Jesus prays for himself

for the last few chapters of John.

So we're reading the whole of chapter 17,

although we'll be concentrating on the first verses in the sermon.

Starting at verse 1, chapter 17.

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've given him authority over all flesh

to give eternal life to all whom you've given him.

And this is eternal life,

that they know you, the only true God,

and Jesus Christ, whom you've 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.

I have 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 everything that you've 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'm 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've 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've given me.

I've guarded them,

and not one of them has been lost,

except the son of destruction,

that the scripture might be fulfilled.

But now,

I'm coming to you,

and these things I speak in the world,

that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

I've given them your word,

and the world has hated them,

because they're not of the world,

just as I'm 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'm not of the world.

Sanctify them in the truth.

Your word is truth.

As you sent me into the world,

so I have sent them into the world.

And for their sake,

I consecrate myself,

that 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,

that they may all be one,

just as you,

Father,

are in me,

and I in you,

that they also may be in us,

so that the world may believe that you've sent me.

The glory that you have given me,

I've given to them,

that they may be one,

even as we are one.

I in them,

and you in me,

that they may become perfectly one,

so that the world may know that you sent me,

and loved them,

even as you loved me.

Father,

I desire that they also,

whom you've 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.

O righteous Father,

even though the world does not know you,

I know you,

and these know that you have sent me.

I've 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.

Amen.

All right, good morning.

If I haven't met you before,

my name is Rob,

and I'll be speaking for the next three weeks,

on the prayer,

on Jesus' prayer.

So it's going to be split up into three parts,

just so you're aware.

If you are new,

we have actually been going through the book of John as well,

and we've picked it up again this term,

and have been going through the last few chapters,

and we're up to this point now.

So if you have a Bible,

then please open it to John chapter 17,

John 17 · chapter mention

and we will be focusing on verses 1 to 5.

I think it's been really helpful,

how the service was introduced by Matt,

and how Alex has prepared us for this passage with the kids talk.

Isn't it great how the kids talk really kind of opens things up for us,

even our adult minds?

And I think one of the things you might have noticed is that

there's something unexpected going on in this section of the Bible.

There's kind of a missing in communication between two different groups.

Now, I've been married for 24 years,

nine months,

and 23 days,

and I can tell you,

I can have a whole conversation with my wife,

and come away with very different expectations

of what was decided in that conversation.

I don't know about you.

Yes? No?

But the expectations that you carry into a conversation

very strongly shape what you expect as the outcome,

or what you think the outcome is.

There's all kinds of different ways this plays out.

I read some research recently that said that

when people test new flavours for potato chips,

what they discovered is

that the suggested flavour that they give you

when you taste the chip

strongly influences how you perceive that taste,

so much so

that your perception

is actually much closer to the taste

that they tell you at times

than it is to the taste

that it actually is.

We are so strongly wired

to kind of expect

and look for

the outcome that we desire,

or the outcome that we're fed,

that we actually anticipate

that's going to happen.

And that's what we find here

in this section of John.

Let me just recap by saying

that this has been a big week

for the disciples.

A big week in the sense

that they were hoping

and anticipating for.

It's festival week.

That's where they've arrived in Jerusalem.

At the beginning of festival week

and it began with a triumphal entry.

And you can read about that in John 12, 12.

The whole city gathered outside

to welcome Jesus

and threw their cloaks on the road.

And Jesus came in

from a particular entry point

that meant that he came down

from a hill that overlooked Jerusalem.

So not only could he see Jerusalem

laid out before him,

but the whole of Jerusalem

could look back up

and see this procession.

This noise,

this cacophony of noise

as people celebrated Jesus come in.

And as they did,

that crowd declared Jesus to be king.

Jesus agreed with the crowd

that it was time for him to be glorified,

but not in the way that they expected.

There seemed to be a disconnect

between what the people expected

on the one hand

and what Jesus meant on the other.

And so we have this festival week

playing itself out

and then we actually have the culmination

of that in festival night.

And this actually began

with a role reversal.

We all need to be washed by Jesus.

Do you remember that scene?

If you're not familiar

with the Gospel of John,

Jesus got down on his feet

and did something that the slave,

the house slave would do.

He washed the feet of his disciples.

And in doing that,

he taught them

that we all need to be washed by Jesus.

