Numbers 6:24-26 - The Lord bless you, and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.
Psalm 29:11 - The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.
2 Peter 1:2 - Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord…
3 changes that result from trusting God’s plan
I. Sorrow Is Changed to Joy (v16-24)
A. God’s plan may seem confusing at first, but clarity will come (v16-19)
John 16:16-19 - A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me. Some of His disciples then said to one another, “What is this thing He is telling us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” So they were saying, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is talking about.” Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, “Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me’?”
B. God’s plan may bring sadness until you consider the result (v20-22)
John 16:20 - Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy.
Luke 24:17 - And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad.
“Kindle the fire of wood make no spare. Hath this villain deluded the emperor? Away with him, away with him: whip him with scourges, jerk him with rods, buffet him with fists, brain him with clubs. Pinch him with fiery tongs, gird him with burning plates, bring out the strongest chains, and the fire-forks, and the grated bed of iron: on the fire with it; bind the rebel hand and foot; and when the bed is fire-hot, on with him: roast him, broil him, toss him, turn him: on pain of our high displeasure do every man his office." The word was no sooner spoken, but all was done. After many cruel handlings, this meek lamb was laid, I will not say on his fiery bed of iron, but on his soft bed of down. So mightily God wrought with his martyr Lawrence, so miraculously God tempered His element the fire; that it became not a bed of consuming pain, but a pallet of nourishing rest.” (Foxes Book of Martyr’s)
“Blandina, a Christian lady, of a weak constitution; …on the day when she and the three other champions were first brought into the amphitheater, she was suspended on a piece of wood fixed in the ground, and exposed as food for the wild beasts; at which time, by her earnest prayers, she encouraged others. But none of the wild beasts would touch her, so that she was remanded to prison. When she was again produced for the third and last time, she was accompanied by Ponticus, a youth of fifteen, and the constancy of their faith so enraged the multitude that neither the sex of the one nor the youth of the other were respected, being exposed to all manner of punishments and tortures. Being strengthened by Blandina, he persevered unto death.”
John 16:21-22 - Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.
2 Corinthians 4:17 - For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison…
C. Therefore, we are to pray according to his will (v23-24)
John 16:23-24 - In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.
“After feasting the guards who apprehended him, he desired an hour in prayer, which being allowed, he prayed with such fervency, that his guards repented that they had been instrumental in taking him. He was, however, carried before the proconsul, condemned, and burnt in the market place. The proconsul then urged him, saying, ‘Swear, and I will release thee;--reproach Christ.’ Polycarp answered, ‘Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never once wronged me; how then shall I blaspheme my King, Who hath saved me?’ At the stake to which he was only tied, but not nailed as usual, as he assured them he should stand immovable”
II. Doubt Is Changed to Belief (v25-30)
A. God’s love for us is clearly demonstrated in His plan of redemption (v25-28)
John 16:25-28 - These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; or the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.
Acts 1:1-3 - The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
Romans 8:32 - He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
B. God’s plan has been clearly revealed (v29-30)
John 16:29-30 - His disciples said, “Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech. Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.”
III. Fear Is Changed to Courage (v31-33)
A. God’s peace is offered to all who believe in Him (v31-32)
John 16:31-32 - Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.”
B. God’s sovereignty over all results in our ultimate peace (v33)
John 16:33 - These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.
Let’s start the day today asking a “Family Feud” style question…What are the most important things a Christian should incorporate into their daily lives?
…
Some of those answers are likely Worship, good your area here today, reading your Bible, we’ll talk about that more later, but one answer I heard/expected to hear early is prayer.
I think we can agree that prayer is a vital component of the Christian life. In fact think back to before you were a Christian, most of us considered prayer in those days as well, we may just not have fully understood prayer which begs the question “Why do we pray for another?”
One – We pray for those who are closest to us. Wives praying for husbands and parents praying for children because of the love that we feel for the other.
Sometimes we stop to pray because we are asked. As a pastor, it is not unusual that I will get asked to pray because I am a pastor. Now it is not that my prayer is special in anyway, rather James says that the prayer of a righteous person can accomplish much. Christian friend, that is all of us.
Another reason we pray is out of compassion and concern for others. It does take a person to ask you to pray when they tell you they are diagnosed with cancer…
Then the next question that follows – “What do we pray for?” On the one hand, we typically pray that our circumstances or those of the person we are praying for might change…that they would be healed or that the right job becomes available.
