John 17:24-26 “The Glory of Love”

You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.

Our passion is to experience and express grace.

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Amen.

Thank you, ladies.

You know, we pick offertory songs each week not to entertain you, not to emotionally manipulate

you, to give more while they're singing, but to prepare our hearts to hear God's Word.

This is our last week in Jesus' prayer in John 17.

It's often called His High Priestly Prayer.

You know why?

Because Jesus here is praying for us.

He is a great high priest whose name is love, whoever lives and pleads for me.

And we're seeing that here.

You know what the high priest does, right?

Every year he would go into God's presence on behalf of all God's people.

See, because we were made to be with God, to be near Him and in His presence, but our sin

messed up that relationship.

It separated us from God.

It kept us at a distance from Him.

We need to be near God, don't we?

But because of sin, someone has to go in for us, on our behalf, to talk to God for us so

that we can be brought back into God's presence.

Jesus does that, doesn't He?

He's the great high priest going before God for us as He prays, as He pays our penalty on

the cross.

The curtain is torn and now we are welcomed back into the presence of God through our great

high priest.

So as long as our perfect, spotless righteousness is there in heaven, no tongue can bid us depart

from God's presence.

Amen?

That's why you need a high priest.

Even today, Jesus, the great high priest, is still praying for us, right?

He ever lives and pleads for me.

That is such good news.

So as we read John 17, we are listening in to the one who restores our relationship with

God and we're marveling.

Every week we've been marveling that He prays for us, for us.

He started by praying for shared glory in His relationship with His Father that He invites

us into.

He prayed for us to know eternal life by knowing Him.

He's prayed God would keep us from the evil one even as He sends us into the world.

He prayed, we saw last week, for our unity in Him.

And now He closes by returning to our inclusion in that most glorious relationship.

Listen in one more time to our great high priest whose name is love, who still prays these things

for you now.

John 17 at verse 24.

Jesus prays,

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.

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.

Let's pray together.

Jesus, we hear Your words as You prayed them.

Amen.

We ask by Your Spirit that You would root them deep in our hearts, that we might know Your

love, new and fresh, and be changed by it.

We ask in Your name.

Amen.

How does God feel about you?

You personally, right now, today?

I've asked that question a lot over the years, one of those weird pastor questions.

I've heard a variety of responses to that question.

He's embarrassed, ashamed, probably disappointed.

Or some say, pretty good, I think.

Even, I've heard some say, well, I guess He loves me.

And I want you to know, for everyone here who would trust in Jesus, that last answer is

always the correct one.

except more clearly and more passionately and more completely than you could ever imagine.

God loves you.

That's what our hearts need to hear loud and clear in this prayer.

As we listen into Jesus, I want you to marvel that we are on His heart hours before going to the cross.

Remember, Jesus starts this prayer.

What's He longing for?

He's longing to return to the glory that He had with the Father in that perfect relationship.

Remember verse 5?

Now, Father, glorify me in Your own presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed.

That fully known, fully loved relationship.

And remember, we saw a few weeks ago that Jesus was going to die to include us in that glorious relationship.

That shared glory that they have is shared love.

This morning, as Jesus prays, He concludes by praying for us to get caught up into that glorious love of the Trinity.

It's what makes us glorious and beautiful.

Love is our word for the day, okay?

Jesus has actually been thinking about His love for His people this whole night.

Remember when we started earlier this fall, if you've been here that long, in the upper room,

Jesus says He's showing us the full extent of His love.

To the very end, He washes His disciples' feet.

As He speaks to them, He promises not to leave them alone.

He invites them to abide in Him, to trust in His Spirit.

And now before they leave and head to His betrayal and arrest and crucifixion,

what's His final request of His Father?

Look at verse 24.

Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am.

My disciples and all who will believe in Me through their word, I want them to be with Me.

This is the Son's love expressed in no uncertain terms.

What I desire is for them to be with Me.

That's love.

That's why with the holidays approaching, mothers everywhere are trying to figure out

how to get everyone together in the same place, right?

You know this.

Whatever we do, whatever we eat, I just want to be with those I love.

That's why we're so hurt as we miss loved ones.

Because no matter what we do, what we eat, we aren't with them.

That's why couples falling in love often drive their friends crazy.

Because they just want to be together all the time.

Love longs for presence, for being together.

