“A PRAYER FOR US”

John 17:20-26

INTRODUCTION:

            One day, Lucy was brow-beating Charlie Brown, “You, Charlie Brown, are a foul ball in the line drive of life.  You’re often in the shadow of your own goal post.  You are a miscue.  You’re 3 putts on the 18^th green.  You are a 7-10 split in the 10^th frame.  You have dropped a rod and reel in the lake of life.  You’re a missed free throw.  You’re a shanked 9-iron, a called 3^rd strike, a bug on the windshield of life!  Do you understand?  Have I made myself clear?”

            Well, I hope none of you think your life is as worthless as Lucy thinks Charlie Brown’s life is.  Today is Sanctity of Life Sunday.  I don’t think there is any question that Jesus felt all life was meant to be sacred.  Our passage, today, shows only a small part of Christ’s great love for us.  This prayer that Jesus prayed for all of us, is the last thing that Jesus did in the Upper Room just before he left to be arrested and crucified.

            In John’s Gospel, this Upper Room story is 5 chapters long—from Chapt.13-17.  In the Upper Room story, Jesus takes time to teach his disciples what loving people is all about.  Remember, he is about to die for our sins—he is hours away from being crucified on a Roman cross.  But, he patiently shows them/us how sacred life really is and how we should love/serve others. 

            Open your Bibles to John 13, and let’s take a quick tour through the Upper Room to see Jesus’ love for others.  It starts with the serving of the evening meal.  The 1^st thing Jesus does is to humbly get down on his knees and wash the feet of his disciples.  He was giving them an example of love/servanthood.

            Jesus then tells them he as about to leave them.  And, he gives them a new command in V.34-35: “A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”  He was challenging them to not just love their neighbor, but to love them in the same way that he loved them.  This coming from someone who is about to willingly die for the sins of the whole world.  That is Christ’s standard for love. 

            Then Jesus goes on to comfort his disciples in Chapter 14.  He said he was building a home for them and he would return to get them.  Jesus said that he “was the way and the truth and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through him.”  We know that home is for all who believe in him. 

            Next, Jesus tells them about the Holy Spirit that would fill them—he would guide them/us in all things.  Jesus continues to comfort them and let them know that he loves them and that they would have earthly troubles but they would have peace because he had overcome the world. 

            And then Jesus prays in Chapter 17.  He prays for himself that he would be glorified.  He prays for his disciples that they would be cared for and protected from the evil one.  And finally, Jesus prayed for all future believers—that is you and me. 

            The question we ask, this morning, is: “What is it that Christ prayed—and continues to pray—will happen to each one of us who believes in him?”

We Will Be One As The Father/Son Are One:  (V.21, 22, 23)

            Jesus prays: “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you…that they may be one as we are one…I in them and you in me.”  Jesus was looking for unity in all believers.  And, the standard was the unity for the Father/Son. 

            Jesus is not calling for uniformity—everyone being exactly alike.  He knows we are all different—we have different personalities and different gifts.  He doesn’t want us to all think/act alike.  Even the Father/Son are distinct and have different functions.  But, all believers are a family of believers.  We are his Church.  We are to be united in loving/serving him with all our hearts.  And, when Jesus says to love others as “he has loved us,” we are to be united in that effort. 

            We cannot be one as the Father/Son are one if we treat human life in low regard.  All life is sacred!  It is sacred to the Father!  It is sacred to the Son!  And, it should be sacred to all of us! 

We Will Be Able To Let The World Know About Him:  (V.21, 23)

            V. 21 says, “May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”  And, Jesus echoes those very words in V. 23.  It was important to Jesus that his followers reflect him to the world.  Jesus came that all people would be saved and believe in him. 

            Going back to Chapter 13 when Jesus gave the new command to his disciples, he followed it up with: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  Jesus was saying that through our mutual love, everyone would know him.  We would be bringing Jesus to the world. 

            There are certain things that you cannot bring into the United States when you visit a foreign country.  The great preacher (in my opinion), Adrian Rogers tells of a time when he was coming back into this country, and he was going through security.  A man in front of Rev. Rogers had some gourmet cheese.  When he got to the inspector he was told, “I’m sorry sir, you cannot bring this cheese into this country.”  The man and the inspector argued for a few minutes, until finally the man said, “oh yeah, I’m going to bring it into this country.  You just watch.”  With that, he walked to the back to the line and ate the cheese, and then walked right on through passed the inspector.

