Jesus Prayed For Us
Sermon Notes
Intro:
Hey everybody my name’s Louis I’m the lead pastor here at City Awakening, it’s great to be with you both onsite and online. Before we get into today’s message we want to give you a quick reminder of our church’s stance on wearing masks, because with the increase in COVID cases we’ve had several people asking about it. Our church leaders spent much time researching, discussing, seeking council for the best way to handle this, and we recognize there’s no perfect solution, nor should we mask police everybody walking through our doors stopping guests from hearing the gospel. But what we can do is ask our leaders and members to follow these 3 guidelines:
1st Wear your mask when you walk in and out of your seats. = We separate seats and do RSVP’s to try to have a middle ground on this. It allows those who are mask people to feel safe in their section, and those who aren’t mask people freedom to take off their masks. So wear your mask in and out of your seats, but feel free to take them off at your seats or outside.
2nd Be empathetic towards other people’s views. = The longer this thing lasts the more fearful and frustrated people are getting. Some are fearful for their health and frustrated with those who don’t wear masks. But some are fearful their freedom’s being threatened and are frustrated with those who expect them to wear masks. Now you might view one side more ridiculous than the other, and you might even be right! Just don’t let your view stop you from being empathetic towards other people’s views, because both groups are wrestling with personal fears.
3rd Don’t be a rebel for the sake of being a rebel! = Just because we have the freedom to not follow CDC guidelines as a church, doesn’t mean we should exercise that freedom. Try to think about how your stance might affect a non-Christians view of our church, and how it can affect your friends in this church who are legitimately scared for their lives. Is rebelling against wearing a mask for a few minutes as you walk in and out of church really worth it? Is it helpful or hurtful to those in and outside our church?...Look none of this is ideal, but we’re doing the best we can to lead our church through a complex situation, and following these guidelines helps us. But regardless of how long COVID lasts, let’s remain unified in our mission to reach people and reach the world with the gospel. Let’s remain unified in being daily instruments of grace.
Now today we’re continuing our teaching series called Visible God, which is about seeing God through the life of Jesus. We’re studying a book of the bible called the gospel of John which records the life and words of Jesus as it was written by an original source, an original follower of Jesus, and today we’re studying Jesus’ longest prayer in recorded history. It’s a prayer that gives us a glimpse into Jesus’ prayer life. It gives both skeptics and believers a glimpse into some of the deepest desires in Jesus’ heart. Let’s turn to John 17:1-26 and get into it. Open your bible to the middle, turn a few books to the right, you’ll find John. It’s John 17:1-26. The title of today’s message is Jesus Prayed For Us, and here’s the big idea. There’s always hope for your life, knowing Jesus prayed for your life...There’s always hope for your life, knowing Jesus prayed for your life.
Context:
Here’s your context. In John 17 Jesus knows he’s about to die, he’s less than 24 hrs away from being crucified, and he’s been sharing some final words with his disciples. He celebrates communion with them, shares some final words, then closes with the prayer we’re about to study. I’ve broken his prayer into 3 sections: Jesus prays for himself (vs 1-6), Jesus prays for his disciples (vs 6-19), and Jesus prays for future believers (vs 20-26). Jesus prays for himself, his disciples, and future believers. Let’s check out Jesus’ longest prayer in recorded history.
The Word:
John 17:1-26 states, “Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come.’” He’s talking about the hour of his betrayal and arrest. The hour has come for Judas and the soldiers to arrest him in the Garden of Gethsemane. This is actually a different prayer than his prayer in the garden, because this takes place just before he’s in the garden. So this isn’t a sorrowful prayer like in the garden, it’s an encouraging prayer. The text even says this prayer is after Jesus spoke these things, meaning the things in ch 16:33. It’s where he tells his disciples to have courage, because he’s conquered the world! It’s a celebratory battle cry moment like a soldier firing up his troops for war, and Jesus ends it with an encouraging prayer.
Again vs. 1, “Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you gave him authority over all people,, so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him. 3 This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent, Jesus Christ. 4 I have glorified you on the earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, glorify me in your presence with that glory I had with you before the world existed.’” So in this 1st part of his prayer he’s focused on praying for ‘himself.’ He’s praying in particular for God the Father to glorify him as God the Son. I know a lot of skeptics who admire Jesus and even agree with many of his teachings, but they won’t admit Jesus is God. Yet Jesus is clearly claiming deity here. Vs 5 says he’s praying for the glory of God he once enjoyed before the world existed, meaning Jesus existed before creation existed. He was co-eternal, co-equal, in perfect trinitarian unity and glory with God. Jesus laid down his glory as God, to take up our shame as an incarnate human on the cross. But his claims to deity means skeptics have to decide if he’s a liar, lunatic, or Lord. Since there isn’t evidence of him ever lying, and since he’s far too intellectually and emotionally sound to be a lunatic, his claims to deity must be true. He’s really our Lord and God who deserves glory!
