Sermon for May 24, 2020
Notes
Transcript
Sermon for May 24, 2020
Sermon for May 24, 2020
Good morning everyone,,, watching by video.
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Before I begin with my sermon,,, I wanted to begin this morning with an opening prayer and lead into the Lord's prayer like we usually begin our worship service. That way if you like,,, you can join me in saying the Lord's prayer.
Invocation and Lord's prayer
Dear Lord, I thank you for your continued presence among us today and every day. I thank you for those that are listening and watching by video. I ask for continued guidance for them and others. So we ask for healing for all of those that are sick this morning,,, we ask for safety and guidance for our healthcare workers and all others that must work during this time. Lord,,, I pray for all of those that are still working on clearing storm damage and helping others. We ask for comfort and rest for each of them.
We ask these things in Jesus's name who taught us to pray, by saying:
Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever.
Amen.
This morning I'll be reading John chapter 17 verses 1 through 11.
I'll be reading from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.
John 17:1-11
In the verses that I'll read this morning,,, Jesus is praying on the night when He is arrested and He prays for Himself and for the disciples. The whole chapter is Jesus' prayer where in the beginning He prays for Himself,,, and His disciples,,, which we will read this morning,,, and then,,, the rest of the chapter is for future believer's.
John 17:1–11
1 Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said: Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son so that the Son may glorify You, 2 for You gave Him authority over all flesh; so He may give eternal life to all You have given Him. 3 This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent —Jesus Christ. 4 I have glorified You on the earth by completing the work You gave Me to do. 5 Now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with that glory I had with You before the world existed. 6 I have revealed Your name to the men You gave Me from the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they know that all things You have given to Me are from You, 8 because the words that You gave Me, I have given them. They have received them and have known for certain that I came from You. They have believed that You sent Me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world but for those You have given Me, because they are Yours. 10 Everything I have is Yours, and everything You have is Mine, and I have been glorified in them. 11 I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by Your name that You have given Me, so that they may be one as We are one.
God bless the reading and the hearing of your word this morning.
Let us pray:
Dear Lord,,, as we begin this morning,,, with everyone listening and watching by video,,, we ask that you open our ears to hear and our hearts and minds to receive the message that you have for us today,,, In Jesus' name I pray,,, Amen
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As I read these scriptures,,, it came to my attention that those that died fighting for our freedoms were prayed for by Jesus in this same prayer.
And I was also reminded that we need to keep our service men and women in our prayers just like Jesus prayed for each one of us that night before His arrest.
As most of you know,,, I'm sure,,, tomorrow is Memorial Day.
Today it's usually remembered as the unofficial start of summer,,, but,,, it is really a day set aside for us to remember those that gave their lives for our country.
It should be a time that we spend remembering their sacrifice because it's through the efforts that all of the military has done through the years that has allowed our country to be the best it could be.
I know that our country hasn't been the best that it could be in recent years,,, but I still believe it's the best country to live in,,, and we have the brave men and women of the military to remember and give our thanks to!
And the ones that gave their lives fighting for our freedom,,, deserve the respect and admiration of us all!
So,,, hopefully,,, tomorrow,,, at least for a few minutes,,, please take the time to remember those that gave their all,,, so that we can live in the country that we call home,,, today!
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As I told you at the beginning,,, this prayer was given by Jesus the night that He was arrested.
He prays for Himself first,,, then the disciples,,, and the rest of the prayer is for future believer's.
We will mention the last part of the prayer briefly,,, but we will spend most of our time on the scriptures that I read this morning.
Hopefully they will help us in our prayer time that we spend with God each day.
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Verse 1 says: 1 Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said: Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son so that the Son may glorify You,
Jesus could approach God in prayer because of Their Father-Son relationship.
We,,, as Christians today,,, are able to approach God in prayer because of our personal relationship made possible by the life,,, death,,, and resurrection,,, of Jesus.
We,,, as Christians today,,, have a tendency to ignore this advantage until we have tried everything else that we can try.
Then,,, if we can't fix it,,, then we will go to the Lord in prayer.
We need to quit using prayer as a “fix-it after I've tried” and use prayer the way that it was intended.
Prayer should be a conversation that we have with God continuously,,, not just during problem time.
Prayer should be like a conversation you have with your friend,,, and you don't just talk to a friend when you have problems.
You are always talking to a friend,,, matter of fact,,, if the only time you called someone was when you were in trouble,,, they wouldn't be your friend for very long!
So we need to follow Jesus' example and use that relationship the way that He showed us.
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Also in that verse,,, Jesus said, "The hour has come".
They couldn't do anything to Jesus until it was time.
