Jesus Prayer
Notes
Transcript
Jesus Prayer
Jesus Prayer
How many of you have seen a movie recently? What movie did you see?
Think back to the last movie you saw, perhaps in theatres, a film you were watching for the first time. How did you know when a big moment was about to happen?
The music builds and is dramatic. Its amazing how using music they can draw your attention and signal this is important—this has great meaning.
What about the last speech you heard or maybe a sermon? How do you know what they are about to say is important—perhaps even more important than everything else they have said.
Maybe they do so in tears, soft spoken, perhaps yelling, they can use emotion or voice influxtion to show importance. Or perhaps they just tell you. Pastor Bruce at one point in his sermon Sunday just said, listen up folks—this has to do with you, this is important, listen to this next part.
We have come to John 17. Everything we have read and talked about builds up to this point—Jesus is about to die.
How do we know its important:
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,
Jesus just tells us—it’s time. Everything that I was building up to, everything I have been telling you about, the moment we have all been waiting for it here.
John 17 is the Lord’s Prayer. Not like earlier in the gospels where Jesus instructs us or tells us how to pray. Those are important and needed but thats not the Lord’s Prayer. This is Jesus praying for himself, for the apostles and for us. Jesus is pouring out his heart to God and we can to hear about it. Its very rare in the gospels that we hear the outpouring of Jesus’ heart to God the Father and here we have an entire chapter of it at the pinnacle of his life and ministry.
This is a pivot point of the book of John. His earthly ministry is done. This is now Jesus interceding for believers.
25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
He was now fulfilling the call and purpose to step in on our account before God the Father.
Philip Melanchthon said about John 17, “There is no voice which has ever been recording in heaven or in earth more exalted, more holy, more fruitful, more sublime, than the prayer offered up by the Son of God himself.”
This is the most complete revelation of God’s glory was in the person of Jesus Christ. John 17 is the outpouring of Jesus in which we see the glory of God the Father.
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
John MacArthur shares this in some final opening remarks on John 17. “The prayer summarizes key themes from John’s Gospel. These include: (1) Jesus’ faithful submission to the Father, (2) the Son’s commitment to glorify the Father, (3) the election and protection of his disciples, (4) their witness to a hostile world, (5) their unity with Christ and with one another, and (6) the glorious future that awaits them. The chapter divides into three parts: (1) Jesus’ prayer for himself (vv.1-5_, (2) Jesus’ prayer for the apostles (vv.6-19); and (3) Jesus prayer for all New Testament believers who will form the church (vv.20-26).
With all that in mind lets jump in and we will cover verses 1-5 tonight. Can I get a reader?
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, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
We are reminded of this dichtomy or contrasting truths that Jesus was fully God and yet fully human. Only Jesus himself could do this and he did as we are reminded in Philippians
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Jesus emptied himself taking on the likeness of a man for what purpose?
“Jesus great concern, as the eternal Son of God, is that his Father might bee seen and known for who he is, for what is like and for all that he has done.” (commentator)
Jesus wanted to glorify the Father and show God for who He was. Jesus had fulfilled the OT prophecies that the Messiah would be without spot or wrinkle, without blemish—He had lived perfectly to properly honor and glorify the Father, but His task was not done.
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, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
Jesus has glorified the Father and now was to give eternal life.
And yet we are reminded of the truth of the gospel. God had made man perfect and lacking nothing in the garden. Sin entered the world and corrupted this and now man was separated from God. This separation was eternal—forever, and they/we have no hope or way of correcting it. We know just as the OT was commanded to offer up sacrifices as penance for their sins, their wrongdoings. But they were never enough, often times even in the sacrifice themselves they sinned and had to do it all again. We would never and could never offer up anything.
“Not the labors of my hands
can fulfill thy law's demands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save, and thou alone.
We stood 'neath a debt we could never afford
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more
Were You to count my sinful ways
How could I come before Your throne
Yet full forgiveness meets my gaze
I stand redeemed by grace alone
Two wonders here that I confess
My worth and my unworthiness
My value fixed, my ransom paid
At the cross
3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
The cross was at hand and at the cross we have been made right and atonement has been passed to us so that we might life eternally with him.
John Piper says, “trust that looks away from self to Christ becomes the ultimate satisfaction of the self. I will trust in him no other. My soul is satisfied in Him alone. Two wonders here that I confess, my worth and my unworthiness. My value fixed my ransom paid, at the cross. One of the most beautiful sentences in the bible is that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners…the song that breaks out in heaven forever is not, “look, traitors got in, blasphemous are now priests. That’s not the song, the song is worthy are you. You are made to be made priests to be part of the kingdom so that you can enjoy making much of Him…we are unworthy of the cross, because of the cross we are worthy.”
Eternal life is in trust Him no other, bringing joy to Him as Jesus did in his obedience.
4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
Jesus is crying out to God—I did what you asked, I showed everyone the power of God and the praise due to HIs name. By my actions and life I have accomplished the task—so far.
5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
This is actually the completion of the task. Remember in Philippians earlier we talked about Jesus emptying Himself, taking on the likeness of man.
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
Jesus would die and raise again and then be seated at the right hand of the Father—glorfying Him as He is requesting here. Its a return to how it once was, Jesus is restored to his equal standing and glory with the Father and the redeemed are made right in standing before the throne of grace.
As we continue in this passage we will see his prayer for his apostles and his prayers for us.
But in closing I have two questions I want you to ponder.
The first is this: is your value fixed, your ransom paid at the cross? Have you been redeemed by the blood? Jesus came to be obedient and to bring glory to the Father. Have you bowed the knee and confessed Jesus as Lord?
If you know Christ, are you living for the glory of God? Its amazing as you walk through each of Paul’s letter he is constantly reminding them of how they should live.
Galations:
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
Epheisans:
1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Philippians:
27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
Colossians:
1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
1 Thessalonians:
1 Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
We could keep going.
12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
Are you living in a manner worthy of your calling, bringing praise and glory to God the Father?
