John 17:24- 26' I Desire'.
What is your desire today? Your desires will tell you a lot about yourself, & your relationship with God. We all desire something, but the question we need to ask ourselves , ‘are those desires of mine, are they in line with Gods will for me? (Lord’s Prayer; Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’ - In the context of our daily living). If were honest our desires are so often earth bound, material, self gratifying & promoting, ‘It’s not thy will be done, but my will be done’ we have it so often our own way. We live out our lives with God as a mere convenient add on.
I believe the challenge for us, is to have desires and live our lives before others, which are in line with will of God for our lives which will bring Glory to God.
.
Here in these verses we see Jesus expressing His desires in prayer 24 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. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 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.”
Jesus desire or Lit – ‘I will’ is deeply spiritual, other people centred, becoming embraced in his love & glory, its completely God glorifying; The desire of Jesus is of course in line with the will of the Father also; (4:34; 5:30; 6:38) . His desires are so unlike our desires, ours are often centred around the ego ‘I’ , His are other people centred v24 -26, our desires are material & earthly, his are spiritual & heavenly 24-26 ours are self glorifying, His are God glorifying v24-26. As Gods people, we need to be those whose desires are in line with God’s which brings glory to the Triune God.
Let’s unpack what Jesus desires, for us as believers.
1. He desires that we Belong with Him v24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am.
Belonging is so important isn’t it we are made for belonging? It’s seen everywhere, in public bodies, Institutions, organisations, in our communities, as nations. A good example In our families, it forms our identities, a sense of who we are it brings security & purpose? When we are separated from our families whether at birth or later in life, a dysfunction becomes apparent. (I speak as one with personal experience).
That’s why children who are bereft of a father or mother will often go looking for their biological parents. Don’t underestimate the desire for belonging, it’s within us all. We are made for belonging & the family unit is fine example, but nowhere greater is it seen, in our need for belonging to the transcendent consider the Religious institutions with billions of adherents seeking to belong whether to ( Islam, Hinduism, Catholicism, Judaism or the hundreds of cults, people want to belong.
The good news is that Jesus desires human beings to belong also; To Him, He seeks us out, (No-one finds Him unless that’s the case) this is in line with the Fathers will. You see we were made for family (Image of God) but that relationship became dysfunctional (the Fall) & Jesus the 2nd Adam came and made it possible for our true identity to be restored through His perfect obedient life, His atoning death & justifying resurrection. As a result we can belong again to the Divine, a relationship restored, this was Jesus overriding desire, before the Father, that we belong to Him. V24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am.
a) But we can only belong to Jesus because we have been given by the Father, to the Son, Jesus desires that those who have been given will belong to Him. This is only possible because Jesus has made it possible for us to belong; this is in line with the Fathers desire/will. It confers with what is said earlier in the prayer, of Gods electing love upon individuals (9) In reference to his disciples - he makes a distinction, with the world. Again in (v24, 25) between those who have been given by the Father (all believers) & who know God & the world. We only belong because we have been given by the Father John 10:29 to the Son, as a result of His Redemptive plan in Jesus Christ. There is no other way to belong.
Do I belong? Have I been given to the Son by the Father? The answer to that question can only be answered by yourself, what is your desire, is it a desire to belong to Jesus, to be saved? The Bible is clear; Rom 10:8-10 The word of faith is near you, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord & believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes & is justified and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. V11 whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will not be put to shame. This is the sign that you belong.
Ultimately it’s the desire of the Lord Jesus that we shall be with Him forever , he wants believers to be with Him in that Glorious heavenly abode, that place he has prepared John 14 1:1-4 for his disciples, Rev 4: 4, 8 – 10 where The 24 elders are seated on thrones & bowing down in reverence whenever the four living creatures give incessant glory & thanks to God Almighty Rev 5: 11. Where there are myriads of Angels thousands of thousands, crying out, worthy is the lamb who was slain, to receive power wealth & wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing! Rev 5: 13. Then also every creature in heaven & on earth & under the earth & in the sea; giving glory to the Lamb who sits on the Throne. Rev 7:4-8 where there reside 144,000 leaders from the tribes of Israel.
a. Do you not want to belong to such a place? You can? If you’re a believer you will be? This is what The Father & Son wills to be. Thank you Jesus! For in
Finally in Rev 7:9 there is also a great multitude of people no-one could number, from every nation, from all tribes & peoples & languages. All in that place that Jesus desired them to be, all belonging, shouting out in unison ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the lamb!’
2. He desires we behold Him, in His Glory. V24
b. What is the most spectacular thing you have ever beholden - I think last week Austrian Felix Baumgartner jump from the edge of space was absolutely astonishing, it was something to behold indeed was it not, jaw dropping moment, as he plummeted from the edge of space (128,100 feet). Felix reached a maximum speed of (833mph) during 4:20 minute free fall.
Far greater to behold was the incarnate Word Jesus (Jhn1:1) coming down to this earth from the Glory of Heaven (Phil 2:6-8) The Apostle John wrote about Him John 1:14 And the Word became flesh & dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father , full of grace & truth.
