John 17:1-3: The Only True God

The only way to have the Fullness of Joy and the hunger and thirst of your soul satisfied is in knowing and worshiping the Only True God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. God’s glory is supremely revealed in Jesus Christ. (and our lives should be wholly directed towards His glory).

Notes

Transcript

Goal is to draw your eyes to heaven and by God’s grace help you to delight in God.

Scripture Reading

Psalm 145:3, 8–9 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable… The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.

Intro

Who is God?

What is Man?

What is the Ultimate Purpose of Life?

These are the Big Questions and how you answer them is key to the joy of your soul.

I’m not talking about fleeting joy that’s here today and gone tomorrow.

But true joy… lasting joy… the kind of joy Jesus said can never be taken away from you (John 16:22).

How do you go from searching and wandering… to rest, blessing, and peace?

I think one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard from a non-Christian that was looking everywhere in life to find that thing that would finally give them rest was… I just want to be happy…

They were looking everywhere when true happiness was right in front of them.

A free gift that if they were to just receive it!… would satisfy all the longings of their soul.

Knowing the only true God and surrendering their life to Him.

Whoever would save His life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Christ’s sake will find it (Matthew 16:25).

The only way to have the Fullness of Joy and the hunger and thirst of your soul satisfied is in knowing and worshiping the Only True God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.

This is the message of John 17:1-3 and the beginning of Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer.

After giving His final words to His disciples… He prays for them and in His prayer we see His prayer for us and the ultimate promise of eternal life… Knowing the Only True God.

Let’s start with John 17:1-2 and Jesus’ prayer with the heart of worship.

John 17:1–2 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.”

Prayer/The Heart of Worship

Jesus begins His intercessory… High Priestly prayer… His prayer for us by lifting up His eyes to heaven.

Now we don’t lift our eyes… we typically bow our heads and close our eyes.

Well why the difference?

This is beneficial because Christ’s posture… His lifting up His eyes to heaven… teaches us the heart of worship.

And I want to highlight it here because in just a little bit we are going to talk about the glory of God and how you and I are called to Know Him and worship Him but… God is not interested in worship that honors Him with our lips while our hearts are far from Him (Isaiah 29:13).

True Worshipers worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24).

That is from the heart… not in external actions and outward religion.

Lifting your eyes to heaven was a common way to pray in Jesus day (John 11:41; Psalm 123:1).

But it was not the only way to pray.

In Luke 18:13 Jesus said But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’” and this man went down to his house justified (Luke 18:14).

In both instances the direction of the eyes is an expression of the heart.

Lifting your eyes says… theologically:

God is over us… Sovereign.

Higher than Us… Enthroned in the Heavens… Glorious…

And the One we look to for life and help and all that we need (cf. Psalm 121).

And when we bow our heads it implies a reverence and respect.

This honor of God who we bow down all of our lives before…

And a holiness of God that is so holy no human eye can see… even the angels hide their faces (Isaiah 6:2-3; cf. Exodus 33:20).

So the important thing is not the outward external forms of religion… but the inward heart.

You can lift your eyes… bow your head… to follow Christ example is to bow the heart.

To draw near to God with a heart that loves… honors… fears… and worships Him.

Not dead words and dead religion.

And as I said… this is important… because if we want to worship God in all His glory… know Him and the Joy of eternal life then we must worship God:

From the heart…

And from the fullness of heart.

Are we going through the motions or do we worship God with a heart that says:

God is over us…

Higher than us…

The Source of all of our life hope and good…

Holy and glorious…

Hour

Going back to the prayer, Jesus says, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you…”

The hour… is the hour of Jesus’ death and crucifixion.

In John 12:27 Jesus said, “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.”

Jesus came to save sinners… to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

And on the cross Jesus would offer Himself as the once for all perfect sacrifice for all our sin (Hebrews 9:12, 25-27).

Again… I want to highlight… like I do every time we have the opportunity… the courage and bravery of Christ.

