FBCWest 436 | Jesus’ Prayer Part 2 - For Us
Recorded On: 01/31/2021
Bulletin
FBCWest
January 31, 2021
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him
must worship Him in Spirit and truth.”
Praise and Worship
SCRIPTURE READING – Psalm 95:1 - 7
“God So Loved”
“Resurrecting”
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“The Earthly Life and Ministry of Jesus the Messiah”
“Jesus’ Prayer: Part 2 - For Us”
PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“The Bond of Love”
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
“The Old Rugged Cross”
OFFERTORY PRAYER
SPECIAL MUSIC – By Pru Hungate
Continued Praise and Worship
“Like a Lion”
“Praise You in this Storm”
Benediction “Egypt”
Acknowledgements and Announcements
Sermon Notes
John 17:20– 23
Jesus prays our oneness
John 17:24
To see His glory
John 17:25
Even though the world does not know the Father, Jesus and His disciples knows the Father
John 17:26 – 19
Jesus has made known and will continue to
make known the Father so that the love of
the Father and Jesus will be in them
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
Last week we took a look.
At the beginning part.
Of Jesus is resurrection. Resurrection is prayer.
Getting ahead of the story Jesus's prayer. We took a look at the.
First 2 parts of that prayer. Having to deal with himself.
And with his disciples.
I wanted to split it into these parts because this part.
His personal.
When you pray for something other than when you feel obligated, there are times we feel obligated to pray. Let's admit it, you know, somebody will say I need prayer an because whatever you are obligated, pray for them because they ask you to pray.
And sometimes we do, and sometimes we don't, but we do. But oftentimes when we pray, it's because we have a felt need or some desire for God to do something and so we come to him in prayer to ask. And so in this part of Jesus is prayer. It becomes fairly personal. So in chapter.
17 of John, starting with verse 20 it says this.
I do not ask on behalf of these alone, these alone is his.
11 disciples at this point, plus those who are with him.
So I don't ask for these on behalf of these long, but for those who believe in me through their word.
So.
Those that believe in him through their word are those of us who are believers.
Because you came to faith, either by reading the Gospels or some part of the scriptures that.
Elicited faith in you an. You then believe which was their writings, or some pastors sermon who was talking about the Word of God, or some person that you knew either family member or friend or even stranger who witnessed to you an you came to faith. All of those of us who came to faith. We came to faith because of somebody else's testimony. We didn't see Jesus. Now Paul was the exception.
Paul became a believer based on Jesus's presentation of himself to him.
But those of us some almost 2000 years later, we have come to faith based on the testimony and the word of those who came before. So he's talking about you and me.
Now.
I find that.
Exceptionally humbling.
The God.
Who sent his son?
To die on a cross for me and for you.
Didn't just die on a cross for me and for you, but prayed for you.
It was that important in his last moments to pray for us.
Now I guess I'm a little more sensitive to this because in a very lesser degree, several decades ago there was this thing called a gas crisis and you had to.
Wait out in the two and 3:00 AM morning in line to hope to buy gas so that you could go to work or do whatever it is you needed to do and at the time we were living in Riverside. So we were in a different County than we that I worked and went to church.
And so we made this decision that we needed to locate to another church closer to our.
Residents.
One of the churches that we attended was a couple. They were close in our age and we really hit it off and never quite felt that that was the church we supposed to join and later on.
We didn't join any church 'cause God intervene and we continued coming here, but.
They later became missionaries.
Now, in our denomination and all the Sunday school material and all the other materials, they'll send you a list of missionaries and usually what it is is that list they have is the missionaries birthday, and so they asked for us to pray for these missionaries on their birthday and so. Praying for a missionary is almost like, you know, one of the things that you're required to do as a Baptist is to pray for missionaries, and so the idea frame for missionary comes as standard.
Christian obligation.
Well, we got a letter.
Does this couple.
Instead of staying pastors, they went as missionaries to some Paulo, Brazil.
And they sent us a letter.
Talking about their new ministry and whatever.
Instead that they were praying for us.
And that hit me.
The person that I'm praying for.
Is praying for me.
And the God who came to save me.
Not only came to save me.
But prayed for me.
The God who.
In his name that I pray.
Prayed for you and me.
Now I think that.
My boy.
And if he prayed for you and me.
It must have been important.
And what he's asking must be important. And The funny thing is, is.
