Portraits of Christ : The Great Intercessor
John 17
Review of Series
Prayer
Opening Illustration- Moody’s Barroom Meeting
D.L. Moody once entered a tavern in order to ask the bartender if his two little girls might attend his Sunday School. He was told that an atheist club met there every Thursday night and the owner of the bar was in no mood to offend them. Moody looked into the face of this man and pleaded with him on behalf of his girls. Finally the man’s heart was touched and he said, “Preacher, I’ll tell you what I’ll do. If you’ll come down here Thursday night and meet with the boys in a joint discussion, and win, you shall have the children. But if not, its all off!” “Agreed,” said Moody. Moody went right out and looked up a crippled newsboy who really knew how to pray and said to him, “Tommy, I need you next Thursday night!” When the hour of the meeting arrived, Tommy and the evangelist entered the saloon. It was full of men sitting on whiskey barrels, beer kegs, and even on the bar—eagerly awaiting the coming debate. Moody began by saying, "Gentlemen, its our custom to open our meeting with prayer. Tommy, jump up on that barrel and lead us in prayer.” Tommy began to beseech the Lord for the souls of all present. As the tears began to roll down the little fellow’s cheeks, the more tenderhearted of the men beat a retreat. Finally, even the hardest men present began to leave until there was no one left except the bartender, Moody and the praying boy. Moody turned to the father and said, “I claim your girls for my Sunday school!” The bartender answered, “All right, you win. But it’s a queer way to fight!” And Moody answered, “It’s the way I win many a battle.”
Queen Mary of Scotland, (known in History as ‘Bloodly Mary’) once commented that she feared the Prayers of John Knox as much of the combined Armies of Scotland. That is a Powerful statement concerning one of the fathers of the Reformation. John Knox , while on His deathbed asked His wife to read from our text This morning - John 17.
Introduction to John 17
* within the final hour/hours of Christ life. He has spent his final hours walking with the disciples Towards the Garden of Gethsemane in the Mount of Olives. Now he seeks to be
Alone in Prayer
“We have before us one of the most intimate glimpses anywhere in Scripture of the mind and heart of the Lord as He led in prayer.” —J. Dwight Pentecost
*The Garden is a sencrere and tranquil place used by many as a place to go when one wants to be alone to think and yet it in this Garden where Jesus will be betrayed and
Arrested.
* There were Times in Jesus ministry, where he would find times to get away for the spotlight to take time to pray.
Five reasons we don’t pray, according to Richard Halverson:
1) Unbelief.
a) We don’t think it really works.
b) It’s just something you have to endure in church.
2) Indifference.
a) We don’t pray until a problem is huge.
3) Priorities.
a) Other things are more important to us.
4) It is hard work.
5) We are focused on this world.
a) We limit our goals to what we expect here and now.
b) The things of God do not mean much to us.
The setting of our text is known as the Kadron Ravine near one of the entrances to the Garden of Gethsemane. There was a channel that led from the temple altar to this ravine collecting the blood of over 200,000 lambs that were sacrificed during that Passover. With the smell of this blood still in the night air He took time to pray, with his own Death only hours away. He was to be the final Lamb to be sacrificed
It is this backdrop that John paints a picture of a caring messiah, Look at the focus as he prepares to go to the Cross.
Outline
1-5 prays for himself- revealing his struggles
6-19 prays for his disciples -both present and future
20-26 prays for future believers
Has we seen in our summary outline, His focus is other’s centered for you see His work on the Cross was all about us.
Last week we read in John 15:13
Greater Love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for His friends.
He stated these words to his disciples preparing them for His death.
The Luke passage (22:32-47) that was read for our scripture reading this morning reveals the emotion and inner turmoil or struggles that Jesus had has he begins His Prayer to the Father
I
Notice in Luke 22, verse 44
And being in an Agony he prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the Ground.
V43 tells us that his aguish was so great, that an angel came to comfort him and strengthen him. As we go back our text in John 17 Imagine the scene that John is Painting for us.
Jesus is on his knees , looking towards heaven, tears flowing down his face perhaps dropping into the ravine of blood..
I. Christ Prays for Himself (v1-5) (read verses)
1. The Hour is come - notice the Urgency - Time to complete the Task ( the Mission ) and Purpose of His Initial coming is at hand- going to Cross for mankind - The redemption and reconciliation with God the Father.
Remember in our study of the Jesus several times he has stated that the Hour has not come (2:4; 7:6, 8:20,30) than as Jesus wrapped up His public Ministry in John 12:23 Within the last week of His life he states that His time has come.
2. Jesus states a request Glorify your Son. It the Greek , the word for Glory is a imperative, a command. If Jesus was speaking to one of the disciples , it would be expected to be obeyed.
However, since Jesus was talking to God the Father it demonstrates his resolve and commitment to carryout The will of the Father by going to the Cross. This would be His obedience onto death that Paul speaks about in Phil 2 :8 In The Luke 22 account we seeing a glimice of the inner struggle notice v 42 (of Luke 22)
IF Thou be willing, remove this cup from me
In other words, God Is there another way. In John 17, When Jesus stated “Glorify your son”. The inner conflict was resolved.
