The Unveiled Glory: What Jesus’ Prayer Reveals About Our Salvation

[00:00:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
The prophets told it long before When the angels said it once again There will be a child born Who will say the longing hearts of men He will have a holy name For he is Jehovah's only son The righteous one
[00:01:08] Call Him Jesus, Savior, Prince of Peace Call Him Jesus, He will come to set His people free Call Him Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father
[00:01:34] Call Him Jesus, Jesus, Christ the King Call Him Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus Oh, what a wonderful child Jesus, Jesus, so lowly
[00:02:08] The joy he brings won't you listen to the angels sing Glory, glory, glory to the new born King Jesus, Jesus, oh what a wonderful child Jesus, Jesus, so lowly
[00:02:39] Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
[00:03:04] Jesus, call him Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus Glory, glory, glory to the newborn King

[00:03:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Good morning.
[00:03:41] Let's go ahead and continue our worship with our opening hymn this morning.
[00:03:45] You're going to want to grab your hymnal and turn to hymn page 258.
[00:03:50] Hymn 258, Go Tell It on the Mountain.
[00:03:55] Let's stand together as we worship here in this place this morning.

[00:04:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
of Christ Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
[00:04:36] There shone a holy light Go tell it on the mountain Over the hills and everywhere Go tell it on the mountain That Jesus Christ is born The shepherds flee and trample
[00:05:12] Let us sing the angel chorus and hail our Savior's birth.
[00:05:33] Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere.
[00:05:34] Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus
[00:05:44] Christ was born and brought us God's salvation, that blessed Christmas morn.
[00:06:11] Well, good morning.

[00:06:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
It is great to see you here in the house of the Lord on this beautiful December Sunday morning as we've gathered to lift up our voices and praise the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:06:38] And we want to welcome each of you here into the house this morning as we join our hearts together.
[00:06:45] In fact, if you're visiting with us today, we want to bid you a warm welcome in the name of the Lord and on behalf of
[00:06:50] of the Trinity Baptist Family.
[00:06:51] In fact, our deacons have some gift bags that they would love to put in the hands of those of you who are visiting with us this morning.
[00:06:57] They're going to pass those to you.
[00:07:00] There are some things in there we want you to take home that'll help you remember your visit here with us at Trinity this morning.
[00:07:05] And then there's a guest card
[00:07:07] that we want you to take a moment and fill out leave that with us this morning you can drop it in the offering plate when it comes by a little bit later give us an opportunity to know of your visit here with us this morning and we're excited that you're here so if you are visiting lift your hand about like this if you will as they make their way down the aisle and hold your hand up high enough and long enough for them to spot you and they'll slip this into your hands and if you're joining us via live stream this morning we welcome you into the sanctuary of Trinity Baptist Church in Mooresville, North Carolina
[00:07:36] and are thankful that you've chosen to be a part of what God is doing here in our midst this morning and we want to invite you to participate in every aspect of the service when we sing we invite you to sing along with us when we pray we invite you to go to God's throne in prayer with us and then when we open God's word in a little bit we hope you'll grab a copy of the bible follow along with us and just let God's word
[00:08:00] Just do a work in your heart that only He can do to get to you today.
[00:08:05] So again, we are thankful that you're here with us.
[00:08:07] Now, I'm going to give you a hint today.
[00:08:09] It's kind of turned in this morning to another throwback Sunday.
[00:08:13] The computers crashed a little while ago.
[00:08:17] I've accused Chase of sabotaging them, so we have to use the inbox.
[00:08:20] and so I don't know if that's indeed the case but nevertheless they have crashed this morning so it's going to be all old school so you're going to have to actually follow along in the scriptures so we have bibles in the pew where you'll follow along you're going to use the hymn books to follow along when we sing and so every aspect of it today
[00:08:40] Even when you take notes, you're going to have to actually listen this morning rather than just print them off of the screens when you see them there.
[00:08:50] So this is great practice.
[00:08:52] It's the Christmas season.
[00:08:54] And we're going to invite you to do that this morning as we join our hearts together.
[00:08:58] So let's pray if we will.
[00:09:01] Lord, thank you again for just allowing us to be in your house today.
[00:09:05] Thank you for the opportunity to truly join our hearts together.
[00:09:11] Tell you that we love you just to worship you in spirit and in truth to offer our thanks and our gratitude for the many many ways that that Lord you sustain us you strengthen us when we're weak you hold us up when we're hurting Father you make us more like you each day as we surrender our lives to you so Lord our hearts are drawn here today
[00:09:39] Just to tell you that we love you and we thank you for being so faithful.
[00:09:46] And Father, we've also come because we want to grow to be more like you.
[00:09:50] We want to let your word just come alive in our own hearts today.
[00:09:56] Lord, I pray that you would just speak through every aspect of this service
[00:10:02] Lord, that when we do lift our voices in song and sing the hymns of the faith, that those words will be more than just words on a page or more than just words coming out of our mouths.
[00:10:14] They will truly bring honor and glory to you.
[00:10:18] The very God of creation.
[00:10:21] And so Lord, I just ask you to just guide this service, every aspect of it.
[00:10:26] And Lord, we just brought ourselves here today because we just want to worship you in spirit and in truth.
[00:10:34] And that's what we do.
[00:10:35] For it's in the mighty name of Jesus that we lift this prayer.
[00:10:39] And all God's people said, Amen.
[00:10:41] Amen.
[00:10:42] Listen, if you have preschoolers with you from preschool actually up through third grade children, we want to invite you to let them come and join us here at the front to my right and your left.
[00:10:52] Ms. Terry is going to meet them there and she'll welcome them to Children's Church and we look forward to them joining us there.
[00:10:59] Would you stand to your feet right now and turn around and shake a few hands, hug a few necks, meet some folks here today and just greet one another.

