 of his two petitions in this paragraph for his own, those that the Father has given him from out of the world. And he prays about heaven. I look forward to heaven. Don't you? Many in this world today look forward to an afternoon appointment with the couch, right? Or look forward to some show on TV. And I look forward to the Oscars tonight. Look forward to the work week ahead. I look forward to round of golf. Looking forward to all kinds of worldly pleasures, worldly satisfactions. But for the genuine Christian, for the genuine Christian, nothing else in this life will satisfy. Nothing else will suffice but to have Christ in heaven. Owen said of Christians, John Owen, said that Christians will never be in motion, will ever be in motion and restless until they come to Christ and behold his glory. Our union in Christ that we've had with him from before the foundation of the world by virtue of the covenant of redemption, the Father giving a redeemed people out of the world to the Son, those eternal plans and purposes of God have as their aim, they have as their goal eternal communion with Christ for all eternity beholding his glory. The glory of Christ on the earth manifested in his incarnation observable in this world. Look at verse 21. He prays that we all may be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be one in us with the purpose that the world may believe that you sent me. But in verse 24, we see the glory of Christ manifested in his exaltation observable by his saints in heaven. Father, I desire that they also whom you gave me may be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which you have given me for you loved me before the foundation of the world. What a beautiful text. In verse 24, we see the second of the Lord's requests in this section of his prayer running from verses 20 through 26. The first request came in verse 21, that they all may be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be one in us. The second request comes in verse 24 here where the Lord prays that they also whom you gave me may be with me where I am. As we discussed last week, the first of his requests included the aim or goal of his own glory, that we see in verse 21, that the world may believe that you sent me. So too now, in his second request in verse 24, that request includes also the aim or the goal of his own glory, verse 24, that they may behold my glory which you have given me. And so our Lord in this prayer desires that we should be with him where he is. The last and greatest blessing that he prays for in John chapter 17 is that we would be with him where he is forever. And that, that communion with him for the purpose that we may behold his glory as the glorified and exalted Son of God. That is the last and ultimate glorified blessedness to the Christian that we will be in communion with our Lord for eternity, beholding his glory. That is the end for which he redeemed a people to himself. And as much as he prays for this in verse 24, if you're a genuine Christian, this is your chief and ultimate prayer also, isn't it? This is what you pray for too. We pray for that. I wanna be in heaven with Christ. I wanna behold his glory. Think about Moses, right? With the glory of God. God show me your glory. Moses could have asked for anything. What did Moses ask for? Asked to see God's glory. Now he begins verse 24 by expressing his intention. He says, Father, I desire. Now you can't think of this word desire as merely a wish. It's not a plea as if there's some uncertainty communicated here. This word desire represents the resolved determination of our Lord, the will of our Lord. The word carries force, it carries weight. He says, I will or I determine that they, those whom you've given me will be with me where I am. Now this word I desire is an expression of perfect conformity with the will of God the Father. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit are in perfect unity in the work of redemption. One heart, one mind, one purpose, one mission to save lost sinners, to redeem a people to himself for his glory forever. Now that is expressed in John 6, verse 38. Listen to this. The Lord says, I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of the Father who sent me that of all he has given me, I should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day. So in John chapter 17, the Lord's prayer, the Lord's desire, his determined will here reveals a perfect unity within the Godhead. One heart, one mind, one purpose, one plan, one mission. So what is the Lord's will here? Verse 24, verse 24, that they also, that those whom you gave me from before time began, those whom you gave me out of the world may be with me where I am. Now here he's referring to again that particular group of people, that definite group, that definite assembly, that definite people chosen in him, Ephesians chapter one, from before the foundation of the world, those that are the special objects of his redeeming love, the gift of God the Father to God the Son of his redeemed bride, his betrothed. Welcome back to our newlyweds. His betrothed, his beloved, his bride, those for whom he died. And he says of his bride, I want them to be with me. And that's loving affection, right? In verse 24, there's a tenderness here. There's an intimacy. It's not that I want them in heaven. I want them in the New Jerusalem. No, I want them with me. I want them with me where I am. So in addition to praying that God should keep them, that God should sanctify them, make them one, he prays here in verse 24 that they also may be with me where I am. Now with me again, with me communicates, emphasizes communion, fellowship with Christ. If you think about that