Over the course of the past couple of weeks, we have spent time looking at what is known as the High Priestly Prayer, the prayer that Jesus cried out to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane in the moments before he was arrested by Roman authorities. We’ve seen Jesus’ prayer become increasingly more encompassing as he prepares for the impending arrest and crucifixion. Jesus began this prayer with a prayer for himself. He prayed for strength during this time of great struggle. He prayed for the work of God, the plan of salvation from the beginning, to be achieved through his actions. From there, Jesus expanded his prayer to include his disciples, those men closest to him during his time on earth. He prayed for their strength and resolve in the aftermath of his death. He also prayed that they would continue the ministry that he began after he had left them. He prayed for them to go out into the world and take the good news of the gospel to places that it need to be and hadn’t been before. Continuing on from that point, Jesus expands to a third group in his prayer to the Father. Jesus now prays for the Church, for all those who will come to have faith in him. Jesus prayed for all those who currently did, and would come to, believe in him as the Messiah. In essence, this is a prayer that Jesus makes during his time of greatest distress for you, me, and all others who look to Christ as their Lord and Savior. This is a prayer made by Jesus specifically for you.
Christ begins by praying for the closeness that exists between the persons of the Trinity to be extended to all believers. This is almost identical to an aspect of Jesus’ prayer for the disciples that we examined last Sunday. You know, I don’t think that we fully grasp the magnitude of such a statement. Think about it for just a second, we fully know that the love that exists between God the Father and God the Son is a type of love that is so enormous and so encompassing and compassionate that we can’t really fathom it. Perhaps the greatest mystery of all time is the union that is known as the Trinity. Consequently, there is also no greater love than that which exists within this union. Now, we find here that Christ prayed for that type of relationship, that type of love, to exist between God and all believers. Because of Christ, God loves believers just as much as He loves His Son. Now, think about the fact that God knows every little detail about us, every little thing about you and me. God knows every little thought, word, and action. And despite all the ugliness that He might see when he looks upon you and me and the stain of sin that exists deep within us, God pours out His love upon us just as He does His own Son. And it is this love that He has for the Son, with our being united with the Son and found in the Son, which is the only reason why God has chosen to save us.
Jesus then said, “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am.” So, not only does Christ long to see us united and in Him, but he longs for us to be with Him as well. It’s one thing to want someone to be kept safe and for you to be able to keep a careful and watchful eye on them. It’s an entirely different thing for them to want you to be with them for all eternity. So not only is our desire to be with Christ in heaven for all eternity, but that is his desire as well. We’re not the unwanted and uninvited guests at the party, but we’re the ones who Christ is delighted to see, all of us.
Jesus then goes on to expound upon his want to have us with him for all eternity when he says, “to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” Throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, there are glimpses of his glory that peer through every now and then. There are the miracles, the profound teachings, and especially events like his baptism and transfiguration. However, there are also the times like his suffering in the wilderness for 40 days and nights and his crucifixion that although equally important and very much needed during his ministry, they leave us with little notion about Jesus’ true glory. Jesus prayed here that those who believe in him will be with him in heaven so that they may for the first time see the true glory of the Lord. For you see, the glory that was experienced by those around him here on earth, the glory that we read about in the gospel accounts, is but a foretaste of the glory that awaits us all in heaven.
Being a preacher, I often get asked questions about heaven and what it will be like. Now, ultimately my knowledge and understanding isn’t any greater than anybody else’s, seeing as I have never been there either. All I can do is go by what we find in Scripture, and what I find amazes me. I get asked about being reunited with loved ones, being free of pain and suffering, and if we will be restored to our healthiest form once we have reached the other side of glory. Well, it’s my understanding that we will have all those things, but will we even care? Don’t get me wrong, as I stand here today the thought of being reunited with friends and family that I miss dearly excites me and causes me great joy, but I almost think that something else will overcome those feelings. I think that being in the presence of the glory of God will overcome all feelings that I have about carrying on with earthly things. When I stand in the presence of the one who in the book of Revelation’s glory shone so brightly that the six-winged creatures of heaven had to hide their eyes from even gazing upon him, will my utmost priority really be about the reunions that are happening. Or will my eyes and my mind be so fixed upon Christ that all other things go by the wayside.
I think about different celebrity and cultural phenomena that have swept across countries and the world and the impact that they have had. We know the stories of everything from Elvis to Beatlemania to Royal Weddings and even up to today’s celebrities who are many times famous without any talents or skill. We find people waiting and standing in lines for hours upon hours just to catch a glimpse of some of these folks, and once they do their knees turn to Jell-O and their hearts race and they feel like they have had a moment of glory. Or we sit at a sporting event, and if it happens to be of particular significance then as long as things turn out for the better on our end then we feel as if we have just witnessed something great, another moment of glory. Now, imagine that moment when we finally get to see the unveiled and unfiltered glory of Christ. I mean, we are going to see the full glory of the King of kings and Lord of lords. We’re going to see it because Christ has petitioned on our behalf to the Father than we dwell with him for all eternity. Can you even begin to imagine the joy and jubilation that we might experience in that moment? And not only will we have that for that moment, but it is ours for all eternity. This is no fleeting joy or moment, but this is the glory of heaven, the glory of our eternal home.
“O 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 it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” I want to read you a quote by a popular modern biblical scholar: “We are called to participate in the death of Christ, in the afflictions of Christ, in the humiliation of Christ, for if we do not, we never will share in His glory. But in order to be faithful disciples in this world, to fulfill the mission that He has given to His church, we need to be encouraged by the knowledge of His love that He has shed abroad in our hearts. The knowledge of His everlasting love for us gives us the strength we need to fulfill the mission that He has given to us. (Sproul 334)”
I like to put it this way, sometimes you just know something without knowing how you know it. Confused? Well, you ought to be. If someone were to ask you how you know that Christ is who we as Christians claim him to be, what would your response be? If they were to ask you what proof you have of this fact, then what could you show them? The truth is that you couldn’t show them anything, or at least nothing that was completely irrefutable by the outside world. We know that Christ is who we believe him to be because he has made it known to us and continues to make it known to us. We know who God is because God has revealed Himself to us. He has not revealed Himself to the entire world, but to those whom He has chosen to reveal Himself to. Why, you might ask. Well, the answer is both really simple and really complex. God has chosen to reveal Himself to us because He loves us. Why not everyone? Well, that’s something that we just have to trust in God about. But because of His love for us, the death and resurrection of Christ, the benefits that go with his work are given to us. Not only does he see us through our times of trouble in our lives, but He has already provided the means by which we many enter into His presence in the life hereafter. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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