[00:12:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Go ahead and be seated.
[00:12:06] Go ahead and be seated.
[00:12:07] We're going to go ahead and do our Advent reading.
[00:12:10] So if you'll go ahead and be seated.

[00:12:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
At this time, we do have Shirley and Fay, and they're going to lead us in our Advent reading for this morning, and then we'll continue our worship.
[00:12:28] Shirley, Fay?

[00:13:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
On this second Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of peace because Jesus is the Prince of Peace, the only person who can give peace in this life and for all eternity.
[00:13:20] Let's read Ephesians 2 verses 14 through 18.
[00:13:26] For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one, and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall, of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations.
[00:13:43] His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body
[00:13:53] Let us pray.

[00:14:19] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
O Most Holy Heavenly Father, King Jesus our Savior, Holy Spirit our Comforter, we come to you with humble hearts this morning, thanking you for your love and mercy, your forgiveness and your peace.
[00:14:38] Thank you for your presence, your assurance, and strength as you guide us through this messy life.
[00:14:47] You promised you will provide for us to live with you always in heaven.
[00:14:52] We pray that all might know you before your return.
[00:14:56] But even so, Lord, come quickly.
[00:14:59] Amen.

[00:15:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Let's go ahead and continue our worship.
[00:15:05] We're going to open up our hymnals to hymn number 251.
[00:15:08] Hymn 251, It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.
[00:15:11] Let's stand together as we sing.

[00:15:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
From angels hymning near the earth To dust their hearts of gold Peace on the earth will build
[00:15:59] The world in solemn stillness led to hear the angels sing.
[00:16:22] Still through the golden skies they come with peaceful wings unfurled, and still their heads
[00:16:29] of Christ Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
[00:17:07] Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy
[00:17:28] Proverbs, Galatians, Galatians
[00:17:43] Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy

[00:18:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Go ahead and flip over to Hymn 267.
[00:18:14] I heard the bells on Christmas Day.
[00:18:17] Hymn 267.

[00:18:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
Let us pray.
[00:18:45] Let us pray.
[00:18:45] Let us pray.
[00:18:56] The prism of Christendom, That corner of the broken psalm, Thou peace on earth could bring to them.
[00:19:21] And if they swear above thy head, There is no peace on earth, I say,
[00:19:25] God is God and your God is still.
[00:19:44] The Lord is with you.
[00:20:09] Good morning church.

[00:20:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Welcome.
[00:20:38] We thank you for being here today, and those of you who are participating online, we welcome you and we thank you for your support.
[00:20:49] For those of you who are new to Trinity and its ministry, we ask you to continue to be with us and to lend your support by going to TrinityBaptistChurch.com.
[00:21:04] Let us pray.
[00:21:06] Lord, we gather here this day to give you thanks and to praise you for all the blessings that you have showered upon us.
[00:21:15] At this time, Lord, we bring our offerings to you with cheerful hearts and a gleeful spirit.
[00:21:23] We ask you to receive these gifts, Lord, for the betterment of your kingdom and to the glory of your holy name.
[00:21:31] We pray for the unity in the body of Christ, Lord, to give strength and guidance to his church.
[00:21:39] Let us, Lord, as a congregation, continue to reflect God's love in our community, support for one another as part of Trinity's mission with love, boldness, and willingness.
[00:21:56] Help us, dear Lord, that we listen
[00:21:59] God, the Holy Spirit, to grow us in faith and continue to lead us on the path of righteousness.
[00:22:09] Every day gets closer to the great and glorious day when we shall behold your glory and your majesty.
[00:22:20] Preserve us, dear Lord, for that day when you take us into your throne room in the Almighty.
[00:22:28] There we shall see our precious and dear Lord Jesus as the living manifestation of the invisible God, and we will dwell with him forever and ever.
[00:22:41] As we celebrate this Christmas season with joy, let there be peace on this earth.
[00:22:46] The message we are going to hear today gives us the security of our future.
[00:22:52] Bless Pastor Mark as he brings his message with love,
[00:22:58] Peace and Joy.
[00:23:00] In Jesus' mighty name we pray.
[00:23:04] Amen.

[00:23:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?

[00:23:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?

[00:23:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
has come to make you new this child that you delivered will soon deliver you
[00:23:59] Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to the blind man?
[00:24:07] Mary, did you know that your baby boy will calm the storm with his hand?
[00:24:19] Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
[00:24:27] And when you kissed your little baby
[00:24:28] You've kissed the face of God Oh Mary did you know

[00:24:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again.
[00:24:59] The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the Lord.

[00:25:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?

[00:25:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
Did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
[00:25:32] Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect one?

[00:25:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
This sleeping child you're holding is the Great I Am.

[00:26:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
Thank you for watching!

