Please now turn in your Bibles to John 17. John chapter 17. This morning we'll read from verse 20 down through verse 26 of John 16, John 17. I'm trying to summarize in my own mind the postmodern doctrine. And I think the best word to describe this postmodern heresy that has got so many is cacophony. It's cacophony. I believe the devil's primary strategy is diversion. And the heresy today is distraction. That's why I'm a little sensitive to the distractions that people sometimes draw into on a Sunday. You see, we're just constantly afflicted by so many inputs. A thousand inputs in a minute. Oh, there goes my text. Oh, I need to check this. Oh, I hear my phone ringing. Oh, I need to check this blog. Oh, I need to... there's just distractions everywhere. That is the heresy. That is the mode of apostasy. That's how it happens. Man is drowning in his opinions, his doubts, his contradictions, his skepticisms. Ultimately it just leads to outright skepticism. But Thanks be to God, He sends us the Word. I said the Word. Ha Lagos. The Word. Ha Lagos. It's a Greek word for the. The Word. The Word comes to us. In the beginning was the Word. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Word. The Word comes. The Word speaks. The whole world should be silent. Nothing, nothing getting in the way of the Word coming to us this morning. Amen? Let's not let these diversions and distractions get in our way because the Speaker is speaking to us this morning. Praise the Lord. He brings us the truth and the Word, and we can be sure of it, that God the Father has sent His Son, His beloved Son, and He has one message for you, and that is, hear Him. Listen to Him. Let's rise together and hear the Word from John 17. I do not pray for those alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they all may be one as you, O Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And the glory which you gave me, I have given them, that they may be one just as we are one, I in them, and you in me. that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me. Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which you have given me for you have loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you, and these have known that you sent me. And I have declared to them your name, and will declare it, that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them. Amen. Father, O God, we pray by your mercy and by your Spirit you open this up to us. that we would see your power and your glory, that we would know your love. Father, open this up. This is too big of a message for me. Oh, God in heaven, bless us with your Spirit now. Holy Spirit, our hearts are open to you and to your ministry now. In Jesus name, amen. You may be seated. This is the end of the prayer of Jesus. These are the ends of his words in the inner circle as he prepares to enter into his time of suffering. They're heading towards the Garden of Gethsemane. Perhaps they've stopped on the way. We don't know if they're still in the upper room or whether they have stopped on the way. But Jesus has this prayer. He opens up his heart to us. There's nothing that betrays a man's heart more than the words he shares in prayer to God. If chapters 14 through 17 is the core doctrine of the church and of our relationship with Jesus, then chapter 17 is the very heart of the heart of the core of this message. And these last verses represent the summary, if it were, the core of the core of the core of the heart of what Jesus desires. He's opening up his heart to us. When he says, I desire, you see that in verse 24? Father, I desire that they also whom you gave me may be with me where I am. It's desire. This is his heart. This is the heart of God. This is the heart of Emmanuel, God with us. And Jesus betrays his heart's desires What are the things that he loves? What are the things he wants? What are the things he values? What are the things he wants for us? What is the petition of his heart for us? Not just his disciples. He said in verse 20, I also pray for those who are yet to believe in me. through their words. So the apostles will share their words with others, including us. And now Jesus prays for us in these three verses. This is his heart. This is the summary of the entire prayer as well. These are the highest values of God. We've mentioned that already. These are also the most delightful values, the things that Jesus delights in more than anything else. Oftentimes we don't really know what is of value. We lose it in the dust. Brother Jim Mill used to say we're a lot like those worms that crawl around in the dust and we can hardly see anything besides the dirt clump that lies right in front of us. And so we begin to see something bigger, something better, something more glorious as the word of God is brought in and Jesus's prayer is shared with his people here in these verses. These are the highest values in all of existence, in all eternity. in all of the universe, in all of reality, inside and outside of the universe. And what were they? Again, this is review. Many of you say, we've been over this before in this series. Yes, but this is the summary of it. This is the high point of the prayer of Jesus as he shares his heart with his Father. These are the things that matter to Jesus, the glory of God and the love of God and the unity of God. That's it. That's the value. That's the thing that should animate us as well. That's the thing that should draw us in as well. These are the greatest values in all of existence. Our existence and God's existence. These are the things that