But we also know that circumstances do not always change, so we make a request for wisdom, strength, peace, grace, or courage to face the day.
That would be the case we will find in today’s passage. The circumstances are not going to change build-up his disciples and strengthen them that they might face what is to come…
Today we are going to close out the scene we have been focused on now for 7 weeks. Ever since Pastor Viars showed us how we can enjoy life in his name by serving one another well, we have remained in the small upper room where Jesus spent his final night prior to going to the cross.
We have seen that even though Jesus’s own heart is deeply troubled, his heart is focused on ministering to his disciples knowing that they too have troubled hearts, and so Jesus prays.
It should not surprise us that Jesus prayed. What did Jesus love most? His Father. How did He stay connected to the Father…prayer. Many times we have seen Jesus go off alone so that He might pray. This is where Jesus found rest. But He also prayed at times for others to see in order to glorify the Father as Jesus did his father’s work here on earth. He prayed at his baptism, before feeding the masses, as a request to raise Lazarus from the dead. And many other times as well.
But today, Jesus’ prayer takes on a special purpose for the disciples and for us. How do I know that?
First Jesus shared his prayer out loud before the disciples. He wanted them to hear and be strengthened by his prayer and then because it is recorded in scripture for us, more than any other prayer Jesus offered during his ministry. It is recorded for us that we might also be strengthen by his prayer.
John’s gospel was written so that we might believe and so that we might Enjoying Life in His Name.
Today we can grow in that “By Being Strengthened by the Lord’s Prayer.” With that in mind, please turn to John chapter 17.
Think about where we know about this moment in time because we sit here on the other side of the cross. We know what is coming for the disciples, we know the horror that Christ faces on the cross which is why Jesus’s prayer here is so amazing and encouraging for us a His followers.
As you read along with me, note that there will be two main breakpoints at verses 6 and 20 as we find Jesus prays for himself in verses 1-5, then for the 11 remaining disciples in verses 6-19 and then see how he closes by praying for you an me
READ JOHN 17
This passage has so much to say for us, that I will encourage you to come back to it many times. For today, I want to help us see the big picture in Jesus’s prayer and
consider 5 reasons Jesus’ longest recorded prayer in the Bible strengthens us.
Think about it, if you were among the disciples that night, what would you be holding onto for strength…Thankfully, Jesus shows us why his prayer for them would help.
We are strengthened first when he reminds them of the ultimate goal…
I. Because God is supremely glorified in the fulfillment of his plan (John 17:1-5)
Do you find it strange that Jesus prayed for himself out loud? Hadn’t he rebuked the Pharisee for praying in a way that lifted themselves up for all to hear? The difference here is that Jesus is not exalting himself, Jesus is making a request because the work of the Father will be completed this night. God’s plan was being fulfilled and the disciples, as well as you and I, need to hear what that plan is…knowing the fulfillment of God’s plan is complete will strengthen us
So what do we all hear?
Jesus asks that he enjoy the glory of pre-creation (vv. 1, 5)
Ultimately, God’s glory is the greatest accomplishment and his greatest glory comes at the cross to restore the intimacy of the Father and Son, between all three persons of the Godhead which had been temporarily interrupted.
- Jesus longs to be clothed in the splendor he enjoyed with the Father before the world began.
Of course, inherent in this prayer request is the willingness to go to the cross. The dreadful events of the next 12-18 hours form the pathway to the supreme way that the Father will glorify the son and the son will be restored to his prior splendor.
But is not just the final outcome we need to see, but also how do we get there. God’s ultimate glory comes because
Jesus has accomplished all that he was given to do (v. 4)
Jesus is not asking for his inheritance early like we see in the prodigal son. No, Jesus has been perfectly obedient to the Father completing the work he was given.
Loving his Father perfectly, Jesus can also speak to the hours ahead as completed and the Father glorified because He will carry out God’s will…He knows that he will go to the cross and suffer all its agony and be separated from His Father on the cross and he states in advance that he has accomplished all God has given him to do.
The job is complete.
But what is up with vv. 2-3? What is Jesus saying?
If who is glorifying who has you confused just remember that everyone in the godhead is glorifying everyone else.
But why? What is the result?
Resulting in people being saved (vv. 2-3)
John 17:2-3 even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. 3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Jesus’ prayer recounts God’s sovereign plan to create a people for his own possession through a relationship with the Messiah!