from beginning to end, right? Our blessed union with Christ. Peter says that we are elect according to the foreknowledge of God from eternity past. Our blessed union with Christ, having begun in the loving foreknowledge of God the Father, purchased and secured by the work of God the Son, ends in eternal communion with him. Specifically in verse 24, with him where he is. In other words, with him in heaven. He told them as disciples in John chapter 14 verse three, he said, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am, there you may be also. This is coming brothers and sisters. Do you believe it? Amen. The Bible says that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Paul said in Philippians chapter one verse 23, he says, I desire to be to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. He says in Philippians chapter three verse 20, our citizenship is in heaven. Hebrews chapter 13 verse 14 here, we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. We're living in the city of destruction. And what is Christian to do? Flee to Christ, flee to the celestial city. We seek the one to come. This glorious communion that we'll talk about today, this glorious communion dwelling with Christ has been the plan and purpose of God all along from the eternal councils of his will until the present and into the future, into eternity. This is the plan and purpose of God. Now think with me for a moment about the scope of redemptive history. In the eternal councils of God, before time began, God determined to give a gift of his infinite love to the Son for the glory of his name. That gift was a redeemed people, chosen and holy to dwell with him forever. And as Peter says, to proclaim the praises of him who called him out of darkness into his marvelous light. They would be redeemed by God's grace through faith in God the Son. Now from the beginning in the Garden of Eden, God planted, from the beginning, planted seeds of this promise. Pointing to a covenant of grace, even within the curse after the fall of man, God said to the serpent in Genesis chapter three, verse 15. You wanna jot these verses down? So you can look at this yourself. He said to the serpent, I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed, he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. That seed of the woman mentioned all the way back in Genesis chapter three would be none other than the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Immanuel, God with us, the Lamb of God who has come to take away the sin of the world. Now God would further that plan, further his promises to Abraham in Genesis chapter 15, verse five, where he took Abraham outside and he said, look now Abraham toward heaven and count the stars if you were able to number them. And he said to them, so shall your descendants be and Abraham believed in the Lord and he accounted it to him for righteousness. God told Abraham in Genesis chapter 17, verse seven. He said, I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you and their generations for an everlasting covenant. And here it is, Abraham, to be God to you and your descendants after you. God's desire was for him to be their God and for them to be his special people. God told Moses in Exodus chapter 29, verse 45. I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God. Praise the Lord that we don't serve a God who is far off, right? The God of Islam who is far off, impersonal, full of wrath. We serve a God who is near. A God whose desire expressed to Moses is that he would dwell among his people. He told the children of Israel under Moses in Leviticus chapter 26, verse 12. He said, I will walk among you and be your God and you shall be my people. Was that promise to the children of Israel only? Did it come to the Jews alone? No, it comes to the nations. No, it comes to the nations. People of every tribe, every tongue, every nation. Paul explains in Romans chapter four, verse 16. The promise, the promises of God in this purpose, in this plan, the promise is of faith so that it might be according to grace so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham who is the father of us all. As it is written to Abraham, I have made you a father of many nations. That includes you and I. Every tongue, every people, every tribe, every nation. We see that represented in our church, don't we? A beautiful sight, God saving to himself a people out of every nation. Now making up God's people to church. Paul described the church in Ephesians chapter two, verse 21 as a building being fitted together. Now growing into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the spirit. This glorious plan, if you read from cover to cover in your Bibles, this glorious plan finally consummated in Revelation chapter 21, verse two where John records this. He says, I, John, saw the holy city, knew Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, behold, the tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death nor sorrow nor crying. There shall be no more pain for the former things have passed away. It's glorious, isn't it? Glorious. Our destiny in Christ, our eternal destiny is to be in communion with him, to be in fellowship with him, to be one with him. So have that kind of intimate relationship with our creator, the one who made us. Revelation 21 verse three or 23, John adds this. He says the city had no need of the sun, had no need of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The lamb is its light. And we will forever be with him in heaven, beholding his glory. We're to be with him where he is. That truth, that reality should dramatically change how you think, should dramatically change how you feel about this