Glory that Leads to Eternal Life

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” (John 17: 1-5).

Jesus made a request of His Father even though He was one with the Father… “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). In making this request Jesus showed that the Son of God was fully submitted to the authority and the will of His Father… “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38). He asked for some glory. He knew that as the Son was glorified, the Father would be glorified. This was the Son’s chief goal, bringing glory to His Father. The hour He spoke of was the hour of the cross. It was through His work on the cross that the Father and the Son would be glorified and made known to those the Father had given to the Son. The result was and always will be eternal life for those who respond in faith to the revelation of the Father and Son in Calvary’s cross… “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” (John 3:14-15). The glory revealed in the crucifixion of the Son of God was unlike any glory ever seen since “before the world existed”. The glory of the cross confirmed the unity of purpose that existed between the Father and the Son from before the beginning of time. And above all, the glory of the cross is the glory that leads to eternal life.

We all know charismatic people. They have wealth, experience, wisdom, or connections that enable them to draw attention and gather crowds. They exert great influence over others and become great leaders. In the world, charismatic people lead governments and shape cultures and economies. In the Church charismatic leaders build large fellowships and ministries. These gifted leaders change the course of history and influence culture for better or worse. Did you know that Jesus wants all of His disciples to be charismatic leaders? Jesus wants His disciples to influence and impact the hearts of others in an eternal way… “And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16). Do you have what it takes to influence the lives of others? What kind of impression do you leave upon the hearts and minds of the people that cross your path? Is the Lord using you to attract others to Christ and the eternal life He offers?

In His discourse with the disciples today Jesus talked about glory. The Greek word translated “glory” here is doxa and it means very apparent and obvious dignity, honor, praise, and worship. He spoke of a unique glory that He shared with His Father since before the beginning of time. He prophesied that this unique glory would be revealed in the hour of the cross in order that “the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” might be revealed and made known so that truth seekers might receive eternal life through faith in Him. The glory of the cross made Jesus Christ the most influential, charismatic leader of all time. But if we let the Spirit of truth take us further into God’s word we note that Jesus gave this same glory to His disciples to share with the world after His departure… “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me” (John 17:22-23). The Holy Spirit prompted question today is, who gets the glory from our lives? Who gets the glory for our victories and successes? Who gets the glory in our trials and temptations? If we’re truly becoming more like Christ, people will be seeing the glory of the cross in us more and more… “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

As we grow up into Christ and His Spirit makes us more like Him, our lives reflect more clearly the…

Glory that Leads to Eternal Life.