TEXT: John 17:2-4 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh,
that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true
God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4 I have glorified thee
on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
Introduction: In the last message we learned from verse one that Jesus was the example that we are to follow in everything that we do. Let us see what we can learn from verses 2-4!
2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give
eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
In this verse Jesus reveals to us that God had given Him power, or authority. It was on the grounds of this power given to Christ that the apostles were commanded to go and teach all nations. If we would but look, we would see that Jesus extended this commission to the church to go into all the world.
The verse goes on to say that he was given this authority over all flesh, meaning all men. This authority also meant that He could give eternal life to anyone that He so desired.
We know that His desire was for all men to be saved.
Jesus then mentions that He was given the authority to give this eternal to as many as God had given Him. What does this mean “to as many as God had given Him”?
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It means to all on whom God the Father has purposed to bestow the blessings of redemption through His Son. God has a plan in all He does, extending to men as well as to other objects.
One part of His plan was that the atonement of Christ should not be in vain.
Hence he promised him that he should see of the travail of his soul and should be satisfied (Isaiah 53:11); and hence the Saviour had the assurance that the Father had given him a portion of the human family, and would apply this great work to them.
It is to be observed here that the Saviour in this prayer makes an important distinction between "all flesh" and those who were
"given him."
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by
his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he
shall bear their iniquities. (KJV) He has power overall. He can control, direct, restrain them.
Wicked men are so far under His universal dominion, and so far restrained by His power, that they will not be able to prevent His bestowing redemption on those were given Him--that is, all who will believe on Him.
Long ago, if they had been able, they would have banished religion from the world; but they are under the power of Christ, and it is His purpose that there shall be "a seed to serve Him," and that "the gates of hell shall not prevail" against His church.
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Men who oppose the gospel should therefore feel that they cannot prevent the salvation of Christians and should be alarmed lest they be found "fighting against God."
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true
God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (KJV) This is the source of eternal life; or it is in this manner that it is to be obtained. The knowledge of God and His Son Jesus Christ is itself a source of unspeakable and eternal joy.
The word know as used in this verse, as in other places, expresses more than a mere speculative acquaintance with the character and perfections of God.
It includes all the impressions on the mind and life which a just view of God and of the Saviour is fitted to produce. It includes, of course, love, reverence, obedience, honor and gratitude.
To know God as He is, is to know and regard Him as a Lawgiver, a Sovereign, a Parent and a Friend. It is to yield the whole soul to Him, and strive to obey His law.
Jesus used the phrase “the only true God.” The only God, in opposition to all false gods. God has never said that there were no other gods. He simply told the Israelites to have no other gods before Him. It is also said of Him that He is the only true and living God.
Jesus continues in this verse to name Himself. To know Jesus Christ is to have a practical impression of Him as He is to suffer His character and work to make their due impression on our hearts and lives.
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Simply to have heard that there is a Saviour is not to know it. To have been taught in childhood and trained up in the belief of it is not to know it. To know Him is to have a just, practical view of Him in all His perfections--as God and Man; as a Mediator; as a Prophet, a Priest, and a King.
It is to feel our need of such a Saviour, to see that we are sinners, and to yield the whole soul to Him, knowing that He is a Saviour fitted to our needs, and that in His hands we are safe.
In this verse is contained the sum and essence of the Christian religion, as it is distinguished from all the schemes of idolatry and philosophy, and all the false plans on which men have sought to obtain eternal life.
The Gentiles worshipped many gods; the Christian worships one --
the living and the true God; the Jew, the Deist, the Mohammedan, the Socinian, profess to acknowledge one God, without any atoning sacrifice and Mediator; the true Christian approaches Him through the great Mediator, equal with the Father, Who for us became incarnate, and died that He might reconcile us to God.
Socinian: 1: an adherent of an early Protestant movement that denied the divinity of Jesus and held rationalistic views of sin and salvation. 2: an adherent of similar theological views, esp.: a
“Christian” who rejects orthodox Christian doctrines of the divinity of Jesus, the Trinity and “original sin”; a Unitarian.
Almost like an afterthought, Jesus here states that God had sent Him.
Jesus has stated in other places that He did not come on His own but by the authority of God the Father. All authority was give unto Him by the Father.
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4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which
thou gavest me to do. (KJV)
Jesus begins this verse by stating that He had glorified God the Father on the earth. By this He meant that he had honored the Father as the source and power of all His words and works.
Jesus then states that He has finished the work that the Father had given Him to do. He had finished the earthly toil and labors, and was, in less than twenty four hours, during that same day, to finish His earthly life of redemptive or reconciliation work by giving it up, voluntarily.
What was the work that He had done?
All the preparations for His death were made.
He had preached to the Jews; He had given them full proof that He was the Messiah; He had collected His disciples; He had taught them the nature of His religion; He had given them His parting counsel, and there was nothing remaining to be done but to return to God.
We see here that Jesus was careful that His great and important work should be done before His dying hour. He did not postpone it to be performed just as He was leaving the world.
So completely had He done His work, that even before His death He could say, "I have finished the work."
Conclusion: How happy would it be if we would imitate His example, and not leave our great work of life to be done on a dying bed!
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We should have our work accomplished, and when that hour approaches, have nothing to do but to die, and go to meet our Father in heaven.
Now, let’s get personal!
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THE LORD’S PRAYER