life, about the Christian life, about where you're going, about what you're doing, should dramatically impact the way that you think about your sin, the way that you think about what God has done in Christ for you. It is glorious, matchless, incomparable. So that's special people. That's special people chosen by God, given to the sun in John chapter 17 verse two. Are those people that will be with him where he is to behold his glory for all eternity in John chapter 17 verse 24. We are forever his. You're here this morning, right? And you have put your faith in Christ. You have come to the point where you are disgusted with the trappings of this world, where you are weary under the weight of your own sin and you just can't stomach it anymore. And you've come to that point bankrupt. You realize that you have nothing with which to commend yourself before God. You have only sinned against him. You have only offended him with your sin. That the thoughts and intents of your heart are only evil continually and that because the judgment against a sinful act is not executed speedily. Your intent is to continue in your sin and you realize that you are destitute. If you've come to that place and you've put your faith and trust in Christ then from the pages of scripture, from the testimony of our Lord, from this prayer in John chapter 17 you were chosen by him for loved by God from before the foundation of the world and it has been God's plan, God's purpose, God's mission to call you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Call you to himself. Cause you to be born again for eternal communion with our Creator. We are forever his and if you see, if you see a work of God's grace in your heart, if you have seen that you are no longer the man, no longer the woman, no longer the boy, no longer the girl that you used to be that your desires have been changed. They've been sanctified, set apart to him. If you've seen that work of grace in your heart and you've believed upon Christ when he says he has come to say that that's exactly what he'll do and you hold to the promises of God that there will be a resurrection and that to life eternal from those who trust in him and you can rest in him that we are forever his. Thomas Boston said the union of Christ and the saints is never dissolved but they continue to be his members forever and the members of Christ cannot draw their life but from their head. Therefore, Jesus Christ will remain the everlasting bond betwixt God and the saints from which their eternal life shall spring. Jesus praise in John 17 verse 24 Father, I desire that they also whom you gave me maybe with me where I am. Incidentally as we think about these things as we think about these things we think about the Christian life. What assurance do we have that the Lord's prayer here is answered? What assurance do we have from John chapter 17 verse 24 that the Lord's will expressed here in this verse will be done? What assurance do we have that his prayer will be answered? That we will be with him where he is? Put yourself in the shoes of those disciples on that night. They were walking toward the garden as they walked into the garden and Jesus went off on his own for a while to pray. There was already the betrayer and men with him coming into the garden with intentions to arrest him. They would arrest him. They would try him. They would scourge him. They would crucify him. And in just a few hours from right now where we are in John chapter 17 in just a few hours all of these disciples would scatter in fear. Doubts, confusion, filling their mind. What assurance do they have of these things for which Christ their Lord prayed? All their hopes as it were were put to death on the cross with Christ. You remember the story of those that walked along the Emmaus Road, right? And as they're walking Jesus Christ comes. They don't know it's him yet and they begin telling him of all the things that happened in Jerusalem. They told Jesus Christ that it was their hope that this one who came would redeem Israel. But as they talked you got the distinct impression don't you that their hopes were dashed on the cross of Christ. What was it that eviscerated their fear? What was it that eliminated doubt? What was it that was the bedrock on which this prayer in John chapter 17 verse 24 is founded? It's the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We serve a risen Lord. Jesus Christ is raised from the dead. If you're here today and you've never considered Christianity. Maybe you're here for the first time and you're considering that. You're thinking through these things. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. And that is proof that there will be a resurrection for you, resurrection for me. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. What assurance that we have of these things? Because Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. He's not in a grave. He's not in a tomb. He sits at the right hand of God. The resurrection proves his saving power. And he speaks with such certainty in verse 24. It's as if it's already done. He says, Father, get this. I desire they also whom you gave me. Maybe with me where I will be. No, where I am. Where I am. The resurrection. The Lord's prayer for eternal communion with those given to him by the Father has a purpose in verse 24. It has a purpose. The purpose is this that they may be hold my glory which you have given me. They may be hold my glory which you have given me. I remember years ago, right? As a lost person listening to sermons about heaven. I have fleeting memories of some of those things. Praise the Lord. He has changed my heart. Changed my mind. He's changed