[00:26:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Thank you so much, praise team.
[00:26:25] Mary, did you know?
[00:26:26] What a great, great song, great testimony.
[00:26:29] Turn in your Bibles, if you will, to the Gospel of John.
[00:26:33] The Gospel of John is where we pick up this morning in our series.
[00:26:37] As we continue in the 17th chapter, it's where I'd like for you to find yourselves this morning turning to.
[00:26:43] And as you turn there, you know, when you read the New Testament, you cannot avoid the fact
[00:26:51] That Jesus Christ was a man of prayer.
[00:26:56] Amen?
[00:26:57] I mean, it really is very clear as you study the details of his life.
[00:27:01] At every point that there was a crucial turn in the life of our Lord Jesus, he prayed.
[00:27:12] In fact, if you've ever been around a person who really prays, you probably have never forgotten that experience.
[00:27:20] Because when you're in the presence of someone who knows how to pray intimately with the Lord, probably has left an impact on you.
[00:27:34] And that was certainly true of the disciples, the followers of Jesus during His earthly ministry.
[00:27:40] I mean, they heard Jesus preach and teach.
[00:27:42] I mean, you've got the Sermon on the Mount, you've got all of the things that He said, and that definitely impressed them, no question about that.
[00:27:49] They had not only heard Him preach, but they also saw Him do a lot of miracles, and that, no doubt, made quite an impression upon them.
[00:27:58] But when they came to Him, making one request,
[00:28:03] Remember what they said?
[00:28:05] Lord, teach us to pray.
[00:28:10] So obviously that says to me that there was something significant and lasting about hearing Jesus when he prayed.
[00:28:24] And when you look at how he prayed at major intervals, I think about his baptism.
[00:28:32] There he prayed.
[00:28:33] Think about before he selected his disciples.
[00:28:36] The Bible says he prayed.
[00:28:40] Many of the miracles, right before he performed them, he prayed.
[00:28:45] And then, of course, there was the Garden of Gethsemane.
[00:28:47] You know, in Gethsemane, he prayed like no one on earth has ever prayed.
[00:28:52] And the Bible says that he literally began to perspire drops of blood as he prayed.
[00:29:01] and even on the cross the Lord stopped long enough to pray.
[00:29:08] Now I tell you all of this because when you come to the 17th chapter of John which is where we find ourselves this morning it's as if the Holy Spirit is going to pull back the veil and allow us to step into the Holy of Holies where our Lord Jesus, our High Priest,
[00:29:32] is actually praying.
[00:29:35] John 17, I believe, I've heard other scholars say it, truly is one of the most powerful prayers, if not the greatest prayer, ever uttered on this earth.
[00:29:52] And it's the prayer of our Lord Jesus
[00:29:56] As he's coming to the completion of his earthly ministry and he's getting ready to leave the earth and to go back into heaven.
[00:30:06] There's several divisions that we're going to see over the next few weeks.
[00:30:09] One is here in verse 1 through 5 that we're going to discuss today.
[00:30:13] Jesus prays concerning himself.
[00:30:16] and then from verse 6 down through verse 19 Jesus prays concerning those disciples that were right there around in Peter James and John and and the others and then from verse 20 through 26 you're going to actually see how Jesus prays for his future believers and guess what that's you that's me
[00:30:38] So we're included here in John 17.
[00:30:42] And the prayer is an incredible sample.
[00:30:45] You read it and you just get a taste of the things that are very important to Jesus as He speaks to the Heavenly Father.
[00:30:53] I mean, you and I are allowed to listen in on a conversation between God the Son and God the Father.
[00:31:01] That's pretty cool.
[00:31:02] And not only is this prayer a great sample, it's also a great example because we're going to notice here in just a minute that Jesus is making reference to things that he has spoken from chapter 13 in the Gospel of John all the way up to now.
[00:31:20] And it says he lifted his eyes.
[00:31:24] In fact, let's stand, if you will, right now in honor of the reading of the Word of God.
[00:31:31] And we're going to read verse 1 through 5.
[00:31:33] If you have your copy of God's Word, I invite you to turn there to it.
[00:31:38] John 17, verse 1 through 5.
[00:31:42] Jesus spoke these words, lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour has come.
[00:31:53] Glorify your Son, that your Son also may glorify you, as you have given him authority over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him.
[00:32:08] And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
[00:32:20] I have glorified you on the earth,
[00:32:22] I've finished the work which you've given me to do and now oh father glorify me together with yourself with the glory which I had with you before the world was father we just ask you to speak to us as only your holy spirit can do father we look to you the very source of our strength
[00:32:52] The very source of our faith.
[00:32:55] Lord, we wait upon you.
[00:32:58] And I pray personally that you let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight.
[00:33:04] In Jesus' name I pray.
[00:33:07] Amen.
[00:33:08] You may be seated.
[00:33:10] So Jesus has really given us an example here.
[00:33:13] This is the Word of God and there is prayer.
[00:33:20] Now think about that for a minute.
[00:33:22] I really do hope that every one of you in this building this morning and every one of you listening to me through live stream or delayed broadcast, I really hope somewhere in your Christian life you have learned what it means to have a daily quiet time alone with God.
[00:33:39] Because it is so crucial.
[00:33:42] In fact, I think right here is the example.
[00:33:45] Right here, Jesus is giving us the example with the two essentials.
[00:33:49] I mean, you've got the Word of God, which is God speaking to you, and then you've got prayer, which is you speaking to God.
[00:33:58] And so that critical communication that must go on between a believer and the Heavenly Father and the importance of a quiet time.
[00:34:06] So Jesus has given us a great, great example here of what it means to commune with God.
[00:34:14] But we also find here a great picture of the kinds of things that Jesus is doing right now in heaven.
[00:34:22] You say, what do you mean, Mark?
[00:34:23] Well, you see, when he finished his work on earth, you'll recall he was resurrected the third day and he ascended back to heaven.
[00:34:32] And the Bible tells you and tells me that in that position He went to, He is our High Priest.
[00:34:42] That's why we don't have any priests on this earth.
[00:34:45] I'm not a priest as such that I would stand between you and God.
[00:34:51] In fact, the Bible says that every believer, every follower of Jesus Christ is a priest.
[00:34:57] That simply means that every single one of us, ladies and gentlemen, you have the ability and the right to God through Jesus Christ on your very own.
[00:35:09] You don't need any other man to somehow bring you to God.
[00:35:14] You come to God through your relationship with Jesus Christ.
[00:35:19] And that's critical that we understand that.
[00:35:22] And so here, our high priest is not on earth.
[00:35:26] Son, our high priest is in heaven.
[00:35:29] That's the reason Hebrews 7.25 says, He ever lives to make intercession for us.
[00:35:37] Isn't that awesome news?
[00:35:39] that every one of you who has genuinely been born again to know that you have a savior to know that right now he is in heaven and he is right now at the right hand of the father and he's praying for us so again what we're going to find here is jesus gives us this incredible sample he gives us an incredible example of prayer and then he gives us this picture
[00:36:06] and it's so important because it helps us to really grasp some key messages in this particular prayer as Jesus prays for himself in verse 1 through 5 and I think highlights