Now believers already know this, so the question we need to ask is why Jesus starts with praying for himself to receive glory? I mean it doesn’t seem like a very humble way to start a prayer. But Jesus isn’t seeking glory like we seek glory from our accomplishments in school, at work, or on the ballfield, which is a sinful self-centered glory. Instead he’s seeking a sinless self-less glory to bring greater glory to the Father. In vs 1 he says glorify me so I can glorify you! His desire is to receive glory so he can give greater glory to the Father. Christian humility isn’t about never asking God for prosperity, it’s about using your prosperity for God’s glory instead of your own! It’s about praying for God to bless you not for your glory, but for His glory! A lot of times we pray hoping God will be on our side and bless us. But when Jesus goes to the cross it shows God’s already on our side and wants to bless us! The question isn’t if God’s for you since that’s already been settled on the cross, the question is are you for God?...Are you living for God’s glory, or for your own glory?...We need to pray for ourselves like Jesus prayed for himself...We need to pray for God’s glory not our own, even when facing suffering. Jesus knows he’s about to face tremendous suffering, so he’s praying for strength to glorify the Father in his suffering. If you suffer well, if you show your friends you still trust God despite your suffering; it points them to the great hope you have in Jesus and brings glory to the Father like Jesus. We love to give God the glory when a sick person gets well, but are you giving God the glory by suffering well?
Vs. 6, “I have revealed your name to the people you gave me from the world. They were yours, you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you, 8 because I have given them the words you gave me. They have received them and have known for certain that I came from you. They have believed that you sent me.” Jesus is transitioning from praying for himself, to praying for his ‘disciples,’ for those he’s revealed the Father’s name to. ‘Name’ in this context means the Father’s entire character, which is the point of John’s Gospel and the reason we titled this series Visible God. It’s because John writes this gospel to prove Jesus is our visible God who came to display God’s character! He came to display God’s love, holiness, justice, sovereignty, and much more through his life, death, and resurrection. He’s our visible God, and he’s about to pray for his disciples, for his followers.
Vs. 9, “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me, because they are yours.” Jesus isn’t saying he doesn’t care for the world, because in John 3:16 he says “For God so loved the world.” He’s just saying he’s praying specifically for his disciples as they live in the world! He prays specifically for their protection and sanctification in vs 11-19.
Vs. 11, “I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by your name that you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I was protecting them by your name that you have given me. I guarded them and not one of them is lost, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture may be fulfilled.” Jesus prays specifically for their ‘protection,’ minus the ‘son of destruction’ which is Judas. He excludes Judas because Judas was never really a follower of his, and Judas is about to betray him. But there’s 4 things Jesus prays to protect. He prays...
#1 To protect their faith = In vs 11 Jesus asks the Father to protect them, the Greek can translate as to keep them. They’re about to face a dark time where Jesus will be crucified and their faith will be challenged. So Jesus prays for their faith to be eternally protected to the end.
#2 To protect their unity = In vs 11 Jesus asks the Father to protect their unity. The disciples had disagreements over things like who’s the greatest among them, and Jesus wants that self-seeking glory to die! He doesn’t want things like our words, actions, political differences to tear us apart. He unites us together at the foot of the cross, but we must remain united by viewing our disagreements through the lens of the cross. He prays for us to be united like him and the Father.
Vs. 13-15, “Now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy completed in them. 14 I have given them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” So now Jesus is praying for...
#3 To protect their joy = In vs 13 he says ‘I want my joy completed in them.’ Again you don’t have to wonder if Jesus is on your side and wants to bless you, because the cross already proves that, and he’s saying it right here! He’s saying he isn’t a joy killer, he’s a joy giver, and he wants to bring you even more joy. He wants your joy to be full and complete! He’s praying for the protection of your joy’s completion because we have an enemy who’s trying to steal our joy. Jesus says in John 10:10, “A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. But I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” This is why he prays for a 4th protection.
#4 To protect them from the evil one = In vs 15 he prays for protection from the evil one which is Satan. I mean why’s it so difficult to resist your faith weakening when you suffer? Why’s it so difficult to maintain unity? Why’s it so difficult to maintain joy? It’s because the evil one’s constantly whispering doubts and lies in our ears trying to get us to deny our faith, create disunity, and steal our joy. Jesus prays for our protection against the evil one so we’ll overcome and persevere in the end. Some Christians try isolating from the world thinking isolation is the only way to prevent them and their children from falling into corruption. But in vs 15 Jesus says he isn’t praying for his followers to be taken or isolated from the world, he’s praying for their protection as they live in the world. He prays for their protection as they live as instruments of grace in the world, and share the gospel with the world. David Platt states, “Our mission isn’t to disinfect Christians and put them on a shelf, it’s to disciple them and put them into service.”
Vs. 17, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” So Jesus not only prays for their ‘protection,’ he also prays for their ‘sanctification!’ The Greek word for sanctify means to set apart or make holy, meaning Jesus is praying for his followers to grow in holiness. He wants us to live in the world, but not to live a sinful lifestyle like the world. Sanctification is a lifelong process where the Holy Spirit keeps growing us in holiness, keeps growing us into becoming more like Jesus. Jesus says the primary way we’re sanctified isn’t by isolating ourselves from the world, it’s by immersing ourselves in the truth of God’s word! He specifically prays for us to be sanctified by the truth, meaning the truth of the Bible, the truth of God’s word! Why? Because every day we’re being bombarded with lies, false gospels and ideologies, promising to save us from our struggles and give us a better life than the one God offers. In John 8:44 Jesus says the evil one, Satan, is the Father of Lies, and every day he’s seducing you with lies to pull you away from the faith, from Christian community, from the joyful life God offers you. It’s the things Jesus prays to protect.
