Christian Unity:
United in the Expectation of Heaven
John 17:24 ~ Terry Phillips
August 12, 2018
Christian Unity:
If you would turn with me once again to the 17th chapter of John's Gospel. Believe it or not, were going to conclude our study in the Lord's prayer this morning. I know we've been here for a while and I trust that we have been just greatly blessed by the words of our Lord in this very unique passage.
We've, of course, been focusing our attention of late on the final portion of the Lord's prayer the Father. This portion of His prayer regarding the matter of, this matter of unity among those who belong to the Lord. Jesus speaks much of this and we’ve tried to take at least some time in considering it. We've noted that the Lord is anticipating from the synoptic Gospels, we know that the Lord is anticipating the agony of the cross. John gives to us a view where whereby Jesus is anticipating the resulting glory of the cross, He lifts His eyes to the Father there in that first verse and He says, “Father, the hour has come, glorify Thy Son that the Son may glorify Thee.”
Jesus is praying expectantly towards the end of this prayer, that those who come to believe in Him will be one - that we will be perfected in unity. We've noted that this is not something we can produce through our own efforts or zeal. The unity Jesus is praying for cannot be simulated, cannot be stimulated by the flesh, or in the flesh. It is to be preserved. It is to be pursued by His followers, but you and I cannot produce it. What Jesus describes here as He prays to the Father goes well beyond a coerced conformity or a superficial fellowship. It's a unique closeness, as we have been looking at it. It is an essential unity. Involves the very core of our being.
We noted this, we have looked at this unity under three specific headings. First of all - we notice that it is a unity that is patterned on the unity between the Father and the Son. As Jesus says in the 21st verse, “that they may all be one, even as Thou, Father, art in Me and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us.” Secondly, we observed that this unity is realized in a shared glory, shared glory from Christ. Verse 22, “and the glory which Thou hast given Me, I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are One.” Thirdly, we noticed last time that this essential oneness is grounded in the love of God. Jesus says in verse 23, “I in them, Thou in me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me and didst love them even as Thou didst love Me.” And then we noticed also the 26th verse, “and I have made Thy name known to them and will make it known, that the love wherewith Thou didst love Me may be in them, and I in them.”
This matter of unity in the body of Christ is of the greatest significance. As we have noted early on, Jesus says, notice verse 21, again I remind you – “that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me.” Verse 23 – “that the world may know that Thou didst send Me.” This unity is extremely important in confirming the work, the teaching, the claims, the person of Christ. And so, it is something that we cannot afford to be careless about.
Today we want to look at one final statement of our Lord in His prayer to the Father. We really already mentioned this in passing, but, fairly briefly, but I believe this morning that it is a statement that deserves serious attention in and of itself. I want you to notice with me the beginning statement in the 24th verse – “Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, in order that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me, for Thou didst love Me before the foundation of the world.” We've already noted, as I said earlier that we are united in a shared glory. One of the areas of that glory, we talked about the fact that we share in glory in sanctification and sufferings, but also in expectation. We are united in our expectation of glory. It seems to me that we need to consider that expectation carefully so that we may be of one mind as we should, together, if you will, and a blessed hope. Hope has a huge impact on the way we live, doesn't it? Huge impact on our whole outlook and perspective.
I don't know if you've ever noticed, I'm sure you have, the cavalier, the even sinister worldly mindset that so easily creeps into people's perception of heaven. People will talk about what they perceive heaven to be, they'll talk about how they're going to be playing some particular sport, they’ll talk about their loved ones - must be up there enjoying some good great fishing. I noticed in the paper the other day someone, it was said of this woman, as she died, that when she died she went to heaven and was able to immediately enjoy a martini with her favorite friend. All these different things that you see people say. But beware, we even as Christians get caught up in this. I've heard Christians even in the past year say some things about heaven that I'm not quite sure where they come from, except the flesh.
This matter of a proper perception of heaven could not be more important. We need to be careful about it and even in the most practical ways it's important. Expectation greatly affects participation. It greatly affects our attitude, our perspective, our whole outlook on life and what matters most to us, what we commit ourselves to and why we commit ourselves to it. What is our genuine expectation?
One of the things that is certain, and it's something we don't like to think about often. But every one of us, unless the Lord returns for us first, we’re going to soon be gone from this world. Every single one of us. Might be cancer, might be heart failure, might be some particular disease, one thing or another, an aneurysm, could be an accident, could be the result of violence, homicide, terrorism, whatever. In one of these particular ways every one of us will soon leave this world. We’re going to leave this life behind and it won't be long. So, the tendency, of course, for the world is to wonder, what in the world is all this for? What does it really matter? What good is it all? How do I make sense of it all?
