The Real Lord’s Prayer Part 1

Pastor Mike will be speaking on The Real Lord’s Prayer Part 1. He will be in John 17:1-7.

That at the heart of the Lord’s Prayer is the glory of the Father that no matter what we go through in life what circumstance we face good bad and ugly that it is all for the glory of God and That somehow the passion of our heart is God that your will on earth be done as it is in heaven This is pastor Mike Sanders welcoming you to Hopeworth having broadcast We are looking forward to what the Lord has for us today And you know today we’re gonna be in the Gospel of John chapter 17 And we’re gonna be studying what I entitled the real Lord’s Prayer And so I want us to learn about this great prayer and not only what it teaches us But how we can continue to follow the pattern as Jesus shows us an example of what true prayer is Let’s get into our study today as we study John chapter 17 verses 1 through 7 If you have your Bible this morning I want you to join me in the Gospel of John chapter 17 We’re back into the Gospel of John chapter 17 when we come to John chapter 17 It is uniquely the prayer of Jesus Christ We have the privilege if you will to almost come into the Holy of Holies and to see the Amazingly We have the privilege to observe and watch the Son Jesus Christ intercede to the Father Although Matthew chapter 6 which records What is often known as the Lord’s Prayer and Luke chapter 11?

Records the Lord’s Prayer Those prayers were actually just what we could call the disciples prayers They were prayers that Jesus gave his disciples as a model, as a pattern on how they should pray. But really in John chapter 17, you and I are witnessing the true, the real Lord’s prayer.

It is his high priestly prayer to the Father. It is the prayer that Jesus Christ makes relating not only to himself in the first few verses, and then the apostles, and then finally the church, you and I.

This prayer is a prayer that is very much a even guide for us in our own prayer time. And so I want us to come to John chapter 17, and I want us to this morning learn three important truths about the real Lord’s prayer.

I want you to note here in verse 1 of John 17 that the Bible says these words spake Jesus and lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour is come, glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son may glorify Thee, as Thou hast given Him power or authority over all flesh that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him.

And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. I have glorified Thee on the earth. I have finished the work which Thou gave us me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Thou me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.

I have manifested Thy name unto the men which Thou gave us me out of the world. Thine they were and Thou gave us them me and they have kept Thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever Thou hast given me are of Thee.

For I have given unto them the words which Thou gave us me and have received them and have known surely that I have came out from Thee. And they have believed that Thou didst send me. I pray for them.

I pray not for the world but for them which Thou hast given me for they are Thy. The first thing I want us to note about this passage of Scripture is the setting of the Lord’s Prayer. You go back to verse 1 and you note that the Bible says that these words spake Jesus.

And then He lifted up His eyes. These words spake Jesus. What words? It’s not talking about the words He’s getting ready to speak in His prayer to the Father but rather of the words that he’s already spoken to the disciples.

And so I want you to backtrack with me a little bit into the gospel of John. And I want you to remember that Jesus met with his disciples and the Bible tells us that it was in the upper room, not anything significant about that, but simply that it was upstairs and that Jesus met with his disciples.

And when he showed up to meet with his disciples in preparation for the Passover meal that would eventually be instituted as the Lord’s Supper or often called communion, that Jesus going into this room grabbed a towel and he began to wash the disciples’ feet.

You remember how Jesus surely should have been the one whose feet was washed, but becoming a servant and modeling servanthood to each of his disciples, his apostles, Jesus Christ, grab the towel, wash the feet of these men.

and not only did he wash their feet, but we remember that he washed the feet of the one who would betray him. Jesus participates in the Last Supper and he identifies that there will be one who would betray him, that it would be Judas, but he also identifies that Peter would deny him and then he begins to teach his disciples that his departure is at hand.

And as we continue through the Gospel of John, we find that Jesus teaches them that they do not have to be troubled, they do not have to be discouraged, because he is preparing a place for them, a place that is called heaven.

And Jesus teaches them about heaven, but even before that they get to heaven, Jesus teaches them that they will have a comforter, they’ll have an encourager, they’ll have someone who lives within them and that is the Holy Spirit of God.

That the Spirit of God would indwell all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and empower them, encourage them, and continue to help them to remember all that Jesus taught them as he walked with them for three and a half years.

