Title: Ten Characteristics of How Jesus Prayed
Meta: Jesus prayed to His Father with reverence, in simple language, in an orderly way, while full of faith and confidence, and having an ultimate concern for God's glory.
Tags: prayer,Jesus Christ,intercession,asking,God,Father

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The Gospel of John chapter 17.

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Last Sunday, we finished our studies

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in the extended teaching

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that the Lord Jesus gave

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right before He went to the cross.

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John 13-16 is this long teaching.

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We finally worked our way through that

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over the course of nearly a year, I guess.

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And last Sunday, we finished that.

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But after Jesus finished giving

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this great sermon,

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He then followed that up

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with a great prayer.

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And that's what we have in chapter 17.

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This prayer of the Lord Jesus.

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And then the first verse of chapter 17

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ties these things together.

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It says, "Jesus spoke these things

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and lifting up His eyes to heaven,

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He says..."

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So He finishes talking

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and then goes right to prayer.

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And this is always appropriate, isn't it?

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To follow the teaching with prayer.

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It's appropriate to follow a sermon,

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to follow a Bible study,

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to follow your personal devotion time

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in the Bible by praying.

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You know, after we've talked about God

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for a while, it sure makes sense

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to talk directly to the Lord

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and just commit the whole thing

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back to Him in response.

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And so Jesus' prayer here makes up

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the entire 17th chapter of John's Gospel.

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This chapter, without any question,

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is one of the most special,

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most glorious chapters in the whole Bible.

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I mean, it's like you need to take your shoes off

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when you study John 17

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because you're treading on holy ground here

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as we look at this prayer.

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It's by far the longest prayer of Jesus

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that's recorded in the Bible.

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We have lots of prayers of Jesus,

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but most of them are just a few lines.

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But here we have 26 verses

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of Jesus' prayer.

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I think it's longer than all of the other prayers put together.

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I didn't try to add it up.

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But it's a major thing.

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And of course, the timing of the prayer

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makes it special, right?

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This is the prayer Jesus prays

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right before He gets arrested

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and goes to the cross.

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This gives us a snapshot of things

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that were on His heart

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right as He anticipated His crucifixion.

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That's what He begins with, isn't it,

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in v. 1, "Father, the hour has come..."

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He knew. He knew that He was now

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at the climax of His life's work.

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He knew He as the Lamb

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was about to be crucified for our sins.

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My goal for today's message

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is not to analyze these verses

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for the doctrine that is in them.

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There's a lot of theology packed

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into these 26 verses.

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And we'll deal with that later, Lord willing.

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Today, what I want to do

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is look at this prayer as a prayer.

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Look at it from the standpoint of

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this is how the Lord Jesus prayed.

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This is the best example we have

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of Jesus' own prayer life;

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how He prayed to God.

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And as we think about His example of prayer,

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then that example ought to instruct us

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in how we pray.

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I mean, Jesus is supposed to be

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our example in everything.

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Surely, His prayer life ought to be

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an example for us in our prayer life.

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In Luke 11, it tells the story

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of one occasion when Jesus

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was out praying,

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and the disciples were there

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and they were listening to Jesus pray.

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Now when Jesus gets done praying,

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one of the disciples says,

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"Lord, would You teach us to pray?"

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Would You teach us to pray?

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It's like they've been listening to Him pray

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just thinking:

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the way I pray isn't the way Jesus prays.

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I want to pray like Jesus prays, right?

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And they're asking for instruction and help in that.

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Well, that's the attitude we should have

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as we come to John 17.

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Lord, teach us to pray like You did.

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I want to pray more like You.

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I know You did it right.

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And so before we do anything else,

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let's just read this whole prayer

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in chapter 17.

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It's going to take about four minutes.

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And I encourage you as we read

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to do the best you can

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to keep your mind engaged

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in the words here.

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These are familiar words to a lot of us.

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You can zone out and think about other things.

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Really think here.

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How is Jesus praying?

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What are some characteristics of Jesus' prayer

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that are really interesting and notable?

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Because that's what we'll be talking about this morning.

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You're welcome to stand up if that's comfortable for you

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as we read the 17th chapter of John.

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"Jesus spoke these words

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and lifting up His eyes to heaven,

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and He said, 'Father, the hour has come;

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glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You,

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even as You gave Him authority

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over all flesh,

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that to all whom You have given Him,

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He may give eternal life.

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This is eternal life,

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that they may know You,

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the only true God,

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and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent.

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I glorified You on the earth,

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having accomplished the work

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which You have given Me to do.

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Now Father, glorify Me

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together with Yourself

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with the glory which I had with You

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before the world was.

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I have manifested Your name to the men

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whom You gave Me out of the world.

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They were Yours,

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and You gave them to Me,

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and they have kept Your Word.

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Now they have come to know

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that everything You have given Me

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is from You.

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For the words which You gave Me,

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I have given to them,

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and they have received them

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and truly understood that I came forth from You,

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and they believe that You sent Me.

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I ask on their behalf.

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I do not ask on behalf of the world,

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but of those whom You have given Me,

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for they are Yours.

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And all things that are Mine are Yours

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and Yours are Mine,

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and I have been glorified in them.

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I am no longer in the world,

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and yet they themselves are in the world,

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and I have come to You.

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Holy Father, keep them in Your name;

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the name which You have given Me,

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that they may be one even as We are.

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While I was with them, I was keeping them

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in Your name which You have given Me,

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and I guarded them,

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and not one of them perished

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but the son of perdition

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so the Scripture would be fulfilled.

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But now, I come to You

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and these things I speak in the world

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so that they may have My joy

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made full in themselves.

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I have given them Your Word,

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and the world has hated them because

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they are not of the world

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even as I am not of the world.

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I do not ask You to take them

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out of the world, but to keep them

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from the evil one.

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They are not of the world,

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even as I am not of the world.

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Sanctify them in the truth.

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Your Word is truth.

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As you sent Me into the world,

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I have also sent them into the world.

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For their sake, I sanctify Myself

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that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

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I do not ask on behalf of these alone,

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but for those also who believe in Me

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through their word,

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that they may all be one,

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even as You Father are in Me,

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and I in You, that they also may be in Us,

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so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

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The glory which You have given Me,

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I have given to them,

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that they may be one

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just as We are one.

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I in them and You in Me,

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that they may be perfected in unity,

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so that the world may know

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that You sent Me and loved them

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even as You have loved Me.

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Father, I desire that they also

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whom You have given Me

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be with Me where I am,

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so that they may see My glory

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which You have given Me,

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for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

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O righteous Father,

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although the world has not known You,

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yet I have known You,

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and these have known

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that You sent Me.

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And I have made Your name known to them,

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and will make it known,

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so that the love with which You loved Me

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may be in them and I in them.'"

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And we'll stop there.

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You may be seated.

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Our outline today is pretty simple.

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I want to briefly, briefly, briefly

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point out ten things.

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Ten characteristics in Jesus' prayer.

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And then, apply each of these

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briefly to ourselves.

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Ten things. We can do it.

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The first thing to notice about this prayer

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is that Jesus prayed with His eyes open.

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Verse 1. It says,

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"And lifting His eyes to heaven, He said..."

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Jesus just looked up

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into the dark night sky

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and started talking to God.

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That's how He prayed.

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And I don't point this out to be trivial,

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but to remind us that in the Bible

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there's a lot of different postures

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for prayer.

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I mean, there's some people

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that pray sitting down.

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Other people pray standing up.

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Other people pray with their arms in the air.

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Other people pray lying prone on the ground.

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Nehemiah prayed while he was

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serving wine to the king.

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Now the way I do most of my praying,

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I guess, is with my eyes closed

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and my head bowed,

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and often on my knees.

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But you know, there's no Bible verse

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that says that's the only right way to pray, is there?

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In fact, there's nobody in the Bible

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that closes their eyes when they pray -

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at least where the verse says that.

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I was just finishing the biography of D.E. Hoste,

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which I'll make available for you all

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to borrow if you like.

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He was the second director

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of the China Inland Mission.

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And at one point as a young man,

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as a young missionary,

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he was trying to pray a lot.

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And he was having trouble

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because his mind would just wander

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when he tries to pray.

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So he asked Hudson Taylor,

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the wiser, older missionary.

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He says what do I do about this?

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And he's expecting to get

275
00:10:57,863 --> 00:11:00,212
some really spiritual answer back

276
00:11:00,212 --> 00:11:01,751
about this problem.

277
00:11:01,751 --> 00:11:02,895
Hudson Taylor says

278
00:11:02,895 --> 00:11:05,174
why don't you try praying

279
00:11:05,174 --> 00:11:06,864
as you take a walk?

280
00:11:06,864 --> 00:11:08,925
And just talk to God as though

281
00:11:08,925 --> 00:11:10,543
the Lord was just right there

282
00:11:10,543 --> 00:11:12,325
walking along with you?

283
00:11:12,325 --> 00:11:13,969
And he said he started doing that

284
00:11:13,969 --> 00:11:15,436
and that helped him so much

285
00:11:15,436 --> 00:11:17,898
he did it the rest of his life.

286
00:11:17,898 --> 00:11:23,852
And he ended up being a mighty man of prayer.

287
00:11:23,852 --> 00:11:25,499
The point I'm making is that

288
00:11:25,499 --> 00:11:27,686
we should feel freedom;

289
00:11:27,686 --> 00:11:30,175
we should have variety

290
00:11:30,175 --> 00:11:32,765
in what we do with our bodies

291
00:11:32,765 --> 00:11:34,570
as we pray to God.

292
00:11:34,570 --> 00:11:35,913
Don't be stuck in a rut.

293
00:11:35,913 --> 00:11:38,348
Don't just always be doing it the same way.

294
00:11:38,348 --> 00:11:41,187
No. Sometimes pray with your eyes open.

295
00:11:41,187 --> 00:11:43,933
Sometimes look into Heaven like Jesus did.

296
00:11:43,933 --> 00:11:46,174
Sometimes take a walk. Whatever.

297
00:11:46,174 --> 00:11:49,008
It can be a help in our own prayer life.

298
00:11:49,008 --> 00:11:51,285
Second thing to see in Jesus' prayer

299
00:11:51,285 --> 00:11:53,578
is that He prayed with others.

300
00:11:53,578 --> 00:11:54,997
He prayed with others.

301
00:11:54,997 --> 00:11:56,743
There were 11 other guys there

302
00:11:56,743 --> 00:11:58,250
with Him as He prayed.

303
00:11:58,250 --> 00:12:00,412
These disciples were listening in.

304
00:12:00,412 --> 00:12:03,497
And Jesus did this often in His ministry.

305
00:12:03,497 --> 00:12:05,240
You know, just a little after this

306
00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:07,220
in the Garden of Gethsemane,

307
00:12:07,220 --> 00:12:09,287
He takes Peter and James and John

308
00:12:09,287 --> 00:12:10,879
along with Him,

309
00:12:10,879 --> 00:12:11,872
and He says to them,

310
00:12:11,872 --> 00:12:14,239
you guys watch and pray

311
00:12:14,239 --> 00:12:17,528
along with Me while I pray over here.

312
00:12:17,528 --> 00:12:19,129
Earlier in His ministry,

313
00:12:19,129 --> 00:12:21,520
He took the same three guys on what became

314
00:12:21,520 --> 00:12:23,475
the Mount of Transfiguration.

315
00:12:23,475 --> 00:12:25,783
They're going to have a prayer meeting up there.