One of the things that I think we need to acknowledge, honestly, before the Lord is that even as saints, we can at times get caught up in a sense of futility. What, is it really worth it? We’re here for such a short time. Anything can happen and then it's gone. This is especially true, it seems to me, in the present place and age when the cares and the comforts of this life are in grotesque abundance. It seems to me that this is a matter we need to be more focused on, even as Christians we can get to the point of being very vague about the final outcome that is awaiting us, when this life is soon over. One of the things that encourages me greatly. I'm sure it does you as well, it is the fact that Jesus is not vague about heaven. I think sometimes our perception is that He is. He's clear about it. He isn't obscure. He's not nebulous about where His saving love is ultimately leading us. The problem is that we have not paid attention to what the Lord has revealed to us over and above the natural inclination to speculate and to fantasize, according to the flesh, about what our expectations might be.
As we look more closely at what Jesus is saying here, I trust that we can begin to see a little more clearly the glory that is waiting for us and that that glory – the glory Jesus speaks of, is infinitely greater than anything we could ever have come up with on our own. What can we learn from our Lord in regard to what is waiting for saints in this life is over, from this statement that Jesus makes here in the 24th verse? There are three specific things that I just want to draw your attention to briefly this morning.
The first thing that I want to draw your attention to and that is - that there is a divine plan for our eternal destiny. There's a divine plan for our eternal destiny. Eternity is not open for discussion, it’s not open to conjecture, it's not waiting to develop, it's not whatever we may think that we want it to be at any given point in time. It's not subject to any human or temporal variable whatsoever. There's a divine plan for our eternal destiny it is our Creator and our Redeemer who has determined what heaven will be like. It’s not up to us to determine what heaven will be like – man am I thankful for that, the more I think about it. Heaven is His eternal dominion. There will be no good in existence apart from His kingdom. And God alone is able to make us worthy of His eternal kingdom. I remind you of that passage that we've looked at many times in Revelation chapter 5, as they sang a new song in praise of the Lamb of God – “worthy art Thou to take the book and to break its seals, for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God and they will reign upon the earth.”
God alone is able to make us worthy to be in His kingdom. Our personal and eternal destiny is not up to us to acquire, to secure or to maintain. I remind you of the passage that I trust is very precious to many of us, in first Peter chapter 1 verse three, beginning with verse three – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Every once in a while, I'm sure there are couples who will be talking amongst themselves as their planning for some very important function and then one of the husband’s might say to the wife – “You did make reservations for that, right”? and all of a sudden there is sort of panic. The wife says, “I thought you made those reservations.” Heaven is not like that. Almighty God has made our reservations. That passage is to be of greatest comfort when I think about it. We have been caused to be born again to a living hope to the resurrection of Christ, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, will not fade away, reserved in heaven reserved for us. That makes it certain way beyond even the shadow of a doubt. Reserved by God. Our Lord's prayer here in John 17, is in perfect harmony with the Father's gracious will for our portion in His eternal kingdom. “Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am”. As comfort in the midst of great difficulty, Jesus assures us that He has made more than adequate preparations for our eternal home. You recall what Jesus said to His disciples not long before this, earlier on in the in the upper room discourse. “Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, for I go to prepare a place for you.” What assurance! Certainty, a comfort to God's people. God Himself, has planned, has prepared for our eternal destiny.
The second thing that I want to notice in this passage, and that is that our eternal destiny will be the fulfillment of our Lord's genuine desire. Notice how Jesus puts this. I find it to be a fascinating thing. Those first two, or the second and third word, “Father, I desire”, I desire. One of the things that I think gets us in so much trouble when it comes to looking ahead, and our expectations of heaven is - we have the strong inclination toward seeing heaven as the fulfillment of our own desires. Our own fleshly desires. We see the fulfillment of them as being – well, that's what surely what heaven must be like. it's gotta be what I would perceive to be the greatest, the best, the most fulfilling, the most enjoyable. Nothing could be more distorted and disappointing in the end. How many times have you and I got exactly what we wanted and been fully satisfied with it, over any length of time? What in our earthly experience would give us confidence in the ultimate eternal satisfaction of our own desires being granted or been realized heaven? What in our earthly experience would direct us to think in this way?
I want you to consider just with me this morning in a very basic way, consider the worthiness of the genuine desire of the Lord of glory. The things that I desire, the things that you and I desire in the flesh, are not really worth much. And if we were to look back and if each of us took even just a little while, contemplated all the things that we really wanted badly over our lifetimes. It can be pretty embarrassing. Very disappointing. How fickle we are. The things that we think we want, the things that we just think are so important. I’m not saying it’s true of everything, every desire we have, but for the most part it is. We don't look at things in terms of their real value. God does. This is the desire of the Lord's heart. I just find that to be so encouraging. It’s fascinating in many respects. Heaven is going to be made up of what our Lord has desired. “Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou has given me, be with me.” Heaven will be the fruition of the eternal longing of the Lamb of God.