And so it is in the midst of all that setting, all that context, all that is unfolding there, that Jesus Christ comes to the point that after having taught his disciples in chapter 16, that there will be persecution and that there will be those who reject the message and reject Christ and reject his messengers, but that they are to remember they have the joy of the Lord, not the joy of the world,

they have the peace of the Lord, not the peace of the world, that Jesus then breaks away from his disciples and he begins to pray. The Bible says he lifted up his eyes to heaven. The ministry of Jesus was a ministry that was marked by…

prayer. He stands as an example to each and every one of us. Jesus Christ understood that prayer was the important part of his ministry. It is the ministry that he takes upon now, as Philip Yancey referenced in his book on prayer, that the ministry of Christ interceding for you, interceding for me, it is the ministry that you and I must value and once again take upon ourselves.

The church has no problem being busy. Christians have no problem filling their calendars with many activities. But when will the church learn that it only moves forward as it is on its knees praying to our Heavenly Father?

Jesus says in this prayer, as his eyes are lifted to heaven, Father the hour is come. When Jesus references to the fact that the Father It is a reminder to us that Jesus is not a different manifestation of God, that Jesus is not just a different form of God, that Jesus is God, and that we have the Father, the Son, and of course we’ve already learned about the Spirit, they are distinct and they are one.

The Son is praying to the Father. That’s what we witness for those who would deny that Jesus truly is God, and those who would deny that somehow Jesus is the second person of the Godhead, and they would like to just envision that Jesus is just another manifestation of the Father, and that the Spirit is another manifestation of the Father.

This passage of Scripture breaks all that down and destroys that false theology, because the Son is interceding to the Father, and He is calling out to the Father, and in this prayer of the Son praying to the Father, we see the willing submission and obedience and dependence of the Savior, the Son of God, upon the Father.

The Scriptures teach us that the Son is equal with the Father, but yet at the same time within this unique relationship of the Father and the Son being equal in the Godhead, the Son willingly chose to submit to the Father and obey the Father, and as He walked upon the earth, ministering on behalf of the Father, that He depended totally upon the Father to accomplish all that the Father desired and willed for those that Jesus ministered to.

It’s amazing. It’s shocking, but we see this. And Jesus says, Father, the hour is come. The hour is come. That’s not a phrase that we haven’t heard before because we learned in John chapter two, I want you to just back up there, that we learned that Jesus’s hour had not come.

In John chapter two, verse four, Jesus showed up at the wedding in verse four of chapter two and things were not going as they should and his mother’s trying to get him to intervene and Jesus said unto her, verse four of chapter two, woman, what have I to do with thee?

Mine hour is not yet come. And then again, we jump over to chapter seven and verse six, again, Jesus is preparing to go to Jerusalem. Another family member wants Jesus to go out there and promote himself.

And so then, Jesus’ response to his brothers, who did not at the time believe in him as a savior and as a messiah, said in verse six, my time is not yet come, but your time is always ready. I love that.

And Jesus is saying, it’s not my time. It’s not my time to go to the cross. It’s not my time to stand before the people. It’s not my time, but your time to give your life to God is always ready. And that is true for every one of us.

The time for us to give our hearts to Christ is today. It’s not tomorrow, for today is the day of salvation. And not only is today the day of salvation, it’s the day of reconciliation. It’s the day to always make sure that my heart is in tune with Jesus Christ.

You see, the truth is that Sunday is the beginning of the week. Just look at your calendar. I know you like to call it the weekend. And I know it’s out of habit. And that’s what the world wants us to believe, that Sunday is just kind of finishing up the week.

But Sunday, for believers, is the beginning of the week. And it is the beginning of giving our hearts fully to Jesus Christ as we enter into this week for the Lord Almighty. So your time is now. But Jesus, his hour had not come.

Look at verse 30 of chapter seven. They wanted to make Jesus a king and they sought to take him, but no man laid hands on him because his hour was not yet come. And the Pharisees wanted to take Jesus.

They wanted to kill him. They wanted him to be destroyed, but his hour was not come. Chapter eight, verse 20. These words spake Jesus in the treasury as he taught in the temple, and no man laid hands on him, for his hour was not yet come.

People were trying to push for his hour to come. His family thought his hour was come, but Jesus knew that his hour was not come and the Father sovereignly protected him. Jesus as he served and ministered, even in the midst of a hostile environment, Jesus still was able to effectively minister for God because his hour had not come.

What does it mean? It’s the time of his death. And so again, when Jesus says in verse one of John chapter 17, the hour is come. The time of my death has arrived. For three and a half years, it was all on hold.

His ministry among the people to verify and validate the message and the messenger that he was the true Messiah. He performed miracles. He showed authority over demons. He showed authority over death.

