Unity and Glory
John 17:20-26, Remsen Bible Fellowship, 05/24/2020
Introduction, v20
For the past two weeks, in v6-19, we heard Jesus praying for his disciples. The argument I made in those sermons, though, was that those prayers didn’t merely apply to the original 11, but that they had implications for us in the 21st century. But today, I don’t have to make that argument. Jesus does. Look at verse 20, I do not ask for these [the 11] only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word. Do you believe in Jesus this morning? Do you believe that he came from the Father, lived a perfect life, died a substitutionary death for you, and rose again promising life to all who trust in him? If you believe this message, preached by the apostles and recorded in the Scriptures, if you believe in this Jesus, then listen up. Because we’re about to read his prayer for you.
Read the text.
I think it’s useful to note at the outset this simple fact: Jesus is praying for us. Last week we read Hebrews 7:25 which says, he always lives to make intercession for them [believers]. What is most important in your life? What do you most need? We could each come up with lists to answer those questions. But here, our Lord tells us what he thinks are two fundamental needs: Unity and Glory.
Point 1: Unity, v21-23
The first need we are met with is this: the need for unity. This might strike us as strange. Shouldn’t he be praying for believers to have power in their fight against sin, boldness in their gospel witness, or something important sounding like that? Unity, however, is where Jesus fixes his gaze. First, we’ll see what Jesus means by unity; second, we’ll find out where unity comes from; then we’ll find out why it’s a priority for Jesus. He’ll answer our question of why pray for unity?
A- What kind of unity?
Unity modeled on the unity of the Godhead, v21
Unity in diversity. Not Sameness.
Think marriage-Andie and I have nothing in common, except oreos.
This also points to the objective, real, presence of our unity, whether we see it in a particular moment or not. We are one body (1 Corinthians 12:27)
There objective and universal sense in which all who are in Christ are in one another, thus I am one with Paul, and John Calvin, and Corrie Ten Boom, brothers and sisters right now who live on opposite ends of the globe. We have one Lord, we are one body.
One visible to the world, v21
But is that union across time and space visible? No.
Jesus seems clearly to indicate the world can see this unity.
Is this Jesus praying against denominations, any sort of schism or difference? I don’t think so. Remember, true unity comes from our submission to this book, and differences on what this teaches should lead to distinct expressions of Christians trying to be faithful.
Frankly, for all the hand-wringing over denoms etc, I think it’s clear that the sort of disunity that besmirches the name of Christ is local church disunity. Philippians 4:2-3
We experience the invisible reality of Christian unity through our attachment to the visible local church.
B- Where does the unity come from?
Common belief, v20
What defines a believer in Jesus’ mind? Someone who comes to him through the word.
There is no Christian unity that does not begin with unity around the Word of God and the Son of God.
Other commonalities don’t matter. Race, political party, cultural background, hobbies, are all trivial in comparison to the commonality in Christ, cf. Revelation 7:9-12
“Christ is the center of Christianity. All else is circumference.” John Stott, Basic Christianity
Common Glory, v22
Precisely what Jesus means here is very much in question.
I take him to mean the Holy Spirit, whom the Father gave to the Son while ministering on earth (Mark 1:10), and whom the Son gives to all who believe in him (John 1:33, 14:16-17)
The Spirit’s presence in us empowers the type of otherworldly love and humility required to maintain unity. Ephesians 4:1-3
C- What’s the unity for?
That the world may know, v23
That God sent Jesus.
Jesus is vindicated in his people; cf John 18:36-38. The truth is seen when Jesus’ people are changed and live according to another world’s values.
That God loves his people to the max.
This is a jaw dropping claim, that God loves his people in the same manner in which he loves his Son. We could linger on this thought for days. But the point Jesus is making is this: the world knows this because of our unity. Cf John 13:35
That the world may believe, v21
Our love is an apologetic that by no means replaces, but serves to verify, the proclamation of the message.
Our unity has a purpose beyond us: it is a unity for the world.
Summary: Jesus wants us to be unified. He has given a real unity to all believers in the presence of the Spirit in our lives, he helps us to experience this tangibly through our participation in the unified life of the local church, which will not only be to personal benefit, but will serve as a winsome witness to the Gospel of grace.
Point 2: Glory, v24-26a
We’ve seen that when Jesus desires our unity, he has a point in mind. That point is a unified witness to the world that God has sent his Son and in doing so has poured out his love on all who will trust Jesus. But even that witness, that desire for the world to know, has itself a further goal in mind; a telos, and end point. And we see that unfolded in the closing verses of this chapter.
As a believer, you have been destined to witness the eternal glory of the Son, and to be transformed by that vision.
A- A Future Gift
Jesus desires that his people be with him, v24
What does it mean to be with Christ? There is a sense (Philippians 1:23) in which all believers depart to be with Christ at death. But I think the primary reference is to 14:2-3, the future Second Coming, where he receives all of his own to himself.
Jesus desires that his people see his glory, v24
Remember in v5, he asks for the restoration of that glory
Notice the difference between the Old Covenant and the New. In Exodus 33:18 Moses asks God, show me your glory. God says no and only lets him see the “hind parts” of his glory, which still results in Moses having to veil his face from the people. Here Jesus asks, show them my glory. And the answer is 12:28
What makes heaven heaven? Is it the reunion with loved ones, the streets of gold, the absence of suffering? These things will be wonderful, but what matters most is the presence of God with his people. He will tabernacle, dwell, among us. And we will behold the glory of the Son in all his fullness.
B- The Purpose of Salvation
Even now, though the fullness of this gift is yet to be received, our lives as believers should be built around our seeing and knowing the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
We’ve been saved by the mediation of glory through the word (1 Peter 1:21ff)
And this, v25, is what sets us apart from the world. The world doesn’t know the Father. Jesus does. We’re identified with Jesus, we share in his knowledge of the Father, because we have received what he has said in his word. 14:6
This sight of glory is the very thing which fuels our growth as believers. What we need aren’t more tips on how to be nicer or a new set of rules to live by. We need to see more of Jesus and be transformed by what we see. V26a
This is a future promise in terms of its final fulfilment (1 John 3:2), but it is also a present and progressive reality in the life of every believer (2 Corinthians 3:18)
The revelation of God’s name is his character, his likeness. Where do we behold this? The Word of God is where we meet the Father through the Son until the day when we see him face to face. (1 Corinthians 13:12)
Conclusion, v26b
Where do we experience both of these realities, the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and the growing vision of the glory of Christ, in one place? In the local church. When we walk in unified love , having our lives shaped and formed not simply by private time with God (important though that is), but by our shared life in him. His love is poured out through you into his people, and his love is poured out through his people into you. His love is in us. He is in us.
2 Corinthians 4:6, For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.