In second Timothy that very first chapter and the ninth verse we’re given that eternal perspective – “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.” The desire of our Lord's heart as He prays to the Father is not something new, it’s not something novel, it's not something that has just come to the Lord's mind. This is where this has been heading. This is where this is been leading before the foundation of the earth, from eternity past. So, heaven will be the fruition of the longing of the son of God. I desire. “Father, I desire that they whom You given me, be with Me”
So, these two things, very basic things, but I trust encouraging things to begin with. There's a divine plan for our eternal destiny. Secondly, our eternal destiny will be the fulfillment of the Lord's desire. Not the fulfillment of all the fleshly desires and all the thoughts and fantasies that come to our minds about what heaven should be like, or what we think would be really neat in heaven. It will be the fulfillment of the desire, the pure desires of Christ.
One last thing that I want to look at this morning and this to me is the focus, and I would just trust that the Lord would impress this upon our hearts in a new way this morning. The highest thing that we can look forward to, the very highlight of heaven is this one thing - it is to be with Jesus. It’s to be with Jesus. I have over time going to lots of visitations and funerals and so on and so forth, as you get older you go to more of them. But this is one of the things that has disappointed me, many times. I do, I do look forward to being reunited with some of my loved ones, who have gone before. I sure do. But, you know what? I should be longing more, looking forward more than that, by far, to this one fact that I'm going to be with the Lord. I don't know what it's like to be with the Lord in this sense. That's one of things, that makes it difficult for me, for you and I, we haven't seen Jesus, we didn't walk with Him and talk with Him. We haven't experienced in our fleshly realm, the wonder, the glory of the Eternal Word made flesh, tabernacling among us.
It's our woefully inadequate perspective of Jesus that many times keeps us from seeing the fullness of joy to be experienced in His eternal presence. Of course, there's also the inconceivable, from our perspective, the inconceivable hindrance of these frail bodies that cannot possibly behold the exceptional glory of Christ, while we’re still in this realm. You recall on the Mount of Transfiguration that Peter and James and John caught a glimpse of the glory of Christ, and just a glimpse of it was really, it undid them Peter just says something he doesn't even make sense, what he says. He’s beside himself to catch a glimpse of our Lord's glory. There's a day coming when we’re going to be changed and it’s the only way we’re going to be able to see His glory. I was thinking of this in Philippians chapter 3, the last two verses – “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly await for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” That's what heaven is about, for you and I, and if it's not our expectation is screwed up, to put it bluntly. “Who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” That's what you and I are looking forward to, the day when we’ll be transformed through that same power, so that will be able to actually see His glory. I have to receive that by faith, I don't know, I don't understand, I can't comprehend what that will be like. But, from what God tells me, from what the Lord says, it's got to be very, very good. This is the one thing that's worth looking forward to.
I was thinking about this from the perspective of the Lord's disciples, from the apostles perspective. And not just the disciples who became the apostles, but others who were very close to Jesus while on this earth. We’ve talked about this before, but I continue to really be intrigued by this fact. These people knew the son of God personally. They saw Him, they knew what He looked like, what His voice sounded like, the way He interacted and responded with people, they experienced that. And one of the things that strikes me as I contemplate that, is how desperately they wanted to keep being with Jesus and when Jesus left them they were beside themselves. This is what grieved the disciples, when Jesus said, “I'm going away” and the worst thing of all is that – “you can't come, not now” Go back to John chapter 13, you recall that Jesus speaks of these things. Peter says to the Lord in verse 36 – “where are you going?” He demands to know. “where you going?” and Jesus says, “where I go you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow later” Now look at Peter's response, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.” I realize we look at this and we say wow, this guy so impulsive. He doesn't understand what this involves, but I will say this - Peter knew the joy of being in the presence of Christ, and he did not want to lose that, that grieved his heart.
There's a purity in his response here, in that – why can I not go with you now? I'm ready, I don't care what it means. If it means I die, so be it. Peter lost sight of that, being surrounded by the Lord's opponents after the Lord was arrested, but I want you to contemplate what it must've been like to have known Jesus personally. So that and immediately following this interaction between Peter and Jesus, we find these words from the Lord, - “let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so I would've told you, for I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again” - notice these words – “and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” That's the comfort.
