The High Priestly Prayer Part 1

Sermon Summary: The High Priestly Prayer (John 17) by Rev. Kent Compton

Rev. Kent Compton's sermon on John 17 focuses on Jesus' "High Priestly Prayer," which he describes as arguably the most important prayer in the entire Bible because it opens up the "very throne room of heaven," showcasing the dialogue between the Son of God and God the Father.

Key Insights on the Prayer

Remarkable and Inclusive: While the prayer is fundamentally between the Father and the Son, it profoundly involves believers in its subject matter and pattern. The desires of Jesus, particularly for the glorifying of God, should become our desires as well.
Context: Jesus prayed this after the Upper Room Discourse, preparing his disciples for his departure and the coming of the Holy Spirit. He allowed them to listen in on this incredible communication, unlike in the Garden of Gethsemane where the disciples failed to appreciate what they heard.
Central Importance: This prayer reveals what was important to Jesus and what is important to the Father, demonstrating Jesus' perfect knowledge of the Father's love, wants, and expectations. It was prayed just before the most difficult time in Jesus' life—his passion, suffering, death, and resurrection.
Our Calling: Because Christ fulfilled His work, believers are drawn into a life of bringing glory to God in the work He has given them, whether as parents, spouses, citizens, or church members. Listening to this prayer reminds us of our own calling to obey God where He has us in life.

Four Reasons Jesus Asks the Father to Glorify Him

Jesus' request to be glorified ("Glorify your son that your son may glorify you") is supported by four reasons:

1. That He Might Glorify the Father: This desire for mutual glory echoes the relationship within the Trinity. Jesus' glorification is seen most clearly at the cross—the "hour" of His suffering and death.
Glory in Suffering: Jesus is glorified by bearing the punishment for humanity's sins, curse, and judgment. His ability to take this upon Himself demonstrates His dignity, virtue, and power as God. The cross shows His immeasurable love.
Glory in Resurrection: The Father also glorifies the Son by raising Him from the dead, vindicating all He said and proving He is truly the Son of God.
Our Role: The greatest way believers glorify the Son is by believing in Him—acknowledging Him as the Son of God, the Messiah, and the Savior of sinners. This is what all of His glory leads to, drawing forth praise.

2. Because He Has Granted Him Authority Over All Flesh: This authority is not for domination, but for salvation—specifically "to give eternal life to all whom you have given him." Jesus directs the work of redemption globally, organizing the church, pouring out the Holy Spirit, and giving gifts to His people.

3. Because He Has Glorified the Father Already: Jesus glorified the Father on earth by accomplishing the work given to Him.
Perfect Obedience: From a young age (age 12) through His entire ministry, Jesus perfectly obeyed the Father, even unto death. He upheld the authority of Scripture ("It is written").
Revealing the Father: Jesus revealed the Father's nature, being "full of grace and truth." He who has seen Jesus has seen the Father, as He made the Father known through His holiness and perfect obedience.
Our Imitation: Believers take this principle into their own lives by finishing the work God has given them to do in their everyday callings—showing integrity and honesty in the workplace and the home.

4. That God Might Restore That Relationship He Had with the Father Before the World Was: Jesus seeks the restoration of His divine, pre-existent glory and heavenly fellowship so that His followers might see it. The Son's divine glory is the bedrock of our salvation. It is our hope and the rock upon which we can stand against guilt and shame.

The Definition of Eternal Life

The sermon highlights Jesus' statement that eternal life is to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. This is not simply a duration of time but a specific quality of life—an experiential knowledge of God, characterized by love, delighting in Him, and having the same desire to glorify Him as the Son has for the Father. Rev. Compton emphasizes that we cannot know God the Father except through Jesus, the one way to God, urging the listeners to move past a shallow confession to truly know Him.