matter most to God. And that is the glory of God and the love of God. Now, everybody has their values. Everybody has a sense of glory. That is, human beings on this earth have a sense of value. Read the newspapers, the magazines, go into the malls. What are the values? You get their values immediately. It's materials. It's wealth. It's success. It's material well-being. It's man's glory. And the highest value in the city of man, as you know, is the glory of man. That's it. That's it. That's the thing that animates man more than anything else. Clothing, hairstyles. In the city of man is all about the glory of man. That's the value. That's what they're about. Their clothing. Why do they buy the clothing? Why do they go for the hairstyles? It's the glory of man. The likes on Facebook is about man's glory. That's why Facebook is so successful. It's about the presentation of man to other men. That's the thing that animates people. That's the thing that gets them out of bed in the morning to double check their likes. It's about the glory of man. The great foundations in the earth, like the Bill Gates Foundation, what is it all about? It's about the glory of man. The charity of man's about the glory of man. Spelling bees, the sporting competitions, Hollywood award ceremonies, educational awards, what are they all about? Generally, they're about man's glory. Why can't unbelieving groups sing, to God be the glory, great things he has done, and really mean it? Because they have sung 64 stanzas of the other song, to man be the glory, great things he has done, day in and day out. Day in and day out. 64 stanzas of to me be the glory, to man be the glory. Again and again, it's about me, it's about self, it's about man, glorifying man. That's what the world is all about and it's sickening. It's horrific. It's empty. It's vain. It's foolishness. It's blasphemy. The trouble with man's glory is it's just not glorious, guys. It isn't. It can't be glorious unless God is glorious. It's the ingloriousness of cadavers with makeup, or cadavers, skulls, with lipstick. Amen? Can anybody say? I repudiate the praise of man sans the glory of God. No, this isn't for me, this isn't for us, this isn't for my family, this isn't for our church, this isn't for the church. I want you to think about the ingloriousness of the great men of the world for just a moment, the horrible, painful, embarrassing reality of man. Tiger Woods, at the height of his career, arguably the greatest athlete in the world, in terms of popularity. And you remember, caught in the act by his wife, backed out of that driveway into a tree, and snapped his back, and ruined his career in 10 minutes. That's the glory of man. As he's being taken away on the gurney, I want you to think about it, the glory of man. Tiger Woods, the greatest athlete in the world, reduced to practically nothing in 10 minutes. That's the glory of man. That's it! My brothers, my sisters, Jesus walks into this world. Man presents his glory. Here's the creator of the universe, the very Son of God. He's presented with Tiger Woods on a gurney. Ta-da! The glory of man. And let me ask you this, how does he respond to this? So that's it. That's the glory of man. Tiger Woods on a gurney. So that's it. Yes, that's the glory of man. To which Jesus says, degradation, dishonor, in shame. Oh, that men could see the glory of God. Oh, that man would see my glory. He comes to this world. It's a shocking reality of the horrific nature of man and his degraded condition. Jesus comes and says, this is my petition for my people that they would see something glorious. Something glorious. Something really glorious. He pays an honor to himself, though he is nothing more than cosmic dust, according to his own opinion. He makes for himself pretend gods, battling it out for control over the infinity stones, just so that, The gods can be omniscient, omnipotent, and sovereign for five minutes until the other gods come in and battle for control over the next five minutes. And the next 10 minutes, you know it's futile, you know it's meaningless, but it's profitable if you can create three billion sweet sequels out of it. Because it's going to go on indefinitely. because that's the polytheistic worldview. Man is blinded by his gods. And by the way, the world is in awe. As you know, these superheroes are beating all box office records in the history of box office. The whole world is in awe. of the gods, the superheroes, fighting it out over the next god who gains control over this or that, and there is no possibility of right or wrong, or absolute or sovereign. It's their polytheistic worldview they embrace, because there is no glory apart from the true and living God, who, by the way, doesn't share His omniscience, His infinity stones with anybody. And so man is blinded to the glory of God, blinded, unimpressed, except by his polytheism and his worship of himself. He can't bring himself to worship the true and living God with true awe, true wonder, true fear, true reverence, true adoration on a Sunday morning. because fallen man does not have a concept of true glory. And yet it's interesting to me that hundreds of people do travel hundreds of miles to watch synchronous fireflies somewhere in the Appalachians. These synchronous fireflies, they all turn on at the same time. It's a unique version of God's creation of the beautiful firefly. And people are still somewhat enamored. They might take a weekend off of watching their polytheistic movies and go see something that God did and be a little bit impressed by it. So there is I