John 17, What Do You Pray For?, Dr. John B. Carpenter

John 17 and the Shape of Christian Prayer

I'll be reading john chapter 17 the entire chapter. I hear the word of the lord. When jesus had spoken these words he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said Father the hour has come glorify your son that the son may glorify you.

Since you have given him authority over all flesh to give him eternal life To all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life that they know you the only true god. And jesus christ whom you have sent I glorified you on earth having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.

And now father glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. I manifest your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were and you gave them to me.

And they have kept your word. Now they know that everything That you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me. And they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you.

And they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I'm not praying for the world. But for those whom you have given me for they are yours. All mine are yours and yours are mine and i'm glorified in them.

And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world and i'm coming to you holy father. Keep them in your name. Which you have given me that they may be one even as we are one While I was with them.

I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you.

And these things I speak in the world that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word. And the world has hated them because they are not of the world just as I am not of the world.

I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world so I have sent them into the world and for their sake I consecrate myself.

That they also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask For these only but also for those who will believe in me through their word. That they may all be one just as you father are in me and I in you.

That they also may be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them that they may be one even as we are one I and them and you and me.

That they may become perfectly one. So that the world may know that you sent me and love them even as you love me father. I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am to see my glory that you have given me because You love me before the foundations of the world.

Oh righteous father. Even though the world does not know you. I know you. And these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name. And I will continue to make it known that the love with which you have loved me May be in them.

And I in them. May the lord add his blessings to the reading of his holy word. What do you pray for? You know think back over the last week or month. What's occupied your prayers. If you kept a record a log of some kind of of what you pray for.

Now, what would it show? What would dominate it? Now, let's leave out thanking god for your food, which you should do. But I mean the kind of the unforced prayers the spontaneous prayers. Maybe when you wake up or before you go to bed the things that come to your mind to pray for.

If you have a regular prayer time. Which you should do. Now a lot of churches and pastors are concerned simply to get you to pray. To inspire you to pray more. Maybe have a regular quiet time every morning.

Most of the pithy quotes and cute stories I saw in prayer are geared just simply to get you to pray. No matter what it is you pray for the best one. I think is a quote from john bunyan. You can do more than pray After you have prayed.

But you cannot do more than pray Until you have prayed. The cutest pro prayer joke. Maybe you've heard it before about a man desperately running from a lion. Hoping to escape and crying out. Lord make this lion a christian and then to his amazement just as the lion Pounces on him and forces him to the ground before starting to bite him the lion bows its head.

Starts to pray the man's amazed And jubilant that his prayer has been answered only to hear the lion pray. I thank you for this food that i'm about to receive. Maybe one of the reasons that so many christians are having such a hard time praying Is what they are praying for they simply got to go through a checklist of relatives and friends who are sick some kind of other Crisis and so they're checking them off.

And it gets to be kind of boring after a while. It's just reciting a list but it's all about trying to get god to be their their sugar daddy. Their blessing machine. Now if your religion is therapeutic moralistic deism, you probably don't pray much.

Maybe only in a crisis when you need to be rescued the spirituality is is therapeutic. In that god or the church or the preacher is or whatever. It's like a counselor or a therapist and it's to help you adjust to life.

Maybe to soothe your feelings if you've been hurt now god might carry you. When you need him to but most of the time you can get. You can get along pretty well without him. Thank you very much. He's deistic meaning from like from deism meaning that he created the world and like a clock maker makes a clock.

But is no longer involved closely in it and the universe is a machine is running on its own. And if we need help with something in this big machine Then maybe we'll pray. But most of the time we don't really need his help the machine kind of operates all by itself.

And so they think well why pray and they don't pray much. Most of the strategies to promote prayer in this atmosphere many people think like that of this atmosphere of therapeutic moralistic deism. To get people motivate people to pray is to battle that last Bad idea about god to change minds that god is this is distant and uninvolved in this world so the current Popular christian approach is to offer therapeutic moralistic pietism.

