Jesus Prayed

Call to Worship based on                                         Psalm 133

How good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live together in unity!

It is like precious oil, sweet smelling and easing friction.

The priests of Israel were anointed for ministry with oil in generous supply.  It was poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes.

It’s abundance shows God’s generosity towards hearts in harmony.

It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion.

Plenty of good, clean, fresh water to provide a lush garden that brings joy to the heart.

For where there is good fellowship, there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

When we go up together, God comes down with blessing.

First section –  John 17:1-5

Jesus Prays to Be Glorified

17 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

A teaching.

            As we began this prayer series last week we especially emphasized our faith and trust in the fact that God wants to build us into a house of prayer. One of the best ways we can cooperate with God in that endeavor is to study the prayers that are already recorded in the Bible. So today, besides a little commentary for meaning and explanation, we are also going to pray our way through the prayer that Jesus prayed.

            This seventeenth chapter of John is known to many as Jesus’ great, high priestly prayer. It is an important piece of his ministry to his disciples. I have divided the prayer into three sections because Jesus prayed first for himself, then for his disciples, and last of all for every believer who would come after his disciples. That includes us. We could also say it is a past, present and future prayer because in the first section Jesus gave thanks for the work he has already done and asked that it would glorify God. In the second section he prayed for the present believers, and in the last section he prayed for the future believers, again that includes us.

Jesus prayed this prayer in the presence of his disciples so that they would hear it and have another chance to understand exactly why he chose them and what they were supposed to accomplish once he had completed his earthly ministry among them. Also so that they would remember it and share it with us. As our high priest, Jesus offered this intercessory prayer, drawing near the mercy seat, the altar of God’s holiness and grace to appeal to God the Father on behalf of his disciples and also, ultimately on behalf of us.

            One of the great things about studying such a prayer, and really any biblical prayer, is how it is so focused on God and his work. Without such great examples, our prayers would tend to stay in the grocery list mode. We are very much aware of the problems and sicknesses and people for whom we pray God’s blessings of healing, provision or peace as we pray for ourselves and others. And that’s all fine and wonderful, but Jesus’ prayer here takes us right to God’s heart and gets us into where we fit into the grand scheme of God’s plans on the cosmic scale.

In this prayer we can see a lot of what is at the heart of God’s will for us and when we pray this prayer along with Jesus we know for certain that we are praying a prayer that God desperately wants to answer for those who offer it up. We are removed from the more immediate cares and concerns of this world, which Jesus has already said in a parable are things that can easily act like weeds that choke us out of life and productivity.

Jesus prayed for himself at the beginning of the prayer. He acknowledged that the work was almost complete. The hour had come for him to be arrested, crucified and killed for the sins of the world. He did not pray for it to be easy for him. He did not pray for peace and happiness. He prayed that God would be glorified, or that the sacrifice he was about to make would really be worthwhile and effective in accomplishing God’s good will. That is what would glorify God and Jesus.

We might think that there is no way that such a prayer could be ours to pray. We are not Jesus. None of us is God’s one and only Son. But, together we are! We are the body of Christ and in that identity it is entirely appropriate for God’s church to pray the same prayer as Jesus, for we are Jesus. And we should pray in the same spirit of humble obedience, even if we suffer for it, as Jesus did. We can acknowledge that Jesus has transferred his authority on earth to his church. In the name of Jesus, as his agents, ambassadors or representatives in this world, God will grant to us anything we ask that is in accord with his holy will. We also share his mission, to reach the lost, discover, protect and teach all those who are given to him through their faith in him. So let us pray this prayer in this way:

Praying together about what we have just heard –

            Father the hour has come again. We recommit our lives to bring glory and honor to your name. Glorify your Son as he lives in us, the body of Christ, that we may glorify you. For Jesus, to whom you granted authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him, has in turn granted his authority to us when he said, “Go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teach them to obey all the commands he has given. He also said, all authority has been given to me and I say to you if you forgive anyone their sins they are forgiven. If you do not forgive they are not forgiven.