316
00:12:25,783 --> 00:12:27,752
And in the middle of the prayer meeting

317
00:12:27,752 --> 00:12:31,534
all kinds of glorious things happened.

318
00:12:31,534 --> 00:12:33,296
I did a study a little while back

319
00:12:33,296 --> 00:12:34,591
through the book of Acts

320
00:12:34,591 --> 00:12:36,287
just looking for all the references

321
00:12:36,287 --> 00:12:38,994
to prayer meetings in the book of Acts,

322
00:12:38,994 --> 00:12:41,930
and there were like 10 or 12 examples

323
00:12:41,930 --> 00:12:44,454
of either scheduled prayer meetings

324
00:12:44,454 --> 00:12:46,142
or just impromptu times

325
00:12:46,142 --> 00:12:48,904
where Christians are praying together

326
00:12:48,904 --> 00:12:52,335
in the book of Acts.

327
00:12:52,335 --> 00:12:54,793
This was something else in that D.E. Hoste book

328
00:12:54,793 --> 00:12:55,963
that he talked about.

329
00:12:55,963 --> 00:13:00,364
He says he really tried to pray a lot

330
00:13:00,364 --> 00:13:02,114
as director of the mission.

331
00:13:02,114 --> 00:13:04,593
He tried to pray for all the missionaries

332
00:13:04,593 --> 00:13:06,243
like every day and stuff.

333
00:13:06,243 --> 00:13:12,041
And he found that he prayed considerably better

334
00:13:12,041 --> 00:13:13,539
when he had somebody else

335
00:13:13,539 --> 00:13:15,257
in the room with him.

336
00:13:15,257 --> 00:13:18,322
And so he would grab somebody -

337
00:13:18,322 --> 00:13:20,844
maybe his wife or another missionary

338
00:13:20,844 --> 00:13:23,375
or somebody that was just staying at his house

339
00:13:23,375 --> 00:13:25,011
and it's like, hey, could you come

340
00:13:25,011 --> 00:13:28,898
and pray with me for awhile this morning?

341
00:13:28,898 --> 00:13:31,382
He liked to pray with someone.

342
00:13:31,382 --> 00:13:33,343
It helped to have somebody there.

343
00:13:33,343 --> 00:13:36,097
And it sure does help us, doesn't it.

344
00:13:36,097 --> 00:13:39,209
So this is a practice we can follow too

345
00:13:39,209 --> 00:13:40,897
to not just pray alone,

346
00:13:40,897 --> 00:13:42,257
which of course is good,

347
00:13:42,257 --> 00:13:46,237
but to pray with others at times.

348
00:13:46,237 --> 00:13:47,982
I mean corporately as a church

349
00:13:47,982 --> 00:13:50,446
we have a prayer meeting on Thursday nights

350
00:13:50,446 --> 00:13:52,419
that I think is really important.

351
00:13:52,419 --> 00:13:54,083
I mean, in my rank,

352
00:13:54,083 --> 00:13:56,447
it would be second to the Sunday meeting

353
00:13:56,447 --> 00:13:58,308
we have right now in importance.

354
00:13:58,308 --> 00:14:00,423
My preference would be that

355
00:14:00,423 --> 00:14:02,174
if you needed to skip other stuff,

356
00:14:02,174 --> 00:14:03,639
you'd skip the Bible study

357
00:14:03,639 --> 00:14:05,136
and the social things

358
00:14:05,136 --> 00:14:07,918
and even the evangelism sometimes

359
00:14:07,918 --> 00:14:10,202
in order to make the prayer meeting

360
00:14:10,202 --> 00:14:13,040
a priority for us.

361
00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:16,460
But then there's other opportunities

362
00:14:16,460 --> 00:14:17,647
where you can just pray

363
00:14:17,647 --> 00:14:19,604
with one or two Christians, you know?

364
00:14:19,604 --> 00:14:21,071
You pray with your family.

365
00:14:21,071 --> 00:14:22,797
You can pray with somebody

366
00:14:22,797 --> 00:14:24,393
that's just visiting your house

367
00:14:24,393 --> 00:14:25,551
that's a Christian.

368
00:14:25,551 --> 00:14:28,884
Say, hey, could we pray a little before you leave?

369
00:14:28,884 --> 00:14:31,642
I noticed on Sunday after our meal over here,

370
00:14:31,642 --> 00:14:33,522
there was a table full of guys

371
00:14:33,522 --> 00:14:35,645
that looked like they were praying.

372
00:14:35,645 --> 00:14:37,220
And that was great to see!

373
00:14:37,220 --> 00:14:39,521
You know, just impromptu prayer

374
00:14:39,521 --> 00:14:41,595
among the brothers.

375
00:14:41,595 --> 00:14:44,149
You can be the one that suggests this.

376
00:14:44,149 --> 00:14:46,074
See? You can be the one that says,

377
00:14:46,074 --> 00:14:48,770
hey, before we get started on this,

378
00:14:48,770 --> 00:14:50,907
do you think we ought to just pray about it?

379
00:14:50,907 --> 00:14:52,504
You can be the one that suggests,

380
00:14:52,504 --> 00:14:53,768
hey, before you go,

381
00:14:53,768 --> 00:14:56,619
could we just have a word of prayer together?

382
00:14:56,619 --> 00:14:58,367
That's how Jesus did it.

383
00:14:58,367 --> 00:14:59,630
He prayed with others.

384
00:14:59,630 --> 00:15:01,620
Third thing that you see in this prayer

385
00:15:01,620 --> 00:15:04,655
is that Jesus prayed to the Father.

386
00:15:04,655 --> 00:15:05,721
The Father.

387
00:15:05,721 --> 00:15:07,980
That's the first word of the prayer, isn't it?

388
00:15:07,980 --> 00:15:09,533
Father.

389
00:15:09,533 --> 00:15:12,083
Glorify Your Son

390
00:15:12,083 --> 00:15:15,300
that Your Son may glorify You.

391
00:15:15,300 --> 00:15:17,341
The Father-Son thing,

392
00:15:17,341 --> 00:15:18,818
from the very first line.

393
00:15:18,818 --> 00:15:20,929
Then, He mentions the Father again

394
00:15:20,929 --> 00:15:22,536
in verse 5

395
00:15:22,536 --> 00:15:25,432
and again in verse 11

396
00:15:25,432 --> 00:15:28,624
and again in verse 21

397
00:15:28,624 --> 00:15:31,792
and again in verse 24

398
00:15:31,792 --> 00:15:34,282
and again in verse 25.

399
00:15:34,282 --> 00:15:36,542
You didn't know it was in there that often,

400
00:15:36,542 --> 00:15:38,938
but He keeps referring to the Father.

401
00:15:38,938 --> 00:15:40,891
This was a big deal

402
00:15:40,891 --> 00:15:42,556
in the mind of Jesus.

403
00:15:42,556 --> 00:15:43,929
He was the Son

404
00:15:43,929 --> 00:15:47,083
and He's praying to the Father.

405
00:15:47,083 --> 00:15:51,519
Christ had a confidence and a delight

406
00:15:51,519 --> 00:15:54,286
in this Father to Son relationship

407
00:15:54,286 --> 00:15:56,002
that He enjoyed there.

408
00:15:56,002 --> 00:15:58,465
And it's fascinating to think about this, isn't it,

409
00:15:58,465 --> 00:16:03,167
because God the Father and God the Son

410
00:16:03,167 --> 00:16:06,245
have existed from eternity past.

411
00:16:06,245 --> 00:16:08,701
They've always been the Father and the Son.

412
00:16:08,701 --> 00:16:11,212
And so here you have the incarnate

413
00:16:11,212 --> 00:16:12,614
Son of God;

414
00:16:12,614 --> 00:16:15,271
you have Christ the God-man

415
00:16:15,271 --> 00:16:17,359
in His humanity,

416
00:16:17,359 --> 00:16:20,713
and He's still praying to the Father;

417
00:16:20,713 --> 00:16:24,765
still reaching out to the Father like this.

418
00:16:24,765 --> 00:16:26,376
What's really amazing though

419
00:16:26,376 --> 00:16:28,166
is that Jesus taught us to pray

420
00:16:28,166 --> 00:16:29,529
the same way.

421
00:16:29,529 --> 00:16:31,862
He taught us to pray to the Father,

422
00:16:31,862 --> 00:16:33,530
just like He did.

423
00:16:33,530 --> 00:16:35,281
I mean, there in Matthew 6,

424
00:16:35,281 --> 00:16:37,644
probably the clearest instructions on prayer

425
00:16:37,644 --> 00:16:39,352
Jesus ever gives us is there

426
00:16:39,352 --> 00:16:40,750
in the Sermon on the Mount.

427
00:16:40,750 --> 00:16:42,350
There in Matthew 6, Jesus says,

428
00:16:42,350 --> 00:16:43,494
"shut your door.

429
00:16:43,494 --> 00:16:45,776
Pray to your Father who is in secret,

430
00:16:45,776 --> 00:16:47,767
and your Father who sees in secret

431
00:16:47,767 --> 00:16:50,454
will repay you.

432
00:16:50,454 --> 00:16:52,396
And your Father knows what you need

433
00:16:52,396 --> 00:16:53,747
before you ask Him."

434
00:16:53,747 --> 00:16:56,169
And then, "pray then in this way:

435
00:16:56,169 --> 00:17:01,008
Our Father, who art in Heaven..."

436
00:17:01,008 --> 00:17:03,016
We get to address the living God

437
00:17:03,016 --> 00:17:04,768
in the same terms

438
00:17:04,768 --> 00:17:06,942
that the Lord Jesus used

439
00:17:06,942 --> 00:17:08,190
as our Father.

440
00:17:08,190 --> 00:17:09,635
It's a wonderful thing.

441
00:17:09,635 --> 00:17:11,840
We've received that Spirit of adoption

442
00:17:11,840 --> 00:17:13,494
that we talked about a couple of

443
00:17:13,494 --> 00:17:15,975
Tuesday nights back there from Romans 8 -

444
00:17:15,975 --> 00:17:18,467
the Spirit of adoption as sons,

445
00:17:18,467 --> 00:17:24,681
by which we cry out, "Abba, Father."

446
00:17:24,681 --> 00:17:27,038
When the Holy Spirit comes into you

447
00:17:27,038 --> 00:17:28,987
as a brand new Christian,

448
00:17:28,987 --> 00:17:30,854
there's this welling up within you -

449
00:17:30,854 --> 00:17:34,160
this cry that God is my Father -

450
00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:36,153
my Abba, Father.

451
00:17:36,153 --> 00:17:40,122
I have this relationship with the living God.

452
00:17:40,122 --> 00:17:43,681
You can't help but cry out to Him.

453
00:17:43,681 --> 00:17:44,863
It's so natural.

454
00:17:44,863 --> 00:17:45,971
It's so instinctive

455
00:17:45,971 --> 00:17:48,114
for these little children that we have

456
00:17:48,114 --> 00:17:50,960
to try to talk to their parents, right?

457
00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:54,023
Early on, it's "da, da, da, da..."

458
00:17:54,023 --> 00:17:55,683
"ma, ma, ma, ma..."

459
00:17:55,683 --> 00:17:57,223
And then, after a while,

460
00:17:57,223 --> 00:17:59,003
they're just kind of jabbering

461
00:17:59,003 --> 00:18:00,359
all kinds of sounds

462
00:18:00,359 --> 00:18:02,738
and then they start to learn some actual words.

463
00:18:02,738 --> 00:18:05,562
And then they start to put the words together a little bit.