Courage

He was the most courageous man that ever lived.

When He saw the agony and the shame of the cross… the wrath of God poured out against sin…

He didn’t shrink back… He didn’t hide (cf. Luke 9:51).

He faced it head on.

When you and I would have given up and run away… been utterly undone by dread and fear…

Christ kept loving… Kept serving… Kept teaching… Kept healing…

He poured Himself out and He kept pouring Himself out until He poured Himself out once and for all bleeding… dying… suffocating on the cross.

A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3).

The strength… courage… and love of Christ to keep going… all for us… to save His people from their sins.

When His hour came Jesus did not face it as a defeated man…

He rose to meet it as a Mighty King and Conquering Warrior (cf. John 14:30-31).

For the Joy set before Him he endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2).

That joy being our salvation and His glory.

That’s what Jesus prays next.

Glorify

Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you.

Here Christ looks ahead to His exaltation when the Father would bestow on Him the Name that is above every other name (Philippians 2:6-11).

In His incarnation, Christ emptied Himself… He nullified Himself… made Himself of no account.

While never ceasing to be God Christ laid aside or veiled His eternal glory.

As Isaiah said, “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2).

So what Christ is praying in Glorify Your Son is that the eternal plan and purpose of God to save sinners and glorify His name would be accomplished in Christ.

Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you.

Son’s Glory

Through the cross the Father would glorify the Son as the Perfect Adam and the Perfectly Obedient Son.

Messiah… Savior… Great High Priest… and Sacrificial Lamb.

The Son of God and the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Father’s Glory

And in turn the Son would glorify the Father as the One who so loved the world that He gave His only Son. (John 3:16)

The Holy and Righteous One who is both the Just and the Justifier of the One who trusts in Jesus (Romans 3:26).

Divinity

This prayer is also an explicit claim to Divinity… that Jesus truly is the Eternal Son of God.

No man can pray, “Father glorify me!… glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed”… that’s verse 5.

Isaiah says in Isaiah 42:8 “I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other.”

God will not share His glory… there is none like Him (Jeremiah 10:6, Psalm 86:8-10).

But Christ is One with the Father Himself (John 10:30).

One in majesty… power… glory… and eternity.

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Hebrews 1:3).

We believe God is Trinity… One God in Three Divine Persons… Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Not three separate gods… Not three parts of God… Not three masks of God…

One God eternally subsisting… co-equal and co-eternal… in Three Divine Persons.

So when Christ is praying Father glorify your Son… He’s saying, I am not of this world… I am the eternal Son of God.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

In the beginning… eternity past… in other words not created.

John 1:3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

If all things were made through Him that means He Himself is not one of those made things.

And the Word was with God…

Distinct from God in His person face to face with God in divine eternal love and communion.

And the Word was God… God Himself.

The Big Thing that you need to know is that Jesus is God.

He is the Eternal Son of God incarnate in Human flesh… the Word made flesh… who bore our flesh to bear our sins (John 1:14; Hebrews 2:14-17).

Authority

Then verse 2… “since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.”

Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Colossians says He is the head of all rule and authority and the Bible repeatedly says that God has put all things in subjection under His feet (Colossians 2:10, Hebrews 2:8, 1 Peter 3:22; 1 Corinthians 15:27, Psalm 110:1).

Daniel 7:14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall [never] be destroyed.

In particular in verse 2 Jesus says you have given Him authority over all flesh… that is all mankind.

So Christ is King of everyone whether they acknowledge it or not.

As King they owe their allegiance to Him… all their love, worship, and devotion.

And this authority over all men that God has entrusted to Christ in the context of John’s Gospel really focuses on two things: Salvation and Judgment… the Authority to Save and the Authority to Judge.

We see both of these in John 5:21-24.

John 5:21–24 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. [Again, Jesus is God… the Father will not share His glory with another] Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

Because Christ has the authority over all flesh He has the authority to judge.

Acts 17:31 [The Father] has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; [that man being Jesus] and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.

