January 21, 2004
Title: The Time Has Come...to Pray #9
Subtitle: Last Will and Testament of Jesus
Text: John 17:24-26
Introduction
1. My wife and I have made a will.
it probably needs updated...
because it was one we completed years ago...
before we lived in Florida.
2. People make a will so that they can carry out their wishes with their family and their possessions.
In a will, it may determine where the children are supposed to live in the event of the parents’ death.
It may determine how any money is to be divided among the family.
It may determine how certain valuble possessions are to be handled...
collections...
cars...
houses...
and so on.
I’ve heard strange stories of eccentric old ladies leaving millions of dollars to their beloved pet.
3. As we get down to the end of the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus....
the prayer that we have been referring to as the real Lord’s Prayer...
we have been in the unique position to observe and listen to Christ as He prays to His Father...
And here....at the very end of His prayer...
right before He will be arrested...
we get to hear the Last Will and Testament of Jesus
Let’s read it in our text:
Body
1. Jesus’ Will
A. When Jesus says, "I want"...
the meaning of the word is "I will"
In fact, the King James Version along with several other versions...
translate it as "I will"
And in the footnotes of my Bible...
it says that this can be considered the last will and testament of Jesus.
B. Jesus knew that He was approaching the end of His earthly life...
and He certainly knew of the practice of leaving a will...
dividing up personal property to His earthly heirs...
but Scripture tells us that Jesus didn’t have much...
In fact, Jesus said, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Matt 8:20
So with no homes...
no camels...
no oxen...
no herds...
no money...
what are the desires of Jesus at the end of His life?
C. Jesus said, "I want those you have given Me to be with Me where I am"
Jesus knew it wouldn’t be much longer before He would ascend into heaven...
and so He is saying, "I want them to join Me in heaven"
D. Pretty incredible!
When Jesus was faced with His own coming death...
His concern was completely for His followers...
that they would remain faithful...
and make heaven their home...
And that includes us!
Jesus desires that we spend eternity with Him...
He desires it so much...
that He basically makes that His last will and testament.
Jesus knew His disciples were listening in...
as He was talking to His Father...
so, in a sense, He was letting them "read the will"...
before He died.
E. As I began to think about that...
I began to realize that perhaps we should do the same thing!
I dare say that most of us here tonight have probably already made up our will...
But I wonder...have we specifically let our heirs know?...
Have we told them that we want them to join us in heaven?
I’m sure most of our families know that we are Christians...
(at least I hope they do!!)
But we should take that a step further...
just like Jesus did...
we should sit our family members down...
we could say something like...
"I want you to realize that I have already made out my will...
when the end of my life comes...
I plan to make heaven my home...
but more than money...
land...
or other possessions...
it is my deepest desire that you join me in heaven!!"
I think we need to have that conversation with our children...
or other members of the family...
we need to have the conversation with them...
even if they are saved...
but the need is even greater if they aren’t saved.
Jesus let the disciples know that He wanted them to be with Him in Heaven...
we need to do the same with those we love!
2. Another thing that Jesus included in His "last will and testament"...
A. He wanted His disciples to see His glory...
the disciples knew Jesus was different...
they knew He was special...
but they never really got to see Jesus in all His glory...
Perhaps the closest they came was when Peter, James, & John saw what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration.
B. The closest anyone came to seeing the glory of God in the Old Testament, ...
Moses asked to see God’s glory...
God told him in Exodus 33, that "no one can see my face and live"
Moses persisted...
and God hid Moses in a rock...
and covered him with His Hand...
until He had passed by...
allowing Moses to see His back.
C. I believe that the most spectacular and awesome event that we will experience in heaven...
is when Jesus’ prayer is fulfilled...
and we finally get to see Him in all His glory...
I can’t adequately describe it...
no one that we know either through Scripture...
or any other means...
has seen Christ in all His glory...
in all His magnificence.
And that will be OUR glory...
as the song says:
O that will be glory for me,
Glory for me, glory for me!
When by His grace
I shall look on His face.
That will be glory,
Be glory for me.
(by Charles Gabriel)
3. As the prayer comes to a close, Jesus acknowledges that He has made God known to the disciples...
A. He acknowledges that He will continue to make God known to the world...
and in fact, Jesus does continue to make God known...
even today...
through the activity of His Holy Spirit.
B. And Christ’s purpose in making God known...
is so that the love that God has for His Son Jesus...
will also be in us.
And that love is what characterizes the life of the Christian.
And ultimately, though the Holy Spirit...
Christ prays that He will be IN us...
so when we talk about Jesus living in our hearts...
that is what it means...
I don’t understand it all...
but when we confess our sin...
and invite Jesus to come into our hearts...
He does just that...
So that, as we go through our daily chores...
We carry Christ with us...
Our heart and life is a Temple for Christ to reside in.
Lord, prepare me
To be a sanctuary,
Pure and holy,
Tried and true;
With thanksgiving,
I’ll be a living
Sanctuary for You.
Thompson, John W. / Scruggs, Randy
© 1982 Whole Armor Music / Full Armor Publishing
CCLI License No. 946077
Conclusion
1. Over 2 months ago, we started out studying the Lord’s Prayer...
the prayer Jesus prayed to His Father...
we have stood with the disciples looking on...
we have glimpsed the heart of Christ...
we have learned some important lessons...
2. And hopefully, we have learned the ultimate lesson...
the time has come for US to pray!
we need to pray for revival...
we need to pray for each other...
we need to pray for our church...
we need to pray for our families...
we need to pray for the lost...
we need to have the kind of relationship that Jesus had with His Father...
and that kind of relationship only comes through prayer.