That is that it's all about a wonderfully personal relationship with it with a dear friend who will walk with you every step of the way. And even carry you when if you need him to and so we encourage people to exchange the idea of a distant god whom we think We could do without most of the time.

Exchange that for the idea of a personal intimate friend that we need all the time. And that's true. But we're not getting all the root of that weed. We're we're still just as self-centered. We're still reducing god.

You know to a therapist a helping hand we still are. Are therapeutic. We're therapeutic pietist instead of therapeutic deist. We're just trying to convince people the deist out there that they need the great therapist the heavenly friend.

A lot more than they thought they did. Our solution then is to tell people to pray more. Not to change the very heart of why they're praying and what they pray for. What do you pray for. Here we see jesus praying.

This is the longest prayer of jesus in the bible. He's frequently mentioned prayer inviting us to ask the father in his name. Over the past few chapters that we've read from chapter 13, you know. There's a long last talk that he's giving before he goes away.

He's encouraged us to pray in his name. You know told us with promises that what we ask in his name that he will do and we'll get what we ask. The therapeutic person that jumps on that especially the deit the pietist jumps on that on that promise and so.

See, that's why we should pray because we ask whatever we want for whatever we want and we will get it and they finally. They think well finally that will we can get from god what will make us whole the money.

We need the the job the sweet relationship the health the health of the family member. That they don't want to have to let go and so that's what they think prayer is all about and then. When those prayers aren't always answered They wonder what went wrong.

Maybe that promise. Is it for real? And so then they're praying withers away. And pastors still try to inspire them to pray more with cute slogans and heroic stories and funny jokes, but it doesn't work.

Christ's Prayer for His Own Glorification and Eternal Life

Because of what they are praying for Jesus has promoted prayer in this last talk with his disciples and here He does it and he models it and the last thing he does with his disciples before he is crucified Is pray.

What does jesus pray for? He prays for three things first for himself and then for his people and finally for us. First jesus prays for himself. He looks up to heaven. And he begins father the hour has come.

He was saying earlier in john about three times that his hour had not yet come he put people off. My hour has not yet come but when the gentiles came to him He says that his hour has come and this is the last time that he will say that in john.

And here he says that of course to the father his first request is then. Now that the hour has come. Glorify your son. The therapeutic Pietist Would say see. We're supposed to pray for ourselves. But the problem isn't praying for ourselves.

We all need to do that. The problem is what we pray for ourselves. If we're just praying about health about bodies about money our feelings about success. Well, that's the problem. Jesus's prayer for himself is that the father would glorify Your son now does that mean we follow his example and we pray, you know father glorify me.

Well, maybe. If the reason for you being glorified. You being a success having a booming business being a great writer or? Having a great career or a big family or making lots of money if the reason is the same.

As why jesus prayed that he be glorified? That The son may glorify you. The purpose of our prayers for ourselves Must be to glorify god to make him seen as great. Notice how quickly the request for jesus to be glorified leads to others first.

It's actually a prayer that god be glorified that is esteemed revered worship. And that glorification of jesus would lead to eternal life for god's people. Father glorify your son. Since you have given him authority over all flesh.

All authority in heaven and earth is given to him. Jesus says before the great commission. Remember that and the kingdom of god has come his rule. Is is now he is now ruling he is now putting all his enemies under his feet now.

What we what would we do? If we had all authority on heaven and earth. What would we do? What would you do if you had power over everyone? What jesus does is he says give eternal life? To whom all You have given him speaking of himself in the third person.

He has all authority. And what he's doing with that that authority is giving eternal life saving The people that the father has for him. All the children of god are scattered in the nations when they see jesus lifted up glorified or the cross.

Then they will be drawn to him and that happens because jesus has authority and that's what he's doing with that authority. And so jesus's prayer to be glorified. Is it a selfish prayer that he'd be a great king just to show up.

You know show all those doubters and the traitors. Like judas. That he was right all along. It was for the children of god that they see him and they flow To him even his prayer for himself as a prayer for god to be glorified in the salvation of his people and jesus prays that he has.