But what are those lies for you?...What are some of the lies you’ve been listening to, that are promising to save you from your struggles and give you a better life than the one God offers you?...What are some of the lies you’ve been listening to, that are seducing you away from the faith, from Christian community, from the joyful life God offers?...The way to defeat a lie is to know the truth. The way to defeat Satan’s lies is to know the truth of God’s word. Psalm 119:9 states, “How can a young person keep their way pure? By keeping God’s word.” So if you want to grow in sanctification, holiness, faith, Christian community, and joy, immerse yourself in the truth of God’s word! If you want the same for your kids, then teach them to trust and immerse in the truth of God’s word too. Their greatest spiritual defense isn’t isolation from lies, it’s immersion in the truth of God’s word. Our greatest spiritual defense isn’t isolation from lies, it’s immersion in the truth of God’s word. This is what Jesus is praying for, he’s praying for his followers to be sanctified by the truth of God’s word. All these things Jesus is praying for, are things we can all be praying for regarding those within our church, especially those we’re personally discipling.
Vs. 20, “I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word.” The word ‘believe’ is written in what’s called the ‘present tense,’ which in the original Greek means it’s an ongoing action. So Jesus prays for himself, his disciples, and for those who will believe in the future which is us! It’s incredible! Jesus prayed John 17 nearly 2000 yrs ago with you in mind! We’re the future believers Jesus prayed for! What areas in your life do you need to let that truth of God’s word, encourage you?...What areas in your life do you need to let that truth of knowing Jesus prayed for you, encourage you?... Remember this is meant to be an encouraging prayer, and so find encouragement, hope, rest in knowing Jesus has prayed for your life, including your current struggles in life! He’s prayed John 17 with you in mind, so that your stumbling pursuit of holiness and your fullness of joy, will prevail in the end against the evil one.
But knowing Jesus prayed for us shouldn’t just encourage us personally, it should also encourage us to live missionally and pray for other future believers. It’s because Jesus doesn’t just have us in mind, he has other future believers in mind too! In fact some of you listening to this message might be a future believer Jesus wants to save today! He prompted your heart to be here so you’d learn he’s been praying for your life, including the times you’ve faced struggles in life. He wants you to know he loves you, he died for your sins on the cross, and he’s praying for you to receive his love today. So receive his love by receiving him as your Savior, and trusting him as your Lord! But as current believers we need to realize Jesus has other future believers in mind like your friends, family, and others in our city Jesus wants to save through you living as an instrument of grace. The Christmas Eve invite cards on your seats are a chance to do that, they’re a chance to invite your friends to hear the gospel and pray they receive the gospel. I’ll be talking about Jesus being the Prince of Peace and how to have peace in our lives, which is something all of us need after a year like 2020. But your friends can’t go from being future believers to current believers unless somebody invites them to become a believer. It’s invitations that leads to transformations. So take the invite cards, invite some friends, and pray they’ll receive the gospel.
The Big Idea:
Look the big idea is there’s always hope for your life, knowing Jesus prayed for your life. I mean what an amazing, loving Savior we have, that he would be willing to stop and pray for us, just before he’s about to go to the cross. Just before he’s about to suffer excruciating pain on the cross, he stops to think about us and to pray for us. He poured out his life in ministry, poured out his heart in prayer, and was pierced in the heart as a substitute for our sins on the cross. He’s an amazing, loving Savior who’s worthy of God’s glory, our worship, and our loving obedience.
COMMUNION
Jesus celebrated Communion with his disciples just before he prayed John 17. He told us to do this in remembrance of who he is and what he did for us on the cross. If you aren’t a follower of Jesus, please refrain from participating in communion so you don’t just go through the motions of this. Instead use this time to reflect on John 17, and consider praying to Jesus, consider asking Jesus to be your Savior and Lord. But let’s take a few minutes to prep our hearts, and for those watching online to prep their tables. Let’s take a few minutes to pray asking Jesus to forgive us of our sins, then let’s thank him for praying for us and dying for our sins.
On the night Jesus was betrayed, he took some bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it saying “This is my body which is to be broken for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. As often as you eat it, do so in remembrance of me, in remembrance of who I am and what I’ve done for you.” When supper ended he took the cup, blessed it, gave thanks for it, and said “This is a symbol of my blood which is to be shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. As often as you drink it, do so in remembrance of me, in remembrance of who I am and what I’ve done.” Lets eat, drink, and worship our great encouraging Savior, who loves us and prays for us.
#1 To protect their faith
#2 To protect their unity
#3 To protect their joy
John 10:10, “A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. But I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.”
#4 To protect them from the evil one
David Platt states, “Our mission isn’t to disinfect Christians and put them on a shelf, it’s to disciple them and put them into service.”