Session 13: John 17 — Joseph Carroll

We turn again to John chapter 17, these words spake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour is come, glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee, as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

Christ’s Authority and the Purpose of God’s Gifts

Now I want you to notice that the power over all flesh was given him by the Father, was given him. We saw last week that the man Christ Jesus, who came into this world to be the Redeemer, had to give up everything.

But in order that the will of the Father might be done, he was given power over all flesh. To what end? That he might give eternal life to as many as the Father would give him. And this reveals a very important principle.

Whatever God gives us in this life of gifts or capacities, is for the doing of his will, not ours. Whatever God gives you in the way of financial resources, opportunities to be in places denied other men, it is only because you are within that category to do the will of God.

Our Lord Jesus Christ was given power over all flesh. To what end? That he might do the will of God. And what was the will of God? That he should give eternal life to as many as the Father gave him. We find this very clearly revealed in the Acts of the Apostles, in the first chapter, in the eighth verse, where we have the key to the whole book of the Acts.

In fact, the key to the life of the Church, or the program, or what the Church should be doing down the centuries, should have been doing down the centuries and today. Ye shall receive power. After that the Holy Ghost has come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me.

The Church’s Power and Mission to Witness

Power for witnessing, effective witnessing. That's why the Holy Ghost was given. Primarily that's why he was given. And that's the whole story of the Acts of the Apostles. Power for witnessing. It should have been the story of the Church down the centuries, but it's sad to say it has not been so.

You see, when God gives you anything, it is for a purpose. If God has given you a son, if he's given you a daughter, it's for a purpose. What purpose? To glorify the Christ whom he sent. Not to fulfill your purpose or your plan for that boy's life or your girl's life.

You have nothing to do with it. Your responsibility is to find out the will of God for the child, and make certain that in the will of God, by the Spirit of God, the child is enabled to do the will of God under your direction, until he comes to that place where he must make his own decision.

What am I saying? I'm saying this, that all things were created by Jesus Christ and for Jesus Christ. Now is that your attitude tonight? Your children were brought into the world to glorify Jesus Christ, not to please you.

Your children were brought into the world to do the will of God, not your will. All things were created by him and for him. You are not your own, you are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

They're not yours, they're his, they belong to him. You are bought with the blood of Christ. And so we have an important principle here, and it is this, that God gives us physical life, he gives us gifts, he gives us capacities, he gives us resources, he gives us children, to what end that the will of God might be done through us and them.

That's what we're here for. And we have seen that it was this that dominated the life of our Lord. When he could say, my meat, that which strengthens me, that which satisfies me, my meat is to do the will of my Father which sent me.

This is what enables me, this is what strengthens me, this is what I live for, to do the will of my Father. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

Hebrews and the Son’s Divine Mission

Now I want you to turn with me to Hebrews chapter 1, keeping in mind why Christ came into the world. With this great commission of the Father to be the Saviour of the world, and therefore to be able to give eternal life to as many as the Father gave him.

God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son. Now God in times past spake by the prophets, but he hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.

We have seen that even in the Old Testament the central message is Christ. That under the direction of the Holy Spirit we can see Christ in all the scriptures. And as I mentioned a few weeks ago, I believe that the account of creation is not placed there to satisfy some select company of sinful perishing scientists to appeal to their intellect in order that they might have an understanding.

Not at all. It's a beautiful picture of salvation. God said let there be light and there was light. God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts, thank God, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

We have seen that in Genesis 24 there is a very large portion of scripture given to how a wife was found for Isaac. But nobody's really concerned how Isaac got his wife. The important point is that it's a picture of Christ obtaining his bride.

And you will remember on the road to Emmaus, those two sad disciples. Remember what the Lord Jesus said to them, what they said? Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

You got that? Now that's preaching. Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, in all the scriptures, he expounded the things concerning himself. My, there are some Bible schools today, you could go through them and they'd only find Christ in a few little scattered places in the Old Testament.

He's all through it. That's a very revealing verse. Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. In other words, ultimately, the message of the Bible is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whom God has made Lord.

Now Jesus Christ, the man, Christ Jesus, who has been made Lord. That's the message of the scriptures. Now, let's see what the writer of the Hebrew says here. He says, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things.

