Sermons on John 17:24-26

John 17:24-26 Interpretation:

Embracing the Mystery of the Trinity (Open the Bible) offers a unique analogy for the mystery of the Trinity by describing a climb up Ben Vrackie in Scotland, where a mist covers the town below but everything outside the mist is clear. This is used to illustrate how the doctrine of the Trinity is a revealed mystery: we cannot see into the heart of it, but we can clearly see what is outside its boundaries (e.g., that Christ is not less than God, that there are not many gods). The sermon also draws a novel connection between the eternal love within the Trinity and the origin of love itself, arguing that love existed before creation as the interpersonal love between Father, Son, and Spirit, and that John 17:24-26 is Jesus’ invitation for believers to enter into this eternal, intra-Trinitarian love. The preacher emphasizes that the love with which the Father loves the Son is the very love that believers are drawn into, and that this is not a mere metaphor but a real participation in the divine relationship.

Experiencing Divine Love and Glory in Christ (Desiring God) interprets John 17:24-26 as the climax of Jesus’ prayer, where the ultimate goal is for believers to be drawn into the “pulsating glory” and love shared between the Father and the Son. The sermon uses the language of “Christian Hedonism,” arguing that God’s goal (his own glory) and our goal (our joy) converge in the beholding of Christ’s glory. The preacher draws on the Greek text, noting the use of “righteous Father” (dikaios) and connecting it to covenant faithfulness, explaining that God’s righteousness is now committed to the salvation of those in Christ. The sermon also uses the metaphor of “the Trinity inside of me doing their thing and I’m doing it with them,” emphasizing the indwelling of the Trinity and the believer’s participation in the intra-Trinitarian love. The preacher further distinguishes between seeing Christ’s glory as a distant observer and experiencing Christ “in” us, closing the gap between the believer and the divine.

Embracing the Mystery of the Trinity (Open the Bible) and "Experiencing Divine Love and Glory in Christ" (Desiring God) both provide unique analogies and metaphors for understanding John 17:24-26, but the latter especially stands out for its detailed exploration of the believer’s future experience of loving the Son with the very love of the Father, and the practical implications of this for Christian joy and sanctification.

Understanding God's Glory: Joy in Worshiping Him (Desiring God) offers a unique interpretation of John 17:24-26 by framing Jesus’ prayer as the ultimate answer to the accusation of divine egomania. The sermon argues that Jesus’ desire for believers to see his glory is not self-centered but is, in fact, the highest form of love, because beholding and praising God’s glory is the consummation of human joy. Drawing on C.S. Lewis’s insight that “praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment,” the preacher contends that God’s self-exaltation is not a demand for ego-stroking but an invitation to supreme happiness. The passage is interpreted as Jesus’ loving intention to share the intra-Trinitarian love and joy with believers, transforming them so that they can love Christ with the very love the Father has for the Son. The preacher also addresses the concern that humans lack the capacity to enjoy God as they should, explaining that Jesus prays for the Father’s love to be in believers, thus enabling them to experience and express the joy and love of the Trinity.

Embracing God's Passion: The Gift of Divine Love (Desiring God) interprets John 17:24-26 as the climactic expression of God’s god-centeredness and the ultimate demonstration of divine love. The sermon asserts that true love from God is not found in being made much of, but in being freed from the need for self-exaltation so that one can make much of God forever. The preacher uses the analogy of standing before the Grand Canyon or the Alps—not to feel big, but to be drawn out of oneself into something vast and glorious—to illustrate that salvation is not about self-esteem but about being captivated by Christ’s glory. The passage is seen as Jesus’ loving prayer for believers to be with him, to see his glory, and to be given the very love the Father has for the Son, thus ensuring that believers will have divine capacities to enjoy God’s infinite glory eternally. The preacher employs the metaphor of exploring endless mountain ranges to convey the inexhaustible joy and discovery that awaits believers in eternity, made possible by God’s own love implanted within them.

John 17:24-26 Theological Themes:

Embracing the Mystery of the Trinity (Open the Bible) introduces the theme that the love between the Father and the Son is the origin of all love, and that believers are invited into this eternal love through Christ. The sermon uniquely applies this to the experience of those who have never known a loving earthly father, arguing that the fatherhood of God is not a projection of human experience but a participation in the relationship Jesus has with the Father. It also emphasizes that the knowledge of God is not attained by intellect but is a gracious revelation, and that humility and gratitude are the proper responses to this gift.

