"What
Jesus Prays, When He Prays For Us"
March 9,
2020 preaching notes (not a proper manuscript)
Read John
17:1-26
Intro
·
This winter/spring we have been working our way through
the Gospel of John. Many of you have been following along with our series entitled,
"That You May Believe." That's a very common title for a series in
John because the author is very explicit about his purpose for writing the
gospel. John 20:30-31 says, "Jesus performed many other signs in the
presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are
written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God,
and that by believing you may have life in his name."
That You May Believe
·
The way we chose to do this study has been to look at the
stories about Jesus that are unique to John’s Gospel (and not recorded in
Matthew, Mark, or Luke). Such stories as
§
Changing the water into wine at Cana (2:1–12)
§
Nicodemus knocking at his door at night (3:1–21)
§
The encounter with the Samaritan woman at a well (4:1–42)
§
The healing of a crippled man at the pool (5:1–18)
§
The adulterous woman and the attempt to stone her
(7:53–8:11)
§
The healing of a man born blind (9:1–41)
§
The raising of Lazarus (11:1–44)
·
Next week, we actually go back a few chapters, or what
would have been just an hour or so real time for the disciples, and will read
about the washing of the disciples’ feet in John 13:1–20. The foot washing is the beginning of the evening
before Jesus is taken from the disciples and led to the cross. John 13 through 17 is the night of the last
supper.
·
Our reading of Chapter 17 is the end of that evening
together as they celebrated the Passover for the last time. John 17 contains the longest recorded prayer
of Jesus. He prays after finishing his final instructions to the disciples and
before he is betrayed/arrested/crucified. Jesus first prays for himself, then
he prays for the disciples, and he closes by praying for all believers.
·
The prayer is commonly called Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer.
·
Sometimes we call this The Real Lord's Prayer
You can tell a lot about people
by listening how they pray...
·
You can tell a lot about people by listening how they
pray. In the mountains of North Carolina there was a mountaineer leaning
against a tree when a tourist drove by and he noticed the mountaineer's house
was on fire. He said, "Good man, your house is on fire!" The
mountaineer said, "I know it." "Aren't you going to do
something?" He said, "I am doing something. Ever since the fire
started, I've been praying for rain." The man was lazy, and you could see
the reflection of his nature in the prayer he prayed.
·
A little girl's brother set a trap to catch birds. The little girl thought it was wrong, and her
demeanor was sad and woebegone. Then one day her demeanor changed. Her mother
asked what had happened. "I prayed for my brother to be a better
boy." "What else did you pray?" "That the trap would not
catch any birds." "What else?" the mother said. "I went out
and kicked the trap to pieces." She was not a sitter; she was a doer. She
was going to help God out a bit. (Stephen Brown)
·
If/since you can tell a lot about a person by their
prayers - I am thinking of one in particular friend -- when she prays, you know
she is praying from a firsthand knowledge of the Holy One... an intimate
relationship with God.
·
Who prays for you? I lost two huge prayer warriors when my
grandmother died. When my mother died.
God bless them both...
·
And I'll be honest, there are certain members who
consistently and sincerely pray for me and that really blesses me. It also
makes me think, "they must really think I need it too." They would be right.
There are many references to
Jesus praying but only a few recorded prayers of Jesus.
·
Remember he prays out loud for everyone to hear when he
raises Lazarus back to life in John 11:1-44.
·
Jesus gives thanks when he breaks bread and feeds the
5,000 in John 6:1-14 but we don't have those exact words...
·
In the other Gospels, their versions/writing of Jesus
breaking the bread at the Last Supper before telling them to "take, and
eat - this is my body broken for you..." but not the exact words of those
prayers...
·
Makes what we know as The Lord's Prayer found in Matthew
6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4 very special.
·
Then there are the profound prayers of Jesus on the cross
- speaking to his Father in heaven. In
Luke 23:34, "Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what
they are doing.” Hmmm... I reckon God
heard and answered that prayer... think about that one...
The Gospel of John and his way of
writing is great - like splashing through puddles. One preaching professor was
fond of saying that "the Gospel of John is like a puddle of water - it is
so shallow that a gnat can wade in it and so deep that an elephant can drown in
it." It is often a favorite place for new Bible readers to begin.
Jesus begins his prayer by
saying, "The time has come"
·
Earlier in John's Gospel the point had been emphasized
that the era of the Messiah/Christ had not yet come. But now he opened his
prayer with a dramatic declaration that the hour has come.
