How Our Savior Prayed in the Shadow of the Cross

Part 2: The Wonderful Work of Our Lord

The Gospel of John

John 17:4-8 (Read vs. 1-8)

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church – March 21, 2018

(Revised May 1, 2020)

BACKGROUND:

*Please open your Bibles to John 17. Tonight's Scripture continues John's remarkable focus on the night before Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, John has focused on this night since John 13:1.

*Here in John 17, Jesus and His disciples have almost arrived at the Garden of Gethsemane. And before they crossed over the Brook Kidron, the Lord paused, looked up to Heaven, and began to speak to His Heavenly Father.

*That makes perfect sense, because no one has ever had a stronger prayer life than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Except for a brief time on the cross, the Son of God was in constant communion with His Heavenly Father. And we see the Lord in prayer many times in God's Word.

*For example, Luke 3:21-22 tells us that Jesus prayed at His baptism:

21. Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.

22. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.''

*Mark's Gospel tells us about Jesus getting up way before daylight to pray. In Mark 1:32-35, God's Word says:

32. Now at evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.

33. And the whole city was gathered together at the door.

34. Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

35. Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.

*Luke 6:12-13 tells us about Jesus spending all night in prayer:

12. Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

13. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Him; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:

*Matthew 11 shows Jesus praying a thanksgiving prayer to our Heavenly Father. There Jesus was thankful that you and I don't have to be geniuses or have PhD's in order to be saved. I'm thankful about that too!

*The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple enough for small children to understand and believe in the Lord. So in Matthew 11:25-26, Jesus prayed this prayer:

25. . . "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.

26. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight."

*In John 11:41-42, Jesus was at the graveside, about to raise Lazarus from the dead. There the Lord prayed another prayer of thanksgiving. Jesus also prayed a thanksgiving prayer when He instituted the Lord's Supper on the night before the cross.

*So to sum it up, Jesus prayed early in the morning and all night long. Jesus prayed before He chose His disciples. He prayed with praise and thanksgiving. He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. And even on the cross, Jesus prayed.

*Our Lord's life was filled with prayer. But God tells us very little about what Jesus actually said in His prayers.

*Again, from Matthew 11:25-26 and Luke 10:21:

25. . . "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.

26. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight."

*From John 11:41-42:

41. . . "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.

42. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.''

*From John 12:28: "Father, glorify Your name.''

*Then Jesus prayed 3 times in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew 26 records two of those prayers. In vs. 39, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.'' And in Matthew 26:42, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.''

*The Bible also reports 3 of Christ's prayers on the cross:

-In Luke 23:34, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.''

-In Matthew 27:46, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?'' that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?''

-And in Luke 23:46, "Father, 'into Your hands I commend My spirit.''' And having said this, He breathed His last.

*Other than here in John 17, these are the only prayers of Jesus recorded in the whole New Testament! It only takes a minute to read them all. And it's amazing to me that God gives us such a tiny sample of the Lord's conversations with His Heavenly Father. (1)

*Of course, much of what they said to each other is probably incomprehensible to me and you. Us listening to God the Son talk with God the Father would usually be like a flea trying to understand Einstein, only we'd be more clueless.

*But when we get to John 17, God gives us a much longer look at the Lord in prayer. This must be a very important prayer.

*God wants us to see how our Savior prayed in the shadow of the cross. First, Jesus prayed for Himself, and then He prayed for us. Tonight, we will continue exploring how the Lord prayed for Himself. Let's begin by reading vs. 1-8.

MESSAGE:

*God wants us to see how our Savior prayed in the shadow of the cross. First, Jesus prayed for Himself, and when He did, He asked the Heavenly Father to glorify His Son.

*In vs. 1, Jesus "lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: 'Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You.'" Also in vs. 5, Jesus prayed, "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."

*That word "glorify" means "to praise, magnify, celebrate, or give honor to." That's what Jesus asked the Father to do for His Son. And it was a worthy request, because the Lord is and always has been worthy of the Father's glory!

[1] LAST TIME WE SAW THAT JESUS WAS ALWAYS WORTHY BECAUSE OF HIS PURITY.

*He never did a single thing wrong. And He always did everything right!

[2] JESUS WAS ALSO WORTHY OF THE FATHER'S GLORY BECAUSE OF HIS POWER.

*Again in vs. 1-3, Jesus prayed:

1. . . "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,

2. as You have given Him authority (or power) over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.

3. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."

*Jesus Christ and only Jesus Christ has the power to give us eternal life. Only Jesus has the power to make us part of God's family. Only He can give us a permanent home in Heaven.

[3] JESUS WAS WORTHY OF THE FATHER'S GLORY, BECAUSE OF HIS POWER, AND BECAUSE OF HIS PERFORMANCE.

*In vs. 4, Jesus said this to the Father: "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do."

*"I have finished the work," Jesus said, even though He hadn't yet died on the cross for our sins. But His saving work on the cross was so sure that Jesus could already speak of it in the past tense! Praise the Lord!

*Now here in vs. 4-8, we can see more of the crucial work Jesus finished during His ministry here on earth.

1. FIRST: JESUS GLORIFIED GOD THE FATHER.

*Again in vs. 4, Jesus said this to the Father: "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do."

*During His time here on earth, how did Jesus glorify His Heavenly Father? The short answer is every way. Everything Jesus did and said here on earth glorified God the Father.

*William MacDonald explained that "Jesus glorified the Father by His sinless life, by His miracles, by His suffering and death, and by His resurrection. Jesus finished the work of salvation the Father had given Him to do.

*And the crucifixion brought glory to the Father.

-The cross glorified the Father's wisdom through a plan whereby He could remain just, and still justify the ungodly.

-The cross glorified the Father's faithfulness in keeping His promises.

-The cross glorified the Father's holiness by requiring the law's demands to be satisfied by our great Substitute.

-And the cross glorified the Father's love by sending His only begotten Son as the perfect Savior, Redeemer and Friend for sinful man." (2)

*Jesus finished all the work the Father sent him to do. He glorified God the Father.

2. BUT JESUS ALSO REVEALED GOD'S NAME.

*In vs. 6, Jesus said this to His Heavenly Father: "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.

*That word "manifested" means to make something known, visible or apparent. And the root-word picture is causing a light to shine. So basically, Jesus shined the light on the Father's name. And there are 3 ways we can understand this revelation of the Father's name.

[1] THE FIRST IS BY CALLING GOD "FATHER."

*Robert Stein explained that seeing God named as Father is very rare in the Old Testament. There it only shows up 15 times. One example is Deuteronomy 32:6. There God was chastising the Children of Israel, and He asked, "Do you thus deal with the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is He not your Father, who bought you? Has He not made you and established you?"

*Seeing God named "Father" is rare in the Old Testament. But the name of God as "Father" multiplied greatly when Jesus came into the world. "Father" was the Lord's favorite name for God. Jesus used "Father" a total of 65 times in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Then here in the Gospel of John, Jesus called God His "Father" over a hundred times. (3)

*In Mark 14:36 Jesus even used the name "Abba." That was the name little children called their fathers, just as we say, "Daddy." This shows "the deep, emotional devotion and trust that the Lord Jesus had in His beloved Heavenly Father." (4)

[2] THE LORD SHINED THE LIGHT ON GOD'S NAME "FATHER." BUT GOD THE SON ALSO SHINED THE LIGHT ON HIS OWN NAME: "JESUS."

*That makes sense, because we don't have three Gods. There is only one God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In John 10:30, Jesus said, "I and My Father are one.'' And here in John 17, the Lord will talk about His oneness with the Father. So let's think about the name that is above all names: "Jesus," the name that means "Jehovah is salvation."

*In Luke 1:31-33, when the angel Gabriel spoke to the Virgin Mary, Gabriel said:

31. . . "Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.

32. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.

33. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.''

*Later, in Matthew 1:20-23, when the angel spoke to Joseph, he said:

20. . . "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

21. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.''

*"You shall call His name Jesus," and what a name it is! It is the only name that can save people from their sins! As Peter said in Acts 4:12, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.''

*And as Paul said in Philippians 2:5-11:

5. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

6. who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,

7. but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men.

8. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

9. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,

10. that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,

11. and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

[3] THE LORD SHINED THE LIGHT ON HIS OWN NAME: "JESUS." BUT THE LORD ALSO SHINED THE LIGHT ON THE CHARACTER OF GOD.

*Names in the Bible meant a whole lot more than they generally mean today. We give a name to our children, maybe because it belonged to someone else we love. Sometimes parents use the name of a hero or someone famous. Sometimes we give biblical names to our children, and sometimes we just like the sound of a certain name.

