John 17:4-5

The Son Remembers His Eternal Heritage… In Communion with His Father John 17:4-5 Father’s Day By Pastor Dan Kennedy © June 17, 2012 www.pastorkennedy.com (There are also selected messages and poems, available on Amazon Kindle Books - Dan B. Kennedy. A poem on Kindle about searching for life’s meaning entitled: “Hands” http://www.amazon.com/Hands-ebook/dp/B006WVNP62). Fathers Day can be a day of paradoxes. Some of us may have had a very special dad who continued to build positively into our lives. Others of us may have had dads who spent the majority of their time providing for their family – working hard, but not having the time they would have preferred to build into the lives of their children. Some may have experienced the emptiness of a home without a dad and the sorrow and sometime insecurity that this void may bring. Others yet, may have had fathers who were dealing with serious negative factors and who transferred their frustrations and often abuse toward their family. Father’s Day can bring up many emotions about dads, some great and others not so great. In John 17, where we are now studying, is Jesus communion with His Father…a relationship, which can example a child’s dynamic relationship with their parent. Today we are looking at only a few verses in John 17, addressing Jesus’ accomplishing His Father’s will, and the place Jesus had with His Father before the foundation of the world. To begin with, let’s look at why God the Father would declare Himself to have a Son! Why “The Word” became a Visible Son of Man. 1. Our God, the Creator of the World is not an Impersonal god, nor is He Detached from His Creation…God became visible to a broken world through His Son, Jesus Christ. “Dark Energy” Leila Battison, Science reporter, Bradford, wrote an article titled, “Dwarf galaxies suggest dark matter theory may be wrong”, inferring that the scientific community is confused regarding the invisible, but evident composition of our universe. “Scientists' predictions about the mysterious dark matter purported to make up most of the mass of the Universe may have to be revised. Research on dwarf galaxies suggests they cannot form in the way they do if dark matter exists in the form that the most common model requires it to. That may mean that the Large Hadron Collider will not be able to spot it. Leading cosmologist Carlos Frenk spoke of the "disturbing" developments at the British Science Festival in Bradford. The current theory holds that around 4% of the Universe is made up of normal matter - the stuff of stars, planets and people - and around 21% of it is dark matter. The remainder is made up of what is known as dark energy, an even less understood hypothetical component of the Universe that would explain its ever-increasing expansion….” The article can be found in its entirety at the following link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14948730 The world’s brilliance, with all its 21st Century technology and advancements has no answers regarding that which makes up the largest components of space in our universe. They call these unknowns – “Dark Matter” or Dark Energy”, having no clearer identifier. The scientific world has no knowledge whatsoever of the mystery surrounding the expansion of the universe and how the planetary objects maintain such minute orbital precision and perpetual motion while sustaining the vast, incredible complexity, brilliant variations and extraordinary displays, throughout such incomprehensible magnitudes of enormity. • Who is out there to form these amazingly vast wonders? • How Powerful this Creator must be! • What happened to cause the Majesty of the Universe to be crumbling in the volume of the debris, obvious decay and constant earthly perpetuity of death? • What brings life, what takes life, is there more than this life, and is there eternality in the next life? The Scripture has a different, more substantive view of He who holds the universe together. Colossians 1:17 17 And he (Jesus) is before all things, and in him all things hold together. It is not the mysterious, unidentifiable supposed theory of “dark matter” or “dark energy” which “holds all things together”. It is the Divine Creator who has the Power to “holds all things together”. Is a Creator any less believable than the hypothetical “dark energy”, of which we know nothing about, or are we too proud to acknowledge accountability to a Divine Source and Divine Word? Regard the vastness of Deep Space - Billions of Galaxies each with Billions of Stars...who made them? Hebrews 1:3 3 He (Jesus) is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power…. This is Universal Power in the extreme. This power is only evident in He who Created all things. Jesus Christ is “The Visible Representation of the Invisible Father” John 1:18 
18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. Colossians 1:15 
