Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

Happy 2019

I love getting another shot to reach my goal of reading through the whole Bible in a year

We treasure the Scriptures as a whole, but there are certain parts that I love to just campout in

One of those is John 17, the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus

Background:

Jesus is literally hours away from laying down his life to be turned over to the Jewish religious leaders to be illegally tried, falsely accused, and unjustly sentenced to a death He did not deserve.

What is in the heart of Jesus hours before this horrific yet strangely beautiful history altering event takes place?

It’s in communion with the Father, by the strength of the Spirit, for the sake of His people.

I love this as a new year’s sermon because it is a window into the very heart of Jesus

Have you ever wondered if Jesus had a prayer list?

What or who was on that list?

Did Jesus ever want anything?

John, the author of this story of the life of Jesus, shares a glimpse into the prayer life of Jesus.

What Does Jesus Desire?

Jesus Desires to Bring Glory to the Father

How?

Making the invisible attributes of the Father, clearly visible (2)

Giving eternal life to all those the Father gave him (3)

Living Truly Human before God (4)

Teaching them the truth about who God really is (6-8)

Jesus Desires that His People Would Survive and Thrive in a Broken World

How?

The Preserving work of the Holy Spirit (11-13)

The Protecting work of the Holy Spirit (14-16)

The Purifying work of the Holy Spirit (17)

Jesus Desires that His Disciples Would Make Disciples

How?

Following Christ’s Model of Going to the Lost and Broken (18)

Following Christ’s Motive of Self-Sacrifice (19)

Following Christ’s Method of Proclaiming the Gospel through Language (20-21)

Following Christ’s Method of Displaying the Gospel through Love (22-23)

Jesus Desires that You Would be with Him

Why?

So we would SEE the full extent of Christ’s Glory (24)

So we would SAVOR the full expression of God’s Love (25-26)

Conclusion

How do the desires of Jesus strike you?

I’m all for setting goals, developing plans, and strategies to hit those goals, arranging accountability… i’m all for it.

But enough of what we desire for a moment, what does Jesus desire?

How do His desires influence our goals, plans, and desires?

If we know that His desire is for us to survive and thrive with joy even in this broken world and the way he brings that survival is through the work of His Spirit, we need to prioritize being still and allowing the Spirit to do His work in us.

If we know that His desire is for us to make disciples, we must prioritize the making of disciples.

We need to prioritize and set aside time to pray for the lost and broken, sacrificing our time and energy to proclaim and display the gospel to others BEYOND your favorite, tight knit little circle of family and friends.

If we know that His desire is for us to be with Him to SEE and SAVOR His glory and love, we should free ourselves from so much of the materialistic attitudes that we have living in the world.

As we step up to the table, LORD, would you please help us to align the desires of your heart, with ours.