            Some people, today, say we shouldn’t bring Jesus into the public.  They say we should leave him at church or in the privacy of our homes.  But, as long as he is in us, we can’t help but take him everywhere we go.  And, that includes lovingly voicing our opinion when the sanctity of life is tampered with, as it is so often done in our world, today. 

            Let me talk specifically about abortion for a minute.  As Christians, we must be very careful about using the Bible to moralize.  The Bible does not specifically talk about abortion.  It was not a cultural issue in those days as it is now.  So, how do we, as Christians, express our opposition to abortion to the world?  I believe we lovingly show the world Jesus Christ through love—“by this men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  I think we let people know that Christ cherished all life.  Christ believed all life was sacred, and he died for that belief, including the life of those not yet born. 

            And, for those who think an unborn is not a living being, I think Scripture does specifically address.  Let me give you just a couple verses: 1^st Psalm 139:13-16, the Psalmist says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

            And from Jeremiah 1:4-5, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I set you apart…’”  I think it is quite evident that God knew each of us long before conception.  And, it is evident that He had plans for each of us.  And, I don’t think those plans included being aborted in our mother’s womb.  Life is much too sacred for that.   

We Will Know His Love In Us:  (V.23, 26)

            V.23 says, “…that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” And V.26 says, “the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”  Jesus is talking about his indwelling—filling us with love. 

            Jesus would never give us a commandment to love one another as he loves us if he didn’t give us the way to do it.  When we confess him as Lord/Savior, he completely fills us by the Holy Spirit.  And he changes our hearts, that we are able to love.  When we confess him, he puts his love within us, and he never takes it from us. 

            A college man walked into a photography studio with a picture of his girlfriend.  He wanted the picture duplicated.  The owner of the store noticed the inscription on the back of the picture.  It said, “My dearest Tom.  I love you with all my heart.  I love you more and more each day.  I will love you forever and ever.  I am yours for all eternity.”  It was signed “Dianne.”  It also contained a PS: “If we ever break up, I want this picture back!” 

            There is no PS with Christ.  We will know his love in us, and we will know it for all eternity.  By putting his love within us, we can know that life is truly sacred.

We Will Be With Him And See His Glory:  (V.24)

            V.24 says it all, “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”  Is there any doubt that Jesus believed in the sanctity of life?  He wants us to be where he is and to see and share in his glory. 

            I want every one of you to know, before you leave this sanctuary, that Christ prayed and continues to pray for you.  He wants you to be with him for all eternity.  He wants to share his glory.  It is why he came.  It is the whole story of God’s redeeming love for us.  God created us to share in that glory, but through our sin, we lost it.  But He never gave up on us, nor does He ever give up. 

            An elderly couple passed away and found themselves at the pearly gates.  Peter was there to welcome them.  1^st he showed them their mansion.  The man overwhelmed by the sheer luxury of it all asked, “How much does this place cost per night?”  Peter replied, “Sir, this is Heaven, it doesn’t cost anything.”

            Then Peter took them to the dining room where table upon table was piled high with the most delicious foods you could imagine.  Again overwhelmed by they glory of it all the man asked, How much for the meals?”  Peter said, “You forget, this is Heaven, it’s free.” 

            Peter then took them out back where they saw a fantastically beautiful golf course.  As the man stood there open-mouthed, Peter said, “Now before you ask, there are no green fees, this is Heaven, everything is free.” 

            The man looked at his wife and said, “You and your confounded bran muffins.  I could have been here 10 years ago!”

            Are you looking forward to being where Christ is?  Are you looking forward to seeing his glory?  I don’t think we can even imagine what it is going to be like. 

CONCLUSION:

            Christ prayed for us, and he continues to pray for us.  He wants everyone to believe in him.  He wants us to believe in him so we will be one as the Father/Son are one.  He wants us to believe in him so we will be able to let the world know about him.  He wants us to believe in him so we will know his love in us.  And, he wants us to believe in him so we will be with him and see his glory. 

            Jesus’ love for us is deeper, I think, than we could ever imagine.  But, I think, whenever we think about human life, we need to try to think about how Christ felt about each life—enough to die and take our sins from us.  Christ, with out a doubt, believed in the sanctity of human life.  And we should, too.