everything about me. Praise the Lord. But I remember listening to those sermons as a lost person and there'd be talk of heaven. Often there was always talk about heaven. Very little talk about hell, right? But I would listen to sermons where there would be talk of heaven. And I knew that's where I wanted to go. I wanted to go to heaven. I knew I didn't want to go to hell, right? Who wants to go to hell? Who doesn't want pleasure forevermore, right? So I wanted to go to heaven. But at the end of the day and thinking about that and thinking of my understanding of those things at that time, it really didn't matter to me at all that Christ would be there. It was just heaven. I wanted to spend heaven on my own lusts the way that we spend this life on our own lusts apart from Christ. Thought of heaven and only in terms of my my fallen pleasures my fallen desires. Just wanted to be happy, right? You want to be happy in this life, happy in the next. Who doesn't want heaven? I thought of my life here the same way. There was no longing to be with Christ. Passages about hungering and thirsting just went right over my head. I didn't understand that. And that was ultimately because Christ was not my chief joy on earth. If Christ is not your chief joy on earth he will not be your eternal joy in heaven. There was no longing to be with Christ. No hungering. No thirsting. Maybe that's where you're at this morning. Maybe you're here this morning and we're going to talk about heaven this morning and these things are foreign to you. There's not this ache within your soul to be with Christ. He's simply not your treasure. Take stock of your heart this morning. Take stock of your heart. What makes heaven so spectacular? What makes heaven so glorious is not streets of gold. It's not the perfect weather. It's not reuniting with loved ones. That puppy is not going to be there. Certainly not the cat. It's not the absence of suffering. Not the absence of trial or the absence of adversity. It's not the walls of Jasper or the gates of Pearl. The glory of heaven is the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. The lamb is its light and the heart's desire of every genuine Christian matches the heart desire of our Lord. I desire to be with him where he is that I may behold his glory. Now that vision of glory that is our end that vision of glory begins here on earth begins here on earth and we need to unpack that some as we think about verse 24. Blind by nature, blind by nature the genuine believer is born again to behold his glory and he's born again to behold his glory in this life through faith that one day when our faith is turned to sight and we shall see him as he is we can behold him in glory for eternity. It begins here on earth. I want to give you an example of this. Turn with me to Mark chapter 8. Mark chapter 8 let's consider this by way of example here from our Lord. Mark chapter 8 we need to do a series on heaven. That would be a joy. Mark chapter 8 and look with me beginning at verse 22. The Lord had just fed the multitudes and we pick up the record in verse 22. When he came to Bethsaida and they brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. So he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town when he had spit on his eyes and put his hands on him. He asked him if he saw anything. He looked up and said, I see men like trees walking. Then he put his hands on his eyes again and made him look up and he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Then he sent him away to his house saying neither go into the town nor tell anyone in the town. Jesus healed we consider this record here in Mark chapter 8. Jesus healed multitudes as he walked through Judea. He was healing all the time. So we see a miracle recorded in scripture. There's a purpose for why it's there. These miracles were called signs. Scripture calls them signs. They're called signs because they point to a spiritual reality. And when we read the Bible and we read of these miracles we need to link up the miracle with the spiritual reality it's intended to convey. Here in Mark chapter 8 Jesus came preaching recovery of sight to the blind. If you remember Isaiah chapter 49 Luke chapter 4 Jesus Christ came to preach recovery of sight to the blind. So as we come to Mark chapter 8 Jesus here heals a blind man. But it's interesting differently than he heals in other places. The Lord here does it in two steps. Two steps. Now this account has an obvious application for the blind man. The blind man comes. The Lord leads him out of town. He spit on his eyes or he made spittle anointed his eyes put his hands on the blind man and asked him if he saw anything. By faith the blind man looked up and said I see men like trees walking. All right. Then the Lord put his hands on his eyes again. After doing this the second time the blind man looks up and his sight was restored fully. The Lord Jesus Christ could have healed him with a word. Right. One word. One thought. The blind man healed completely start to finish. We saw that as we worked through John chapter 9 with a man born blind that the Lord heals there at the temple. He didn't do that in Mark chapter 8. Now that presents to us a point. The Lord Jesus Christ this being a sign miracle he was making a point. If this man's faith was weak as we consider the application here for the blind man if he was unbelieving prior to the Lord spitting on his eyes he certainly wasn't unbelieving after stage one. Right. You can imagine the man blind the Lord doing this and him receiving some of his sight would have been miraculous. This wouldn't be I see some men walking like trees. No. I see men walking like trees. Right. He would