When you hear a lot of Christian sermons or read a lot of books or commentaries or listen to music, no one ever talks about or rarely talks about what he's now going to pray for for you and me.
What is it is praying for?
That they may all be one, even as you father are in me and I in you, that they may also be in us.
So that the world may believe that you sent me.
Jesus is request for you and me.
Is for us to be one?
Now the problem is when you read various.
Authors, whatever, they're always trying to convince us to be something other than what Jesus has taught us to be.
So you'll hear people talk about organizations and and how a church out of work as a fine tune.
Corporation or partnership or that we're all a part of a team, you know. 'cause that's the reason. The more recent thing is you go to it. Whether it's a restaurant or a store, they're no longer sales associates their team members.
'cause that's where I'm supposed to be. We're all supposed to be achieve, so I want to show you the fallacy of that versus what Jesus talking about.
My favorite sport to watch. 'cause I'm too old to play it this football.
In that it's a team sport.
There's an offense and a defense. I'm going to talk about the office, 'cause that's what sells the tickets nowadays.
There are line men hesitant to call that lineman 'cause.
That's misogynistic.
So their line people.
We're really big guys.
Or girls. And they're. They're really big, and their job is to create spaces that we call holes or gaps. So either a running back and run through to gain a bunch yards and hopefully a touchdown.
And they have their jobs to do. They made supposed to block on that place. Block the person in front of them or to the right or to the left. Or maybe they're supposed to pull and go block somebody else. Or maybe they're supposed to block instead of alignment. They're supposed to block off a linebacker. They have their job to do. Or maybe if the play is a pass instead of creating that their job is to protect the quarterback so that that person has enough time to throw the ball.
The quarterback, if he's going to throw the ball.
Goes back according to whether he rolls rider rolls left or drops back and then the various receivers are to have routes.
And everybody has particular route there supposed to run, and if the play starts to breakdown, the quarterback will move and then the receiver's supposed to do with their supposed to do. And if they don't, you'll hear someone who supposedly wise and commenting on it says they're not on the same page.
And that's why the play broke down.
Jesus isn't asking us to be on the same page.
Jesus isn't asking us to block and tackle and do whatever. It's not about being on a team, it's about being him.
It's about being one.
And this is not the only place that the scriptures teach us to be one.
In marriage we are told that the two shall become one flesh.
The problem with that is no one ever tells you what that one flashes, and so the husband tries to be that one guy and the wife tries to be that one lady and they fight back and forth about who's supposed to be the right one, and the answer is neither of you.
You're supposed to be Jesus.
And the world's have also see in our marriage.
The truth.
Of the cross.
Because Jesus is the head of the house.
As he is the head of the body.
And so a better mechanism if you will, is the scriptures tell us either to use plants like a vineyard, and say that we are to abide in him or.
That we are a body.
So.
My body is 1.
I have a hand.
Usually when you see me moving around, you're not saying, Gee, that's Joe's hand moving around. You either think well, why is he doing that? It's kind of bothering me, but you don't.
Pay attention to the fact that just a hand now in this hand is skin and tissue an muscles and tendons.
And ligaments.
Arteries and veins, all these things make up the hand.
But all these things that make up the hand is the hand.
And while it may anatomically say well, my hand ends at my wrist.
My hands, part of the body.
I use it. I need it as a matter of fact, it's so much a part that a lot of times I don't even think about what it is it's doing. It just does it because subconsciously, or whatever I'm telling to do certain things like right now I'm not thinking will move your hands. I just move my hands. I became much more Italian lately. OK, so I'm moving my hands without thinking about it because it's my hands are responding to what it is. My mind is telling to do even though I may not be thinking because my hand.
Part of an is my body.
And if you think that your parts of your body are unimportant, stub your big toe.
All of a sudden your whole bodies are on, you know, and you yell out and do whatever. You might even curse. Shame on you, but you know, we we. So the the mind says certain things. It shouldn't say the mouth participates. We do everything we can because it hurts. And guess what? We make sure we don't bump into that thing again.
Because it affected the body Jesus is telling us that we are to be one.
Not weird to be.
An organization not that we're going to be a mechanical machine.
But we are to be one.
As he and the father are one.
Now that's.
Kind of difficult to really understand 'cause every time we try to explain it, we become heretics.
'cause as the scripture says, hear O Israel, the Lord our God is 1.
And here we talk about the Son of God who is God.
And the father, who is God and the Holy Spirit, who is God. So we talked about 3.