§ John 2:4 at
the wedding at Cana, "When
the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more
wine." Jesus replied, "Dear
woman, why do you involve me? My time has not yet come."
§ John 4 - Jesus with the Samaritan
woman. "You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do
know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming (implying it had not yet come)and has now come when the true
worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind
of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship
in spirit and in truth."
§ John 7 - Jesus being pressured by
his brothers: "No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret.
Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." For even his own brothers did not believe in
him. Therefore Jesus told them, "The right time for me has not yet come;
for you any time is right."
§ And (John 7) the religious
authorities pressured him to do miracles: "Then Jesus, still teaching in
the temple courts, cried out, "Yes, you know me, and you know where I am
from. I am not here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him,
but I know him because I am from him and he sent me." At this they tried to seize him, but no one
laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come."
§ John 8 - the
Pharisees challenge Jesus: Jesus
replied. "If you knew me, you would know my Father also." He spoke
these words while teaching in the temple area near the place where the
offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his time had not yet come.
§ It is only at
the start of this rather special night together that Jesus says his time has
come. John 13, "It was just before the
Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world
and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed
them the full extent of his love."
·
John 17 begins (1-2), "After Jesus said this, he
looked toward heaven
and prayed: "Father, the time
has come. Glorify your Son, so that your Son may glorify you. For you
granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all
those you have given him."
·
The unfolding drama of redemptive history finally reached
a critical point. Hold on to your seats... Plans made in eternity past were
finding their culmination in time. The era had come in which the Son of Man,
Jesus, would offer himself as the perfect and only atoning sacrifice for sin.
The hour had come when Jesus would be made a sin offering for believers that
they might be the righteousness of God in him.
·
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only
Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." --How long had God's people been waiting?
·
With the hour of supreme suffering and even greater glory
at hand, and with his poor and terrified disciples contemplating his departure,
the Lord lifted his eyes to heaven and prayed.
·
...Don't you know they were listening.
After I read the Scripture for
the week in my Bible several times, I often then print it off so that I can
start making notes beside verses. This week I began to highlight certain words
that kept repeating throughout the passage. One of the words is
"glory." (On the attached Scripture document I've highlighted it like
I did on my working copy.) Knowing that
how a person says something has a lot to do with what they are saying, I found
this important.
"Glorify your son that the
son may glorify you."
·
The phrase refers to the consummation of Jesus' earthly
ministry, encompassing his death, resurrection, and being raised up to heaven. Not a small thing -- the time had come.
·
Let's take a quick look at the word 'glory' that John
uses over and over in the passage:
·
The Old Testament word for “glory” comes from the Hebrew
word for weight, or heaviness - with greater value being assigned to that which
is weightier. If we say
somebody is "throwing their weight around," then they are using
whatever influence or power or authority they might have. So behind the idea of glory is the
assigning of great value (weight) and worth.
·
For example, when Joseph finally revealed himself to his
brothers in Egypt, he instructed them, “So you shall tell my father of all my
glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my
father down here.” In other words, he wanted his greatness, his privileged
position and exalted status and power, to be reported to Jacob.
·
The Greek word for “glory” is doxa (DOX-ah). In classical times the doxa of a person meant merely the “opinion” others held of him, or
his “reputation.” It was simply what a person “seemed” to be.
·
In the New Testament, the word “glory” conveys the same
idea. A man’s glory is his good reputation. It is that about him which is
praiseworthy.
·
Jesus uses the word this way in Matthew 6:2 (KJV),
“Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as
the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have
glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.” These people
made a production of their giving so that the greatness of their generosity
would be observed by many people.
·
But then the Bible gives doxa a whole new dimension of meaning. It now meant the expression
of who or what someone really was. And more than that, the word began to
be reserved for special application to God. His glory – his power, majesty, and
splendor – is in a class by itself.
·
So when the Bible speaks of the glory of God it is
referring to God's worth and honor and greatness. We could say that God's
majesty or supremacy are in view.
·
In fact, so great is God's glory that it emanates like
light. He who dwells in unapproachable
light (1 Tim 6:16) makes unnecessary the light of the sun or the moon, “for the
glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp” (Rev 21:23). Such is the
glory – the doxa – of God. Remember
this the next time you sing the Dox-ology.
·
All of creation has as its goal and purpose the glory of God.
He created everything for his own glory. Everything that exists has its
existence from God and for God. Romans 11:36 says, “For of Him and through Him
and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.”
·
John Calvin says that creation is the theater of God’s
glory.