That he has already glorified the father. And that he would do it one more time. And what he is about to do In verse five now father glorify me. In your own presence. He's praying make much of me. That's what glorified means make much of make much of me in returning to you.

And in being lifted up on the cross glorify me he asks with the glory That I had with you before the world existed. There's he's certainly claiming to be pre-existing that he is god. That that is that he would have that glory that that weightiness that magnificence that exaltation.

That worship that he had in eternity past that he would have that now in this in the cross. And forever and that prayer was answered how else do we explain how I You know a carpenter turned teacher from a obscure outpost to the roman empire Is now worshiped at least outwardly worshiped, but it's god by billions of people from all kinds of nations worldwide.

He has indeed been Glorified he has made much of god. The father has glorified him. So he's answered this prayer. He answered all this prayer. So now when people see the cross They know that jesus was lifted up on that.

And those who are the father's children get eternal life, which he defines for us in verse three knowledge of the one. Only true god now comes the that relationship That we like to talk about it is that he is that's what eternal life means is knowing god as father and jesus christ as Son as the son sent by him so that we could have the holy spirit inside us.

And so fellowship with the triune god. Jesus prayed for himself that he would glorify the father so that people would have eternal life. They would live in a relationship with god. Do you pray? For that especially for your children.

Christ's Prayer for His People: Protection, Unity, Joy, and Sanctification

Or others in your family. Or for people, you know. That they would have eternal life. What do you pray for? Second Jesus prays for his people from verses six to nine. First for those who are with him right right there the apostles and he and he says he has Manifested that he's revealed the father's name that is his being Who he is his nature.

To the people whom you have given me out of the world. In other words, there was already this set of people. Yours they were. He says and the father gave them to jesus. They kept your word. Which was to believe in jesus?

They heard the call to believe in the son and that call created faith In them so that they believed in verse seven, they know that everything jesus taught is from the father. And they confess that at the end of chapter 16 in verse 8 Jesus says that he gave them the words the father gave him and they accepted them.

And they know now that jesus came from the father. They are believers because of the word God knows. Who are his and he gets the word to them? So that they will believe. For those jesus says he is praying in verse 9.

I'm not praying for the world. But for those whom you have given me he keeps differentiating here. There's the world and there's those who are his there are two different kinds of people. There are two kinds of people.

There's the world that doesn't believe. And those who are called out of the world by the word of god. Who do they do believe? Two kinds of people those who belong to the father. They're believers. We call them the church.

And the world and jesus prays for his people here. And not for the world, you know says that specifically i'm not praying For the world and that's scandalous to many people today that god should choose one people.

And not another. It's offensive. Well, they say it's not fair it's not equitable. New word people like to throw around it's got to be the same result for everyone. Everyone have the same shot and equal opportunity to believe but god doesn't have to be fair.

He's not equitable. If to be fair means giving everyone the same. He has to be just and he chooses to be gracious by choosing and saving some he is gracious. He doesn't have to do that. He could be fair and leave us all in sin.

And death he could be equitable and leave everyone in hell. But he saved some. Even though that's unfair unequitable. It's gracious though for those he's saved. Jesus has gathered these people. And they all belong to the father at verse 10 and he prays for four things for his people.

That they be protected. They be united. They be delighted. And finally they be dedicated. So what do you pray for for god's people. He prays to the the holy father. He calls him in verse 11. Combining both the reverent holy and the worshipful word the holy with an intimate relational word father.

And he and he prays that now that he's going out of the world that they would be protected. Keep them in your name. Keep them by the power of that revelation keep them by Their knowing you god. Hold them fast In your name.

Jesus says in verse 12 that he kept them In the father's name that is by revealing god to them. So they know who the father is the name is the person and he guarded them so that not one of them was lost.

That's how they have persevered So far. Not because of their own willpower because their own dedication they mustered up the strength to stay with jesus. It's because jesus protected them. That's what he says.

