Jesus prays regarding two kinds of glory. He speaks of glory in the present age for His people’s sanctification. God’s elect grow in conformity to Him as they behold His glory in Christ. Jesus also prays for future glory, that His people behold His full, divine, eternal glory in heaven. We are to behold the glory of God now for our sanctification and the glory of God in the future for our glorification.
Jesus concludes His prayer with love and glory. Love is the focus of this sermon. The Lord prays that we would come to experientially know (taste) of the Father’s special love. This is the special love of the Father like His love toward His only begotten Son. Like that love, the Father loved His elect from eternity past and “in love predestined us to adoption as sons.” This is the love which Jesus wants us to savor. May the Holy Spirit reveal to us more and more of this awesome love of God.
Jesus’ prayer reflects the heart of God that seeks salvation blessing for the world. Jesus sees the church as the vehicle by which the elect of God worldwide will come to faith in Him unto salvation. In this first installment on a two part sermon, we explore the facets of the church, our mission, our godliness, and the special love of God toward the elect (next sermon).
Jesus has given His glory to the church for her sanctification and one day she will behold His full resplendent glory.
Jesus prays that all of God’s elect would come to taste of the special love of God.
Our unity in character is God’s instrument of choice to reach the lost and make disciples of all the nations. May we be sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
Romans 8 reveals three transformative truths about Christ’s sacrifice. First, there is no condemnation for those in Christ; He has freed believers from the penalty of sin—spiritual death and separation from God (Romans 8:1). Second, earthly accusations and hardships, even Satan’s attacks, cannot separate us from Christ’s love; through Him, we are victorious (Romans 8:37). Finally, with God on our side, we have an unshakable assurance that nothing can stand against us (Romans 8:31, Psalm 27:1). In Christ, we find freedom, victory, and eternal hope.
At the heart of the gospel lies an astonishing truth: Christ's death not only paid the price for our sins but also provided the perfect obedience we could never achieve. Through Jesus’ life of obedience and sacrificial death, He fulfilled God’s requirement for righteousness on our behalf. This lesson explores the depths of 2 Corinthians 5:21, showing how Jesus’ obedience “to the point of death” became our righteousness. His righteousness is imputed to believers, allowing us to stand wholly justified in God’s sight—not by our works, but by Christ's perfect obedience and grace.
Christ died to provide a way for believers to be declared righteous and freed from guilt before God. All people are guilty of sin and deserve God’s punishment, yet God offers forgiveness as a gracious gift, not something that can be earned through good deeds. Justification—being cleared of blame—comes solely through faith in Jesus Christ, who took the punishment for sin upon Himself. Through faith in Christ, believers are released from condemnation and welcomed into a restored relationship with God.
What is the hardest thing a person will have to go through? Dying. How do you prepare for death? Let’s look at Jesus and how He prepared for His crucifixion that would happen soon. How did He obey God and follow God’s plan, no matter how hard it was?
Jesus has gone away but promises to return one day. How can a person be ready for Jesus’ return? What does Jesus want His disciples to do? Jesus uses the parable of the talents to explain this. Let’s find out how!
What do you think of when you think of a king? You might be thinking about kings you have learned about in history. Today, we will also learn about a king. But this king is different from all other kings. This king will rule forever. This king is the king of all kings. It’s Jesus!
