THE FATHER'S GIFT TO THE SON

John 17:4

Morning Meditation 7/21/2013

"I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do."

The Father gave the son a work to do. This is the Lord's prayer to the Father just days before His crucifixion. The word "finished" translates "teleioo" and means, "to make perfect, complete."

John Gill says of, "I have glorified thee on the earth," This is made use of as a reason and argument, why the Father should glorify him: Christ glorified his Father personally, as he held forth and expressed the glory of his person; and verbally, by ascribing, on all occasions, praise and glory to him; and really, or by deeds, and that by various ways: as in and by his ministry; by asserting he had his mission, qualifications, and doctrine, from him as a prophet; his principal work was to declare his Father's mind and will, his love and grace."

"I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do; by "the work" is meant obedience to the will of God; the destruction of all spiritual enemies, as sin, Satan, the world, and death; and the redemption and salvation of his people, which was "given" him to do."

John 17:5, "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." This is a request that the Father will answer. This verse has a revelation for us in that he revealed that He was with the Father before the world was created. He also reveals that He dwelt in the Father's own glory at that time. Next in this prayer,

NEXT WE WILL LOOK AT THE WORD MANIFESTED

John 17:6, "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word."

The word "manifest" translates, "phaneroo," and means, "to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, to manifest, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way."

In this prayer we see that the disciples who truly believed in Him were taken by Him as gifts from the Father. He took them with loving care and revealed the Father to them. We know the Father today through the manifestation that Jesus made of Him.

John 14:7-10, "If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.."

It was a truth hard for them to grasp. It is not easy today.. But Jesus very definitely declares that He had completed the work that the Father gave Him. Next notice,

THE WORD POSSESSION

John 17:6, "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word."

The words, "thou gavest me," translates a perfect active indicative verb. The perfect tense represents action completed in the past, that action having present results. The words, "they have kept thy words," is also the translation of a perfect tense. They received and kept the words that Jesus had given them. He said this of His disciples in spite of their many failures. Next,

THE WORD PRESERVATION

John 17:12, "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled."

Nothing could be clearer than this declaration of our Lord's keeping power. God preserves those whom He saves.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White