The Hour Has Come!

 

Scripture Text John 17:1-8

Intro: Jesus declares in this scripture before us that His hour had come. "His hour" refers to His death on the cross for all mankind. Jesus lifted His eyes to heaven and called on God the "Father." He was asking God the Father to glorify Him in this hour so He could bring glory to the Father.

1.  It was the hour of glory. John 17:1 (NKJV) 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, Jesus began to pray as He was facing the cross. The first thing Jesus asked was, "Father...glorify Your Son." But note why: "That Your Son also may glorify You." The whole purpose for God sending Jesus to earth was to give eternal life to men; so in asking the two questions, "How is God glorified?" and "How is Jesus glorified?" the answer is simply: "by men receiving eternal life." Both God's glory and Jesus' glory are found in the completion of the great work of salvation that Jesus provided by His perfect life, death, and resurrection.

2.  It was the hour of power. John 17:2 (NKJV) as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. Jesus would be glorified by God giving Him the power and authority over all flesh. The reason Jesus was exalted to be the Sovereign Majesty of the universe is one-fold, and it is the most wonderful news in all the universe. The Father had given him authority over everyone in all the earth so that he could give eternal life to each one the Father had given him. Jesus' power was made known on the cross when He defeated the devil. Colossians 2:15 (NKJV) Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them through the cross. He now has all authority over all principalities and powers!

3.  It was the hour of eternal life. John 17:3 (NKJV) And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. The hour for Jesus to bring eternal life to mankind had come. Jesus would be glorified in that He would give eternal life to all that would believe in Him. Jesus would soon give His life on the cross. He would pay the price for mankind's sin. Jesus defines eternal life as knowing by experience the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the One He sent to earth. Because Christ went to the cross to pay for our sins, the hour of salvation has come.                     2 Corinthians 6:2 (NKJV) For God says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. Eternal life comes by confessing your sins to Jesus and asking Him to forgive you.

4.  It was the hour of a finished work. John 17:4 (NKJV) I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. Jesus affirmed that he had brought glory to the Father on earth by doing everything God wanted him to do. The last phase of Jesus’ redeeming work was about to be accomplished through his death on the cross. Jesus spoke of his work as though it had already happened—his obedience to death on the cross was a certainty. Jesus finished His work as He died on the cross. In John 19:30 Jesus' last three words were “It is finished.” All that was needed for mankind to be saved was complete. Nothing can be added to Jesus' finished work!

5.  It was the hour of restored glory. John 17:5 (NKJV) And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. Looking beyond the Cross to his resurrection and ascension, Jesus asked the Father to restore the glory He had shared with Him before the world began. In saying this, Jesus gives us a glimpse of His relationship with the Father before the beginning of time in John 1:1-2 (NKJV) ¹  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²  He was in the beginning with God. Jesus wanted to return to the glory he had with the Father before the world was created. Jesus is now exalted in all His glory as He sits at the right hand of God the Father there in Heaven till the Father makes all His enemies His footstool. [Lk. 20:43]

6. It was the hour of a mission accomplished. John 17:6-8 (NKJV) ⁶  "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. ⁷  Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. ⁸  For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. After praying for his own glorification, Jesus turned the direction of his petition to his disciples. These were the men God had selected to give to Jesus as his disciples in verse 6. To these men Jesus had revealed the reality of the Father’s person to them. And they had kept his word. Their faith wasn’t perfect, and they would fail their Savior in the coming hours; but their commitment was in the right place, and they would return to their faith in Jesus and obedience to God. They had received Jesus’ words as coming from God. Once His disciples believed Jesus had been sent from God, they were ready to learn that God had sent him to die as the payment for mankind's sin. Jesus was declaring that the disciples were ready for the next lesson, as difficult as it might be. The apostles, having received this knowledge from Christ, were to spread it through the whole world. His mission of preparing His disciples to carry on His work had been accomplished.

Conclusion: Jesus faced His last hours on earth calling on the Father for the courage and boldness He needed as He faced the most difficult hour of His life. Jesus would face this hour sacrificing His precious life on the cross to pay for the sins of all mankind and then He would be resurrected from the dead to enter into His glory He had with the Father before the world was created. As we enter Easter season may we not forget all that Jesus accomplished for us in His final hour on earth.

Invitation: if you have not taken advantage of what Jesus accomplished for you, now is the time to confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you. Invite Him into your life to take charge of you and your destiny. Then be baptized as a public witness of your faith in Him as your personal Savior and Lord.