[00:36:24] Some incredible principles we need to understand about our salvation.
[00:36:29] So I want you to notice, go back to those first five verses that we just read and I want you to notice in those first five verses a word that keeps popping up.
[00:36:39] Is there a word that jumps out at you all the way through?
[00:36:44] I'll tell you what the word is.
[00:36:45] It's the word glory or some form of that word glory.
[00:36:51] Look at verse 1.
[00:36:52] Jesus spoke these words, lifted up his eyes to the heavens and said, Father, the hour has come.
[00:36:58] Glorify your Son that your Son may glorify you.
[00:37:04] And then look at verse 4.
[00:37:06] I have glorified you on the earth.
[00:37:08] I finished the work which you've given me to do and then look again at verse 5 oh father glorify me together with yourself with the glory which I had with you before the world was that one word glory is the word that summarizes everything Jesus is to us in this matter of salvation the whole world
[00:37:37] really needs to recognize the glory of Jesus Christ.
[00:37:44] In fact, when you think about it, everything Jesus did for us, everything Jesus is doing for us today is tied together in that word glory.
[00:37:57] And what we're going to do for the next few moments, if you have a piece of paper, pencil, or pen, and again, you're going to have to listen, and it's not going to be on the screen for you, so I want you to jot down several things this morning that really stand out when you think about that word glory
[00:38:13] As we see it here in these first five verses and number one is I want you to notice the glory of the perfect character.
[00:38:24] The glory of the perfect character.
[00:38:28] And I want you to look at verse four.
[00:38:31] Jesus says what?
[00:38:32] Underline it.
[00:38:33] I have glorified you on the earth.
[00:38:39] I have glorified you on the earth.
[00:38:44] And we know that is what we are here and are intended to do in our own lives.
[00:38:53] Amen?
[00:38:55] You are here to glorify God.
[00:38:58] In fact, it's what Adam and Eve were created for and placed in the Garden of Eden to bring glory to God.
[00:39:07] That's what you were created for, sir.
[00:39:10] That's what you were created for, ma'am.
[00:39:12] To bring glory to God.
[00:39:17] In fact, if you've ever seen the Westminster Catechism posted on places or either inscribed in buildings, on the side of buildings, it says the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
[00:39:35] So Jesus glorified the Heavenly Father with His character.
[00:39:44] You remember it says in John 1, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, but you drop down to verse 14, and the Word became flesh.
[00:39:54] In fact, you've got to go back there and look at it.
[00:39:56] Go back to chapter 1 in John's Gospel, and just make sure you get this.
[00:40:01] John's Gospel, chapter 1.
[00:40:04] You've seen it plenty of times, but I think it's important that you go back and look at it again.
[00:40:09] in verse 14 it kind of lays it out for us right here at the beginning when he said and the word became flesh and dwelt among us and what we beheld his glory the glory of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth what's john saying there he's reporting we saw
[00:40:39] Jesus Christ.
[00:40:41] John is saying I was an eyewitness of Jesus.
[00:40:45] I observed the life of Jesus on this earth.
[00:40:49] I heard the words that Jesus spoke on this earth.
[00:40:54] And John is saying when we saw Jesus, we beheld the glory of God.
[00:41:06] Don't you get it?
[00:41:09] Jesus is the only person that ever lived a sinless life.
[00:41:14] And when he walked on this earth, he perfectly represented the Heavenly Father.
[00:41:22] Hold your finger right here back in John 17, and I want you to go over to the book of Hebrews for just a minute.
[00:41:28] In Hebrews chapter one and verse three, don't miss this.
[00:41:32] Hebrews one, verse three.
[00:41:35] it simply says who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power when he had by himself purged our sins sat down at the right hand of the majesty on
[00:42:05] Do you get what Hebrews 1-3 is telling us?
[00:42:09] It means that when men saw and heard Jesus on this earth, they saw and heard God Himself.
[00:42:19] When they observed Jesus, the character of Jesus, they were observing none other than the very character of God Himself revealed in human flesh.
[00:42:35] Think about it.
[00:42:38] Jesus really is the only one who kept the perfect law of God in a perfect way.
[00:42:48] There was not even a blemish on his character whatsoever.
[00:42:58] There was nothing that Jesus ever did that folks could point a finger and say, that was wrong.
[00:43:05] In fact, toward the end of his ministry, you may recall, Jesus even asked one time, Who convicts me of sin?
[00:43:12] And I got news for you.
[00:43:15] I wouldn't stand before you today and ask, Who convicts me of sin?
[00:43:21] Certainly not while my wife's here.
[00:43:25] Because it doesn't take long.
[00:43:28] and I got news for the rest of you none of you today would stand up here and say who could ever convict me of sin because all of us are quite aware that there is someone that could point a finger at something in our lives and yet the Lord Jesus said that and when he said who convicted me of sin not one voice of accusation could be raised
[00:43:56] Because when Jesus challenged the whole universe to point to any flaw in His character, the voices were silenced.
[00:44:10] Because Jesus glorified God on this earth.
[00:44:20] And back in John 17, did you notice the claims Jesus makes in verse 2?
[00:44:26] Look what he said in verse 2.
[00:44:28] As you have given him, he's praying about himself, as you've given him authority over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him.
[00:44:43] Underline that phrase, you have given power.
[00:44:50] Jesus is saying in other words you have given me authority over all flesh what glory just think about that for a minute that includes all animal flesh right Jesus had authority over the fish of the sea
[00:45:16] You recall the record?
[00:45:18] Disciples had been out fishing all night.
[00:45:21] They couldn't catch a thing, couldn't even catch a cold.
[00:45:25] And Jesus told them, you put your nets on the other side.
[00:45:30] And I'll tell you when word got out that the master himself
[00:45:35] Had ordered for a catch of fish?
[00:45:38] Every fish in the Sea of Galilee seemed to rush toward that boat, to that side of the boat, and were caught in those nets.
[00:45:45] Why?
[00:45:45] Because Jesus had authority over the fish.
[00:45:50] Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a young donkey that the Bible makes it clear had never been broken.
[00:46:00] And yet when Jesus sat on the back of that young donkey who had never been broken, that animal didn't twitch even a muscle.
[00:46:12] Jesus had authority over animal flesh.
[00:46:15] He had authority over the fowl of the air.
[00:46:20] You remember a rooster, don't you?
[00:46:24] Jesus had told Peter,
[00:46:28] Before the cock crows, you'll deny me three times.
[00:46:34] And after that third denial, as if right on cue, that rooster crowed.
[00:46:45] Jesus had authority over the fowl of the air.
[00:46:54] Ladies and gentlemen, who but God
[00:47:00] Could do that.
[00:47:05] Who but God could do that?
[00:47:11] And yet Jesus says, the Father has given me power over all flesh.
[00:47:18] But listen, Jesus is speaking here really about all human flesh.
[00:47:25] He's talking about people.
[00:47:27] And please hear what I'm about to say.
[00:47:31] Jesus is saying, I've been given authority over all people.
[00:47:37] What kind of authority are you talking about, Jesus?
[00:47:41] Well, look what he said again in verse 2.
[00:47:44] He says, I've been given authority to decide who goes to heaven and who doesn't go to heaven.
[00:47:52] Hello.
[00:47:56] Look at verse 2.
