The Glory of Christ

Devotional

Day 1: The Hour of Glory: When the Cross Became the Throne

Jesus’ prayer reveals the collision of eternity and history – the moment when crucifixion became coronation. The “hour” He references isn’t a crisis to endure but a throne to claim, where nails become scepters and bloodstained wood radiates divine majesty. This glory isn’t abstract theology but a love strong enough to rewrite death’s rules. The cross becomes the ultimate revelation of God’s nature: His justice satisfied, His mercy unleashed, His power perfected in weakness. [55:12]

“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you...’" (John 17:1, ESV)

Reflection: What difficult circumstance in your life might God be inviting you to view as a throne rather than a tragedy? How does Christ’s cross-shaped glory redefine what true victory looks like?

Day 2: Knowing the Only True God Through Crucified Flesh

Eternal life isn’t a theological exam but intimate connection – not just knowing about God, but knowing God through the lens of His Son’s sacrifice. The Father’s identity gets refracted through the prism of Calvary, where “only true God” becomes visible in bloodied skin and labored breaths. This knowledge bypasses intellectual ascent, burning its way into surrendered hearts. [56:44]

“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you settled for textbook knowledge of God rather than crucifixion-shaped relationship? What practical step could help you encounter Christ’s scars as the truest portrait of the Father?

Day 3: The Eternal Glory Shared Before Time Began

Christ’s plea for restored glory isn’t a promotion but a homecoming. Before stars burned, He shared the Father’s radiant presence – yet chose to wrap that glory in human frailty. The manger and the cross become bookends to His earthly humiliation, framing the eternal Son’s voluntary descent and victorious return. His pre-existent splendor makes the sacrifice more staggering, not less. [01:05:32]

“And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” (John 17:5, ESV)

Reflection: How does Jesus’ eternal divinity deepen your awe of His earthly suffering? What might change if you saw your life’s story as part of His eternal glory narrative?

Day 4: When Accomplishment Shines Brighter Than Essence

The cross out-glories creation’s wonders – more majestic than supernovas, more precise than planetary orbits. While creation declares God’s power, Calvary reveals His heart. Every eclipse and mountain peak becomes a supporting actor to the main drama: God’s rescue mission through brutal love. True glory isn’t just who Christ is, but what He did with who He is. [01:10:14]

“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14, ESV)

Reflection: What natural wonder or human achievement dims in comparison when held next to the cross? How might celebrating Christ’s accomplishment daily reshape your priorities?

Day 5: Laboring Under the North Star of God’s Glory

Our original design – to reflect God’s glory – gets restored through Christ’s finished work. Daily tasks become worship when done for His radiant honor, whether changing diapers or corporate mergers. The Christian’s compass needle quivers toward this true north: making His worth visible in every ordinary moment. [01:18:42]

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31, ESV)

Reflection: What routine responsibility feels disconnected from God’s glory? How could offering it as worship transform both the task and your heart?

Sermon Summary

John 17 opens with Jesus lifting His eyes to heaven as the hour finally comes. The hour is not some vague spiritual moment. The hour is the cross. John has been saying it all along: the Son of Man must be lifted up, His hands stretched out, His glory revealed through His death for sinners.

Jesus ties eternal life to knowing “the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” The text does not leave room for a generic idea of God detached from the cross. Christ crucified is the way to the Father. The most important Person accomplishes the most important work, bridging the gap between a holy God and sinful man, pulling sinners from the devil’s grasp and death’s grip.

God’s glory shows up in creation, in the Red Sea, on Sinai, in the tabernacle, and in the temple. The heavens declare His glory, and even the details of the created world put human pride in its place. Yet the glory seen in those earlier moments comes in full in the face of Jesus Christ. Jesus speaks of the glory He had with the Father before the world was, and that statement leaves only one answer: Jesus is truly God, glorious in His very essence.

The cross also reveals the glory of Christ’s accomplishment. Christ is not merely a martyr dying for a cause. The Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world. His blood atones, His death destroys death, and His resurrection proves that death could not hold Him. The Father is pleased with the Son’s sacrifice as the ultimate fragrant offering, and the risen Son returns to the glory He shared with the Father before the world began.

Christ’s glory becomes the pattern for those who belong to Him. The aim of life cannot be self-glory, self-will, or climbing a ladder just to make a name. The glory of God becomes the North Star in work, relationships, school, suffering, and every entrusted responsibility. Sin seeks glory apart from God, but true believers worship by the Spirit and glory in Christ Jesus.

Jesus’ prayer does not deny the Trinity. The Father is the only true God, the Son is the only true God, and the Spirit is the only true God because God is one God eternally existing in three persons. The incarnate Son prays and obeys as the perfect man, while remaining fully God. Eternal life finally means more than facts about God. Through the Messiah, relationship with God is restored, and the glorious God comes to dwell in His people by the Holy Spirit.

