Sermon: Glorified (John 17:1-11)

Sermon 7th Sunday of Easter

June 5th, 2011

John 17:1‐11

“Glorified”

Grace, Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, ever since Dr. Luther wrote the Heidelberg Disputation of 1518. Lutherans have shied away from glory talk. And for good reason, in this writing Luther distinguishes between theologians of glory (bad) and theologians of the cross (good). The theologians of glory look to be glorified by the Heavenly Father through their works without the cross. The number 1 theologian of glory was Satan when he offered to give Jesus the world without the cross. And still the followers of Satan today preach a Christless prosperity gospel that is predicated on your prayers, your positive thinking, your choices and your works.

However for as much as Lutherans put a caution around “glory talk” we find it throughout our liturgy, in the Gloria Patri that we find at the end of a psalm or our in our hymn of praise the Gloria in Excelsis, these are fine examples of giving God the glory or right praise. Another word for it is orthodoxy. The Greek word for glory is doxology. We have all sung the doxology prior to a meal. In it we acknowledge that all blessings come from God, we exhort all creatures below on earth and all creatures above, the heavenly hosts to praise Him and together we praise His revealed Name, Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Our place in glorifying God is one of recipient. We receive all good things from God especially that which we receive from Jesus Christ. We receive our lives from Him as His creatures and we receive His saving Name that delivers from the power of sin, death and the devil. If there is any giving on our part it is in the sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise which is given by the priesthood of believers by the power of the Holy Spirit but this is a result of receiving God’s gifts.

In our text today, Jesus high priestly prayer that He prays to the Father contains lots of “glory talk.” He asks the Father to glorify the Son in order that He, the Son, may glorify the Father. Jesus prays that on earth, He has already glorified the Father. Jesus then also requests to be glorified in the presence of the Father as He was before the world existed. Finally, Jesus prays that He is glorified in those that the Father has given to Him.

Unlike our place as recipient, God’s place is that of giver. The Father is giving, the Son is giving and in this way they glorify each other. Jesus could hardly be accused of being a theologian of glory because Jesus embraces the cross. The context in which He is to be glorified is in the hour that he would be betrayed by Judas to the chief priests who would
put Him to death. Jesus is to be glorified on the cross where He the Lamb of God is sacrificed for the sins of the World. The result is the gift of eternal life for all who know of this act of redemption by the Father and the Son. Jesus is giving His life for the World for you and the Father is giving His Son as a sacrifice to the World for you and in this act of giving the Son glorifies the Father and the Father glorifies the Son.

This saving knowledge or revelation was given by Jesus as he taught and preached. Jesus revealed the Father’s Word and will and in this way the Father was glorified. Outside of Jesus and His Word we do not and cannot know God. Without the revealed Word, God is either a malicious being who allows all sorts of evil through natural disaster or He is
too weak to do anything about or He is simply disinterested. This is what natural man comes up with based on what He sees in nature.




Missouri Governor Jay Nixon
after the Joplin tornado

 

Sadly to prove my point I was listening to the governor of Missouri Jay Nixon as he was being interviewed on national television by a reporter regarding the tornado disaster in Joplin. In the interview when asked about the support he expected to get from the federal government and other agencies, Gov. Nixon said, when “God does these things then
we need to do our part in cleaning it up.” Yes, you heard it. God is the bad guy and it is our job to clean up his messes. Why would you ever want to pray or call out to God for help if this is your view of Him?

Rather Christ the Son reveals Him to us as Father, a Father who gives us are lives and still sustains them. And He gives us His Son sacrificed for the sins man in the world. Sinful and selfish mankind is the real cause of natural disasters, diseases and the problems we face. In the Word, it is revealed to us that God is behind the rescue and relief workers and the
government agencies that will provide support. He will be working through various congregations and pastors to provide spiritual and bodily support. These disasters provide an opportunity for both giving and sharing the gospel. The Father has given us the Son and through His teaching on earth and the preparation of the Apostles Jesus has glorified the Father. Jesus in His High Priestly prayer next asks the Father to be glorified in the presence of the Father as He was before the world existed. In this request we can see that Jesus the Man clearly understands that He is God. Anyone who claims that Jesus did not know or understand His divinity denies this verse. Jesus, the begotten Son, existed with the Father before the world existed and in that state, in the mystery of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit glorify each other.

Jesus in the upper room in the context of the Passover was teaching His disciples that He was preparing to leave them at least twice; once for a little while as He would suffer and die on the cross for their sins, your sins and the sins of the world, and secondly in order to be glorified by being given by the Father all authority over Heaven and Earth and to prepare a place for His disciples in Heaven.

Last Thursday was the feast of the Ascension where we celebrate our Lord taking His place at the right hand of God from where He has the power to be bodily with every congregation as they celebrate the New Testament Passover, the Lord’s Supper and from where He sends the Holy Spirit to build up and sustain the Church. Jesus being placed in this seat of power enables Him to keep His promise to be with His church always even unto the end of the World. The glorification of Christ at the right hand of God enables Him to give of Himself all the more to you and to His church. He does this through the office of the ministry which He gave to the church in His ascension. The Holy Ministry is a continuation of His mission on Earth; baptizing, teaching, preaching, forgiving, healing and eating the Holy meal, proclaiming His redeeming death until He returns.