[00:48:00] You've given him authority over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him.
[00:48:09] Nobody has that kind of authority to decide who goes to heaven and who doesn't, but God himself.
[00:48:18] And yet Jesus says, the matter of eternal life, it's in my hands.
[00:48:23] I make the decision.
[00:48:26] And I realize there's somebody that disagrees with me here today.
[00:48:29] There's somebody listening to me through livestream that disagrees.
[00:48:33] There may be some of you sitting here that say, I just believe everybody goes to heaven when they die.
[00:48:39] That's not what Jesus says.
[00:48:41] You say, well, well, preacher, I think there's a number of roads that lead to heaven.
[00:48:46] That's not what Jesus says.
[00:48:49] Well, preacher, I think going to heaven is kind of like catching a plane heading to New York City.
[00:48:54] I can go on any airline and they're all going to somehow wind up in New York City.
[00:48:59] Well, the problem with that is we're not talking about going to New York City.
[00:49:03] We're talking about going to heaven.
[00:49:05] And there's not but one way that a human being goes to heaven.
[00:49:12] Jesus said, I have the power to give eternal life.
[00:49:21] So you gotta come to Jesus if you ever expect to go to heaven.
[00:49:28] In fact, have you ever come to Jesus Christ?
[00:49:32] You say, well, honestly, no.
[00:49:36] Or maybe you say, Mark, I'm not sure.
[00:49:42] Well, I'll tell you that's why you're here today.
[00:49:46] Because God told me to tell you that you'll never go to heaven unless you come to Jesus Christ.
[00:49:57] I was sent here today to tell you that.
[00:50:01] Whoever you are that needs to hear that, you will never go to heaven unless you come to Christ.
[00:50:10] Jesus said it in John 14, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
[00:50:14] No man cometh unto the Father but by me.
[00:50:18] Listen, that is the glory of His perfect character.
[00:50:26] He's perfect.
[00:50:29] Perfect in every way.
[00:50:33] But not only do you see in this prayer the glory of a perfect character,
[00:50:40] But you also see the glory of the powerful crucifixion.
[00:50:45] Look again down at verse 4.
[00:50:48] He says, I have glorified you on the earth.
[00:50:54] I have finished the work which you have given me to do.
[00:51:00] Now, what's he talking about?
[00:51:04] Well, I'll tell you what he's talking about in verse 4.
[00:51:07] He's talking about his death
[00:51:10] on an old rugged cross.
[00:51:13] You say, wait a minute, Mark.
[00:51:14] It says in verse four, I have glorified you on the earth.
[00:51:18] I've finished your work.
[00:51:20] Are you saying there is glory in a cross?
[00:51:24] Preacher Mark, are you crazy?
[00:51:27] See, man doesn't look at it that way, do we?
[00:51:31] From a human perspective, we look at the cross and we see man's failure.
[00:51:39] We look at the cross from a human perspective and we see man's sin.
[00:51:49] But ladies and gentlemen, the Father in heaven looks at the cross and He sees God's grace and He sees God's glory.
[00:52:04] No wonder when Jesus died on the cross that day,
[00:52:07] There was a Roman centurion that was standing by, you will recall, who dropped to his knees, glorified God and said, Surely, surely this man is the Son of God.
[00:52:19] No wonder the Apostle Paul wrote, God forbid that I should glory save the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:52:29] Glory in the cross.
[00:52:34] You know when I was growing up, I remember as a young kid, I used to have a real problem understanding around Easter time when everybody would talk about Good Friday.
[00:52:48] And Good Friday was the day Jesus died.
[00:52:51] And I'd always wonder as a kid growing up, why do we call it Good Friday?
[00:52:57] I mean, let's get real here.
[00:52:59] What's good about a cross?
[00:53:00] What's good about death?
[00:53:02] What's good about the shame and the insults and the injury that he endured?
[00:53:11] That's what our human perspective would say.
[00:53:14] But I'm here to tell you what was good about that cross is that in the cross of Jesus
[00:53:26] In the glory of that powerful crucifixion, He was paying the sin debt for all of us who receive Him as our personal Savior and Lord of our lives.
[00:53:42] Underline that phrase in verse 4, I have finished the work.
[00:53:49] That's the key takeaway.
[00:53:51] Have you ever thought what would have happened if Jesus had not completed the work?
[00:53:57] What if after Bethlehem, Jesus would have said, well, I've done what no one else has ever done before.
[00:54:03] Been born of a virgin.
[00:54:05] I've accomplished that.
[00:54:06] I'm going back to heaven now.
[00:54:09] What?
[00:54:11] Imagine.
[00:54:12] What if after living a sinless life,
[00:54:14] Jesus had said, I've done what no other person has ever done.
[00:54:19] I've never said a word I shouldn't have said.
[00:54:21] I've never had a thought I shouldn't have had.
[00:54:24] I've never done a deed I shouldn't have done.
[00:54:26] I've done everything that no one else has done.
[00:54:29] I'm going back to heaven now.
[00:54:34] Just imagine.
[00:54:38] But he didn't.
[00:54:41] No.
[00:54:44] Born in Bethlehem, raised the son of a carpenter, walked among men, rejected by his own, went to that cross, and suffered and died.
[00:55:13] Just think, Jesus could have said, I've come farther than anyone else has ever come.
[00:55:23] I'm leaving.
[00:55:25] And I'm going back to the Heavenly Father.
[00:55:30] But He didn't.
[00:55:33] You know what He did do?
[00:55:35] He went all the way through.
[00:55:37] Jesus went all the way through he went to that cross he paid the price for your sin he removed the curse of sin he opened listen he opened the door to salvation and then he finished the work on the cross never forget it was on that cross that Jesus declared it is what finished it is finished
[00:56:06] Oh, the glory, the glory of His perfect character.
[00:56:13] The glory of the powerful crucifixion that we see here when He says, I finish the work.
[00:56:23] But then lastly, I want you to notice the glory, the glory of His present condition.
[00:56:33] You say, Mark, what do you mean the glory of His present condition?
[00:56:37] I want you to look at what we see here.
[00:56:38] Look at verse 5.
[00:56:41] What is Jesus doing right now at 1055 on Sunday morning, December 7, 2025?
[00:56:50] What is He doing right now this morning?
[00:56:54] Well, look at verse 5.
[00:56:57] And now, O Father, glorify me together with Yourself
[00:57:02] With the glory which I had with you before the world was.
[00:57:11] Now you get what he's saying, right?
[00:57:13] Jesus is saying I existed in glory with the Father.
[00:57:19] Oh look, I know we're celebrating this Christmas season, and I know that Bethlehem's a big deal, and I know that we always read the story and we see that, but I want to just make sure that you understand here that before Bethlehem, Jesus was.
[00:57:40] Again, I go back to John 1, 1.
[00:57:43] In the beginning...
[00:57:44] was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
[00:57:51] Don't forget, Jesus existed before His mother was born.
[00:57:55] I mean, I don't know how far back your mind will take you in eternity past, but you go back as far as your little mind can take you in eternity past, and when you get there, you'll meet Jesus Christ coming toward you.
[00:58:13] He really is the Ancient of Days.
[00:58:16] He really is the one who is forever and forever and forever eternally God.
[00:58:25] Which is why he says here in verse 5, With the glory which I had with you before the world was.
[00:58:42] Which means what?
[00:58:48] It means that Jesus emptied Himself of His glory.
[00:59:01] I've got to confess something to you this morning.
[00:59:06] That is a mystery that our human minds
[00:59:12] are just not able to fully comprehend.
[00:59:16] Because the obvious question is, of what did Jesus empty himself?
[00:59:27] You ever thought about that?