Experiencing Divine Love and Glory in Christ (Desiring God) presents the theme that the ultimate joy of the believer is to love Christ with the very love of God, and that this is the fulfillment of both God’s desire for his own glory and our desire for happiness. The sermon adds a new facet by connecting the “righteousness” of the Father in John 17:25 to covenant faithfulness, arguing that God’s justice is now on the side of the believer’s salvation. It also explores the eschatological hope that believers will one day love the Son with omnipotent, pure, and inexhaustible love, and that the indwelling of Christ is not merely positional but will be experienced in fullness in the age to come.

Jesus' Heartfelt Desire for Our Presence (Desiring God) introduces the theme of divine initiative and assurance, emphasizing that believers are not accidental or self-appointed members of Christ’s people, but are chosen and given by the Father to the Son. This theme is developed with the comforting implication that God’s sovereign choice guarantees the fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer, providing deep assurance to believers who may struggle with feelings of unworthiness or rejection.

Understanding God's Glory: Joy in Worshiping Him (Desiring God) presents the distinct theological theme that God’s self-exaltation is the foundation of human happiness, and that the command to praise God is an act of love rather than egotism. The sermon adds the facet that the love between the Father and the Son is not merely a model but is actually imparted to believers, enabling them to participate in the Trinitarian joy. This is a nuanced expansion of the doctrine of union with Christ, focusing on the experiential reality of divine love within the believer.

Embracing God's Passion: The Gift of Divine Love (Desiring God) develops the theme that God’s love is fundamentally about liberating people from self-centeredness and drawing them into the joy of making much of God. The sermon uniquely frames the experience of self-forgetfulness and awe before greatness as the truest form of love, contrasting it with the culturally dominant narrative of self-esteem. It also explores the idea that God’s passion for his own glory is the very means by which he loves and satisfies his people, and that the ultimate gift of salvation is the capacity to enjoy God’s infinite glory with God’s own love.

John 17:24-26 Historical and Contextual Insights:

Embracing God's Passion: The Gift of Divine Love (Desiring God) provides historical and cultural context by discussing how the modern American emphasis on self-esteem shapes the way people understand love, contrasting it with the biblical concept of love as self-forgetful delight in God’s glory. The preacher notes that the tendency to equate love with being made much of is a relatively recent cultural development, and that throughout history (and across cultures), people have sought transcendence and awe in experiences that make them feel small, such as standing before mountains or vast landscapes. This contextual insight helps explain why Jesus’ prayer for believers to see his glory is countercultural and often misunderstood in contemporary society.

John 17:24-26 Cross-References in the Bible:

Embracing the Mystery of the Trinity (Open the Bible) references several passages to expand on John 17:24-26: John 1:1 (the Word was with God and was God), John 10:30 (I and the Father are one), John 14 (in my Father’s house are many rooms; if you have known me, you have known my Father), John 20:17 (I am ascending to my Father and your Father), and Mark 14 (Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane, “Abba, Father”). These references are used to show the unique relationship between Jesus and the Father, the exclusivity of access to the Father through the Son, and the nature of the love and glory shared within the Trinity. The sermon also references 1 John 3:1 (“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us...”) to support the idea that believers are brought into the same love the Father has for the Son.

Experiencing Divine Love and Glory in Christ (Desiring God) references John 17:5 (the glory Jesus had with the Father before the world existed), John 10:17 (the Father loves me because I lay down my life), Philippians 2 (Christ’s humility and exaltation), 1 John 1:9 (God is faithful and just/righteous to forgive), and Colossians (“Christ in you, the hope of glory”). These passages are used to support the idea that the Father’s love for the Son is both eternal and responsive to the Son’s redemptive work, that God’s righteousness is now covenantally committed to the believer’s salvation, and that the indwelling of Christ is both a present and future reality.

Jesus' Heartfelt Desire for Our Presence (Desiring God) references several passages to expand on John 17:24-26: John 6:37-39 is cited to explain the significance of the phrase “those whom you have given me,” showing that the Father’s will is for none of these to be lost but to be raised up at the last day, reinforcing the assurance of salvation. John 14:3 is referenced to connect Jesus’ promise to prepare a place for believers with his prayer for them to be with him, illustrating the consistency between promise and prayer. 1 Thessalonians 4 is mentioned to highlight Paul’s hope of being “with the Lord,” and 2 Corinthians 4:4 is used to define the gospel as “the gospel of the glory of Christ,” linking the good news to the vision of Christ’s glory.