Someone once said “ That the CROSS was the Ultimate Humiliation in the eyes of the world But an instrument of Glorification in God’s eyes”
Two reasons are stated for this request
1A. Eternal life through Christ v2
2A. Know God thru Christ v3
A. That is our Purpose this Year - that we might know Christ in an intimate way
B. That we might demonstrate the love of Christ to others v6
Christ pointed us to God, we need to point others to Christ
After Christ died and was resurrected, God was Glorified (honored), Christ also was glorified by resuming His position at the Right hand of the Father
(The position he had before come down in the flesh)
3. This request also demonstrates Christ’s Diety .
I am the Lord: that is my name: and my Glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Isaiah 42:8
God declares he shares His glory with noone. Thus, if the Father and the Son share in their glory. Then, Jesus again reaffirms His deity.
II. Christ prays for His Disciples (v 6- 19) Read 6-10
V6 He states what his mission was to His disciples- He manifested (in other words He demonstrated) the character of God before them. He showed instructed them how to live Godly in this world. Two things can be drawn from this verse
1. Jesus chose them to be his Disciples
He Chose them out of the world
He Chose them to be different than the world
His Presence helped set an example to follow
2. Notice his assessment of their response- v6 “they Have Kept thy word”
Despite their failures
Despite their complaining
Despite their lack of understanding
They were far from perfect yet Jesus states they kept, they were faithful
What does that say to us when people fail to meet our Expectations?
How are we to assess them?
Look also at verse 11- “keep through thine own name those whom thou has given to me.”
He prays that God would continue to kept them. The Idea here is to protect them.
1. This is his first request concerning His Disciples- KEEP THEM (v11-16) ( Read)
Keep here in the Greek is another imperative, It is another Command .It Has the idea of Guarding , holding securely
V11 - only place in Scripture where Jesus addresses His Father as HOLY FATHER. By doing so He is appealing To God’s Nature to Protect them from the unholiness of the World
Notice V 15- “keep them from evil.” Help them to continue to be obedience to your word. .
The reason for this request (why?) V13 ,14
1. Joy of Lord- v13 Nehemiah tells us “THE JOY OF THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH”
2. The World is going to Hate them v14 cf John 15:19
..... Because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
You see folks it is the JOY OF THE LORD THAT STRENGTHS US during those times of persecution.. IT is the joy of the Lord that gets us through those difficult times.
V16 - Reminds once agian that we are not of the world.
2. The Second Request concerning His Disciples - SANCTIFY THEM (v17-19) Read
Sanctify in the Greek, is another Command (imperative) It has the idea being set apart,
to Purify. It imply’s holiness. Thus it is also tied into God’s Nature. (V 11)
1A We are Cleanse and purified by the Word -V17 Cf. Eph 5:25,26; John 15:3
Husbands love your wives , even as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might Sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you
-John 15:3-
2A Christ Sanctifies us with his Blood -v19 cf Heb 13:12
Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with His own blood
Suffering without the Gate.
III. Jesus Prays for Believers of the Future- (V 20-26) Read
He knows the disciples will faithfully spread the Word - V20 - Them which should believe on me through their word- Knew The universive Church would grow.
1. He Prays for Unity- v21,22
Notice also last part of Verse 11
Someone once said United we stand, divided we Fall.
This unity is Relational - Between the Father and Son
Between son and Disciples v 23 I with Them and Thou in Me
Principle true in all areas of life . History tells us that the Roman Empire fell because of division within. Churches closed because of division within. Division slows us
down . But unity causes us to move forward.
2. The purpose of this unity is two-fold
1A. That the world might Know who Jesus Is - God’s Own Son
Our Redeemer
Our Lord and Saviour
2A. That God’s Love might shine forth - V23, 26 Matt 5:16
Let your light so shine before men , that they may see your good works and
Glorify your Father which is in heaven.
There is No better Compelling witness to the world than to demonstrate our love & Our Unity
3. The Result -v23 - perfect in one - Completeness -idea of Unity with God, Unity with one another.
Ill- Barn raising
I’ve never lifted a barn, but Herman Ostry, a farmer in Bruno, Nebraska has. Shortly after buying a piece of land and a barn, a nearby creek rose, and the barn was under twenty nine inches of water. He half-jokingly said to his family, ‘I bet if we had enough people, we could pick up that barn and carry it to higher ground.’ To his surprise, one of his sons, Mike, started thinking about it, and by counting the number of boards, timbers, and nails, he estimated that the barn weighed about 19,000 pounds. Mike figured that three hundred forty four people would only have to lift about fifty-five pounds to carry the barn to higher ground.
But how do that many people get a grip on the barn in order to lift it? Mike ingeniously designed a grid of steel tubing and attached it to the inside and outside of the barn. This provided handles for the ‘barn raisers.’ As the town of Bruno was planning its centennial activities, Herman suggested a ‘barn raising’ as part of the celebration. As the centennial approached word of the ‘barn raising’ spread far beyond Bruno. On the morning of the lift, July 30,1988, nearly four hundred thousand people from eleven states were there. When everything was ready, Herman counted, ‘one, two,three.’ The 344 people lifted the barn, and it rose like nothing at all. The crowd cheered and applauded as they carried that 9 ton barn fifty yards up a hill in just three minutes.
How’d they do it? They got enough people to work towards a common goal, spreading the load evenly and equally, and at the same time, with one heart, one mind, one purpose, one direction and two hands they were able to accomplish the impossible.
Conclusion: Just before going to the Cross : Jesus Spend time With His Disciples Teaching them and preparing for His Death, Then he Prays for Them
V. 1-5 for himself- His struggles
V 6-19for his Disciples (present & Future)
That God the Father would Keep them and sanctify them
V 20-26 - For Future believers
To have unity and Love and be a witness to the World
Christ Completed His Mission when he went to the Cross - God Gives us a mission to complete- Be a Witness for Him.
Prayer
