God Wants Us To Pray Like Jesus Prayed Series

God Wants Us to Pray Like Jesus Prayed

The Gospel of John

John 17:1-3

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church – February 14, 2018

(Revised April 22, 2020)

BACKGROUND:

*Please open your Bibles to John 17. Here we are only a few hours away from the cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God's Word has been focusing on this night since the beginning of chapter 13. There, Jesus and His disciples were gathered in the Upper Room to eat the Passover meal. Jesus also instituted the Lord's Supper and began to give His disciples crucial information about His cross and resurrection, His return to Heaven, the coming of the Holy Spirit, and His Church.

*Then in John 14:31 Jesus said, "But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here." Matthew 26:30 adds, "When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives."

*Scholars estimate that it is a little over a mile from the Upper Room to the Garden, and by this point, Jesus and His disciples were almost there. One of the possible routes runs mostly outside the walls of Jerusalem. Several sources I found online assumed that Jesus and the disciples must have taken this logical route because it would have helped avoid the authorities. But our miraculous Savior could have easily disguised the group's appearance, just as Jesus did on the Road to Emmaus in Luke 24:16. (1)

*The other possible route to the Garden of Gethsemane would have taken the small group through the center of Jerusalem and the Temple courts. John Phillips gave us a description which helps us see what was going on in Jerusalem that night:

*"The moon was full and its silvery light bathed the way to Gethsemane. Festive lamps still shined from many houses along the streets. The bustle of preparation for going up to the Temple was everywhere, for the Temple gates were thrown open at midnight."

*If Jesus and His disciples made their way out of Jerusalem by St. Stephen's gate to the north of the temple, they descended the steep sides of the ravine down to the Brook Kidron, which lay a hundred feet below. At that time of year the brook would have been swollen into a torrent. Just across the stream they turned left where the road went up a green and quiet slope toward the Mount of Olives. Soon they went off the road to the right and arrived at Gethsemane, 'The Oil Press,' which was in a small garden where olive trees grew." (2)

*By this time, Jesus and His disciples have almost reached the brook, and just before they crossed over, the Lord paused, looked up to Heaven, and began to speak to His Heavenly Father.

*Tonight we will begin to study the Lord's prayer because it shows us how God want us to pray. Let's begin by reading John 17:1-3.

MESSAGE:

*Who taught you how to pray? Well, if you grew up in a godly home, then your parents had a part in the process. Brian Mavis told about praying with his daughter, Shelby, when she was just 3 years old. Shelby would say a prayer and then ask her Daddy, "What did God say?"

*Shelby would pray something like this, "God, thank you for Grandpa and Nana." Then she would look at her daddy and ask, "What did God say?" Brian would reply, "God said, 'You're welcome. I like to give you good things.'"

*Shelby prayed, "God, I'm sorry for lying sometimes." -- "What did God say?" Dad replied, "He said He forgives you. And He wants to help you stop lying."

*Then one day Shelby prayed, "God, can I have a dog?" Her eyes flashed open to her dad, and she asked, "What did God say?" Dad struggled a moment. Then replied, "God said... -- 'It's up to your mommy.'" (3)

*All godly parents want to teach their children how to pray. That makes sense, because our Heavenly Father wants to teach His children how to pray. And one of the best ways to learn is to look at our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

1. GOD WANTS US TO PRAY LIKE JESUS, SO FIRST, MAKE PRAYER A RICH PART OF YOUR ROUTINE.

*Because of the cross of Jesus Christ, we can pray anytime, anywhere, and we should. The Lord Himself is the best example we will ever see because His life was rich with prayer.

*Let's look at the Lord's example in vs. 1-2:

1. Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,

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