Now think with me about that for just a minute.

It is not hard to understand why we would want to be with Jesus.

I mean really.

He is so tender.

So loving.

So patient.

So wise.

So forgiving.

So powerful.

His disciples have heard Him speak inspirationally.

They have eaten food that He has made miraculously.

They have watched Him heal powerfully.

Of course they are grieved.

They're crushed that He's leaving them.

But on the other hand, why would He want to be with us?

His disciples are about to abandon Him in His hour of need.

They fall asleep at the switch like selfish friends.

They're going to leave Him alone right when He is overwhelmed.

Yet He has just washed their feet.

Yet He is now praying,

Father, I want them, these guys, to be with me forever.

And it's not just them, right?

We're a part of this prayer too.

I mean, you and me who have done what?

We've chased after other gods?

Relentlessly we've done that.

We've disobeyed Jesus' commands.

We've even been ashamed to acknowledge that we know Him before others.

Y'all, our wanting to be with Jesus is understandable.

His wanting to be with us is unbelievable.

Yeah, I mean, He probably actually doesn't want...

He doesn't mean it, does He?

Actually, unbelievably, He does.

This verse tells us why.

Who are we to Jesus?

Look at verse 24.

We're the ones His Father has given Him.

In the original language, it's even stronger.

It reads, Father, the ones You have given me,

I want them, those ones, the ones You've given me,

I want them to be with me too.

The ones You've given me.

Why does Jesus love you?

Because the person that He loves most and longest

gave you to Him.

I have some artwork in my office

that you would never find in a museum.

I have some cards saved

that anyone else would throw away.

I've had drawings on my refrigerator

that no one else can even make out what they're of.

And yet they are precious to me.

Why?

Because they're gifts

from someone I love deeply.

I even have some of my girls' art

and notes on old Father's Day cards

in this old fireproof safe in my closet

that my family makes fun of

because nobody even has one of those

and how would it help anyway?

I so value them

that that's what I put in the fireproof safe.

Because they're gifts

from someone I love.

Friends, Jesus loves you.

He doesn't want you to be far from Him ever.

Not because your life is a picture

that has been colored in the lines perfectly.

No, that's not it.

But because before the foundation of the world,

His Father gave Him a special gift

of these people to be His.

He gave it to His Son.

He sent His Son to redeem us.

He came to bring us back home.

That is the glory of His eternal love

that we look forward to,

that we look forward to sharing in with Him,

being with Him.

That is glory.

Nothing could be better than that, right?

It's what He promises to the thief on the cross.

Today you will be with me in paradise.

That's what makes it paradise.

It's our hope, even in death,

that the moment we are absent from the body,

we are where?

Present with the Lord.

It's the highlight of heaven.

When the Bible talks about heaven,

it builds all the way up

and says,

so we will always be with the Lord.

Jesus loves us.

The Bible tells us so in many places.

But Jesus is driving at home on this final night

when He's got to say the most important thing.

I mean, an hour ago,

He said,

as the Father has loved me,

so have I loved you.

That's a lot.

Earlier in this prayer,

He says,

He won't lose a one of us.

We are so precious to Him,

such a treasured gift.

And now He prays,

and we hear His love pouring from His heart,

us to be with Him forever.

It's actually more here about love, though.

In this eternal relationship of perfect love,

we now hear about the Father's love.

Verse 24.

Jesus' glory given from the Father

because you loved me

before the foundation of the world.

What was God full of before creation?

Father, Son, Spirit,

and in perfect relationship,

best we can understand it,

so much by nature love,

so full of love in that relationship

that it overflowed into a world,

into a people,

into a love story.

To write the love of God above

would drain the oceans dry,

nor could the scroll contain the whole,

though stretched from sky to sky.

Certainly, the Father loves the Son.

That's what He's saying here,

and we don't doubt that,

that fully known,

fully loved relationship.

And when God loves,

what does God do?

God gives.

In this case,

we see He gives glory to Jesus.

The essence of love

is that self-giving relationship.

Once again,

it is actually the glory

that Jesus is returning to

and that He's bringing us into with Him.

It's that loving relationship.

See, we believe that the Father loves Jesus,

don't we?

His only begotten,

perfectly obedient,

always loving Son.

Of course He loves Him.

You know what we struggle to believe?