            We don’t want to Lord it over people, we want to serve them unto their salvation just as Jesus served to save us through his work on the cross. We want them to know you for that is eternal life; that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. Jesus brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave him to do. And now, Father, glorify us in your presence with the glory Jesus had with you before the world began, so that we also can finish the work you give us to do. In Jesus’ name, amen.

           

Song (RH 484) Jesus, Lord, We Look To Thee

Second section –  John 17:6-19

Jesus Prays for His Disciples

6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

            In this second section of the prayer Jesus recalls the main points of his mission and purpose in calling the disciples to himself: to receive them from the Father and for the Father, and to teach them everything they need to know so they can carry on and tell the news story, not a fiction, that is being lived out before them. They will be his witnesses of the historical facts that will be written down for posterity. Jesus acknowledges that they will be a little bit more vulnerable now that he is leaving. So he asks God the Father to extend his protection to them.

            Interestingly they will be protected under the name of Jesus. So it really is sort of a spiritual diplomatic immunity we are given. But this is not about avoiding persecution, sort of like modern ambassadors can get away with speeding because diplomatic immunity means they don’t have to pay the tickets. The name of Jesus does not mean that we are protected from persecution. Some of the best of our brothers and sisters are still sitting in prisons today, suffering for the cause of Christ.

            The real nature of the protection Jesus is talking about is the preservation of our unity. Satan’s main strategy is to divide and conquer. Through factions and conflict he can kill a church and put an end to its ministry. Even if the building still stands and the members still meet together on Sundays, if too much of their time is consumed in conflict management and not being able to agree on what God wants them to do together, they obviously won’t get much or maybe not even anything done that counts for saving lost souls. Or else if conflict is not managed at all but festers quietly under the cover of being polite, or being afraid that dealing with it will mean rejection, then resentment can put up road blocks to cooperation and team work.

            But how does a name give us the kind of unity Jesus is praying for? It starts with identity. If we are all Christians, then we owe it to each other and to God to be able to say, no matter what, we are all Christians trying to accomplish a common mission in Jesus’ name! My own marriage is a small example. In the first year after we were married, I was terribly surprised at how things changed between Kathy and me.

            Once we were married, we had to start making joint decisions and suddenly differences of opinion meant that we were either going to do the right thing her way or my way. It wasn’t always easy to find our way. And there were days, while we were looking for our way, and I really was frustrated that she didn’t think my way was so great, things could occasionally get kind of loud in the house. I think I’m pretty sure most of us in this room have had similar experiences and adjustments to make to keep a marriage going. Today we are both very grateful that the kids didn’t come along until after we had gotten through the worst of our lessons about learning how to manage conflict.

            My point is this. Within the first year, I thought I had really messed everything up so badly that Kathy would be leaving me. But I was raised in a broken home and my parents got divorced so I figured we were headed the same way. I mean it seemed sort of inevitable. Kathy really set me straight on that the one day I brought up my fear of that. She said something like, “We are both Christians and in Jesus we can work through these conflicts and stay together no matter what. Divorce is not an option.”

            That’s the nature of Christian unity, not that there are never any conflicts and nobody ever steps on anybody’s toes, but that we forgive and bear with one another, or put up with each other. “Put up with” means exactly this: enduring the ways we unintentionally hurt each other with our weird behaviors from all our own personal baggage swinging around. And having permission from each other to make sure it was unintentional, and ask and receive forgiveness. And some of the mist beautiful moment sin the life of any church happen when people forgive each other and embrace each other again by the grace of God.

            So bearing the same name, the name of Jesus, is a powerful incentive to love one another as we are commanded to do so that the world can see from that that we are followers of Jesus Christ. Our unity is essential to the successful completion of our mission. Jesus prayed that we would be one with each other and one with whim as he is one with the Father.

            In the last paragraph of this section of Jesus’ prayer we see that our unity is going to be really important because it’s going to be us against the world. Our unity is going to be a source of joy, a joy that will help us endure the persecution and hatred of the world. Even though we share God’s love with the world, the world hates the church because we tell the truth about sin and judgment and we offer a plan of salvation that the world would rather reject because it proudly believes it doesn’t need God. But in Christ, if we hang together in unity, we will have great joy and overcome the world! The joy of the Lord in us is what will enable us to stand up against all the hatred the world could possible muster against us. The joy of the Lord is our strength! The greatest experiences of joy will be ours when we live together in peace and unity. 