He says two things here. He says God has spoken by his Son. So that if you want to hear the voice of God, it's going to come by Jesus Christ. Because the Spirit of God is going to illumine Jesus Christ.

That's when God speaks. He has spoken by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things. But I thought Jesus Christ created all things. How could he be heir? He could be heir of everything when he created everything.

There was a time when God appointed Jesus Christ heir of all things. Why did he appoint him heir of all things? Because he gave up all things. He gave up all things. In eternity past, Christ was never appointed anything.

He was the Creator. All things were made by him. Without him was not anything made that was made. But there came a time when he left his place, when he put off his glory, when he gave up his throne, when he gave up the worship of angels, when he gave up everything but his deity.

Christ’s Incarnation, Suffering, and Eternal Humanity

And he became a man, a poor man, and finally a dead man. He gave up everything. And everything that the Son of God has today was given back to him by the Father. The Father had to raise him from the dead.

Jesus Christ died. He raised him from the dead. And we saw last week, somewhat superficially, that there is a man in heaven, in that body which was lowered into the grave. But there is a thought that, to me, is astounding, and it's this, that Jesus Christ will never return to what he was before he came to this earth.

What do I mean by that? Before he came to this earth, Jesus Christ was manifested as a member of the deity, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. One in three, three in one, co-equal. Jesus Christ is never going to put off that human body throughout all eternity and go back to the former manifestation.

Now, if that isn't surrender, I don't know what is. You see, if he was to return to the former manifestation of his glory, it would mean he would have to divest himself of that human body and go back again to that manifestation, which is beyond us to understand.

He will always be the Lamb of God, always, throughout all eternity. And this he knew before he came into this world to save sinners. Now you see how much you owe him? He came into this world to save sinners, and in order that he might save sinners, he had to become sin.

He had to become sin, not like sin, but sin. He becomes a man, he becomes sin, he becomes a curse. Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree, and he becomes a corpse. Knowing that, how anybody who says I'm a Christian could live for himself in this world is completely beyond my understanding.

It does not make sense. And what's more, I believe that person knows nothing about true Christianity. Because if any man be in Christ, he's a new creation. He's not somebody that's just passed through a little bit of ritual and being pronounced a Christian by somebody who has no right to tell him he's a Christian.

That's the prerogative of the Holy Ghost alone. He goes on his way to hell in a church. I tell you, this book speaks differently. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. All things are passed away, and all things are become.

Surrender and the Marks of True Christianity

I wonder tonight, my friend, as you sit here, are you a true Christian? And let me ask the question again I asked last week. If you say you are a Christian, what have you given up to prove that you are?

What have you given up to prove that you truly love Jesus Christ? And certainly, if you don't love Christ, you are not a Christian, whatever you are. What have you given up? That's the test. The Apostle Paul could say, what things were gained to me?

Those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but done that I may win Christ and be found in him.

Strong word. Very important. It was the same Apostle who could say, the Son of God loved me and gave himself for me. But I want you to notice something here in these first verses. Verse 3, who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high.

Now he has some tremendous things to say about the Son of God. He's been appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world, who being the brightness of his glory, the express image of his person, upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins.

I want you to notice a very important omission here. The writer does not have a word to say about his earthly ministry. Now that is important. He doesn't say a word about it. What does he come to? He comes immediately to redemption, when he had by himself purged our sins.

Redemption at the Cross, Not Miracles or Teaching

He doesn't say when he had healed the leper, when he performed his miracle, when he had given his matchless teaching, and finally purged our sins. No. He doesn't say a word about his earthly life. Why?

Miracles can't save you. Parables can't save you. Teaching can't save you. Only the blood of Jesus can save you. Jesus Christ did not come into this world primarily to perform miracles, to heal the sick and give teaching.

He came into the world to save sinners. Never forget it. Not a word here about his ministry. There are five ways in which the devil can get a man, and especially a preacher. He can get him with pride.

He can get him to think he's something when he's nothing. Actually, that's what the Word of God says about a man. If we think we're something when we're nothing, we deceive ourselves. So the devil can get a man with pride.

He gets many men with pride, especially preachers. Then he can get him with the opposite sex. Some of the great men of God have been trapped in this area. Then he can get him with money. He can have him perhaps not taken up with money, but concerned about it, and having a desire for it.

