SERMON OUTLINE:
Question #1: Why did Jesus pray?
Answer #1: Three suggestions why.
Question #2: How often did Jesus pray?
Answer #2: On a regular basis.
Question #3: What was Jesus' posture to pray?
Answer #3: A variety of positions.
Question #4: What can we learn from this prayer?
Answer #4: Three main truths.
• (4a). Jesus prayed for himself (vs 1-5):
• (4b). Jesus prays for the disciples (vs 6-12).
• (4c). Jesus prays for the Church (vs 20-26):
SERMON BODY:
• There is a quotation that has been attributed to many different people,
• So, I am not sure who first said it, but the words always brings a smile to my face.
"I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work that way.
So, I stole a bike and asked him for forgiveness."
• TRANSITION:
• When it comes to prayer,
• The Lord’s Prayer is the most widely known prayer in Christianity,
• And it is said across most Christian denominations.
• Now it might surprise you to know,
• That what we commonly call the Lord’s prayer is not actually, the Lord’s prayer!
• Jesus taught his famous prayer as a request from the disciples,
• “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke chapter 11 verse 1).
• So, technically speaking, it should be called the disciples prayer.
• Jesus said, “This, then, is how YOU should pray:” (Matthew chapter 6 verse 9)
• “The Lord’s Prayer” should be called “The Disciples Prayer.”
• And if you want to be doctrinally correct,
• It is a prayer that Jesus himself could not pray,
• Because he could not pray the line (vs 12),
• “And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.”
• For he never sinned!
The real Lord’s prayer is found in John chapter 17.
• But we tend to call it by another name or two!
• Since about the 16th century it has been known as the “High Priestly Prayer.”
• And other have called it the “Farewell Prayer.”
• But the description of it as “The High Priestly Prayer” has stuck,
• And that it is perhaps its most common title.
Question: Why is it called “The High Priestly Prayer?”
Answer:
• Jesus had three descriptive roles when he was on earth,
• He is portrayed in the gospels as prophet, priest, and king.
• That term priest for Jesus is the Cinderella of the three titles,
• That is the one left behind!
• We often hear sermons about Jesus the prophet and Jesus the king,
• But Jesus a priest is not something that is preached on very often.
• A king is someone who rules the people on behalf of God,
• A prophet is someone who speaks to people on behalf of God,
• A priest is someone who speaks to God on behalf of the people,
• And we see that aspect of the ministry of Jesus in John chapter 17,
• Jesus Christ prayed for his people.
• He interceded on their behalf with prayers to God the Father.
Ill.
• Think of a sci-fi movie set in space,
• Imagine a comet in space hurdling towards earth.
• And what happens in all the best movies?
• A rocket it sent to intercede.
• The rocket does the work that the people of the earth cannot do for themselves,
• It changes the path of the comet.
• And this isn’t for the benefit of the rocket,
• But for the benefit of the people of the earth.
• TRANSITION: To intercede is to intervene on behalf of another.
• And we see Jesus doing that in the gospels and especially in John chapter 17.
Question: Why did Jesus pray?
• This can sometimes be puzzling for some Christians.
• After all, if Jesus is God the Son, why did Christ need to pray?
• And if you witness to Muslims, they are completely baffled by this,
• They will say, “So, God prayed to God?”
• But that just shows that they do not understand the doctrine of the Trinity,
• Or the doctrine of the incarnation.
Answer: Theologically speaking, there are at least three reasons that Jesus prayed.
• FIRST: Jesus prayed as an example to his followers.
• Even this morning as we study this prayer of |Jesus,
• Our prayer life can improve as we look and learn,
• And from looking at Jesus, we will be better Christians as a result of his example.
• There is a well-known saying,
• ‘Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, show me and I learn.
• In this prayer we have instruction and example regarding prayer.
• SECOND: The Incarnation (the word literally means ‘to take on flesh’).
• The Incarnation which we celebrate every Christmas,
• The fact that God entered our world in the person of Jesus Christ.
• The incarnation consists of Jesus having both divine and human natures,
• Some refer to him as the God-Man.
• Not 50% God and 50% human, but rather 100% divine & 100% human.
• The incarnation shows that Jesus was fully God and fully huma.
• John at the start of his gospel writes (chapter 1 verse :14), “The Word became flesh.”
