Born To Work In The Glory
Born To Work In The Glory
By: Bobby Sullivan
We now come to one of the richest chapters in all the Bible. The chapter has been called the true Lord’s Prayer; and the Holy of Holies of Sacred Scripture”; and the inner sanctum of Christ’s Holy Heart.
We are overhearing a conversation within the Godhead.
Protestant reformer Philip Melanchthon wrote: “There is no voice which has ever been heard, either in heaven or in earth, more exalted, more holy, more fruitful, more sublime, than the prayer offered by the Son of God himself.”
Have you wondered what it might have been like to slip next to Jesus and hear His prayers?
The Scot Preacher Robert Murray McCheyne wrote; “If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.”
John 17:1-8 READ
Jesus Prays to Be Glorified
17 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
6 “I have revealed you[a] to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.
Vs 1 The hour has come…Jesus begins his prayer with a reference “the hour has come”. You will remember in opening chapters at the wedding feast of Cana the mother of Jesus asked Jesus to do something about the catastrophe of not enough wine and Jesus replied; “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come (John 2:4).
In chapter 12:23 Jesus says; “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified”.
What hour? The hour of Christ’s death. For Jesus the Cross–becomes the focus, the great fact, the great climax of His life.
The hour has come. The hour of glory (v.1); the hour of power (v.2); the hour of eternal life (vv. 2-3); the hour of a finished work (v.4); the hour of a restoration and return to glory (v.5); the hour The of revelation (v.6); and the hour of completion, the hour of mission accomplished; the hour of belief.
John 17:4 “I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave me to do.”
Vs 6 “ I have manifested and revealed your name..”
Vs 8 “Now they have believedand are convinced that you did send me.”
Introduction:
Jesus did not expose Gods glory through worship, prayer or fasting but by…working (partnering with), collaborating, participating, uniting, join forces with it. Everything Jesus did on earth culminated to that one defining moment: the cross.
Jesus was born for the cross! What have we been born for? What is your defining moment?
The cross is where the fullness of His glory was revealed.
The glory of God is seen in the revelation of who and what He came to do. Throughout history we have seen the glory of God in varying degrees:
Everyone sees something of God’s glory in nature. In Psalm 19:1 we read “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1, NKJV).
- Some privileged believers have experiencedpersonal revelations of the glory of God:
For example, Moses on Mt. Sinai “Didn’t realize as he came back down the mountain with the tablets that his face glowed from being in the presence of God.” (Exodus 34:29, The Living Bible)
Peter, James and John on the Mount of transfiguration saw Jesus “and as they watched, his appearance changed so that his face shone like the sun and his clothing became dazzling white.” (Matthew 17:2, The Living Bible)
- But by far, the most complete revelation of God’s glory was in the person of Jesus Christ.
The writer of Hebrews says that Jesus “Is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3, NASB95)
And Paul writes “For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6, NASB95)
In the upper room Jesus prayed the He would be glorified, that He would be shown more completely for who He is. How was and is Jesus glorified? For what did He specifically pray for? He prayed for His glorification on the cross (v.1-4), He prayed for His glorification in Heaven (v.5), and He prayed for His glorification in the church (2, 3, 10).
Remember When His parents were looking for Him “He said to them (His parents), “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49, NKJV)
Doing His Fathers Business was a delight to Him “I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8, NKJV)
Not only doing God’s will but accomplishing it mattered to the Lord ““My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” (John 4:34, NKJV)
In His prayer He said “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” (John 17:4, NKJV)
He even finished the work at His last breath “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” (John 19:30, NKJV)
The whole purpose for God sending Jesus to earth was to give eternal life to men; so in asking the two questions, “How is God glorified?” and “How is Jesus glorified?” the answer is simply: “by men receiving eternal life.” Both God’s glory and Jesus’ glory are found in the completion of the great work of salvation.
Jesus was the lamb that who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29) but it was not fully revealed until he hung on the cross.
He began the unveiling by praying, “Father, the time has come. Glorify Your Son, that your Son may glorify you.” (John 17:1)
Jesus had finished his work and the time had come for His full glory to be revealed.
Paraphrase “ Everything I have done up until now was a warmup. I have waited my whole life for this one moment in time, because now the people are going to see who I really am and when they see who I really am, they will know who you really are also.”
Obedience paves the way for the miraculous!
The road to the resurrection wasn’t an easy one.
I have finished the work which thou hast given me to do.’
Brad Bailey in an article called, “A life of calling and completion” said, “It’s hard to find rest in the vast sea of potential ‘should haves’ we’ve created.”
Bailey said, “Completion is an unqualified sense of all encompassing completion” Such a sense of completion may be the most elusive key to experiencing peace in life..for how often do we enjoy that sense of fulfillment?”
Charles E. Hummel in a article, Freedom From Tyranny of the Urgent said, “Jesus sense of completion isn’t in relationship to some endless list of needs..but in relationship to a more defined sense of calling, priority and focus.”
“The life that God our Father has for us, through the life of Christ in us, involves a sense of calling that offers our days to be defined with completion.
It is work (not works) that glorify God; it is not words and empty praises, but a holy conversation:
Works is what Man says about you
Work is what God says about you
Mat. v. 16, ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven;’
Ps. 1. 23, ‘Whoso offers praise, glorifies me; and to him that orders his conversation aright, will I show the salvation of God;’
John 15:8 “ When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.”
You may exalt him in profession, and pollute him in conversation.
Two questions today:
- Who do people see when they see you?
(John 1:1-5) In the beginning.
Jesus was the full expression of God in human form. Jesus was God and God was with him from the beginning. HE came in the flesh to show us what God was really like.
John 5:21 “ For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, even so the Son gives life to who He is pleased to give it.”