All flesh… every man… will stand before Christ on the Day of Judgment.

They will give account for their life and the works they’ve done so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil (2 Corinthians 5:10).

The problem is none is righteous in their deeds of the body (Romans 3:10).

Nor are we righteous in our hearts, thoughts and words.

All are condemned and worthy of judgment (Romans 5:18).

Now here’s what this means for you… because Christ has authority over all flesh… you also will stand before Him on the Day of Judgment.

You will give an account of your life to the One who has Authority to Judge.

Do you bend the knee to Him?

Do you submit to Him?

Do you worship Him?

Is Christ the King and Lord of your life… the One who holds all authority… or are you still running the show living only for yourself?

Psalm 2 says Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled… but… the good news… Blessed are all who take refuge in him (Psalm 2:12).

The Good News is Christ doesn’t just have the Authority to Judge… He also has the authority to forgive all of your sin and give you eternal life.

Verse 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Going back to our passage… “since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.”

So Christ rules over all… but He rules over all in a saving way only for the Elect.

Those chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.

That’s what He means by all whom you have given Him.

Predestination

This is the Doctrine of Unconditional Election or Predestination.

That you and I were given to Christ… entrusted to Christ… before the foundation of the World.

The Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep and those sheep are given to Him by the Father (John 10:11, 28-29).

He tells the Pharisees you do not believe because you are not among my sheep (John 10:26).

Not, “You are not my sheep because you don’t believe.”

I know my sheep and my sheep know me (John 10:14).

This is a difficult Doctrine but one we should humbly receive and accept as the revealed will of God.

What predestination says is that there was nothing we did and no good in us that compelled God to give us His grace.

He chose us out of His own good pleasure… according to the purpose of His will… to say that our salvation and all of our salvation is solely of His grace (Ephesians 1:5).

Why are you saved? Because it was God’s good pleasure to do so.

Not because of you… but because God loved you before the foundation of the world and entrusted you to Christ.

Ephesians 1:3–6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Or as Christ said “You have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.”

So Jesus has the Authority to Save and the Authority to Judge…

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God (John 3:18).

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way.

All are under Christ’s Authority but the only way to be under Christ’s Authority in a Saving way is to believe in Him and trust in His Name.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me (John 10:27).

Eternal Life

From here… Christ goes on in verse 3 to define Eternal Life.

He has the authority to give Eternal Life… what does that mean?

John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

Now I think this is one of the most important verses in the whole Bible because it speaks directly to what Christ gives us by grace through faith in Him.

What is the gift of Eternal Life? (Romans 6:23).

It is the full forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God.

In a way… the gift of Eternal Life is the gift of God Himself given to us through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Know

Jesus says And this is eternal life, that they know you.

This know is more than just bare intellectual knowledge.

Its more than just having this idea of God somewhere out there or even knowing facts and theological knowledge about God.

The Doctrine’s important… its essential… but what makes the difference between knowing a lot about God and knowing God?

Its love… worship… adoration.

Its this personal… experiential… relationship with God and communion with Him.

Its the same word Jesus used for I know my sheep and my sheep know me and Jesus calls His sheep out by name… that personal knowledge (John 10:27, 3).

Communion

What we are talking about is Communion with God and fellowship with Him.

Those are some of those Christian words that we don’t really know what they mean.

Communion and fellowship is a mutual giving of ourselves and a delighting in that mutual giving with all the blessings it brings.

God gives Himself to us in Christ… We give ourselves to God in worship and in doing so there is a new Joy… a fullness of Joy.

The Lord delights in His glory and grace in us…

Zephaniah 3:17 says The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

And we delight in Him and all His glorious attributes… His holiness… love… mercy… righteousness… kindness… justice and grace.

The way to have the fullness of joy and the joy of Eternal Life is to find all your joy in delighting in and worshiping Him.

When we talk about this Communion and personal relationship with God its not some sappy high school date.

