Sermon Tone Analysis

How Our Savior Prayed in the Shadow of the Cross

Part 4: Christ's Urgent Prayers for His People

The Gospel of John

John 17:9-26

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church – April 18, 2018

(Revised May 13, 2020)

BACKGROUND:

*Please open your Bibles to John 17.

Here God's Word continues an in-depth focus on the night before Jesus died on the cross.

Led by God's Holy Spirit, John wrote about this night from John 13:1 to 18:27.

Surprisingly, almost 6 chapters of John are devoted to this one night, almost a third of the whole Gospel.

*Here in John 17, Jesus and His disciples were very close to the Garden of Gethsemane.

But before they crossed over the Brook Kidron, the Lord paused, looked up to Heaven, and began to speak to His Heavenly Father.

*Tonight, we finish looking at this longest of the Lord's prayers recorded in the Bible.

Next in John 18, Jesus and His disciples went over to the Garden of Gethsemane where the Lord was arrested.

*We know that Jesus also prayed in the Garden, but the Holy Spirit did not lead John to record those prayers.

We also know that this prayer in John 17 is very important, because of all the prayers Jesus ever lifted-up to the Father, only 8 more are recorded in the New Testament.

All the rest of those prayers put together total less than 150 words.

But the Lord's prayer here in John 17 has almost 400 words.

This is a very important prayer.

*God wants us to see how our Savior prayed on the night before the cross, and first, Jesus prayed for Himself.

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.'"

Then 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."

Jesus righteously prayed for God the Father to give His Son the glory He deserved.

*Then, Jesus began to pray for His followers, -- not just for the 11 disciples who were still with the Lord that night, and not just for the other people who believed in the Lord back then.

Jesus began to pray for everyone who would ever receive Him as Lord and Savior.

*In vs. 6 Jesus told the 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."

Then in vs. 9-10 Jesus said, "I pray for them.

I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.

And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them."

Then in vs. 20 the Lord said, "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word."

*Jesus began to pray for all Christians.

Jesus began to pray for us, and most of this prayer is a prayer for us.

We have already seen how the Lord prayed for our protection, our sanctification, and our mission.

*FOR EXAMPLE, JESUS PRAYED FOR OUR PROTECTION IN VS. 11.

There Jesus said this to our Heavenly Father: "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.

Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are." "Keep" them, Father.

The word picture means "keep your eye on them to guard and protect them."

Jesus prayed for our protection.

*HE ALSO PRAYED FOR OUR SANCTIFICATION.

In other words, He prayed for the Father to make us holy.

Jesus prayed for the Father to make us like our Savior Jesus Christ.

*He prayed for our sanctification in vs. 16-17, where Jesus said this about His followers: "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

Sanctify them by Your truth.

Your word is truth."

Then in vs. 19 Jesus prayed, "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."

*How are we sanctified?

-- Through the truth of God's Word! Christians: We are sanctified by the Holy Word of God, and by the Holy Spirit of God at work in our lives.

That's why 2 Corinthians 3:18 tells Christians, "We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

Jesus prayed for our sanctification.

*HE ALSO PRAYED FOR OUR MISSION.

We see our mission in vs. 18, where Jesus said this to our Heavenly Father: "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world."

*Jesus prayed for our protection, our sanctification and our mission.

Tonight we will focus on more of the Lord's urgent prayers for His people.

Let's begin by reading vs. 9-26.

MESSAGE:

*Christians: The fantastic truth here in John 17 is that Jesus was praying for you and me!

Jesus was praying for us!

And one of the most important things Jesus prayed for was our unity.

1. HE PRAYED FOR US TO HAVE FULL HARMONY.

*Back up in vs. 11, Jesus said this to our Heavenly Father: "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.

Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, THAT THEY MAY BE ONE AS WE ARE."

Why did the Lord ask His Father protect His followers after Jesus went back home to Heaven?

Of course the Lord knew the trials and tribulations His followers would face.

But the specific purpose in vs. 11 was so that we would all be one just as God the Father and God the Son are one.

*Christian harmony, our unity, was on the Lord's mind as He prayed for us.

We see this truth again in vs. 20-23, where Jesus said:

20.

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;

21. that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

22.

And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:

23.

I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

*JESUS PRAYED FOR US TO HAVE FULL HARMONY.

AND THIS WAS A GREAT PRIORITY FOR THE LORD.

*Remember that back in John 13, God began to give us a close look at what Jesus said on the night before the cross.

And one of the things Jesus stressed the most was the great love He wants us to have for one another.

*First in John 13:34, Jesus said: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

Then in John 15:12-13, Jesus said, "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends."

*There Jesus is telling us we should love one another enough to lay down our lives for each another!

And these are not the only times God tells us to love one another.

*For example, in Romans 13:8 Paul said, "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law." 1 Peter 1:22 also says, "Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart."

*There are many other examples of God telling Christians to love one another.

In fact, the New Testament talks about how we ought to treat one another over 60 times!

Jesus prayed for us to have unity.

But why was our unity such a big priority for the Lord?

[1] ONE REASON WHY IS BECAUSE JESUS KNEW OUR LACK OF UNITY WAS GOING TO BE A PROBLEM.

*There has never been a perfect church in this world.

I have often recalled something I heard Louis Bartet say 35 years ago: "If I searched and searched until I finally found the perfect church, then after I joined it, it wouldn't be perfect anymore."

*There is no perfect church on this side of Heaven, and on some level, all churches struggle to keep harmony in the body of believers.

The main reason why is because the devil does everything he can to stir up trouble in God's Church.

*On top of that, Christians, we have different opinions, attitudes, and backgrounds.

Some of us like chocolate.

Some of us like vanilla.

Some of us are morning people.

Some of us are not.

Sometimes we make false assumptions, and sometimes we misunderstand other people.

*Quite a few Christians also get stubborn and selfish about "their" church, and they want to be in control.