think something of a recognition that there ought to be something glorious. Maybe there is something glorious going on in the fireflies. Maybe there is something glorious beyond the things that we have come to love and to embrace outside of the glory of God. It's also interesting to me that other breeds of fireflies don't travel hundreds of miles to see the synchronous fireflies. Why? Because we're looking to find something glorious. because we are created innately. There is still something like the image of God in fallen man such that we're looking for something glorious. There has to be something glorious. Maybe it's the next superhero. Maybe it's the next God who shows up in the Pantheon. Maybe it's the next award I will receive at the Hollywood award ceremony or some sports thing. Maybe that glory is somewhere. Man is looking for something glorious. And Jesus Christ, the Son of God, says, I'll show you my glory. Jesus said, I want my people to see my glory. Because he can remember there's something still in his memory. concerning his glory and his honor that he received from the Father before the world began. Jesus has a memory of something. He's not impressed with Tiger Woods. He's not impressed with Caesar, a pilot who commits suicide four years after sentencing Jesus to the cross. Jesus is not impressed with man's glory. He's not impressed with Rome. But he wants his people to see his glory. And this is true glory. This is what the Apostle Paul speaks of in Romans 8 when he says, I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us or to us. Man is created for glory and delight. And we keep saying to ourselves, there's something more glorious. There's got to be something more glorious. Indeed, there is something glorious in birds and lions, fireflies, sunsets, where the water vapor meets the light. And we see these faint replicas of the glory of God all around us, and yet the Apostle says, I have not seen, nor you heard. You haven't seen it in the natural world. You haven't seen it in the sunsets. You haven't seen it in the galaxies. We have not, I believe we have not gotten to the point where we understand the depths of the gloriousness of these galaxies. Amen? Has anybody looked at these great pictures of the Milky Way galaxy or the amazing nebulas throughout the universe? God creates these amazing light shows. billions of light years beyond our existence here on earth, and yet we haven't seen, we haven't quite apprehended the great gloriousness of God's creation around us. But I'm still telling you, brothers and sisters, these are just faint replicas. Because eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered in the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love Him. So there is something glorious awaiting us. And Jesus says, I want my people to be with me. I mean, there are people who say, you know, I have some friends and I went to see this movie and I sure wish my friends would come watch this movie with me because it was the most glorious movie. And so they want their friends to identify with them in this amazing gloriousness of whatever was on the screen. Of course, it's still fake. It's not reality. But they're still wanting their friends, their best friends to be with them and to experience this amazingness, the wonderfulness of whatever they've experienced. And So it is with a man who's seen the Niagara Falls, his wife hasn't, they just got married. Oh, you've got to see the gloriousness of the Niagara Falls. We've gotta take a weekend and run up to Niagara and take a look at this together, honey. This is something I want you to experience with me. That's what Jesus is saying here. He says, I want them to be with me, to see this glory that you gave me before the world was. What is glory? It's the expression of value, it's splendor, it's brightness, it's wonderfulness, it's the highest possible value established and displayed by God himself. And Jesus said, I want them to behold my glory. And he says that they may know the Father's love for the Son. We're gonna get to that in just a little bit. But let me ask you something for just a second. I could give you two scenarios of two sons and wants you to tell me which is happier. There's the absent father who gave his son $100,000 in toys for his birthday. Then there's the father who says to the son, son, I want you to know you mean a lot to me. You are such a blessing. I am so happy with you. I love you, son. I honor you, son. You are such a value. I crown you with glory and with honor. Which son is happier? Which son, his heart just bursts in appreciation and in joy and in happiness and delight that life is beautiful, life is worth living? Is it the son with $100,000 in toys? Or is it the son who receives his father's blessing and his father's honor and his father's love and appreciation? What is it that sons want? What's the most beautiful thing? You know it's the honor, you know it's the love. The father beams as his son enters the door. You're my son. Today I begotten thee. I honor you. Ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession. This is what the father tells the son. Now here's the question. Is it the gift or the love? that is of such a comfort and a blessing to the Son. Of course, it's the honor, and Jesus says, this is what I want you to see. I want you to see the honor and the glory and the love that the Father has poured out upon me. That's the theme of Hebrews chapter one as well, where the Father is honoring the Son. When He, that is God the Father, brings the firstborn into the world, He says, let all the angels of God worship Him. When my son came into the world, I didn't say that. I didn't say, let all the world, let all the angels of the world worship Him. But God said that of His son. Of the angels, he said, who makes his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire. But to the sun, he says, your throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. Therefore, God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions." See, that's the honor and the love and appreciation that God the Father has poured out upon His Son. He calls His Son God. You notice that? He says, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. God the Father referring to God the Son as God. With all the honor and the glory with all the love and appreciation that God the Father could give to a son. People are drawn to that which is glorious. People gather to see the pseudo glory of Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods is in the lobby of the hotel. Word comes around, what happens? Everybody's rushing out to see Tiger Woods. People gather by the hundreds to see the fireflies, by the hundreds of thousands. to see the full eclipse of the sun that happened last year. And they gather by the millions to see the glory of false gods like Thor on the movie screen. And it's all fake. Is God glorious? Are you seeing the power and the glory of God in the sanctuary? God, Father God, open our eyes to see it. Father, this morning, oh, that we would see your power and your glory in the sanctuary. Open the eyes of the blind, Lord. Open the eyes of the blind. Help us to see it. Father, help us to see your glory, your amazing glory in the face of your son, Jesus. Amen. Paul David Tripp applied this this weekend for us. He said, you know, we can't celebrate when we're irritated. I thought that was a really good application for us. Sometimes we're irritated with others. We're irritated with others in the church. We're irritated with our wife, or our husband, or our children. And we can't be excited about God because we're too consumed with ourselves. And we're not consumed with God. See, that was his point. We're just too consumed with ourselves. And if you've ever gotten to this point where you're just, you're irritated, can't worship, You can't celebrate. Everybody else is celebrating. Everybody's hands in the air. They're rejoicing. You're like, bah humbug about this. Bah humbug about this person. Bah humbug about that person. And you think you're kind of kicking yourself going, what's wrong with me? What's wrong with me? Why can't I join in to the fun and the celebration and the joy of the redemption of Jesus who just saved this prodigal who came home or whatever it is. How come I can't be a part of all of this? It's because you're too enamored with yourself and you're not enamored with God. That's the problem. Critical, unhappy, irritated people are not enraptured by the glory of God. They're just too consumed with themselves, and too consumed with the sin of others, or just the minor cultural differences between people, which is even worse. but it's because they haven't got a vision for the glory of God. That's Paul David Tripp's point. And you know, I just, I receive that. I say, yes, Lord, I know what it's like to be irritated. I know what it's like not to celebrate your goodness and your glory. I know what that's like. So God, open up your glory to me so that I will see it through your word and by your Spirit, open it up my heart that I would know the gloriousness. of God. Open your eyes, brothers and sisters, and see what God has done. Open your eyes. Don't shortchange Him in His glory. Don't shortchange Him in the credit He's due by the creation around you, the new creation around you in Christ. Look around you. There's people made in the image of God all over the place. Give Him glory for all of that. Look around you. People have been recreated in Christ, regenerated, walking, talking. spiritually alive and they weren't a year or two ago. Praise the Lord. Open your eyes. See the glory of God. Amen. Is that your desire? Is that your heart desire this morning? I'm sure it is. God is so glorious. Everything else dims when we lose sight of this. Life becomes dull, boring, irritating, depressing, because we cannot see the backdrop of the glory of God. Some have asked me, why have I spent the last two to three months working on a children's book on science? Because I used to think that biology and zoology was so boring. I hated every minute of my physiology class. I just hated it. It was just the most boring subject in the world until I met Neil. And by God's grace, excuse me, I met Jesus and he helped me with Neil, but he opened my eyes and I began to look and see the wonders of God and what he's doing all around me. So that I would be filled with a sense of wonder and awe and glory to God for everything he's done. Secondly, what's the second petition of our Lord in verses 25 and 26 of our passage? As he wraps up his prayer, listen to what he wants his people to get. He wants his people to get a view of God, God's name. He wants his people to know the name of God. Verse 25, O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you. and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known. So there it is, that's the second thing. Jesus wants his people to see his glory, his honor in heaven later on as they join him in heaven, but he says, I also want them to know the name of God, which of course is his character and his reputation. This is one reason why he came. This, I believe, is the main reason he came. John 1.18, no one has seen God at any time. This is the prelude to the gospel. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. See, we were so far away from God. He was hiding behind a rock, or Moses was hiding behind the rock as God's glory passed by. But God said, not enough. They need to see something more of my glory. They need to see something more of my name, who I am. God defines himself, describes himself. He is long-suffering, is full of mercy, not forgiving transgressions and forgiving transgressions. It was interesting. He's giving that picture, but then we get Jesus. We get the picture, the real picture of Jesus declaring the Father to us. Our Lord Jesus declares God's name when He kicks the tables over in the temple, so jealous for the glory of God and His worship. Sometimes we need to be kicking some tables over in our minds when our minds are taking a little shot over here during the worship service and there's a little bit too much selling going on in the back rooms of our minds as we need to be worshiping God where there's Jesus declaring God's name. When he kicks the tables over in the temple, in real life, you see, it's real four dimension. It's in four color. Jesus is presenting the name of God. He's declaring God's name when he wept with Martha before the tomb of Lazarus. And then he steps forward and he cries out with a mighty voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he raises the dead. He weeps with Martha and he takes command over the dead. That's God. That's declaring the name of God. That's the beautiful presentation of the glory of God in His love, His mercy, and His power all at once there before the tomb of Lazarus. Jesus also declares God's name when they gathered up 12 baskets after the feeding of the 5,000 and seven baskets after the feeding of the 4,000. and 180 gallons of wine at Cana. Enough to provide for 3,600 guests who aren't getting drunk. God, on earth, 7 baskets, 12 baskets, 180 gallons of wine, there's plenty where that comes from. Don't you see it? The magnanimity of God, the bigness of God. His son says, Dad, I want a go-kart for my birthday. He wakes up, goes out to the window, and there's 4,000 go-karts all around the house. I only use this example because I wanted a go-kart when I was a kid. I was over at the Cabrera's last week, and I was a little jealous. For a minute there, guys. But our God is big, and He's generous, and His grace is so big, we can see it in the life of Jesus. Jesus declaring the name of God. So beautiful. But He also declares the name of the Father in the garden. where he cries out to the Father, oh, this hurts. Father, if it's possible, make this cup pass from me, but nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done. Can't you hear his voice? Oh, Father, why won't you deliver me from this moment of severe trial? I know, because you loved these over here. who can't even stay awake for an hour to pray in the moment of most difficult spiritual trial of my life. Father, I know. Father, I know your love for me. I know your love for these people. And I will follow through. Jesus declares God's name from the cross. Can you hear Him? Listen to His voice. Just put His words together. Listen to them. Don't just read them. Listen to His words. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Experiencing the turning away of the face of God, experiencing the wrath of God, and yet, completely overwhelmed by a love and a forgiveness that He would forgive these by His own crucifixion. Do you see the Father in the Son? Do you see the nature, the character of God in the Son, Jesus? No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. Thirdly and finally, Jesus says, I desire that my people would know the love you have for me. I want them to be with me. I want them to see me in relationship with you. I want them to see what heaven is all about. I want them to see this. Relationship. Appreciating, loving, cherishing, liking to be with. Affection, devotion, delighting in somebody else. This is heaven. Not the streets of gold. Not the 100,000 toys. This is it. This is heaven. This is the highest enjoyment in all of reality, in heaven and on earth, relationship. affection, friendship, love, liking to be with, delighting in another. John Paul Sartre was wrong. He said hell is other people. No, hell is not other people. Hell is thinking the way John Paul Sartre thinks. Hell is separation from the other. That's what hell is. Hell isn't being with others. Hell is being separated from others because that's what John Paul Sartre wanted. And when he experienced that total separation from God, if he does, then he will know what hell is. Hell is no more relationship, none. Hell is total isolation, which sadly is pretty much what modern life is. Way, way far east of Eden. But heaven is what? Heaven is to be with. Heaven is relationship. Heaven is to be with God. Heaven is to be in relationship with God. Heaven is infinite love and delight in God and God's delight in his son and his father. On earth, we know something of this. We have seen the love that a father has for a son, the love that a husband has for his wife, we see a glimpse of it. But God's love for his son is the perfect, the infinite, the gloriousness of ultimate appreciation, honor, affection, and love. Thank God there's an ultimate. Thank God there is a perfection in relationship and love. The Son of God came down to this earth. He sees what man who has created an image of God has done, fallen man, and he says, where is the relationship? You see, Jesus