The Greatest Prayer in the Bible

Studies in John chapter 17, I invite you to turn there as we read the word of God. Our Lord's intercessory prayer, these words spoke Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee.

As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth.

I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested thy name unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the world.

Thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou had sent me.

I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but for them whom thou hast given me, for they are thine. All mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them.

And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name.

Those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee, and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth.

As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also who shall believe on me through their word, that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one, I in them, thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee, but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me, and I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it, that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

May the Lord truly take this prayer and make it very real to our own hearts. ...who must confess that their greatest need is in their prayer life. I think all of us know the importance of prayer, all of us know the power of prayer, all of us know what God does when people pray, and yet many of God's people have a great deal of difficulty praying.

I suppose there are many excuses we can give, or maybe even some reasons, but deep down inside I think each of us is keenly interested in having an effective, efficient, meaningful prayer life. There are several ways that we can learn how to pray. Of course, we can read books about prayer, and there are many of them.

We can attend prayer circles or prayer groups, but sometimes the people we're praying with there have a greater need than we do, and we can help them. I think one of the best ways to learn how to pray is to open the Word of God. And no matter where you go in your Bible, you find people who pray and people who know how to pray.

And the greatness of prayer, I think, is the basic lesson we need. We know the effectiveness of prayer, we know the promises of prayer, we know the importance of prayer, but it may be that one reason why we are not as effective as we ought to be in our praying is because we don't see prayer as a great and a wonderful thing. Prayer is something that we do, or praying is something that we say.

And I want us today to catch in some measure the greatness of prayer. Sometimes I've heard people say to missionaries, well, I can't do much but I can pray for you. My friend, when you pray, you are doing the greatest thing you can do.

Sometimes we as Christians are so accustomed to saying prayers that we've lost the vastness and the greatness of this thing that the Bible calls prayer. If you discover a student, for example, who has a tremendous gift of music, the way to encourage him is to take him to hear the greatest music he can hear. Let him go to the symphony and let him hear the greatness of the music of the past and something down inside will be ignited.

If you have a child who seems to have gifts of literature and writing, the thing to do is to put in his hands the greatest literature of the past and let that literature, as it were, be kindling wood that gets a fire going down inside. The way to catch greatness is to share in it. And if you and I are going to have greatness in our Christian lives, to the glory of God, there has to be greatness to our praying.

And for this reason, we're going to be focusing our attention on John 17, the greatest prayer ever prayed. Someone might at this point say, well, how can you prove that this is the greatest prayer ever prayed? I don't have to prove it. It's right there for us to read.

But I would like to notice with you several considerations that make this the greatest prayer ever prayed. And if you and I can somehow catch the greatness of this prayer, I think it will elevate our own prayer life. Instead of staying constantly in that juvenile level, we'll find ourselves growing and deepening and maturing in our prayer life.

And so let's notice these considerations of John 17 that make this the greatest prayer ever prayed. Consider first of all the greatness of the person who uttered this prayer. These words spoke Jesus.

Now there are many great prayer warriors in the Bible. If you ever want to have your own prayer life quickened and encouraged, just read in the word of God and you'll find Abraham as he intercedes for Sodom. Lot is living in Sodom with his family and Abraham is praying and interceding for Sodom.

It's a great prayer. You see Moses up on the mountaintop. Israel has sinned and Moses comes up to God and he says, don't blot them out, forgive their sins, blot my name out of the book of life.

It's a great prayer. The longest prayer I think in the Bible is the one that Solomon prayed at the dedication of the temple. I have been to the dedications of buildings and noticed that people pray long, but Solomon's prayer was an inspired prayer.

Solomon is dedicating this beautiful temple and yet you take the prayer of Abraham or the prayer of Moses or the prayer of Solomon and you put it next to John chapter 17 and these men just fade into oblivion. Abraham was praying about one city and one event in one city. Jesus is praying about the whole church and God's work for all eternity.

Moses is praying for one nation. Jesus Christ is praying for people saved out of many nations. Moses was willing to die.

Jesus did die. Solomon is praying about a temple. Our Lord is praying about a spiritual temple, his church.

It costs Solomon nothing for that temple to be built. It costs Jesus everything for this prayer to be prayed. Consider the greatness of the person who uttered this prayer.

You see, Jesus was a man of prayer. When he was baptized, he was prayed. Before he chose his disciples, he spent all night in prayer.

Early in the morning, he arose and went out to a quiet place to pray. When he was transfigured, he was prayed. When they came to arrest him in the garden, he was prayed.

As they nailed him to a cross, he was prayed. And today Jesus Christ is interceding for his church. Jesus was a man of prayer.

Now, my dear friend, if Jesus Christ, the Son of God, had to pray, how much more do you and I need to pray? If Jesus Christ, your Savior, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born into this world sinless in nature, had to pray, how much more do you and I, who confess with David, in sin did my mother conceive me, how much more do we have to pray? Our Lord prayed a prayer of thanks as he broke the bread that came from his father's hand. Our Lord prayed a prayer of dedication and intercession as he stood outside the tomb of Lazarus about to raise him from the dead. When he had the supper with his disciples, he prayed and blessed.

