WHAT JESUS IS PRAYING FOR HPC
John 17:1-26
INTRODUCTION
One night a father heard his young daughter speaking, although she was alone in her room. The door was cracked just enough so that he could see that she was kneeling beside her bed in prayer. Interested to find out what subjects a child would bring before God, he paused outside her door and listened. After tuning in to her speech he was puzzled to hear her reciting the alphabet: "A, B, C, D, E, F, G …" She just kept repeating it. He didn’t want to interrupt her, but soon curiosity go the best of him and he broke into prayer, "Honey," he asked, "what are you doing?"
"I’m praying, Daddy," she replied.
"Well, why are you praying the alphabet?" he asked.
She explained, "I started my prayers, but I wasn’t sure what to pray. I decided to just say all the letters of the alphabet and let God put them together however he thinks best."
Have you ever felt that way?
We know prayer is important. We know that prayer is essential for our spiritual growth. But how should we pray? What should we pray for? How do we pray in faith? Can I do anything that will hinder my prayer? How do I pray in faith for my family?
For the next five weeks we are going to address each of these relevant questions.
When the topic of prayer is discussed, inevitably the question is asked, “If God knows everything in advance, then why pray?’
I am not going to try to best some of the greatest theologians in answering this real question, but let me say this to begin,
We pray because he’s God and we’re not.
This of course is the first rule of the spiritual life. All prayer is based on this simple truth. He runs the universe, we don’t. We pray because he’s in charge and we’re not.
And here’s a crucial insight. When we don’t pray, it’s because we’ve forgotten who’s God and who’s not.
A lack of prayer means we’re still trying to run the show. It’s a sign that we’ve decided we can handle things on our own.
And that brings us back to the original question. If God is sovereign, why pray?
Without wanting to insult anyones intelligence, let me simply say we pray
“Because he commanded us to,”.
James writes, You have not because you ask not. Prayer is not an exercise we dutifully oerorm when we are in trouble or when the situation is right. If we want to know the will, purpose, and promise of God realized then we must pray.
Sometimes you see little signs that say, “Prayer changes things.” I believe that’s true. And the first thing prayer changes is us. It teaches us to depend completely on our Heavenly Father, and it reminds us that he’s God and we’re not.
Why pray if God knows everything in advance?
Prayer is partnering with God to change the world!
Because God has ordained that our prayers are part of his plan for the universe. Our prayers really do matter to God. In a sense God limits what he can do in the world so that he can work through our prayers. It’s not that God “needs” our prayers. He doesn’t. But in his kindness and mercy, he has invited us to join him in the great adventure of bringing his kingdom to this sin-cursed planet.
We pray because Jesus Himself has set an example for us how and why we should pray.
The gospels reveal that the secret to Jesus’ success in ministry was a LIFESTYLE of prayer, as Dr. Myles Monroe notes,
Of all the things Jesus’ disciples observed Him say and do, the Bible records only one thing they asked Him to teach them, and that was how to pray ( Luke 11:1).
We might wonder, ‘Why would the disciples ask to learn to pray rather than do all the BIG things like feeding multitudes, calming storms, casting out demons, healing the sick, raising the dead or walking on water?’
It is because they saw Jesus pray more than anything else.
For example, the gospels record that, ‘Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.(Mark 1:35)
After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. (matthew 14:23)
Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.”Matthew 26:36)
After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray.(Mark 6:46)
One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened,(Luke 3:21)
But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. (Luke 5:16)
One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night.(Luke 6:12)
One day Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. ( Luke 9:18)
Here is the point,
If Jesus prayed, than who are we to think that we can get through life without prayer?
God calls us to pray. He invites us to pray. He commands us pray. He exhorts us to seek his face every day. We have been given unlimited access to the throne room of the universe.
Have you ever wondered what Jesus prayed about? Who did He pray for? What were his priorities in prayer?
Well, if you have ever wanted to be a fly on the wall of Jesus prayer closet, the Holy Spirit has included a detailed prayer in john 17
This prayer has been referred to as the High Preistly Prayer. It is without doubt the most powerful prayer ever prayed.
IIf we wish to discover God’s purpose for HPC, then we will discover it in the words Jesus prays to the Father.
A lot of churches are like Charlie Brown whom one day just could not get his act together. One day Charlie Brown just could not handle it any more. Life just didn’t have any purpose or meaning to it so he went over to Lucy and anyone who has read Peanuts knows you have to be pretty desperate to go over to Lucy. He went over to Lucy and she had her psychiatric booth set up and was charging the fee of ten cents for advice that day.