He then taught them

that all his disciples

will suffer like Jesus.

He promised that all his disciples

would receive the Holy Spirit.

But then he also said something

that was really contrasting

with what their expectations were.

You see,

Jesus,

who was supposed to be

the forever king,

told them that he must die.

So this conversation

keeps playing out

and it's frustrating, isn't it?

Because we know the ending.

We've had the spoilers.

We know what happens.

And we're listening

and reading what these disciples

are thinking and saying

and just thinking,

wow,

there's still this disconnect

between what the disciples expect

and what Jesus is actually saying.

And even as we have this,

the development of this,

this triumphal entry,

this festival period,

at the beginning of chapter 17,

we get a transition point,

a major transition point

in Jesus' life.

And John signals this transition

in verse 1.

So if you've got your Bible open

or your app open,

here it is,

verse 1 of chapter 17.

When Jesus had spoken these words,

and that's the words that,

the teaching that Catherine said

that he'd just been finished doing

before he prayed.

So even when Jesus had spoken

these words,

he lifted up his eyes to heaven

and said,

Father,

the hour has come.

This is a major transition point

in Jesus' ministry.

Up until this point,

he's been saying,

my hour has not yet come.

It's a repeated refrain

throughout the gospel.

In fact,

if you read in chapter 2,

verse 4,

4,

verse 21,

4,

verse 23,

5,

verse 25,

and 28,

7,

verse 30,

and 8,

verse 20,

then you'll see

that that's what Jesus says.

It's not my time.

My hour has not come.

And what that does

is it builds anticipation

for this hour.

When John says in verse,

chapter 12,

verse 23,

as he enters,

you know,

as he's entered Jerusalem,

he says,

the hour has come.

Jesus' entry into Jerusalem

is the transition.

The focal point

of Jesus' ministry

is now.

But there's this disconnect

between what the disciples

expect that to mean

and what Jesus means

as he says it.

So we have this transition point

in Jesus' ministry,

this pivotal point

that come,

that distills right down

to this transition point

in the evening.

Remember Simon said

as he led us last week,

he introduced this

as the longest night

in the Bible

in terms of how many chapters

are applied to it.

It is the longest night

in that sense.

Bear in mind

that the Jews

actually determined

the days

by sunset,

not sunrise.

So for the Jews,

this was actually the longest,

this would have been

the longest day.

It would have been

a part of the next day,

which we'll discover

what happened

on that day,

on that whole day,

shortly.

But there's this disconnect

between,

still,

between what the disciples

expect

and what Jesus is saying.

And as we've watched

that conversation unfold,

we've seen in that confusion

that the disciples

barely cling

to the bare bones truth

that Jesus is from God.

They don't understand

what he's going to be doing,

but they can barely

hang on to that.

And even that belief,

if you know how

the story unfolds,

even that belief

will be tested

to breaking point

within the next few hours.

So Jesus prays.

Now, I don't know about you,

but I know that

if I was to consider

the things that I pray for

as Matt urged us to do

at the beginning

of the service,

and I was to consider

how I would like

to see my life unfold

into the future,

I've got to say

that there's a whole bunch

of stuff in my life

that I wouldn't have written in.

There's a whole bunch

of stuff that challenges

my understanding

of the goodness of God,

his loving care,

his fatherly concern

for me as an individual,

my expectation

of what it means

to be a beloved children

of the all-powerful

one true God.

Friends, if you have

any of those kind of

disconnects in your life,

then this prayer is for you

because this prayer

helps us to understand

who God is,

what he's about,

and why his way

is so much richer

than ours.

So Jesus prays,

and that prayer

has three parts.

First, Jesus prays

for himself

in verses 1 to 5,

and that's the bit

we'll be looking at today.

Second, he prays

for his disciples,

and that's in verses

6 to 19.

And then thirdly,

he prays for the believers

to come,

and that's in verses

20 to 26.

But for himself,

just in a nutshell,

Jesus prays

that the surprising glory

of God

would be revealed

in him.

Jesus prays

that the surprising glory

of God

would be revealed

in him.

Prayer means petition

or request.

And Jesus only asks

for one thing,

one request,

to receive glory.

glory.

He says in verse,

the second part

of verse 1.

So turn back

to chapter 17,

verse 1.