• To show his readers that Jesus was and is fully divine and fully human.
• As one fully human, it was perfectly natural for Christ to pray.
Ill:
• Jesus set aside his divine attributes while here on earthy.
• e.g. Philippians chapter 2 verse 8 (N.I.V.): “But made himself nothing,”,
• Other translations: “He emptied himself”.
• It is the idea of removing things from a container, until the container is empty.
• i.e., In heaven he was the eternal word,
• On earth he had to learn to speak.
• i.e., In heaven he never grew weary or tired.
• On earth he must sleep every night.
• i.e., In heaven he knew everything.
• On earth he had to learn to read and write and add up and take away.
• i.e., In heaven he was the self-existent God.
• On earth he was dependent on food and water to survive.
• i.e., In heaven he could do all things (all powerful God).
• On earth Jesus said, “Of myself I can do nothing!”
• THIRD: the nature of the Trinity allows for communication between its members.
• As God the Son, Jesus could communicate with God the Father and vice-versa.
• This happened before the incarnation,
• i.e., Genesis chapter 1 verse 26, “Then God said,
• “Let US make mankind in our image, in our likeness”.
• i.e., Genesis chapter 3 verse 22, “Then God said,
• “The man has now become like one of US, knowing good and evil.”
• i.e., Isaiah chapter 6 verse 8, “Then God said,
• “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “
• Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
• The nature of the Trinity allows for communication between its members.
• And that would continue when Jesus entered our world.
Question: How often did Jesu pray did Jesus pray?
Answer: On a regular basis.
• The Gospels record approximately 17 mentions to Jesus and his prayer life.
• John in chapter 17 of his gospel records the longest prayer of Jesus,
• (And it is also the longest recorded prayer in the Bible).
• Luke's Gospel is often labelled the Gospel of prayer.
• And he shows to us that whenever Jesus had to make a decision he prayed.
Ill:
• There was Christian Sea captain who looked after a fishing boat,
• The crew knew he was a believer and often goaded him about his faith.
• On one trip a great storm suddenly arose,
• The experienced crew knew this was turning into a very dangerous situation.
• One of the crew shouted to the captain, "Christian, are you praying?"
• The captain replied, "I pray during the calm and when the storm comes, I sail my ship."
• TRANSITION: That is good practice.
• e.g., You charge up your phone so that it has power to last the rest of the day.
• And if we have regular times of prayer,
• It will set us up to handle the crises in life when they come along.
• Jesus faced persecution, trials, heartache, and physical suffering.
• Without regular and continual times of prayer,
• He would surely have found those events unbearable!
Scan the gospels and you will see that prayer was an integral part of Jesus’ time on earth.
• e.g., Luke chapter 5 verse 16 & Matthew chapter 14 verse 23.
• “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
• e.g., Mark chapter 1 verse 35:
• “He arose early to pray.”
• e.g., Luke chapter 6 verse 12:
• “He spent the night in prayer to God”.
In addition to His regular times of prayer, Jesus prayed at some important events in His life:
• e.g., He prayed at His baptism.
• (Luke chapter 3 verse 21-22).
• e.g., He prayed before feeding the 5,000.
• (Luke chapter 9 verse 16) and the 4,000 (Matthew chapter 15 verse 36).
• e.g., He prayed and at the moment of His transfiguration
• (Luke chapter 9 verse 29).
• e.g., He prayed before Jesus chose His twelve disciples,
• (Luke chapter 6 verse 12).
• e.g., Jesus prayed at the return of the 72 disciples after their mission,
• (Luke chapter 10 verse 21).
• e.g., Jesus prayed at Lazarus’ tomb.
• (John chapter 11 verse 41–42).
• e.g., Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane just before His arrest.
• (Matthew chapter 26 verse 36–46).
• e.g., Jesus even prayed twice while on the cross, while in physical agony.
• (Matthew chapter 27 verse 46 & Luke chapter 23 verse 46).
• Note: The ministry of Jesus on planet earth was only lasted three years,
• But throughout those three years we see him in prayer,
• From the time of his baptism to his last prayers on the cross.
• Conclusion: Jesus prayed a lot!
ill:
• Jesus knew the difference between finding time for prayer and making time!
• Wise is the Christian that can do the same.
• That simple principle will revolutionize a believer your prayer life.
