Gospel of John [17:5-8]. The Lord's priestly prayer; part 5. Joh 13:31; 2Pe 1:4-11; Deu 6:10-15.

Title: Gospel of John [17:5-8]. The Lord's priestly prayer; part 5. JOH 13:31; 2PE 1:4-11; DEU 6:10-15.

 

"Most people are terrified of change, yet embracing change is an act of awesome courage." [Morgan Llywelyn]

 

JOH 17:1 These things Jesus spoke; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Thy Son, that the Son may glorify Thee,

 

JOH 17:2 even as Thou gavest Him authority over all mankind, that to all whom Thou hast given Him, He may give eternal life.

 

JOH 17:3 "And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God [as opposed to all false gods], and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.

 

JOH 17:4 "I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do [so committed it's as if  it's already accomplished].

 

JOH 17:5 "And now, glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.

 

All of us as believer's have tasks to do that are the will of our Father. He has given us the insight to understand them, the ability to accomplish them, and the time to complete them.

 

Don't leave your work undone or half way done due to procrastination or selfishness. We have the honor of conforming to the image of our Lord who accomplished what the Father asked Him to do because it was of a higher priority than anything else.

 

Also vs. 5 reveals:

The glory which He had then was that which was proper to the Son of God before time, before time demanded a human Savior. Once accomplished, no other Savior is necessary.

 

This is likely the reason why He says "before the world was," instead of before the incarnation. This is difficult for our minds that think so chronologically. When the Trinity created time, angelic and human history, there was in that time a known rebellion and so a need for a Savior, a human Savior. After His cross, that Savior is a reality, and once accomplished He can return to the glory He shared with the Father before time and the rebellion that it brought. He has squashed the rebellion. Just because time is still not over is a formality. He sits at the right hand of God and so all rebellions are as good as done, and are done. Time does have a beginning and an end. At the end, time will be gone forever. At the time of the virgin birth the Son of God laid aside the use of His deity for a while.

 

Php 2:5-8

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

 

He laid aside for a time the external aspect of honor, and consented to become despised, and to assume the form of a servant.

 

He now prays that God would raise Him up to the dignity and honor which he had before his incarnation as well as the glory they enjoyed before the world was, or before there was a need for His station as a warrior and an atoning sacrifice. This is the state to which he is now exalted at the right hand of the Father.

 

Yet there is something more. Since the resumption of that glory would be attained by way of the cross, it would inevitably have a new dimension which was absent from it 'before the world existed.'

 

The resumption of the glory before the world was, by way of the cross, adds a new dimension to that glory in which atonement for sin is made and a way is opened to save a race of rebels from eternal death.

 

Eternity after the world will have a new dimension that eternity before the world lacked and that is a saved race of rebels who possess the eternal life of God because of the finished work of the Savior.

 

HEB 2:10-11

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect [complete] the author [archegos - Prince Ruler] of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,

 

There was a glory that the Son had with the Father before the world was.

 

JOH 1:1-2

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

 

Yet when God created the heavens and the earth, "let there be light" was the Advent of the Savior given because God so loved the world.

 

JOH 1:14

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

 

ACT 2:23

this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God [creation of the world], you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.

 

The cross is the beginning of His glory which continues at the right hand of God and is shared with all who believe in Him.

 

He has taught this to His disciples.

 

JOH 13:31 When therefore he [Judas] had gone out, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him;

 

JOH 13:32 if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately.

 

Don't let Satan and the KOD or their world system or your dead old sin nature convince you that you are not a partaker of this very glory. Christ said that the gates of hell shall not overpower His Church. The believers accused by Satan and who will feel his great wrath during the Tribulation in Rev 12 overcome through the blood of the Lamb. Don't let Satan's accusations, lies, deceit, or persecution rob you of the overcoming power that belongs to all believers through Christ's finished work.  

 

2CO 3:18

But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

 

Since this is true, today, almost 2,000 years later, any believer can behold this very glory and share in it and walk in it. Neither the world system or the KOD has been able to prevent this. Don't let them dupe you into thinking it is anything less than a complete reality and gracious privilege to every believer, regardless of background, social rank, race, genetics, I.Q., or any related genetic or environmental factor.

 

JOH 17:1 These things Jesus spoke; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Thy Son, that the Son may glorify Thee,

 

JOH 17:2 even as Thou gavest Him authority over all mankind, that to all whom Thou hast given Him, He may give eternal life.

 

JOH 17:3 "And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.

 

JOH 17:4 "I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do.

 

JOH 17:5 "And now, glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.

 

JOH 17:6 "I manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the world; Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me, and they have kept Thy word.

 

"Thy name" - the person and character of the Father. Jesus manifested the Father to the 'world'.

 

All creatures belong to the Father and He has a right to do with them as seems best to Him. He chose these men to be apostles to the Savior and to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth amid great persecution and physical death.

 

God has a right to appoint a believer to any labor, however humble, hazardous, or wearisome through which He promotes His glory and honors His name.

 

He never gives us more than we can bear and His power in us is far greater than any power against us. He exercised this right in the apostles and in others that we know of in Church history and He has been unable to exercise His right in others who refuse to yield to His will, although this is only temporarily in time, for in eternity, all will be in submission.

 

2TI 2:15

Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things [wickedness], he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.

 

JOH 17:7 "Now they have come to know that everything Thou hast given Me is from Thee;

 

The humanity of Christ did not originate anything in His incarnation. He relied completely on the Father to supply all things.

 

Even His human body was prepared by the Father. We work and labor and serve as He did but we do not originate anything. All these things are gifts. The question is, do we see all things as gifts?

 

HEB 10:5

Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says,

"Sacrifice and offering Thou hast not desired,

But a body Thou hast prepared for Me;

 

2CO 9:10

Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness;

 

Php 4:19

And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

 

If we realized that all things are gifts from God we would be thankful for all things:

 

1TH 5:18

in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus