Being About the Heart of Jesus

Being About the Heart of Jesus
John 17:1-26
January 6th, 2008
Way of Grace Church

I. A Final Prayer

If somehow you knew that today was your last day in this world, that you only had hours to live, how much of that precious time would you spend praying?

And if you did pray, how much do you think those prayers would reveal about your heart?

They would reveal quite a bit, wouldn't they? In your final moments, the things that you would lift up in prayer would most likely be those things that are nearest and dearest to your heart.

Think about this as we turn to God's word this morning, specifically to John chapter 17.

II. The Passage: "...He Lifted His Eyes to Heaven and Said..." (John 17:1-26)

I want you to simply listen to the words of Jesus here. If closing your eyes helps you to focus on his words, then do that. But try to imagine Jesus speaking these words; try to imagine the tone of his voice, his passion, his conviction.

Most of all, listen for his heart in these words:

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, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

6 "I have manifested 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. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 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. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am 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. 12 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.

13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 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. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. 20 "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 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. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

24 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 loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 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."

Did you hear it? Did you hear the heart of Jesus poured out in that prayer?

This is the longest, continuous prayer of Jesus preserved for us in Scripture. And...

There is so much in this prayer and it would be impossible to explore all of the ideas that Jesus includes in this plea to the Father. So for our purpose this morning what I'd like to do is attempt to summarize the prayer with four truths. Maybe we should call them four descriptions of the heart of Jesus.

A. A Heart for His Glory (17:1-5)

First, look back at the first five verses of this chapter. Notice that Jesus' prayer begins with this mysterious phrase, "the hour has come". What hour is he talking about? It is the hour of his betrayal and death. Jesus is leaving the upper room where he has shared the Passover meal with his disciples and he is heading toward the garden where he will be betrayed.

This incredible prayer is lifted up by Jesus hours only before he himself will be lifted up on a Roman cross.

In light of this setting, the actual prayer request here is certainly a strange one. The request is not, "save me" or "protect me" or "strengthen me". It is "glorify me"! "Glorify me that I may glorify you." Jesus is asking that God glorify him on the cross. Why?

Because Jesus has been given the authority to give eternal life and eternal life can only come through a recognition that there is glory in the cross of Jesus. Thinking the cross is sad or heroic or gruesome or bizarre or senseless or noble will not do it. We have to believe the cross is glorious because of the glory revealed by the One who hung there.

How was his glory revealed? Through his perfect obedience to God in an act of incomparable and selfless love.

Notice how Jesus clarifies this in verse 3. A right recognition of Jesus brings about a right relationship with God, and it is that relationship with God through Christ that is eternal life. Eternal life is not the result of that relationship. It is that relationship. It is a life with God that is so new and transformative that the best way to describe it is with the word, "eternal".

So what do we learn here about the heart of Jesus? We learn that His desire is that He be lifted up in all things in order that through the cross he might bring men and women into eternal life with God.

That's the first thing he prays for because it is the first and greatest need in all the universe.

B. A Heart for His People (17:6-12)

Now look at where he goes from there, look again at verses 6-12.

His focus shifts from his own fate to that of those who are his own, "the people" he describes in verse 6 as those "whom you gave me out of the world". These are his disciples who have believed the words of Jesus and recognized that Jesus has been sent by God (v.8).

Look again at verse 9, He says, "I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours."

Now that statement may be a little surprising to us in light of the fact that we just talked about the cross about Jesus desire to give eternal life. If we went back to John 3:16 we would see that God's love for the world led to the giving of His Son for this very hour. So why isn't Jesus praying for the world here at this crucial time? Why is he only praying for those who have already trusted him?

Well, let's hold that question and first figure out what exactly his prayer request is for his followers. Because they will remain in the world after Jesus' departure, he prays that his Father would "keep them in [His] name...that they may be one".

The prayer is that this new people who have been called out by God would remain united in their commitment to the exalted Jesus. " They have kept God's word (v.6) and Jesus is praying that they would continue to keep it, even when he is gone. They have believed that Jesus was sent by God (v.8) and Jesus is praying that they would continue to believe,

What is being revealed about the heart of Jesus here? We are seeing that Jesus' desire is that his followers would stand together and stand firm in their commitment to the exalted Son.

C. A Heart for His Word (17:13-17)

But there's something else he prays for them, another aspect of this heart for his people. Look at verses 13-16. Let me read them again:

13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world [that is, these things I pray out loud to you], that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 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. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
I hope what you see there is the centrality of God's word. We've already heard about the word in verses 6 and 8, but here we see Jesus explaining further the importance of God's word.

This word, this truth has been given to the disciples by Jesus (v. 14), and because they have received it, the world has hated them. And because of the word, they are targets for the evil one, the devil, who desires to turn them from this truth.

That's why Jesus prays, "sanctify them in the truth" or we could say "set them apart in the truth". What truth? The truth of what God has spoken. The truth of God's word as revealed through Jesus.

So what we see here is that Jesus' desire that his people stand together and stand firm is inextricably connected to God's word.

