“THE MOST AMAZING PRAYER IN THE BIBLE” John 17
FBCF – 4/2/23
Jon Daniels
INTRO – John 17
The last several weeks in REFRESH have been awesome. We’ve had some powerful times of corporate prayer, crying out to God in praise, confession of sin, & interceding for lots of people – some who have been present in those services & others not present.
- Prayed for some whose marriages & families are struggling
- Prayed for some w/ physical illnesses
- Prayed for tornado victims
- Prayed for families of Nashville school shooting victims - & the family of the person who did the shooting
- Prayed for Rodney & Jennie Mullen the moment we got word that their house was on fire Wed evening
There is something powerful & special about HEARING people pray. I know that not everyone feels comfortable praying out loud & in public – usually b/c we don’t think we know how to pray “pretty” prayers or “impressive” prayers. Can I put your mind at ease about that? God doesn’t care if you can pray prayers that sound like you’re a seminary-trained theologian. He doesn’t care if you use words like “Thee” & “Thou”. How many of you speak Old English in your everyday language? I don’t think you’re going to hear many folks around Flora, MS, saying things like:
- “Didst thou goeth turkey hunting upon yesterday morn?”
- “I ask thee: Wouldst thou like to proceedth from this place unto Railroad Pizza that we might breaketh bread together, especially the Dump Truck pizza that they doth prepare?”
Don’t think so! So why do we think we’ve got to pray fancy, pretty prayers back to God? Jesus made it clear that, if you’re praying to impress the people around you, you’re praying for the wrong reasons & God’s not listening.
With that being said, there is something very encouraging about hearing others praying.
- Sometimes we learn how to pray by listening to others pray.
o Prayer meeting at IBC
- We are strengthened in our inner being – our inner spiritual lives
- We are encouraged & uplifted
- REFRESH group gathered around me this past Wed night & prayed for me – what a blessing & encouragement to a Pastor to have a church FAMILY that will intentionally lift me up in my time of need!
Now imagine what it’s like to hear JESUS praying for you!
- “If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies.” (Robert Murray McCheyne)
Truth is: We don’t have to imagine hearing Jesus praying for us – He DID pray for us & He IS praying for us!
EXPLANATION – John 17 is known as the High Priestly Prayer. The office of high priest was instituted by God when He gave Moses the Law for the people. The High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement to offer sacrifices that would temporarily cover the sins of the people. All of this was a picture of Jesus.
- When He came, He offered Himself as the ultimate perfect sacrifice for ALL of our sins for ALL time.
- It wasn’t a temporary covering of our sins – It was the complete once-for-all sacrifice for all the sins of all mankind for all time.
o Hebrews 10:10 – “Under this new plan we have been forgiven and made clean by Christ’s dying for us once and for all.” (TLB)
- Jesus is the ultimate, perfect sacrifice. And He’s the ultimate, perfect High Priest.
o Only Jesus can intercede for us
o Only Jesus can be the sacrifice
o Only Jesus can take our place
o Hebrews 4:14-16 – “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
After His Last Supper w/ His disciples, He voices this amazing prayer. He had just told them to expect tribulation to come. He had just told them to take heart b/c He has overcome the world. And then He lifts His eyes to the Father & voices this prayer.
- Wasn’t a silent, private prayer – “Just between me & the Lord”
- Wasn’t an “every head bowed, every eye closed” prayer
It was a bold, powerful, moving prayer that had to have blown the disciples away to hear Him praying like this.
- Praying for the glory of God to be seen in Him & them
- Praying for their protection in the midst of the coming persecution
- Praying for His joy to be manifested in them
- Praying for their mission into the world & their consecration to that mission
And THEN He prays for US!
APPLICATION – Knowing that Jesus prayed for us is a great encouragement to live for Him.
JESUS PRAYED FOR US:
OUR SECURITY – v. 14-16 – Doesn’t tell us that we won’t have trouble – that He’s going to take us out of harm’s way. Already said we WILL have trouble.
- Tornadoes still come
- School shootings still happen
- Houses still burn down
- Cancer still ravages bodies
- The world is still going to hate us – scream at us, assault us, rage against us, attack us, ostracize us
But what He IS going to do is “keep” us – “guard” us. Means that, in the end, Satan will NOT be victorious over us. WHY? B/c of what’s about to happen in a matter of hours.
- Jesus is going to hang on a cross
- He’s going to suffer incredibly for us
- He’s going to pour out His blood for us
- He’s going to announce “IT IS FINISHED!” – tetelestai – “paid in full”
- He’s going to burst the bonds of the grave & rise victorious over death & hell & Satan
- AND THERE’S NOTHING THAT SATAN & THE WORLD CAN DO ABOUT IT!
OUR UNITY – v. 21-23 – Circle/underline these phrases:
- v. 21 – “…that they may all be one…”
- v. 22 – “…that they may be one…”
- v. 23 – “…that they may become perfectly one…”
I think it’s pretty safe to say that Jesus is SERIOUS about unity among His followers & in His Body, the Church.
Why is this issue such a big deal?
- B/c it’s ridiculous for believers to be fighting against each other when we should be fighting TOGETHER against Satan! It just doesn’t make sense.
- B/c it shows our true colors – that we are more concerned about ourselves – our wants, our desires, our preferences – than we are about the bigger, more important, critical Kingdom issues of saving lost souls & making disciples.
OUR TESTIMONY – v. 21, 23 – 2 statements in these 2 verses that speak to our testimony – our salvation story of how we came to know Christ & what He means to us now:
- V. 21 – “…that the world may believe that you have sent me…”
- V. 23 – “…that the world may know that you have sent me & loved them even as you have loved me…”
And the important thing is that both of these statements are connected to our unity that Jesus prayed for for us.
You see – Our testimony is directly connected to & impacted by our unity in the Body of Christ. It will either be a positive impact or a negative impact.
When we think of a testimony, we think of speaking about how we came to know Jesus – when we were saved, the circumstances surrounding our salvation experience. But, when you are called to give testimony in a court of law, the lawyers call you b/c they believe you have seen something important & experienced something important that will help them make their case.
When the word “testimony” is used in the NT, it speaks of a witness who provides direct knowledge about a person or an event. Or it can mean the actual content of what that person speaks about.
So here’s the point: When we get on the witness stand of life & the world is sitting in the jury box, we can SAY that we have a genuine relationship w/ Jesus. But when the evidence shows that we are not in unity w/ our brothers & sisters in Christ in the Church, we are perjuring ourselves – our words don’t line up w/ the evidence in our lives. This is why Jesus was so adamant in praying 3 different times for our unity b/c He was also praying for our testimony before the world to be true & genuine. The 2 are inextricably connected to one another.
OUR ETERNITY – v. 24 – Jesus wants to be w/ us for all eternity! He’s excited – almost giddy w/ anticipation about that when He tells His Father that He wants us to be w/ Him! He “desires” for us to actually be w/ Him & see His glory – He “wants” us to be w/ Him – He would “take pleasure” in that – He would “enjoy” us being w/ Him.
CONCLUSION – Jesus not only prayed for us 2000 years ago here in this High Priestly Prayer, He’s also praying for us right now in the presence of the Father.
- Hebrews 7:25 – “…[Jesus] is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.” (NLT)
- He’s still praying for our security – defending us against the accusations of Satan.
- …our unity – He knows how important this is!
- …our testimony – He wants our words & our lives to match up as we live for Him & tell others about Him.
