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    Apr 30, 2017

    A Prayer of Jesus

    Passage: John 17:1-26

    Speaker: Pat Botelle, Lay Speaker

    Series: Prayers in the Bible

    Category: Prayer

    Today we continue our series on “Prayers in the Bible” by looking at chapter 17 of the Gospel of John. We will use The Message version of the scripture because it is a little easier to understand.

    Those of you that took the Bible Overview study this past winter may remember that we practiced several ways to study scripture. One of those ways is to look at the scripture that comes before and after the passage you are studying so you can understand the context of the passage. Before I could understand this prayer, I needed to understand what came before it. I had to go back to Chapter 13 to get a good starting point.

    Chapter 13 begins John’s version of the Last Supper. The chapter tells of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet and predicting Peter’s denial. In the other gospels, the story of the Last Supper is immediately followed by the events in the Garden of Gethsemane. Not so in John’s gospel. Chapters 14 – 16 tell of Jesus teaching the disciples. The teachings are not new to the disciples, but John puts these teachings in a concise grouping, sort of like story time after dinner, a time to remind the disciples, yet again, who he is and what his purpose on earth is. Some of the section headings from my Bible include:
    • Jesus is the way to the Father
    • Jesus teaches about the vine and the branches
    • Jesus warns about the world’s hatred
    • Jesus teaches about the Holy Spirit and
    • Jesus teaches about using His name in prayer
    At the end of these teaching chapters we read:

    His [Jesus’] disciples said, “Finally! You’re giving it to us straight, in plain talk—no more figures of speech. Now we know that you know everything—it all comes together in you. You won’t have to put up with our questions anymore. We’re convinced you came from God.”
    Jesus answered them, “Do you finally believe? In fact, you’re about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I’m not abandoned. The Father is with me. I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.”

    At the end of the teaching the disciples understand who Jesus is. In the Bible Overview book we used during our study, the writer said one of the purposes of John’s gospel is: “For teaching, in that it presents Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God in the flesh and help believers to continue exercising their faith in Christ.” After Jesus completes his teachings, the disciples understand and believe – finally!
    Then begins the longest recorded prayer of Jesus. To fully appreciate it, we are going to look at it in three sections.

    Worship Leader, please read John 17:1-5 from The Message.

    Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said:
    Father, it’s time.
    Display the bright splendor of your Son
    So the Son in turn may show your bright splendor.
    You put him in charge of everything human
    So he might give real and eternal life to all in his charge.
    And this is the real and eternal life:
    That they know you,
    The one and only true God,
    And Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
    I glorified you on earth
    By completing down to the last detail
    What you assigned me to do.
    And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendor,
    The very splendor I had in your presence
    Before there was a world.

    The first thing Jesus does is pray that he be glorified. This may seem strange at first; but by praying for his glory, Jesus is really praying for God’s glory to show through him. Some of you may remember we looked at the Lord’s Prayer last summer and the first thing Jesus taught us in that prayer is to give honor and glory to the Father. Jesus is doing that here. Jesus glorified God by finishing the work that was given to him. God will glorify Jesus by his resurrection, conquering sin and death. John’s gospel begins “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” Jesus is the Word and, by returning to God, is glorified.
    So, what does this part of the prayer teach us? When we pray, do we seek God’s blessing on our efforts so that God will be glorified or do we seek God’s blessing so that we will receive the praise and glory? Do we pray for what we want or for God’s will to be done?

    Let’s take the time right now, to glorify God by singing verse 1 of To God Be the Glory. Please stand as you are able.

    Worship Leader, please read John 17:6-19:

    I spelled out your character in detail
    To the men and women you gave me.
    They were yours in the first place;
    Then you gave them to me,
    And they have now done what you said.
    They know now, beyond the shadow of a doubt,
    That everything you gave me is firsthand from you,
    For the message you gave me, I gave them;
    And they took it, and were convinced
    That I came from you.
    They believed that you sent me.
    I pray for them.
    I’m not praying for the God-rejecting world
    But for those you gave me,
    For they are yours by right.
    Everything mine is yours, and yours mine,
    And my life is on display in them.
    For I’m no longer going to be visible in the world;
    They’ll continue in the world
    While I return to you.
    Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life
    That you conferred as a gift through me,
    So they can be one heart and mind
    As we are one heart and mind.
    As long as I was with them, I guarded them
    In the pursuit of the life you gave through me;
    I even posted a night watch.
    And not one of them got away,
    Except for the rebel bent on destruction
    (the exception that proved the rule of Scripture).
    Now I’m returning to you.
    I’m saying these things in the world’s hearing
    So my people can experience
    My joy completed in them.
    I gave them your word;
    The godless world hated them because of it,
    Because they didn’t join the world’s ways,
    Just as I didn’t join the world’s ways.
    I’m not asking that you take them out of the world
    But that you guard them from the Evil One.
    They are no more defined by the world
    Than I am defined by the world.
    Make them holy—consecrated—with the truth;
    Your word is consecrating truth.
    In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world,
    I give them a mission in the world.
    I’m consecrating myself for their sakes
    So they’ll be truth-consecrated in their mission.

