----- THERE CAN be no doubt that this verse now before us in this meditation is one of tremendous meaning and import. It is only too easy to skate over it quickly without taking it all in. It is also only too easy to be prone, when we do consider the meaning and implication of the Prayer of Jesus here, to shy away from what we begin to understand, because it runs so far counter to our normal human imaginings concerning God. We tend to do this when the Scripture speaks of things that our sinful humanity finds unpalatable. I must confess that having believed these truths for most of my Christian life, I still find my fallen human nature is reluctant to receive the truth. I still find something in me which would prefer the truth to be different. I feel this problem much more in retirement because where we live now is in a part of the country where, in the Church of England at least, the truths of God's sovereignty and grace are hardly, if ever, mentioned or considered, and when they are, I find an automatic resistance to them and rejection of them as impossible to believe. When I feel the resistance to these truths in my fallen human nature, I find that in spite of this resistance the truth and the sublime majesty of the truth as it is written in its plain meaning, bears the undeniable stamp of divine authority. There is something of majesty and greatness, and yes too, rightness and true holiness about it. In considering this scripture before us I feel we must first go carefully into each part of the verse and take a clear and faithful look at the words of Jesus and what they are saying. THE TRUTH EXPRESSED The first word for us to consider is the opening word 'for'. This connects us with the petition that God may glorify Jesus in the victory of the cross and so Jesus by this victory may bring glory to the Father. The word 'for' tells us that Jesus is expressing in this verse the reason why the answer to his prayer to be glorified must be given. This which we have in our verse is the reason why the atonement was planned and why it must be successful. The second thing to note is the word 'granted'. Jesus is telling us here of a love gift which the Father had given him as the eternal Son, before the foundation of the world. For this love gift to be realised and for Jesus to fully receive it, the atonement must be effective. Jesus must be glorified in the tremendous completion of his great work of bearing the punishment of the sin of the world. This truth of a love gift given by God to the Son is further revealed in the last phrase "those you have given him". The third thing to notice is the nature of the gift. This is expressed in the words at the end of the verse "all those you had given him." The gift was a fixed body of people who were to live on this earth in time. The number and who they are is known only by the Father and the Son, and in eternity were elected as the love gift to the Son from the Father. However we may find difficulties in this or may dislike what is revealed here, nonetheless we have the Biblical doctrine of Election clearly expressed, and what Calvanistic theology calls limited atonement is clearly stated. The Son must be glorified in his death, so that he may make complete atonement for this elect multitude who were his by gift of the Father. It is plain that it is this number of people that Jesus made atonement for. He died for the world in as far the elect are people of the world and in as far they are taken from every people and nation that populates the earth. In this we see the certainty of salvation for the elect of God. Jesus came to make everlasting salvation sure for them so that they may be with him in glory. Then we must notice the complete salvation that is won for the elect. This is expressed in the words "that he might give eternal life". Eternal life is the gift. This gift encompasses much more than simply endless life. The next verse enlarges on this theme. Sufficient to say here that it includes everything to fit Christ's people for eternity with their Lord, and all that is necessary to bring them there. How is the Saviour to be made sure of accomplishing this eternal life for his people with certainty. It is one thing to win eternal life for them by the everlasting atonement of their sins, but how is Christ to make sure that they will receive this inestimable gift. They not only have to hear of it, but they have to be persuaded to receive it. Considering all the forces in the world which militate against this happening, how is Christ assured of accomplishing this goal. We have it in the words "authority over all people". On the merits of his great victory over sin, death, Satan and hell by his death and resurrection, Jesus is granted the supreme authority in the universe. Jesus ascended to reign. He sat down at the right hand of the Father, and reigns until he has put all enemies under his feet. This authority is a complete and total authority. Although there are secondary causes and mankind act according to their will, the Lamb on the throne is ordering all the affairs of history and of humanity most surely to accomplish his will. Though earthly authorities seek to oppose, and act according to their will, in the end they do the will of Christ upon the throne. This is expressed, in one example, when Peter declares in his sermon at Pentecost that the Jews with wickedness sent Jesus to his death, but really they were doing all that God determined that they should do. THE GLORY OF THE SON What can we learn from all this. Well firstly the glory of the Son of God. How precious and glorious is the Son to the Father. The Father gives him such a glorious gift - a people for himself, which is the bride the Father has chosen for him. Together with this is the honour the Father places on the Son. He gives him this great and glorious task of winning his bride. The cost in pain and suffering is infinite, yet the Father knows the honour of his Son that he will perform it. Further we see the trust which the Father places upon the Son, that he entrusts to him this great and virtually impossible task that will show forth the Glory of the Godhead, the glory of the love of God, for all eternity, knowing that he will not fail. Then when the Son has brought in everlasting redemption for these people the Father