have been excited. There would have been an uproar over this. A miracle was done. The Lord doesn't leave the work though half done. Christ dispels all the remaining darkness and gives him clear sight. He put his hands on his eyes again verse 25 made him look up and he was restored and saw everyone clearly. There's likely an application here in Mark 8 for the disciples also. Isn't there? The longer the disciples are with the Lord Jesus Christ the longer that they walk with him the more clearly that they see even that though the longer they're with the Lord during the Lord's earthly ministry they see men like trees walking. They don't have clear sight yet. Clarity will come to them when after the cross right after the cross after the resurrection and they'll see more clearly. However, consider now the application for us from Mark chapter 8. Certainly application here for us as well. Lord Jesus Christ takes spiritually blind sinners blind from their birth blind in their sin as a gift of his grace he gives them spiritual sight. That's the story of the man born blind in John chapter 9. You come from blindness to sight in Christ having natural eyes which cannot see natural ears which cannot hear to the Lord Jesus Christ calling you to himself you being born again by the Spirit of God and given eyes to see and ears to hear. But the spiritual sight on this side of eternity is somewhat like trees walking. 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verse 12 Paul says that by faith we see in a mirror dimly but then when we are with him face to face he says now I know in part but then I shall know just as I also am known one day one day the author of our faith will finish it and we will behold his glory in this life this sight Mark chapter 8 is given by grace given by grace through faith sometimes in the beginning our faith is weak isn't it feeble but the longer that we seek his glory in this life by faith the more clearly that we see we are being moved from faith to faith and the more that we seek him the more that we see him the more we ourselves are changed the more that we ourselves are transformed seeing his glory transforms us the more that we seek him the more that we live by faith the more that we see clearly until that time when it's no longer faith but sight we'll see him as he is in a life to come grace the grace of God perfects sight and we behold the fullness of his glory when we shall see him as he is so now back in John chapter 17 just one example there of this process if you will toward a glorified beholding John 17 that two-stage process if you think about Mark chapter 8 the story there that two-stage process for us begins with you and I in blindness it begins with you and I in blindness we have to acknowledge that fact I know you've heard it said before and maybe if you're new here maybe you've not heard it but in order to appreciate and understand and apprehend the grace of God in Christ the goodness of God the love of God the mercy of God the blessed hope that is in Christ in order to apprehend all of those blessed promises that come to us in the gospel you have to first understand the very bad news you are blind you are spiritually blind not just spiritually blind spiritually dead spiritually dead the greatest symphony ever written means nothing to you if you can't hear it right the most beautiful scene ever painted means nothing to you if you can't see it the most luxurious fabric ever woven means nothing to you if you can't feel it right that Paul said but even if our gospel is veiled it is veiled to those who are perishing you must acknowledge that in your spiritual blindness in your spiritual deadness you cannot consider the grace of God in Christ you cannot consider the excellencies of Christ you are lost you are perishing and that which is good and gracious and merciful in the gospel is veiled to you so what does the Bible say for us to do if you want spiritual sight Bible says to consider your latter end if you remember Moses to the people of Israel right in Deuteronomy chapter 32 29 Moses pleads with them pleads with them oh Israel right seek wisdom seek to be wise in these things seek understanding consider your latter end God teach us to number our days right consider that you are a vapor consider that you are born in iniquity you are brought forth in sin you have inherited sin from your representative your father Adam you have a sin nature now with your sin nature you sin that's what you do from your birth you were born in iniquity no person will ever behold the glory of Christ by sight in heaven who does not behold it by faith in this world apart from the grace of God in Christ you are dead in trespasses and sins you are blind to the glory of Christ you must be born again you must be born again in your natural state you are condemned already the natural man Paul says does not receive the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishness to him nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned what the Bible says about you in this state is that you're a fool you cannot comprehend things of God because a natural man cannot comprehend spiritual things acknowledge the Bible's diagnosis of you if these things are dull to you if these things are lifeless to you if these things are cold to you if Christ is no different than any other man if your treasure is somewhere else besides him if he's not the pearl of great price which you would gladly sell everything that you have to gain if he's not that to you if he's not your treasure then you are lost consider your latter end you are on your way to hell you are condemned already you simply await the execution of the sentence unbelievers are