*But names in the Bible had much more significance. Jason Dulle explained that in the Bible, "a person's name signified their person, worth, character, reputation, authority, will and ownership." (5)

*So what kind of god is God? The Bible tells us through and through. He is good, kind, gracious, faithful and true!

*Psalm 103:8-13 gives us this merciful description of God:

8. The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

9. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever.

10. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

11. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;

12. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

13. As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him.

*What kind of god is God? There are many great ways to answer that question. But if you really want to know what God is like, look at Jesus Christ and you will see, because Jesus is God!

*And Christ revealed the character of God in ways that only He could. Hebrews 1:1-3 puts it this way:

1. God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets.

2. has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

3. who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

*2 Corinthians 4:6 also tells Christians that "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

*When Jesus revealed the name of God, He revealed the character of God. That's why a wise man once said, "There are many religions, but only one Savior: Jesus Christ." He loved us enough to die on the cross for our sins. He rose again from the dead, and He will save anyone who will turn to Him in faith!

*Jesus finished all the work the Father sent him to do. He revealed God's name.

2. BUT JESUS ALSO DECLARED GOD'S WORD.

*In vs. 6-8, Jesus put strong emphasis on His work of declaring God's Word. There Jesus said this to our Heavenly Father:

6. "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.

7. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.

8. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me."

*It's no wonder that Jesus declared God's Word, because His Holy Word is essential for salvation. No one has ever been saved without hearing and believing the Word of God! That's why 1 Peter 1:23-25 tells Christians that we have:

23. . . been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, by the word of God which lives and abides forever,

24. because "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away,

25. but the word of the Lord endures forever.'' Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

*God's Holy Word is essential for salvation! That's also why in Romans 1:16-17, Paul said:

16. . . I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

17. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith.''

CONCLUSION:

*Our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ finished all the work God the Father sent Him to do.

-He glorified God the Father.

-He revealed God's name.

-He declared God's Word.

*He died on the cross for our sins! And He rose again from the dead! Thank God that Jesus finished all the work our Heavenly Father sent Him to do!

*May God help us to finish the work He now wants us to do! May God help us to have the same testimony Paul had in 2 Timothy 4:7. There Paul was about to die, and he was able to say, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

*Where would we be right now if Paul hadn't finished the race? Which great books of the New Testament would be missing today? Would the gospel have spread throughout Europe, over to the United States, and to us? Thank God that the gospel did get spread! And it happened in large part because Paul finished his race for the Lord Jesus Christ.

*Christians: God has given each one of us a unique race to run for Him. Because of who you are, and where you live, the people you know and the gifts you have, you may be the only person in the world who can touch some particular people for Jesus. Tell them about the cross, and what it means to you!

*One of the most inspirational people I met at seminary was a young lady from Russia. Her named was "Irene," and it's a miracle that she was ever born. Irene's grandfather was a Baptist preacher when that Communist monster Joseph Stalin ruled Russia.

*The grandfather and his wife had 12 children and one prized possession: A Bible. Irene's grandfather used to hide it under the bed to protect his family, but the KGB found out about it and forced the family to move.

*It was in the dead of winter. They had to travel by horseback and on foot to a place near Siberia. They had no winter clothes. Six of the twelve children died on the way. Irene's father was only 3 years old, and they thought that he was dead too. But when they laid him on a pile of bodies, he cried out and was rescued.

*Irene knows that she is only alive by the grace of God. And when the Soviet Union fell back in the early 1990's, Irene and her sister decided that they would do everything they could to serve the Lord. They came here to learn how to become church planters back home in Russia.

*Irene is only alive by the grace of God. But so are we! God had a vital ministry for His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, God had a vital ministry for Paul, God has a vital ministry for Irene, and God has vital ministries for us! He wants us to do everything we can to help spread the good news about Jesus. And God will help us to finish the work He wants us to do!

(1) Sources:

-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayers_of_Jesus

-https://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/faith-in-life/prayer/learning-from-the-prayer-life-of-jesus

-http://www.prayers-of-jesus.info/

https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/bed/f/fatherhood-of-god.html

(4) EXPLORING THE GOSPELS: MARK by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "The Will of God" - Mark 14:32-42

(5) "The Biblical Significance of Names, Particularly as it Relates to Prayer and Baptism" by Jason Dulle

http://www.onenesspentecostal.com/names.htm

How Our Savior Prayed in the Shadow of the Cross - Part 2