And he'll very quickly get him with money. Then he gets many good men physically. In other words, the enemy will push them beyond their physical capacity to break down. But then there's one way in which he very cleverly gets men, and it is spiritually.

Now what do I mean by the devil getting a preacher spiritually? Well, he will have him taken up with a hobby horse, or he will have him taken up with some teaching or some doctrine that does not center on the cross of Christ.

And the devil got him. He's preaching everything but that which he should preach. You have some men preaching about gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts. What about the giver? You have some other men arguing about different theologies.

I must recall being a little bit out of place with a certain convention, where a certain denomination was controlling it, and somebody happened to mention dispensationalism, and I could feel the hackles rise on the backs of the neck.

Different theologies. I tell you, my friend, the devil can have you all taken up with theology. Arguing over a tabernacle pin, and you can't see the tabernacle and what was in it. The important thing in that tabernacle is that holiest of all, and that mercy seed, not the pin that holds the thing up.

And so the devil gets a man. I sometimes get tired of reading these periodicals. They're not worth reading. When was the last time you you read a great message on the cross of Jesus Christ? You go through them.

I almost hesitate to pick them up at times. You can read through some of them that are supposedly periodicals right now, but you can search them for a message on the cross of Christ month after month.

It's not there. But great learned theologians, and that's all they are, learned theologians. That's all. Isn't it sad? I was told here last Sunday by a man who brought his son to be interviewed to see that he's coming to the school next year.

He's a dear man. I know him in Atlanta. He said, I think Spurgeon was the greatest preacher since the Apostle Paul. I said, well, perhaps so. Spurgeon was a great preacher. In a day when Baptists were despised, his sermons went out every week, seven million copies of them all over the world.

He's a great preacher. And Spurgeon founded what was later called Spurgeon's College, training of preachers. And a friend in Australia attended that college. And he told me of one of the boys who was a miserable scholar.

And he was really in trouble with his, after the examinations. And he was actually called to Spurgeon's office one Monday morning. So he went in fear and trembling. And so Spurgeon said to him, what did you do yesterday, son?

He said, well, sir, I was, I was preaching. I have a little church, a certain place. He said, you're preaching? He said, yes, I was preaching. What did you preach? And he told him what he preached. He said, sounds, sounds good.

Then with tears rolling down his cheeks, he said, son, will you tell me, were any sinners saved? That's all that concerned me. Were any sinners saved, son? Tell me, were any sinners saved? And then just as he was about to leave, he said, oh, I almost forgot.

He said, try and do a little better. That's the important thing, isn't it? That's why Christ came into this world. He came into the world to save sinners. That's the important thing. Is it the important thing to us?

Is it? Or have we perhaps become hardened and indifferent when we look upon those who are dead in their trespasses and sin? And so the writer to the Hebrews doesn't say a word about his miracles, not a word about his parables, not a word about his teaching, not a word about his healing.

He said, when he had by himself purged our sins. He could have healed all the sick in the world and they would never have been saved. I tell you, any true, true born again child of God should be so concerned about getting that gospel out if that gospel is preached.

And men and women are born again. You won't have to worry about the social aspect. He could have filled the world with books and men would have still been lost. He had to shed his blood. And that's why he came into this world, to purge us from our sins, to settle the great sin question.

Christ’s Blood and the Worship of the Redeemed

And I want you also to notice in that passage which we've been studying again and again in Revelation chapter 5, when they worship him, they do not mention his miracles or his gifts or anything about his earthly ministry.

Why? Thou hast redeemed us unto God by thy blood. There it is. That's the important thing. Out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. That's the important thing. And so that is why they praise him.

That is why they worship him. Why? Because he has redeemed them to God by his blood. But I want you to notice here that the writer says, when he had purged our sins, no, when he had by himself purged our sins.

The Lord Jesus in the wilderness, you will remember, was ministered to by an angel. In the garden of Gethsemane he was strengthened by an angel, but on the cross there was no angel. No angel there. He did it by himself.

No angel. By himself purged our sins. The man, Christ Jesus, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. Now I want you to notice also in this third verse. It's a tremendous passage of scripture here.

Actually it says seven things about the Son of God. See if you can find them in your quiet time. Who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person. The brightness of his glory.