John 10:28 “ I Jesus give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them from my hand.”
John 17:2 “ For you granted [Jesus] authority over all the people that He might give eternal life to all those You have given Him.”
Why did God take on human form?
- So we could see for ourselves the full expression of His nature and character
- So we could once again be like Him through example
- So we would have a model , mentor and a mission
John 1:14,18 “ The word became flesh and made His dwellingamong us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and Only…No one has ever seen God, but God the One an Only, who is at the Fathers side, has made Him known.”
“Made His dwelling” translates the greek word [skenoo], which means tabernacle or “spread ones tent”.
When Jesus came in the flesh He “tabernacled” , or “pitched his tent” in our midst so that we could see Him and know Him as the “one and only”
In other words, Jesus Exposed the full glory of the father by uncovering or revealing to us the character of God.
Jesus is the way the truth and the life! Ephesians 4:7-8 “ To each one has been grace as Christ apportioned it.”
So what is the character of God? He is full of grace and truth.
The Greek word for grace is “charis” which also means blessing, favor and gift. It is where we get the word Charisma.
So, one of the characteristics of God is that he bestows blessings, , extends favor, and gives gifts to his people.
John 2:6-11 WATER< WINE and GLORY The primary purpose was not to get people plastered! But to reveal his glory so that His disciples would believe in Him.
- Sometimes God allows things to “run out” in order to reveal His glory.
- When life throws you a curve, remember it’s a opportunity for homerun to be hit.
- Glory always reveals that which is better than what we had before.
Glory comes out of pressure and glory brings out the very best.
- Do people know who sent you and why?
John 8:14-18:19 READ
This sections contains and extended debate between Jesus and the Pharisees and how they opposed and challenged the validity of Jesus claims.
Two times Jesus said, “the Father…sent me” Jesus said, “If you see Me, you would know My Father also.”
John 8:28-29
John 8:42…”I have not come on my own; but He sent me.”
Who is sending you today?
When people See you so they see Jesus or the flesh?
Jesus made one of the most boldest statements ever when he said,
John 8:50,54 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and He is the judge. If I glorify Myself, My glory means means nothing. My Father , whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me..”
Basically, he said, I am not here to show off or expose myself but my FATHER.
When is the glory of God and for God most magnified? In good times or bad?
We see the manifestation of His presence and glory in good and dark times. What appeared to be dark time on the cross to the on lookers was really a glory bomb behind the scenes.
EXAMPLE:
John 11:4 Read about Lazarus. Jesus delayed His arrival by two days. Why?
If you believed, you would see the glory of God 11:40
As a result, “many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in Him (John 11:45)
Jesus revealed the Father and God was glorified.
The shock of the Pharisees is in John 11:48 “If we let Him alone to go on like this, everyone will believe in Himand adhere to Him.”
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Jesus gained the attention of the Pharisees by never giving up, never quiting, never throwing in the towel. He would never be accused of being slothful.
Hebrews 6:12 “Be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
Notice the text does not say anything about laziness but slothfullness.
It comes from a Greek word “nothros” and describes something that is dull, monotonous, or unexciting; something that is slow and sluggish; or something that has lost its speed or momentum.
It is still moving, still has life but it is not moving with the same velocity and aggressiveness it once had. It has lost the drive, thrust, pace, speed and desire it once had.
So…it presents the idea of someone who one was zealous about something, someone who took on a project, wanted the job but whose zeal has now been replaced with comfort, complacency and neutrality.
Because of the word NOTHROS, Hebrews 6:12 could be read this way,
“Quit be slothful-quit acting like someone who has lost his enthusiasm and excitement and has now sunk into a state of being slow, boring, monotonous, sluggish, dull and uninterested in completing the task set before him”
“I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day for the night cometh when no man can work” John 9:4
Closing: The glory of a manufacturer is seen when its product performs as designed and advertised.
John 17:5, 10,20-24
Impact Church Arise! To new life! Shine [be radiant with the glory of the Lord], for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” Isaiah 60:1
“Then you shall see and be radiant, and your heart shall thrill and tremble with joy Isaiah 60:5
How does God expect us to live out our lives in way that reveals and reflects His Glory?
- Our calling as Men and Woman of God transcends life’s circumstances. His purpose was not marriage, kids, work etc. His sense of completion was found in Luke 19:10 “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Every one of us is connected to that calling as well.
- Our calling is to be internalized. Personal not Professional. It is something that can be fulfilled in the present age not the fulfilled in the age to come.
John 4:34 Jesus stops to get food and says, “My food is to obey the will of the one who sent me and to finish the work he gave me to do.”
Eph 5:15-16 So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days.
- Our calling may require a redefining of focus: Prioritize those we choose to influence. Although Jesus loved the whole world, Matthew 15:24 “Jesus said, I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel”
Completion doesn’t mean everything is complete. It means you complete what you were called to accomplish.
A businessman man, harassed and discouraged from overwork, took his problem to a psychiatrist who promptly told him to do less work.
“Furthermore,” prescribed the doctor, “ I want you to spend an hour each week in the cemetery.”
“What on earth do you want me to do that for?” What should I do in the cemetery? “Not much”
Take it easy and look around. Get acquainted with some of the men already in there and remember that they didn’t finish their work either.
When Jesus said, “It is finished” Did everyone get healed, saved, set free etc. No. He just I finished the work you gave me to do!!
John 17:5 “I have glorified You down here on the earth by completing the work that you gave me to do.
Are we still filling out the application for the job?
Do you know what is required of you?
Have we even started?
Have we accepted the position?
Do we know the job description?
Are you clocking out early?
Are you taking too many breaks?
If you answered YES to any of the questions, you need to book some time with your boss!!!
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