• Author Jim Beckman, in his book God, Help Me: How to Grow in Prayer,
• Observed a key principle in finding time for prayer.
“The way we spend our time tends to reveal what we place value on. One author I read on this topic observed with amusement that no one ever died of hunger because of not having time to eat. There are things we do with our time every day, and if we track our activity, we’ll see what is truly important to us. If prayer is something we place value on, we’ll make time for it.”
• TRANSITUION:
• Jesus knew the difference between finding time for prayer and making time!
• If we truly value prayer, we will make room in our daily schedule.”
Question #3: What posture did Jesus’ use to pray?
Answer #3: Jesus used 5 different postures when praying.
(note: never head bowed, eyes closed & hands together like we so often do!)
Ill:
• You might wonder why I want to focus on this,
• The answer is if you do any witnessing to Muslims,
• This is one of their trump cards (or so they think it is).
• A Muslims doing da'wah (that is what they call evangelism).
• A Muslims doing da'wah will say Jesu was a Muslim,
• And that Jesus prayed like a Muslim i.e., face-down/prostrating himself.
• (Matthew chapter 26 verse 39).
• But once again that is ‘cherry-picking’ a Bible verse to prove a point,
• If you look at the verse in context and do an overview of how Jesus prayed,
• You soon see that is a wrong application of that verse.
TRANSITION
• How did Jesus pray, what was his bodily positions.
• We find Jesus praying externally in five postures.
• FIRST: Kneeling, in the garden of Gethsemane.
• “Kneeling down he prayed,” (Luke chapter 22 verses 41-43)
• SECOND: Standing. Most Jewish men prayed standing up.
• “…he was praying…they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.”
• (Luke chapter 9 verses 28-32)
• THIRD: Looking up (head raised) to heaven, before he fed the 5,000+ people.
• “Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank you for you have heard me…”
• (John chapter 11 verse 41)
• Lifting up your eyes in prayer is a posture.
• e.g. Psalm 24 verses 7&9: “Lift up your heads”
• e.g. Psalm 123 verse 1: “I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven.”
• It is a recognition that you are speaking to someone who is above all & reigns overall.
FOURTH: Sitting, during the Last Supper, Jesus prayed in a sitting posture.
• “Jesus sat at the table with the Twelve…Jesus took the bread, said a blessing and broke it.”
• (Matthew chapter 26 verses 20, 26)
• FIFTH: Prostrating, again in the garden of Gethsemane.
• “He…fell to the ground, with his face touching the earth, and prayed.”
• (Matthew chapter 26 verse 39)
• Conclusion: We have recorded that Jesus used 5 different postures when praying.
• He certainly was not a Muslim and did not pray like a Muslim.
Question #4: What can we learn from this prayer in John chapter 17?
Answer: 3 main things.
Ill:
• One night a father heard his young daughter speaking,
• Although she was alone in her room.
• The door was open just enough.
• 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 got 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.
So I decided to just say all the letters of the alphabet
and let God put them together however he thinks best."
• TRANSITION: Unlike that little girl’s prayer:
• This high priestly prayer of Jesus:
• Reveals the heart of someone who knows exactly what he wants to say.
Quote: The great British Baptist preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
"Some brethren pray by the yard; but true prayer is measured by weight, and not by length."
• This prayer of Jesus is the longest recorded prayer in the Bible.
• It is also the greatest prayer ever prayed; it is weighty!
• As a guideline, and it is only my opinion,
• I would suggest long prayers should be for private.
• Short prayers for public gatherings.
In John chapter 17 we see Jesus praying ALONE to the Father.
• On this occasion, his disciples were not invited to join with him in the prayer,
• They could not join in because they could not pray much of the content included.
• Note: I am going to be really disciplined,
• And just pull out the main three petitions/requests of this prayer
• And skip over some of the fascinating detail.
Ill:
• If you want a great book on this prayer,
• That is easy to read but unpacks the prayer verse by verse and in various themes.
• I recommend, ‘The Prayer of Jesus’ by Warren W. Wiersbe.
(a). Jesus prayed for himself (vs 1-5):
Ill:
• “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,”
• If Neil Armstrong said those words when he first learnt to ride his bike without stabilisers,
• Nobody would have paid any attention to him.
