Our inside man

When Barack Obama took office as president in 2009 he converted the White House tennis court into a basketball court for private pick-up games, to de-stress and stay fit. Games were strict “invitation only.”

Instantly, this became the most sought-after invitation in Washington. Congressmen, senators, legislators, celebrities, donors, dignitaries, and diplomats of all stripes would contact the White House, the chief-of-staff, the press secretary, the communications director, and any other highly placed official to try beg, bribe, or bargain their way into a game with the President. None of these requests succeeded.

What the powerless power brokers didn’t know was that there was only one person that arranged players for these games. There was only one man who could get you into the inner circle, and that person was a 20-something intern named Reggie Love, the President’s body man.

“Body man” is jargon for “special assistant and personal aide to the President.” His job is to get whatever the President needs whenever he needs it. When Obama was asked if he owned an iPad, he responded, “I have Reggie who has my books, my newspapers, my music all in one place.” 

Reggie Love said: “I was his DJ, his Kindle, his travel agent, …his alarm clock, his vending machine, his ‘chief-of-stuff’ …his surrogate son.”

Reggie played basketball at Duke University, and would discreetly invite former college players he knew, who had no political ambitions so that the President could enjoy a break from work.

These privileged few weren’t celebrities, nor were they the powerful influencers of Capitol Hill. They were just regular Joes, who were chosen by an inside man who knew them, and who knew the President, and who ushered them into the inner sanctum.

In a spiritual sense, we also have “an inside man.” There is literally only one person who can bring us to God. And he brings us right into the inner sanctum, the holy of holies…

John 17 is a prayer that Jesus prayed in front of the disciples, out loud, so that it could be passed—verbatim— down through the ages to bless all believers. This is a very special prayer. Today we are going to look at just the first verse, but more to come in the following weeks.

2 OBSERVATIONS SO WE APPRECIATE CHRIST’S ROLE IN OUR LIVES

1. THE MEDIATOR IN ACTION

John 17:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, …

Here we witness a mysterious happening: God praying to God. This is an intra-Trinitarian conference—the Son talking to the Father. Let’s focus on the fact that Jesus prays to his Father in his role as our High Priest who brings us to God.

1 Peter 3: 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God,

We need an inside man. A high priest.  One who mediates between Creator and Creature. Hebrews 5:1 every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.  That is why this is called the high priestly prayer: The God-Man stands in the gap between man and God.

The High Priest is a concept God revealed to Moses. God dealt with the sinful people of Israel, through a mediator. When the sacrificial system was established, sacrifices were made for the people by the mediator – the priest, and once a year for the nation by the High Priest.

This was to foreshadow Jesus as our High Priest. Hebrews 4: 14-16 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

All that to say, Jesus is the perfect “Inside Man” for us.

He knows us and is one of us. He knows God and is God. Jesus is our inside man, and he is the only person who can invite you in. He is the only person the Father accepts and listens to. 1 Timothy 2: 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

You don’t need a priest anymore. The way you get to the Father is not through another sinner anymore, but through Christ, and Christ alone!

2. THE MISSION IN MOTION           

John 17:1 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,

Every mission needs a clear objective.

When Jesus came to earth it was not a vacation trip. It was not that God wanted to know what it felt like to get hungry, to feel tired, to have emotions.

No. Jesus was a God-Man on a mission. And this was his mission: to glorify his Father by doing the Father’s will, by dying for sinners, by conquering death, and thus securing eternal life, and receiving glory for the Father and from the Father.

OR said simply… glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, That is why our mission is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. That is the mission.

And we see here that the mission is in motion.

Throughout his ministry, Jesus knew when it was not his time, but now he says “the hour has come”. Jesus knew why he came. He came to secure glory for God. How? By dying for us!

Imagine Jesus came to earth and taught and did miracles and was the perfect example, and then went back to heaven without dying.

We’d say, “Wow, that was wonderful. Great example. But now we are all doomed to hell.”

Jesus had to die.

So when you present the gospel, if you talk about Jesus and church and how your life has changed, that’s great. But if you have no cross, no substitutionary atonement, no bloodshed for our sins… your witnessing is empty.

Christ’s death on the cross to pay for sins is why he came, it is the gospel. Don’t leave it out.

CONCLUSION

Would you have liked to play basketball with the President? Well, you don’t have an inside man. But you do have a standing invitation into the inner sanctum of your Creator.

Why?

Because you have an inside man, the man Christ Jesus.

Author: Cripplegate