We are so enamored with the idea of these wonderful dwelling places that are awaiting us – “I’ve got a Mansion” – and that's great, it's a wonderful thing, but this is what matters right here, it’s not the mansion. “I will come again, and I'll receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” This is the Lord's prayer to the Father in this 24th verse, “I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am.” One of the chief reasons - I'm convinced of this - one of the chief reasons the Lord's followers have been so committed over the centuries, even in the face of extreme hardship and even martyrdom - It is the vivid expectation of being eternally in the very presence of the Lord of glory.
Wouldn’t you have loved to have been there, in some respects, it would've been a terrible scene, but once you have loved to have seen the look on the face of Stephen as the crowd is about ready to put him to death. Verse 55, Acts 7 – “but being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven, and he saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” There’s his expectation he sees it. Can you imagine what his face must've looked like? This is what is set before the apostles as they are looking ahead. You go through the New Testament epistles and you see this concept in their lives. I give you a couple of examples of this - second Corinthians chapter 5 verse eight, “we are of good courage, I say and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” Paul says, this is what I would really, this is where I want to be. What does Paul say there in Philippians chapter 1 - “for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh. This will mean fruitful labor for me and I do not know which to choose, but I am hard pressed from both directions. Having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better.” Isn’t that a wonderful perspective? Is that our, is that my perspective today? Is that your perspective? This would be very much better to be with Jesus.
Peter encourages the saints that very same passage we looked at a few moments ago, going on in the passage in verse six – “in this you greatly rejoice,” - that is in this inheritance that will not fade away that's been reserved in heaven for us – “in this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials that the proof of your faith be more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” What we’re looking forward to is not all the different things that we can think about that make it sound like life would really be good in heaven, we’re looking forward to Christ. The revelation of our Savior. He goes on, he says, - “though, you've not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” The anticipation of being with Christ.
In first Thessalonians, Paul encourages the saints by reminding them of this great truth. He says in verse 17, of first Thessalonians 4 – “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” It doesn't get better than that, it just doesn't. “Therefore, comfort one another with these words.” I trust that we comfort one another more and more with these words, one day, we’re going to be together, you and I, with the Lord forever, always. Never ending pure fellowship. You and I experiencing and observing the glory as Jesus speaks of it here, His glory which the Father has given Him, His desire is that we experience that glory. We are going to be partakers of that glory. Recall that passage there in second Thessalonians 2:14 - this is the reason we been called - that we might gain the glory of Christ, the glory of Christ.
We need to ask ourselves this morning, to what extent is this expectation really influencing and effecting us? I think we honestly need to ask that question. One of the greatest hindrances to a committed and vivid expectation of this glory is the extent to which we are making ourselves comfortable in this life. I want to ask you this question this morning - when have more people been more able to make themselves more comfortable in this dysfunctional and dying world than in this present age, and place? When? I can't imagine a time when people have had the opportunity, when more people had more of an opportunity to make themselves comfortable here, in the here and the now and it diminishes a vivid expectation in our minds of being with Christ. All this stuff is cluttering our up our lives. We like it, we enjoy it. It’s pretty neat, these things that we can have that make our lives better. I'm not saying that the things themselves are wrong, in and of themselves are wrong. My point is this - where is our expectation? where our minds set? Are our minds set on the things above, where Christ is, or are we just too caught up in what's here, in the here and the now to be really devoted and committed to Christ? As we anxiously look forward to an expected - not many days from now - I'm going to see Him, I'm to be with Him, always, forever.
We have been granted by the matchless grace of our Lord and our Savior, a genuine expectation of unimaginable proportions. We’re going to be with Jesus, the One who has loved us to the uttermost. We’re going to bask in the perfections of His infinite glory for ever and ever. What a special joy this ought to bring to our hearts. “Christ in you,” Paul says there in Colossians 1, “the hope of glory.” Christ in me means that I have a hope, I have a confident expectation of glory, to be in Christ is to recognize that the things of this world, the problems, the trials, all the things that I face are nothing. Nothing, in comparison to what's coming. Paul says there in Romans 8:18 – “for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” You know, even the Old Testament saints had a view of this, not to the extent that we are able to. One of my favorite portions in all of God's word is that last verse in the 16th psalm. Are any of you familiar with that? “In Your presence - is what? - fullness of joy! At Your right hand are pleasures forever.” It’s one of the last verses I remember just going over together with my uncle Dick when he was still fairly sound of mind. He quoted that verse. We actually all the sudden we quoted it together. fullness of joy, pleasures forever.
I just ask you, in closing this morning, in light of this, what kind of lives should you and I live today and this week, and in the days, we have left? What kind of people should we be? Do we have our eyes on the prize or are we just so entangled with all this junk that's all passing away, that we just can't get, catch a good vivid glimpse of what's coming - being with the Lord. I trust that God will grant us grace to really begin to ponder the glory of our Savior, and what it'll be like to be with Him. Let’s bow together.