• But because he spoke those words when he stepped out of a spacecraft,
• As the first man to walk on the moon,
• The context makes those words special, unique!
• TRANSITION: Jesus is about to face the cross,
• He would soon experience shame, pain, even death and for the first time ever,
• He would experience a temporary separation from the Father.
• The context makes these words special, important, noteworthy!
“After Jesus said this, he looked towards heaven and prayed:
Father, the time 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 may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing 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.”
JESUS PRAYED FOR HIMSELF (VS 1-5) AND THERE ARE 2 THINGS TO NOTE:
(a). an Acknowledgement.
“I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.
• Jesus came into the world with a purpose.
• That purpose was to do the will of the Father.
• The most important way to glorify God the Father is to obey him.
• And Jesus perfectly obeyed the Father’s will!
• Quote: John chapter 8 verse 29: “I always do what pleases the Father.”
• ill: A child brings honour to their parents when they obey them.
• ill: A citizen brings honour to their country when they obey it.
• ill: A scholar brings honour to their teacher when they obey their teaching.
• ill: Jesus brought honour and glory to the Father by his perfect obedience.
• TRANSITION: Throughout his life Jesus had always obeyed the Father.
• Now at the end of his life he could once again say he had accomplished his goal.
• Remember that historically speaking he had not yet suffered on the cross;
• But the outcome was never in doubt!
Ill:
• There is a painting from the First World War.
• Whish showed an engineer fixing a field telephone line.
• He had just completed the line so that an essential message might come through,
• When he was shot.
• The picture shows him in the moment of death.
• And beneath the picture there is the one word “through”,
• He had given his life, that the message might get through;
• TRANSITION: Jesus gave his life that through him the way to God would be opened!
(b). A request:
“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.”
• Many thought the cross was a defeat, a tragedy, a failure, the end!
• But Jesus saw his death as the very opposite,
• He saw it as something he would later be glorified through.
Ill:
• John chapter 12 verse 24.
• A seed is planted and dies and it produces something far greater than before,
“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
• TRANSITION: The cross was not to be the end of Jesus, just a completion of his work!
• The resurrection, and the ascension that followed are proof of that!
• And these events would be the vindication of Jesus.
Quote:
• “It was if God pointed to the cross and said, ‘that is what men think of my son’,
• And then pointed to the resurrection and said, ‘that is what I think of my son’.
(b). Jesus prays for the disciples (vs 6-12).
Ill:
• A true story took place a while ago,
• Of a mother who left her two young children entirely by themselves for 3 weeks,
• While she went on a foreign holiday with her new boyfriend.
• It's understood that when the children were found,
• There was no food left, no heating, no gas, and the house was in a unkempt condition.
• It is hard to imagine that a mother could do such a thing.
• TRANSITION: In this chapter Jesus speaks about going away:
• But he will not leave his children, his disciples unattended and in danger!
• Jesus had two major concerns regarding his disciples:
• Their security and their sanctity.
(a). Their security (vs 6-12).
I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me, and they have obeyed your word.
7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you.
8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.
9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.
10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.
11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name— the name you gave me— so that they may be one as we are one.
12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
Ill:
• A climber in the Alps had come to a perilous gap in the ice:
• Where the only way for him to get across.
• Was to place his foot in the outstretched hand of the guide.
• Told to do this by the guide,
• The climber hesitated a moment as he looked into the gloomy depths below.
• Seeing the man’s hesitation, the guide said,
• "Have no fear, sir, that hand never yet lost a man."
• TRANSITION: It will be a reminder that every true Christian is secure in Jesus Christ.
• We have a spiritual security in him that no-one and nothing can ever destroy.
• Our eternal union/fellowship with Christ is secure,
• Even though our temporary union/fellowship with him may change from day to day.
Ill:
• My children are my children for ever.
• Their behaviour may change the closeness of that relationship.
• i.e., their behaviour may bring sadness, disappointment and heartache.
• Their behaviour may cause apparent distance between them and myself.
• But the fact is they will always be my children.
• Nothing will ever alter that fact!
(b). Their sanctity (vs 17):
“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth”.
Question: What does it mean to be "sanctified?"
Answer:
• In both the Old and New Testament, the word "sanctify" means: "To be set apart."