described in Isaiah 53 by the way that they are blinded to the glories of Christ to them he has no form or comeliness and when we see him there's no beauty that we should desire him he is despised and rejected by man a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and we hid as it were our faces from him he was despised and we did not esteem him the Lord of glory who is worthy of worship worthy of exaltation worthy of praise and what a sinful natural barren men do they hide their faces from him they despise him they esteem him not why because they esteem themselves they live for their own pleasure they live for their own lives they are the master of their fate they hide their faces from him and yet listen it is in that humiliation that the Lord Jesus Christ is made glorious it's in his humiliation that Christ displays himself in his glory in the face in the face of wicked, vile, rejecting, rebellious sinners the Lord Jesus Christ condescends from his glory to save being in the form of God he did not consider it robbery to be equal with God but he made himself of no reputation he took the form of a slave and coming in the likeness of men being found in appearance as a man he humbles himself he became obedient to the point of death even the death of the cross therefore considering that humiliation considering his condescension God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father in his work to save sinners he is glorious but in the natural man hide my face from him I will suppress the truth of him in my unrighteousness to have my cake and eat it too right to live my life he is glorious in the way that God the Father represents him to lost men he who has seen the Son has seen the Father the Lord Jesus Christ makes known the essential glory of the invisible God how does he do that? in his glory the glory that we behold here on earth the glory that we behold in his word the glory of Christ how does he make known the essential glory of the invisible God he does that by exhibiting expressing representing displaying manifested manifesting God's attributes God's attribute of love that not finding anything in you or I that is lovable not finding anything in you or I that is lovely or worthy of that love God in and of himself according to his own grace and mercy loved you loved me and sent his Son in grace in mercy not giving us that which we deserve which is his wrath his judgment but giving us that which we don't deserve his kindness his compassion his pity his love his tenderness his patience the Lord Jesus Christ displays his holiness at the cross we see justice and judgment and wrath married together with love and mercy and grace that is seen in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ Lord Jesus Christ represents the glory of God in his will his will to save sinners setting his forehead like a flint toward Jerusalem that he would go to the cross and be obedient to the point of death even the death of the cross but John Owen describes how Satan seeks to blind you from this glory if you've not ever looked on the Lord Jesus Christ as glorious it's because there's a veil over your eyes John Owen describes how Satan seeks to blind you from this glory first he does that through fiery darts fiery darts fiery darts to depress you fiery darts to cause doubt fiery darts in the forms of the cares of this world persecutions adversity difficulty fears and doubts take over don't have time to follow Christ don't want to consider his glory we have other things to concern ourselves with fiery darts secondly though Satan seeks to blind by seducing people into a careless security by seducing people into a careless security many today like me when I was lost sitting in that church listening to sermons about heaven not considering my latter end not understanding what was being said many people multitudes multitudes promise themselves peace without a diligent and earnest life or death consideration of these things your soul is at stake that which is preeminently valuable to you your own soul you will cast away for trifles I go to church I know I'm going to heaven I'll pray once in a blue moon I know I'm going to heaven I feel it I just feel that God has saved me I feel that he is with me they live their lives in presumption while they neglect these things what is he to you who is Christ to you do you see him as glorious in this life is your greatest desire to be with him to be with him to behold his glory in heaven if not consider with me if not your professed Christianity is an empty motion one day to the next of religious activity do's and don'ts because I do this I'm going to heaven if I don't do this I'm going to go to heaven and the love and affection is absent for Christ no heart for the Lord no desire no longing to be with him no hungering no thirsting for righteousness if that's the state of your professed Christianity then his glory will be revealed in your judgment seek the glory of Christ put your faith in Christ the spirit and the bride say come let him who hears say come let him who thirsts come whoever desires whoever desires let him take the water of life freely everyone who thirsts come to the waters you who have no money come by and eat just come by wine and milk without money without price come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden weary over what heavy laden under what under the weight of your sin come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest that's our natural state apart from Christ phase one you are blind dead in your sins and trespasses upon being born again by a work of the Spirit of God causing you to be born again upon being born again we now see Christ in this life