Several times before this Jesus’ time had not come,,, if you remember from some of the previous verses,,, found in John 2:4; chapter 7:6, 8, 30; and chapter 8:20.
These were all times where they,,, either wanted Him to do something before it was time,,, or tried to stop Jesus,,, but they couldn't do anything until it was time.
But now the hour had arrived.
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Jesus then prayed, Glorify Your Son so that the Son may glorify You,
This request for glorification included giving Jesus the strength to survive His suffering,,, accepting His sacrifice,,, resurrecting Him,,, and restoring Him to His wonderful glory in heaven.
Jesus did that so that the Father would be glorified by the Son,,, that God’s wisdom,,, power,,, and love,,, would be known through Jesus.
Christians are to glorify God as well,,, which is mentioned in verse 10; in fact, that’s one of the main reason's why we were created,,, to give glory to God. (1 Cor. 10:31; Eph. 1:6, 12, 14).
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Verse 2 says: 2 for You gave Him authority over all flesh; so He may give eternal life to all You have given Him.
The words, "You gave Him authority over all flesh",,, indicate that Jesus’ prayer request was a part of Gods plan.
Accvo9rding to my Bible Believer's Commentary,,, God has ordained the rule of the Son over the earth,,, and by doing this,,, Jesus has the authority to judge (John 5:27), to take up His life (10:18), and to give eternal life to all those whom the Father gave Him.
Five times in this prayer Jesus referred to His own as those the Father gave Him (17:2, 6 [twice], 9, 24).
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Verse 3 says: 3 This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent —Jesus Christ.
Eternal life, as defined here by Jesus, involves the experience of knowing the only true God through His Son.
The explanation for this verse goes back to every explanation that I've ever given of our relationship with God,,, and that's a personal relationship that is available because of our saving grace in Jesus Christ!
And that relationship is eternal,,, it's not temporary.
Eternal life is not,,, simply endless existence either.
My Bible Knowledge Commentary says,,, everyone will exist somewhere forever,,, but the question is, In what condition or in what relationship will they spend eternity?
In other words,,, will it be in heaven or hell?
We will spend eternity in heaven if we know Jesus Christ as our Savior,,, but hell is your destination unless you change and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
And He is eagerly waiting on that decision right now!
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Verses 4 & 5 say: 4 I have glorified You on the earth by completing the work You gave Me to do. 5 Now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with that glory I had with You before the world existed.
Jesus’ prayer for Himself was based on His completed work - which assumed His obedience to death and according to Philippians 2:8,,, we know that this was accomplished.
Philippians 2:8 (HCSB): 8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross.
Even though the Cross was future,,, it was definitely going to happen,,, and Jesus knew it.
He repeated His request for a return to His pristine glory with the Father,,, and this request was based on the certainty of the finished work on the cross.
This “work” the Father gave Him to do is one of five things in Jesus’ prayer which the Father “gave” the Son: the first was work,,, found in verse 4,,, second was believers,,, found in verses 2, 6, 9, and 24,,, third was glory,,, found in verses 5 & 24,,, the fourth thing was words,,, found in verse 8,,, and the fifth thing was a name,,, found in verses 11 & 12.
Jesus,,, in turn,,, gave believers God’s words,,, found in verses 8 & 14,,, and God’s glory,,, found in verses 22 & 24.
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Verses 6, 7, & 8, say: 6 I have revealed Your name to the men You gave Me from the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they know that all things You have given to Me are from You, 8 because the words that You gave Me, I have given them. They have received them and have known for certain that I came from You. They have believed that You sent Me.
Jesus prayed for His disciples before He chose them (Luke 6:12), during His ministry (John 6:15), at the end of His ministry (Luke 22:32), here (John 17:6–19), and later in heaven (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25).
This prayer reveals Jesus’ concern and love for His disciples and for us.
With the words, They have kept Your Word,,, Jesus praised His disciples for responding to the message of God in Jesus Christ.
The disciples were not perfect,,, but they had the right commitment.
Their faith in Jesus came about because of their belief and faith in His relationship with the Father.
This faith in Jesus was manifested in their obedience to His words because they believed in His divine mission.
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Verse 9 says: 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world but for those You have given Me, because they are Yours.
Jesus' prayer,,, beginning in verse 6 and all the way through verse19 was written,,, really for the disciples,,, though it applies to all believers.
At this point He was not praying for the world in its hostility and unbelief.
This part of the prayer is for two things: first,,, the disciples’ preservation,,, to protect them,,, found in verse 11,,, and second,,, their sanctification,,, found in verse 17.
The world is not to be preserved in its rebellion or sanctified in its unbelief.