Understanding God's Glory: Joy in Worshiping Him (Desiring God) draws on a wide array of biblical cross-references to support and expand the meaning of John 17:24-26. Isaiah 43 is used to show that God created people for his glory; Genesis 1 is cited to explain humanity as the image of God, designed to point to God’s greatness; Jeremiah 13:11 and Psalm 106 are referenced to illustrate God’s dealings with Israel for the sake of his name; Isaiah 48 is used to show God’s restraint of anger for his own glory; 2 Thessalonians 1:9 is cited to describe the second coming as the moment when Jesus is glorified in his saints; Ephesians 1 is referenced to show God’s predestining purpose for the praise of his glorious grace; and Romans 3:23-26 is used to explain how the cross vindicates God’s righteousness by upholding the value of his glory. These cross-references collectively reinforce the sermon’s argument that God’s self-exaltation is central to the biblical narrative and to the meaning of salvation.

Embracing God's Passion: The Gift of Divine Love (Desiring God) references John 11:1-6 to illustrate the connection between God’s love and his glory, showing that Jesus’ decision to let Lazarus die was motivated by love because it would reveal God’s glory. John 3:16 is mentioned to affirm that eternal life is a gift of love, but the sermon emphasizes that the content of this life is knowing God, as stated in John 17:3. The preacher also alludes to Colossians to highlight the supremacy of Christ and the Trinitarian context of divine love.

John 17:24-26 Christian References outside the Bible:

Experiencing Divine Love and Glory in Christ (Desiring God) explicitly references Jonathan Edwards, noting that the preacher first encountered the idea of loving God with the love of God in an essay on the Trinity by Edwards. The preacher describes how this insight from Edwards “blew me away” and shaped his understanding of John 17:26, emphasizing the experiential and transformative nature of being drawn into the intra-Trinitarian love.

Understanding God's Glory: Joy in Worshiping Him (Desiring God) explicitly references C.S. Lewis, particularly his book “Reflections on the Psalms,” to address the objection that God’s demand for praise is egomaniacal. The preacher quotes Lewis’s realization that “praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment,” and that the delight in something is incomplete until it is shared and expressed in praise. This insight is used to argue that God’s call for worship is not self-serving but is intended to bring believers to consummate joy. The sermon also mentions Jonathan Edwards and his work “The End for Which God Created the World,” noting Edwards’s argument that God created the world for his own glory and that this is both philosophically and biblically grounded. These references are used to provide intellectual and experiential support for the sermon’s interpretation of John 17:24-26.

John 17:24-26 Illustrations from Secular Sources:

Embracing the Mystery of the Trinity (Open the Bible) uses the detailed illustration of climbing Ben Vrackie in Scotland, where a mist covers the town below but the summit is clear, to explain the mystery of the Trinity and the boundaries of revealed truth. The analogy is that while the heart of the mystery (the nature of the Trinity) is hidden, everything outside the mist (false teachings, misunderstandings) is clearly seen and can be rejected. This vivid, geographical metaphor helps listeners grasp the concept of revealed mystery and the limits of human understanding.

Understanding God's Glory: Joy in Worshiping Him (Desiring God) uses several detailed secular illustrations to illuminate John 17:24-26. The preacher recounts reading The New Yorker cartoons in a library and feeling that the enjoyment of humor is incomplete without sharing it with someone else, paralleling Lewis’s insight about praise and enjoyment. The sermon also references the comic strip “Arlo and Janis,” describing a scene where the characters stand in the snow and remark, “Ever notice the best moments make you feel insignificant?” to illustrate the paradoxical joy of self-forgetfulness before greatness. Additionally, the preacher describes a Nature Valley granola bar advertisement in National Geographic, which features two tiny climbers on a vast mountain with the caption, “You’ve never felt more alive, you’ve never felt more insignificant,” using this as evidence that even secular culture recognizes the deep human longing for transcendence and awe, rather than self-exaltation. These illustrations are employed to argue that the joy Jesus prays for in John 17:24-26 is found not in self-esteem but in being drawn out of oneself into the glory of God.

Embracing God's Passion: The Gift of Divine Love (Desiring God) uses the analogy of standing before the Grand Canyon or the Alps to explain the experience of awe and self-forgetfulness, arguing that people seek out such experiences not to feel big but to be drawn into something vast and glorious. The preacher also references the cultural phenomenon of movies filled with explosions and spectacle, suggesting that the human craving for magnitude and transcendence is a reflection of the desire to make much of something greater than oneself. These secular analogies are used to contrast the biblical vision of love and salvation with the modern emphasis on self-esteem, illustrating that true joy is found in being captivated by God’s glory rather than by one’s own image.