Father and the Son. Eternally one. Relationship. And that's the unity that we have here.

That they also may be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. Unity. Unity. By our common salvation. Number six this afternoon. Our identification.

Verse 24. Verse 24. The first part of it. Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am. this is the great hope that we see in John 14 let not your hearts be troubled believe in God, believe in me in my Father's house are many mansions if it were not so would I have told you that I go prepare a place for you and if I go to prepare a place for you I will come again and will take you to myself where I am you may be also this is the prayer of our Lord there is a hope for us in our common salvation that we will be with Him where He is.

If you have friends and family that are home with the Lord, I was holding my father when he died. I was 17 years old and the last thing I ever remember my dad telling me as I looked into his eyes, he said, Steve, Jesus will never be all that you need until Jesus is all that you have. And then he went home to be with the Lord. last words are lasting words my mom died just a few years ago she always prayed I just want the Lord to take me home in my sleep and that's exactly what happened she closed her eyes at night and she woke up in glory of a younger brother who was killed at the age of 21 on a motorcycle accident an elderly couple pulled out in the freeway never saw him and he was immediately in the presence of the Lord and an older brother who is a missionary in Beirut, Lebanon and Amman, Jordan for 20 years to the Muslim people fluent Arabic was a pastor in Brooklyn for many years my dad is with the Lord My mom with the Lord Two brothers are with the Lord I miss them.

But we do not sorrow as those who have no hope. And as much as I miss them, how much more I'm homesick to see Christ, to see Him, to be with Him face to face, absent from the body, present with the Lord, whether by death or whether by His second coming. Soon and very soon, beloved, we'll be with Him. We'll be with Him. it's for our identification with Him and lastly this afternoon ultimately it's what all of life is for adoration notice at the end of verse 24 He says to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Isn't this the chiefs of all reasons that He prays for us so that we would behold His glory? That we would behold His glory. Would you just turn with me briefly please to Revelation chapter 5. Revelation chapter 5 and here we get a glimpse of heaven. In Revelation chapter 5 and verse 9, he says they sang a new song Kainos not new in rhythm or new in beat or style but new in character new in content it's a song of the redeemed and he says worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals for you were slain and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

That's the Abraham covenant. And you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God and they shall reign on the earth. Then I looked and I heard around the throne the living creatures and the elders and the voice of many angels numbering myriads and myriads and thousands of thousands literally ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands upon thousands an innumerable amount and he says saying with a loud voice worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing and i heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and all that is in them saying to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever in the four living creatures said amen and the elders fell down and worship that's what we're going to do what is the chief end of man to worship god and enjoy him forever literally glorifying Him forever.

That's the chief end, that we live in glory to God. I love that great third verse of Be Thou My Vision. Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise. Thou my inheritance now in all ways. That's it. No money can buy us. no riches or fame can supplant us though men may not know who we are that's not the point of it it's not to us oh Lord not to us but to your name give glory that's why we live glory to God in the highest even the angels at his incarnation and on earth peace to those whom God has granted favor it's always his glory and He will not share it with another.

Oh, beloved, He prayed for the elect here to preserve us, for our satisfaction that we'd be content in Him, for our prevention that we would not give in to the wiles of the enemy, for our sanctification that we'd be conformed to Himself, for our unification that we would in time live out what we are positionally in Christ. He prayed for us, for our identification with Him in glory, and then ultimately that He would receive all the power and all the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Sola Fide, by faith alone. Sola Gradia, by grace alone. Solus Christi. because of Christ alone, sola scriptura, on the word alone, and sola deo gloria, to the glory and praise of God alone. Father, we've just touched ever so briefly upon this prayer. Time does not do it justice, but I pray, Lord, in the few moments that we have spent with it and in it, that we've gotten a glimpse that in your high priestly prayer you were concerned about those who would come, those who would be born again, those whom you have chosen before the world began.

Luther and Melanchthon and Knox and Ryle, all of them, all of the great patriarchs of the faith have all said the same thing, that this prayer is unparalleled. This chapter has no equal. And we are gracious Lord that you preserved it for us so that you will keep us from the enemy and give us grace and hope in who You are And so Lord, there's no other hymn we could sing at this point except the great hymn of the church.

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. Oh, Father, take the take the hymn of our heart here this afternoon and exalt yourself even further in the world, in the earth. May you be exalted in us as an answer to your prayer. We love you, Lord Jesus, for even now you live to make intercession for us. How grateful we are. We are the most blessed of all people, for we belong to you and you are our God. for it's in the name of Christ we pray Amen