464
00:18:05,562 --> 00:18:07,568
And then figure out if they put the right words together,

465
00:18:07,568 --> 00:18:09,844
they can get the stuff they want, you know

466
00:18:09,844 --> 00:18:11,260
how that works.

467
00:18:11,260 --> 00:18:14,108
Children want to talk to their parents.

468
00:18:14,108 --> 00:18:16,817
There's that desire for that connection

469
00:18:16,817 --> 00:18:20,160
and that relationship.

470
00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:23,578
And that's really the essence of our prayer life.

471
00:18:23,578 --> 00:18:24,609
Brothers and sisters,

472
00:18:24,609 --> 00:18:29,695
prayer is not this exercise you do

473
00:18:29,695 --> 00:18:32,602
in order to get the stuff you want.

474
00:18:32,602 --> 00:18:35,473
But prayer is an expression of a relationship

475
00:18:35,473 --> 00:18:38,049
between a child and the Father.

476
00:18:38,049 --> 00:18:39,641
We keep reaching out to the Lord.

477
00:18:39,641 --> 00:18:41,445
We keep reaching out to the Father,

478
00:18:41,445 --> 00:18:42,632
again and again,

479
00:18:42,632 --> 00:18:44,728
just reassuring ourselves

480
00:18:44,728 --> 00:18:46,861
of the relationship with Him;

481
00:18:46,861 --> 00:18:50,378
Reassuring ourselves of His love.

482
00:18:50,378 --> 00:18:51,981
And that wanting to maintain

483
00:18:51,981 --> 00:18:53,967
that felt sense of the closeness

484
00:18:53,967 --> 00:18:55,687
and nearness of God.

485
00:18:55,687 --> 00:18:58,875
This is always a great test

486
00:18:58,875 --> 00:19:01,143
of how well we're doing spiritually;

487
00:19:01,143 --> 00:19:02,458
of where we're really at.

488
00:19:02,458 --> 00:19:05,876
How good is your relationship with God?

489
00:19:05,876 --> 00:19:09,062
Your prayer life will often tell the story

490
00:19:09,062 --> 00:19:11,146
of how you're doing.

491
00:19:11,146 --> 00:19:13,087
Many, many professing Christians

492
00:19:13,087 --> 00:19:15,767
hardly ever pray.

493
00:19:15,767 --> 00:19:17,806
They hardly ever feel any desire

494
00:19:17,806 --> 00:19:19,805
for that connection with God.

495
00:19:19,805 --> 00:19:22,871
Maybe it's because there isn't one.

496
00:19:22,871 --> 00:19:24,705
There isn't really a relationship

497
00:19:24,705 --> 00:19:27,487
with the Lord.

498
00:19:27,487 --> 00:19:29,341
But our prayer life will often tell

499
00:19:29,341 --> 00:19:31,580
how is my heart toward

500
00:19:31,580 --> 00:19:34,691
the God that I claim to love.

501
00:19:34,691 --> 00:19:37,606
Now we don't pray to the Father exclusively, of course.

502
00:19:37,606 --> 00:19:40,290
It's biblical to pray to Jesus.

503
00:19:40,290 --> 00:19:43,082
We just talked about that a few months ago I think.

504
00:19:43,082 --> 00:19:46,494
And it's fine to pray to the Holy Spirit also,

505
00:19:46,494 --> 00:19:47,980
but I would say this.

506
00:19:47,980 --> 00:19:50,998
I'm not a fan of the practice of praying,

507
00:19:50,998 --> 00:19:52,006
"Dear God..."

508
00:19:52,006 --> 00:19:54,971
"Dear God this..." "Dear God that..."

509
00:19:54,971 --> 00:19:56,071
And so on...

510
00:19:56,071 --> 00:19:58,071
To me, praying to the Father

511
00:19:58,071 --> 00:20:01,259
is so much of a richer concept

512
00:20:01,259 --> 00:20:03,331
than saying, "dear God."

513
00:20:03,331 --> 00:20:05,831
That's not wrong to talk that way,

514
00:20:05,831 --> 00:20:06,959
but think about it.

515
00:20:06,959 --> 00:20:10,672
God is God over everybody

516
00:20:10,672 --> 00:20:11,760
and everything.

517
00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:14,653
God is God over every creature.

518
00:20:14,653 --> 00:20:16,744
God's God over every person,

519
00:20:16,744 --> 00:20:19,654
every animal, every insect,

520
00:20:19,654 --> 00:20:21,996
but He's only Father

521
00:20:21,996 --> 00:20:24,633
to a small number of people, right?

522
00:20:24,633 --> 00:20:27,678
The Lord Jesus Christ and all the Christians.

523
00:20:27,678 --> 00:20:30,670
They're the only ones that can call Him Father like that.

524
00:20:30,670 --> 00:20:32,116
And so when I go to pray,

525
00:20:32,116 --> 00:20:34,314
I want to be reminded of that.

526
00:20:34,314 --> 00:20:36,798
That I'm in that club.

527
00:20:36,798 --> 00:20:39,855
I'm one of those that's a child of God.

528
00:20:39,855 --> 00:20:41,532
I can call Him my Father -

529
00:20:41,532 --> 00:20:44,949
not just my God, but He's my Father.

530
00:20:44,949 --> 00:20:46,370
Well, that's how Jesus prayed

531
00:20:46,370 --> 00:20:48,183
and how He encouraged us to pray.

532
00:20:48,183 --> 00:20:50,813
A fourth thing in this prayer we see

533
00:20:50,813 --> 00:20:54,300
is that He prayed with reverence.

534
00:20:54,300 --> 00:20:55,713
He prayed with reverence.

535
00:20:55,713 --> 00:20:57,452
And really the whole prayer,

536
00:20:57,452 --> 00:20:59,402
it just has a tone of honor

537
00:20:59,402 --> 00:21:02,601
and respectfulness toward God.

538
00:21:02,601 --> 00:21:04,033
But we especially, I think,

539
00:21:04,033 --> 00:21:06,369
see the reverence come out in two phrases

540
00:21:06,369 --> 00:21:07,993
that Jesus uses.

541
00:21:07,993 --> 00:21:10,496
In verse 11, there's the phrase,

542
00:21:10,496 --> 00:21:13,456
"Holy Father,"

543
00:21:13,456 --> 00:21:15,683
and verse 25, the phrase,

544
00:21:15,683 --> 00:21:19,900
"O righteous Father."

545
00:21:19,900 --> 00:21:22,441
He specifically mentions the holiness

546
00:21:22,441 --> 00:21:24,765
and righteousness of God

547
00:21:24,765 --> 00:21:28,158
as He addresses the Father.

548
00:21:28,158 --> 00:21:31,556
Now, He could have said, "O loving Father"

549
00:21:31,556 --> 00:21:33,285
or "O gracious Father"

550
00:21:33,285 --> 00:21:34,786
or "O powerful Father,"

551
00:21:34,786 --> 00:21:38,177
"O wise Father."

552
00:21:38,177 --> 00:21:40,407
Instead, it's "holy Father."

553
00:21:40,407 --> 00:21:43,080
It's God's holiness that comes out.

554
00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:45,664
Why do you think so?

555
00:21:45,664 --> 00:21:48,939
Well, holiness is about being set apart.

556
00:21:48,939 --> 00:21:51,657
Holiness is about being above and beyond;

557
00:21:51,657 --> 00:21:54,032
being transcendent,

558
00:21:54,032 --> 00:21:56,023
above the creation,

559
00:21:56,023 --> 00:21:58,227
above all that is sinful,

560
00:21:58,227 --> 00:21:59,685
all that is defiled,

561
00:21:59,685 --> 00:22:01,407
all that is cursed.

562
00:22:01,407 --> 00:22:05,825
God is above; set apart in His majesty.

563
00:22:05,825 --> 00:22:10,053
Think of that place in Revelation 4

564
00:22:10,053 --> 00:22:12,862
that describes sort of the throne room of Heaven.

565
00:22:12,862 --> 00:22:15,578
And it describes the four living creatures.

566
00:22:15,578 --> 00:22:17,232
And what are they saying

567
00:22:17,232 --> 00:22:19,637
night and day and night and day?

568
00:22:19,637 --> 00:22:20,879
What are they saying?

569
00:22:20,879 --> 00:22:22,376
We just sang it this morning.

570
00:22:22,376 --> 00:22:24,622
Holy, holy, holy

571
00:22:24,622 --> 00:22:26,551
is the Lord God, the Almighty.

572
00:22:26,551 --> 00:22:27,524
It's His holiness.

573
00:22:27,524 --> 00:22:28,847
Well, think. Those angels

574
00:22:28,847 --> 00:22:30,088
had never sinned.

575
00:22:30,088 --> 00:22:31,290
You know, in that sense,

576
00:22:31,290 --> 00:22:33,275
they are very holy too.

577
00:22:33,275 --> 00:22:35,253
They're more holy than any of us.

578
00:22:35,253 --> 00:22:37,570
And yet, they're there in the presence of God.

579
00:22:37,570 --> 00:22:39,131
And they can't help themselves.

580
00:22:39,131 --> 00:22:41,820
They keep worshiping His holiness.

581
00:22:41,820 --> 00:22:44,121
They realize the holiness God has

582
00:22:44,121 --> 00:22:45,621
is a whole different level;

583
00:22:45,621 --> 00:22:47,228
a whole different kind

584
00:22:47,228 --> 00:22:48,744
than the holiness they have

585
00:22:48,744 --> 00:22:52,566
even as perfect angels in Heaven.

586
00:22:52,566 --> 00:22:55,537
This also fits with the model prayer

587
00:22:55,537 --> 00:22:59,932
Jesus gave us there in Matthew 6.

588
00:22:59,932 --> 00:23:01,618
He says, "Pray then in this way:

589
00:23:01,618 --> 00:23:05,119
Our Father, Who art in Heaven,

590
00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:06,790
hallowed by Thy name."

591
00:23:06,790 --> 00:23:07,872
Yes, He's our Father

592
00:23:07,872 --> 00:23:09,486
as we talked about a minute ago,

593
00:23:09,486 --> 00:23:11,274
but He's our Father in Heaven.

594
00:23:11,274 --> 00:23:12,946
We're to remember He's the Father

595
00:23:12,946 --> 00:23:17,209
in the majestic glory of Heaven right now.

596
00:23:17,209 --> 00:23:19,782
We're to picture the throne room of Heaven

597
00:23:19,782 --> 00:23:22,556
however you picture that.

598
00:23:22,556 --> 00:23:25,371
And also "hallowed be Thy name."

599
00:23:25,371 --> 00:23:27,969
I mean, hallowed just means

600
00:23:27,969 --> 00:23:32,405
may Your name be honored as holy.

601
00:23:32,405 --> 00:23:33,743
That's how we pray.

602
00:23:33,743 --> 00:23:35,314
That's how we approach prayer.

603
00:23:35,314 --> 00:23:39,355
Hebrews 12:28 says that we offer to God

604
00:23:39,355 --> 00:23:45,319
an acceptable service with reverence and awe

605
00:23:45,319 --> 00:23:49,811
for our God is a consuming fire.

606
00:23:49,811 --> 00:23:52,117
He says we come to Him with our worship,

607
00:23:52,117 --> 00:23:53,713
with our thanksgiving,

608
00:23:53,713 --> 00:23:54,924
with our praise.

609
00:23:54,924 --> 00:23:56,842
How? With reverence and awe

610
00:23:56,842 --> 00:23:58,382
because of Who He is:

611
00:23:58,382 --> 00:23:59,405
a consuming fire.

