Living for God’s Glory Through Faithfulness to Jesus

John 17:1-5 brings readers into the final hours before the cross. Jesus has finished three years of public ministry, Judas has begun his betrayal, and the suffering ahead is no surprise to him. Yet Jesus does not run or hide. Jesus looks to heaven and says, “The hour has come.”

The hour points to the cross. The cross will look like defeat, weakness, shame, and the end of everything to the world around him. But the cross will reveal God’s love, put his justice on display, show his mercy, and make a way for sinners to be redeemed and restored to the Father. Jesus shows that God’s purpose is not absent when life becomes difficult or uncertain.

Jesus asks the Father to glorify the Son so that the Son may glorify the Father. The glory of God stands at the center of everything Jesus does, from his miracles and compassion to his obedience and sacrifice. The contrast between God’s glory and personal ambition presses hard against a world that tells people to put themselves at the center. A Christ-centered life changes family life, work, relationships, and ordinary responsibilities because it recognizes that life is not about building a personal name.

Jesus also declares that the Father gave him authority over all people so that he may give eternal life. Eternal life is not a prize for being good enough, doing enough religious activity, or collecting enough Bible knowledge. Jesus alone reconciles sinful people to a holy God. The gift of grace humbles those who receive it, but it also gives confidence because salvation rests on Jesus, not on personal worthiness.

Jesus defines eternal life as knowing “the only true God” and Jesus Christ whom he sent. The knowledge Jesus describes is more than knowing facts, Bible stories, disciples’ names, or religious traditions. A relationship with God grows through his Word, prayer, worship, obedience, trust, and learning to listen to his still small voice. God’s love comes first, and relationship grows as a response to that love.

Jesus then speaks of completing the work the Father gave him, even before the cross takes place. Jesus measures success by faithfulness, not popularity, recognition, quick results, or visible fruit. The call of God may look different from person to person, but every believer has the opportunity to live for his glory. Jesus, the eternal Son who shared glory with the Father before the world existed, goes to the cross in victory over sin and death. The question remains: does the way a person spends time, uses resources, and treats family show that Jesus is at the center?

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Key Takeaways

• 1. The hour of suffering serves glory. Jesus does not mistake the cross for an interruption to his mission. The painful hour is the very place where God’s love, justice, mercy, and redemption come into view. Difficulty does not automatically mean that God’s purpose has been abandoned. [37:13]
• 2. God’s glory must become the center. Jesus seeks the Father’s glory rather than personal advancement, comfort, or recognition. A life centered on Christ changes the way a person works, parents, serves, and treats others. Ordinary responsibilities become places where God can be honored. [40:49]
• 3. Eternal life is knowing God. Jesus defines eternal life as a real relationship with the Father through the Son, not merely future life in heaven. Bible knowledge and church attendance are good, but neither can replace knowing him personally. Relationship grows through trust, prayer, Scripture, obedience, and worship. [45:43]
• 4. Faithfulness matters more than visible results. Jesus remains faithful even when crowds reject him, leaders oppose him, and disciples fail him. God does not measure faithfulness by speed, applause, or immediate fruit. What is done faithfully for God is not meaningless just because people fail to notice. [51:16]
• 5. Jesus is Savior, not merely example. Jesus shows the perfect pattern of obedience, but fallen people need more than a pattern to follow. His death and resurrection accomplish what no person can accomplish alone: reconciliation with the Father. The call to place Jesus at the center begins with trusting him as Lord and Savior. [55:11]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [31:16] - Opening Prayer and Introduction
• [32:40] - Jesus Prays Before the Cross
• [33:58] - What Is the Purpose of Life?
• [35:57] - The Hour Has Come
• [37:13] - The Cross Reveals God’s Glory
• [39:33] - Living for God Instead of Self
• [41:07] - Jesus Gives Eternal Life
• [43:35] - Eternal Life Means Knowing God
• [45:43] - Growing in Relationship with God
• [48:15] - Completing the Work God Gives
• [49:45] - Faithfulness Over Immediate Results
• [52:20] - Jesus, the Eternal Son of God
• [53:36] - Success or Faithfulness
• [55:11] - Making Jesus the Center

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.” [32:30]

Colossians 3:23
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,” [40:37]

John 1:1
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” [52:41]

Observation questions

1. What details in John 17:1-5 show that Jesus knew suffering and the cross were near, yet chose to pray rather than run or hide? [36:43]
2. In this passage, what does Jesus ask the Father to do, and what purpose does Jesus give for that request?
3. What does Jesus say he has been given authority to do for those the Father has given him? [41:28]
4. What words in John 17:4-5 point to both Jesus’ completed mission and his existence with the Father before the world began? [48:06]

Interpretation questions

1. Why would Jesus describe the cross—something that looked shameful and defeated to many people—as the place where God’s glory would be revealed? [37:13]
2. What does Jesus’ definition of eternal life show about the difference between knowing facts about God and personally knowing God through Jesus Christ? [43:49]
3. Jesus speaks of completing the Father’s work before the cross has happened. What does this reveal about how Jesus understood obedience, mission, and faithfulness? [48:15]
4. How does Jesus’ glory with the Father before the world existed shape the understanding of who Jesus is and why he alone can give eternal life? [52:24]

Application questions

1. When life becomes painful, uncertain, or disappointing, what is the usual response: assuming God has left, trying to escape the difficulty, or seeking God in the middle of it? What might it look like to trust that God can still work through a hard season? [37:42]
2. What area of life is most tempted to become centered on personal success, comfort, recognition, or control? How could that area be re-centered on bringing glory to God? [39:37]
3. Colossians 3:23 applies to ordinary responsibilities. What is one specific responsibility at work, home, school, or church that could be approached more intentionally as service to the Lord this week? [40:49]
4. Is the relationship with God currently shaped more by occasional needs and religious habits, or by regular trust, prayer, Scripture, worship, and obedience? What is one simple step that could help deepen that relationship? [45:43]
5. Where has discouragement grown because faithful effort has not produced the hoped-for results—whether in family, ministry, work, friendships, or prayer for someone else? What would it mean to obey God and trust him with the results? [51:04]
6. If someone observed the way time, money, words, and relationships are handled, what evidence might they see that Jesus is at the center? What is one priority that may need to be reordered? [55:03]