Sermon Tone Analysis

I. The Reading

A reading from John 17.

Our preaching text is taken from verses 20-23, and to hear those verses in their context, I will begin reading in verse 1.

This is a prayer of Jesus.

This is God’s Word —

[ And now, our preaching text: ]

[ Scripture Reading ~5 min ]

Say Amen

This is God’s Word.

If you receive it as such, would you Say Amen?

Amen.

II.

The Exhortation

God’s Word urges us to love BEYOND OURSELVES.

To love not just me, but to love God and others.

The great commandment in the Law sums this up with priority:

Love the Lord your God…that’s first.

And the second commandment is: “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Followers of Jesus are to deny SELF.

Disciples of Jesus are to “deny self.”

The apostle said it this way —

“It is no longer I who live…but Christ who lives in me.”

Christ lives in me.

Christ lives in me.

Brothers and sisters,

If Christ lives in me, if Christ lives in you, if Christ dwells in our hearts through faith as His Church,

then we will love NOT ourselves —

but we WILL love, and we MUST love, beyond ourselves.

III.

The Teaching

Jesus prays in verse 20 —

17.20

The prayers for Jesus’ followers in the preceeding verses, have been prayers exclusively for the eleven disciples of Jesus, who walked with Him as He walked the earth, who were called by Him, eyewitnesses to His life and ministry, who heard His teaching from His own mouth, who saw the Lord.

There were twelve, but one perished to fulfill the Scriptures, being “the son of perishing,” Judas who betrayed Jesus.

These disciples were they, who were sent by Jesus to be His witnesses in the world.

BUT NOW —

Jesus prays for a people BEYOND the eleven remaining disciples.

He prays:

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.”

Jesus is looking ahead, to the future.

Jesus knows that there will be more disciples to come.

Jesus prays not just for these, BUT ALSO for those that will come after them!

We make much of the “But God” statements in the Bible, when God intervenes and does what only God can do.

Yet here is a wonderful “BUT ALSO” statement in the Bible!

In this prayer of Jesus.

Jesus prays for his disciples then, but doesn’t stop there!

“I do not ask for these only, BUT ALSO for those who will believe...”

This prayer is now carried forward, BEYOND the present, into the future.

Simply put, Jesus prayed for them, and

Jesus prayed for us too.

I thank God for people who pray for me.

Do you thank God for people who pray for you?

I wouldn’t survive if it weren’t for people I know, and people I don’t know —

— believers in this local church, and believers in other local churches, family members, friends, mentors, encouragers,

who prop me up, who keep me on my feet, who support me, who encourage me, who minister with me and alongside me by telling me that they have prayed for me!

But while I take great courage and comfort from these prayers, God’s Word reveals that there is someone else who has prayed for me.

And this gives me even greater assurance:

JESUS has prayed for me.

The Son of God has prayed for me.

And Christian — Jesus has prayed for you.

And Church — Jesus has prayed for us!

Jesus prayed BEYOND Himself and prayed for His followers.

Jesus prayed BEYOND His present followers, “BUT ALSO” for His future followers too.

Note: The ESV (& KJV) translations are not helpful by adding the words “will” and “shall” here.

This is not a future believing, this is a present believing that will take place in the future.

I want to try to draw this out here.

Notice those words “who will believe.”

“Who will believe.”

Do not misunderstand what Jesus is praying.

Jesus is NOT giving permission to procrastinate.

Jesus is not saying you can wait to believe.

Many unbelievers live with an attitude that says: “One day I will believe...”

Is that you?

“I will believe when I’m ready.”

“I will believe when I need to, when it counts.”

“I will believe when I can make sense of it all.”

“I will believe when it’s time for the operation and I might not survive.”

“I will believe when I’m on my deathbed, in the last moments of my life.”

“I will believe when I SEE .”

Many are like Thomas:

And —

Jesus is NOT giving permission to procrastinate.

He is not praying for those who are on the fence.

Who are testing the waters.

Who are undecided.

Jesus is praying for those who, when they hear the word, they DO believe.

This is not a future believing here.

Jesus is praying for a present believing that will take place in the future.

Jesus is not praying for those who hear this word now and delay, putting off believing for another time.

Jesus is praying for everyone RIGHT NOW, who hears this word about Him and believes it.

This is the

The Soon to be Saved

Jesus is the Son of God.

Jesus loves you and gave Himself for you.

Jesus is Lord.

Will you believe this word right now?

Are you soon to be saved?

Is today the day of your salvation?

The Gospel proclaims today IS the day of your salvation!

Jesus is praying NOT for you who WILL BELIEVE, but for you who believe right now, at this time, future to this text.

The soon to be saved.