Deo Gloria
Sermon for May 24, 2020
Pastor Martin Bentz
Text: John 17:1-11a
Theme: Victory No Matter What Happens in This Life!
- Because Jesus has completed the work of our salvation
- Because Jesus reveals the Father and his love for us
- Because Father himself is protecting us
I’d like to take you back to January, back to the good ol’ days, the days before this whole coronavirus shutdown, the days when there was still sports to watch on TV. The Vikings were scheduled to play the Saints in the first round of the playoffs. And a few days before the game the Vikings’ head coach, Mike Zimmer, made an amazing prediction. He said the Vikings were going to beat the Saints in their upcoming playoff game. At the time I thought that was a pretty bold prediction on his part. Drew Brees and the Saints were on a roll, having won 6 of their last 7 games. The Vikings had stumbled into the playoffs, losing 3 out of their last 5. But Coach Zimmer was confident. And during a press conference that week he said it loud and clear: “The Vikings were going to go down to New Orleans and beat the Saints.” And if you remember the game, that’s exactly what happened. The Vikings did beat the Saints 26-20 in overtime.
This morning as we close out the Easter season, I have a prediction that I’d like to make, a rather bold prediction in fact. My prediction is that you and I will be victorious. No matter what happens in life, no matter how many difficulties and challenges we face, no matter how many heartaches and setbacks darken our lives, no matter how many coronavirus pandemics we have to live through, when all is said and done and the game of life is over, you and I will be victorious. “How can I be so confident?” you ask. Because of what Jesus tells us this morning in the verses of our text. You and I will be victorious because Jesus has completed the work of our salvation, because Jesus reveals the Father and his love for us, and because the Father himself is protecting us.
The story we have before us took place on Maundy Thursday. Jesus was in the Upper Room with his disciples, where they celebrated the Passover together and where Jesus instituted a new meal we call the Lord’s Supper. Jesus had spoken to his disciples about a lot of different things that evening. He had told them that he would be betrayed by one of them into the hands of his enemies and that he would suffer and die. He had urged them to love one another as he had loved them. He had told them about the Father’s house and the way to get to the Father’s house. He had emphasized the importance of staying connected to him, the Vine. He had told them that he would send the Holy Spirit to be their Counselor, their Helper. Here in ch. 17, as he concludes this long discourse, Jesus offers a prayer to his Father in heaven. Let’s listen in again to the first part of that prayer:
Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.(vv. 1-5)
One thing that comes across loud and clear in Jesus’ prayer is that he is the Son of God. He refers to God as his Father. He talks about how he and the Father work together in a variety of ways. He talks about the glory he had with the Father before the world began.
And yet, he had given that up for a while, hadn’t he? He had set aside the full use of his divine power and glory when he came into this world to be our Savior, to complete the work the Father had given him, the work of our salvation. Does it strike you as a bit odd the way Jesus describes that work in v. 4, like that work was already completed? “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” Wait. This was still Maundy Thursday. The really important work of our salvation, the really heavy lifting, hadn’t happened yet. Jesus still had to stand trial before the Sanhedrin and before Pilate and be condemned. Jesus still had to suffer and die on Calvary’s cross. Jesus still had to rise again on Easter morning. How could Jesus talk like this, like all this had already happened, like the work was already finished? Because for him it was as good as done, and nothing was going to stop him from finishing it. Even though he knew how awful the suffering would be, even though he knew how difficult and painful and horrible it would be, nothing was going to stop him from going through it, from completing the work the Father had given him, from finishing the work of our salvation.
And we know that wasn’t just a bold prediction on his part. We know he made good on his word. As awful as the suffering was, he endured it. As humiliating as it was to be mocked and ridiculed and beaten, he endured it. As painful and horrible as it was to suffer and die on the cross, he endured it. Why? So he might bring glory to Father and bring salvation to you and me.
This is what the Father sent him to do. In love he sent his Son to rescue sinners, to take their sins upon himself and suffer the punishment they deserved, so that they might be spared, so they might be forgiven, so that they might have eternal life. So Jesus did it. As awful and painful and horrible as it was, Jesus did it. He completed the work. He finished the mission. And in doing so he brought glory to the Father.
At the same time he also brought forgiveness and salvation to you and me. Because Jesus accomplished the work the Father sent him to do, because he suffered and died on the cross for our sins and rose again on the third day, our sins are forgiven, our salvation is sure and eternal life is in the bag. Can you add anything to the Vikings’ victory over the Saints? I mean, let’s say you went outside and played a game of touch football with your friends. If you threw a touchdown pass to one of your friends, would that add anything to the Vikings’ victory over the Saints? Of course not. That would be silly. The game was over a long time ago. The Vikings already won. The same is true of Jesus and his work of defeating sin and death. The game is already over, a long time ago. And Jesus already won. And did you catch what Jesus said in v. 3? He has authority to give eternal life to all his followers, all those the Father has given him. You and I will be victorious.