has given him, the Father owns the glory and honour of his Son by giving him authority over all creation so that he may make this redemption effective for his elect. As Paul says in Philippians 2 "Therefore God has highly exalted him and given him a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus ever knee should bow". This also declares the eternal glory and honour the Father gives to the Son, that all creation will own him Lord. THE GLORY OF THE REIGN OF THE SON How precious are the words in our text where we read "that he might give eternal life". This is the glory of his reign. It is the one goal of all his reigning and all the exercise of his authority over the world. Eternal life as we shall see when we come to the next verse is a most glorious blessing. It is infinitely more blessed and great than any other blessing that we could conceive. It is the security of blessing for eternity. It is a blessing which we must have else we perish. In our natural thinking we imagine the way of achieving this blessing is to earn it by our obedience to God and his laws. As soon as we try in earnest, and most don't, to merit the blessing of eternal life, we find the mountain too high and difficult to climb. We realise there is always more to achieve, and that our achieving up to any one point in the journey is so defective. When we pause to reflect, the problem of all our past failure looms before us. The only way we can imagine that this failure can be cancelled is by doing extra over and above our known obedience. Two problems then arise. Firstly that the burden to do what is required is already beyond us, so how can we ever do any extra over and above that. Then secondly we begin to realise that there is nothing over and above that we can do, because complete obedience is our debt to God. Thus despair sets in for there is no hope for us. Some seek to get over the problem by talking of a lesser obedience which God now requires, and they will base this assumption on the fact that Christ's death has won this favour. This will not do because the Bible never speaks anywhere of a lessoning of the obedience which is our due to God. Into this hopeless situation the glory of the Son's reign shouts light and marvellous hope - "that he might give eternal life". This is the gospel. The gospel calls us to cease from our own strivings and works and with empty hands come and receive eternal life as a gift. We bring nothing as we come, for there is nothing we can bring. We openly confess all our sin and failure to this glorious Son of God, and receive from him his inestimable gift of eternal life. Nor is this something that is only a start to cancel the past and give us some strength so we may try again to merit this continued blessing. No the blessing is all that it says. It is the gift of eternal life completely and wholly. We may well ask how can the Son give such a gift. Can God forget his law and overlook sin? On no account! The gift can be given freely without cost, because the Son has paid the full price for it to God and satisfied all the law of God on our behalf, so leaving the gift to be given justly and freely. Because it is the Son who has paid the debt, and he has done it fully and perfectly, the gift of eternal life can never never be lost because it has been won for us and merited by the Son. What a glorious reign of Jesus. He did not come into the world to condemn, but that the world through him might be saved. We come to him and need feel no fear, for his love comes with the gift he so freely gives. THE GLORY OF THE CERTAINTY OF THE GIFT In all human affairs, however certain something may be, there is always an element of doubt, because there are always some unforeseen elements or events that could upset things. We can do all that we can and take into account every eventuality we can think of, but we can't control the future, and something may happen to upset our plans. Further there is a limit to our power as well as a limit to our authority. We may want to give something great, but we have neither the power or authority to provide it. There is no such limitation in Christ in the giving his gift of eternal life. Even the greatness of the gift is no hindrance. We have already seen that the gift is paid for fully and completely, so that there can never be a losing of it because of some unpaid debt. But there is also the variations in history, and the unpredictability of events, and the conflicting authorities in the world which are so forceful to prevent the gift being received. Further there is the inbuilt corruption of fallen human nature which left to itself would never consider reaching out to receive this inestimable gift. We need not fear. God has given Jesus all authority over all people. He thus has authority over each individual elect person to come with irresistible grace and regenerate his or her soul and create in him or her that repentance and faith to receive the gift, and by his life giving Spirit he has authority to keep that elect person and sanctify him or her for glory. The work is all his and nothing is left to the uncertain will or affection of the elect person. Then there is the outward forces and they are under his authority also. He orders where we are born and the life we have, and he controls all the facets of history and providence so that at the appointed time we may be saved and brought into the company of the redeemed. As Satan could not thwart the will of God in the accomplishing of redemption, so Satan can not thwart the will of God in the application of redemption. Again the certainty is because nothing is left to human frailty. All is under the power and authority of God. This does not mean we cease to be free and thinking beings, but simply Christs molds our minds and hearts to his loving and perfect will. CONCLUSION Let us take assurance and comfort from this sovereign redemption made so clear and plain before us, and the loving and gracious purpose of God so revealed here in the Prayer of Jesus. Our redemption is sure in Christ Jesus because he has been glorified and will be glorified in our redemption. Let us also worship before the Lord Jesus and give him all the honour and glory that his redeeming grace demands, and cast our crowns, which he purchased for us, in adoration before his throne. |