The Glory of Christ and the Glory to Come

Now you turn across again to Revelation. And keep in mind now that the writer is saying that Jesus Christ is the brightness of God's glory. Who being the brightness of his glory. In Revelation chapter 18 verse 1.

And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power, and the earth was lightened with his glory. One angel lights up the whole earth. Just one. Just one. He comes down and the whole world, the whole earth, is lit up because of his glory.

Now where did he get that glory from? Where did Moses get the glory that shone from his face from? From being in the presence of God. Where did that angel get his glory from? From being in the presence of God.

Now if one angel, because of his glory, can light up the whole earth, what do you think the glory of Jesus Christ is like? That's beyond us, isn't it? If there is one place a sinner would prefer not to be, it's in heaven.

He couldn't stand the glory of Jesus Christ. He'd rather be in hell. Who shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He couldn't stand it. And it's only because we will be like him that we could stand it. We can and will stand it.

Bob Cassidy is experiencing something of it right now. But words are insufficient to describe it. The glory of Jesus Christ. We look at these words, Father glorify them with the glory, and we go on and on.

One angel lights up the whole earth. What do you think the glory of Jesus Christ is like? If you turn to Ephesians, Ephesians chapter 3, where you come to the end of that greatest of the apostles' prayers.

I want you to notice how he finishes it. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. This is the age of man. Adam was created, given dominion over the earth.

This is man's age. But the age of man will finish. And after the age of man, there will be another age. And then there'll be another age, and another age. Eternity. When Jesus Christ came into this world, he came alone.

Throughout all the ages to come, and at the end of this age, he will not be alone, because he'll have his bride with him. A few short years, the cross, the crown, and eternal bride. That's why he came.

God's eternal purpose was that in this age, he should take out a people for his son, the church. And throughout all the ages to come, God will be glorified in that which he made possible through his son.

Unto him, God, be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. And the amazing thing is that we will share his glory. We will share his glory throughout the ages of the ages.

Is that all he says? I think perhaps we could sing a little more intelligently. Man of sorrows, what a name for the Son of God. Ruin, sin is to reclaim. Hallelujah. What a Savior. Isn't it a sad thing that so many Christians know nothing about the glory that awaits them, or the glory of the Son of God.

And they're grubbing around on this dirty earth down here. Grubbing around like worms, instead of living like kings. Reigning as kings in life. Taken up with the few little fleeting short years here, when there'll be ages upon ages upon ages to come.

And what we are there is determined by what we are here. One star differeth from another in glory. Perhaps the greatest evangelist that God ever gave to China was John Sung. And you will remember that John Sung came to a great surrender on a ship on his way home to China.

Very brilliant man, with great honors. But he met the Lord in his cabin in a very real way. He was a converted man, but the Lord manifested himself to him in a wonderful way. So he took his gold medals and his diplomas and his degrees up on the side of the ship and threw them into the ocean.

Didn't have a thing to prove that he was anybody, hallelujah. Then he became that fiery preacher. Tremendous power. I've had people tell me that he could go through three interpreters in a night. They couldn't keep pace with him.

He was so intense. But John Sung, if you were seated with him at a meal, you would think he was a rude man. Because if you talked about anything or anybody but Christ, he'd completely ignore you. He wasn't interested.

He'd just go on eating his meal or reading his Bible or just completely ignoring you. But you start to talk about Jesus Christ, he'd tell you his Bible and listen to you. The only thing he was interested in was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Lord of glory, who came into the world to save sinners.

Prayer for Eternal Perspective and Faithful Living

Shall we pray? Dear Lord Jesus, we don't even begin to understand your glory. But we know that you prayed the Father that we should behold you in your glorified state. And beloved Lord, we are conscious that apart from grace, we would not be worthy to even utter your wonderful name.

How great thou art. Forgive us our lack of reverence. Forgive us our selfishness. And oh, above all, we pray, blessed, risen Christ, wilt thou not by thy Spirit convict in thy presence those who are living for time and not for eternity.

Those whose horizons are bounded by the brief years on this earth, when there will be ages upon ages, throughout all eternity, when the bride of Christ shall share his glory. Oh Lord, give us perspective.

Give us a true sense of values that we might be more meet to bear thy wonderful name. And this we pray in thy precious name. Amen.