Therefore we could add to our last description of Jesus heart by saying that Jesus' desire is that His followers would be grounded in and guarded by the truth of God's word.

But that's not the end of his prayer, is it?

D. A Heart for His Mission (17:18-23)

Look at how Jesus once again adjusts the focus in verses 18-23. Listen to verse 18:

18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.

The world may hate the disciples, but as we read in verse 15, Jesus is not asking that they be taken out of the world. He wouldn't pray that because as we see here in verse 18, Jesus has sent them into the world.

Jesus is still praying for his followers but notice what he is saying about the ultimate goal of his prayers for them. He again, in verse 21, prays "that they may all be one", but in order that...they might delight in the joy of their fellowship? No. That they might go deeper in your word? No. "So that (v. 21)...so that the world may believe that your have sent me."

And look at verse 23. The idea is repeated there. This "oneness" of Jesus followers is a testimony of the truth about Jesus Christ.

And so, Jesus' prayer for his disciples is not unrelated to the fate of those who do not believe. No, his prayer for the faith of those who do believe is ultimately a prayer for those who do not believe...that they would believe.

Here is the heart of Jesus once again. We see here that His desire is that through his followers the world would know Jesus, and in knowing Him, know eternal life.

If you look closely at those final verses, verses 24-26, you'll see that Jesus simply comes full circle; he comes back to a desire that his glory might be seen. He affirms that his heart is informed by a perfect knowledge of God and a love that is comes from God himself.

III. Your Heart for His

So this morning we have attempted to describe the heart of Jesus Christ as it is revealed in this final prayer that John has preserved for us.

But as powerful as these truths are, there's no way we can stop here. The reason I say that is because of what Jesus himself prayed in verse 20. Look at what he said...

"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word..."

Have you believed in Jesus Christ, have you trusted him as your only hope because of the word of these first followers? If you are a Christian, then you have. Your faith is based on the faithfulness of these first disciples to not only speak to others about Jesus, but also to write down these words we call the New Testament,

So Jesus Christ is praying specifically for us in this passage, for all who belong to Him, The question is, the real question is, "How is the prayer of Jesus for us being answered at Way of Grace?"

Are we about the heart of Jesus here? Is the practice of our church directly flowing from the prayer of Jesus Christ?

Listen to me, please, this church will stand or fall on this issue of whether or not we are being about the heart of Jesus.

It seems there are a lot of things the church is about today. Self-improvement. Entertainment. Education. Social activism. Political influence. Others may be about proper worship or labeling outsiders or theological precision. Still others may be about building projects and building empires.

But what is the church....what is the church if not the vehicle for the heart of Jesus Christ to be revealed and lived out in this world?

Way of Grace, we stand today at the beginning of a brand new year, a year that I'm sure will contain both victories and struggles. And I'm also sure that in the midst of all of it, we will be tempted to be about something other than the heart of our Master.

If you are committed to this church family, then my call to you this morning is live in light of what Jesus prayed for you, for us.

The heart of Jesus is what we want to be about in this church...amen? Aren't these four truths that filled the prayer of Jesus the same four truths that we see every Sunday when we walk through those doors: One Lord. One Body. One Truth. One Mission.

Whether we are 50 or 500, this is what we need to be about. This needs to be our focus. And that begins with each of us making this our focus every day.

Have you ever been helped through a difficult circumstance or time in your life by remembering that someone was praying for you? It affected how you lived, didn't it?

Well how much more should our lives be affected by the fact that Jesus himself has prayed for us? Our lives should be shaped by this prayer, shouldn't they?

If you are one of those who has believed on Jesus, if you are a believer, then I want to invite you this morning to commit yourself to the heart of Jesus Christ as it is being worked out in this church. In John 10 Jesus declared:

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me...The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

Do you hear him? Did you hear his voice in this prayer? Right now, ask yourself, "Am I committed the heart of Jesus Christ and how is that practically being demonstrated in my life?"

Well, I would encourage you to demonstrate that commitment by praying according Jesus' heart and giving according to Jesus' heart, giving of your time, talent, and treasure.

The work of this church is not my work. It is our work. As much as the vision of this church flows from the heart of Jesus, I want you to own this vision.

The coming year will require all of us to serve with the unique and diverse gifts that God has given to this body. But remember, Jesus has prayed for us.

If you're here this morning and all of this seems new to you, then I would encourage you to believe on Jesus because he is the only one who can give you this eternal kind of life in a right relationship with God. It's what all of us are looking for. Entrust your heart to Christ and then receive his heart for your life, this very heart we've been talking about.

What is the heart of Jesus? It is that...

He be lifted up in all things in order that through the cross he might bring men and women into eternal life with God. It is that...his followers would stand together and stand firm in their commitment to the exalted Son. It is that...His followers would be grounded in and guarded by the truth of God's word. It is that...through his followers the world would know Jesus, and in knowing Him, know eternal life.

One Lord. One Body. One Truth. One Mission. Brothers and sisters of Way of Grace, this is what we are to be about. Let's pray that, by God's grace and the power of His Spirit, this prayer of Jesus will continue to be answered in our lives.