He says,

Father,

the hour has come.

Glorify your son

that the son

may glorify you.

That one request?

Glorify your son.

Now glory,

that means

to

clothe in splendor,

to make great,

to exalt,

to raise up high.

You could even say

glory,

to glorify someone

means to worship them.

Now I think,

as we think about that,

I think we take it

a little bit too literally.

So when we read

to clothe in splendor,

we start,

you know,

some of us really

spend a lot of time

on our appearance.

You know who you are.

Some of us actually

seek glory or greatness

for ourselves

and pursue

pathways that we believe

will actually fulfil that,

will deliver on that.

And some of us,

when we're thinking

about raising up,

if it's not ourselves

we're wanting to see exalted,

we're raising up

the wrong things in life,

making central

and vital

to our happiness

and satisfaction

things that just

can't deliver.

If we dig into this concept

of glory a little bit deeper,

as we think about

how we're misapplying it

and how we should apply it,

what I want to say to you

is this,

glory is a state

that can be seen

and glory is a status

that can be given.

There's two different aspects

in terms of how

the word works.

If someone is glorious

then we can see it

when we look at them.

If someone is glorious,

has glory,

then they can actually

give glory to others.

So let's think about

the state perspective,

seeing it in someone.

And I want to point you

back to an illustration

the Bible uses

because I think that's

one of the best ways

of seeing this.

In Exodus chapter 33

Exodus 33:18

verses 18 and following,

Moses actually asks God

if he can see his glory.

Let me read out

these verses for you.

They're up on the screen

so you don't have to

flick back and look at it.

Moses said,

please show me your glory.

This is on top

of Mount Sinai

as he's having the conversation

about receiving

the Ten Commandments.

And God says to him,

I will make all my goodness

pass before you

and will proclaim

before you my name,

the Lord.

And I will be gracious

to whom I will be gracious

and show mercy

on whom I will show mercy.

But he said,

you cannot see my face

for man shall not see me

and live.

And the Lord said,

behold,

there is a place by me

where you shall stand

on the rock

and when my glory

passes by,

I will put you

in a cleft of the rock

and I will cover you

with my hand

until I have passed by.

Then I will take away

my hand

and you shall see my back

but my face

shall not be seen.

What we discover here

is that God is glorious

by nature.

So glorious

that we cannot

look at him

and live

unless

he places himself

in the way

as we do see him.

So glory is a state

that we can see

and it's a status

that can be given.

It can be shared

with others.

God only allowed

Moses,

if we go on to that

and read that story

further on

when that event

actually does happen

so that's God

telling him

what he's going to do

and then shortly

afterwards

God actually does it.

God only allowed

Moses to get

that filtered glimpse

but it had an effect.

When Moses came down

off the mountain

where he saw

this glimpse of God

he glowed

and not just a little bit

so much so

and we can read

about this

in Exodus 34

Exodus 34:29

verse 29

and following

if you'd like to

but so much so

that when the people

saw Moses

they ran from him

in terror.

He had to call them back

say no it's just me

and even that wasn't enough

then you know

him speaking Moses voice

and saying yeah

it's me

don't worry

calm down

they actually had to

introduce a rule

to cope

with his glowing

his glowiness

for want of a better word.

after Moses had been

up on the mountain

in God's presence

and when he came

back down again

from the mountain

he had to wear a veil.

God's glory can be seen

and in the presence

of God's glory

it actually pervades

the things around him

it pushes back darkness.

I can only imagine

what it must have been

like for Adam and Eve

actually walking

in the unfiltered

presence of God

what they must have

what life must have

been like for them.

What we read here

is that God's glory

can be seen

and it can be shared

with others.

But if Jesus is God

why is he praying

for glory?

Surely he has a right

to it.

He could have taken it

if he wanted.

And if we think back again

this is what Satan

tempted Adam and Eve

to in the Garden of Eden.

Not accepting the glory

that God gave them

as his image bearers

in the world

as his vice regents

to rule over the world

under him.

Not accepting that

but desiring

and taking more.

And this is what

Satan tried to tempt

Jesus to

in the wilderness

as well.

Not accepting

the Father's will

for him

but establishing

a kingdom of his own

under Satan instead.

And friends

this is what Satan

is tempting you to

every day.