• Many examples of this in the Bible:
Example #1:
• God sanctified the Sabbath Day (Genesis chapter 2 verse 3); that is,
• He set it apart for his own purposes.
“Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”
Example #2:
• The tabernacle and the Temple were called "sanctuaries."
• Because they were set apart by God's presence.
• Quote: Exodus chapter 25 verse 8:
• "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.
TRANSITION: all Christians are "Sanctified in Christ Jesus".
• We have been called by his grace, purchased by his blood,
• And all true Christians are sealed with and indwelt by the Holy Spirit,
• We have been set apart from the common things of this world;
• And we should be living for God, for his glory and use.
• Note: That is true positionally – theologically we are "Sanctified in Christ Jesus".
• But: practically that may or may not be true,
• That we are living as a sanctified, a set apart people.
(c). Jesus prays for the Church (vs 20-26):
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 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. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you[e] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
Ill:
• A sign on a Church notice board read,
• ‘When you were born, your mother brought you to church.
• When you were married, your wife brought you to church.
• When you die, your friends will bring you to church.
• Why not try coming to church on your own sometime?'
• TRANSITION:
• You know the saying, “Christians don’t go to Church, they are the Church!”
• And that is true.
• Because the Greek word for, ‘Church’ (ekklesia) in the New Testament,
• Is never used to refer to a building, but always to people.
• (“a called-out assembly or congregation.”)
• People with a personal faith in Jesus Christ.
• Called together by God to live in fellowship together for him.
ill:
• After a baby has been born it automatically becomes part of the human race.
• That process requires nothing more than a baby being born.
• But soon after a baby is born the mother & child will leave the hospital:
• And the child is taken to a family home.
• So that it can grow & develop & mature.
• TRANSITION:
• Both those analogies are true for every Christian.
• When you became a Christian, you automatically became part of the Church universal.
• Which is made up of all believers in Jesus Christ worldwide.
• But every Christian then has to decide which local Church, local family,
• They want to belong to.
• That is not an optional extra it is a must according to the New Testament!
Note: Now in the final petition of this prayer emphasizes the whole church (universal),
• That means if you are a Christian this morning,
• You get a mention in this prayer!
• You and I are included here in the prayer of Jesus!
• And notice the major request is that God's people might experience unity,
• e.g. "That they all may be one” (vs 21)
And to help us attain unity we discover that Jesus Christ has given us three gifts.
• He has given us eternal life (vs 2),
• God's Word (vs 8 & 14),
• And God's glory (vs 22).
• Because we have eternal life,
• We have salvation.
• Because we have the Word of God,
• We can be sanctified.
• And because we are glorified in Jesus Christ.
• We live to show his glory, his presence in our daily lives.
In Conclusion: 2 things.
(a). Watch & learn – all of us need to pray more - together and collectively.
• When we put each picture of Jesus’ prayer life together,
• We see a collage of his interaction with his father.
• We too can work towards deepening our own relationship with him through our prayers.
• And on a practical level:
• In this Church as in many I visit,
• The least attended meeting is always the prayer meeting!
• Now some of you have family commitments or work commitments etc.
• I understand that,
• But many of us could be there but are not!
Quote:
• F.B. Meyer, in his book, ‘The Secret of Guidance’ said,
• "The great tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but un-offered prayer."
(b). Fulfil verse 17 and keep on being sanctified in and through God's truth:
• God has given us three expressions of his truth:
• The Word of God – which informs us and gives us understanding.
• The Son of God – Jesus Christ – in our relationship with Christ we get the desire.
• And the Spirit of God – who enables us to apply what we read and desire.
• These three expressions of truth work together in our lives to sanctify us.
• To make us more holy. Sanctified, set apart for God's use and for God's glory.
Quote:
• Jesus Christ is truth-a Person I can love.
• The Bible is truth-a book I can learn.
• The Holy Spirit is truth.
• A Person who lives in me to enable me to live what I learn in the Word about Jesus Christ.
In other words, the whole of the inner person can be controlled by truth.
• Jesus Christ the truth can capture the love of my heart.
• The Bible can instruct my mind,
• And the Spirit can enable my will to obey the truth of God.
• Heart, mind, and will can be controlled by truth, and this truth sanctifies us.
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=jCjzzPI1CAzUFY4oi05Muqj7evLqXZIX
SERMON VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/in7gbbFID9A