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Key Takeaways

1. The hour reveals the cross’s glory. The hour of Jesus is the moment toward which His earthly ministry has been moving. The cross is not an interruption of His glory but its fullest display in history. Christ is glorified precisely by doing what no sinner could do: bearing sin, satisfying righteousness, and bringing people to God. [70:14]
2. Jesus is glorious before all creation. Jesus does not begin existing at Bethlehem or merely become important through His ministry. The glory He shared with the Father before the world was identifies Him as the eternal Son, truly God. His humility in the incarnation becomes even more stunning because the One who stooped low possessed eternal glory. [65:32]
3. The cross defeats more than human failure. Christ does not simply offer moral improvement or a better philosophy for life. His death reaches into sin, Satan’s kingdom, fear, condemnation, and death itself. The Lamb of God takes away sin so that sinners can stand in the holy presence of God without pretending that sin was small. [72:23]
4. God’s glory becomes life’s North Star. Sin turns the heart inward and says, “My will be done.” Christ restores the purpose for which humanity was made: to glorify God in every ordinary calling and every hard season. Work, relationships, and endurance become weighty when they are no longer tools for self-glory. [77:36]
5. Eternal life is restored relationship with God. Knowing God is not merely knowing religious information or agreeing with true statements. Christ brings sinners from distance into sonship, and the Spirit makes God’s presence real within them. The gospel promises that God is not a distant idea but the One who dwells in hearts through faith.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[53:07] - Reading John 17:1-5
[55:12] - The Hour Has Come
[57:35] - Christ Crucified Is the Way
[58:22] - Three Ways Glory Appears
[62:11] - God’s Glory in Creation and Redemption
[65:32] - Jesus Shared Glory Before the World
[70:14] - The Most Glorious Work: The Cross
[73:27] - Glory, Accomplishment, and Reward
[77:05] - Living for God’s Glory
[79:13] - The Only True God and the Trinity
[82:19] - Jesus Fully God and Fully Man
[86:32] - Eternal Life Is Knowing God

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 17:1-5
“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, 'Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” [53:07]

John 3:14-15
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” [55:40]

Exodus 34:5-8
“The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, 'The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.' And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.” [01:03:36]

Observation questions

In John 17:1–5, what does Jesus ask the Father to do for Him, and what purpose does He give for that request?
What does Jesus say He has already done on earth before asking to be glorified with the Father?
How does John 3:14–15 help explain what Jesus means when He says, “the hour has come”? [55:35]
In Exodus 34:5–8, what parts of God’s character are proclaimed when Moses encounters God’s glory, and how does Moses respond?

Interpretation questions

Why is the cross the moment of Jesus’ glory rather than a defeat or interruption of His mission? [01:10:20]
Jesus describes eternal life as knowing the Father and the Son He sent. Why does this mean more than simply knowing correct information about God? [01:26:32]
Jesus speaks of sharing glory with the Father before the world existed. What does this reveal about who Jesus is? [01:05:37]
How can Jesus pray to the Father and obey the Father while still being truly God? [01:22:19]

Application questions

The cross shows that Jesus did what no sinner could do: He brought sinful people into the presence of a holy God. Where are you tempted to rely on your own goodness, effort, or religious activity rather than resting in Christ’s finished work? [01:11:02]
Eternal life is knowing God personally through Jesus, not merely knowing facts about Him. What habits or distractions most often keep your relationship with God at the level of information rather than trust, prayer, worship, and obedience? [01:26:32]
Sin says, “My will be done,” while a life that glorifies God seeks His will. In what area of life—work, relationships, finances, school, private choices, or suffering—do you most need to surrender self-glory and seek God’s glory instead? [01:17:30]
God’s glory is meant to be the North Star for every calling and responsibility. What would it look like this week to do one ordinary task specifically for God’s glory rather than for approval, recognition, or personal success? [01:18:07]
Jesus is not merely an example of sacrifice; He is the Lamb of God who takes away sin and defeats death. How does this truth speak to a current fear, guilt, shame, or sense of hopelessness in your life? [01:12:23]
Jesus brings believers into restored relationship with God and gives them His Spirit. When have you experienced God as distant, and what would it look like to respond by coming honestly to Him through Christ? [01:27:20]

Sermon Clips

38s

“He's more than a martyr. He's more than a man who died for a cause. Do you understand this? He's so much more. He did something at the cross that no one else could do, no one else would do. Alright? He does something beyond comprehension. He bridges a gap between a holy god and sinful man. He plucks us out of the devil's grasp. He plucks us out of death's grasp.”

52s

“We come back to that aim. The aim of your life should be the glory of god. And this is transformative, friends. In your workplace, you're not climbing that corporate ladder to be glorious yourself. The reason that you work is for the reason that Adam originally worked in that garden. The glory of God. And it's the reason the son of God labored here on earth and being our savior for the glory of God. Do you understand this? We then being transformed by Christ and his work labor for the glory of God in everything that we do. Our relationships, our work, our school, whatever it is, whatever god's entrusted to us, we keep that as the North Star. It's ultimately about god.”

40s

“That's why we were made in the first place, it's what we cease to do. Definitionally, at the heart of sin was a glory that we are seeking for ourselves apart from God. That's literally what the devil is described as doing, lifting himself up to the place of the most high in his heart. And when we sin, when we do things our own way, that's what we're doing too. We're saying, God, not your way, my way. Not your will be done, my will be done. We're glorying in ourselves, but may it never be for the Christian. We will glory in Christ Jesus.”

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