 With that said we're going to be looking at chapter 17 verses 1 through 5 as we open up and introduce this particular chapter of the Gospel of John and so I'll begin reading here and I'll start at verse 1. I'll read to verse 5 and We'll get into our study John's Gospel chapter 17 beginning at verse 1 Reading to verse 5 John writes Jesus spoke these words lifted up his eyes to heaven and said Father the hour has come 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 and this is eternal life That they may know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent I Have glorified you on the earth. I have 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 Now I want you to notice even as we begin I'm going to give to you a bit of an introduction As a matter of fact, it's going to take a little while to develop this because you'll see why I'm doing that By the time we get into our study because this is a chapter that deals with Jesus praying and when you read the Gospel You you immediately notice something you notice that Jesus prayed often It was his habit and it's something that the writers of the Gospels mentioned fairly often For example in in Mark's gospel in chapter 1 verse 35 Mark said in the morning having risen a long while before daylight He went out and departed to a solitary place and there he prayed So in the gospel of Mark from the beginning the first chapter Mark makes a note that Jesus Christ prayed often and he would arise early. It says here before daylight He would arise a long time before daylight and he would go to a quiet deserted place a solitary place And there he would pray Now sometimes people might wonder why is it that Jesus Christ prayed after all since he's God in the flesh Would he not have already known what to do? Why would he pray? Why was it that Jesus would pray being God in the flesh? You would think that he'd already know what he's supposed to do But we find many times and I'm going to show you many instances of this Jesus would pray while someone said Jesus is praying to the father was a demonstration of his relationship within the trinity and an example for us That we must rely on God through prayer for the strength and wisdom that we need Since Christ as the God man needed to have a vibrant prayer life. So should the follower of Christ today You see Jesus had said that he had come to do his father's will when we were in chapter 4 of the gospel of John Verse 34 John wrote Jesus said to them my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work So in prayer he would speak with his father and would be directed And that was his purpose in coming to earth is that he might know his father's will and do it in the book of Hebrews chapter 10 verse 7 it reads I said behold I have come in the volume of the book it is written of me to do your will oh God So when you read the Gospels, you'll see that his prayer life is mentioned often We've seen this as we've gone through the gospel of John Let me remind you of a few things in a moment, but you see that he would pray quite often Remember that before the raising of Lazarus as is recorded in John chapter 11 verses 41 and 42 Jesus prayed it says they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said father. I thank you that you've heard me I know that you always hear me, but because of the people who are standing by I Said this that they may believe that you sent me So John gives us an example in chapter 11 of his prayer life in John 12 verse 28 Once again, he gives us another example father glorify your name Voice came from heaven saying I have both glory glorified it and I will glorify it again In Jesus's prayer life is mentioned from the beginning It was there at that his baptism in Luke chapter 3 verse 21 It says when all the people were baptized it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized and while he prayed The heaven was open. He prayed before he chose the 12 Luke chapter 6 verses 12 and 13 It came to pass in those days that he went out to a mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God And when it was day he called his disciples to himself and from them he chose 12 whom he also named apostles It's recorded in Mark chapter 6 verse 46 that he prayed after feeding the 5,000 it says when he had sent them away. He departed to the mountain to pray He prayed before he had asked his men that who he was that they said that he is He prayed he prayed in its mention in Luke chapter 9 verse 18 It says it happened as he was alone praying that his disciples joined him and he asked him saying who do the crowd say that I am He prayed at the transfiguration as it's recorded in Luke 9 29 It says he prayed and the appearance of his face was altered his robe became white and glistening on the night He was betrayed. He told Peter that he had prayed for him Luke 22 31 and 32 The Lord said Simon Simon indeed Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as sweet I've prayed for you that your face should not fail and when you've returned to me strengthen your brethren You see over and over and over again Incidents where Jesus prayed The gospels record that he prayed three times Well in the Garden of Gethsemane when he was on the cross three prayers are recorded Father forgive them for they know not what they do my God my God Why is thou forsaken me and father into thy hands? I commit my spirit in addition to this Jesus gave thanks before the feeding of the five thousand as mentioned and again before the feeding of the 4,000 he also prayed a word of thanks at the Last Supper and at the Supper at Emmaus So you see that Jesus's life was filled with prayer a Writer by the name of our eight Tory said Jesus prayed early in the morning as well as all night He prayed both before and after the great events of his life and he prayed when life was unusually busy There was something about his prayer life That causes men to take note It's interesting in Luke chapter 11 verse 1 It says it came to pass as he was praying in a certain place When he sees that one of his disciples said to him Lord teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples It's interesting that nowhere in the Gospels. Do you ever see one of his men approach him and Sayed him Lord teach us to preach Nowhere does it say Lord teach us to perform miracles Teach us to counsel teachers You don't see them asking for him to teach them to do anything any any other thing except for prayer and that to me is Is very interesting and very fascinating Because that was one of the things if not the thing that stood out the most in the minds of the Apostles Teach us how to pray. We have noted that you get up early go to solitary places and you pray We've noticed that no matter what it is that you're doing whether you're busy or whether you're not that busy You take time to pray We note that you have a knowledge of the will of your father and we know that it comes through your communion with him So if you can teach us anything, would you please teach us how to pray on earth? He prayed and he continues doing so for us now. He grew 725 says he is also able to save to the uttermost Those who come to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them Jesus is praying for us even as I speak. He prays for us because he ever lives to make intercession for us When you look at the life of Christ, you see that he prayed and and you see that he he spoke of prayer The most obvious prayer that Jesus prayed would be the one that he was teaching us how to pray and that would have been What we call the our father and there he gave an example of how to pray Well here in John chapter 17 He gives us a teaching related to it and he's praying now for what is called his Consecration and he's praying for his own consecration He's praying for the consecration or the setting apart of his apostles and he's also and we'll see this as we go through this He's also praying for future believers. He's praying for us So chapter 17 as we look at John 17 contains a prayer that Jesus addresses to his father This particular prayer is divided into three sections versus one through five Which we're going to look at tonight then verses six through 19 Where Jesus is Jesus prays for the apostles and then verses 20 through 26 where he prays for future believers Where he prays for us and so we're going to be looking tonight at verses one through five It's going to be his prayer of consecration because he's about to complete his task And so that's what we're looking at. Let's begin by looking at verse one John writes Jesus spoke these words. He lifted up his eyes to heaven And he said father the hour has come glorify your son that your son also may glorify you Jesus has been teaching his disciples as we've been going through the gospel of John We know that he has exhaustively taught his disciples throughout this evening When we begin to look at the things that he taught his disciples from chapter 13 to where we are now He spoke to them concerning serving the Lord He spoke to them concerning his departure to the father He spoke of their denial that they would they that they would have concerning him He taught them concerning his preparation of a place for them of being the exclusive way to God He spoke of the coming of the comforter Taught them to abiding him to love one another He told them that the world was going to hate them the persecution was going to occur He spoke of his death. He spoke of his resurrection He taught them to pray in his name and he closed by telling them that the father himself loves them And as he's been teaching all of these very powerful things he now closes with prayer And so this prayer reveals is looking to the cross where he's he's going to complete his mission Notice how he begins in verse one. He begins father the hour has come Now Jesus has spoken of this hour often as he was preparing his Disciples the hour speaks of his time of suffering it speaks of his death upon the cross and He would use this term hour this hour Often as he taught remember in John 2 we saw this in John 2 verse 4 where he spoke to his mother And he said woman. What does your concern have to do with me my hour has not yet come He used that term in John chapter 7 verse 30 where it says no one laid a hand on him because his hour had not yet come In John 8 20 no one laid hands on him his hour had not yet come in John 12 27 now my soul is troubled. What shall I say father saved me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour and then John 13 verse 1 Jesus knew that his hour had come that he should depart from this world to the father Well, now the hour has arrived The hour is upon him and what does he do? He prays Father the hour has come glorify your son that your son also may glorify you Glorify your son You know it's interesting to me and I'll say this very briefly as this isn't in my notes But it comes to mind as I'm speaking to you right now You can do a lot of things before you pray, but you can't do very much until you pray and There are quite a number of people a lot of voices today who are saying your prayers are worthless Your prayers are useless. Why are you praying? You need to do something. We're hearing that right now Why are you praying? You need to be busy. You need to do something Well, you know what I can go out and do something, but I'm not always successful Or I can speak to the one who's always successful And ask him to be of help It isn't a cop out to pray. It's the wisest thing I can do All you have to do is realize that your puny your weak your useless your unable. All I had to do is do that and Because I am those things. I Need someone who isn't weak. I need someone who is able The wisest thing I can do is call upon him and we're told in scripture to do so call upon me And I will answer they and show the great and mighty things which thou know as not hitherto have you asked nothing in my name Ask and you shall receive that your joy may be full Jesus says we're to pray pray at all times. We're told by paul pray without ceasing What we do is we speak to the lord not to get him on our side so that we might be on his side We pray to the lord not so that we can give him advice and direction So but in order that he might give us direction by his spirit And it isn't a cop out for me to get on my knees as I've been doing as you have been doing and pray for this nation And to say god help us awaken us lord work use the church help me to know what to do There are so many voices that are screaming and crying out right now that it's hard to hear your voice above the wind So I need a quiet place. I need a place where you can speak to my heart because lord I don't have the answer for what's going on not the practical solution And there's so many who are crying out saying do this and do that do this go here do that And for me lord, I just want to learn to just wait on you I just want to know what you want me to do Because when I sense you're leading and I do what you say to do then you're going to show up Because I can't force you to show up I simply want you to move and I want to be in the center of your will as you do If jesus christ himself prayed, why don't we? If jesus christ himself sought his father Why don't we? The wisest thing I can do is learn to communicate to my father And to speak to him in prayer And jesus is doing just that I gave you so many examples preceding this because jesus prayed he would awaken early go to a solitary place He'd seek his father he'd be ready go out he'd do the will of his father and he did it every day so much so That his disciples saw this about him and said teach us to pray Because we see the secret of how you know to do what you're doing It's your prayer life. Teach us to pray so the church needs to do the same We need to say god teach us to pray and that's what he's doing father the hour has come It's time for me to be glorified so that I might glorify you Father the hour has come Glorify your son that word glorify speaks of honoring or magnifying the word glorify means to cause Worth of a person or thing to be known What was the vehicle of this glory for jesus christ the vehicle of glory is the cross Because it's a cross that Causes us to give praise and glory to him and I say at 53 10 through 12 The prophet said it pleased the lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief When you make a soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed He shall prolong his days And the pleasure of the lord shall prosper in his hand He shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied By his knowledge my righteous servant shall justify many For he shall bear their iniquities Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great And he shall divide the spoil with the strong Because he poured out his soul unto death. He was numbered with the transgressors He bore the sin of many made intercession for the transgressors Remember in john 12 23 how jesus said the hour has come that the son of man should be glorified Well, it's time for him to give up his life So how is he going to bring glory to his father while he's submitted fully to his will Again in john 4 34 my food is to do the will of him who sent me in to finish his work I've been sent on a mission and my satisfaction is derived From completing it Notice in verse 2 as he says As you have given him authority over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him By obedience into death jesus has authority over all flesh and he noticed he gives eternal life Here's something very simple that i'm going to say But it's something that gets christians into arguments with people But here's here's what the bible teaches Without jesus no man can be saved That's what the bible teaches In acts chapter 4 verse 12 nor is there salvation in any other there's no other name under heaven given among men By which we must be saved And so jesus christ is the one who saves us and it's coming to the father through him as the earlier said But notice how he says that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him Eternal life eternal life Is not something that is earned. It's not something purchased. It's not something bargained for and it's not something that's inherited The idea of earning salvation is at the heart of all of man's religious efforts In john 6 28 and 29 Now these people were speaking to him and they said to him What shall we do that we may work the works of god? In other words, what can we do to please god and jesus answered and said to them? This is the work of god That you believe in him whom he sent Every every religious system is built on doing the very best that you can do trying as hard as you can But christianity is built on jesus christ doing what you can't do Jesus gave the sacrifice of himself The offering that was perfect We can't give that offering But if you look at every religion think of any religion on the face of the earth You're going to see the same thing in all of them and that is self Self salvation Working hard doing the best you can In order that you might somehow earn god's pleasure and that runs right in the face of god's grace It's not a single thing i did Not a single thing i did not a single thing you can do To earn salvation not a thing Not a thing But when you go to church sometimes it almost seems that So many sermons are telling us what we're supposed to be doing Well, there's a lot of truth to the things that we'll read as we look at the scripture and says this is what I want of you But if you don't start at the place of grace, you're not going to be anything but frustrated When you discover that it's through god's grace that you were saved And that the lord knows that you're flesh and he he knows beforehand that we're all going to fail in one way or another He already knows all of those things and yet at the same time he's still he still saved us that tells me something about the grace of god And so the lord jesus christ yielded up his life for me So that I a person who is is unrighteous might have a relationship with a righteous god Well, when I understand that he has given to me eternal life as a free gift Then that is something that has changed my life You see eternal life again is is a gift given freely by god's grace and it's received through faith It's something he gives it's not something i'm entitled to it's not something i deserve It's not something that i've earned It's by his grace In Ephesians 2 8 and 9 for by grace you've been saved through faith and that not of yourselves It's the gift of god not of works less anyone should boast In roman 6 23 it says the wages of sin is death But the gift of god is eternal life in christ jesus our lord and so He says that that god has given Us grace and god has given to us eternal life and this is something that we have in his son Now notice in verse 2 How it says you have given him as you have given him authority over all flesh that he should give eternal life To as many as you have given him So salvation originates with god god draws people to faith in christ Because we have a picture through the gospel of his death on a cross And we saw in chapter 6 verse 44 that no one can come to him unless the father who sent him draws that person So he uses the message of the gospel to do this And the message of the gospel is a declaration of what god has done Salvation doesn't originate with stories. It doesn't originate with our feelings. It certainly doesn't originate in our opinions Salvation originates in the gospel message declaring to us that jesus christ died on a cross In john 12 32 he said if i am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself And so what do we do we present jesus christ crucified? We declare to people why he did that and encourage people to have a relationship And as a result of that we have eternal life now notice verse 3 This is eternal life that they may know you The only true god and jesus christ whom you have sent this is eternal life so Again, I just felt like looking up a lot of scripture Because the words eternal life are used frequently in the gospels Especially in the gospel of john and the writings of john so just remembering a few of the passages in the gospel of john speaking of eternal life john 3 15 and 16 whoever believes In him will have eternal life For god so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son That whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life John 3 36 whoever believes in the sun has eternal life Whoever rejects the sun will not see life for god's wrath remains on him John 6 verse 40 This is the will of him who sent me that everyone who sees the sun and believes in him may have everlasting life And I will raise him up at the last day john 10 28 I give them eternal life. They shall never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand And then one example at a first john 5 11. This is the testimony God has given us eternal life and this life is in his son So let's look at that for just a moment eternal life Eternal life isn't measured in seconds or minutes. It's not measured in hours days weeks months or years Eternal life isn't specifically speaking of A length of days in terms of just living long Eternal life is actually defined here in verse 3 as fellowship with god notice what he said verse 3 This he said is eternal life that they may know you the only true god and jesus christ whom you have sent Eternal life is a relationship with the father through jesus christ It is called age abiding life and eternal life is not speaking simply of time It's speaking of quality it's speaking of a quality of life that comes through a relationship with the father It speaks of a relationship with god that produces a life that is filled with the presence of the lord And this is eternal life to know god And when you have a relationship with god, it's not just that it extends into infinity It's it's speaking of a quality of relationship that you have because of him and this is something guys Let me think about this and speak about this for a moment that I think a lot of christians have failed to realize And hopefully today as we're looking at this I can share with you a few things that will help us to get our eyes on where they're supposed to be If all we look at it's what we have and what we're going through right now I think I think that sometimes we could say with paul of all men we are most miserable Because sometimes the things that we go through are just so hard and so difficult So filled with disappointment and sorrow so many times filled with affliction and so many times filled with With things that would be normally considered negative that when when when you start thinking about how your life is going at that moment You could very easily say what a waste my life has been I'm sad all the time. I'm I'm frustrated all the time. It seems like I never get ahead It seems like I take two steps forward and then three steps back I don't know what's going on and there are a lot of christians like that And you know what I understand that because I've been there But one of the things over time that has helped me is to come to realize and I've been saying this a lot lately because Especially in the face of all that we're going through as a nation right now from coronavirus to To rioting and all of that it's if it's not one thing that's discouraging. It's another If it's not one thing, that's another And it's almost like you know when you go to the beach if you go to the beach at all If if you go to the beach I used to go to the beach all the time when I was a kid I don't go anymore because they usually try to harpoon me but when I was a kid I used to go to the beach a lot And when I go to the the beach I I used to do a lot of body surfing and some of some of you know body surfing and and all of that You know you wait for the wave you take off on it the wave starts to build you take off at the right time And you ride the wave. It's a blast. It's a lot of fun. I loved body surfing, but there were times When I would go out and the wave would suck me in And when it sucked me in it would throw me to the ground, you know to the sand and bounce me around for a while And then you start thinking within yourself. Am I ever going to get out of this? And all of that so what at one time was a pleasure became Something that you could even be frightened. I still remember on one occasion I went out and and I was starting to to catch waves and all and And it was a little big that day and And before you know it I was out further than I wanted to be and I'm not a good swimmer And so I'm thinking oh boy, so I got a cramp And I remember laying rolling over on my back and started to try and just Backstroke to come come in and and I was out there. I was the distance out. I wasn't it felt like miles It probably was 20 feet, but it felt like miles I was out there and I'm it wasn't that far but it was far and I was trying to come in I still remember and I was like 16 15 years old and I still remember That I couldn't move my arms anymore. I was that tired because the waves and everything was drawing me back and I was fighting It was just and I'm not a good swimmer I remember just at one point. I said I can't do this anymore and I actually just stopped And just let myself go down And you know the funny thing is when I let myself go down. I laid on the on the sand. I mean I made it in. I just didn't know that I've been And I'm just laying there with my There's like an inch of water in my head Even the things that sometimes give you pleasure can also end up Causing you sorrows and sometimes in our lives we We started looking around we started thinking You know, I gave my heart to Christ and it doesn't seem like things are going the way that I thought they would so Fairly early in my Christian life up to this point now And I think I I think I can identify and some of you can identify with this too um I came to realize that God nowhere Have I ever found him promising me that every day is going to be the best day of my life I I haven't found any scriptures that says I'm exempt from paying sorrow or disappointment I haven't found any have you I haven't I've read through the bible more than once I've taught it more than I've taught through the whole bible I haven't found that have you where it says you oh come to christ and man for the rest of your life You will smile. You're gonna wake up with a smile. You're gonna go to sleep with a smile I don't think so You know, I've found out that life continues But I also found out that I'm never alone I've also found out that he never leaves me nor forsakes me I have also found out that I can do all things through christ who strengthens me I've also found out that I can learn to love the unlovely I myself have been many times and continue to be so to others But I can learn to love those That are unlovely. I've also discovered that in him I can forgive those who have despicably used me I've learned certain things through afflictions and pains and disappointments But the number one thing I've learned is that eternal life is not length of days its relationship with the father And when I came to realize it and I've grown to realize that that I've been able to say He never leaves me nor forsakes me. I never walk through the valley of the shadow of death alone He is always with me his rod and his staff. They really do comfort me I have come to learn that those things are true and the things that I've prayed that god would produce in my life I've also discovered have come through the disappointments and afflictions and discouragements that I've I've encountered because in all of those dark times and and by the way There have been many of them in all of those dark times I have discovered that no matter how dark it's been and no matter how low I've gone It always there's always a light at the end and there's always a hand lifting me up I've discovered that because I have eternal life because it is to know the father That's the key. I'm never alone and neither are you God is with us And jesus is saying this is eternal life that they may know you That they may know you the only true god and jesus christ whom you have sent Eternal life is a relationship With the father through jesus jeremiah 923 and 24 thus saith the lord Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom Let not the binding man glory in his might nor let the rich man glory in his riches But let him who glories glory in this that he understands and knows me That I am the lord exercising loving kindness judgment and righteousness in the earth for in these I delight saith the lord So it's not simply knowledge of a god Or any god It's knowledge of the true god You see there is only one true god isaia 45 verse 5 I am the lord There is no other apart from me. There is no god The only way to know the true god is to know the son who came to reveal him And jesus is the one sent by the father to bring people to fellowship with him So notice verse 4 how he says I've glorified you on the earth I finished the work which you have given me to do In other words, I have been perfectly obedient to your will In john 8 29 he who sent me is with me the father has not left me alone I always do those things that please him John 8 46 which of you convicts me of sin if I tell the truth Why do you not believe me jesus was perfectly obedient to the father's will he had not failed to be completely obedient But now he has one more task But notice how he speaks of this as an accomplished fact Even though it's still future he was fully committed to it and he completed his task Why simultaneously bringing glory to god His words and his works his miracles have revealed the glory of god on earth to men And jesus is the premier example of one who finishes well And that's what every believer should be encouraged by If there's anything I can encourage you with by way of application It would be this I have some people in here who are older this may apply to you more You know in a more personal way than for someone who's young right now somebody who's young Every day that you Live with jesus on the face of the earth is one day closer to being with him One of the things that the lord has reminded me of recently Is that every day that I have with him is one less day on earth and one day closer to being there with him So one of these days And it really won't be that long from now Compared to the length of years i've lived One of these days and it won't be that far from now There will be there will be a statement made david wassallis is dead That's not true Because i'll be like my pastor taught me and like others have said i'll be more alive at that moment than i've ever been To close your eyes here is simply to see him face to face You know eternal life is relationship with god that continues in existence through fellowship as well as length of days But you know what I just want to finish well I just want to finish well When you're younger you think oh i've got plenty of time You know I can start doing the things I I know I should do but I can do that later on a lot of people are putting off their their walks of the lord They're putting off some of the things that the lord has Has said I want to bless you in if you do these things They're putting them off for later on But as you grow a bit older you begin to realize that you have less opportunities in front of you than you've had behind you And so you want to take more advantage of those days You want to take more advantage of those opportunities You want to make sure that you're being faithful because you want to be a blessing to others and And you want god's hand of blessing on you. That's just a fact And so for me one of the things in my life is now I'm beginning to move into that phase of life where I want to finish well That I want to finish well And and jesus christ obviously is speaking of the fact that he did And I believe that the apostle paul using the example of christ Also wanted to have a complete faithfulness that he wanted to finish well So it's interesting how when you look at paul's statements About this you see it for example in second timothy chapter four verse seven You see this heart that paul had then i'm sure he was inspired by christ This this heart was inspired by christ where he had said in second timothy four verse seven I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith I have fought I have finished and I've been faithful I have I have fought. I've been a good soldier. I've been victorious in christ I have finished I ran the course set out for me successfully Not only did I start but I followed the rules. I ran well and I completed that course and I've been faithful. I've kept I've guarded god's word. I've remained faithful to him. I didn't compromise. I didn't water down his word I lived for him and that's something that I want to be able to say that I did these things too So I take inspiration from jesus when he says in verse four i've glorified you on the earth I finished the work which you have given me to do Now oh father glorify me together with yourself with the glory which I had with you before the world was Father glorify me together with yourself with the glory which I had This glory was one that he had with the father Because in essence he is one with god And he's stating that he's divine. He's saying that he's co-eternal with the father One of my commentators a man by the name of barns said he laid aside for a time the external aspect of honor And consented to become despised and to assume the form of a servant He now prays that god would raise him up to the dignity and honor Which he had before his incarnation You see at the cross god will be glorified through the sun And after his death he will once again resume the glory he had before the incarnation And there's a scripture in revelation if you take notes it's found in chapter five verses 11 and 12 Where john says I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne The living creatures and the elders and the number of them was 10 000 times 10 000 And thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice Worthy as the lamb who was slain to receive power riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing And so he says glorify me together with yourself with the glory which I had with you before the world was And then you see in revelation that he receives that glory If there's anything the church needs to learn to do now and I'll close with this As we need to learn to worship the lord listen if If worship is boring to you and I don't think it is that's why I can say it like this Heaven isn't a place you want to go It's not a place you'd like Because heaven is filled with glorifying jesus christ heaven is a place Where we're going to be able to see him face to face Where do you ever wonder what he looks like? Do you ever wonder what his voice sounds like? Do you ever wonder those things I have? I have What does he look like? What will he sound like? What will it be like to be next to him? What will it be like to worship him? To see him face to face And to sing praises to him because that's heaven Thousands upon thousands saying you are worthy you are worthy You are worthy You know when my mom went home to be with the lord? I told a story and I'll close with this I told a story of how when I grew up and I spoke at her memorial I spoke of how when I grew up my parents On occasion would have friends come over for a saturday night And we had a little home with a little front rooms, but they would invite several friends And they would play music And uh We had something called a stereo. It was also called a hi-fi There's ancient terms a lot of you don't understand And my dad would get these records and play them they were called records And he would play them On the turntable He wouldn't scratch he would just let it play And then my mom and he and their friends would dance My dad couldn't dance My dad had he used to say two left feet He couldn't dance my mom Different story My mom was quite a dancer when she was young She used to dance in dance contests. She had a lot of rhythm. She loved a strong heavy beat Mama would dance and I saw my mom dance all my life till she got ill And uh, I can still remember As kids do peeking into the front room to watch the old people partying And I would see my mom dancing And I would see my dad left foot right foot one two three four He couldn't move but my mom would dance around him She would dance literally, you know those that's that saying that good dance rings around him My mom really did that my mom would dance around my dad And my dad had this big smile in his face He would just be smiling one two left right and mom would be bouncing around And my brother and I saw that like sisters saw that as we grew up and and so when I was sharing With the people on my mom's memorial I shared how my mama used to love to dance and she would dance with my father and it hit me. I said, you know Who knows? I don't want to teach this as doctrine And certainly not but I said who knows What if they are before the throne of god worshiping him together? And what if it's okay to move to the music before the lord to move and worship him David dance before the lord with all of his might is a possible that I one day may have rhythm to And to be able to just be up there and worshiping the lord And and I began to think of what it would be like to be before the throne of god To worship and I said, you know in that place my dad's got rhythm My dad and my mom together could worship the lord together. Well, guess what guys? You know, that may be just a sentimental story and certainly it is But there are some things involved in it that mean a lot to me and that means one of these days whatever it may be Whenever it's not too far from now. It's sooner now than ever before We will see him face to face. We will worship him full throat loud volume praise It'll be a beautiful time of worship And so jesus said oh glorify me with the glory that I had with you before the world began And these men and you and I too will be able to see that one day the worship That is due to the lamb of god who was slain from the foundation of the world And our voices will be raised with joy and with praise and with thankfulness For what he did for us And so jesus is simply praying and it's a beautiful thought Glorify me together with yourself with the glory which I had with you before the world was and one day We will see that glory We will see jesus glorified because we will be amongst those who are bringing him glory And so one of these days and it won't be long from now We will do that. Are you ready? I sure hope you are