I have kept them. That's why they're there with him. Except for one, of course, there was one he didn't keep when he didn't purposefully guard. It wasn't as though the free will of judas. Overcame. Jesus's will to protect him is that jesus chose by his free will.

Not to protect him. He is the son of destruction. That's what jesus calls him here. That is by his nature. That's his destiny is to be destroyed. So at the end of verse 12. And he does it. So that scripture might be fulfilled.

Skipping down to verse 15 jesus prays to protect his people. And we might imagine that well since in this world we have tribulation the pressure. That he would pray that we'd be taken out of the world.

That would be the easiest way to keep us. Wouldn't it take us out? But noah wasn't taken out of the world when first temptation and then Destruction came. He was protected in it. That's what the ark was for Israel when they were just jacob's extended family, you know with 12 sons and their wives and children.

He wasn't. They weren't taken out of the world when a famine came. But god protected them by taking them. To egypt. Jeremiah wasn't taken out of jerusalem when god poured out his wrath on it. But instead protected him through it.

Daniel wasn't taken out of the lion's den but was kept safe in it. Jesus prays for his people not that they'd be taken out of the world, but that they'd be kept safe. From the evil that's all around them like that evil described in psalm 53.

None does good. No, not one. That god would hold here. Jesus is praying that god would hold them and us fast in this world. Well next jesus prays that his people be united. At the end of verse 11 he prays that they be protected in order that.

As for the purpose, why is he keeping us protecting us? That we would be one. His people should be one in purpose in mission and harmony just like the father and the son are one. Maybe when we're being tried and persecuted.

Arguing and dividing over who is right about the end times doesn't seem so important anymore. Hmm. Maybe when we're working to bring all god's children who are scattered abroad into one arguing and dividing over whether to sing only hymns.

Or we use electric guitar. That doesn't make much sense does it? He'll pray more about that. Well third jesus prays that his people be delighted. In verse 13, he prays that these things that he's spoken.

You know all that we've been looking at for the past couple months is preparation for them leaving since chapter 13. Up to this prayer. All that is so that the purpose that they may have my joy Fulfilled.

Otherwise may father he's praying father. May my joy the joy I have. Reach its perfection his culmination his purpose his goal in them. May they have my joy fulfilled in themselves. So jesus isn't a kill joy.

But a fill joy. He's praying that his people carry on and fill up the joy that he brought. Finally Jesus prays for his people to be dedicated in verse 17. Sanctify. Them that has set them apart set them apart from.

From the world because they're not of the world just like jesus is not of the world. His people are to be set apart dedicated. By god's truth that is by god's word believing believing it because we believe it we're different from those who don't.

Obeying it in a world that wants to follow its feelings. We we follow god's word. It follows its feelings. So we're set apart. We're sanctified. Then in verse 18 a mission Sets us apart. It makes us sanctified.

Our mission. Is it just to make money? That's what some people think their mission in life make a lot of money so the family can be successful have a big house. Get to retirement relax in a hammock. You know he who dies with the most toys wins.

They think that's their mission. That's what the world Sees is that's mission ours is to go out into the world. Remember what jesus is doing is all authority. What's he doing with all this authority? He has.

He's going finding his people scattered abroad in the world and saving them. He's given us that mission. In our mission, this is the son was sent out by the father so we are set apart. We're dedicated.

Jesus dedicated himself in verse 19 for their sake for the apostles. In front of him the church ultimately us I consecrate or or sanctify. It's the same word set apart. He's setting himself apart for the mission that for their sake I consecrate myself.

Set myself apart that the purpose of his dedication they also may be Sanctified they may be consecrated. They might be dedicated his dedication Causes ours. He's praying that our dedication Which is caused by him.

Remember, I consecrate myself that they may be consecrated. He's praying that that then that would be in truth it would be like our worship. Remember in chapter four those who worship them me worship of the father must worship in spirit and truth.