612
00:23:59,405 --> 00:24:02,524
I think the fire analogy points to holiness also.

613
00:24:02,524 --> 00:24:06,311
It's the fire that consumes sin.

614
00:24:06,311 --> 00:24:08,574
And so here's Christ,

615
00:24:08,574 --> 00:24:13,092
Who is in no way less holy than the Father.

616
00:24:13,092 --> 00:24:15,027
And yet when He prays to the Father,

617
00:24:15,027 --> 00:24:16,658
He uses this terminology.

618
00:24:16,658 --> 00:24:23,292
Holy Father. O righteous Father.

619
00:24:23,292 --> 00:24:24,532
Think of it.

620
00:24:24,532 --> 00:24:30,131
Christ who had the greatest possible familiarity

621
00:24:30,131 --> 00:24:31,427
with the Father,

622
00:24:31,427 --> 00:24:34,624
and He addresses Him with this kind of reverence.

623
00:24:34,624 --> 00:24:38,095
How much more should we?

624
00:24:38,095 --> 00:24:40,752
We who are a mess.

625
00:24:40,752 --> 00:24:43,474
We who have sinned against God

626
00:24:43,474 --> 00:24:44,510
again and again.

627
00:24:44,510 --> 00:24:47,093
We that have a hard time going a day,

628
00:24:47,093 --> 00:24:50,267
maybe not even an hour without sinning.

629
00:24:50,267 --> 00:24:52,734
How much more should we approach

630
00:24:52,734 --> 00:24:55,804
consuming fire of God with reverence,

631
00:24:55,804 --> 00:24:59,336
with respect, with care, with honor?

632
00:24:59,336 --> 00:25:01,731
He's the holy, holy, holy God

633
00:25:01,731 --> 00:25:03,922
to whom we pray.

634
00:25:03,922 --> 00:25:06,478
You're going into the throne room

635
00:25:06,478 --> 00:25:11,118
to do serious, glorious business with God.

636
00:25:11,118 --> 00:25:13,769
Remember His majesty.

637
00:25:13,769 --> 00:25:16,116
Remember His set-apart-ness.

638
00:25:16,116 --> 00:25:17,841
A fifth thing about this prayer

639
00:25:17,841 --> 00:25:22,319
is that Jesus prayed with simple language.

640
00:25:22,319 --> 00:25:23,720
Simple language.

641
00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:25,685
When we read through the prayer earlier,

642
00:25:25,685 --> 00:25:27,150
did you notice a lot of long,

643
00:25:27,150 --> 00:25:29,309
technical words?

644
00:25:29,309 --> 00:25:31,529
Not too much of that.

645
00:25:31,529 --> 00:25:33,204
It's just the opposite.

646
00:25:33,204 --> 00:25:34,896
I think the vocabulary

647
00:25:34,896 --> 00:25:36,828
and the sentence structure of the prayer

648
00:25:36,828 --> 00:25:39,086
is simpler than Jesus' teaching

649
00:25:39,086 --> 00:25:41,662
we've been studying for the last month.

650
00:25:41,662 --> 00:25:44,156
There's a lot of complicated stuff in the teaching,

651
00:25:44,156 --> 00:25:46,576
but the words He uses in the prayer

652
00:25:46,576 --> 00:25:50,558
are mostly simple words.

653
00:25:50,558 --> 00:25:54,346
The language has an unadorned beauty about it.

654
00:25:54,346 --> 00:25:57,230
There's no high, soaring rhetoric here.

655
00:25:57,230 --> 00:26:01,729
There's no poetic imagery here.

656
00:26:01,729 --> 00:26:06,636
It's just very ordinary words.

657
00:26:06,636 --> 00:26:09,383
So my conclusion is that fancy language

658
00:26:09,383 --> 00:26:14,212
in our prayers just doesn't matter to God.

659
00:26:14,212 --> 00:26:15,624
It doesn't impress Him.

660
00:26:15,624 --> 00:26:18,280
It doesn't increase your chances

661
00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:20,574
of Him answering your prayer

662
00:26:20,574 --> 00:26:22,526
if it's real fancy.

663
00:26:22,526 --> 00:26:23,899
No.

664
00:26:23,899 --> 00:26:26,604
God just wants to hear you.

665
00:26:26,604 --> 00:26:29,547
Just talk to Him like you normally talk

666
00:26:29,547 --> 00:26:35,249
in the words you feel most comfortable using.

667
00:26:35,249 --> 00:26:38,088
There are some very godly saints -

668
00:26:38,088 --> 00:26:41,498
especially those of an older generation -

669
00:26:41,498 --> 00:26:43,635
and for them, the way they express

670
00:26:43,635 --> 00:26:45,167
reverence in prayer

671
00:26:45,167 --> 00:26:48,585
is by talking in King James English.

672
00:26:48,585 --> 00:26:51,664
Maybe you've been around that before.

673
00:26:51,664 --> 00:26:55,791
Lots of "thee's" and "thou's" and stuff.

674
00:26:55,791 --> 00:26:57,561
And I appreciate their godliness.

675
00:26:57,561 --> 00:26:59,421
I appreciate the heart behind it,

676
00:26:59,421 --> 00:27:01,109
but I think that's a mistake.

677
00:27:01,109 --> 00:27:02,797
Because we see just the opposite

678
00:27:02,797 --> 00:27:03,966
in Jesus' prayer.

679
00:27:03,966 --> 00:27:07,013
His prayer was simple.

680
00:27:07,013 --> 00:27:10,938
It's a mistake to think that archaic language

681
00:27:10,938 --> 00:27:13,934
or flowery language

682
00:27:13,934 --> 00:27:15,493
is somehow better for prayer

683
00:27:15,493 --> 00:27:20,637
than just our normal everyday words.

684
00:27:20,637 --> 00:27:22,174
Remember, we're children

685
00:27:22,174 --> 00:27:24,544
coming to the Father.

686
00:27:24,544 --> 00:27:26,965
When my kids talk to me,

687
00:27:26,965 --> 00:27:29,131
I want them to be respectful

688
00:27:29,131 --> 00:27:31,233
of their dad, sure.

689
00:27:31,233 --> 00:27:33,100
But it's not like they're going to

690
00:27:33,100 --> 00:27:35,762
a job interview or in front of a judge

691
00:27:35,762 --> 00:27:38,180
or giving testimony in front of congress

692
00:27:38,180 --> 00:27:40,877
or something, right?

693
00:27:40,877 --> 00:27:43,112
I love them for who they are.

694
00:27:43,112 --> 00:27:45,620
I just want them to be themselves.

695
00:27:45,620 --> 00:27:48,439
Just say what's on your mind

696
00:27:48,439 --> 00:27:51,530
in the way you're used to saying it.

697
00:27:51,530 --> 00:27:55,716
And God views us the same way

698
00:27:55,716 --> 00:27:57,790
as our Father in Heaven.

699
00:27:57,790 --> 00:28:01,329
He loves you as you are in Christ.

700
00:28:01,329 --> 00:28:04,141
And He wants you to just use the words

701
00:28:04,141 --> 00:28:09,624
that most clearly express your heart to Him.

702
00:28:09,624 --> 00:28:12,248
I'm comforted by that.

703
00:28:12,248 --> 00:28:15,787
A sixth thing we see in this prayer

704
00:28:15,787 --> 00:28:19,477
is that Jesus prayed in an orderly way.

705
00:28:19,477 --> 00:28:21,111
An orderly way.

706
00:28:21,111 --> 00:28:23,216
There's an obvious structure

707
00:28:23,216 --> 00:28:24,349
to this prayer.

708
00:28:24,349 --> 00:28:27,356
It's not just a list of random thoughts

709
00:28:27,356 --> 00:28:30,298
just kind of thrown out one after another.

710
00:28:30,298 --> 00:28:34,196
But Jesus went into this with a plan -

711
00:28:34,196 --> 00:28:35,697
how He was going to pray.

712
00:28:35,697 --> 00:28:38,225
There's a logical progression that runs through it.

713
00:28:38,225 --> 00:28:40,818
The circles kind of expand as you go along.

714
00:28:40,818 --> 00:28:42,939
He starts out just praying for Himself

715
00:28:42,939 --> 00:28:44,985
in the immediate context of the cross.

716
00:28:44,985 --> 00:28:46,481
That's the first five verses.

717
00:28:46,481 --> 00:28:49,102
Then the next section, v. 6-19,

718
00:28:49,102 --> 00:28:51,410
He's praying for His disciples there.

719
00:28:51,410 --> 00:28:53,057
That's the second circle.

720
00:28:53,057 --> 00:28:55,831
And then at the end, v. 20-26,

721
00:28:55,831 --> 00:28:58,562
He prays for the entire church for all time.

722
00:28:58,562 --> 00:29:00,518
So that's another circle.

723
00:29:00,518 --> 00:29:02,575
And the prayer naturally builds

724
00:29:02,575 --> 00:29:05,506
to this wonderful climax of the unity

725
00:29:05,506 --> 00:29:08,692
and love of the Father and the Son

726
00:29:08,692 --> 00:29:10,470
and the saints,

727
00:29:10,470 --> 00:29:13,717
by the time you get to v. 26.

728
00:29:13,717 --> 00:29:15,935
You get the same thing from the model prayer

729
00:29:15,935 --> 00:29:17,845
there in Matthew 6, don't you?

730
00:29:17,845 --> 00:29:19,496
"Our Father, which art in Heaven;

731
00:29:19,496 --> 00:29:20,776
hallowed be Thy name.

732
00:29:20,776 --> 00:29:22,817
Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done,

733
00:29:22,817 --> 00:29:24,407
on earth as it is in Heaven.

734
00:29:24,407 --> 00:29:26,786
Give us this day our daily bread.

735
00:29:26,786 --> 00:29:28,529
Forgive us our sins

736
00:29:28,529 --> 00:29:30,891
as we forgive our debtors.

737
00:29:30,891 --> 00:29:32,703
Lead us not into temptation..."

738
00:29:32,703 --> 00:29:35,267
Jesus is giving us an outline for our prayers.

739
00:29:35,267 --> 00:29:36,180
Step by step.

740
00:29:36,180 --> 00:29:38,580
Here's a way to approach it.

741
00:29:38,580 --> 00:29:41,981
There's order. There's structure there.

742
00:29:41,981 --> 00:29:45,707
I suspect, however, that there are

743
00:29:45,707 --> 00:29:47,434
many Christians - I don't know

744
00:29:47,434 --> 00:29:48,815
what you'd think about this.

745
00:29:48,815 --> 00:29:50,765
But I think there are many Christians

746
00:29:50,765 --> 00:29:53,309
who would say, well, I think it's more spiritual;

747
00:29:53,309 --> 00:29:56,819
I think it's more of a being led by the Spirit

748
00:29:56,819 --> 00:29:58,324
kind of experience

749
00:29:58,324 --> 00:30:01,211
if I don't have any plan when I pray.

750
00:30:01,211 --> 00:30:02,934
And I just sort of talk about

751
00:30:02,934 --> 00:30:05,136
whatever comes into my mind

752
00:30:05,136 --> 00:30:06,244
in the moment.

753
00:30:06,244 --> 00:30:10,463
And I think that is fine for shorter praying.

754
00:30:10,463 --> 00:30:12,053
I mean, I think that's natural.

755
00:30:12,053 --> 00:30:15,120
It's like, well, Lord, I'm dealing with this thing right here.