Personalities, if you will, for one God.
How to explain that?
I don't want to be heretics, so I'm not going to.
But that's the idea is that we are to be one as he and the father is 1 and the problem is.
We don't do that well.
'cause notice he said that if we were to do that, the world may believe that you sent me.
It wouldn't be so difficult to convince the world that Jesus is the Christ if we didn't actually participate and act as if Jesus was the Christ.
So when we argue and complain and backbite and do whatever.
We're just convincing the world that they are right.
We're wrong because we don't even believe it ourselves.
So just as Jesus has told us.
That weird to love one another as he is loved us and given himself for us, that that will show that we are his disciples.
We're also this the bear fruit, much fruit, and that will tell the world that we are his disciples, and in this we are trade for that we would be 1 not.
Just like a body if you will, but we are to be one as he and the father are one.
So using the body analogy.
I move.
At his command.
I move.
Maybe even without the thought of his command, because I'm so in tune with my head, then my body reacts in such a way. So The funny thing is, is we're always you hear these people saying what would Jesus do in my argument is why are you now thinking that just do what he does?
As being one, we are to be.
As he is, God is love. So how do we demonstrate the we are one that we love?
How is it that we demonstrate?
That he is.
By producing much fruit.
And the amazing thing is, is this is what Jesus is praying for.
That we might be one but not one in the sense of like me, or like you or like whatever but that we might be like. the Trinity, like God himself.
And have very little thought is given to it. Very little preaching is given to it very little.
I want you to understand I'm pointing a finger at you.
I fully understand that there are more than three fingers pointing back at me as a matter of fact, you're probably pointing finger me. Well, if if that's so important, why are you doing it?
That's the awesome thing about how God is.
Chosen.
Corruptible men and women too.
Preachers word.
'cause we all need to hear.
What he says.
And there is never going to be a time.
So I will.
Hopefully strive.
Every day to be one.
Yes he is 1.
'cause that's why I have to carry my cross daily 'cause I keep wanting to resurrect myself.
That the world might believe.
That you sent me.
Jesus is per request.
For you.
And me.
Verse 22 The Glory which you have given me I have given to them that they may be one, just as we are one. Notice Jesus hasn't stopped here. He's continuing anything you've given me glory.
And just as I have not decided to hold onto my right of being God and I came down as a suffering servant. The glory that you've given me I'm given to y'all.
Jesus loves me this I know.
Not because the Bible tells me so, but his own words tell me so.
His own words tell me not only did he give himself for me.
He's given all that he has for me.
So that they may be one, just as we are one. Not kind of like it, not a poor imitation, not a.
Hypocritical.
Pretense
but that they that we might be one just like the father and the son.
Iron them.
And you and me that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that you sent me and love them.
Even as you love me.
Again, notice.
Isn't there? We are also Inter related.
We're not just to be.
Little Christ.
That's one reason I tend to.
Stay away from Christian.
This 'cause we abuse that word 'cause the meaning of Christian is to belittle Christ.
In most of us.
Ain't
we're poor imitations.
But he said.
Yes.
That we are to be in each other.
So there would be perfected in unity. Now in all the commentaries whenever they talk about the emphasis of God asking for unity.
Nobody is asking for.
He saying that there is a perfecting process in unity.
But he's praying for oneness, not united Knus.
He's not asking for you and me to be united in a common cause. He's asking for you and me to be in him.
Because apart from him we can do nothing.
And again, why so that the world might know that God the father sent God the Son?
Anne.
To know
the largest Jesus loves us.
But the father loves.
I don't know where the church got the idea, probably from the world. Got the idea that the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New Testament, the God of the Old Testament just couldn't wait for you to screw up so he could squash you like a bug. But Jesus came along and he just he was just so mobile milquetoast and he just loved everybody. Just didn't matter and he was the original flower child and everything is cool and he just loves us and doesn't matter what you do or what you did.
'cause he just loves you. You know, can't we all just get along?
Where the scriptures tell us.
Therefore God the father so loved us.
Then he sent Jesus.
It's over and over and over that the Father loves you.
Now might be because we all know we all. Many of you have had terrible fathers.
And so you get your idea of what God is by your father. So if your father was always away at work.
Then God's always away.
If.
If your father was abusive and beat you with a belt, then gods.
Rangers whip and you know if.
You, as a child could twist your father around in your little finger. 'cause anything you ask you know. While your baby girl and it's OK and so you got it then God is God can be manipulated.
