Key Truth: Jesus’ glorification in death and resurrection brings glory to God through the redemption of His sons and daughters and is the unifying ground and means for the mission to continue through the disciples and the church.

Introduction:

Q: What do you do consistently on the eve of major life events?

“That God’s appointed hour has arrived does not strike Jesus as an excuse for resigned fatalism, but for prayer: precisely because the hour has come for the Son to be glorified, he prays that the glorification might take place. This is God’s appointed hour; let God’s will be done- indeed, Jesus prays that his Father will accomplish the purpose of this appointed hour. As so often in Scripture, emphasis on God’s sovereignty functions as an incentive to prayer, not a disincentive.”

D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John

Prayer for Glory in Death and Resurrection:

John 17:1-5

“This prayer of Christ is a safe harbor, and whoever retreats into it is safe from all danger of shipwreck; for it is as if Christ had solemnly sworn that he will devote his care and diligence to our salvation.”

John Calvin, Commentary on John

Q: What is our chief end? How do we reach that end?

Prayer for the Sanctification and Protection of the Disciples and Their Mission:

John 17:6-19

“With “as you sent me into the world” Jesus appeals to the agreement of the mandate he has given his disciples with his own mission from the Father and to the fact that their mission is based on his own and therefore serves to continue the Father’s work. The content and purpose of the disciples’ consecration are thus placed in a clear perspective. They do not consecrate themselves to service for God away from the world, but rather in the act of entering into the world.”

Herman Ridderbos, The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary

Q: What empowers us to be able to be in the world but not of the world for the life of the world?

Prayer for Unity in the Church for the Sake of Mission:

John 17:20-26

“Jesus’ concern for his followers’ unity is his greatest burden as his earthly mission draws to a close, and it pervades this entire section. Their unity, in turn, is to be rooted in Jesus’ own unity with the Father. Together with love, unity constitutes a vital prerequisite for their mission. Importantly, this unity is not merely a unity of love; it is predicated upon the acceptance and transmission of the revelation imparted to the disciples by the Father through the Son.”

Andreas J. Kostenberger, John

Q: What is the foundation and means of our unity? What was the cost paid to make unity in the church possible? What purpose does our unity serve?

Application:

John 17:1-26 teaches us that Jesus:

-embraces the cross, despising the shame, for the joy of God being glorified in the redemption of His sons and daughters to eternal life

-wants the disciples to have this same joy in seeing people redeemed through their mission in the world

-desires the church to be unified in and through His redemptive work for the sake of the continued mission in the world