756
00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:16,838
Lord, protect me.

757
00:30:16,838 --> 00:30:18,943
Lord, help me with this next task.

758
00:30:18,943 --> 00:30:20,493
Lord, give me wisdom

759
00:30:20,493 --> 00:30:22,511
with these crazy kids today.

760
00:30:22,511 --> 00:30:28,885
Lord, help me in this thing I'm worried about right now.

761
00:30:28,885 --> 00:30:30,137
We cry out to God.

762
00:30:30,137 --> 00:30:31,920
It's right to pray about what's just

763
00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:33,348
right on our mind.

764
00:30:33,348 --> 00:30:37,140
But for your longer time in prayer

765
00:30:37,140 --> 00:30:38,565
during the day,

766
00:30:38,565 --> 00:30:41,140
I think it's really good

767
00:30:41,140 --> 00:30:42,427
to have some kind of plan;

768
00:30:42,427 --> 00:30:43,671
some kind of structure -

769
00:30:43,671 --> 00:30:45,751
what you normally pray about;

770
00:30:45,751 --> 00:30:49,065
what you think God would have you pray about.

771
00:30:49,065 --> 00:30:51,390
For me, it's been helpful

772
00:30:51,390 --> 00:30:54,467
to have a prayer list that I've kept

773
00:30:54,467 --> 00:30:56,012
for a number of years.

774
00:30:56,012 --> 00:31:00,013
I don't actually pray through the prayer list every day -

775
00:31:00,013 --> 00:31:01,696
maybe every second or third day

776
00:31:01,696 --> 00:31:03,380
I'll actually go through the list,

777
00:31:03,380 --> 00:31:05,007
but what I find is that if I don't

778
00:31:05,007 --> 00:31:07,385
look at the list for a long time,

779
00:31:07,385 --> 00:31:10,473
I start forgetting all kinds of stuff.

780
00:31:10,473 --> 00:31:11,930
So here's all these things

781
00:31:11,930 --> 00:31:13,816
that I think I should be praying for,

782
00:31:13,816 --> 00:31:15,453
that are good to pray for,

783
00:31:15,453 --> 00:31:17,601
and the list helps me stay on track.

784
00:31:17,601 --> 00:31:18,725
It gives structure.

785
00:31:18,725 --> 00:31:21,202
It gives a plan to my praying.

786
00:31:21,202 --> 00:31:22,622
I think of it this way:

787
00:31:22,622 --> 00:31:24,451
Back when I was in the business world,

788
00:31:24,451 --> 00:31:26,672
I would never go into a business meeting

789
00:31:26,672 --> 00:31:29,082
without an agenda; without a plan;

790
00:31:29,082 --> 00:31:30,773
without some notes of here's how

791
00:31:30,773 --> 00:31:32,217
I want this meeting to go.

792
00:31:32,217 --> 00:31:35,579
Here's what I want to get out of these clients today, right?

793
00:31:35,579 --> 00:31:41,055
So, why would I treat my daily meeting

794
00:31:41,055 --> 00:31:42,759
with the Lord of Glory

795
00:31:42,759 --> 00:31:44,642
as something less worthy

796
00:31:44,642 --> 00:31:46,964
of some diligence and planning?

797
00:31:46,964 --> 00:31:50,434
You want to try to get the most out of it.

798
00:31:50,434 --> 00:31:52,215
There's order in Jesus' prayer.

799
00:31:52,215 --> 00:31:54,779
A seventh thing is that Jesus prayed

800
00:31:54,779 --> 00:31:59,699
as one with much experience praying.

801
00:31:59,699 --> 00:32:02,942
He prayed as one who had prayed a lot.

802
00:32:02,942 --> 00:32:04,656
There's a smoothness,

803
00:32:04,656 --> 00:32:07,447
a comfortable confidence in this prayer

804
00:32:07,447 --> 00:32:09,432
that comes from one who has spent

805
00:32:09,432 --> 00:32:13,237
His whole life praying.

806
00:32:13,237 --> 00:32:15,035
Scattered through the New Testament,

807
00:32:15,035 --> 00:32:19,268
there are about 25 references

808
00:32:19,268 --> 00:32:21,938
to Jesus' personal prayer life

809
00:32:21,938 --> 00:32:23,384
during His time on earth.

810
00:32:23,384 --> 00:32:24,537
Twenty-five.

811
00:32:24,537 --> 00:32:26,738
It's different examples of His prayers,

812
00:32:26,738 --> 00:32:31,340
different descriptions of how He prayed.

813
00:32:31,340 --> 00:32:33,110
Why is there so much?

814
00:32:33,110 --> 00:32:34,347
Why is there so much about

815
00:32:34,347 --> 00:32:35,642
His personal prayer life?

816
00:32:35,642 --> 00:32:38,539
It must be that God wants us to get the point

817
00:32:38,539 --> 00:32:40,996
that prayer was a big deal

818
00:32:40,996 --> 00:32:43,140
to the Lord Jesus Christ.

819
00:32:43,140 --> 00:32:44,592
He prayed a lot.

820
00:32:44,592 --> 00:32:47,935
It was a top priority for Him.

821
00:32:47,935 --> 00:32:51,279
He prayed sometimes for hours, didn't He?

822
00:32:51,279 --> 00:32:54,197
After He feeds the 5,000.

823
00:32:54,197 --> 00:32:57,255
I'd just want to go home and watch the game

824
00:32:57,255 --> 00:32:58,237
if it was me.

825
00:32:58,237 --> 00:32:59,889
Like, whoa, I've had my big day.

826
00:32:59,889 --> 00:33:01,046
What does Jesus do?

827
00:33:01,046 --> 00:33:02,312
He goes up on the mountain

828
00:33:02,312 --> 00:33:04,582
and He prays till late at night.

829
00:33:04,582 --> 00:33:07,707
And then He walks on the water.

830
00:33:07,707 --> 00:33:09,658
The night before Jesus

831
00:33:09,658 --> 00:33:11,900
chose the disciples,

832
00:33:11,900 --> 00:33:15,364
it says He prayed all night to God

833
00:33:15,364 --> 00:33:18,316
before He chose the twelve.

834
00:33:18,316 --> 00:33:21,385
There was consistency also in Jesus' prayer habits.

835
00:33:21,385 --> 00:33:23,602
In Luke 5:16 it says,

836
00:33:23,602 --> 00:33:27,063
"He Himself would often slip away

837
00:33:27,063 --> 00:33:28,950
into the wilderness and pray."

838
00:33:28,950 --> 00:33:30,720
That word "often" is important.

839
00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:33,013
It wasn't just something He did occasionally,

840
00:33:33,013 --> 00:33:34,291
but it was His practice.

841
00:33:34,291 --> 00:33:36,301
It's like He was crushed

842
00:33:36,301 --> 00:33:37,617
by all this ministry;

843
00:33:37,617 --> 00:33:39,230
all these people coming after Him

844
00:33:39,230 --> 00:33:40,109
needing things.

845
00:33:40,109 --> 00:33:41,995
He says I've still got to pray.

846
00:33:41,995 --> 00:33:44,197
I've got to get out here early in the morning.

847
00:33:44,197 --> 00:33:46,665
I've got to get alone with the Father.

848
00:33:46,665 --> 00:33:48,255
And He did it often.

849
00:33:48,255 --> 00:33:50,041
He prayed with passion, didn't He?

850
00:33:50,041 --> 00:33:52,035
We see that in the Garden of Gethsemane

851
00:33:52,035 --> 00:33:55,443
a little later sweating drops of blood.

852
00:33:55,443 --> 00:33:58,358
Hebrews 5 describes it as that

853
00:33:58,358 --> 00:34:02,518
Christ offered up prayers and petitions

854
00:34:02,518 --> 00:34:07,879
or supplications with loud crying and tears.

855
00:34:07,879 --> 00:34:10,370
It wasn't just a mechanical thing.

856
00:34:10,370 --> 00:34:13,387
There was passion behind His prayers.

857
00:34:13,387 --> 00:34:15,471
Now you would think Jesus of all people

858
00:34:15,471 --> 00:34:18,819
would have the least need

859
00:34:18,819 --> 00:34:20,960
to pray so much, right?

860
00:34:20,960 --> 00:34:23,666
I mean, He's the Son of God incarnate.

861
00:34:23,666 --> 00:34:27,809
He knows God intimately already.

862
00:34:27,809 --> 00:34:29,705
He has no sin to worry about

863
00:34:29,705 --> 00:34:33,442
to trip Him up.

864
00:34:33,442 --> 00:34:35,968
He's so busy with this important ministry.

865
00:34:35,968 --> 00:34:40,170
I mean, surely, we could excuse Jesus

866
00:34:40,170 --> 00:34:42,614
if He didn't think He needed to pray very much.

867
00:34:42,614 --> 00:34:44,532
You'd say, yeah, I understand.

868
00:34:44,532 --> 00:34:46,520
You don't need to pray.

869
00:34:46,520 --> 00:34:48,904
But instead, we see just the opposite -

870
00:34:48,904 --> 00:34:50,757
that the Lord Jesus seems to pray

871
00:34:50,757 --> 00:34:53,365
more than anybody else in the Bible.

872
00:34:53,365 --> 00:34:57,900
Prayer was a massive part of His life and ministry.

873
00:34:57,900 --> 00:34:59,377
The only way to get better

874
00:34:59,377 --> 00:35:01,825
at playing piano

875
00:35:01,825 --> 00:35:04,159
is to play the piano, right?

876
00:35:04,159 --> 00:35:06,040
The only way to get better at tennis

877
00:35:06,040 --> 00:35:08,120
or watercolor or carpentry

878
00:35:08,120 --> 00:35:10,893
or anything else is to do it,

879
00:35:10,893 --> 00:35:12,252
to spend time with it.

880
00:35:12,252 --> 00:35:13,937
Now, we need a little instruction

881
00:35:13,937 --> 00:35:14,842
along the way.

882
00:35:14,842 --> 00:35:16,749
You're getting some instruction today

883
00:35:16,749 --> 00:35:17,882
about prayer.

884
00:35:17,882 --> 00:35:20,215
But most of the way we get better at praying

885
00:35:20,215 --> 00:35:22,303
is just by praying,

886
00:35:22,303 --> 00:35:24,288
by just doing it;

887
00:35:24,288 --> 00:35:27,543
spending time on it.

888
00:35:27,543 --> 00:35:28,986
We can't learn to pray well

889
00:35:28,986 --> 00:35:30,916
without praying a lot.

890
00:35:30,916 --> 00:35:32,759
That's what I conclude.

891
00:35:32,759 --> 00:35:34,455
That's the only way our prayers

892
00:35:34,455 --> 00:35:36,365
can sound like Jesus,

893
00:35:36,365 --> 00:35:40,169
if we pray a lot like Jesus prayed a lot

894
00:35:40,169 --> 00:35:43,532
and gain the experience that our Lord had.

895
00:35:43,532 --> 00:35:45,415
An eighth thing about His prayer

896
00:35:45,415 --> 00:35:50,217
is He prayed with a confident faith in God.

897
00:35:50,217 --> 00:35:52,622
A confident faith.

898
00:35:52,622 --> 00:35:55,431
Jesus is not one here who is trying

899
00:35:55,431 --> 00:35:59,210
to sound like He believes God.

900
00:35:59,210 --> 00:36:01,440
He's one that just believes God.

901
00:36:01,440 --> 00:36:02,999
His faith is confident.

902
00:36:02,999 --> 00:36:04,487
It is calm.