·
Mary sang,
“My soul magnifies the Lord” (Luke 1:46). She was glorifying God—declaring God's
greatness and power and ascribing honor to God.
·
“Therefore,
whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1
Corinthians 10:31).
·
God chose his
people for his glory: "For he
chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in
his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus
Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his
glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves...in order
that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise
of his glory." (Ephesians 1:4-6, 12)
Jesus' request for glorification
was a prayer that God's eternal purposes would be fulfilled in the cross
exactly as God had ordained.
·
In fact, it is through the cross that all of God's saving
purposes are made possible. Jesus will forever bear the scars of the cross,
thus being forever marked with the honor of his accomplishments there. In doing
this, Jesus was not seeking merely his own glory, but it would display God's
glory and greatness.
·
The cross displayed God's glory like no other event in
history, revealing his righteousness, his justice, and holiness in requiring
the precious blood of his son, "a lamb unblemished and spotless" (1 Peter
1:19) as atonement for sin (Romans 3:25). At the same time, dramatically
demonstrating God's grace, God's mercy, and love in the sending of his only son
to die for us.
Let me read John 17:1-6 again... you will hear the word "glory"
many times. but also listen for the
"SO THATS..." The phrase, "so
that," occurs a dozen times throughout 26 verses.
1After Jesus said this, he looked
toward heaven and prayed: 2"Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, so that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all
people
so that he might give
eternal life to all those you have given him. 3Now
this is eternal life: that
they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to
do.
The "So Thats..."
·
Everything that Jesus requested in his prayer has a
purpose, that purpose is not for his own benefit, or for the benefit of the
disciples. But in fulfillment of God's will. SO THAT we might have eternal
life.
The examples from our
reading:
·
...so that your Son may glorify you.
·
...so that he might give eternal life to all (those who
believe)
·
...that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom you have sent.
·
...so that they may be one as we are one.
·
...so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
·
...so that they may have the full measure of my joy
within them.
·
...that they too may be truly sanctified.
·
...so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
·
...in order that the love you have for me may be in them
and that I myself may be in them.
What
if we prayed with such purpose? Don't
you think our obedience level would skyrocket?
Mine would. What if each
part of my prayer had a "so that" to clarify why it is important..
because some of my prayers, if honest, I might pray some things so that...
·
so that I m more comfortable...
·
so that I do not get embarrassed...
·
so that I would not have to apologize...
Wow - my ability to pray for what
God wants would increase and my desires would begin to fade.
Just
curious...
If your spouse were praying for
you - what would they be asking or saying?
If your mother were praying for
you, what would she be saying?
What does Jesus pray on our
behalf specifically?
·
Reading through Jesus' prayer for his disciples (for us)
on the eve of his glorification - on/through the cross... He prays for four
things in particular. (We are not going
to spend equal time on them.)
1) verse
11/15, "Holy Father, protect
them by the power of your name
2)
verse 17, "Sanctify them by the
truth; your word is truth."
3)
verse 21 Jesus prays for unity.
"That all of them may be one, Father,
just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world
may believe that you have sent me."
4)
verse 24, "I want those you have given me to be with me where I am and to see my glory, the glory you have
given me because you loved me before the creation of the world."
Let's look at Sanctification (the second theme Jesus prays for us)
·
John 17:17, "Sanctify them by the truth; your
word is truth."
·
Talking about "sanctification" is the same as
talking about "holiness." The language is often misunderstood as
referring to the doing of good deeds, going above and beyond the call of duty,
or trying to be 'holier than thou.' But the governing idea of holiness is that
of being set apart –
particularly for God's special purpose. Israel is a holy nation, not because it
behaves better or is greater than any other nation, but because God has elected
it (chosen it) to be a light to the Gentiles. God has set it apart for a purpose.
·
Deuteronomy 7: 6-8, "For you are a people
holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has
chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his
people, his treasured possession. The Lord did not set his affection
on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples,
for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because
the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your
ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you
from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of
Egypt."
·
Another word that John uses over and over again in this
passage is the word, "world."
It does not have near as many geographical implications as it does theological
implications. Particularly in the Gospel of John, 'world' connotes those
elements of the created order that have actively sought to distance themselves
from God. The world is a hostile place to those who dedicate themselves to
God. For this reason, those who remain there need to be set apart and to
recognize the degree that they do not belong to the world. Jesus prays that his
followers will be sanctified, made holy, set apart, so that they may bring the good news to the world.
