- I want to start this evening with something unusual: a tweet that actually stuck with me. (Most are immediately disposable.)
- I’m not sure why exactly it has stuck with me, but it has. It’s been a while so I may not have all the details perfect but I do know the gist of the message.
- A woman was tweeting. She was a college student finishing up her doctorate degree. She had to give a final presentation of the findings of her capstone project. She had done interesting research and she was presenting that before an audience. She needed to do well to get the final approval for her degree. The professors that were reviewing her research were there along with those from the college and public who were interested. It was an enormously pressure-filled situation.
- Her boyfriend was there. He wasn’t just present, though, he had read the entire paper. When the question and answer portion of the program started, he was ready with the perfect question that highlighted the most interesting and compelling part of her research. His question was like putting a softball on a tee for her to take a big swing at and hit a home run.
- He had done that work just to make her look good. It had nothing to do with him. He was there putting all his effort into making everyone impressed with his girlfriend’s work. He was devoted to shining a light on her.
- The tweet from her after the fact about this was an incredibly thankful one, basically saying, “Hey everybody, get yourself a significant other who lifts you up like this.”
AN UNEXPECTED WORD TO DESCRIBE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FATHER AND THE SON: It is selfless.
- John 17:1.
- I thought of that tweet because it spoke to selflessness. That boyfriend was there without a thought of anyone looking at him. He wanted to do all he could to focus positive attention on his girlfriend and her doctoral research. He wanted her to look good.
- In v. 1 we have language that points to that sort of phenomenon: “glorify.”
- “Glorify” means brings glory to.
- It might be helpful to think in terms of a flashlight. I can shine it on myself, thus “glorifying” myself. Or I can shine it on someone else, thus “glorifying” them.
- Obviously in our culture, we are very focused on glorifying ourselves. Social media is built for this. Everyone trying to get attention drawn their way. We’re shining the flashlight on ourselves.
- What we see here between the Father and Jesus isn’t like that, though.
- Interestingly, it flows in two directions.
- Jesus’ prayer (sure to be answered) is that the Father will glorify the Son. He also prays that the Son may glorify the Father.
- In other words, each is interested in glorifying the other. They are “shining their flashlights” on each other.
- That brings me to the word “selfless.”
- It’s not a word that comes up often in sermons, although it is obviously a good thing to be selfless. Here, though, we see the Father and the Son both being selfless. Each is trying to glorify the other, rather than Himself.
- The most obvious consequence of this selflessness is that each one is being lifted up by the other. The Father is glorifying the Son and the Son is glorifying the Father.
- Can we just stop for a moment and think about how great a situation that is? No jealousy, no fear of the other, no pride. None of that. Each totally secure in Himself and eager to celebrate, honor, and lift up the other.
- As we see this selflessness, what are the consequences of that?
THE CONSEQUENCES OF THAT:
1. We have the opportunity for eternal life.
- John 17:2.
- Talk about the gift of eternal life.
- Through this selflessness of Father and Son, the opportunity for eternal life has come to us.
- Let me give one example of what I mean.
- The Father could not come down to earth in human form, but He had absolute confidence in sending His Son. Throughout Jesus’ life on this earth, the Father praised and supported Jesus. Jesus said that He was relying on the Father for His power and direction.
- Specifically to our point here: the Father couldn’t come to earth in human, but lifted up Jesus for doing that. Jesus, on the other hand, couldn’t raise Himself from the dead at His resurrection, but had absolute confidence in the Father to do that.
- What one member of the Trinity could not do on their own, they did working in a selfless way.
2. That eternal life is, above all else, relational.
- John 17:3.
- When we think about eternity, there are many amazing things to ponder. The New Jerusalem. Reunions with loved ones.
- The thing that is most amazing about eternal life, though, is that we are entering into this selfless, loving relationship with the Trinity. I don’t mean that we become God, but rather than without sin we are able to relate perfectly with God. We will become a part of this selflessness that we are reading about here. We will know them.
- Although we put undue emphasis on power, prestige, and possessions, when we really think about it I think we would all agree that the thing that makes life truly rich is the relationships we have with those around us. That’s our real joy. That’s our real comfort.
- So too in eternity. The most important thing is being a part of this Trinitarian community.
- And think of the joy and peace with being a part of the relationships this giving and selfless.
3. The Father and the Son do not merely have a unity of spirit but also a unity of action.
- John 17:4.
- It’s worth noting that this is not merely a unity of spirit where Father and Son say they agree on the same stuff. No, this is a situation where they are actively working to accomplish the same things.
- Jesus did the work that the Father asked Him to accomplish. As I alluded to earlier, the Father guided Jesus in what the work was that He wanted accomplished and Jesus relied on the Father to also provide the power to accomplish it.
- And Jesus did just what the Father asked.
- As I think of eternity, it’s not a sitting around time. No, there will be work to do as we rule with Christ on the new earth.
- It’s an incredible thought that we will be able to serve the Father and the Son in a way where everything we do honors Him. Our actions will glorify God! In fact, because of our regenerated bodies, we will be a situation where we can go do what’s on our hearts to do knowing that our actions will honor and glorify Him.
4. This selfless unity will continue throughout eternity.
- John 17:5.
- Verse 5 speaks to the idea we’ve been talking about – glorifying – but it moves it to a new location: the presence of God. This verse teaches us that Jesus will be glorified in the presence of God. Not only that, but it will happen with the glory that Jesus had from before the foundation of the world.
- This points us backward but it also points us forward. As we think of this glorification in the presence of God I can’t help but think of our destination in the presence of God ourselves someday.
- This raises a hopeful thought within my mind: we will participate in this selfless unity throughout eternity. We will get to witness it and live in it. What a joy that will be to be able to be a part of.
