The Real Lord’s Prayer
John 17:1-5 (Part 1)
March 3, 2013
For the next 4 weeks we’re going to be looking at what is the REAL LORD’S PRAYER. Yup, the prayer everyone calls the Lord’s Prayer is really not the Lord’s prayer, but what we’re going to look at is the REAL Lords’ Prayer. In reality the prayer in Matthew 6, which starts out, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,” would be better called the Disciples Prayer. You see, Jesus didn’t pray it, it was to teach the disciples and you and I how to pray.
The disciples asked Jesus, "Lord, teach us how to pray." Jesus said, "When you pray, this is how you should pray." Jesus gave them a model prayer. It's not a prayer He would ever pray. He had no need to say, "Forgive me for my sins," that's for the disciples to pray.
We’re going to look at is a real prayer from Jesus. It’s His prayer to the Father, as He prays for Himself, the disciples and us, the future church. With that in mind, let’s look at the first 5 verses of John 17 and learn from Jesus ~
1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.
2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.
5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
So, what is Jesus getting at here? To figure this out, let me ask you, have you ever wondered about the meaning of life? I know that’s a whopper of a question. But this is where I see Jesus going with this prayer. Maybe you’re not big into Shakespeare, but the monologue from Macbeth in Act 5, Scene 5 addresses this. It’s one of the most famous speeches.
Macbeth has just heard that Lady Macbeth is dead, and he knows his death is approaching. He says ~
Tomorrow, and tomorrow and tomorrow
creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, Out, brief candle
Life's but a walking shadow,
a poor player
that struts and frets his hour upon the stage
and then is heard no more.
It is a tale Told by an idiot.
Full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.
Is Macbeth right? Is life nothing but a shadow having no substance and no meaning? Told by an idiot, signifying nothing? Writers and philosophers since recorded time have tried to answer the question.
What is the meaning of life? It’s a universal philosophical question. But, it’s not only a philosopher’s question. It’s a real and genuinely human question. It might be a question asked in despair or hope, out of cynicism, out of pain or out of joy. Maybe it’s sincere curiosity and a deep desire to have goals and a future. In some ways, this may be one of the most basic and fundamental questions.
And so it comes as no surprise that Jesus deals with this question and answers it. Surprisingly, the answer isn’t given in the context of an argument with the Jewish leaders or in a discussion with his disciples. Jesus deals with the meaning of life in the context of prayer.
In John 13, Jesus and the disciples had celebrated Passover. They ate together, and then Jesus gave His longest talk. It moves from John 13 through the end of John 17. In the next chapter, Jesus is arrested and the time for His crucifixion has arrived. Jesus knows He’s about to leave His disciples alone in the world and He prays to the Father, for Himself, for the disciples and for us.
In essence, Jesus says, "the meaning of life is this: that you have a relationship with God, and me his Son, Jesus Christ." And that’s the long and short of it! But, Jesus understood just how difficult it was going to be not only for his disciples but for all of us to come to this very simple realization in life.
Let’s take a look at what Jesus said in these 5 verses.
In this first section Jesus, in verse 4, "Father, I have done everything you sent me to do. I've completed the task. I've left nothing undone." Can you pray that? This is a prayer only Jesus could pray.
Jesus knows it's almost time to be arrested. And He says, "Father, the time has come." What time? The time for this crucifixion. Five times in John's gospel you hear "His time had not yet come."
His mother says, "Why don't you reveal yourself? He says, "Woman, my hour has not yet come."
His brothers say, "Just go up to Jerusalem. Let everybody know who you are."
"You don't understand. My time has not yet come."
When the crowds are trying to kill Him, they are prevented. Why? Because His hour has not yet come.
Here, Jesus says, "Father, my time has come." The hour is here for the fulfillment of his purpose. In fact, He is so close to it that Jesus can speak of it as an accomplished fact. "I've now accomplished everything you've sent me to do, the time has come . . . Father, glorify your Son that your Son may glorify you."
This is the only request He makes. He makes it two times. One single, huge, global, cosmic, huge request.