Not accepting

the Father's will

for you

but thinking

that your plan

is better.

The source

of glory

if glory can be given

the source of glory

is vitally important.

And John makes

this point

in a little narrator's

insert in John

John 12:36–43

chapter 12

verses 36 to 43.

So he observes

that many people

believed in Jesus

but kept it secret.

why?

Because they love

the glory that comes

from man

more than the glory

that comes from God.

We read in chapter 12

verse 43.

They love the glory

that comes from man

more than the glory

that comes from God.

Where do you get

your glory from?

Jesus had a right

to glory.

He could have taken it

if he wanted.

But by praying

for glory

Jesus chose

to be dependent

on the Father

for glory

rather than

seeking his own.

To be guided

by the Father

toward true glory

rather than

finding his own.

One request

Jesus had

in that prayer

in that first part

of the prayer

for himself

that God

would glorify him.

But even

as he asks

to be glorified

Jesus had

his eyes

on something

beyond that.

His ultimate goal

wasn't receiving glory.

He was all about

giving it.

As surely

as he had

one request

he had one goal

and that was

to give glory.

And we read about it

in that verse

we just read

earlier

the second half

of verse 1.

Father the hour

has come

glorify your son

that the son

may glorify you.

Even in receiving

glory

Jesus' goal

was to give glory.

Receiving

was his means

of giving.

So in this

request

what we get

is more than

a glimpse

into the relationships

within the Trinity.

Father glorifying

the son

son glorifying

the father

neither seeking

what was rightfully

theirs

both seeking

to give

to share.

father

son

and holy

spirit

raising each

other up

exalting

each other

devoted

to glorifying

each other.

Friends

this has been

the goal

since the world

before the world

existed.

It's just

that

all of time

all of time

itself

has actually

been moving

toward this

specific hour

when that

glory

would be

revealed.

This moment

in Jesus'

life

this moment

in world

history

and it's

here

in these

verses.

Think about

Jesus praying

this prayer

and think

about the

kind of

ministry

that they've

actually seen

him in terms

of how his

ministry unfolds

and what

happens when

he prays

and when

he prays

prayers

prays.

I don't

know about

you but

we have

this tradition

where we

say grace

before meals

and there

are certain

times like

Christmas dinner

or things like

that.

I can remember

as a child

it was such

a trial

to sit

through grace.

Ever since

I've been

I can

remember

I think

there's a

difference

between grace

and prayer

and that

is that

grace is

only like

two sentences

long or less

and anything

longer than

that is

prayer.

Grace is

what belongs

before a

meal and

you'd be

sitting there

waiting for

this meal

to happen

and someone

because it

was a special

occasion would

take that

moment to

launch into

this huge

prayer and

you'd just

be wanting

to open

your eyes

and look

at the

food and

perhaps

even steal

some which

I used

to do

because prayers

couldn't get

that long

that I could

actually finish

chewing before

people even

noticed.

There are

times when

someone is

praying and

you're looking

beyond it to

the gloriousness

that's to

come and

you've got to

wonder what

did these

disciples think?

Were they

expecting something

to happen

here and

were they

almost tempted

to open

their eyes

and see

Jesus is

praying for

himself to

be glorified?

What in

the world

is going

to happen?

The people

already wanted

Jesus to be

king.

We want

Jesus to be

king,

they're

thinking.

Let's see

what Jesus

does as

he prays

his prayer.

I've got to

tell you now

that it's even

better than

what they

hope for.

This is more

than a

New Year

firework

show to

watch and

be wowed

by.

This mutual

glorification

is also

an invitation

to us.

in the

Trinitarian

relationship

we're getting

a glimpse

at something

that we're

actually being

invited into.

It's not

all about

Jesus becoming

king.

It's about

what that

king does

as a ruler

of our

lives.

See we have

one request

which is to

Jesus be

glorified and

we have

one goal

for Jesus

to actually

give that

glory to the

father as

much as the

father gives

it to him.

And then we

have this

plan behind

that glory

which starts

to unfold

in these

next verses.

And that's

to know

this glorious

God.

There's a

plan behind

this display

of glory.

Yes we

should look

at this

extraordinary

God and

marvel but

there's more

to it.

There's a

plan behind

Jesus'

request that

all of

history has

been moving

toward.

That we

might know

this God

of glory.