We've, of course, been focusing our attention of late on the final portion of the Lord's prayer the Father. This portion of His prayer regarding the matter of, this matter of unity among those who belong to the Lord. Jesus speaks much of this and we’ve tried to take at least some time in considering it. We've noted that the Lord is anticipating from the synoptic Gospels, we know that the Lord is anticipating the agony of the cross. John gives to us a view where whereby Jesus is anticipating the resulting glory of the cross, He lifts His eyes to the Father there in that first verse and He says, “Father, the hour has come, glorify Thy Son that the Son may glorify Thee.”
Jesus is praying expectantly towards the end of this prayer, that those who come to believe in Him will be one - that we will be perfected in unity. We've noted that this is not something we can produce through our own efforts or zeal. The unity Jesus is praying for cannot be simulated, cannot be stimulated by the flesh, or in the flesh. It is to be preserved. It is to be pursued by His followers, but you and I cannot produce it. What Jesus describes here as He prays to the Father goes well beyond a coerced conformity or a superficial fellowship. It's a unique closeness, as we have been looking at it. It is an essential unity. Involves the very core of our being.
We noted this, we have looked at this unity under three specific headings. First of all - we notice that it is a unity that is patterned on the unity between the Father and the Son. As Jesus says in the 21st verse, “that they may all be one, even as Thou, Father, art in Me and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us.” Secondly, we observed that this unity is realized in a shared glory, shared glory from Christ. Verse 22, “and the glory which Thou hast given Me, I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are One.” Thirdly, we noticed last time that this essential oneness is grounded in the love of God. Jesus says in verse 23, “I in them, Thou in me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me and didst love them even as Thou didst love Me.” And then we noticed also the 26th verse, “and I have made Thy name known to them and will make it known, that the love wherewith Thou didst love Me may be in them, and I in them.”
This matter of unity in the body of Christ is of the greatest significance. As we have noted early on, Jesus says, notice verse 21, again I remind you – “that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me.” Verse 23 – “that the world may know that Thou didst send Me.” This unity is extremely important in confirming the work, the teaching, the claims, the person of Christ. And so, it is something that we cannot afford to be careless about.
Today we want to look at one final statement of our Lord in His prayer to the Father. We really already mentioned this in passing, but, fairly briefly, but I believe this morning that it is a statement that deserves serious attention in and of itself. I want you to notice with me the beginning statement in the 24th verse – “Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, in order that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me, for Thou didst love Me before the foundation of the world.” We've already noted, as I said earlier that we are united in a shared glory. One of the areas of that glory, we talked about the fact that we share in glory in sanctification and sufferings, but also in expectation. We are united in our expectation of glory. It seems to me that we need to consider that expectation carefully so that we may be of one mind as we should, together, if you will, and a blessed hope. Hope has a huge impact on the way we live, doesn't it? Huge impact on our whole outlook and perspective.
I don't know if you've ever noticed, I'm sure you have, the cavalier, the even sinister worldly mindset that so easily creeps into people's perception of heaven. People will talk about what they perceive heaven to be, they'll talk about how they're going to be playing some particular sport, they’ll talk about their loved ones - must be up there enjoying some good great fishing. I noticed in the paper the other day someone, it was said of this woman, as she died, that when she died she went to heaven and was able to immediately enjoy a martini with her favorite friend. All these different things that you see people say. But beware, we even as Christians get caught up in this. I've heard Christians even in the past year say some things about heaven that I'm not quite sure where they come from, except the flesh.
This matter of a proper perception of heaven could not be more important. We need to be careful about it and even in the most practical ways it's important. Expectation greatly affects participation. It greatly affects our attitude, our perspective, our whole outlook on life and what matters most to us, what we commit ourselves to and why we commit ourselves to it. What is our genuine expectation?
One of the things that is certain, and it's something we don't like to think about often. But every one of us, unless the Lord returns for us first, we’re going to soon be gone from this world. Every single one of us. Might be cancer, might be heart failure, might be some particular disease, one thing or another, an aneurysm, could be an accident, could be the result of violence, homicide, terrorism, whatever. In one of these particular ways every one of us will soon leave this world. We’re going to leave this life behind and it won't be long. So, the tendency, of course, for the world is to wonder, what in the world is all this for? What does it really matter? What good is it all? How do I make sense of it all?