[00:59:30] Of what did Jesus empty himself?
[00:59:34] I mean, did he empty himself of his deity?
[00:59:38] Did he cease to be God?
[00:59:42] Well, you read the New Testament and you tell me if he was God when he walked on the earth.
[00:59:49] And we've already seen it this morning.
[00:59:51] He's the only one with power over all creation.
[00:59:55] Let me let you in on something.
[00:59:56] He never ceased to be God.
[01:00:02] He did not cease to be God.
[01:00:05] In fact, Jesus claimed to be God.
[01:00:06] He said, the Father and I are one.
[01:00:09] He didn't cease to be God.
[01:00:12] Well then preacher, he did empty himself, yes.
[01:00:21] But he didn't cease to be God, yes.
[01:00:24] So what happened when he emptied himself of glory?
[01:00:32] Well you know I checked and the two ways that the word glory
[01:00:38] is actually used.
[01:00:41] And I want to make sure you get this this morning.
[01:00:44] Sometimes the word glory means the inward essence of the character of God.
[01:00:53] The inward essence of the character of God.
[01:01:00] And I got news for you.
[01:01:02] He didn't lose that.
[01:01:05] He didn't lose that, right?
[01:01:10] But the other way that word glory is used is the outward manifestation of the presence of God.
[01:01:22] The outward manifestation of the presence of God.
[01:01:29] And what I'm trying to get across to you this morning is Jesus emptied Himself not
[01:01:39] that he lost his deity but he did literally lay aside his glory so that when the people saw Jesus they didn't see somebody who looked like God but they saw somebody
[01:02:10] who looked like man because he had emptied himself of that glory.
[01:02:21] You with me?
[01:02:24] And it's now telling me in verse 5 that he is about to be exalted back to glory.
[01:02:34] You see when Jesus died that cruel death on the cross it's as if God said that's what man thinks of my son and yet three days later when God raised him from the dead it's as if God points to an empty tomb and said that's what I think of my son.
[01:02:53] He defeats death.
[01:02:56] He defeats sin.
[01:02:58] He defeats the grave.
[01:03:01] That's what I think of my son.
[01:03:05] Timothy wrote in 1 Timothy 3 16 that he was received up into glory and that's what I want to leave you with today is when Jesus died he was buried and rose again but the Bible says he took upon that glory that was his again can I leave you with a picture I want to leave you with an incredible picture this morning
[01:03:34] of what it really was like.
[01:03:37] And you gotta turn back to the book of Psalms, and I want you to go to the 24th Psalm, and I want you to do something with me now.
[01:03:47] In Psalm 24, we find some angels here.
[01:03:55] And we hear, you can almost hear the angels sing as they begin to speak.
[01:04:03] In Psalm 24, down in verse 7.
[01:04:07] It's almost like the angels are broken into two separate choirs, two separate choruses.
[01:04:13] On one side, look at verse 7, it says, Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in.
[01:04:31] And then the other side of the room shouts, Who is the King of Glory?
[01:04:39] And the other side answers back, The Lord, strong and mighty.
[01:04:46] The Lord, mighty in battle.
[01:04:50] And then the other side sings again, Lift up your heads, O ye gates, Lift up your everlasting doors, And the King of glory shall come in.
[01:05:00] And then the other side raises a question, Who is this King of glory?
[01:05:06] And they shout back, The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.
[01:05:14] and Jesus went with that sweeping back through the gates of glory not only as the Son of God but also now as the Son of Man.
[01:05:30] The God-Man!
[01:05:31] The perfect man representing us at the right hand of the Father in heaven and that's why you and I today in this Christmas season can celebrate as followers and believers of Christ because right now today the Son of God and the Son of Man has taken his rightful seat at the right hand of the Father and he's interceding for you and he's interceding for me and all I can say is
[01:06:02] What a Savior!
[01:06:04] What a Savior we have in Jesus Christ our Lord.
[01:06:11] That's the picture.
[01:06:13] That's what the Word of God says when He describes this Jesus.
[01:06:22] This Jesus.
[01:06:25] This Jesus.
[01:06:32] Now, oh Father, glorify me together with yourself with the glory which I had with you before the world was.
[01:06:48] And that's the reason if you look at verse 3 in John 17, he simply says if you want to know God, you want to go to heaven when you die,
[01:07:02] You've got to come through Jesus Christ.
[01:07:05] Period.
[01:07:08] That's why Romans 6.23 says, The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.
[01:07:20] Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
[01:07:25] Would you bow your heads right where you are, please?
[01:07:32] Every head bowed, every eye closed.
[01:07:47] Would you write where you're sitting right now?
[01:07:54] Just open your heart in the silence of these moments.
[01:08:00] And would you just
[01:08:04] Ask the Lord this simple question.
[01:08:14] Lord, would you show me right now if I don't know you as my real and personal Savior?
[01:08:36] Lord would you reveal to me right now if I'm saved or if I'm not Lord I do want to know you
[01:09:05] I want to know your love.
[01:09:06] I want to know your presence.
[01:09:08] I want to know your power.
[01:09:12] Can you tell him that this morning?
[01:09:17] Lord, I want to know your grace.
[01:09:20] I want to know your mercy.
[01:09:23] I want to know your forgiveness.
[01:09:32] Listen, with every head bowed and every eye closed in this place this morning, if you don't know Jesus as your personal Savior, today can be your day of salvation.
[01:09:49] Today can be the day that you get all things right spiritually in your life.
[01:09:57] Would you do it?
[01:09:59] Would you say, Lord, I realize I'm a sinner.
[01:10:04] Lord, I know I need a Savior.
[01:10:08] And right now, Lord Jesus, to the best of my understanding, I turn away from my sin.
[01:10:14] I repent and turn away from my sin.
[01:10:18] And I place my faith in You and You alone.
[01:10:24] Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.
[01:10:27] Please, and save me just now.
[01:10:35] In just a moment, Grant's going to come.
[01:10:36] We're going to sing a hymn of invitation.
[01:10:39] I'm going to be down here at the front.
[01:10:42] My invitation to you is really simple this morning.
[01:10:45] If you're ready to trust him, you're ready to give him your life, I'm going to ask you to meet me right down here at the front and just say, Brother Mark,
[01:10:55] I've given my life to Christ.
[01:10:57] I want to publicly declare my faith in Him.
[01:11:00] I want to follow Him in baptism.
[01:11:02] I want to begin to grow as a believer.
[01:11:06] Just start your journey.
[01:11:08] I'm inviting you to come and do that this morning.
[01:11:11] There's some of you that you've been a believer or you are a believer, but your life's not reflecting the power of Christ.
[01:11:19] You've backslid, you've drifted, you've moved away from where you once were.
[01:11:25] I can promise you this if there's distance between you and God he's not the one who's moved and you come back to him the same way you came to him the first time in repentance and in brokenness and in faith and that's what this altar is for and you can meet him right here right now if you want to come and just get alone with God on this altar it's open and we invite you to do it
[01:11:56] If you want to join this church by baptism, letter, statement, whatever way we receive members, we invite you to come.
[01:12:03] Most importantly, just make sure that you've listened to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit this morning and that you're being obedient to what He's asking you to do.
[01:12:17] Father, we trust you in Jesus' name.
[01:12:21] Amen.
[01:12:22] Would you stand to your feet?
[01:12:23] As Brother Grant comes to lead us, we invite you to come.