Trust me… there’s a part of me that groans to hear the words “personal relationship” but that’s because we’ve turned communion with and worship of the one true God into a buddy-buddy relationship.

We’ve lost the grandeur… the glory… the magnificence of the Triune God… the One surrounded by the Angels crying out “Holy Holy Holy!… the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3)

To have a personal relationship with God is to Know the One True God and King of Glory and walk with Him… obey Him… worship Him… Depend on Him… find all of your life in Him (Psalm 24:8-10).

Adam walked with God in the cool of the Day (Genesis 3:8).

God promised to walk with His people in the Tabernacle (Leviticus 26:12, Deuteronomy 23:14).

And the Word became flesh and dwelt… or tabernacled among us (John 1:14).

So when we talk about having a personal relationship God… communion with God… think less holding hands and more walking with Him… following Him… glorifying, enjoying, and delighting in Him and all that He is and has revealed Himself to be in Jesus Christ.

To know God is to worship God as your God.

To have a personal faith and personal worship of Him that is from the heart… delighting in and enjoying Him… from the heart… for all that He’s Worth.

So don’t bury the lead… Eternal Life is to know God and find the fullness of Joy in Him… to have the thirst and hunger of our souls satisfied in Him and Him alone… in knowing Him and walking with Him as the man was created to in the Garden.

The Soul was made to know and worship God.

The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Only

And Jesus says this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God.

Now this is not saying that Jesus is not God.

We already saw that in the doctrine of the Trinity.

The only way to know God as the only true God and to truly know Him is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ which we are going to see here in a moment.

Jesus said No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).

The only way to draw near to God is through Christ.

The only true God tells us some very important things theologically about who God is.

As the Only True God there is no other God.

Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

There is one God and one sovereign over the universe and His Name is the LORD.

There is no other God besides Him (Isaiah 45:5).

Now what does that mean?

All other God’s are false gods and demons.

There are not multiple ways to heaven.

There are not all equally valid religions.

There is One and He is the Triune God revealed in Jesus Christ.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:20 that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons.

There are no gods but one.

And practically what that means is that there is One God we are called to love and worship… one Lord to give all of our life and devotion.

Because the rest of the Deuteronomy 6:4 and following in verse 5 after saying, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one… is You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

If there is One God He alone is to be the sole aim of our life and the sole object of our worship.

True

And He is the only true God… the True Creator… the True Maker of Heaven and Earth and as the only True God the God above all other gods.

Just listen to the glory of the One True God over all the false gods in Jeremiah 10:10-16.

But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation. Thus shall you say to them: “The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens.”

God is the One True Eternal God… the Living God!

It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

Almighty Power.

Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish. Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob, for he is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the LORD of hosts is his name.

Or as Jesus said the Only True God.

Application

Now practically what does that mean?

That there is no other God who can give us life and satisfy the hunger of our souls.

It is He who made us and we are His… everything else will always leave us thirsty (Psalm 103:3).

Compass

I’ve told you before how God is the True North to the Compass of our souls.

If you have a compass it is always spinning… always moving until it finds true north.

Well that’s the Soul with God.

Psalm 116:7 Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

As Augustine said our soul is restless until it finds its rest in Him (Reformation Study Bible note on 17:3).

Fountain

As the only true God He is the Fountain of Living Waters (Jeremiah 2:13).

Everything else is a broken cistern that can hold no water.

Everything else will leave you bone dry.

The only way to drink from the Fountain of Living Waters and have the Joy of Eternal life is in knowing and worshiping God.

Delighting in Him for all He’s worth.

Finding all of your joy, satisfaction, life and contentment in Him… the Soul’s True North.

God’s Glory Revealed in Christ

Now what does that mean?

What does it mean to know and enjoy God for all that He’s worth?

What are we supposed to know?

What are we supposed to delight in.

And that takes us to the last part of verse 3: That they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

They way to know and enjoy God is to know and enjoy Him and all that He has revealed Himself to be in Jesus Christ.