One of the things that I think we need to acknowledge, honestly, before the Lord is that even as saints, we can at times get caught up in a sense of futility. What, is it really worth it? We’re here for such a short time. Anything can happen and then it's gone. This is especially true, it seems to me, in the present place and age when the cares and the comforts of this life are in grotesque abundance. It seems to me that this is a matter we need to be more focused on, even as Christians we can get to the point of being very vague about the final outcome that is awaiting us, when this life is soon over. One of the things that encourages me greatly. I'm sure it does you as well, it is the fact that Jesus is not vague about heaven. I think sometimes our perception is that He is. He's clear about it. He isn't obscure. He's not nebulous about where His saving love is ultimately leading us. The problem is that we have not paid attention to what the Lord has revealed to us over and above the natural inclination to speculate and to fantasize, according to the flesh, about what our expectations might be.
As we look more closely at what Jesus is saying here, I trust that we can begin to see a little more clearly the glory that is waiting for us and that that glory – the glory Jesus speaks of, is infinitely greater than anything we could ever have come up with on our own. What can we learn from our Lord in regard to what is waiting for saints in this life is over, from this statement that Jesus makes here in the 24th verse? There are three specific things that I just want to draw your attention to briefly this morning.
The first thing that I want to draw your attention to and that is - that there is a divine plan for our eternal destiny. There's a divine plan for our eternal destiny. Eternity is not open for discussion, it’s not open to conjecture, it's not waiting to develop, it's not whatever we may think that we want it to be at any given point in time. It's not subject to any human or temporal variable whatsoever. There's a divine plan for our eternal destiny it is our Creator and our Redeemer who has determined what heaven will be like. It’s not up to us to determine what heaven will be like – man am I thankful for that, the more I think about it. Heaven is His eternal dominion. There will be no good in existence apart from His kingdom. And God alone is able to make us worthy of His eternal kingdom. I remind you of that passage that we've looked at many times in Revelation chapter 5, as they sang a new song in praise of the Lamb of God – “worthy art Thou to take the book and to break its seals, for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God and they will reign upon the earth.”
God alone is able to make us worthy to be in His kingdom. Our personal and eternal destiny is not up to us to acquire, to secure or to maintain. I remind you of the passage that I trust is very precious to many of us, in first Peter chapter 1 verse three, beginning with verse three – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Every once in a while, I'm sure there are couples who will be talking amongst themselves as their planning for some very important function and then one of the husband’s might say to the wife – “You did make reservations for that, right”? and all of a sudden there is sort of panic. The wife says, “I thought you made those reservations.” Heaven is not like that. Almighty God has made our reservations. That passage is to be of greatest comfort when I think about it. We have been caused to be born again to a living hope to the resurrection of Christ, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, will not fade away, reserved in heaven reserved for us. That makes it certain way beyond even the shadow of a doubt. Reserved by God. Our Lord's prayer here in John 17, is in perfect harmony with the Father's gracious will for our portion in His eternal kingdom. “Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am”. As comfort in the midst of great difficulty, Jesus assures us that He has made more than adequate preparations for our eternal home. You recall what Jesus said to His disciples not long before this, earlier on in the in the upper room discourse. “Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, for I go to prepare a place for you.” What assurance! Certainty, a comfort to God's people. God Himself, has planned, has prepared for our eternal destiny.
The second thing that I want to notice in this passage, and that is that our eternal destiny will be the fulfillment of our Lord's genuine desire. Notice how Jesus puts this. I find it to be a fascinating thing. Those first two, or the second and third word, “Father, I desire”, I desire. One of the things that I think gets us in so much trouble when it comes to looking ahead, and our expectations of heaven is - we have the strong inclination toward seeing heaven as the fulfillment of our own desires. Our own fleshly desires. We see the fulfillment of them as being – well, that's what surely what heaven must be like. it's gotta be what I would perceive to be the greatest, the best, the most fulfilling, the most enjoyable. Nothing could be more distorted and disappointing in the end. How many times have you and I got exactly what we wanted and been fully satisfied with it, over any length of time? What in our earthly experience would give us confidence in the ultimate eternal satisfaction of our own desires being granted or been realized heaven? What in our earthly experience would direct us to think in this way?
I want you to consider just with me this morning in a very basic way, consider the worthiness of the genuine desire of the Lord of glory. The things that I desire, the things that you and I desire in the flesh, are not really worth much. And if we were to look back and if each of us took even just a little while, contemplated all the things that we really wanted badly over our lifetimes. It can be pretty embarrassing. Very disappointing. How fickle we are. The things that we think we want, the things that we just think are so important. I’m not saying it’s true of everything, every desire we have, but for the most part it is. We don't look at things in terms of their real value. God does. This is the desire of the Lord's heart. I just find that to be so encouraging. It’s fascinating in many respects. Heaven is going to be made up of what our Lord has desired. “Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou has given me, be with me.” Heaven will be the fruition of the eternal longing of the Lamb of God.
