Sermon nuggets Fri Oct 17
Theme; Prayer
Verses- John 16: 4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing 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.
Prayer of Commitment
In his private time with His Father, Jesus had committed Himself to the work of salvation by going to the cross. He did what He wanted to do, to give glory to the Father in His human relationships on earth by calling and preparing 12 men to take over empowered by His Spirit. He looks forward now to leaving this temporary dwelling and going to glory to be with His Father.
This tremendous truth confirms the deity of Jesus Christ. He existed before He was born of Mary. He was pre-existent before creation. He was the one from whom all things exist. He knows that by retuning He’ll be sharing in the glory.
This seems like a final conversation with a soldier who is about to perform his last duty before going home. He is looking forward to that last tasks for then he will be where he is loved and honored. Then the celebration begins. Even though that last duty is tough he keeps his eyes on the near goal which is only days away. The cross could be endured because it was the greatest duty and from it He glorified His Father in obedience.
Isaiah 42:8 “I am the Lord that is my name; I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.” How can that truth be reconciled with the glory that is given to Jesus, except He is the Lord?
We will receive glory someday for our obedience but mostly for our faith in letting Jesus work though us. I think of the glory that tools would get from the carpenter. What are marvelous hammer and nail and saw. But he work of praise is what he carpenter did with those tools. When a job is completed and admired we don’t focus on the tools, only the product and the one who made it. We will not be praised like Jesus. But we are the workmanship upon which Jesus worked. We may be like the brushes the artist uses on his painting, but then we will see the painting is also us. That present will then be given to the Father. He looks forward to that.
In the redemptive plan Jesus changes His ministry from redemption to intercession. In this prayer He acknowledges His glory related to the cross and now takes up what He has done since His ascension and will continue to intercede for us until His return.
The heart of this portion of His prayer was “Lord, do what you have planned for in so doing I will be glorified by my obedience and by my giving eternal life and by my returning to you.” He is ready.
Pastor Dale