says, I just want my people to see it. He sees the paltriness of man's glory. He sees the paltriness of man's love. And he says, I just want my people to see what it is to love. Jesus sees what man has done with all of his infanticide, its abortifacients, its selfishness, its self-sentence, infidelity, disappointments. One million all about me and the feeling romance books and movies. It's sickening, 10 million love songs cranked out by Nashville. This world's incredibly cheap versions of Phileo, Eros, whatever it is, in this broken, broken, broken world. And the Son of God says, I wish you could see it. I wish you could see this one thing. The Father's love for me from all eternity. You share this yourself. Have you seen the weakness of love? Have you ever seen the paltryness of human friendship? Have you seen the paltryness of your own love? It's just the shadow of a concept of a love that could come from God. Well, this is what Jesus wants us to see, a view of the Father's love for Him and a view of the honor that the Father paid to the Son. And then He ends it by saying that this love may be in them and I in them. Why is it so important that we know the Father's love for the Son? Why is this so essential for Jesus? because to know the Father's love for the Son will help you to better know the love of the Father for you and the love of the Son for you. Let me ask you, how much does God love you? How much does God love me? How much does God love His church? Look at verse 23. Back up to 23. I believe that verse 23 is the most overwhelmingly gracious, loving words in all of Scripture, even more so than John 3.16. So I want you to take a look at it again. This goes beyond John 3.16. Look at it, verse 23. Our Lord Jesus says, I in them and you in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that you have sent me. And here it is, and have loved them. You have loved me Why does Jesus want us to know the love with which the father loved him? Because that's the love with which he loved us God the father didn't just love his son a little bit He told the world twice that He had a message for the world, right? God the Father spoke twice in the New Testament, two times. Friends, this kind of thing where God speaks out of the sky to us doesn't happen very often. So when he speaks, he speaks twice at the baptism and the transfiguration of Jesus. He said, this is my beloved Son. This is the Son that I love. I love my son, and I want the whole world to know. I only have one thing to tell the world. They need to listen to him, but I have one thing to tell the world about my son. I love him. I love my son. God the Father didn't love his son just a little bit. He loved his son from all eternity. And his son is so overwhelmed by the Father's love that the son says, the one thing that I want is that the people that I love, my disciples, be in heaven with me to see the vision of this love with which the Father loves me. I want this more than anything else in the universe. I want my people to know the love wherewith the Father loved me. His son is overwhelmed by his father's love. And the father loves you that much. The father loves you with that love. And moreover, he sent his son to die to take upon himself the curse of sin for us. And I'll close with 1 John 4, verse 8 again. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. This was the Son the Father loved, not the Son that the Father sort of loved. Not the son that he loved a little bit. This is the son that he loved from all eternity with an infinite love. He took his son, his only son. How many of you have sons? Take your son, your only son, your older son, and sacrifice him, kill him for somebody else. Because you love somebody else, kill your son. Because you love somebody else and you'll know a little bit about the love of God. How God loved us. Even as he loved his son, he loved us as he loved his son. And he gave his son over to torture and death. Why? Because He loved you as He loved His only begotten Son. And yes, to produce a great gift for His Son in the church, a blessing for His Son in the church. But don't minimize the fact that He sent His Son for a sacrifice. And do remember, he tested it out in Abraham and held back on the hand of Abraham. Atheists hate this passage. But God did it so we would see for a moment a little bit of the passionate love of God who took his son, his only son, the son whom he loved, as he told Abraham to do, and he gave him up for us on the cross. Friends, do you see the immense love of God for us? But you say, well, maybe He didn't love His Son very much, and maybe that's why He gave Him up. No, no, no, no, no. He loved His Son with a perfect love, with a love that is so impressive that Jesus wants us to see that love when we get to heaven. And so this love with which the Father loved His Son, He loved us and then gave up his son to be the blood covering for us. That we would be his sons and daughters forever and ever. And Jesus says, I want this love to be in them. That this love would be in us such that we would give up our lives for our brothers and sisters in this building. God's love in us, now sacrificing of ourselves for our brothers and sisters with this supernatural God-shaped love. And that's what our Lord Jesus wants for us. That is His prayer for us, that we would see His glory, His honor, the love wherewith His Father loved Him, that we would know better the Father's name, the Father's reputation, who the Father is, and glory in the Father, and that we would know His love for us, that we would love one