So is our dedication? It's in spirit and truth. That is dedicated to the truth and dedicated truthfully from the heart not hypocritical religion. That's why jesus prays for his people. What do you pray for?

Christ's Prayer for Future Believers: Unity, Witness, and Glory

Then third part he prays specifically for one group of people one group of his people. He prays for us starting in verse 20 he prays for Those who will believe in me In the future from his standpoint who will believe in me through there through the apostles word.

You know through their writing matthew mark luke and john. Or paul who came later wrote the letters the preaching that comes from them Evangelism the mission that comes from them every one of those people.

That's us. He prays three things for us. Specifically that we be one. That we be winsome and finally that we be wonderful. Jesus prays that we believers in verse 21 may all Be one and the model for us being one is the way the father and the son are one.

They work together for one mission for the glory of god so that jesus is seen as great. And the father is seen as great by jesus being seen as great one goal one love. One spirit. And he prays it again in verse 22 that we may be one like the father and the son.

Because jesus has given to us his church His glory. He's given us his glory. It's what we have he has given it to us so we the church we're not an afterthought. We're not a plan b an alternate because israel decided not to believe we're what he came to do to make us the church glorious.

Now that should be enough to hold us together when personalities and egos and hurt feelings try to tear us apart. And then again, this is how important it is to him in verse 23 that we'd be one. One. Because christ is in us.

Paul says christ in us. Remember the hope of glory. And he gives us the assurance that we Have and we will have glory not shame not the nothingness of death. But glory and then again for the third time that's how important it is.

He says I In them christ in us the hope of glory. I in them jesus is here in the church. We are called the body of christ. He is in us and the father is in him. And that should be enough to make us he says he's praying perfectly.

Perfectly means that that's the goal. One that we reach that goal of of unity. Now that doesn't mean that we have to be organizationally one. Skeptics sometimes Use the numerous denominations up to 40 000 they say.

But they exaggerate. I don't think it's nearly that many. They say see if you had the truth, you'd be able to stay together. That's bogus. At first many of the denominations are just geographical like the church of england or the dutch reform church.

Different nations or areas develop different churches historically. And then they many of the people from those nations came here and they kind of kept their church. So it doesn't mean we all have to join in one big church where we would be where would you find a place that big.

Anyway, that doesn't mean we we believe a different gospel just because we have different organizations. It's also irrelevant just because we're not part of the same organization. Does it mean that we can't be united with other churches and with other christians?

A few years ago when the evangelist power lifters some of you remember that came to do evangelistic rallies in the anteville civic center. Hosted by another church in this area. That was kind of their campaign.

They led it they started it, but we helped. We helped get the word out. Some of us were greeters at the front door. They are handing out their flyers some of us were counselors for those that came forward now, even though not everything was done.

The way we would prefer it we participated. Because the gospel was enough to make us one with what they were doing. Just a couple years ago another local church here wanted to use this building. For their own evangelistic outreach because it attracts kids to come so they could do something with the gym and say sure.

Yeah. You gotta help us pay for the lights. But yeah. We're we're working for the same goal, even if we're not the same organization. And may it always be so. Second jesus prays that we be winsome. That means winning attractive.

In verse 21, he prays that we be one so that the purpose of our being one. The world may believe that you father have sent me. You might have thought he didn't care about what the world, you know when he notably He specified that he was not praying for the world.

But here he prays. Really not for the world, but for us. That we would be one so that we would be able to win people from the world. There are oneness That overcomes all the things that divide the world.

Maybe here in this area like race. That are overcoming unity. Would make jesus attractive to the world. That we have enough love. From god to hold us together. That people go say there's something supernatural about that.

Enough love to hold people together of different races and different cultures different tastes and food when we eat together our music our dress. That you're willing to not be bothered. If some people come they wear shorts, so what or if we sing contemporary songs or we sing hymns that you realize that that this.

This glorious thing called the church even when we're so small today still glorious. Is it just about you and the way you like things to be done, but it is the children of god that the father has loved.