Jesus glorifies the Father by doing what he was assigned and the Father glories the Son by completing the process of saving people, redeeming his people for himself. Restoring the broken relationship because He wants them to know the only true God.
To know God and to be with him is the substance of eternal life.
The disciples and us hear this prayer and we remember that we have the privilege of being the result of the Father’s plan and the Son’s finished work.
I hope that you are strengthened by knowing that you are a part of God’s eternal plan, your salvation, our relationship with the God of the Universe is a part of His eternal plan.
If you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and savior, I hope you are encouraged right now.
What a beautiful picture Jesus paints in these few words. Eternal Life, our destination in heaven is not a promise of an unending party with ease and comfort. No eternal life is something far greater, it is a restored relationship with our creator, that we can know God and know that He sees us, loves us and knows us more intimately than any relationship on this earth.
Jesus’s prayer request reminds us that the essence of eternal life is not going on our best vacations, celebrating the best parties, being with others who have gone before as much as it is knowing God and his Son and being with them.
It is also possible that you may be here, hearing Jesus’s prayer, and not be encouraged or strengthened.
- Maybe that is because you do not have a relationship with Christ. You have chosen to this point that you do not need it.
- It might even be possible that someone here has been angry at God because you believe God owes you better circumstances.
- But the truth is that God does not owe us anything and yet he has given us everything.
- The gospel is about a relationship with the creator and redeemer of the world. Our greatest need is not the resolution of today’s looming problems, our greatest need is a changed heart.
- If you have questions, if you have a wall up or a weight on your shoulders that is preventing you from coming to Christ, don’t take it home with you today. Jesus’s prayer is that the work is complete, so let’s get it done for you today too.
IN addition to finding strength in the fulfillment of God’s plan, We find additional reasons to be strengthened as Jesus prays for his disciples …
II. Because God protected the disciples in their faith (John 17:6-16)
This section of Jesus’ prayer, Jesus does not start with a request as he did in verse 1, He begins with a series of reasons why the Father should grant his request.
Kind of like when my kids tell me all the things I should consider before they ask a question…My room is clean, the dishes are done, laundry is going, and I ate my broccoli, so dad, can I have $20…
I am sorry, I can’t even begin to compare those types of requests, this is so much better, but in the same way, Jesus begins and he
Jesus explains why his request should be answered (vv. 6-11)
With reasons far greater than eating your broccoli. Jesus’ reasons are really powerful. First He says…
John 17:6b “and they have kept Your word.”
Some might way, wait a minute. I thought the disciples struggled to understand. That is true. At times Jesus corrected them for their failures. However, even though they do not understand perfectly, they are still with Jesus.
In John 6 everyone abandoned him. In John 13 Judas left to betray him.
When push came to shove, there were 11 still with Jesus on the night he was betrayed. Jesus calls that keeping his word.
Is that encouraging for you? I know I do not follow Jesus perfectly, I can’t and neither can you, but when we hold onto our faith in Him – We each chose to be here this morning. Jesus calls that keeping his word. But let’s not confuse church attendance with faith, there’s more. Jesus says…
John 17:7-8 “Now they have come to know … and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me”
The disciples believe that Jesus is the truth and has come from God. The Jewish leaders rejected this truth and killed Jesus for it. The average person in Lafayette does not believe this truth and rejects Jesus because they believe a lie and choose to think that we are our own authority…we are not our own…
John 17:9 “I ask on their behalf; … for they are Yours”
The disciples belong to the Father.
Parents – you get the same request from your kids and from someone you don’t know who just knocks on your door. Who are you more likely to say yes to? Your kids, because they are yours…
And Jesus asks the Father because
John 17:10 “I have been glorified in them”
Is that amazing or what? Jesus is glorified by those who believe in him and seek to keep his word. If you know Christ, as his disciples did, then Jesus is glorified because of your belief and trust in him.
John 17:11-12 “I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You… While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them
While he was with his disciples, Jesus protected them, but that is about to change.
Throughout John’s gospel we heard “my hour has not yet come.” And as such, those who hated Jesus could not harm him…They wanted to throw him off a cliff, but he walked through the crowd. They picked up stones to kill him and Jesus walked away.
The disciples were there each time and the crowd did not turn on them. Jesus protected his disciples. But now he is leaving. A couple hours from now he will arrested, to suffer alone. By this time tomorrow he will be in a tomb. He will not be there to protect them…
Jesus prays that the Father would do what Jesus has been doing.