We struggle to believe

the Father loves us adopted,

often disobedient,

inconsistently loving sons.

But verse 23 says this,

I in them and you in me

that they,

that's us,

may become perfectly one

so that the world may know

that you sent me

and loved them

even as you loved me.

Loved them,

my people,

even as,

just as,

in the same way

as you loved me,

Jesus says.

God delights in us,

how?

With an everlasting love,

with a faithful,

covenant,

steadfast love

that endures forever.

Even when we break His covenant,

He loves us like that.

It's a forgiving love

that restores failures

because of the Father's love

that gives.

In our case,

He gives us who?

Jesus.

You sent me,

Jesus says.

God so loved the world

that He gave

His only Son.

Behold what manner of love

the Father has given to us

that we should be called

sons of God,

loved even as He loves His Son.

See, His love is not based

on perfection.

It is based

on His perfect character,

His perfect love.

It doesn't demand

that the object of His love

perform perfectly,

color within the lines,

keep life straight.

It is as Sally Lloyd-Jones

memorably describes it,

a never stopping,

never giving up,

unbreaking,

always and forever love.

You know this part

of the love story well.

Father and Son

having covenanted together

before the foundation

of the world

to pour out their love

on undeserving sinners

now enact their plan

in human history.

In order to bring

these many sons home

to glory,

God sends His only begotten Son

to earth,

to the cross,

to demonstrate

His own love for us

in dying for us.

And Jesus,

as He prepares to do that,

as He sees the cross coming

from His loving heart,

pleads with His Father

to bring us home

to share in the delight

of being loved by the Father.

It's what He wants us to experience

because He knows how great it is.

That His glorious relationship

to which the Son knows

He's returning soon,

that's where we are headed.

You and I,

we're going to that same place.

We can taste that future hope,

that coming glory,

even now,

as we revel in God's love

for us.

I so love the picture

of God's love

that Ruth Graham shared

at the funeral

of her father,

famous preacher,

Billy Graham.

Ruth was newly divorced,

already devastated,

when she found herself

in another relationship

that her parents

and her children

told her was not good

for her.

But she was far away

from them

and didn't want to listen.

In her words,

now,

this is the rest

of her story.

Being stubborn,

willful,

and sinful,

I married this man

on New Year's Eve

and within 24 hours,

I knew I'd made

a terrible mistake.

After five weeks,

I fled.

I was afraid of him.

What was I going to do?

I wanted to go talk

to my mother

and my father.

Understandable,

she would want that,

right?

But would they want her?

It was a two-day drive.

Questions swirled

in my mind.

What was I going

to say to daddy?

What was I going

to say to mother?

What was I going

to say to my children?

I'd been such a failure.

What were they going

to say to me?

We're tired

of fooling with you.

We told you not

to do it.

You've embarrassed us.

You don't want

to embarrass your father,

but you really

don't want to embarrass

Billy Graham,

she said.

And as I rounded

the last bend

in my father's driveway,

my father was standing

there waiting for me.

As I got out

of the car,

he wrapped his arms

around me and he said,

welcome home.

There was no shame.

There was no blame.

There was no condemnation.

There was just

unconditional love.

And you know,

my father was not God,

but he showed me

what God was like

that day.

when we come to God

with our sin,

our brokenness,

our failure,

our pain,

and our hurt,

God says,

welcome home.

Unconditional love.

Maybe Billy's love

for Ruth is not

that big of a stretch

for you

because you know

you love your own kids.

So,

yeah,

God loves Jesus.

How could he not?

But will you believe

on the authority

of God's word

and the prayer

of Jesus

that God loves

you

like that too?

Adopted child

covered

in the perfect

spotless

righteousness

of the son?

you don't want

to embarrass

your father.

You really don't

want to embarrass

Billy Graham.

But you mostly

don't want

to embarrass God,

do you?

Have you felt that

anybody else

when you've failed

again?

When you've

tried it your own way?

When you've failed

to share his love?

God knows it all.

Everything in my heart

what will he say?

Except God

is not embarrassed.

He's not ashamed

to be called

your God,

your father

because your real

home

where you will be

perfect forever

and he knows it

because he's making

it so

is with

him.

We don't need

to doubt

that he loves us

because of what

we feel.

we don't need

to search

for love

somewhere else.

We don't need

to fear

that he's quit

loving us

because of our

circumstances

or our failures.