Jesus begins

to speak about

this plan in

verse 2 and

he says this

since you

have given

him authority

over all

flesh to

give eternal

life to all

whom you

have given

him.

Jesus'

request for

glory is

based on

God's

eternal

plan.

He's asking

for that

plan to

be fulfilled

in him.

So let

us look at

the requests

of verse

1 and the

basis,

the since

or because

of verse

2.

I think I've

got that

in a slide.

Have I?

Is it going to

show up?

Nope, it's got

boxes on it.

That's the one.

Yeah, okay.

So there you

can see,

glorify your

son that the

son may glorify

you on one

side.

And then you

have you've

given him

authority over

all flesh on

the other to

give eternal

life to all

whom you have

given him.

glory on the

basis that the

plan has

always been

that God

has given

him authority

over all

flesh to

give eternal

life to all

whom the

father has

given him.

When Jesus

asks for glory,

he doesn't

simply ask for

something he

wants.

He asks in

line with

what the

father has

planned.

It's a lesson

we can learn

there, isn't

there, about

prayer from

that example.

And the

plan in

verse 2 is

to grant

eternal life

to those the

father has

given him.

If they can

understand this,

then they'll

understand what

Jesus does

next.

It makes

sense of what

he's about to

do.

Where he's

about to

go.

And why

that has

anything to

do with

glory.

And just

in case

they're not

quite

understanding,

Jesus takes

a moment to

clarify things.

And he

actually explains

what eternal

life is in

verse 3.

He says

these words,

And this

is eternal

life,

that they

know you,

the only

true God,

and Jesus

Christ,

whom you

have sent.

life.

Did you

notice how

the life

Jesus gives

is expressed

in terms of

quantity,

eternal life?

But the

definition that

Jesus gives

is expressed

in terms of

quality.

It's a life

of knowing

God.

life.

It's the

fullness of

life that

Jesus spoke

of back in

John chapter

John 10:10

10 verse

10 when he

says,

I have

come that

you may

have life

and have

it to

the full

abundantly.

It's the

thing that

Satan stole

that Jesus

is offering

back.

Perhaps

Jesus speaks

in terms of

eternity to

give his

disciples a

bigger perspective

of his imminent

death.

Like this

particular day

he will die.

Perhaps he

uses the word

eternal this

time rather

than abundant

as he did

last time

because he

wants to

help them

through the

next three

days.

But the

bottom line

is this,

eternal life

is about

knowing God,

knowing the

one true

God and

Jesus Christ

whom he

sent.

God is

about making

himself known

and the

point at

which we

see God

in all

his glory

is at

the cross.

One

request,

one goal,

one plan

and one

result that

God is

glorified at

the cross.

Jesus

fulfills the

father's plan

when he dies

for us.

When Jesus

prays God

glorify me,

he's praying

bring on

the cross.

cross.

And when

Jesus dies

on that

cross,

we get

God for

eternity.

But more

than that,

we actually

see God

more clearly

than we

ever have

done before.

Throughout

all of

history,

this is the

point when

we see God

most clearly.

Through this

moment in

history,

we see who

God is

with

absolute

clarity.

In verse

4,

Jesus

prays,

he goes

on to

pray,

I glorified

you on

earth,

having

accomplished

the work

that you

gave me

to do.

And just

think about

this,

because though

it's past

tense,

what Jesus

is doing

is actually

speaking of

his whole

ministry

here.

It's

literally

hours away

from being

completed.

So he's

speaking about

it as if

it's all

done,

as an

entire

completed

work.

And in

its entire

completed

work,

it can be

summed up

as this,

a life

lived to

glorify the

Father.

The cross

is Christ

glorified.

At the

cross,

we come to

know the

one true

God like

never before

or since.

The way

God

describes

himself to

Moses

comes to

life in

Jesus.

If we

look back

at that

moment,

Moses did

get that

glimpse of

God back

in Exodus

Exodus 34 · chapter mention

chapter 34.

We read

these words,

Exodus 34,

6 and

following.

This is

who God

declares

himself to

be.

He says

this,

the Lord,

the Lord,

a merciful

and gracious,

slow to

anger and

abounding in

steadfast love

and faithfulness,

keeping

steadfast love

for thousands,

forgiving iniquity

and transgression

and sin,

but who will

by no means

clear the

guilty,

visiting the

iniquity of

the fathers

on the

children and

the children's

children to

the third

and the

fourth

generation.

