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      "The Commitment of Christ"
      John 17:1-3
      Theme: Jesus Christ’s commitment was to fulfill the will of the Father by providing Eternal Life to all who believe.

        1. The Prospect of His Glory – 17:1

          1. The Anticipation of His Accomplishment

            1. In John 16:33, Jesus has just reassured His disciples by saying that He has "overcome the world" – a statement of triumph.
            2. Thus, He claims the victory of the cross before the fact.
            3. The statement, "the hour has come" demonstrates the "cross consciousness" of Jesus – cp. John 2:4; John 12:23
            4. From eternity past the Lord had anticipated the events of the next few hours – not as a terminus or defeat, but as the very means by which glory and victory is attained – cp. John 3:14-15; 12:32.
            5. Again, it bears repeating that the ultimate means of bringing glory to the Father is through the accomplishment of redemption – by bringing to Him sinners who have been delivered from their bondage to sin.

          2. The Appeal for Fulfillment of Glory

            1. In effect, Jesus now comes to the Father in prayer "lifting His eyes to heaven" – and says: "Father, we have it all planned and laid out from eternity past. Now let’s get at it!"
            2. As we have seen, the cross is the means by which the significance of Jesus Christ will be seen – He is the One through whom the Father Himself would be glorified through the redemption of sinners.
            3. He calls upon the Father for the strength to display the attributes of God upon the cross in securing the victory He had just claimed, and for the fulfillment of the promises given for resurrection and glorification.
            4. Jesus performed everything He did in the power provided Him through the Holy Spirit – He did not rely on His innate divine power.

        2. The Provision through His Glory – 17:2

          1. The Authority of Christ

            1. "Even as You gave Him authority over all flesh" - Jesus Christ was, as a man, given the jurisdiction over all men - to exercise the Lordship that the cross will gain Him – cp. Acts 2:36; Matthew 28:18
            2. The term "all flesh" is a Hebraism referring to "all people - the human race is a unit, in order to save some He must have absolute authority over all.
            3. Thus, His triumph in "overcoming the world" gained for Him the unqualified right to be LORD of all – cp. Philippians 2:9-11.
            4. This provides a glimpse of the fact that the atonement provided by Christ Jesus provides Him the jurisdiction to judge all men – to provide eternal life to some and to bring judgment to those who have earned it.

          2. The Awarding by God

            1. The focus of Christ as He approaches the cross is on those to whom He would give eternal life – those who are "given Him" by the Father.
            2. "… that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life." - all of us who are saved are a love-gift to the victorious Christ from the Father – an award to the Son with a view to His making us trophies of grace to the glory of the Father – Isaiah 53:10-12.
            3. Thus, according to the divine decree through election, eternal life is granted to all who are "given" by the Father to the Son - John 6:37,44.
            4. Thus, out of infinite devotion to the Son, the Father has given a token of His love as a reward for His own devotion to the Father.
            5. This same token given by the Father will likewise be given back to the Father cleansed and purified by the Son as a token of His love and devotion to the Father – cp. Ephesians 5:26; 1 Corinthians 15:22-28.

        3. Our Privilege in His Glory – 17:3

          1. The Essence of Eternal Life

            1. "Eternal Life" is the focus of Christ’s accomplishment on behalf of sinners – "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
            2. The essence of eternal life is to exist in such a condition as to enjoy the intimate knowledge of God – being reconciled to Him and conformed to Him.
            3. It has less to do with duration than it does with the quality of life – such a quality as to be inseparable from the God who gives it.
            4. It is something that is totally confined to the knowledge of the true God – not about Him, but of Him.

          2. The Essential of Eternal Life

            1. There is only one way such knowledge is achieved – through the Person of the Son, the Savior, Jesus Christ.
            2. The only way to know the Father is to know the Son – you cannot know "the only true God" without possessing an intimate knowledge of His Son – Jesus Christ – cp. John 14:6
            3. The sole way by which eternal life is received is through the person of the Lord Jesus Christ – 1 John 5:11-12
            4. The forgiveness and freedom from sin and the ability to live in harmony with God are things that are linked directly to the reception of the Lord Jesus Christ as the only hope of reconciliation to God.
            5. When a person does not possess the Lord Jesus, they still have an eternal existence, but not one that knows the abolition of death, the ?wages of sin? -- they live forever under that constant damnation of the wrath of a holy God -- they ?do not have the life.? - Romans 6:23

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