[01:12:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
340, you'll have the chorus to turn your eyes upon Jesus.
[01:12:32] If you'll join me on those spots in that song for that, that would be great.

[01:12:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
The darkness you can see There's light for all about the same
[01:13:21] Jesus, the full in his wonderful grace, and the things of earth will grow strangely near.
[01:13:57] He passed and we follow Him there Over us sin no more and no more
[01:14:29] In the light of His glory and grace His word shall not fail
[01:15:19] is perfect salvation to tell.

[01:15:43] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Then you arise upon Jesus, a poet in His wonderful place, and the things of earth
[01:15:48] of the Holy Trinity

[01:16:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Well, amen and amen.
[01:16:03] God bless you.
[01:16:03] Thank you so much for worshiping with us today, and we just pray that God will continue to guide you.
[01:16:09] I do want to ask you to pray for Joel and Sherry Fries, as I had the opportunity to pray with them here.
[01:16:15] Today's their last Sunday, and they've been such a vital part of our church family through these years, and the Lord's leading them to go to Florida.
[01:16:26] I don't know why.
[01:16:29] As I was driving here this morning, my car said it was 30 degrees.
[01:16:32] I thought, why would any fool move to Florida?
[01:16:36] No, but seriously, the Lord's leading them to Florida, and they've been faithful, and I know we're going to be faithful there.
[01:16:44] Just pray for them as they go, and we'll see them back here.
[01:16:47] They promised me that, and we look forward to just seeing how He works in each of their lives and our lives in the days ahead.
[01:16:55] One thing we always remember is
[01:16:57] and should never forget the Bible says the footsteps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord and as he orders our footsteps that goes for you that goes for me it goes for Joel and Sherry and anyone else the footsteps of the righteous are ordered by him and he's going to guide us each step of the way we've just got to have the responsibility of listening and then obeying what he places before us and I encourage you to do that this week
[01:17:24] and I don't forget the things that are going to be coming up in the bulletin you see all the different announcements of things happening in the month of December of course next weekend you can pick up tickets to be able to share with folks for the musical that our sanctuary choir and orchestra will do on Saturday night as well as on Sunday evening of next week and so all of those things are going to be happening and then somebody told me I think two weeks from today the Sunday before Christmas there may be a special guest that will show up to tell the Christmas
[01:17:52] that I remember and who knows who it might be.
[01:17:56] We'll just have to see.
[01:17:58] I think he's running out of characters.
[01:18:00] And so we'll wait and see what may happen as time goes on.
[01:18:06] Brother Robert's going to come and give us a closing word and then Brother Grant's going to sing us out of here today.