In second Timothy that very first chapter and the ninth verse we’re given that eternal perspective – “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.” The desire of our Lord's heart as He prays to the Father is not something new, it’s not something novel, it's not something that has just come to the Lord's mind. This is where this has been heading. This is where this is been leading before the foundation of the earth, from eternity past. So, heaven will be the fruition of the longing of the son of God. I desire. “Father, I desire that they whom You given me, be with Me”
So, these two things, very basic things, but I trust encouraging things to begin with. There's a divine plan for our eternal destiny. Secondly, our eternal destiny will be the fulfillment of the Lord's desire. Not the fulfillment of all the fleshly desires and all the thoughts and fantasies that come to our minds about what heaven should be like, or what we think would be really neat in heaven. It will be the fulfillment of the desire, the pure desires of Christ.
One last thing that I want to look at this morning and this to me is the focus, and I would just trust that the Lord would impress this upon our hearts in a new way this morning. The highest thing that we can look forward to, the very highlight of heaven is this one thing - it is to be with Jesus. It’s to be with Jesus. I have over time going to lots of visitations and funerals and so on and so forth, as you get older you go to more of them. But this is one of the things that has disappointed me, many times. I do, I do look forward to being reunited with some of my loved ones, who have gone before. I sure do. But, you know what? I should be longing more, looking forward more than that, by far, to this one fact that I'm going to be with the Lord. I don't know what it's like to be with the Lord in this sense. That's one of things, that makes it difficult for me, for you and I, we haven't seen Jesus, we didn't walk with Him and talk with Him. We haven't experienced in our fleshly realm, the wonder, the glory of the Eternal Word made flesh, tabernacling among us.
It's our woefully inadequate perspective of Jesus that many times keeps us from seeing the fullness of joy to be experienced in His eternal presence. Of course, there's also the inconceivable, from our perspective, the inconceivable hindrance of these frail bodies that cannot possibly behold the exceptional glory of Christ, while we’re still in this realm. You recall on the Mount of Transfiguration that Peter and James and John caught a glimpse of the glory of Christ, and just a glimpse of it was really, it undid them Peter just says something he doesn't even make sense, what he says. He’s beside himself to catch a glimpse of our Lord's glory. There's a day coming when we’re going to be changed and it’s the only way we’re going to be able to see His glory. I was thinking of this in Philippians chapter 3, the last two verses – “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly await for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” That's what heaven is about, for you and I, and if it's not our expectation is screwed up, to put it bluntly. “Who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” That's what you and I are looking forward to, the day when we’ll be transformed through that same power, so that will be able to actually see His glory. I have to receive that by faith, I don't know, I don't understand, I can't comprehend what that will be like. But, from what God tells me, from what the Lord says, it's got to be very, very good. This is the one thing that's worth looking forward to.
I was thinking about this from the perspective of the Lord's disciples, from the apostles perspective. And not just the disciples who became the apostles, but others who were very close to Jesus while on this earth. We’ve talked about this before, but I continue to really be intrigued by this fact. These people knew the son of God personally. They saw Him, they knew what He looked like, what His voice sounded like, the way He interacted and responded with people, they experienced that. And one of the things that strikes me as I contemplate that, is how desperately they wanted to keep being with Jesus and when Jesus left them they were beside themselves. This is what grieved the disciples, when Jesus said, “I'm going away” and the worst thing of all is that – “you can't come, not now” Go back to John chapter 13, you recall that Jesus speaks of these things. Peter says to the Lord in verse 36 – “where are you going?” He demands to know. “where you going?” and Jesus says, “where I go you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow later” Now look at Peter's response, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.” I realize we look at this and we say wow, this guy so impulsive. He doesn't understand what this involves, but I will say this - Peter knew the joy of being in the presence of Christ, and he did not want to lose that, that grieved his heart.
There's a purity in his response here, in that – why can I not go with you now? I'm ready, I don't care what it means. If it means I die, so be it. Peter lost sight of that, being surrounded by the Lord's opponents after the Lord was arrested, but I want you to contemplate what it must've been like to have known Jesus personally. So that and immediately following this interaction between Peter and Jesus, we find these words from the Lord, - “let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so I would've told you, for I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again” - notice these words – “and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” That's the comfort.
We are so enamored with the idea of these wonderful dwelling places that are awaiting us – “I’ve got a Mansion” – and that's great, it's a wonderful thing, but this is what matters right here, it’s not the mansion. “I will come again, and I'll receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” This is the Lord's prayer to the Father in this 24th verse, “I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am.” One of the chief reasons - I'm convinced of this - one of the chief reasons the Lord's followers have been so committed over the centuries, even in the face of extreme hardship and even martyrdom - It is the vivid expectation of being eternally in the very presence of the Lord of glory.