Fully known,

fully loved.

That is our story.

The one who knows

us best

loves us most.

The father

himself

loves you.

Jesus says

the father

himself

loves you.

Jesus' prayer

closes

by bringing

our love

into this

glorious

divine love.

Jesus has

revealed the

father

that the

fullness

of his

love

for us

in fact

he will

by his

spirit

especially

keep

making

the

father

known

that the

love

with which

you have

loved me

may be

in them

and I

in them.

What does it

look like

when the

love of God

the very

love that he

has for his

son Jesus

is in

us?

It means

we too

welcome

home

people

deserving

to be

pushed

away.

It means

as Jesus

has already

told his

disciples

to love

one another

as he

has loved

them

that we

give

sacrificially

washing

one another's

feet.

It means

that we're

present with

others

as we

long to be

present with

Jesus

to abide

in him

and in fact

he says

not just

his love

in us

but his

very self

in us

by his

spirit

producing

what?

What fruit

will the

spirit

produce?

Where does

it start?

Do you

know the

first one?

Love.

Just a few

minutes ago

Jesus has

said to

them

abide

in

my

love

as the

father

has loved

me

so have

I loved

you

abide

in my

love.

Stay

there

beloved

make

your

home

here

delight

in the

voice

of your

father

singing

you

to

sleep

rest

in

the

loving

embrace

of

the

son

only

then

will

love

like this

overflow

from you

to lots

of other

people

even more

to the

point of

Jesus'