Jesus prayed this request because of God’s ownership of them by creation and election,,, as seen by the phrase,,, they are Yours.
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Verse 10 says: 10 Everything I have is Yours, and everything You have is Mine, and I have been glorified in them.
According to my Bible Believer's Commentary,,, Jesus’ words, Everything I have is Yours, and everything You have is Mine,,, reveal His claim to unity, intimacy, and equality with the Father.
When God first made the earth,,, God spent time with Adam and Eve and showed His glory.
In Jesus,,, God’s glory was displayed.
Then Christ’s disciples glorified Him: where it says,,, and I have been glorified in them.
And now in the Church Age,,, the Holy Spirit glorifies the Son,,, and believers are also to glorify the Son.
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Verse 11 says: 11 I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by Your name that You have given Me, so that they may be one as We are one.
Jesus would soon depart to the Father and leave His disciples in the world.
They had to stay in the world to carry out God’s plan in spreading the good news of redemption and in planting the church.
With the formation of the church, the history of the world has become,,, in a sense,,, “a tale of two cities”: the city of God,,, and the city of man.
Since the disciples would be in the world, Jesus prayed for their protection.
The hostility against God which fell on Jesus,,, would now fall on the tiny band of disciples,,, and subsequently,,, on many of Jesus’ followers.
Jesus,,, in calling on His Holy Father,,, pointed up God’s distinction from sinful creatures.
This holiness is the basis for believers’ separation from the world.
He would protect them from the sin and hatred of the world by the power of His name (cf. Prov. 18:10).
In Bible times a person’s name stood for the person,,, their name had more significance,,, it had more meaning or importance than just a name that they went by,,, like it's used today.
Jesus prayed for their preservation to promote the unity of the believers,,, patterned after the unity of the Father and the Son: so that they may be one as We are One (cf. vv. 21–22).
The unity here seems to be that of will and purpose.
By being protected from the world they would be unified in their desires to serve and glorify the Son.
As Christians,,, we stand to lose so much when we argue and say harsh words to others,,, especially those that are Christians too.
Satan loves nothing more than to get us fighting amongst ourselves,,, it makes his job much easier.
That's why Jesus wants us to model our actions after His,,, so that we know the correct way to act all the time.
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Prayer is something that Jesus used doing the work that God sent Him to do.
And He didn't just use prayer to get Himself out of trouble like we try to do sometimes.
He used prayer to communicate with God all of the time.
He was able to keep up with what God wanted Him to do because He was always praying.
Billy Graham said in his book of devotions that I read this week,,, Today we have learned to harness the power of the atom, but very few of us have learned how to develop fully the power of prayer.
We have not yet learned that a man can be more powerful on his knees than behind the most powerful weapons that can be developed.
We have not learned that a nation is more powerful when it unites in earnest prayer to God than when its resources are channeled into weapons.
We have not discovered that the answer to our problems can be through contact with God.
When the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, teach us to pray,” the Savior answered their request by giving them His model petition, “The Lord’s Prayer.”
The Lord’s Prayer, however, was only the beginning of His sacred instruction.
In scores of passages, Christ offered further guidance, and because He practiced what He preached, His whole life was a series of lessons on prevailing prayer.
Billy Graham asked at the end of that devotion,,, “Have you learned His lessons yet”?
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That question from Billy Graham is something that we need to really consider today.
We need to do everything that we can to develop a relationship with God through prayer because it's the key to our joy and contentment.
No matter what we are going through,,, it is easier if we have that relationship already at work.
So I urge you today,,, if you aren't spending time in prayer,,, to begin immediately and you will see an immediate improvement in your life.
And if your relationship isn't very good with God right now,,, just go to the Lord and confess,,, He already knows anyway!
He is always ready for us to come to Him and make things right.
And if you don't know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior,,, then just admit that you are a sinner and that you need God's help.
Be willing to change your mind and turn from your sin (repent).
Believe that Jesus Christ died for you, was buried, and rose from the dead.
Through prayer, invite Jesus into your heart to become your personal Lord and Savior.
Then live your life in obedience to Him.
This is something that is too important to put off until tomorrow,,, because we aren't promised tomorrow.
But if you have questions you can always call me or come by,,, I'm usually around somewhere close,,, just be sure that you don't wait.
And if you are a Christian already,,, then continue with your Bible reading,,, prayer time,,, remembering to stop and listen as you pray,,, so that when God speaks,,, you will be able to hear Him,,, all of the things that you have done to keep your relationship going.
It's that personal relationship with God that allows us to go through so many tough times today.
And God doesn't want us to go through them on our own,,, but it's our decision to make,,, and God is waiting on yours today!
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