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Summary: Looking at the High Priestly prayer, which was prayed by Jesus in John 17

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The High Priestly Prayer (part one - John Part 54)

Text: John 17:1-5

If you will, please take your Bibles and open them up to John chapter 17.

This morning we’re going to be looking at what is commonly called “The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus”…

Some folks have said that this is the “ACTUAL” Lord’s Prayer… because what we commonly call the Lord’s Prayer – we say it every Sunday morning… which we find in Matthew 6 and in Luke 11… is a prayer that Jesus didn’t actually pray. The Lord’s Prayer, (the one that we say every Sunday) was given to the disciples by Jesus as an example of HOW they (and we) OUGHT to pray. We know Jesus didn’t pray the exact “Lord’s Prayer” because Jesus never had to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses…”. He never sinned! So, it’s a model for us, and example for us…

But here in John 17, we see Jesus praying. This whole chapter is a prayer from the Lord.

And it breaks down into three parts.

First Jesus prays for Himself… that’s what we’ll be looking at today.

Next, He prays for the disciples. That’s verses 6-19. And lastly, He prays for the Church throughout history, and we see that in verses 20-26.

And if you ever want to do an interesting study, you should read through the prayers of Jesus that we have recorded in Scripture. We know He prayed a lot, but we don’t have the content of each and every one of His prayers. Sometimes the Bible just tells us that the Lord prayed, and most of what we do. Have recorded for us in Scripture are brief prayers… like in the Garden of Gethsemane, “O Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me. Nevertheless, not My will but Thy will be done.” He prayed briefly at the tomb of Lazarus before He raised him from the dead. But we know Jesus prayed longer prayers as well. He prayed all night before beginning the selection of the 12 disciples.

So Jesus gave Himself to prayer. He prayed often. Sometimes short prayers, sometimes, all night long. But He was always in prayer.

The Bible says that we are to pray without ceasing. That means we are to live a lifestyle of prayer. Be in prayer throughout the days and weeks, and months, throughout our lives… but it also means when you’re praying, don’t let your mind wander off. In our ADHD world, this is becoming harder and harder for people to do… they can’t focus their minds on God… they start praying and find themselves drifting into other thoughts and ideas. So, we have to work at it… be diligent in prayer and zeroed in when we pray.

Ok? Now let’s look at our text, and let’s see Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer… John 17:1-5 (READ).

“Father the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify You.” Now what is Jesus praying there? What is He asking for? Well, remember the context.

Remember the language John uses throughout his Gospel account. Every time Jesus talks about “The Hour”… sometimes He says, “My hour has not yet come.” Sometimes He speaks of “the hour to come.” And here He says, “The hour HAS come.” Every time He uses that phrase – He’s talking about His death on the cross.

So, in our modern, Oklahoma laymen’s terms we would say, “The time has come for Jesus to die on the cross.” The appointed time. The foreordained time has come.

So, Jesus says, “The time has come for Me to die on the cross – GLORIFY YOUR SON!”.

Now that word “Glorify” means to magnify – to make much of – to invest with majesty – to lift up like a banner, to praise and laud. But in our modern thinking, we don’t usually use that word in conjunction with death. When we think of being glorified, it’s for some great achievement, usually in a sports context. Or we think of some hero, who defeated the bad guys, overcomes the odds, gets the girl, and rides off into the sunset.

But the thing is – that’s our modern understanding…. That’s what our modern sensibilities demand.

We’ve forgotten that Beowulf dies at the end… or that King Arthur dies brutally and tragically at the end. We want the Disney version… but that’s not the reality.

Jesus is talking about His death on the cross.

Jesus is talking about His soon coming death and what His death will achieve and accomplish.

And make no mistake about it – In death, He does win the victory! In His death, He crushes the head of the enemy under His feet. He wins the war against Satan, Sin, Death, Hell, and the Grave. He does what He was sent to do. He atones for sin… HE WINS!

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