That is a compelling list of reasons why God should answer his request, but He still hasn’t made the actual request.
One more truth to see before we unpack this prayer of protection …
Jesus fulfilled the Scripture (v. 12b)
Judas was not a failure on Jesus’ part, long ago we knew that one would choose to rebel against Messiah. Judas’ actions prove that the Scripture was fulfilled. This is not surprising because Jesus fulfills and is the fulfillment of the OT.
Now… back to the request
Jesus prays for their spiritual protection (vv. 13-16)
The evil one’s goal in battling Christ is to take us away from the Father, to snatch us from His hand by deceiving us that we might choose to believe a lie and reject Christ and reject the gift of eternal life that comes through Grace alone, by faith alone…
Remember, it is Christ’s completed work on the cross that brings God his greatest glory because it results in the redemption of our sinful hearts. That is the fulfillment of God’s plan bringing Him glory.
and the evil one’s goal is to steal God’s glory for himself, by showing that He can turn God’s children away from God. So, Jesus prays for our spiritual protection
Carson says, “What is now made clear is that Jesus’ concern in such a prayer is not that the statistics on faithfulness be preserved, but that his disciples might share his joy (D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary [Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991], 564.)
IN addition to God’s glory, Jesus prays for their protection “so that they may have my joy made full in themselves. Commentor Colin Kruse explains this that
“Jesus’ joy came from doing the Father’s will and the joy of the disciples would come from doing what Jesus commanded. (C. Kruse, John, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries [Dover’s Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 2017], 399.)
We see this evident in Acts chapter 5 when the disciples after being imprisoned and flogged and commanded not to speak the name of Jesus, they went away rejoicing for being considered worthy to suffer in the name of Christ.
Jesus’s prayer for protection tell us of his heart for his people - He wants us to be protected from the world and the evil one so that we might keep our faith, fulfill our mission, and experience joy.
That gives me hope and that strengthens me that the Father is protecting me. God has proven throughout his word that he is capable of protected others and he is fully capable of protecting me.
Again Carson said it well, Doubtless Christians in John’s day were forced to ponder the implications of this prayer. So also were those who were contemplating the possibility of becoming Christians. The cosmic, spiritual nature of the conflict is laid bare. The followers of Jesus are permitted neither the luxury of compromise with a ‘world’ that is intrinsically evil and under the devil’s power, nor the safety of disengagement. But if the Christian pilgrimage is inherently perilous, the safety that only God himself can provide is assured, as certainly as the prayers of God’s own dear Son will be answered (D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary [Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991], 565.)
I have given two reasons why we should be strengthened by this prayer. (1) Because God is glorified in the fulfillment of his plan which I am a part; (2) Because God protected (and still protects) his followers in their faith. How else can it strengthen me?
Reason #3.
III. Because God grew the disciples through his Word (John 17:17-19)
We are still in the section where Jesus is praying for his 11 disciples. That means all the reasons why his requests should be answered are still in play. They have kept the word, they have accepted Jesus’ word and believed God sent him, they are yours, Jesus is glorified by them, and Jesus is leaving.
Those were the reasons they needed to be protected, it is also why they need to grow. The means by which they grow is the truth.
John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”
Sometimes we hear in church that we need to read our Bible more and we are like…whatever. We have heard that a bazillion times. Yet, we do not do anything about it.
I know it sounds cliché, but this passage is one reason your Bible is so important.
You cannot grow unless you are reading, thinking, and meditating on the truth. Jesus could have prayed for anything. What he chose was growth through the Word.
DA Carson wrote helpfully,
In practical terms, no-one can be ‘sanctified’ or set apart for the Lord’s use without learning to think God’s thoughts after him, without learning to live in conformity with the ‘word’ he has graciously given. (D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary [Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991], 566.)
Without the Truth, growth is not just unlikely … it is not possible.
I think we should all be strengthened by the reality that God did this in the lives of his disciples.
I have the book of John because God answered this prayer. He sanctified John in the truth that He might write the gospel
I have most of my NT because God saved and sanctified Paul in the truth. Paul was transformed by the truth from a zealous persecutor of the church to a grace fill apostle building the church among the gentiles.
Folks, let’s be serious about this for a moment. When we say we believe and we want to hear truth, do our lives really show that commitment?
