I just want you to hear this word tonight.

Jesus wants you

around him.

Once you around him.

He desires to have you near him. It's not just a one-way street that

you want to get to heaven. It's a two-way street. He wants you there and he wants you with him.

When Jesus thinks about you, what does he want?

In this episode of Light and Truth, John Piper opens John 17, 24 to 26, to reveal the desire of Christ for you.

This teaching was originally delivered on a Sunday evening at Bethlehem Baptist Church on March 16, 1986.

This is my own translation here, so it might not be in quite the same word order that you have,

but I don't think there'll be anything out of step with the translations you have.

Before I read it, let's remind ourselves that this is the prayer of the Lord Jesus at the last supper.

And it began, you you may remember with a prayer for god to glorify the sun and we raised the question at that time

why is jesus beginning this prayer by praying for himself like this?

Father, the hour has come, glorify thy son, that the son may glorify thee.

In verse five, now Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

Well, the prayer ends by showing that the heart of Jesus was not merely for himself, but to draw us into that experience of his glory.

And you'll see that here as we read it.

So keep in mind that the prayer begins.

Father glorify me, and the prayer ends.

And now Father, show it to him.

Father, those whom you have given me, I desire that where I am they might also be with me,

...