Dan Lee
John 17:22-26, For Love and Glory (Part-2)

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.

Dan Lee
John 17:22-26, For Love and Glory

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.

Dan Lee
John 17:20-23, Salvation Blessing for the World

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).

Dan Lee
John 17:14-19, A Dangerous Mission

Jesus’ prayer for His disciples is undergirded by the reality of a dangerous mission. He knows we will be hated by the world and targeted by the Devil. As such, we will need divine protection. Hence, He prays, “Keep them from the evil one.” Moreover, we will need to live holy lives if we are to make any meaningful impact for the gospel that reconciles and restored sinners to the holy and righteous Father. Our own lives would have to be sanctified in order for us to be useful to the Lord in leading the rest of His elect to this salvation. Therefore, the Lord prays, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” The word of God that has regenerated us is the same word that will sanctify our lives. May the Holy Spirit through His word evermore conform us to Christ that we would be like Him on earth and make disciples for His honor and glory.

Dan Lee
John 17:9-13, For the Joy of God's Elect

Jesus’ first petition for His disciples is found in these verses. Jesus prays that the Father would keep them in His name. Jesus prays for a special people, His disciples and He does so because He was about to physically leave His disciples. What He would no longer be able to do in His physical absence, He asks the Father to accomplish. May the Lord grant to us a greater work of His Spirit to draw us to walk in Jesus’ ways and thus live with His joy evermore in our hearts.

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 9:23-24, One Worthy Boast: the God of Righteousness

The LORD is the God of righteousness. While justice emphasized the LORD’s character applied to evildoers through judgment, His righteousness emphasizes the LORD’s character applied to His people through imputation. In this study, we trace the doctrine of justification as witnessed by Moses, Jeremiah, and Paul. What the LORD has done in the exercise of His righteousness is to make a massive moral deposit into His people’s account through Christ such that we are treated His friends and His beloved. The LORD is the glorious God who alone is worthy of our boast and affections. May the Holy Spirit teach us to invest our time, energy, and affections on what will glorify and honor Him and advance His good will on earth.

Jeremiah 9:23-24, One Worthy Boast: the God of Justice

The LORD is the God of justice. This is an attribute of God that people often have a hard time swallowing, let alone boasting in. Yet, the people of God are called to boast in the God of justice. What are we missing? Why do we not see the justice of God and His judgments are qualities we gladly speak of with those around us? In this study, we consider the truths of God’s hatred for sin and His strenght to punish sin as realities we embrace only because God dispenses justice in His world through judgment.

Jeremiah 9:23-24, One Worthy Boast: the God of Faithfulness

The LORD is the God of faithfulness. Faithfulness/loyalty is the meaning of the word behind the English word “lovingkindess.” The LORD is faithful to His people. This is seen His fulfillment of His covenant promises, especially, in His fulfillment of these promises through the incarnation of the Son of God. May we celebrate and boast in the LORD who is unchanging in His faithfulness to us.

Jeremiah 9:23-24, One Worthy Boast

Where should we place our confidence? What should we seek to be proud of as we look back at the last year and as we look ahead to the next? This passage of Scripture gives us a sobering perspective on what we should value and seek as our one worthy boast in life. Jeremiah’s words were spoken against the background of predictions of divine judgment, namely, the Babylonian invasion. His generation did not heed his message, but a people/remnant was expected who would have changed hearts to heed his message. It was ultimately written for a people in the future. This message is for us today even as it was for the people of Jesus’ own day, many years after Jeremiah’s words were written. May we need the wisdom of Scripture to forsake the worthless boasts of this world and seek the one worthy boast in knowing and belonging to the LORD.