The Prayer of Jesus for Himself

John 17:1-8

 

We have been studying the final night of Jesus life before the Cross/ last words to his Disciples

A)Powerful teachings about service / Priorities / Heaven and about the Helper

 

B) Jesus ends this time w/ a very insightful Prayer : 3 main themes

1)1st v.1-8 He prays for himself – He might be Glorified [TONIGHT]

2) 2nd Prays for his Disciples that they might be Sanctified [next week]

3) 3rd Prays for the Church to come that they would be unified [on the 29th]

 

C) Tonight John 17:1-8 He Prays for Himself – Read verses

 

The important word glory is used five times in these verses, and we must carefully distinguish the various “glories” that Jesus mentions.

A)In v.5, He referred to His pre-incarnate glory with the Father, the glory that He laid aside when He came to earth to be born, to serve, to suffer, & to die.

 

B)In John 17:4, He reported to the Father that His life and ministry on earth had glorified Him,

1)     because He (Jesus) had finished the work the Father gave Him to do.

 

C)And In V. 1 & V. 5  our Lord asked that His pre-incarnate glory be given to Him again,

1)     so that the Son might glorify the Father in His return to heaven.

 

D) That is what Jesus means in v. 1 when he says Father Glorify your Son /

 

Jesus Knew that He was going to the Cross – but the Cross was not the end – He would rise from the Dead & Ascend to Heaven

A)The work of Redemption would be complete – Jesus would begin his new role as our High priest – lives to make intercession for us

There is a tremendous lesson here about prayer.

A)Was it not already God's program that if the Son were crucified he would be raised from the dead and ascend into the heavens?

 

B)Yet when the hour comes Jesus asks the Father to do this. He prays for this glory which was already promised to him.

1) This helps us a great deal in understanding prayer.

 

C) Sometimes  people say to me, "Why should I pray? God has already programmed my life. He knows what I'm going to do and what's going to happen to me, so why should I ask him to do anything? It's all going to happen anyway."

 

D)That position totally ignores the revelation of the Scriptures that prayer is a part of the process by which God brings to pass what he has already proposed to do.

1)James tells us, "You have not because you ask not," { Jas 4:2}.

 

E) God wants us to Ask – He wants us to acknowledge our need !!!!

 

This passage also gives us great insight into what should be the Ultimate goal of everyone of us – To Glorify God w/ our lives

A)How is God glorified ? See from Jesus example – it is by doing what He called us to do!!!

 

B) God has a plan for each of us to fulfill – The way that we fulfill that plan is by doing what He has put before us today

1)    Doing what is in front of you now!! Don’t get sidetracked by worrying about the Future – Be Faithful in the Present

 

C) So that when your life is over – see the big picture – I was faithful to the Work that God called me to { Training kids / witness / ministry

Jesus says in v.4  I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.

A)Now this is interesting to me that Jesus says this before going to the cross I have glorified you on earth & finished the work….

 

B) It shows that Although the act had not been completely – Jesus had purposed in His heart – { Face like flint …….. Jerusalem }

1)     Most of the time that is the Starting place – for fulfilling the Lord’s will – Purpose in your heart – Non- negotiable –  going in this direction

 

C) Now Jesus mentions 3 things here in conjunction w/ the work he was called to Complete

 

1st v.2 You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. 

A)He came to give eternal life to men !!!!! – Thru his death on the cross Jesus accomplished that work –

 

B) Eternal life – was available to all who put their trust in Him 

1) Now in v. 3 He tells us what that Eternal life Consist of  3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

 

C) The Jews understood something that we often miss – concept of Eternal life isn’t merely talking about – Longevity – but Quality

1)     They believed the closer they got to God the more Quality of life they would experience –

 

D) Problem was in their religious system – one of Distance – they couldn’t close to God – Day of Atonement – Holy of Holies

1)     VEIL – don’t enter

 

But Jesus came that man might be able to get Close to God –

A)Know = Ginosko – Know intimate close relationship / Know thru experience

 

B) Know God – Know the Father – Greatness / Majesty / King / Creator

Provider -

 

C) Know Jesus: Savoir/ Friend / Shepherd / High Priest

 

D) God wants you to Know Him – Live in Fellowship w/ Him

 

So His first work that He completed was Establishing a way for man to experience eternal life

A)2nd  mentions in v.6 "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word

 

B) ‘I have manifested YOUR name.’ The word translated, ‘manifest’  ‘means ‘to shine forth’.

1)     It doesn’t mean so much declaration as it does illustration.

 

C) So When Jesus says, ‘I have manifested Your name,’ He isn’t saying, ‘I have preached about it verbally,’ but rather, ‘I have lived it out observably’.

 

D) Paul would later say (I Timothy 3:16). ‘Great is the mystery of godliness ‘that God was manifest in the flesh,’ Truly, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).

 

E) Jesus said, ‘This is what I’ve done Father — I have lived out Your Name and Your Nature before these men You’ve entrusted to Me. They have seen You by seeing Me.  [ Visible Representation  of the Father ]

Jesus was the light of the world – revealing the heart & nature of the Father to mankind – Now he says – You are the Light of the World

A)You are the visible representation of Who God is – what He is like !

 

B) As the Law came down from Mt. Sinai, it read, ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not covet.’

 

C) It was heavy — but the people received it because it was delivered to them by a man whose face was glowing (Exodus 34:29).

1) So too, if you come down on your friends, colleagues or kids and you’re growling, not glowing, they’ll resent you and reject the law you bring.

 

D)Your kids will rebel; your friends will leave; your employees will quit because they’ll resent what you share.

1)     But if, like Moses, like Jesus, you’re spending time with the Father, you will be able to correctly manifest Him.

 

So First of all He manifested the Father to them – 2nd He gave them the Father’s words

 7 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.  8 For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them,

 

A)Jesus came & revealed to them an entirely different way of living – a way that would not focus so much on the outward actions

1)    But that would focus upon the heart –

 

B) New Covenant: New Heart – Spirit cause you to……

1)     IN the Jewish religion much emphasis was placed on the outward actions even though the inward heart was the real issue

 

C) Jesus came and made that Crystal clear – The Father is concerned about the heart – For out of it flows the issues of life

1) Out of the abundance of the Heart the mouth speaks

 

 

SO Jesus Prays first for Himself – Declaring finished the work that had been assigned to Him – Asked to be Glorified – return to His place

A)Further Glory to God – that is the goal

 

B) What about you this week – Finished the Task –

 

C) Mistake of Saul – AGAG = still alive

1) Samuel – dealt w/ it – Do you have an Agag in your life – Haven’t dealt w/