    Jesus continues his prayer by praying for his disciples. They are right there with him and they hear his prayer. Have you ever been present when someone prayed for you? Maybe in the hospital, before a VIM trip, at a special occasion? How did it make you feel? The disciples just stated at the end of chapter 16 that they believe Jesus came from God and now he is praying for them! Jesus is asking God to remember the commitment the disciples made and kept. He asks for protection for them from the evil one and expresses his joy with his disciples. Jesus also asks God to consecrate, that is sanctify, the disciples; that is to set them apart for a holy purpose. How do you think they felt – uplifted, encouraged, scared, overwhelmed? Jesus told them he is leaving them, they will face persecution, but to have courage. Were they reassured by this prayer?

    Praying for others is something we do every Sunday. But how often do we pray with and for someone directly? How encouraged would people be if you prayed with them as well as for them? This isn’t something only pastors can do. Jesus shows us how to pray for each other, to offer comfort and encouragement. I must say, it takes some getting used to. To have someone pray for you while you are there. It can be uncomfortable to stay quiet and listen, but the time you spend together with family or friends in prayer provides a connection that is hard to describe. You feel cared for and loved.

    “God works in mysterious ways.” How often have you heard that phrase? The choir anthem for today was chosen before I knew I would be preaching today and what scripture I would use. All I knew at the time was the theme “Prayers in the Bible.” When I read the scripture and then read the words of the song, I knew it needed to be placed here in the service. I wanted those of you who attend the 8:30 service to hear the song too so this version is sung by Regi Stone. The song is “You Are In God’s Hands”.

    As you listen, close your eyes, and imagine Jesus saying these words to his disciples, or better yet, imagine Jesus saying them to you.

    [You may listen to this song at this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SE2w406mT8]

    I’m praying not only for them
    But also for those who will believe in me
    Because of them and their witness about me.
    The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
    Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
    So they might be one heart and mind with us.
    Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
    The same glory you gave me, I gave them,
    So they’ll be as unified and together as we are—
    I in them and you in me.
    Then they’ll be mature in this oneness,
    And give the godless world evidence
    That you’ve sent me and loved them
    In the same way you’ve loved me.
    Father, I want those you gave me
    To be with me, right where I am,
    So they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me,
    Having loved me
    Long before there ever was a world.
    Righteous Father, the world has never known you,
    But I have known you, and these disciples know
    That you sent me on this mission.
    I have made your very being known to them—
    Who you are and what you do—
    And continue to make it known,
    So that your love for me
    Might be in them
    Exactly as I am in them.

    After praying for the disciples, Jesus says “I’m praying not only for them [the disciples] but also for those who will believe in me because of them and their witness about me. The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind.” Who is Jesus talking about? He’s talking about future believers, that’s us! Jesus prayed for us to continue exercising our faith in Christ. He prays: “So they might be one heart and mind with us.”
    One of the great things about doing sermons is that it requires me to really dig into the scripture and I do that by reading what others have written about the verses I’m studying.

    In his article about John 17 entitled “The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus,” Bob Deffinbaugh writes:

    The petition of the Lord Jesus for all believers primarily concerns Christian unity … It is vital that we recognize the vast difference between unity and uniformity. Unity is best demonstrated in diversity; uniformity is threatened by diversity. Our Lord chose as disciples men who were radically different in temperament, personality and political philosophy. It was because of their glaring differences that their unity was so evident.

    The very last thing Jesus prays for in the company of his disciples is for unity among believers. Jesus knew the disciples would need each other in the days, weeks, months and even years to come. He had prayed for their protection and now he prays for their continued unity. Not just their unity, but the unity of all believers as the disciples move into the world to spread Jesus’ message.

    Jesus is not looking for believers to all be the same, uniform, made from the same mold. He is asking God that we all be one as Jesus is one with the Father. We are to be one with God through Jesus – unified.

    Jesus knew how difficult it would be for his disciples in the world, but he also knew it would be difficult for those who came to believe through the disciples. Like the disciples, Christians are radically different in temperament, personality and political philosophy, but we have one thing in common, that is the mission to go make disciples. The second purpose of John’s Gospel – as defined in Bible Overview – is “for evangelism, for people to have faith in Jesus as the Messiah.” We can carry out our mission by being unified in our faith, by being one in Christ Jesus as our Savior, our Messiah. This prayer for unity is the reason I chose the Nicene Creed as part of today’s service. The creed uses language that reminds us we are a community of faith, not individual believers – unified, not uniform.

    Our last song speaks of our common struggles and our unity in Christ. Please stand as you are able as we sing Blest Be the Tie That Binds, verses 1 & 3.

    John recorded this wonderful prayer in his gospel to show us who Jesus is and how we are to exercise our faith Jesus prayed for God’s glory, the mission his disciples would embark upon and for the continued unity of all Christians. In John 17 we have another example of how we should pray: for the safety of all disciples and for our continued unity so we can be Jesus’ hands and feet in this world thereby bringing glory to God.