·
(part of a prayer by Malcolm Muggeridge) "The only
ultimate disaster that can befall us is to feel ourselves to be at home here on
earth. As long as we are aliens we cannot forget our true homeland which is
that other kingdom" Christ speaks of (God's Kingdom).
·
Note that Jesus did not pray that his disciples should be
taken out of the world. He never prayed that they might find escape, he prayed
that they might find victory. John 17:15, "My prayer is not that you take
them out of the world but that you protect
them from the evil one."
Jesus prays these things for us
with a purpose in mind... (So That...)
·
Let's put some of these things together. Jesus prays for
us with great purpose. He asked that we be sanctified, set apart for a purpose.
That we would be one/unified for the purpose of exemplifying and sharing God's
greatness with the world. Jesus prays for unity.
"That all of them may be one...
so that the world may believe that you have sent me." He prays this for
God to be glorified through us as well. He prays that God would accomplish this
through that which was/is about to take place upon the cross. He asks that we
be protected -- we need protection because we are to remain in this world and
not be removed from it. God has a purpose for us being here. We have been set
apart for God - not the world. So that doing
God's work we make a difference in this world. We are the salt of the earth, a
light for others....
Think about it this way. In order
to make a difference we must be different. Let me say that again, in order to
make a difference we must be different!
It seems like every conflict in
Scripture is because of the difference between God's ways and our ways. The
difference between the world as God would have it and the world that we have
made it.
I'm
reminded of an old article I read by Nicholas van Hoffman... At various points
in it I was convicted, or defensive, or disagreed, or thought it rather
political, or was in agreement with it while pointing a finger at others… You
decide for yourself.
The
Mush God
By
Nicholas van Hoffman (1978)
The Mush God has been known to appear all over the world
on Sunday mornings to a great many people wanting to relax and read the Sunday
paper and have a nice hot cup of coffee. He is always there to soothe you and
put your mind at rest. Always ready to tell you that you deserve the rest today
because you have worked so hard during the week. He is also eager to tell you
about that really important game on TV, or to remind you about all the things
that you need to do around the house this Sunday morning.
During the week the Mush God appears all over the place.
He appears with politicians at ribbon-cutting ceremonies, and to clergymen
speaking at the start of all the various government legislative proceedings. In
fact the Mush God is the god that politicians always seem to turn to. The Mush
God just adores politicians.
The Mush God is also the father of the innocuous and
harmless prayer. Most people just love to hear the Mush God speak. You could
easily get him to give an opening prayer at the start of a hooker's convention,
and he would gladly promise that no one at all would be offended. The Mush God
is very proud that his beliefs and doctrines are completely non-irritating and
non-offensive.
This Mush God loves to interact with other people and he
especially loves to show up whenever spiritual questions are being debated. He
just loves to talk about his views on tolerance.
The Mush God has no theology to speak of. His is a pure
Cream of Wheat type of divinity. Here is finally a God that doesn't believe in
strictness and rigidity. His laws seem to be made out of rubber because they
bend so much. You can take any of his laws and mold them in a much more
"useful" manner. People just love this Mush God because he is so very
easy to get along with. What a convenient god. Oh thank heavens for the Mush
God.
The Mush God has no particular credo, no tenets of faith,
nothing that would make it difficult for either the believer or the nonbeliever
alike to lower their heads when he speaks. In fact the Mush God is not a
jealous god at all, and will gladly share the platform with any other gods that
anyone might have.
Call him the god of the Rotary, or the god of the
optimists. This god is the protector of the Buddy System. The Mush God is the
Lord of secular ritual.
The Mush God is a serviceable god who will fit in
anywhere. His laws are chiseled not on tablets of stone, but they are written
on sand which allows his laws to be open to amendment, qualification, change,
and erasure. His laws can easily blend in with the beliefs of anyone.
Here is a God that will compromise with you. He will
gladly relax the rules. He will make allowances and declare all wars, of any
type, to be holy wars. Here is a god that is all too happy to look the other
way.
Here is a god who is a good friend to everyone, in fact
the Mush God tells all his friends that they can do no wrong, that all
activities are fine with him. And most people just love him for that and are
all too happy to follow him, where ever he might lead them.
"The
world" is not a geographical term as much as it is a theological term to
describe all the forces, spiritual and historical, arrayed against the work of
the Father through the son.
A
mush god does not make a difference. A mush
god would never have been crucified.
Neither
are you a disciple if you look like the world... rather than God.
Since
Jesus prayed this prayer in John Chapter 17, I reckon God heard it. Think about that. Read the chapter again.