What are we to worship?

What are we to delight in?

Who God is in Jesus Christ.

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature (Hebrews 1:3).

Worship?

Worship is praising God… from the heart… for all of His divine attributes and powerful works.

Celebrating Who God is and what God has done.

When you worship that’s what you are doing… praising God for His glory and praising God for what He has done… delighting and celebrating Him.

Show Me Your Glory!

In the Old Testament Moses asked the LORD, “Show me your glory!” (Exodus 33:18)

Show me who you are! Show me your majesty!

Let me know you… See you…

And God’s response was man shall not see me and live (Exodus 33:20).

But you can see my back.

I will make all my goodness pass before you and proclaim before you the Name of the LORD! (Exodus 33:19).

So God’s glory is His Goodness.

And God’s goodness is His Name… who He is.

And when the Lord hid Moses in the rock and passed before Him in all His goodness He proclaimed:

Exodus 34:5-7 The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.

Basically meaning that God will hold every generation accountable for their own sin.

He forgives sin, but He is also Holy, righteous, and just.

And what we hear in Moses about the glory of God… we see in Christ!

John 1:14–17 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, [the LORD, the LORD a God merciful and gracious] full of grace and truth… For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace [All the grace necessary and required by the Law]. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

The only way to Know God… the LORD, the LORD a God merciful and gracious, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin but who will by no means clear the guilty… is Jesus Christ.

He is the Just and the Justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:26).

Jesus said glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you and in verse 6 I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world.

All with Jesus’ hour in view. Father, the hour has come.

It is in the cross and the person and work of Christ that we most clearly see the glory of the Father.

Cross

Holiness/Righteousness

On the cross we see the glory of God’s holiness and righteousness seeing the due punishment of our sin.

How God’s Law demands no less than perfect righteousness and no less than the precious blood of God’s own Son could satisfy His wrath (1 Peter 1:19). ‘

Justice/Wrath

We see the glory of God’s Justice and Wrath in punishing our sin.

In Jesus becoming a curse for us and taking the judgment our sin deserved (Galatians 3:10, 13).

Wisdom/Power/Sovereignty

We see God’s Wisdom, and Power, and Sovereignty over all things in planning our salvation and bringing it to pass exactly as He promised according to all the prophesies of the Old Testament without the slightest failure or deviation even sovereignly ruling over sinful and wicked men to accomplish all His divine purpose and triumph over Sin, Satan, and Death as the God of Life (Acts 2:23, Romans 1:16).

By His Almighty Power He did what was impossible for man himself to do (Luke 18:27).

Love/Mercy/Grace

And we see the glory of His Love, Mercy, and Grace in the glory of the Son.

Jesus humbled Himself and died in our place for our sins.

He laid down His life for us (John 15:13).

And in all Christ did He did in obedience to the Father (John 4:34).

As Jesus hung on the cross that was the Father’s love hanging there.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

What Moses only heard, we see the fullness of by faith in Jesus Christ.

The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty.

God’s goodness in His only beloved Son.

Conclusion

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

The fullness of Joy is in worshiping and enjoying God.

Knowing His Holiness, Righteousness, Justice…

Wisdom, Power, and Sovereignty…

Love, Mercy, and Grace in Jesus Christ.

And not in just some abstract way… but for you.

To personally know God.

A personal faith and personal worship that finds all of your life, joy, and satisfaction in Him.

You must be born again (John 3:7).

If you want to have eternal life you must be born again… born from above by grace through faith in Christ.

Cast all your soul on Him.

He has authority over all flesh to give eternal life to all God has given Him and whoever comes to Him… Jesus said… He will never, no never, not ever cast out (John 6:37-38).

Stop looking for life and joy in broken cisterns.

Come to the Fountain of Living Waters… the True North of your Soul.

Give your life to knowing God and worshiping Him.

Find your joy… your life in Him.

Jesus said, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

Let’s Pray

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