And he said, Lucy you are going to have to help me out, I don’t know anything about my life, I don’t have any meaning and purpose in it and he said you are just going to have to help me put my act together. And she looked at him in her know it all, sarcastic way and she said, Charlie Brown, life is like a deck chair. She said life is like a deck chair on a ship. Some people take their deck chair to the back of the ship, and they unfold it and they sit there looking at where they have been. She said other people take their deck chair, and they unfold it, and they put it on the front of the ship to look and see where they are going. Now she said, Charlie Brown, life is simple, where is your deck chair? She looked at him in desperation, and frustration was on his face and he scratched his head and said, Lucy I don’t know because I have never been able to get my deck chair unfolded.
A lot of churches are like that. They are not sure where they have been and they are a little fuzzy about where they are going. We turn to the Scripture to answer the question, why are we here today, why have we come together on Sunday morning, what is the purpose God has called us to fulfill?
Jesus establishes God’s priorities for the Church, explains God’s purposes for His church and prays we would experience God’s promise. ”
As Jesus begins His prayer, notice that from the very beginning….
1. Jesus establishes the priority in prayer: V.1-6 READ
Jesus makes it crystal clear that the priority in prayer is God’s glory. So the very first thing Jesus prays is that we would expereince God’s glory.
Seven times the word glory or glorified is used. Look at verse 4, 5. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
The word glory in the Greek comes from the word doxa from which we have the word doxology . And that word glory means the visible manifestation of the power and the glory and the radiance of God.
In essence Jesus was praying to the Father and asking that we might see manifested in ourmidst His splendor, His power, and His radiance Jesus reveals the priority of the Father is that we would expereince His manifest presence nad glory. That our worship and our very lives wold radiate the Glory of God.
Often times the success of a church or ministry is determined by numbers. How many were out to worship. How many were baptized last year. How many new small roups were started. How much money came in for the building program and missions.
As important as these are to us, they are not the priority of God. Gods first and foremost desire for us is that we were expereince and then express His glory in the church and the community.
How do we express Gods glory in the community?
In addition to establishing the priority of prayer…
2. Jesus explains the PURPOSE of prayer: V. 6-22 ( read)
When we are aigned with God’s purposes then we will know how to properly express His glory in the world. Jesus taught us to prayer, “You will be done on earth as it is in heaven…’
All too often our prayer for the church centers on our perceived wishes or agendas. Jesus outlines quite clearly God’s agenda or plan for us today.
Jesus prays that that we walk in OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD OF GOD.
There is an Old Testament prophecy found in Amos 8:11, which says, “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.
I wonder if in some way we are living in those days. The non attendance to Bible study and Sunday schools has lead to a pandemic of biblical illiteracy in the church and the population at large..
In spite of the availability of the word of God through radio, Television, the internet, fewer and fewer people are taking the Word of God into their lives.
In Canada we have no excuse to not read the Bible. But it is not enough to know the Word, we must OBEY the WHAT IT SAYS. That sounds so elementary, but we need to be reminded of this truth that we read in James,
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
It is common knowledge that the doctor’s most ANNOYING PATIENT (except for the one who doesn’t pay his bills) is the one who doesn’t follow his orders. Such a person comes into the doctor’s office with a complaint, submits to an examination, hears the diagnosis, and is told what to do. But that’s as far as it goes. The patient either cheats on the recommended diet, doesn’t take the prescribed medicine, refuses to exercise, continues to smoke, or doesn’t return for a checkup. In so doing, he not only frustrates the doctor but also may hasten his exit from this world.
God has "problem patients" too–Christians who hear His Word and understand what they should do, but who don’t follow through. And the consequences are serious.
Unless we obey God’s Word, we cannot experience spiritual health. If we are doers of the Word, we will not be God’s "problem patients." Obeying God is the best prescription for spiritual health.
We align ourselves with Gods purpose as we walk in obedience to Gods word and secondly, Gods purpose is discovered when we walk in unity and love together.
Jesus prayed that we would become united in the love of God.
This is not uniformity. It does not mean we will always agree on everything. Nor does it mean we conform our standards and not hold people accountable for their actions. It does not mean we allow people to live as they wish even if it is contrary to what Gods word says.
Walking in unity is not so much agreeing with each other as it is walking in agreement with Gods word and mission for his church.
What destroys the unity of a church? Nothing grieves Gods heart more than a church that is divided. Nothing causes more people to turn away from the gospel than when Christians live in division and dissension. What are some of the causes of division? (FROM MARK DRISCOLL)
Pride.