15 He (Jesus Christ) is the image of the invisible God…. “In the Beginning was the Word…and the Word became Flesh” John 1:1–3 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made…. • There were visible revelations of God throughout the Old Testament. No one has ever seen God the Father, the Scripture says - He is unseen and Spirit. • Because Jesus is the Image of the Invisible God, Jesus, in pre-Incarnate form was the One seen in a supernatural body, before He was born the earthly Son of God. o God revealed Himself through the pre-incarnate Christ in the Garden of Eden to Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:8). He walked in the Garden and talked with Adam and Eve. o God revealed Himself as the pre-incarnate Christ, to Abraham in Genesis 17-18. o God revealed Himself to Moses as the “I AM” in the burning bush (Ex. 3:4-14). o God revealed Himself through the pre-incarnate Christ as the Fourth Person in the Fiery Furnace (Daniel 3:24-25) o God revealed Himself to Jacob when the pre-incarnate Christ wrestled with Jacob (Gen. 32:30) o God revealed Himself to Joshua before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, as the pre-incarnate Christ, as Commander of the Lord’s Host (Joshua 5:13-15). Notice in 5:14 how “Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped”. God alone is to be worshipped (Exodus 20:3-4; Psalm 29:2; 66:4; 97:7; Jer. 25:6; 1 Kings 9:6-9; 2 Kings 17:35; Heb. 12:28-29) Angels do not allow their own worship (Rev. 19:10; Acts 10:26; Rev. 22:8-9)…worship is only allowed to be of God Himself. Human beings should not allow themselves to be worshipped (Acts 10:25-26; Acts 14:11-15). Satanic beings and godless deceived people desperately want to be worshipped, or have objects of worship made on their behalf (because they want to be a god) (Matt. 4:9-10; Rev. 9:20; 13:4; 14:9-11; 2 Thess. 2:3-4; Romans 1:25). o Remember Christ told us “I and the Father are One” (John 10:30). He is God and He and the Father, as One is to be worshipped. The Wise Men came to worship Jesus at His birth (Matt. 2:2, 11). Jesus was worshipped by his disciples (Matt. 14:33; 28:9, 17; Luke 24;50-53) The man born blind and healed by Jesus, worshipped Jesus (John 9:35-38). The Lamb, Jesus, the One Slain for our sins, is worshipped before the Throne of God the Father (Rev. 5:6-14). John 1:14 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Throughout the history of the world God has intimately interacted with mankind whom He has created, but God revealed Himself to us through Jesus Christ! Today’s Text: John 17:4-5 Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer 17 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, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. Accomplishing the Father’s Will and Remembering the Glory of the Past – while looking forward to the Future 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. Philippians 2:1–11 Christ’s Example of Humility, Having Come from Equality with God 2 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. “A Son of Man” • Jesus became a Servant by becoming a man (Phil. 2:1-11). • Jesus was tempted in all points as we, yet without sin (Heb. 4:14-16; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 3:5; Heb. 7:26). • He was specifically tested by Satan “in the wilderness” (Matt. 4:1-11). • Jesus experienced our common physical limitations: He was weary, hungry, thirsty, and sad, etc. (John 4:6, John 19:28 Matthew 4:2; Matt. 8:24; Matt. 21:18, John 11:35) • Jesus suffered inhumane treatment and Death (Ps. 22; Is. 53; Matt. 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19). • Jesus experienced all these things so He could become a merciful and faithful High Priest on our behalf! Hebrews 2:17–18 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. • God in the flesh, experiencing the frailties and temptations of mankind to care faithfully for us, His Children, o To pray for us, o To love us and care for us, o And, when this life is over, to carry us to be with Himself! o Jesus is to us our Merciful and Faithful High Priest. Fast-forwarding to a Final Chapter: A Glimpse of “The Coming King” – “The Word of God” Revelation 19:11–16 The Rider on a White Horse 11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Conclusion Today we have looked briefly at what the Scripture says about Jesus Christ in His pre-Incarnation and His ministry as the Son of Man. John 17:4-5 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. Jesus expressed the satisfaction of having accomplished the Purpose of His Father’s Will in the extremity of the redemption of mankind. He was looking forward to being blessed with the pre-Incarnate glory which He had before the world began! May we as fathers, and as men (and each of us), this Father’s Day, be those who are accomplishing the will of God for our lives, and rejoice when we look forward to our future place and relationship with our Father in Heaven! Fulfilling what God Called us to Do. Looking Forward to our Final Hope! http://www.pastorkennedy.comhttp://www.amazon.com/Hands-ebook/dp/B006WVNP62http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14948730http://biblia.com/reference/Jn19.28http://biblia.com/reference/Mt4.2http://biblia.com/reference/Mt8.24http://biblia.com/reference/Mt21.18shapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1shapeimage_2_link_2shapeimage_2_link_3shapeimage_2_link_4shapeimage_2_link_5shapeimage_2_link_6