How was that Glory manifested in the world? Jesus is the revelation of God in human form. Those on earth at the time of His incarnation witnessed His Glory in the flesh full of grace & truth, in his character & teaching before them. ( The disciples, Peter 2Pet 1:16-17, John 1:14 & Andrew first hand witnessed his glory at the transfiguration). Others too witnessed his powerful miracles whilst here upon the earth, His power to control nature, His power to provide, power over death, His power to forgive sins, His power to change lives, His power to heal the sick & cast out demons, His glorious death v1 Glorify your Son & His resurrection.
These things eye witnesses beheld, the manifestation of His Glory, the Glory He shared with the Father before the foundation of the world (5,24). Here on earth they beheld snap shots of His Glory, but not his unveiled splendour . We too today sees something of His glory ( 2 Cor 3:18) by His Spirit but as yet it’s not complete.
Beholding His Future Glory - (This is Jesus prayer) - before the foundation of the world v24 ( 1Pet 1:20 ) Jesus is praying about His future Glory to be seen - This is an awesome prayer for us as believers, because it’s for us he prays.
For these Disciples it brought much comfort & wonder in a world full of trouble. For his disciples these were parting words which would bring much comfort, when they fell into trials & suffered for Jesus sake & for us too, because in our Christian pilgrimage too we experience suffering & hardships ( our own sanctification – glorification) in the end it will be worth it . 1Thes 4:17,18. We shall ever be with the Lord, comfort one another with these words.
c. The Glory we shall see is the Glory of Jesus as God – his pre-existent state, before His incarnation
There is coming a time when we shall no longer live by faith, but by sight in his presence, a time when we will not just read about Him, but actually behold him face to face, we shall Know Him as we are Known. In the Future Glory that He shared with the Father before the foundation of the world (5) Jesus alluded to earlier, & is sharing still.
You might have beheld some amazing things in your lifetime, but the greatest of all is that you will be part of this, (it’s the centre the source of our very existence & Jesus desires that t we should behold His future Glory, what an invitation!
Rev 7:9 Part of that great multitude of people no-one could number, from every nation, from all tribes & peoples & languages. All in that place that Jesus desired them to be, all belonging, shouting out in unison ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the lamb
3. He desires believers to become like Him v25 - 26
Jesus addresses the Father in regard to the world. (Unlike Him) - V25 O‘Righteous Father, even though the world does not know you. In the light of the worlds ignorance despite Jesus mission they have rejected Him, despite all this Jesus has made the Father known. Jesus testifies that God the Father is Righteous - in all his judgements and in His condemnation of the world. Psalm 116:5 ; 119:137
Also in light of his forthcoming betrayal & innocent suffering on the cross in the hands of a cruel world that has rejected Him thus rejected the Father, he affirms, His affirms his own relationship with his Father. .
Jesus addresses the Father in regard to His believers
Despite the world’s rejection of the revelation of God , Jesus prays for those who have accepted Him and believe that the Father has sent Him. He brings these individuals to the Father. .
V26 He affirms he has made known God’s Name - the revelation & mission of God to them has been made known and accepted & believed.
a. Jesus promises he will continue to make it known.
b. Then that the love shared within the Godhead shall be in them also the Love of God
c. That the Son shall be in them also.
a. The Good news - The revelation of God is continually being made known. Continue to make the revelation God known - Jesus continues to make known Gods Name after his ascension . Through the outpouring & outworking of God of the Holy Spirit in our lives; the only way we can truly know God.
• We become like Him, as we come to know Him, through the Word of God - through Holy Spirit at work in our lives, we change in this life through the ongoing process of sanctification as we work out our salvation with the Lord. .
• We also become like Him in his mission as we make the revelation of God Known in Christ Jesus. 2Cor 5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
b. V26 that the love with which you have loved me may be in them The ‘ felt’ Love of God
Rom 5:5 Gods love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
• We become like Him in that we experience the love of God which is shared one for another in the Trinity, Is also shared not only in us, but amongst us, for one another , Its shared with one another also as His followers & too a fallen world. John 13:35 .
• We become like Him as we experience the Love of God in our lives, in a hostile world, we know we are affirmed & accepted by God, the love of God is poured into our hearts, giving us perseverance to live out our lives to His Glory & hope in regard to our future Glory.
V 26 and I in them the Son shall be in us profound - that Christ dwells in us
Eph 3:17 Christ dwells in our hearts through faith Col 1:27 to them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
• George Newton wrote on v26 - If Christ is in you, let me give you this caution; let him live quiet in your hearts . Do not molest Him and disturb Him. Do not make him vex and fret. Let it not be a penance to Him to continue in you. But labour every way to please Him, and give Him satisfaction & content, that so the house He hath chosen may not be dark and doleful, but delightful to Him.
We become like Him in this life we are to be seeking a life of Christ likeness until we see Him face to face then we shall be perfected with our new glorified bodies & shall be like Him. Perfect without sin or any moral corruption. (1 John 3:2) Beloved we are Gods children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared: but we know that when he appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see him as he is . And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as he is pure.
So what's His desire for us ? 1. He desire that we belong with Him.2. He desires that we Behold His Pre-existent Glory 3. He desires that we Become Like Him