He showed authority over disease. And truly there was none like Jesus Christ though there had been many charlatans who flooded Jerusalem. And there had been many false teachers who had crisscrossed and walked around claiming to be the Messiah.

No one had ever interrupted a funeral and raised a little girl to life. And no one had showed up four days late, had a dead man’s tomb and called him forth to new life. Only Jesus. And to doubt who Jesus is is to deny these amazing wonders and miracles and the teachings of Christ as he imparted these teachings to not just one, but his disciples and all who would listen.

And we could go through the list, chapter after chapter, the signs that Jesus did to simply verify that he truly was sent from the Father and that he is God himself and that he is the Messiah, that it was promised by the prophets and that he has come to pay for the sins of mankind.

And so his hour has come. The time has come, as the apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5, 21, the time has come for he has made him, referring to Christ, to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

That hour has come that the great redemptive work of God would be fulfilled and accomplished in the culmination of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. And this is the setting of his prayer. For we not only look back and see that setting, but we look forward in seeing that the hour is coming, that as Jesus is approaching the cross and that he is approaching, fulfilling the will of the Father for him to give his life for the salvation of souls and more particularly,

for the salvation of your soul, the salvation of your life, that hour has come. and as Jesus prays, we see second of all, the substance of the Lord’s prayer. Look at verse one again, glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee.

Here is the substance of the Lord’s prayer, for as you read through the Lord’s prayer, all through the whole chapter, and we encourage you to do that, not only today, but all this week. Spend time just reflecting and meditating and thinking and learning and digesting the Lord’s prayer.

The one thing that’ll stand out to you, and get this, if you’re a note taker, write this down, that this is the substance of the Lord’s prayer, and that is the glory of God. That the substance of his prayer is the glory of God.

He says in verse one, glorify thy son. The one event that would glorify the son. was his death, meaning that Jesus was sent from the Father to die on the cross. He was born into this world that he might pay the penalty for our sin.

And this is what Jesus is saying, that in his death and his resurrection and ultimately his ascension, that this is the glorifying of the Son. You’ve heard me say it before, let me say it again, his death is our death.

His resurrection is our resurrection and that his ascension is our ascension. His glorification is our glorification. Not that in the sense that you and I are equal with the Son, but that he has already paved the path and he has set the example and the pattern for us.

And so his life is my life, his death is my death and that his resurrection is my resurrection. His ascension is my ascension. His glorification is my glorification. What is it that waits for the believer?

It is the glorification that we will stand before God Almighty in brand new bodies. Can somebody say amen? And that not only will we have brand new bodies, but we will be fully restored in our salvation for not only does it include the salvation of our soul, that we would escape the punishment of hell because of our sin, but that we would be in the constant presence of the Lord Jesus Christ and the heavenly Father in the spirit of God forever and ever and just as was played 10 ,000 years,

we will just be God. Now get this, Jesus glorification is your glorification. His life of righteousness is your life of righteousness. We will not attain this glorification because of what we have achieved or what we have done, but because of all that Jesus did.

Why is it? Was Jesus some narcissist seeking glory for himself? Was he some madman seeking eternal praise upon himself when he says, glorify your son? No, he is saying, glorify your son through the crucifixion, the resurrection and the ascension so that he might pave the way for your eternal life in Jesus Christ.

This eternal life that is to wait for us is not only in the sense that we have new bodies and that our salvation is finally completed and revealed before Jesus Christ and the Father and the Son Himself, but it is also that we will be reunited with our loved ones to never be separated again.

You’ve got loved ones. You’ve got friends and family that are in heaven today. That reunion is for all who believe in Jesus Christ. and this is why you walk in hope and this is why you walk with great anticipation and expectation that you are looking for the return of Jesus Christ because you know all this is coming together and so as Jesus is praying glorify thy son he is not seeking somehow in some insane way personal exaltation to appease his ego but the glorification that will fulfill and finalize the work of redemption in your heart and my heart but it’s not just that Jesus says glorify your son again stay with the text glorify thy son that thy son may also what glorify thee and so at the heart of what Jesus wants to do is he wants to glorify the father it is the life the death the resurrection the ascension of Christ that brings glory to the Godhead we’re reminded of this in John chapter 11 and verse 4 that all that Jesus did all that he accomplished was for the glory of God the Bible says this sickness this is John 11 verse 4 this sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God that the son of God may be glorified through it that as the people recognize that Jesus had authority over death that he would be glorified which in turn would lead to the glorification of the father and because Jesus had authority over death he will give victory to all who believe in him and we will have victory over death and the grave will not hold us and it’ll bring glory to the Godhead as they have brought about this great redemptive plan to all who believe in Jesus Jesus Christ.