through the eyes of faith we see partly we see partially we see men like trees walking so to speak but we see Christ in this life through the eyes of faith John Owen says again the immediate object of our faith is the manifestation of the excellencies of Christ I remember when the Lord saved me and crushed me over my sin all I wanted to do was to please him all I wanted to do is to serve him to love him to be with him I wanted Christ turn with me to Isaiah chapter 6 Isaiah chapter 6 in this life we don't get visions or these dreams that represent an accurate picture of the glory of Christ Isaiah did Isaiah chapter 6 let's look at verse 1 the immediate object of our faith the immediate object of our faith is the manifestation of the excellencies of Christ Isaiah chapter 6 verse 1 in the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up and the train of his robe filled the temple now from John chapter 12 verse 41 who is Isaiah looking at? he's looking at the Lord Jesus Christ this is the Lord Jesus Christ in his glory above it verse 2 stood Seraphim each one had six wings with two he covered his face with two he covered his feet and with two he flew even the glory right? the surpassing glory of Lord Jesus Christ the Seraphim covered their face one cried verse 3 to another and said holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts the whole earth is full of his glory and the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out and the house was filled with smoke and so I said whoa is me for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for my eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts what was Isaiah's response to a vision of Jesus Christ in his glory? of God in his glory seated upon the throne in the throne room the response of Isaiah was I am undone whoa is me why? because he's sinful because of his sin I am a man of unclean lips I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips okay verse 6 one of the Seraphim flew to me having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar and he touched my mouth with it and he said behold this has touched your lips your iniquity is taken away your sin is purged the grace and mercy of God right? also I heard the voice of the Lord saying whom shall I send and who will go for us? then I said here am I send me what was Isaiah's response? one repentance bankruptcy conviction over his own sin secondly he consecrates himself to the Lord beholding the glory of God Isaiah consecrates himself to the Lord send me you remember John or John in Revelation chapter 1 verse 17 John sees Christ the vision of Christ says he fell at his feet as if dead Acts 26 fell to the ground at the glory of God they couldn't bear it here our sight is partial in large part because we couldn't bear the full glory of the Lord Jesus Christ it's like looking at in this life like looking at the stars in heaven right if you look at the night sky and you look at all the stars points of light points of light including the moon that illuminate everything so there's light there's an illumination all of them combined together but you look at them as singular points we look at the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in scripture much the same way we go to scripture and see his glory we see this point and this point and this point and this point this story this account this teaching this instruction and combined we get a picture we get illumined with the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in this life but we see partially we see as in a mirror dimly if you put all of those stars together right in one you'd have one blinding sphere unable to be gazed upon burning your retinas we couldn't handle it the believer says with Paul that upon beholding the glory of God the glory of Christ Paul says what things were gained to me these I have counted loss for Christ indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ count them as rubbish I heard a quote earlier in the week and I'm going to do a miserable job of trying to represent it to you is quote from John Calvin's institutes where Calvin describes our sight on earth and he's saying that we can look at white we can look at brilliance we can look at splendor we can look at light with our earthly eyes but when we get to heaven and we see the glory of God the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ with our heavenly sight with our glorified sight there's no comparison and looking upon to that we'll make the white or the light or the brilliance that we thought we saw on earth rubbish by comparison filth by comparison beholding the glory of Christ Peter says although having not seen him you love him though now not seeing him yet believing he rejoiced with joy inexpressible and full of glory we see that glory in this life by faith in two ways one in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ secondly in his work you want to behold the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in this life look at the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and look at his work and looking at his person the Lord Jesus Christ represents the invisible God he is the express image of his person 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 verse 6 for it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ how do you seek his face? you go to his word you go to his word the word is the field in which you dig for the surpassing treasure you're digging for the treasure in his word that treasure that you would gladly give everything that you have to purchase the field and have the treasure the word is the field in which you dig seek Christ seek his glory in his word Hebrews chapter 