The way

God describes

himself to

Moses comes

to life in

the person

of Jesus.

Merciful and

gracious,

slow to

anger,

abounding in

steadfast love

and faithfulness,

keeping

steadfast love

for thousands,

forgiving

iniquity and

transgression,

but who will

by no means

clear the

guilty.

It sounds

like a

contradiction,

doesn't it?

But friends,

even as we

talk about

this,

when you

think about

glory,

is this

where your

mind goes?

When you

think about

being raised

up high or

exalted,

when you

think about

being clothed

in splendour,

when you

think about

the greatness

there could

possibly be

in life,

even when

you think

about the

greatness of

God,

is the

crucifixion

seeing what

you imagine?

Is the

cross there

in your

thinking?

Every day

I walk

our dog

on Redhead

Beach.

I've got a

picture of

the last,

this is the

last walk

I went

on.

Every day,

it's different,

it's just a

different version

of beautiful.

Every day

that scene

tells me

something

about the

character of

God.

But the

cross,

the cross

introduces me

to him

personally.

Jesus

wanted us

to know

God

personally.

So Jesus

wanted

the glory

of the

cross.

He prayed

for it.

He asked

for it

because it

glorified the

father and

it rescued

us.

Only in

his work at

the cross

can he say

in verse

five,

and now

father,

glorify me

in your

presence

with the

glory that

I had

with you

before the

world

existed.

glorify me

in your

own

presence

with the

glory that

I had

with you

before the

world

existed.

You know,

later in

John's life,

he actually

got the

privilege of

getting a

glimpse into

the throne

room of

God.

It's in

Revelation

chapter five

that it's

recorded.

A part of

that vision

is recorded.

in it,

in that

throne room,

he saw a

lion who

looked like

a lamb

who had

been slain.

Friends,

Jesus,

God the

Son,

still bears

the marks

of his

glory.

And thank

God that he

does.

Because it's

only through

the cross that

we get to

know him for

eternity.

Jesus

prayed for

glory.

He chose

the cross.

We struggle

through life

enduring things

that we,

you know,

we find

almost impossible

to bear at

times.

Jesus chose

the worst

possible death.

And he

chose it

to show us

God's glorious

nature.

he chose

it as the

means of

ransoming

us.

Friends,

that glorious

cross is an

invitation to

know God

personally.

And as we

reflect on it,

when our

lives approximate

the life that

Jesus lived

and the glory

and the glory

and the glory

sought,

then God is

glorified in

us too.

Think about

this.

If this were

to shape our

lives,

to recognize

that there

is just

one way

in this

life to get

back into

relationship with

God.

How much we

would treasure

Christ and the

work that he

did on our

behalf.

How tightly we

would hold to

that as a

center point of

our lives.

How much it

would shape how

we live toward

each other.

No longer

grasping for

glory, no

longer seeking

greatness,

desiring to

exalt ourselves

or putting

our worth in

things that are

just so empty,

but delighting in

him alone.

no longer

grasping, but

giving.

I've got to

tell you that

one of the

things that I've

noticed as a

pastor is how

difficult it is

to walk with

someone through

a situation where

forgiveness is

required, where

one person is

wounded and

another person

is responsible

for it.

it is just

so, so

difficult.

But imagine

if we had the

mind of Christ

in this.

Imagine if our

lives were

shaped by the

glory that he

sought.

Imagine if our

absolute and

utter delight is

in being

reconciled, our

willingness to

overlook any

hurt or grief

or grievance

that we have.

not to ignore

it, but to

deal with it in

the context of

someone who so

wants to get

beyond it and

back to loving

that person,

that that is

what fills their

vision.

Wouldn't it be

wonderful if we

as a church

shaped our lives

on this kind of

glory seeking,

as we serve

each other,

as we eagerly

and earnestly

desire to see

each other

raised up?

What a

wonderful thing

that would be.

Friends, the

cross, the

cross itself is

the son glorified.

The cross is

the father

glorified.

And when our

lives approximate

the life that

Jesus lived and

the glory that

Jesus sought,

then God is

glorified in us

too.

Christ, let's

drink.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.