Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Opening Illustration - I have been Pastor Here for 4 years this month.

Amazing!

I remember the special service we had at LBC to “send me off” to ABC!

People from LBC and ABC stood around us and laid their hands on Angie and me and they prayed!

It was humbling to say the least...

“Jesus prays” is an amazing concept as it is, but can you imagine being the disciples and hearing Jesus praying specifically for you?

That must have been amazing!

Main Idea - Jesus Prays a Powerful Prayer for His Disciples

(that they Be Kept by the Father and One with Each Other)

Transition - In this powerful prayer, Jesus prays to His Father in three interesting ways.

And He starts with a praise...

1. Jesus Praises His Father for the Faith of His Disciples (vs.

6-8)

This whole text is an interesting glimpse into the interplay between two members of the triune Godhead.

Both are God very God, yet they are separate persons.

And as strange as it may seem to the casual observer, there is great mystery and beauty in watch the God the Son praise God the Father for the Faith of the disciples...

Intro information...

Explain -

Verse 6 - As Jesus continues His prayer to His Father He tells the Father some of the things He (the Son) has accomplished.

The first is that He “manifested” the Father’s “name to the people whom you gave me out of the world.”

The word, “Manifested” shows up in most of the major translations of Scripture.

However, the NIV and CSB use a different word that help clarify what Jesus is talking about.

Verse 6 - As Jesus continues His prayer to His Father He tells the Father some of the things He has accomplished.

The first is that He “manifested” the Father’s name “to the people whom you gave me out of the world.”

The word, “Manifested” shows up in most of the major translations of Scripture.

However, the NIV and CSB use a different word that help clarify what Jesus is talking about.

Jesus revealed the name of the Father to His Apostles.

He showed it to them...

If you remember, the "Name” of God is quite significant.

If you go all the way back to the book of Exodus...

Ex 3

Carson says, “God’s Name embodies His character: to reveal God’s name is to make God’s character known.”

(The Pillar NT Commentary on John)

And Jesus revealed the character of the Father by embodying the character of the Father through the life of the Son.

Jesus showed them the Father because He walked out the character of the Father all the time!

How?

How did He reveal it?

Remember the Son always did that which pleased the Father...

It was God the Father who drew the disciples in from the World and gave them to the Son.

By faith in the Word of the Father they became followers of Jesus.

It was through the Father’s word that they became followers of the Word!

And then He says something interesting.

“…and they have kept your word.”

Well, is this true?

Had the kept the Word of the Father?

I mean, they had not always demonstrated a firm grasp on Jesus’ ways...

So how is it that Jesus can so confidently say that they, His disciples, have kept His word?

Again, please remember WHEN Jesus is praying this prayer.

It is just before His death.

They disciples had not yet seen or even understood the concept of His resurrection.

They had not yet experienced the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Taking these thing in consideration help us to understand His words more clearly.

Especially when we compare theses disciples to the other “disciples” that walked away from the ministry of Jesus.

They sure were not perfect, and they made their share of mistakes along the way, but they believed that Jesus was the Messiah and that faith was sufficient to save them!

And belief in Christ is all that is necessary...

And by this work, they kept the Father’s Word!!

Take a look at verse 7...

Jesus had instructed them well.

And they now “KNOW”.

The word “KNOW” in this sentence is egnōkan.

It is in the perfect tense and means their “state of knowledge” at that time.

Verse 7 - Jesus had instructed them well.

And while they didn’t fully comprehend all the information they had received from Jesus, they would in short order.

The information dump was complete!

They know that everything the Father gave the Son was indeed from Yahweh!

In other words, they may not have known everything about the Messiah but they knew enough!

Jesus spoke the truth of the Father and they received it and believed it!

They believed the basics and that was enough.

egnōkan

Jesus had instructed them well.

And while they didn’t fully comprehend all the information they had received from Jesus, they would in short order.

The information dump was complete!

They know that everything the Father gave the Son was indeed from Yahweh!

Carson - “They may not have understood that their Messiah had to die and rise again; they may not have grasped how he was to embrace and fulfil in his own person Old Testament motifs of kingship, sacrifice, priesthood and suffering servant.

But they had come to the deep conviction that Jesus was God’s messenger, that he had been sent by God and that all he taught was God’s truth.”

D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991), 559.

D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991), 559.

They believed the words of the Father that were given to them by the Son.

This was Jesus’ goal before He left them.

This is what He needed to do for His friends...

And while they didn’t fully comprehend all the information they had received from Jesus, they would in short order.

The information dump was complete!

They know that everything the Father gave the Son was indeed from Yahweh!

Verse 8 - Jesus clarifies the “everything” He says in verse 7. Do you see it?

Jesus gave the disciples all the WORDS the Father had given the Son.

The Word of the Father passed through the mouth of the Son to instruct the Apostles on God’s redemptive plan for all people of all time.

A plan that they would be on the forefront of communicating!

Look again at verse 8...

The Apostles, for all the disbelief and foolishness that they have and will yet exhibit, understood something crucial; that Jesus came from the Father and they believed that the Father sent the Son into this world.

That’s huge!

They will fully understand Jesus’ origins...

They will fully understand Jesus’ mission...

They will fully understand Jesus’ destiny...

Jesus accomplished the will of God in regard to the disciples.

He got them prepared!

And they had the faith to believe His words to be true...

Jesus Praises His Father for the Faith of His Disciples

Review - Jesus Praises His Father for the Faith of His Disciples

Illustrate -