"Father, give me back the glory that I had with you before the world began." Contrast that for a minute with our prayers. We've got a laundry list of requests: "Father, here's who's been diagnosed with cancer. Please, be with them. And here's someone who's lost his job. Please, supply for them. And here's who's going into surgery, and would you give the physicians skill and wisdom, and so on." We have this long list of requests. That is not what you see here.
Now, let me tell you these are very appropriate prayers. If you go back to that Disciples' prayer, what we call the Lord's Prayer, Jesus instructs us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." Jesus cares about these specifics of life. But notice in that prayer you don't get to the "bread" part until you have first prayed, "Our Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done." A global prayer for the kingdom. And all of our individual prayers are brought underneath the light of what God is doing in the world.
When Jesus makes His prayer request, He's almost ready to go the cross. And His request is "give me back the glory I had with you before the world began." He's praying for a reversal of the emptying that took place.
Remember in Philippians 2:6-8, Paul wrote, 6 Jesus, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross
It's a step down. Jesus left the glory He had and took the form of a servant. Looking like you and me, human. He even let the ones He created humiliate him in an excruciating death on a cross.
Think of it this way . . .
Imagine you get a call from your boss. Your company has a special job just for you. No one else will do. The only hitch is this: you’ll need to take a huge demotion in status and pay in order to fulfill this job. It will last for multiple years and will be very, very difficult work. Harder work than what you do now.
That’s exactly what our Lord Jesus Christ did. He humbled Himself and took the form of flesh. The King became a servant. The Son left His glory to bring the Father glory. In essence Jesus took a temporary demotion.
In Hebrews 1:3 we’re told ~ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being. He alone has the right to ask the Father to glorify Him; but it was at a huge cost.
Jesus brought the Father glory. Here is a true test of whether we are living in the fullness of the Holy Spirit: Do our lives bring glory to God? How do our plans and activities, our behavior on the job, at home, and with our friends glorify God? In 1 Corinthians 10:31, Paul wrote, whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.
Why was Jesus able to make that request? Because he's done everything the Father sent him to do. That's why he says, "You granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do."
Jesus is saying, "This is what you sent me to do, and now I have done it. Now, Father, will you fill me with the glory I had with you before the world began?"
That is his single request; and it is huge.
Why is this so important? Why is that significant for us, today? Because the Father said yes. The Father granted his request. Jesus left nothing undone, so the Father was able to say yes to His request, and to return Him to the glory He had with the Father.
Look again at Philippians 2, continuing at verses 9-11. How does verse 9 begin? Anyone have a Bible? Can you find Philippians 2:9? What’s the first word? Therefore. Therefore introduces a logical conclusion. That’s what Paul is getting at. As a result of what I just said, I conclude with this . . .
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Remember Jesus said, "Father, glorify yourself by me." The apostle Paul is telling us the Father answered that prayer. The Father is glorified by the Son being and having completed everything He gave Him to do.
Okay, you get it, but so what? In verse 3, Jesus said ~ 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
So, here we come to the conclusion. Because God said yes to Jesus’ request for glorification, it leads to the What is the meaning of life question? Jesus said, this is eternal life . . . that they know the Father and the Son. That’s it!
Jesus said, this is eternal life… Eternal life is comes through knowing God. But, Jesus isn’t talking about head knowledge. He’s talking about having a deep experience through an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
You see, what is life all about? We strive to succeed and attain, we work and we get more, and we make more, but we’re not happy, we’re not content. We’re struggling with lots of life issues. Yet many of would say, “Oh I know Jesus.” But if we do, if we really know Him as Jesus is talking about, then why are we so miserable? You know what I mean?
You see, here is Jesus’ declaration to you and I, do you know me? Because I’m the glorification of God. I came, I gave up my Lordship and I lived and suffered and died for you, so that you could proclaim me as Lord, so you could know me, really, really know me. And therefore, you will have eternal life.
And friends, if you know Jesus, really know Him, then eternal life is yours. But you don’t have to wait to live it up. Eternal life starts today, it started the day you accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. The day you admitted He was the Son of God. Yup, you don’t have to wait. It’s yours, it’s available.
But you’ve got to ask. You’ve got to believe Jesus really loves you, that He died for you. That He really did all He set out to do, and that God was able to glorify Him as He glorified God, the Father.