Praying together about what we have just heard –

            We thank you Lord for the revelation of who is the one true God. We know about this because of the faithful testimony concerning the life, death and resurrection of Jesus our Lord. We are yours! We have a name! It is a name we share. Jesus’ name unites us into a body, the body of Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work! The first believers all joined together constantly in prayer. And what God has joined together, let no one separate. Jesus’ name brings us joy and love for all people.

            We pray with Jesus that our unity, based on sharing Jesus’ name and identity and our mutual inclusion with each other as members of his body, will be our strength and joy. We pray that this will protect us from the evil one who rather tear us apart and ruin our ministry. We will hold on to the words of truth that will protect and preserve us. We give thanks for these treasures, though we are but clay jars to carry it. Our glory is in the cross, in Christ and in your glory O Lord!

Song: (RH 454) God Gives His People Strength

Third teaching segment – John 17:20-26

Jesus Prays for All Believers

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 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. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

24 “Father, 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.

25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you[e] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

            In this last section, Jesus prayed for us, for all the future believers who would be born in the faith through the faithful ministry of his present servants. And if we are true believers and faithful disciples then we have answered Jesus’ prayer, partly. The theme of unity is still carried on into the future, Jesus’ future, and ours. Unity is so important to this mission that the unity we have in Christ is born out of the unity of the early church and the unity we preserve will be the incubator and cradle for the new believers who come after us, who will also need to maintain unity for the sake of future ministry until Jesus comes again.

            It is through our unity and love for one another that the world will know that we are disciples of Christ. This is not the only place that Jesus said that. Earlier, in John 13:35, Jesus had already told his disciples, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

            Finally Jesus ends on a personal request. He wants to be with us! This whole mission is to build a loving family of relational perfection and beauty and joy! The mission has been a dream and goal of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, since before the foundation of the world. He loves each of us that much. Jesus also promises that he will be with us seeing us through it all. If Jesus himself is praying that we make it through to glory to see him as he is and to be with him then certainly our hope is sure! Since Jesus is for us who can be against us?

            We do not pray these prayers alone. Romans 8:26 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” I quote that verse to show that the entire united Holy Trinity of our glorious God is in agreement that Jesus’ prayer should be answered with a victorious yes! And when we pray the Scriptures, praying in this case the very same prayers that Jesus prayed for us, we do know what to say. We know that we will be heard. We also know that we shall have the things we pray for because we are asking in Jesus’ name and authority and asking for the very same things he prayed for himself. We can’t go wrong here! The answer will be the victory of Jesus Christ, the Glory of the Lord and the joy of all the saints!

Praying together about what we have just heard –

            The cards I have given you are designed to help us all personalize the prayer that Jesus prayed for us. In keeping with that thought, your names have been included at key points. So let’s read this prayer aloud together in unison, and go ahead and say your name out loud where ever you need to fill in a blank along the way.

“My prayer is not for just any believers, or past believers. I pray also for ______________ who will believe in me through the message, that ______________ may be one with me and the church, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May ______________ also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given ______________ the glory that you gave me, that ______________ may be one with us as we are one— I in ______________ and you in me—so that ______________ may be brought to complete unity with the rest of the Church. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved ______________ even as you have loved me.

“Father, I want ______________ whom 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.

“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and ______________ knows that you have sent me. I have made you known to ______________, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in ______________ and that I myself may be in ______________.”

            Now please allow me to continue:

            Heavenly Father, Holy Spirit, in Jesus’ name we come to you today with great thanksgiving for all the help and salvation you share with us through Jesus’ priestly ministry and prayers that we can employ to keep the mission going. We offer ourselves together to continue to bring glory and honor to your name by continuing to cherish and share the gospel of the grace that saves. We commit to living our lives in this world that doesn’t know you in such a way that we will find the ones who hunger and thirst for righteousness and we commit to helping them get to know you. We know this is your will for us. We pray for you to lead us and guide us in the details of your plans for us that lie ahead. For we know that we are your handiwork, O God, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which you O God have prepared in advance for us to do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.