Wouldn’t you have loved to have been there, in some respects, it would've been a terrible scene, but once you have loved to have seen the look on the face of Stephen as the crowd is about ready to put him to death. Verse 55, Acts 7 – “but being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven, and he saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” There’s his expectation he sees it. Can you imagine what his face must've looked like? This is what is set before the apostles as they are looking ahead. You go through the New Testament epistles and you see this concept in their lives. I give you a couple of examples of this - second Corinthians chapter 5 verse eight, “we are of good courage, I say and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” Paul says, this is what I would really, this is where I want to be. What does Paul say there in Philippians chapter 1 - “for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh. This will mean fruitful labor for me and I do not know which to choose, but I am hard pressed from both directions. Having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better.” Isn’t that a wonderful perspective? Is that our, is that my perspective today? Is that your perspective? This would be very much better to be with Jesus.
Peter encourages the saints that very same passage we looked at a few moments ago, going on in the passage in verse six – “in this you greatly rejoice,” - that is in this inheritance that will not fade away that's been reserved in heaven for us – “in this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials that the proof of your faith be more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” What we’re looking forward to is not all the different things that we can think about that make it sound like life would really be good in heaven, we’re looking forward to Christ. The revelation of our Savior. He goes on, he says, - “though, you've not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” The anticipation of being with Christ.
In first Thessalonians, Paul encourages the saints by reminding them of this great truth. He says in verse 17, of first Thessalonians 4 – “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” It doesn't get better than that, it just doesn't. “Therefore, comfort one another with these words.” I trust that we comfort one another more and more with these words, one day, we’re going to be together, you and I, with the Lord forever, always. Never ending pure fellowship. You and I experiencing and observing the glory as Jesus speaks of it here, His glory which the Father has given Him, His desire is that we experience that glory. We are going to be partakers of that glory. Recall that passage there in second Thessalonians 2:14 - this is the reason we been called - that we might gain the glory of Christ, the glory of Christ.
We need to ask ourselves this morning, to what extent is this expectation really influencing and effecting us? I think we honestly need to ask that question. One of the greatest hindrances to a committed and vivid expectation of this glory is the extent to which we are making ourselves comfortable in this life. I want to ask you this question this morning - when have more people been more able to make themselves more comfortable in this dysfunctional and dying world than in this present age, and place? When? I can't imagine a time when people have had the opportunity, when more people had more of an opportunity to make themselves comfortable here, in the here and the now and it diminishes a vivid expectation in our minds of being with Christ. All this stuff is cluttering our up our lives. We like it, we enjoy it. It’s pretty neat, these things that we can have that make our lives better. I'm not saying that the things themselves are wrong, in and of themselves are wrong. My point is this - where is our expectation? where our minds set? Are our minds set on the things above, where Christ is, or are we just too caught up in what's here, in the here and the now to be really devoted and committed to Christ? As we anxiously look forward to an expected - not many days from now - I'm going to see Him, I'm to be with Him, always, forever.
We have been granted by the matchless grace of our Lord and our Savior, a genuine expectation of unimaginable proportions. We’re going to be with Jesus, the One who has loved us to the uttermost. We’re going to bask in the perfections of His infinite glory for ever and ever. What a special joy this ought to bring to our hearts. “Christ in you,” Paul says there in Colossians 1, “the hope of glory.” Christ in me means that I have a hope, I have a confident expectation of glory, to be in Christ is to recognize that the things of this world, the problems, the trials, all the things that I face are nothing. Nothing, in comparison to what's coming. Paul says there in Romans 8:18 – “for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” You know, even the Old Testament saints had a view of this, not to the extent that we are able to. One of my favorite portions in all of God's word is that last verse in the 16th psalm. Are any of you familiar with that? “In Your presence - is what? - fullness of joy! At Your right hand are pleasures forever.” It’s one of the last verses I remember just going over together with my uncle Dick when he was still fairly sound of mind. He quoted that verse. We actually all the sudden we quoted it together. fullness of joy, pleasures forever.
I just ask you, in closing this morning, in light of this, what kind of lives should you and I live today and this week, and in the days, we have left? What kind of people should we be? Do we have our eyes on the prize or are we just so entangled with all this junk that's all passing away, that we just can't get, catch a good vivid glimpse of what's coming - being with the Lord. I trust that God will grant us grace to really begin to ponder the glory of our Savior, and what it'll be like to be with Him. Let’s bow together.