1 verse 3 Christ is the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person Colossians chapter 1 verse 15 he is the image of the invisible God so in this life we see his glory by faith in two ways one his person secondly by his work by his work the Lord's perfect obedience perfect sinless life the Lord's perfect atoning work his substitutionary atonement perfectly satisfying the wrath of God perfectly satisfying the just demands of God's law his perfect work his perfect sacrifice and as Isaiah and his vision of the Lord's glory what must our response be here's Owen again speaking of the glories of Christ here in what I live here in what I die here on what I dwell in my thoughts and affections to the withering and consumption of all the painted beauties of this world unto the crucifying of all things here below until they become to me a dead and deformed thing no way meat for affection embraces for this and like reasons I shall first pursue beholding the glory of Christ in this world by faith we're to take our mind we're to take our mind off the trifles and trinkets of this world off the passing pale inglorious triple of this existence and put our mind on the beauty and worth and value and treasure of Christ if you think about it brother and sister if in your Christian life as I have if you've gone through periods of time where you feel like your prayers in a brass ceiling you feel apathetic or indifferent maybe your first love has grown cold what are we to do what's the remedy you seek the glory of Christ you seek the glory of Christ beholding the glory of Christ it's all of the graces that come to us come to us mediated in the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ all the blessings of God come to us mediated through the the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ behold his glory seek his glory in his word see his glory and your heart will be transformed all of that in this life the end or the purpose of all of that the aim of all his mediatorial glory in this life is with the purpose John chapter 17 verse 24 of filling his own people with the blessed satisfaction of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ for all of eternity all of his requests in this prayer in John chapter 17 all of his work on their behalf has as its aim the beholding of his glory and that grace that glorification grace whereby we receive our sight enables us to see Christ in his unveiled glory because we shall be like him think about it the difference between heaven and our sight in heaven and this life that we live by faith now is that when we see him in heaven there's no remaining depravity to deal with our flesh our flesh is done away with we receive glorified bodies with glorified eyes with which to see glorified ears with which to hear glorified senses none of that remaining corruption to influence our mind none of that remaining corruption to influence our thoughts to influence our ability to see him no remaining corruption to influence our ability to worship him or to praise him to discern through our sight no weakness no fog upon our senses no dross in our heart or in our mind nothing nothing to incapacitate us from placing our sight our desire our will upon the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ then when faith becomes sight and we behold his glory in heaven there's nothing to deter or to incapacitate or to influence a proper response to those things it will be worship unfettered praise unhindered our responses in this life are clothed with the flesh they're corrupted they're polluted in this life he gives us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus much more so in the life that is to come our sight here improved by grace they're perfected by grace a final request of this glorious prayer by our great high priest in John chapter 17 in verse 24 is brought to an intimate close with the Lord's words for you loved me before the foundation of the world it was because God the Father loved God the Son from eternity past that he gave him this glory and the glory of his own redeemed people to behold it for all of eternity love for God the Son it's amazing to think that that love with which God the Father loves God the Son it is with that love that he loves us I in them verse 23 in you and me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me in verse 26 I have declared to them your name and will declare it that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them glorious isn't it to think about the blessings of the grace and mercy of God in Christ let's live this life with joy inexpressible beholding his glory here so that you and I brothers and sisters will behold his glory together in heaven amen let's pray Father in heaven we come to you Lord beholding you as you are revealed in your word and we must acknowledge as Isaiah did that we are undone God's so sinful so selfish so self-involved self-absorbed so hell-bent on our own glory that we can't see what you have done for us in Christ that we should Lord I pray please forgive us of our sin God grant us repentance and faith we desire Lord from the heart to see your glory the glory as of the only begotten we pray Lord we long for that day when our faith will be made sight and we will behold him as he is we love you Lord we thank you for these glorious promises thank you for this treasure I pray God that we would live our lives in light of that future reality that you have promised us that you have secured for us and have assured us of by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead to him be all praise, honor, and glory forever and ever in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ we pray Amen