903
00:36:04,487 --> 00:36:06,088
It is sincere.

904
00:36:06,088 --> 00:36:07,132
It is real.

905
00:36:07,132 --> 00:36:08,821
It pervades every word.

906
00:36:08,821 --> 00:36:13,862
It's just so matter-of- fact as He talks here.

907
00:36:13,862 --> 00:36:17,668
This sense that everything is under control;

908
00:36:17,668 --> 00:36:20,380
that God is doing everything

909
00:36:20,380 --> 00:36:24,657
just as He said He would.

910
00:36:24,657 --> 00:36:26,138
The very first line:

911
00:36:26,138 --> 00:36:28,682
"Father, the hour has come..."

912
00:36:28,682 --> 00:36:30,995
so glorify Your Son.

913
00:36:30,995 --> 00:36:34,074
There's just a confident faith in each line.

914
00:36:34,074 --> 00:36:35,934
And then like v. 4,

915
00:36:35,934 --> 00:36:38,644
"I glorified You on the earth..."

916
00:36:38,644 --> 00:36:41,914
so now Father, glorify Me.

917
00:36:41,914 --> 00:36:44,021
An expectation that of course

918
00:36:44,021 --> 00:36:46,270
God will do these things.

919
00:36:46,270 --> 00:36:47,603
And then He continues on

920
00:36:47,603 --> 00:36:49,101
praying for the disciples,

921
00:36:49,101 --> 00:36:51,241
describing their situation.

922
00:36:51,241 --> 00:36:52,694
Here are all their needs.

923
00:36:52,694 --> 00:36:57,290
Here is what I desire You to do for them, Father.

924
00:36:57,290 --> 00:36:59,806
There's never a sense

925
00:36:59,806 --> 00:37:04,669
that Christ is trying to twist God's arm

926
00:37:04,669 --> 00:37:08,366
and make God do stuff God doesn't want to do.

927
00:37:08,366 --> 00:37:11,281
Instead, a confidence that of course

928
00:37:11,281 --> 00:37:15,975
God wants to do these things.

929
00:37:15,975 --> 00:37:19,629
Christ has a certainty in His prayers

930
00:37:19,629 --> 00:37:21,826
that He will be heard and answered.

931
00:37:21,826 --> 00:37:23,538
Remember what He said there

932
00:37:23,538 --> 00:37:25,020
at Lazarus' tomb right before

933
00:37:25,020 --> 00:37:27,696
He raises Lazarus from the dead?

934
00:37:27,696 --> 00:37:29,194
He prays.

935
00:37:29,194 --> 00:37:30,992
He says, "Father, I thank You

936
00:37:30,992 --> 00:37:33,286
that You have heard Me.

937
00:37:33,286 --> 00:37:37,611
And I knew that You always hear Me."

938
00:37:37,611 --> 00:37:40,429
You always hear Me.

939
00:37:40,429 --> 00:37:43,339
He prayed with a confident faith.

940
00:37:43,339 --> 00:37:44,737
How about us?

941
00:37:44,737 --> 00:37:47,879
Do we pray with that kind

942
00:37:47,879 --> 00:37:52,547
of confident faith like our Lord showed?

943
00:37:52,547 --> 00:37:55,903
Well, you say, I'm not the Son of God.

944
00:37:55,903 --> 00:38:00,213
You say I'm not righteous like Jesus was.

945
00:38:00,213 --> 00:38:03,500
Now hold on. Hold on there.

946
00:38:03,500 --> 00:38:04,829
I'm not the Son of God?

947
00:38:04,829 --> 00:38:08,071
Well, the Bible says you're an adopted son of God.

948
00:38:08,071 --> 00:38:09,928
That counts for quite a bit.

949
00:38:09,928 --> 00:38:11,376
Don't you think?

950
00:38:11,376 --> 00:38:13,595
You say well, I'm not righteous like Jesus.

951
00:38:13,595 --> 00:38:15,926
But what does the Bible say?

952
00:38:15,926 --> 00:38:17,774
The Bible says you've been given

953
00:38:17,774 --> 00:38:19,705
robes of righteousness -

954
00:38:19,705 --> 00:38:22,521
the righteousness of Christ is upon you.

955
00:38:22,521 --> 00:38:25,127
That's how we can pray with boldness.

956
00:38:25,127 --> 00:38:27,414
We can go boldly to the throne of grace

957
00:38:27,414 --> 00:38:30,290
because we're coming in Christ's name;

958
00:38:30,290 --> 00:38:33,635
we're coming with Christ's atoning blood

959
00:38:33,635 --> 00:38:35,679
upon us.

960
00:38:35,679 --> 00:38:37,144
We have our sins forgiven.

961
00:38:37,144 --> 00:38:42,095
We have His righteousness upon us.

962
00:38:42,095 --> 00:38:43,637
I think in my life that

963
00:38:43,637 --> 00:38:45,880
the two men I've gotten to pray with

964
00:38:45,880 --> 00:38:47,163
a little bit,

965
00:38:47,163 --> 00:38:50,111
who seem to have the most power in prayer

966
00:38:50,111 --> 00:38:52,187
were Keith and Bill McCloud -

967
00:38:52,187 --> 00:38:53,916
these preachers up in Canada -

968
00:38:53,916 --> 00:38:56,833
Lori's grandpa and great uncle actually.

969
00:38:56,833 --> 00:38:59,758
And the way they prayed

970
00:38:59,758 --> 00:39:03,595
was very much like Jesus' prayer here

971
00:39:03,595 --> 00:39:05,835
in the sense that there was

972
00:39:05,835 --> 00:39:13,462
just this sweet, calm, confident,

973
00:39:13,462 --> 00:39:18,718
matter-of-factness about their faith.

974
00:39:18,718 --> 00:39:22,106
I mean, it almost sounded naive.

975
00:39:22,106 --> 00:39:25,487
It was just childlike confidence

976
00:39:25,487 --> 00:39:28,517
they expressed in God.

977
00:39:28,517 --> 00:39:32,748
And God heard these men's prayers.

978
00:39:32,748 --> 00:39:36,410
They just saw constant miraculous

979
00:39:36,410 --> 00:39:39,300
glorious things through their ministries.

980
00:39:39,300 --> 00:39:41,577
But their prayers were so simple;

981
00:39:41,577 --> 00:39:42,889
were so matter-of-fact.

982
00:39:42,889 --> 00:39:45,083
It was not like they're rolling around

983
00:39:45,083 --> 00:39:46,506
and foaming at the mouth

984
00:39:46,506 --> 00:39:48,669
and trying to get something out of God.

985
00:39:48,669 --> 00:39:50,098
They just talked to Him

986
00:39:50,098 --> 00:39:53,542
as happy, confident children,

987
00:39:53,542 --> 00:39:55,934
that of course God would hear them.

988
00:39:55,934 --> 00:40:00,007
They're just used to that.

989
00:40:00,007 --> 00:40:02,702
Prayer is a great expression of faith in God.

990
00:40:02,702 --> 00:40:06,741
It's also a great test of how much faith we really have.

991
00:40:06,741 --> 00:40:09,759
You know, when you really need something from God;

992
00:40:09,759 --> 00:40:12,771
when God has to do something or you're in big trouble,

993
00:40:12,771 --> 00:40:15,344
and you've got these promises here

994
00:40:15,344 --> 00:40:17,148
and we quote these promises,

995
00:40:17,148 --> 00:40:18,783
but when you're having to stand

996
00:40:18,783 --> 00:40:19,994
on this promise -

997
00:40:19,994 --> 00:40:23,777
Lord, will You keep Your Word here?

998
00:40:23,777 --> 00:40:25,754
It really tests -

999
00:40:25,754 --> 00:40:27,720
do I really believe this?

1000
00:40:27,720 --> 00:40:30,276
Do I really believe these promises?

1001
00:40:30,276 --> 00:40:31,641
Do I really believe

1002
00:40:31,641 --> 00:40:33,509
that God is a rewarder of those

1003
00:40:33,509 --> 00:40:35,481
who seek Him and so on?

1004
00:40:35,481 --> 00:40:37,982
We're tested.

1005
00:40:37,982 --> 00:40:42,937
Can we pray with a confident faith in God?

1006
00:40:42,937 --> 00:40:44,814
We can.

1007
00:40:44,814 --> 00:40:46,793
We can trust the Lord,

1008
00:40:46,793 --> 00:40:47,991
brothers and sisters.

1009
00:40:47,991 --> 00:40:49,094
We can trust Him.

1010
00:40:49,094 --> 00:40:51,259
He's faithful to keep His Word.

1011
00:40:51,259 --> 00:40:54,178
We can pray with an assured confidence

1012
00:40:54,178 --> 00:40:57,230
that God hears us.

1013
00:40:57,230 --> 00:40:59,496
God hears us as we come to Him

1014
00:40:59,496 --> 00:41:01,994
in Jesus' name.

1015
00:41:01,994 --> 00:41:04,669
A ninth thing about this prayer

1016
00:41:04,669 --> 00:41:06,733
is that Jesus told God things

1017
00:41:06,733 --> 00:41:10,376
God already knew.

1018
00:41:10,376 --> 00:41:12,936
Jesus spends a lot of these 26 verses

1019
00:41:12,936 --> 00:41:16,238
not asking for new stuff,

1020
00:41:16,238 --> 00:41:21,315
but just rehearsing and describing

1021
00:41:21,315 --> 00:41:23,347
what's already happened;

1022
00:41:23,347 --> 00:41:25,405
describing His own ministry;

1023
00:41:25,405 --> 00:41:28,277
describing things with the disciples;

1024
00:41:28,277 --> 00:41:29,745
what God has already done.

1025
00:41:29,745 --> 00:41:31,590
Here's the present situation.

1026
00:41:31,590 --> 00:41:32,953
Here's what's gone on.

1027
00:41:32,953 --> 00:41:38,701
Look. Just glance down at your Bible at v. 6 and v. 7,

1028
00:41:38,701 --> 00:41:43,384
and v. 8 and v. 9 and v. 10.

1029
00:41:43,384 --> 00:41:45,202
There's no request at all!

1030
00:41:45,202 --> 00:41:46,775
Jesus is just describing

1031
00:41:46,775 --> 00:41:49,805
how His disciples got saved basically -

1032
00:41:49,805 --> 00:41:51,845
who these guys are.

1033
00:41:51,845 --> 00:41:53,384
Now He's doing it for a reason.

1034
00:41:53,384 --> 00:41:56,694
He's setting up the petitions that are coming.

1035
00:41:56,694 --> 00:42:00,207
But He's laying out for the Father,

1036
00:42:00,207 --> 00:42:02,142
here's why these guys are so important.

1037
00:42:02,142 --> 00:42:05,466
Here's why these guys are so important to You, Father.

1038
00:42:05,466 --> 00:42:07,639
Here's what You've already done for them.

1039
00:42:07,639 --> 00:42:09,996
Here's how much they still need You

1040
00:42:09,996 --> 00:42:14,102
going forward.

1041
00:42:14,102 --> 00:42:17,139
And it's that pattern through the rest of the prayer.

1042
00:42:17,139 --> 00:42:19,258
Some people discourage themselves

1043
00:42:19,258 --> 00:42:20,704
from praying,

1044
00:42:20,704 --> 00:42:23,331
because they overthink it.

1045
00:42:23,331 --> 00:42:26,800
They over philosophize it.

