The REAL Lord's Prayer
John 17:1-5
http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/RealLordsPrayer.html
Jesus was the greatest preacher who ever lived. And His sermon on the mount was the greatest sermon ever preached. But not one time did any of His disciples ask Him, "Teach us to preach." They said, "Teach us to pray!"
ill.--I took classes on studying the Bible [hermeneutics] and exposition and exegesis, as well as Homiletics classes on how to preach. I wish they had taught me to pray!
Jesus was all about prayer.
We see Him praying at His own baptism, and before He selected His disciples, and as He would perform miracles. We see Him praying here just before He goes to the cross, continuing in the garden of Gethsemane where He prayed with such earnest agony that his sweat glands burst and bled.
Jesus praying - it is an interesting concept. For though He IS God, He prays TO God. He isn't talking to Himself, mind you...He prayed to His Father just as we should.
We pray to the Father, by the Spirit, in Jesus' name. It is in His name that we are granted that access to boldly come to the Father. Christ prayed to the Father, IN the Spirit, and of course, He didn't have to name drop His own name. He is the way to the Father! This is true in prayer, and true for salvation!
In our text we find the real Lord's Prayer. We all are familiar with the prayer example Jesus gave His disciples: "Our Father, which art in heaven..."
Notice that within that prayer there is a request for forgiveness. That can't be the Lord's prayer. It should be the believer's prayer.
By the same token, WE cannot pray the prayer in our text.
v. 4 This can be spoken by the Lord Jesus alone.
Jesus prays for Himself in vv. 1-5
Jesus prays for His current disciples in vv. 6-19
Jesus prays for future followers in vv. 20-26
Did you know that there is conversation which takes place within the Trinity?
Genesis 1:26
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:
God = Elohim [plural]
Genesis 11:7
Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
In the NT we see the Spirit interceding for Christians and Jesus praying for believers.
And there are other examples in Scripture of this kind of God-versation. Today's text is an example, and we have the privilege of eavesdropping on their conversation.
ill.--a man hadn't heard well in years, and finally went to the doctor for hearing aids. They worked great! He left the doctor's office. He returned for a checkup one month later. The doctor said, "Your family must be thrilled to once again be able to converse with you." He replied, "I haven't told them yet. I just sit around listening to their conversations. I've changed my will 3 times this month!"
Notice today the interesting things the Son says to the Father. Also, pay attention to what Jesus is doing for us as our High Priest, interceding for us! Many of you share requests for my prayer list and others prayer lists. And we pray for one another. But even better than being on the pastor's prayer list is being on Jesus' prayer list!
If the Bible were to be compared with the OT Tabernacle, then the whole of it would be the outer court, and John's gospel would be the Holy Place, and John 17 would be the Most Holy Place, the inner sanctum. All Scripture is equal in its importance, but certainly we should give particular reverence to this intimate prayer of Jesus before He went to the cross!
Over and again we see the word 'glory.' It is a key word.
vv. 1, 4, 5, 10, 22, 24
What a summary of all that Jesus is to us, past, present, and future. You see, what God justifies, He always sanctifies, and what He sanctifies, He always glorifies. We are destined for future glory!
A. Jesus prays for Himself. [vv. 1-5]
[The glory of His person.]
v. 4
1. His character.
What is the purpose of your existence? Is there one? Can you even know it? Is it just to exist? To continue the species? To pay the bills?
Our purpose is to glorify God through Jesus Christ! Just as the moon reflects the light of the sun, we are to reflect the glory of God in His Son!
Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Now here's the problem: We've all sinned and come short of that glory of God [Rom. 3:23]. So we find that glory in the sinless Christ!
John 1:14
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)
His character perfectly represented God's glory in a way we cannot.
Hebrews 1:3
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
We see it in His birth:
Luke 2:14
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luke 2:20
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
We see it in His teachings:
John 15:8
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
We see it in His miracles:
Matthew 9:8
But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
[He had raised a young man from the dead.]
We see it in His death and resurrection:
John 12:23-24
23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
In all these things Jesus' purpose was to glorify God, and that is my purpose, and yours as well!
v. 4 "I have finished the job you sent me for, Father, which is not just my death on a cross, but to glorify you in my life!" He hasn't gone to the cross yet as He prays this prayer, and yet He is as good as finished with His real job, bringing His Father glory!
And since you and I come short of His glory, having sinned, we need a Savior! I'm tired of hearing people today say they are earning their way to heaven. They are claiming that they can actually possess a glory that only Jesus has. But they don't have it. And Jesus wants to share it with them, and they don't even recognize that He has it, much less that they need it!
1. His glory was revealed in His character...
2. His conduct.
To His enemies He was able to say...
John 8:46
Which of you convinceth me of sin?
He dares His enemies to prove He had ever sinned.
Would ever dare to make that challenge? Not me. Not with my wife present!
John 8:29
29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
What if I told you we compiled some hidden video of you from this week, and asked you for permission to run it now? Would you allow it? Would you be nervous? [What am I wearing? ha!]
Just gave this kind of a dare and his enemies fell silent. And when they finally had a trial for Him they had to pay false witnesses against Him!
a. the testimony of His friends.
John the Baptist grew up with Jesus, as His first cousin. No doubt they spent a lot of time together.
Matthew 3:14
But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
"You don't need the baptism of repentance, because you've never done anything to repent of!"
Peter knew Him well:
Luke 5:8
When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
The implication -- a sinful man is now in the presence of a sinless man. An unrighteous man is at the feet of a righteous man!
Doubting Thomas:
John 20:28
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
You say, big deal, those are His friends.
b. the testimony of His foes.
Judas Iscariot:
Matthew 27:4
Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
They didn't even try to deny His innocence, by the way!
Pontius Pilate:
Luke 23:4
Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man.
Luke 23:14
Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:
His wife [co-Pilate!]
Matthew 27:19
When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man:
His executioner:
Luke 23:47
Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.
The dying thief:
Luke 23:39-41
39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
The demons of hell:
Luke 4:33-34
33 And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,
34 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.
These are not the words of His friends, but of His foes!
We serve a sinless Savior, who always glorified God in His character and in His conduct!
3. His claims.
vv. 1-3 in v. 2, "Power" = authority
...He has the authority to decide who goes to heaven and who does not.
Our world believes that you 'just be good' and you go to heaven. That's not what Jesus said.
Our world believes that all religions are just different roads to the same paradise. That's not what Jesus said.
Here Jesus makes a bold claim. And you must accept it or reject it. It is either true or false.
John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
"We beheld HIS glory!"
As sinful as we are, and as holy as God is, it shouldn't surprise us that there's only one way to heaven. What should amaze us is that there's any way at all!
ill.--a farmer's barn burned to the ground. He walked thru the debris the next day, shaking his head in disgust. He had lost everything. He looked from stall to stall at the charred remains of his stock, most of which clearly died trying to escape the fire. He was heartbroken and guilty. Then he came to a mother hen, who strangely, was still sitting on her nest. She hadn't even tried to escape, and probably could have flown out of there! He looked at that charred body, and he kicked it over, and out ran those little baby chicks from underneath her.
She had taken the full force of that fire in order to save them!
And when Jesus died on the cross, He took the full force of God's fiery wrath ... He suffered hell for us, shielding us, taking the heat for us, so we could run free! This is to the glory of God!
A. Jesus prays for Himself.
B. Jesus prays for His Disciples.
C. Jesus prays for His Church.
http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/RealLordsPrayer.html