Notice how he loved Us as a body as a church. He says how in verse 23 As. In other words in the same way to the same degree. As you father we are loved by the father in the same way He has loved us. We are loved by the father in the same way that the father loves the son now if that's the case.

Then we can love each other in the same way also and we can stay together and the world will see that love that something binds them together. Then this is greater than just because they're the same ethnic group.

They're the same race or have the same politics the same history the same musical taste. Something draws them together that overcomes all the suspicions anxieties. You know being around people of different races or different cultures and different languages.

The world sees that there's something that overcomes all that and is won over. Finally jesus prays that we be wonderful. As in literally full of wonder. Starting in verse 24. Jesus says that his desire for for us.

Is that we be with him? Wherever he is at the father's right hand when you love. You want the one that you love to be with you and jesus loves us his church and so prays that we be with him so that That we would see his glory.

We would see the that glory the awesome holiness that made the angels cry. Holy holy holy that i saw zeus saw him high and lifted up and filled him with wonder. With all. Here jesus wants us to have that same wonder to be wonder struck By his awesomeness.

Today people will travel thousands of miles spend thousands of dollars to get a taste of wonder. To stare out the at the vastness of the grand canyon. Or be overwhelmed by the beauty of yosemite. I heard an underwater photographer for national geographic talk about how he he'll weep at night.

When he thinks of the splendor of the leopard seals that he saw in the waters off antarctica. Herbie likes to scuba dive. He's probably seen things like that just glorious splendor. The spacex corporation is planning on flying billionaires who pay millions dollars to go around the moon all for a glimpse of glory.

All of that wonder in nature Is a reflection a pale reflection of the glory of its creator the son. The word by whom all things were created Has an awesome glory. That the father gave him Out of love before the foundation of the world.

Now what a wonder it would be To behold it. And here jesus says his desire for us. Is that we would see? his glory. That we would have the great gift of being full of wonder. And he concludes for us in verse 25.

Righteous father again the intimate and the reverent interwoven. The world doesn't know the father. It doesn't have eternal life. But jesus knows the father. No one comes to the father. But by him. And if we've come to the father, it's because we know the father sent the son for us that's because Not that we were smart.

Or we were lucky that we got to know the father but that jesus made him known to us. Made him know made it his name to known to us that means his person his glory the wonder of god. He says that he will continue To make it known.

He will keep making it known to us to the other of his lost sheep. There are other of god's children scattered in this world and jesus will continue to reveal the father to him. That's what he's using his authority for.

That's why we stay in the world amid tribulation. So we can be winsome a witness. That people who don't know Can have jesus make the father known to them and become one of his people. That's what he's done for us.

You know, we didn't make make it happen for ourselves. We didn't save ourselves by finding the truth by ourselves, which is so smart. We figured it out. It wasn't even done for us by whatever. Whoever human being told us the truth the gospel.

It wasn't ultimately really about our parents or that book or that preacher. That made known the father to us so that now we believe now. No, they may have been winsome. They may have been a great witness.

But they did not have the power to make us Children of god to break through our darkness. It was jesus who made the father known To us he did it. So at the very end of this prayer. Here's what jesus is praying for us the love With which you father?

Have loved me. May be in them in us. That we would have that love the father had for the son living And flowing in us. And he made himself known to us the church so that he would be in us Here in this world.

Even with all the tribulation that it dishes out that we would have that love from the heart of the trinity in our hearts and jesus himself living in us. That's What jesus prays for? It's wonderful. What did you pray for?

Do you see how much more wonderful jesus's prayer is than what often fills our prayers today. He prays on the verge of the cross for god to be glorified in himself. No matter what that might mean for him, even if it means a cross.

Do you. He prays for his people. Not just for his relatives or his friends or for his nation, but for all the children of god scattered throughout the whole world. Do you He prays for us for the church.

Not that we'd be taken out of the world. But that we be held fast in it and be winsome in it. That we have a love from the father. That binds us together just like the father and the son are bound together we he prays.

That we be joyful And loving. What do you pray for?