[01:18:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Thank you so much Pastor Warren for a powerful word.
[01:18:16] And to the Frees family, you might find warmer weather, but it's going to be hard to find warmer people.
[01:18:21] We love you and we're thankful for you.
[01:18:23] May the Lord bless you.
[01:18:25] Church, our benediction today comes from the book of Hebrews.
[01:18:27] It's the 13th chapter and the 20th verse.
[01:18:31] This is the word of the Lord.
[01:18:31] Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,
[01:18:39] The Great Shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant may he equip you with everything good that you may do his will working in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Christ Jesus to whom be glory forever and ever amen would you pray with me holy heavenly father god we call out to you
[01:19:06] As our Prince of Peace this morning, we're so incredibly thankful, Lord, that you've made peace by the blood of your cross.
[01:19:14] And we ask that that peace rule in our hearts this morning, Lord.
[01:19:17] We confess our need for you, God.
[01:19:20] Father, we ask that you would empower us to fulfill our purpose at this church, Lord, which is to glorify you, Father, to know you, and to make you known.
[01:19:29] Thank you so much, Lord, for your hand upon us, your spirit within us.
[01:19:33] Lead us, guide us, direct us, and protect us.
[01:19:36] Equip us, Father, with everything good that we might do what is pleasing in your sight.
[01:19:42] Through Christ's name we pray, amen.

[01:19:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
There's a sweet, sweet spirit in this place
[01:20:01] And I know that it's the Spirit of the Lord There are sweet expressions on each face And I know that it's the presence of the Lord
[01:20:27] of Christ Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
[01:21:00] Thanks for watching!

[01:23:03] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
of Jesus Christ.