1046
00:42:26,800 --> 00:42:32,719
They say, well, since God already knows everything,

1047
00:42:32,719 --> 00:42:35,600
and I'm not going to tell Him anything He doesn't know,

1048
00:42:35,600 --> 00:42:37,440
and since God's already sovereign

1049
00:42:37,440 --> 00:42:38,944
and He's got His mind made up

1050
00:42:38,944 --> 00:42:40,794
what He's going to do for the rest

1051
00:42:40,794 --> 00:42:41,764
of human history,

1052
00:42:41,764 --> 00:42:45,144
I'm not going to change His mind on anything.

1053
00:42:45,144 --> 00:42:46,610
So why pray?

1054
00:42:46,610 --> 00:42:47,690
Why pray?

1055
00:42:47,690 --> 00:42:49,487
God doesn't need to be informed.

1056
00:42:49,487 --> 00:42:53,081
God's mind's not going to change.

1057
00:42:53,081 --> 00:42:55,188
Why mess with it?

1058
00:42:55,188 --> 00:42:58,279
Well, those are interesting philosophical questions.

1059
00:42:58,279 --> 00:43:00,969
But what I'm urging us today -

1060
00:43:00,969 --> 00:43:02,968
notice I'm not touching them either -

1061
00:43:02,968 --> 00:43:05,205
what I'm urging us today

1062
00:43:05,205 --> 00:43:08,209
is not approach it philosophically,

1063
00:43:08,209 --> 00:43:10,385
but just approach it biblically.

1064
00:43:10,385 --> 00:43:12,895
I mean the Bible's full of prayer.

1065
00:43:12,895 --> 00:43:15,206
The Bible's full of people praying.

1066
00:43:15,206 --> 00:43:17,559
The Bible's full of encouragements

1067
00:43:17,559 --> 00:43:20,106
and promises regarding prayer.

1068
00:43:20,106 --> 00:43:22,755
And it's very clear as you go through the Bible

1069
00:43:22,755 --> 00:43:25,033
that prayer is very powerful;

1070
00:43:25,033 --> 00:43:26,012
very important;

1071
00:43:26,012 --> 00:43:27,918
very effectual;

1072
00:43:27,918 --> 00:43:29,467
that prayer changes things;

1073
00:43:29,467 --> 00:43:31,322
that God has designed things

1074
00:43:31,322 --> 00:43:33,569
in His sovereignty that prayer

1075
00:43:33,569 --> 00:43:38,472
is the means by which He chooses to work.

1076
00:43:38,472 --> 00:43:40,135
He wants us to pray.

1077
00:43:40,135 --> 00:43:44,271
Prayer is real and powerful.

1078
00:43:44,271 --> 00:43:46,155
And it's just clear in Scripture.

1079
00:43:46,155 --> 00:43:48,195
Like James 5 saying

1080
00:43:48,195 --> 00:43:50,505
the effectual prayer of a righteous man

1081
00:43:50,505 --> 00:43:53,005
can accomplish much.

1082
00:43:53,005 --> 00:43:55,018
Or James saying you don't have

1083
00:43:55,018 --> 00:43:56,605
because you don't ask.

1084
00:43:56,605 --> 00:43:59,477
You just haven't asked, so you don't have it.

1085
00:43:59,477 --> 00:44:01,886
These things are very real.

1086
00:44:01,886 --> 00:44:05,012
And so yes, God already knew

1087
00:44:05,012 --> 00:44:07,955
a lot of this stuff that Jesus prayed about here.

1088
00:44:07,955 --> 00:44:10,380
And that was just fine.

1089
00:44:10,380 --> 00:44:12,369
There's no problem with that at all.

1090
00:44:12,369 --> 00:44:13,602
And when you pray,

1091
00:44:13,602 --> 00:44:15,661
God is already going to know

1092
00:44:15,661 --> 00:44:18,121
everything you need before you ask Him.

1093
00:44:18,121 --> 00:44:20,875
Jesus says that.

1094
00:44:20,875 --> 00:44:22,381
And He's going to be real happy

1095
00:44:22,381 --> 00:44:25,377
to hear you tell Him all over again

1096
00:44:25,377 --> 00:44:28,091
what's on your heart;

1097
00:44:28,091 --> 00:44:31,321
what you need.

1098
00:44:31,321 --> 00:44:32,897
See, this prayer business is not

1099
00:44:32,897 --> 00:44:34,710
a mechanical thing.

1100
00:44:34,710 --> 00:44:36,223
I've probably said this before.

1101
00:44:36,223 --> 00:44:39,941
It's not just you shooting off some information to God;

1102
00:44:39,941 --> 00:44:42,221
shooting off some arguments to God,

1103
00:44:42,221 --> 00:44:45,051
and hoping something comes back.

1104
00:44:45,051 --> 00:44:48,065
This is a relationship deal.

1105
00:44:48,065 --> 00:44:54,283
It's a child and a Father.

1106
00:44:54,283 --> 00:44:55,885
A tenth thing about this prayer

1107
00:44:55,885 --> 00:44:57,529
is that Jesus prayed

1108
00:44:57,529 --> 00:45:01,671
with a concern for God's glory.

1109
00:45:01,671 --> 00:45:04,532
He prayed with a concern for God's glory.

1110
00:45:04,532 --> 00:45:06,681
The word glory comes up a lot in the prayer.

1111
00:45:06,681 --> 00:45:08,638
I didn't count the times,

1112
00:45:08,638 --> 00:45:11,525
but it's like Jesus is approaching

1113
00:45:11,525 --> 00:45:14,201
every topic in this prayer

1114
00:45:14,201 --> 00:45:18,171
and viewing it from God's perspective.

1115
00:45:18,171 --> 00:45:20,063
It's really interesting.

1116
00:45:20,063 --> 00:45:22,312
He connects everything to:

1117
00:45:22,312 --> 00:45:24,636
how does this look to God?

1118
00:45:24,636 --> 00:45:26,209
How does this look to the Father?

1119
00:45:26,209 --> 00:45:29,402
How is this tied in with the name

1120
00:45:29,402 --> 00:45:32,500
and the reputation of God

1121
00:45:32,500 --> 00:45:34,809
and God's future glory

1122
00:45:34,809 --> 00:45:36,738
and what God has already done

1123
00:45:36,738 --> 00:45:38,523
in the past?

1124
00:45:38,523 --> 00:45:40,318
He's connecting everything back to

1125
00:45:40,318 --> 00:45:42,182
God Himself and God's glory.

1126
00:45:42,182 --> 00:45:43,392
Look at v. 1.

1127
00:45:43,392 --> 00:45:45,608
"Glorify Your Son,

1128
00:45:45,608 --> 00:45:48,062
that the Son may glorify You."

1129
00:45:48,062 --> 00:45:49,629
It's back to the Father.

1130
00:45:49,629 --> 00:45:51,925
V. 3 "This is eternal life,

1131
00:45:51,925 --> 00:45:55,334
that people may know You,

1132
00:45:55,334 --> 00:45:56,577
the only true God."

1133
00:45:56,577 --> 00:45:58,543
Yeah, people need to know who You are.

1134
00:45:58,543 --> 00:46:00,114
Your glory is at stake.

1135
00:46:00,114 --> 00:46:02,557
V. 5, He says, "Glorify Me

1136
00:46:02,557 --> 00:46:05,000
together with Yourself."

1137
00:46:05,000 --> 00:46:06,469
Glory for the Father.

1138
00:46:06,469 --> 00:46:09,651
V. 6 "I manifested Your name

1139
00:46:09,651 --> 00:46:11,557
to the men who You gave Me."

1140
00:46:11,557 --> 00:46:13,874
Again, it's Your name, God.

1141
00:46:13,874 --> 00:46:18,649
It's Your people that You gave to Me.

1142
00:46:18,649 --> 00:46:23,134
V. 8 "They (these disciples) believe

1143
00:46:23,134 --> 00:46:25,170
that You sent Me."

1144
00:46:25,170 --> 00:46:27,248
V. 9 - Describing the disciples,

1145
00:46:27,248 --> 00:46:30,273
He says, "Those whom You have given Me,

1146
00:46:30,273 --> 00:46:31,997
for they are Yours."

1147
00:46:31,997 --> 00:46:36,398
V. 10 "All things that are Mine are Yours,"

1148
00:46:36,398 --> 00:46:40,722
and so on through the prayer.

1149
00:46:40,722 --> 00:46:42,485
So yes, Jesus is asking God

1150
00:46:42,485 --> 00:46:43,940
to do all these things

1151
00:46:43,940 --> 00:46:47,494
to help these weak and needy Christians,

1152
00:46:47,494 --> 00:46:49,285
but He's also looking past

1153
00:46:49,285 --> 00:46:51,638
the weak and needy Christians,

1154
00:46:51,638 --> 00:46:54,314
and He's looking to the glory of God;

1155
00:46:54,314 --> 00:46:56,139
the purposes of God

1156
00:46:56,139 --> 00:46:59,377
that stand behind that.

1157
00:46:59,377 --> 00:47:04,166
And He's arguing in a gentle way

1158
00:47:04,166 --> 00:47:06,245
that God will ultimately get more glory

1159
00:47:06,245 --> 00:47:08,417
for Himself as He helps

1160
00:47:08,417 --> 00:47:10,726
these weak and needy Christians

1161
00:47:10,726 --> 00:47:12,082
that He cares for.

1162
00:47:12,082 --> 00:47:14,992
It's not just that these people have needs,

1163
00:47:14,992 --> 00:47:17,243
but it's God's name is at stake

1164
00:47:17,243 --> 00:47:21,514
in the welfare of these believers.

1165
00:47:21,514 --> 00:47:23,077
And this is something you find

1166
00:47:23,077 --> 00:47:24,893
in the great intercessory prayers

1167
00:47:24,893 --> 00:47:26,419
of the Bible.

1168
00:47:26,419 --> 00:47:29,531
I think Moses really was a master at this.

1169
00:47:29,531 --> 00:47:31,668
You read how Moses kept having to pray

1170
00:47:31,668 --> 00:47:35,372
for those Israelites in the Old Testament,

1171
00:47:35,372 --> 00:47:37,982
and Moses would say,

1172
00:47:37,982 --> 00:47:41,842
Lord, look, Your reputation is at stake here.

1173
00:47:41,842 --> 00:47:43,805
Lord, You've made these promises;

1174
00:47:43,805 --> 00:47:45,888
You've made these covenants

1175
00:47:45,888 --> 00:47:48,183
and You can't go back on that.

1176
00:47:48,183 --> 00:47:50,816
You've got to keep Your Word.

1177
00:47:50,816 --> 00:47:54,235
He'd say Lord, what will the heathens say

1178
00:47:54,235 --> 00:47:57,456
if all Your people die here in the wilderness

1179
00:47:57,456 --> 00:48:00,262
like You're talking about.

1180
00:48:00,262 --> 00:48:02,564
He brings it back to the glory and name of God.

1181
00:48:02,564 --> 00:48:05,544
And the more that we learn to pray that way,

1182
00:48:05,544 --> 00:48:08,303
to connect this need we're praying about

1183
00:48:08,303 --> 00:48:10,446
to God's larger purposes -

1184
00:48:10,446 --> 00:48:12,026
God's name, God's glory,

1185
00:48:12,026 --> 00:48:14,503
God's reputation, God's cause -

1186
00:48:14,503 --> 00:48:17,300
the stronger our prayers will be

1187
00:48:17,300 --> 00:48:20,648
and the more faith we'll be able to pray with.