another. That is Jesus' prayer for us. Amen. Father in heaven, we pray these very words that the Lord Jesus prayed for us so many years ago. Oh, Father, we pray with the heart of Jesus this morning that we would be in you, that we would be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that you have sent the Son and have loved us as you have loved the Son, and that, Father, we would better know the honor and the glory that you have paid the Son, and the love wherewith you have loved the Son, so that, Father, we would know better the love that you have for us, and that we would be in even more awe and wonder and stand in glory at the cross of Jesus Christ again, Father, that we would be blown away that our thoughts would be magnified to contemplate the beauty and the glory of the love of God, the righteousness of God, and the glory of God in the face of your son Jesus. Amen. The Lamb is all the glory. in Emmanuel's land. We see the glory of Christ already in his crucifixion, his resurrection, his ascension to the right hand of the Father. But think about what glory we'll see in heaven as well. And that's the message I have here as we come to the Lord's table. Ephesians 3 verse 20 is the benediction that I read almost every week. I think I've probably read it 30 or 40 times, but let me read it again to you. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end, amen. The part I'd like to focus on as we come to the table and to remember Christ's death on the cross for us is this little piece that says to him, to God, be the glory in the church by Christ Jesus. Why is there such glory in the church? throughout all ages world without end. Why is their glory in us? We are the church and we will be the material resurrection We will be walking around in real bodies in heaven forever, and it will be in us, in these human body-soul units that we will represent, reflect the glory of God forever and ever. He wants to see the reflections of His glory in us. Now, three reasons why we are the glory of God in this body. Number one, because we are the subjects of his redemption. And that's glorious. It is glorious to think that we are taken from being sinners to saints, from paupers to kings, from bond slaves of Satan to sons of God. You know, what a tremendous shift to be taken from being enslaved to Satan such that we would be the ones blowing people away with guns in schools and churches around the United States if we were at the beck and call of Satan. To be taken from that, to be the saints of the living God, tremendous. Think about the shift from being the murderer, the homosexual, the slave trader, you and me to being saints, to being perfectly holy, perfectly sanctified, and perfectly glorified in heaven. What a tremendous change. We've already seen some changes in our lives. God is cleansing me of all these sins. We were kind of going over some of it in our marriage seminar. God is cleansing, He's busy working, and yet imagine perfection. Imagine being perfectly glorified, trophies of His grace, raised from spiritual death to spiritual life. The world may not be impressed, but God is impressed. God says, God gives out an eternal wow as he sees his glory in these trophies of his redemption. There's more power exhibited in one spiritual resurrection than in the creation of the entire human race, than the creation of all the galaxies, the entire universe. The resurrection of one dead person set free from the power of Satan to be a son of the living God is way beyond the creation of universes. This is glorious, brothers and sisters. This is glorious. May the Spirit open your eyes to see the glory of the church. Secondly, we are objects of His love. You see, we were not honorable in sin. but we were made honorable, we turned into a value, something valuable. God redeemed us by His Son's blood, His Son's precious blood, worth trillions of dollars for us. For us, brothers and sisters, we are privileged, we are honored, we are loved, we have been graced. to be incorporated into the very Son of God, to be made part of His body, to participate in His life, and to receive His body and His blood surging through our physical spiritual beings. We're privileged. That's a privilege. That's a huge privilege incorporated into the life of God. That's the love of God, that's the honor of God, that's the blessing of God. I can't think of anything more of a blessing in all of the universe than that. Think of how we are loved. We are objects of His love. This is a better place than Adam ever had. Adam never had the blood of Jesus. Adam never was adopted into the family of God as a sinner, as we were, at least there in the garden. It's a closer relationship with God. And then finally, we are subjects of his redemption, trophies of his grace, objects of his love, and vessels of his glory, because God is glorious and we are reflections of his love. Amen. Father in heaven, we glory in these truths. Lift up our eyes. Again, help our minds to get around just a little bit more. of your awesome, miraculous, supernatural, God-shaped, God-sized love that it took to redeem sinners like us, to reach down into the very depths of human degradation and lift us up into heavenly places, to be adopted into your family, to have our sins all forgiven, and a right standing with you in your courts, around your table as your sons and daughters of the living God. What a privilege. What an honor. What a glory. What a glorious, glorious thing. Praise you for your love. Oh, help us to know more of the depth and the height of it now. In Jesus' name, amen.