I understand that I’m probably saying, and imparting unto you, information that is just boggling the mind. And some of you are saying, Mike, I’m just trying to make it through the day. And I get you.

But if somehow you could grasp that at the heart and the substance of the Lord’s Prayer is the glory of the Father, that that is to be our desire. That no matter what we go through in life, what circumstance we face, good, bad, and ugly, that it is all for the glory of God.

And that as we pray that we’re getting beyond this simple, shallow prayer that prays for grandma’s ingrown toenail, and that somehow the passion of our heart is God, that your will on earth be done as it is in heaven.

That we desire in our prayers that we would see the glory of God unfold in our relationships. That the glory of God would unfold in our tragedies. and the glory of God would unfold in our triumphs, and the glory of God would unfold in our transitions that we go through in life, that everything would be about glorifying God.

If we could get there, Jesus sought the glory of the Father. We already see in verse one, that the Son also may glorify thee. Look at verse four. I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which thou gave us me to do.

Verse five, and now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. The passion of Christ was the glory of God, and the question is, what is your passion?

What is your passion? I know you’re hurting, and I know you’re struggling, and I know you’re walking through some deep valleys, but have you come to the point that you’re willing to hurt for the glory of God?

That you’re willing to suffer for the glory of God? That you are willing to take the pain of this world that the Father may be glorified in your life? Are you willing to rise above in your relationships that are struggling, your relationships that are conflicted, and somehow desire that in these relationships that you have that sometimes don’t always unfold as you wish that they would, but that you would desire that God would be glorified in this relationship?

That’s where we’ve gotta get church. We’ve gotta get to the point that our prayers, as we pray for things to change and things to unfold in our life, that as we pray, we ultimately are praying for the glory of the Father.

John seven, verse 18, Jesus said, he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. Again, Jesus was not trying to somehow get attention to himself. His glory was desired for the Father, and he sought the return of what was rightfully.

his and had been laid aside for our eternal life. And that is at the heart of the purpose of your salvation and redemption. Why is it that God would forgive you of your sins? Why is it that he would wash away your sins and give you a brand new start?

Why is it that he would raise you to new life? Ephesians should be to the praise of his glory. Meaning I want you to get this church. Your salvation is more than just escaping hell. Your salvation is so far beyond than some kind of fire insurance.

But that your salvation is for the glory of God. That God has called you out of this world and into his family. That you might bring praise and glory to the Father. And this is what Jesus is praying.

He is praying that the Father would receive glory that as he has not only accomplished the work in his three and a half years and will accomplish the final work in his crucifixion when he said on the cross, it is what?

That the work of redemption is done. That Jesus went to that cross to take care of your past and he came out of that grave to take care of your future. And here we are. I now, as a believer, as a follower of Christ, I am saved.

Why? Why would God save my soul just to keep me out of hell? So much more. But that your life might bring glory to the Father. What brings glory to the Father, the Son and the Spirit is the salvation of all who believe.

Look at verse two. As thou has given him power, the real Greek word is authority. As thou has given him authority over all flesh. Again, how do we define that? Authority over disease, over demons, over death.

Jesus has authority over all flesh. He has authority that he should give eternal life to as many as thou has given him. And that what is gonna bring glory to God is to give eternal life. To give eternal life to you and to me that believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Again, Ephesians 1 .6, Paul dives into this great truth and he begins to dig deep when he says in verse six of chapter one of the book of Ephesians, to the praise of the glory of his grace by which he made us accepted in the beloved.

All glory and praise to Jesus Christ. All glory and praise to the Father. Father, all glory and praise to the Spirit for the salvation of my family and the salvation of my soul, for of me being accepted into the family of God.

Give him all the credit and give him all the glory because he is worthy of it. You know, Jesus’ ministry was marked by prayer. He was a man who prayed. He got away and prayed. He was often spending time in prayer and shooting up prayers throughout his ministry and all of his responsibilities that he had.

He stands before us as an example of how we should be people of prayer, seeking the glory, the glory of the Father. And we are excited that we could study today about the Lord’s prayer. And I hope that your heart is drawn to a sense of need to spend more time in prayer.

And so take advantage of that because the Lord is using his word to shape our hearts. to be like Jesus. This is Pastor Mike Sanders reminding you that in Christ there is hope worth having.