1188
00:48:20,648 --> 00:48:23,191
Because we're asking God for the very things

1189
00:48:23,191 --> 00:48:26,241
that God Himself has already said He wants to do.

1190
00:48:26,241 --> 00:48:28,823
He wants to glorify Himself.

1191
00:48:28,823 --> 00:48:31,216
He wants to glorify His Son

1192
00:48:31,216 --> 00:48:33,244
through the Gospel.

1193
00:48:33,244 --> 00:48:35,158
And so there's ten points.

1194
00:48:35,158 --> 00:48:36,561
Didn't think we'd get there.

1195
00:48:36,561 --> 00:48:37,393
But we are.

1196
00:48:37,393 --> 00:48:38,977
Ten points. Ten characteristics

1197
00:48:38,977 --> 00:48:40,634
of Jesus' great prayer.

1198
00:48:40,634 --> 00:48:42,317
And I'll just mention them again

1199
00:48:42,317 --> 00:48:43,983
if you need to clean up your notes

1200
00:48:43,983 --> 00:48:47,783
The first is that He prayed with His eyes open.

1201
00:48:47,783 --> 00:48:50,789
The thought of variety in our posture.

1202
00:48:50,789 --> 00:48:53,846
Secondly, that He prayed with others.

1203
00:48:53,846 --> 00:48:57,537
Thirdly, He prayed to the Father specifically.

1204
00:48:57,537 --> 00:49:00,175
Fourth, that He prayed with reverence:

1205
00:49:00,175 --> 00:49:01,441
"Holy Father."

1206
00:49:01,441 --> 00:49:05,350
Fifth, that He prayed with simple language.

1207
00:49:05,350 --> 00:49:08,392
Sixth, that He prayed in an orderly way.

1208
00:49:08,392 --> 00:49:14,233
Seventh, He prayed as one with much experience in praying.

1209
00:49:14,233 --> 00:49:17,564
Eight, He prayed with a confident,

1210
00:49:17,564 --> 00:49:20,032
matter-of-fact faith in God.

1211
00:49:20,032 --> 00:49:23,506
Nine, that He told God things God already knew.

1212
00:49:23,506 --> 00:49:25,098
And that was ok.

1213
00:49:25,098 --> 00:49:27,247
And number ten, that He prayed

1214
00:49:27,247 --> 00:49:32,250
with a concern for God's glory.

1215
00:49:32,250 --> 00:49:34,516
Now, you're not going to remember ten things

1216
00:49:34,516 --> 00:49:35,516
and I won't either.

1217
00:49:35,516 --> 00:49:37,680
I won't remember them tomorrow probably,

1218
00:49:37,680 --> 00:49:39,559
a lot of these.

1219
00:49:39,559 --> 00:49:41,506
But maybe there's one or two.

1220
00:49:41,506 --> 00:49:43,141
Maybe there's one or two things

1221
00:49:43,141 --> 00:49:44,750
we talked about here

1222
00:49:44,750 --> 00:49:47,125
that stuck out to you in some way;

1223
00:49:47,125 --> 00:49:50,449
that the Holy Spirit's kind of poked you with

1224
00:49:50,449 --> 00:49:53,246
and said that applies to you.

1225
00:49:53,246 --> 00:49:56,628
You could pray better if you prayed more like that

1226
00:49:56,628 --> 00:49:58,546
for the Lord Jesus.

1227
00:49:58,546 --> 00:49:59,957
And so if that's the case -

1228
00:49:59,957 --> 00:50:01,385
if there's one or two things

1229
00:50:01,385 --> 00:50:02,819
that the Lord has shown you,

1230
00:50:02,819 --> 00:50:07,635
I earnestly exhort you,

1231
00:50:07,635 --> 00:50:10,359
get a hold of those one or two things,

1232
00:50:10,359 --> 00:50:12,616
and then pray differently this week.

1233
00:50:12,616 --> 00:50:14,234
Pray differently right this week

1234
00:50:14,234 --> 00:50:15,699
in those ways.

1235
00:50:15,699 --> 00:50:17,069
Apply it.

1236
00:50:17,069 --> 00:50:18,469
You can apply it right today.

1237
00:50:18,469 --> 00:50:21,966
You can apply it right tomorrow morning, right?

1238
00:50:21,966 --> 00:50:25,412
Pray more like Jesus prayed.

1239
00:50:25,412 --> 00:50:27,389
The Lord's already dealt with me

1240
00:50:27,389 --> 00:50:33,107
late last night.

1241
00:50:33,107 --> 00:50:36,477
I felt convicted of how my prayer life

1242
00:50:36,477 --> 00:50:38,375
needs to change.

1243
00:50:38,375 --> 00:50:40,973
So I praise God for His Word

1244
00:50:40,973 --> 00:50:43,312
and His Spirit.

1245
00:50:43,312 --> 00:50:46,233
But you pay attention to what the Lord's saying to you

1246
00:50:46,233 --> 00:50:48,822
through these thoughts.

1247
00:50:48,822 --> 00:50:51,446
There's enough material

1248
00:50:51,446 --> 00:50:54,732
in what we covered today

1249
00:50:54,732 --> 00:50:58,047
for us all to pray substantially better

1250
00:50:58,047 --> 00:50:59,261
as a church.

1251
00:50:59,261 --> 00:51:01,030
If we were all praying like Jesus

1252
00:51:01,030 --> 00:51:03,708
in these ten ways...

1253
00:51:03,708 --> 00:51:05,681
I mean, we could be praying

1254
00:51:05,681 --> 00:51:07,983
thirty percent better as a church,

1255
00:51:07,983 --> 00:51:09,140
don't you think?

1256
00:51:09,140 --> 00:51:11,092
Wouldn't that be a big deal?

1257
00:51:11,092 --> 00:51:16,026
Wouldn't that be a big deal if we were?

1258
00:51:16,026 --> 00:51:18,269
We're a church here, brothers and sisters,

1259
00:51:18,269 --> 00:51:23,203
that is willing to do a lot of stuff.

1260
00:51:23,203 --> 00:51:25,912
We've got a bunch of activity going on.

1261
00:51:25,912 --> 00:51:29,569
I rejoice that there are a bunch of new people

1262
00:51:29,569 --> 00:51:32,592
hear the Gospel from you guys

1263
00:51:32,592 --> 00:51:34,965
every single week.

1264
00:51:34,965 --> 00:51:39,537
That is wonderful.

1265
00:51:39,537 --> 00:51:41,625
What we mainly lack though

1266
00:51:41,625 --> 00:51:45,361
is spiritual power to accompany

1267
00:51:45,361 --> 00:51:47,850
that activity.

1268
00:51:47,850 --> 00:51:49,726
We need the power of God.

1269
00:51:49,726 --> 00:51:53,993
We need the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

1270
00:51:53,993 --> 00:51:56,066
That when we're talking to people

1271
00:51:56,066 --> 00:51:58,405
they would be hearing from the Lord -

1272
00:51:58,405 --> 00:51:59,656
not just you.

1273
00:51:59,656 --> 00:52:01,380
They'd be hearing from the Lord

1274
00:52:01,380 --> 00:52:04,410
about sin and righteousness and judgment.

1275
00:52:04,410 --> 00:52:07,668
That God would work in people's hearts

1276
00:52:07,668 --> 00:52:10,012
and change lives.

1277
00:52:10,012 --> 00:52:13,106
Where does that power come from?

1278
00:52:13,106 --> 00:52:14,820
Where does the power come from?

1279
00:52:14,820 --> 00:52:17,867
God has said in the Bible

1280
00:52:17,867 --> 00:52:20,051
that He'll give that power

1281
00:52:20,051 --> 00:52:25,738
in response to faith-filled praying.

1282
00:52:25,738 --> 00:52:27,396
It comes from prayer.

1283
00:52:27,396 --> 00:52:29,267
Remember that time when the disciples

1284
00:52:29,267 --> 00:52:32,005
couldn't cast out that one demon

1285
00:52:32,005 --> 00:52:34,318
there in Matthew 17?

1286
00:52:34,318 --> 00:52:37,666
The Mount of Transfiguration is happening up there.

1287
00:52:37,666 --> 00:52:39,399
The other 9 disciples are struggling

1288
00:52:39,399 --> 00:52:43,680
around with this demon they can't cast out.

1289
00:52:43,680 --> 00:52:45,260
Jesus comes down the mountain,

1290
00:52:45,260 --> 00:52:46,548
deals with the demon,

1291
00:52:46,548 --> 00:52:48,368
and then they come to Him and say,

1292
00:52:48,368 --> 00:52:49,978
Lord, what was wrong?

1293
00:52:49,978 --> 00:52:56,605
Why did we not have the power to deal with that?

1294
00:52:56,605 --> 00:52:58,050
Jesus tells them. He says,

1295
00:52:58,050 --> 00:53:01,349
because of the littleness of your faith.

1296
00:53:01,349 --> 00:53:02,489
It was a faith problem.

1297
00:53:02,489 --> 00:53:03,996
It wasn't a technique problem.

1298
00:53:03,996 --> 00:53:05,807
It wasn't that they just should have

1299
00:53:05,807 --> 00:53:08,232
said this one thing and it would have worked.

1300
00:53:08,232 --> 00:53:11,737
No, it was a faith issue.

1301
00:53:11,737 --> 00:53:14,711
He goes on, "If you have faith

1302
00:53:14,711 --> 00:53:16,602
as a mustard seed,

1303
00:53:16,602 --> 00:53:18,240
you shall say to this mountain,

1304
00:53:18,240 --> 00:53:19,851
'move from here to there,'

1305
00:53:19,851 --> 00:53:21,272
and it shall move

1306
00:53:21,272 --> 00:53:25,031
and nothing shall be impossible to you."

1307
00:53:25,031 --> 00:53:26,797
So He doesn't say you have to have

1308
00:53:26,797 --> 00:53:28,139
a mountain's worth of faith

1309
00:53:28,139 --> 00:53:29,263
to move a mountain.

1310
00:53:29,263 --> 00:53:31,045
He says just a little bit.

1311
00:53:31,045 --> 00:53:35,144
A little bit of faith in a mighty God.

1312
00:53:35,144 --> 00:53:36,362
And then He says,

1313
00:53:36,362 --> 00:53:37,884
'This kind can not come out

1314
00:53:37,884 --> 00:53:41,292
by anything but prayer."

1315
00:53:41,292 --> 00:53:42,623
Some of the manuscripts say

1316
00:53:42,623 --> 00:53:45,157
"prayer and fasting."

1317
00:53:45,157 --> 00:53:48,367
But definitely prayer is there.

1318
00:53:48,367 --> 00:53:50,037
He says that's the key thing.

1319
00:53:50,037 --> 00:53:52,096
I mean, you disciples, you didn't have

1320
00:53:52,096 --> 00:53:56,627
any spiritual power when the crisis was upon you,

1321
00:53:56,627 --> 00:53:58,635
because you hadn't been praying enough.

1322
00:53:58,635 --> 00:54:00,477
You hadn't been believing God enough.

1323
00:54:00,477 --> 00:54:01,598
You hadn't been walking

1324
00:54:01,598 --> 00:54:03,500
in a life of faith.

1325
00:54:03,500 --> 00:54:05,129
If you had been, you could have

1326
00:54:05,129 --> 00:54:10,306
moved the mountain.

1327
00:54:10,306 --> 00:54:13,629
Lord, teach us to pray.

1328
00:54:13,629 --> 00:54:16,722
Lord, teach us to pray.

1329
00:54:16,722 --> 00:54:18,024
Amen.