prayer

here

only

then

will

you

start

to

taste

the

glory

that's

to come

it's

the thing

he most

wants

for you

Jesus

is continuing

even now

even in

moments

like this

to make

the love

of God

known

to you

so that

you become

a part

of the

relationship

of love

that he

prayed

for you

to know

forever

he's praying

it because

he and his

father planned

this from

all eternity

this is the

relationship

that you

were made

for

it's the

relationship

you were

redeemed

for

you don't

need to

leave here

this morning

thinking of

how much

you must

love

you need to

leave here

this morning

thinking of

how much

you are

loved

that's where

it starts

that's where

it comes

from his

spirit

because see

no matter

what's going

on in your

life right

now

no matter

how good

it is

no matter

how hard

it is

it's another

part of the

great love

story that's

been going

on since

before the

foundation

of the

world

this is the

part where

God is

continuing

the good

work that

he began

in you

in terms

of the

great love

story he

has redeemed

you and now

he is

remaking

you into

a perfectly

pure

radiant

bride

to give

you to

his son

forever

so that

he can

keep loving

you perfectly

and forever

Jesus

prays

that you

will be

with him

to see

his glory

the glory

of love

that we

get a glimpse

of here

and then

we get

a more

glistening

picture of

in

revelation

I want to

read you

just a few

verses

I want you

to listen

with longing

and with

joy

for what's

to come

and I

saw the

holy

city

new

Jerusalem

coming

down

out

of

heaven

from

God

prepared

as a

bride

adorned

for her

husband

and I

heard a

loud voice

from the

throne

saying

behold

the dwelling

place

of God

is with

man

he will

dwell

with

them

and they

will be

his

people

and God

himself

will be

with

them

as their

God

he will

wipe away

every tear

from their

eyes

and death

shall be

no more

neither

shall there

be mourning

nor crying

nor pain

anymore

for the

former things

have passed

away

and he

who was

seated on

the throne

said

behold

I am

making

all

things

new

and an

angel

says

come

I will

show you

the bride

the wife

of the

lamb

and he

carried me

away in

the spirit

to a

great high

mountain

and showed

me the

holy city

Jerusalem

coming down

out of

heaven

from God

having

the glory

of God

its radiance

like a

most rare

jewel

like a

jasper

clear

as crystal

you know

who he's

talking about

that's

you

that's

you

and me

shining

sparkling

as we

never

have

before

as we

can't

imagine

feeling

see the

picture

here is

of the

father

overflowing

with love

as he

brings the

bride

down the

aisle

to give

her

to his

son

in his

eyes

the

son's

eyes

are

overflowing

with

tears

because his

heart is

overflowing

with love

for his

bride

for us

for us

the ones

he

redeemed

the greatest

gift

of love

ever

and he's

received

and he's

overwhelmed

one more

section

and I

saw no

temple

in the

city

for its

temple

that's

our

temple

we're the

city

the bride

its

temple

is

the

Lord

God

the

almighty

and the

lamb

and the

city

has no

need of

sun

or moon

to shine

on it

for the

glory

of God

gives it

light

and its

lamp

is the

lamb

do you

hear that

do you

know why

you're

sparkling

there

why you're

shining

so

brilliantly

it's because

the God

of glory

and of

love

is shining

on you

bringing

you into

this

glorious

relationship

because

he wants

to be

with you

forever

just as

Wesley

looked down

the aisle

last week

and with

tears of

joy

and love

in his

eyes

as his

bride

Emma

came

down

to him

that's

how

Jesus

feels

about

you

having

you

being

given

to be

with

him

it's

the love

story

of the

whole

Bible

it's

the

whole

thing

and

then

not

just

does

Jesus

feel

that

way

but

the

father

having

given

his

bride

to

his

son

runs

away

while

the

ceremony

is

still

going

on

if you

will

to

welcome

us

home

to

prepare

the

fatted

calf

so

that

he

can

celebrate

with

us

and

pour

out

his

love

upon

us

too

that's

how

excited

he

is

God

goes

and

prepares

a

feast

of

love

for

us

revelation

calls

that

feast

of

love

the

marriage

supper

of

the

lamb

at

that

supper

the

bridegroom

who

loves

us

is

also

the

one

sacrificed

to

bring

us

home

he

makes

everything

new

for

his

bride

he

wipes

away

our

tears

he

clothes

us

in

white

he

loves

us

so

deeply

so

passionately

that

we

never

want

to

leave

each

other's

side

forever

so

this

morning

with

a

marriage

supper

of

the

lamb

in

the

future

what

we're

doing

is

we're

rehearsing

okay

it's

a

wedding

theme

we're

rehearsing

for

the

marriage

supper

here

right

here

at

this

table

the

great

high

priest

whose

name

is

love

is

also

the

great

sacrificial

lamb

and

though we

get only

a taste

here

of the

feast

of love

though we

see him

only through

a glass

dimly

we look

forward to the

day when we

we see him

face to face

and we become

like him

because we see him

in his glory

as he is

we become

fully known

and fully

loved

then

even

as he

now

fully

knows

us

and fully

loves

us

that's

where we're

headed

beloved

what

glory

Jesus told us

to do this

to celebrate

this feast

in remembrance

of him

the same night

he prayed

for us

he took

bread

and broke

it

and he

gave it

to his

disciples

as I

ministering

in his

name

give this

bread

to you

he said

take

and eat

this is

my body

given

for you

because I

love you

in the same

manner after

supper

he took

the cup

and said

this cup

is the

new covenant

in my

blood

shed for

many

for the

forgiveness

of sins

drink

from it

all of

you

for as

often

as you

eat

this

bread

and drink

this

cup

you

proclaim

the

Lord's

death

until he

comes

you

proclaim

he

loves

me

so

much

that he

gave

his

life

for me

if you

are his

beloved

your heart

is pounding

right now

according to your

own personality

in very different

ways

your heart

should be

pounding

with his

love

for you

so come

and eat

and rehearse

for the feast

of love

that you will

share

with him

forever

if

this all

sounds

nice

to you

but that's

not really

how you

feel

you're not

sure at

all that

you need

Jesus

love

or that

Jesus

could

really

love

you

then

don't

come

and take

these

elements

this

morning

we don't

want

to pretend

that

just

this

little

taste

of it

would be

what

would

fulfill

you

we want

you

to know

Jesus

first

you're

welcome

to come

and observe

to come

and pray

with us

or to sit

where you are

and just

consider

the love

of Jesus

shown in

its full

extent

right here

laid out

before you

and a

father

who sent

his son

to say

to you

welcome

home

let's pray

and then

we'll

celebrate

together

Jesus

thank you

for

this

reminder

of your

love

would it

be a

taste

of

glory

to us

because

there's

nothing

better

than

sitting

with you

and soaking

up your

love

use

common

elements

for that

for doing

something

very

eternal

in our

hearts

that we

would actually

believe

that you

love us

like this

and that

we would

look

forward

to seeing

that

and knowing

that fully

one day

we ask

in your

name

amen

for more

information

visit us

online

at

southwood.org