Pride is an ugly sin, and proud people are ugly. Pride in the life of the church ultimately leads to division. If you think highly of yourself, delight in providing your opinions, expect to be consulted about your opinions, and get angry when they’re not obeyed, then you probably struggle with pride.
Heresy.
“Heresy” is quite the buzzword in the church. Many times, Christians label other Christians as heretics because they disagree with them on some minute, nonessential detail. ( music, dress, bible versions)That’s not heresy. That’s disagreement. A heretic is someone who believes the opposite of orthodox Christian doctrine. A heretic is someone who doesn’t believe that there is one God in three persons, that Jesus is God’s Son, and that Jesus lived without sin, died on the cross in our place, and rose as our Savior. These, among a few others, are essential beliefs that must be adhered to if you call yourself a Christian. The allowance of heresy will divide, and even destroy, the church.
Legalism.
Legalists love to act like God by making rules. Not only do they make rules, but they also wield rules as weapons to divide the church body into separate parts. Instead of honoring Jesus in their personal convictions, legalists despise and even pass judgment on those who are not like them (Rom. 14:1–12).
Distrust.
When there is distrust among people in the church, especially among leaders, division is certain. Leaders and members must work to ensure that they are relating with each other in a trustworthy manner.
The worst thing that can happen is that you distrust leaders in the church and don’t pursue resolution, but, instead, go behind their backs and gossip about them. This creates greater distrust and division.
Traditionalism.
Tradition in and of itself is not a bad thing (1 Cor. 11:2; 2 Thess. 2:15, 3:6), but when a method is elevated above its intended function and is basically worshiped, it becomes an idol that can divide churches. If you oppose change to non-biblical tradition for no good or godly reason, then your adherence to tradition will cause division.
Let me read 21 to you. that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
That is why we are united, so the world may believe.
vs. 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
Let me give you a statement about being united in love. Spirit filled Christians, united in love, guided by a purpose they truly believe in, can do anything.
Let me ask, do you really believe that? The problem in too many churches is that too many people want to beat the big drum and nobody wants to play second fiddle. But when you get the body united in love, then God begins to do great things.
The devil loves it when a church is divided because then they cannot fulfill the God’s ultimate purpose and that is to further GOD’S MISSION
Jesus prayed that the church would begin to move in the mission of the Father.
The word sanctify in verse in verse 17 means not only to consecrate, but it means to equip.
What is that mission? Verse 18, As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. Jesus said, as you send me into the world to seek and save those who are lost, I also send these into the world for the same purpose which I have fulfilled for them with my death on the Cross. To seek and save those who are lost.
Our mission and mandate is still unchanged. Our mandate is not to have bright lights, contemporary music, professional worship leaders, state of the art facilities. It is to win and disciple men and women, young and old for Jesus Christ.
Jesus prayed that we would experience the joy of God. Verse 13, I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of joy within them.
Let me ask you a question this morning? What gives a congregation the joy of God? I believe the answer has already been given. When we sense the presence of God, when we follow the Word of God, when we united in the Love of God and when we go forth in the mission of God, then as a body of believers we begin to experience the joy of God. Isn’t that Good. That is what Jesus prayed for.
As we discover the joy of discovering the purpose of God we move on to
3. Experience the PROMISE of prayer: V.22-26 ( READ)
At the beginning of His prayer Jesus highlighted the priority of the Glory of God. Now He prays for gods glory to be manfest on His church.
Jesus prays we would experience the GLORY OF GOD!
The point I want us to see is that, from beginning to end, prayer is all about God receiving all the glory. We think so fleshly when it comes to prayer.
We think that the end of prayer is when we receive our healing or provision or when revival occurs.
Jesus says that the end of prayer is that God receives all the glory. And you know what, His glory never ends.
Everything we do, everything we seek is to be in view of God’s pre-eminence and glory.
“At the end of the day, prayer is not about me. It is about being aligned with Jesus’ priorities and purposes that begin and end with the promise of GOD’s Glory.”
If there is anything beautiful about this service today, its Jesus. If there is anything beautiful about the worship, it’s Jesus. If there is anything beautiful about the message this morning, its Jesus. If there is anything beautiful about the prayers, it’s Jesus.
And every Sunday morning when we come to church, we should be saying in our hearts that we are coming HPC to see Jesus manifest in the midst of the believers. And if you come with that sense in your heart, Jesus will come and meet your personal needs here, what-ever they may be. When He is lifted up, all kinds of beautiful things begin to happen.