There are a lot of things that can dominate our thinking. Social issues and life circumstances have a place. We are in the world, not coming out of it. There are certain things that must be done in life.
But what about the Word? Where is that in your schedule? I don’t have time you say? How much time did you spend reading the same news stories, checking on sports, checking Pinterest, posting on FB or making Tik Tok videos?
Do you want to grow – we need to seek the truth in God’s Word
- Talk about Fall Ministry brochures / Fall Ministry
- NBG’s, Women’s Studies, Men of Faith
- FCI
- Talk about Intro to Faith
- WNKOF
- Get help early … mentoring and counseling
- Using social media for God/good
We all make time for the things that we see as important in our lives – Will you make time for the truth? To read, study and meditate on God’ Word that He might sanctify you, change you and make you more like His Son?
We have kept in mind (1) that the structure of the text is that Jesus prays for himself (vv. 1-5); for his disciples (vv. 6-19); and for his people (vv. 20-26); and (2) that the prayer was audible to strengthen his disciples and written down ultimately for us.
IV. Because Jesus calls us to spiritual unity resulting in evangelism (John 17:20-23)
As Jesus turns his attention to all believers (v. 20 … not these alone, but those who will believe through their word) he prays
For Unity
John 17:20-21a I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one
Jesus’ prayer goes beyond those who believed in him on that day, He knows that the work of the disciples, their witness to the ministry of Christ, will cause more to come to believe. Ultimately Jesus is praying for everyone who would come to believe based on the eyewitness testimony of the disciples and then everyone who would come to believe because they read His Word in the Bible which was not yet completed and He is praying for everyone who will come to believe because of your testimony. His prayer is that we would all be One…
Unity is not the same thing as uniformity. Everyone does not have to be a clone of one another to and that which holds us together is Christ. We unite around the Word and what it says.
When we read our Bible we see what it means and then all agree that it has the right to govern our choices and it is the standard for our judgments, then we are exhibiting unity. And this in turn brings us into the intimate relationship that God desires for us – “even as You, Father are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us.
And what would happen from there?
Resulting in evangelism
John 17:21b so that the world may believe that You sent Me
Carson observes, As the display of genuine love amongst the believers attests that they are Jesus’ disciples (13:34–35), so this display of unity is so compelling, so un-worldly, that their witness as to who Jesus is becomes explainable only if Jesus truly is the revealer whom the Father has sent. (D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary [Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991], 568)
You see, it is the brokenness in the church, when we demonstrate a lack of unity between denominations or even within the local church, that the world uses as a justification for why they choose to not be a part of the church and thus rejecting the truth in Christ and so we are called to live in the unity so that the World may believe…
Let’s look at some of the practical ways we can all be a part to this unity…
- Presence … it is hard to exhibit any meaningful form of unity without presence. Are you committed to being in the Lord’s house every week? Or just when our schedules are open on Sunday?
- Serving … we all need one another and we need what each other brings to the table. If we are all doing something, then no one person needs to do too much.
- Owning … Consider the difference between “the church” and “my church” …
- when our favorite sports team wins we use the language of “we won” even though you never stepped on the field. But it communicates our heart and our connection.
- How do we view Faith (the church I attend or my church)?
Everyone must be committed to preserving the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Our final reason is …
V. Because Jesus reminds us of our heavenly home with him (John 17:24-26)
John 17:24 “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am”
We saw Jesus comforting his disciples in John 14 where Jesus told them that he was going to prepare a place for them so that where he is, they could be also. When we think of God and Jesus, sometimes we limit ourselves to only thinking spiritually…
Jesus desires to be physically with his people. That’s crazy talk right?
Sometimes believers do not seem very encouraged or excited about heaven. We save that for when old age or poor health no longer allow us to enjoy our current state so that we begin to think about the next one.
When I need strength – I can take great joy in knowing that my Savior wants to be with me and he prays for it and He has gone to prepare a place for us. Thank You Jesus. Take me now.
Next week, the pace is going to pick up again Jesus willingly steps out on the path to the cross, but until then I want you to be strengthened in the face of the world this week because we can know that
(1) Because God is supremely glorified in the fulfillment of his plan (a plan I am a part);
(2) God protected his disciples from the world and Satan (that tells me about his heart);
(3) God grew his disciples so that they could fulfill their mission (I am on that same journey);
(4) God wants to be spiritually unified resulting in evangelism (I have a current mission); and
(5) Jesus reminds us of our heavenly home with him