A second reason we can be so confident is that Jesus reveals the Father and his love for us. Ask ten different people now days what they believe about God and you’ll probably get ten different answers. Some people don’t believe God exists at all. They see him as nothing more than a myth or a legend. Others see him as some vague, undefinable “Higher Power,” sort of like “the force” in the Star Wars movies. He, or it, really does exist, but we really don’t know much about him and what he’s like. Others think there are many different gods with lots of different names but basically they’re all the same. Some see him as an angry God whose anger needs to be appeased by sacrifice or good works. Others see him as a great, big, lovable teddy bear, a god who just loves everyone and someday is going to take everyone to heaven.
Did you notice in his prayer how Jesus cuts through all the confusion and misinformation and reveals the truth about God? First off, he reveals that God is real. He’s not a myth. He’s not the figment of someone’s imagination. He’s real. And there’s not a bunch of different gods either, with a bunch of different names. There’s only one true God. Besides that, this real God is a real person, someone you can know in a personal way and have a personal relationship with. In fact, Jesus calls him Father.
As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, that is a unique and remarkable revelation about God. When you look at other religions around the world, nobody else calls God their Father. Muslims don’t call God their Father. Buddhists don’t call God their Father. Hindus don’t call God their Father, but we do. Why?
Because Jesus does? Well, yes, that is true. Jesus does refer to God as his Father. He does so any number of times in this prayer of his. And Jesus has every right to do so. As the eternal Son of God, he has every right to call God his Father. But what about you and me? What gives us the right to call God our Father?
Because we’re such wonderful people, right? Because we always obey his commandments and always do the right thing, so we deserve to be part of his family. We deserve to be called his children, right? If only that were true, but sadly we know it isn’t. We know we haven’t always obeyed his commandments. In fact, we know we have often disobeyed his commandments and done what is wrong in his sight. And as a result, we don’t deserve to be part of his family–just the opposite. We deserve to be kicked out of his family for the rest of forever. And that’s exactly what would happen except for one thing: His great love for us, the love he has shown us in Jesus Christ our Savior.
Because of his great love for us, God chose us to his, to belong to him and be part of his family, already in eternity. Yes, you heard that correctly. This is one of those amazing truths revealed to us on the pages of the Bible. This is one of those amazing truths Jesus reveals right here in his prayer. Take another look at v. 6: “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.” You see, your salvation wasn’t an accident. Your being one of God’s children and being part of God’s family wasn’t an accident. God chose you to be his already in eternity. Do you see how much he loves you?
And then, even though you have often sinned against him and are rightfully deserving of his anger and punishment, he sent his own Son to rescue you, to give his life on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins, so that you might be forgiven, so that you might have eternal life. Do you see how much he loves you?
And through the waters of Holy Baptism he has washed your sins away and adopted you into his family. He has given you the right to call him Father, because he has made you his very own son or daughter. Do you see how much he loves you?
And as we heard about last week, because he loves you, he sends the Holy Spirit to be your Counselor, your Comforter, your Helper. And because he loves you, he promises to provide for you and care for you day by day. And because he loves you, he promises to watch over you and protect you.
Did you notice how Jesus mentioned that in his prayer, in the last verse of our text? “I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name”(v. 11). Do you remember the scene in the movie The Lion King when the hyenas were talking about Mufasa. The one hyena mentions Mufasa’s name and the other hyena just shutters, “Ooooo. Say it again,” he says.
“Mufasa”
“Oooooo. Say it again.”
“Mufassa”
“Oooooo”
When the devil, or any of his evil demons for that matter, hears God’s name, they just shutter. They just tremble. He is the almighty God of heaven and earth, the Lord of all, the King of all. They tremble at his greatness. They tremble at his power. And you and I belong to him. We are under his protection, his care, both now and forever. Could we be anymore safe?
So is it really such a bold prediction? Actually, I think it’s a pretty safe prediction. We have Jesus himself praying for us and God himself protecting us. Thanks to Jesus, we know the God of heaven as our dear Father and we know his amazing love for us. And thanks to Jesus, we know the work of our salvation is finished and complete. So no matter what happens in this life, we can be confident. We can be absolutely sure that we will be victorious. Amen.