St. Paul writes in the 4th Chapter to the Ephesians starting with verse 10, He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:10‐16)

Jesus in His glorified state at the right hand of God is still giving of Himself for the sake of the church. Finally Jesus prays that He is glorified in those the Father has given to Him. Jesus here is not praying for the World He is praying for the elect, those that God has given to Him from the beginning of time. How do we know if we are elect? The elect are those who are baptized, confess and abide in His Word. The elect trust in the promises given in the Word and Sacraments. You Christian are elect not by your own reason or strength but by the power of the Holy Spirit given to you in Holy Baptism.

Judas Iscariot , even though He was counted as one of the twelve, was not elect. He in time relied on His own reason and strength and not on Jesus. Judas, after seeing what he had done in betraying Jesus was wrong in the sight of God, tried to redeem His own actions by trying to return the blood money, and by giving his life by hanging himself on a tree. This did not work. We cannot redeem ourselves. We cannot justify ourselves. We cannot glorify ourselves. Only Christ can do that for you and I and in Him and only in Him are we elect.

Sadly, there are far too many like Judas both in the church and in the World. Yes it is possible to be in and around the church and still not trust in Christ for your salvation. They are the hypocrites. And there are much more outside the 3 church because they know nothing else but to rely on themselves as they ponder their status before God. Unless these people are brought to repentance by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the gospel and the reception of the sacraments, they will be as lost as Judas.

Jesus taught in the upper room that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one, that is absolutely no one comes to the Father except through Him. This is one of those absolute exclusive statements that the World does not want to hear.

The World reasons, isn’t God bigger than that; certainly he would provide multiple paths to attain heaven; look at all the different religions of the world. Or, how can it be fair that God would punish someone who grew up in a non

These reasons deny the depravity of man. The world religions that have evolved have done so out of the perversion and denial of the true religion. The fact that Christianity does not exist in some countries and tribes is because of deprived man’s persecution of Christians. The children will suffer at the hands of their father. This is a just fate. But our Lord through His church continues to reach out since it is revealed in His Word that He desires that not one sinner would perish.

The Father gives to the Son His elect and therefore there is no decision theology. If the Father elects us in Christ how can we claim or as some churches teach that our salvation is based on a choice or decision we make? Rationally we cannot. Election by God and decision by us regarding our salvation are mutually exclusive. We are given to Christ, we do not choose to join up and in this way the Father and Son are glorified.

How then is Jesus glorified in those whom the Father is given Him? It is in the confession of the true faith by the elect. It is in suffering for that true confession as our epistle from 1

 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1‐6)

Christ is glorified when His Truth is preached among us for in that Truth we are unified. Yes besides glory Jesus prays for unity which when He is rightly glorified will occur. This unity is not as the world sees it such “reconciled diversity” or “agreeing to disagree.” This is not unity at all in fact these are irrational oxymorons. No, Jesus is speaking of unity in doctrine, in the truth we teach. Jesus glorified the Father by teaching His Word not something else.

As the Apostle Paul teaches earlier in Ephesians 4,  I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1‐6)

Paul teaches here that there are not multiple faith teachings but one, there are not multiple teachings on baptism but one, and there are not multiple teachings about God but only one.

There is one faith the true faith given to us in the apostolic teachings. The church does not maintain different teachings on baptism. There is one teaching, that it is water with the word, that the Holy Spirit is given through it, that the forgiveness of sins is given through it, that we are given the promise of resurrection through it, that the promise is for children too, that it is regenerative, that we receive Christ’s robe of righteousness through it and that through it we inherit Christ’s kingdom and we are saved. Anyone who teaches other than this one baptism teaches falsely. Anyone who denies baptism to infants teaches and practices falsely and Christ is not glorified in him.

And there is only one true God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is the name of God the Son has revealed to us and given to us in baptism, not Jehova, not Allah none of these names save. And to say as a Christian that there are other paths to salvation is a denial of our creed, our one faith and Christ is not glorified.

But here at Trinity Lutheran Church in Whittier, CA He is, as we are about, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes in the Lord Supper. Christ is glorified by the Father as He gives to us the fruit of the cross, the very Body and Blood of His Son for the life of the World for your life for your body’s resurrection.

We have been called, gathered and enlightened by the Holy Spirit this morning as we have heard the Gospel preached to us, unifying us in truth in preparation to receive the Holy Supper.

Perhaps you have noticed how this divine service follows the liturgical pattern of Jesus. The Passover meal included teaching that proceeded eating and prayers before, during and after. Hymns were also sung. Following in our Lord’s steps this is our pattern as well. Jesus prayed for unity and the early church mirrored this prayer in a Eucharistic prayer found in 1st century document called the Didache.

“We give Thee thanks, O our Father, for the life and knowledge which Thou didst make known unto us through Thy Son Jesus; Thine is the glory for ever and ever. As this broken bread was scattered upon the mountains and being gathered together became one, so may Thy Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into Thy kingdom;” (Didache)

We hear in this prayer similar petitions to what Jesus prays in His High Priestly prayer given at the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Giving thanks for the life and knowledge, acknowledges what Jesus prays in his petition when he says, "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. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. And acknowledging in the prayer “and being gathered together became one” answers Jesus prayer for unity as He and His disciples are gathered around the table of the Holy Supper.

I invite you to listen closely to the prayers of the liturgy of the sacrament of the Altar. Listen to how it reflects and acknowledges what Jesus prayed for and listen as the both the ancient hymns such as the Agnus Dei “Lamb of God” and the Sanctus “Holy, Holy, Holy” and the newer hymns glorify God by proclaiming death and resurrection of Christ the truth of the real presence of Christ for the forgiveness of sins.

Glory alone be to Father, Son and Holy Spirit Amen