Not too bad that our fathers.
Aren't more like.
Godfather.
But whether you had a good father, a bad father, or somewhere in between.
God is in him.
And God the father loves you.
Notice.
You sent me an love them even as you have loved me.
People have this idea of it that God created all of us.
Because he just needed somebody to love.
And that we have free will because he wanted us to love him in response and whatever. And so God set all this up just 'cause he needed a lot.
Scriptures make it very clear that there was sufficient love between God the Father and God the Son. He didn't need us.
For God is love.
He doesn't demonstrate love. He doesn't show love. God is love.
So even as you have loved me, Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me.
Be with me where I am so that they may see my glory which you have given me for you. Love me before the foundations of the world.
Message.
Father, I want you to have them understand.
The glory that I had.
That you've given me.
Is permanent.
And the love we have for each other is permanent and that love that you have for me is also on them.
Permanent.
Not what you do is who he is.
And that love didn't show up.
After he said, let there be light.
That love was there even before the foundations of the world.
Oh, righteous father.
Here is God.
The sun.
Talking to God the father.
He makes clear.
The God himself is righteous.
Alright, his father, although the world is not known you yet, I have known you and these have known you.
That you sent me.
Jesus is prayer is in response to when he tells them plainly that he's come from the father and is going to the father and they said they believe in Jesus the same because of that confession.
This happened.
And I have made known your name. I'm sorry and I have made your name known to them.
And we'll make it known.
So that.
The love with which you love me may be in them.
And I.
In them.
I want you to notice something.
Jesus has made known the name of God.
Kind of a strange statement, but yet.
Let's go back a little bit.
When God sent Moses.
To pharaoh.
Then he might free his people.
He said.
Well, they're going to ask me your name. What should I tell them?
And God says, tell him, I am sent you.
In Jesus throughout his meant ministry said, I am, I am the way I am, the truth and the life. I and the resurrection IAM IAM and he has constantly.
Taking that I am name instead. I have made known your name to them.
And.
The lesson hasn't stopped.
I am going tinued to make known your name.
Which is interesting in a lot of people.
I've written books and articles and I encourage you about the various names of God.
El shadai
the various aspects that he's a provider that he's a father that he is a protector that he is. All these things and Jesus is saying I'm revealing too.
Your people.
Who you are? The names that you are known by.
And one of those names is Jesus.
You see our God and father.
Can't be seen.
All that we can understand about who God is is found in the frame.
Of a man God called Jesus.
Yeah, sure.
The Christ.
And Jesus is saying, I know you're an invisible God and in mankind is has really difficult ideas with that. So I'm here that they may see who you're like.
That you love and love isn't what I get out of it, but love is. What are your needs and I provide for.
So he's made known his name so that the love with which you love me may be in them.
When we understand who God is, then we're no longer insecure about his love for us, 'cause we know who he is.
And not only that.
But that the love.
That you have for me may be in them.
But also I am there.
So you have a double dose of love.
You are the love of the father and love of the sun.
Who dwells in us?
And the prayer is that we dwell in him.
So that.
When we are called Christians is not because of our religion.
Or it's not because of our denomination, it's because they no longer see Joe.
They see Jesus.
When they no longer see Joe and see Jesus.
Then it won't be so hard for me to convince them.
The Jesus came from the father.
But until they say all too much, Joe.
Cool.
That may be your truth.
But you even have difficulty dealing with it.
So here again.
I just saved you the price of a book.
You're wondering what, what is God's purpose for me?
Be one.
As he is.
But that's hard.
Yeah.
But you would you rather.
In a financial.
I would use this. Would you rather spend your time picking up pennies?
$4000 bills?
So would you rather spend your time?
Becoming the most successful person on this planet.
Only the fear washed away for eternity.
Or would you rather be?
One with God.
Seems to me that there is no.
Decision here.
But we spend so much of our time.
On the temporary.
When Jesus has prayed for you and me.
For the internal.
So that when we all get to heaven.
We're not there because we think we made it by the skin of our teeth.
But we know we've been there because of the love of the father.
It's not about me, it's about him.
And my worship of him here and there.
Because of who he is.
Not because of what I've done.
So we're going to sing in a moment.
The band is going to lead us in an old hymn.
Kind of a chorus.
We are one in the bond of love.
But we are one not because of love.
We are one because of him.
And that binding of love is there.
Because.
Of who He is and what He's done.
All God's people said.