If Jesus had to pray, how much more do we have to pray? In him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, but he prayed. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, but he prayed. All authority is given to me, but he prayed.

Do you and I think that we can get through life without praying? Ere you left your room this morning, did you think to pray? Consider the greatness of the person who uttered this prayer, Jesus, the Son of God. A second consideration comes to us, showing the greatness of this prayer. Consider the greatness of the petitions that he asked in this prayer.

My good friend Dr. Laman Strauss has written a very fine book on prayer. I recommend it to you, published by the Moody Press. It's called Sense and Nonsense About Prayer.

I have a shelf of books about prayer in my library, and I think Dr. Strauss has written one of the best, because he gets right down to the nitty-gritty, right down, as they say, to where the rubber touches the road. He deals with this problem of foolishness in prayer. People praying for things they have no right to pray for.

People praying foolish requests, silly requests, juvenile requests. You see, greatness in prayer involves greatness in petitioning. We expect little children to pray as they do.

I've forgotten which one it was, but one of my nephews, when he was just a little tyke, used to pray for all the dogs in the neighborhood. And then he would add my sister's name at the very end. Well, children pray like that.

You expect a little two-year-old or three-year-old, when learning how to pray, to lisp juvenile petitions. Then they grow. But my friend, you've been saved a lot longer than that.

There's no longer a juvenile mind or heart. Paul said, when I became a man, I put away childish things. That should include childish praying.

In John chapter 17, our Lord is petitioning his father. And there are three basic petitions here. In verses one through five, our Lord prays for himself.

And his concern is God's glory. Did you notice that? Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee.

Verse four, I have glorified thee on the earth. Verse five, and now, O Father, glorify thou me. You say, that sounds rather selfish.

My, if you and I came and said, oh, God, glorify me. That would be selfish. But if you come and say, dear Lord, use me for your glory.

Share your glory with me, that I may glorify thee. That's a different story. Whenever our Lord talks about being glorified, he's talking about his death, burial, and resurrection.

The hour he's talking about is the hour of his death, burial, and resurrection. Our Lord Jesus Christ is referring here to the cross. And so he's not praying selfishly.

He's praying in a very dedicated, surrendered fashion. He's saying, Father, I'm available. I want to glorify you.

And this will happen as you glorify me, as I get my work done here on earth. He prayed for himself that God might be glorified. I'm afraid that too often you and I pray for ourselves, but we don't think about God's glory.

Oh, Lord, I need this, do you? Oh, God, this has to happen, does it? Have you noticed in the Lord's prayer, or the disciples' prayer, that he taught his disciples to pray as a model? God comes first, and we come second. You ever notice that? God never gave us the Lord's prayer just to be recited. It could be, and it could be done profitably.

But it's a model prayer. He says, now, when you pray, pray after this fashion. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

God's name comes first. God the Father, oh, may your name be hallowed. Then God the Son.

Thy kingdom come. God the Holy Spirit. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

We begin with the Trinity, hallowing God the Father's name, bringing Jesus Christ and his kingdom to this earth, praying even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus, yielding to the Holy Spirit that God's will might be done. Once we've taken care of that, then we start turning to our own needs. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Most of us don't pray like that. When you look at the greatness of the petitions in this prayer, it lifts your own praying a little higher. He was concerned about God's glory.

In order for him to glorify God, he had to suffer and die. Am I willing to suffer and die that God be glorified? When the news came to Jesus that Lazarus was sick, our Lord said, this sickness is not unto death, but that God might be glorified. Lazarus had to get sick and die, and then be raised from the dead that God might be glorified.

You see, when you start praying about the glory of God, it lifts your requests up into the will of God. His second petition is for his disciples, verses six through 19. He prays for these men that God has given to him, and he has two requests.

Number one, he prays for their security. Verse 11, keep through thine own name those that thou hast given me. Then he prays for their sanctity.

Verse 17, sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. Here are his two great petitions for his disciples.

For their security, Father, keep them. For their sanctity, Father, keep them pure. Make them all that they ought to be.

These are great requests. Then he prays for his whole church in verses 20 through 26, and there he has two requests. He prays, first of all, for unity.

Verse 21, that they all may be one. Not an ecumenical unity of one organization, but a spiritual unity of one heart. He's not praying that everyone erase all denominational distinctives, nor is he saying we should forget our own doctrinal commitments, no.

He's praying for a spiritual unity, that they all may be one as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us. Now, there is a spiritual unity among the true people of God. Here at the Moody Church, we have many different evangelical denominations represented.

We have people who have come from church backgrounds that vary, that are different, and yet there is a spiritual unity, a oneness in Jesus Christ. It's my privilege, and I appreciate the privilege of ministering in other places. There are times when I am with this group, and there are times when I'm with that group, and in both groups, I feel very much at home because there's a spiritual oneness.

Our Lord prayed for you and me here today, and our Lord prayed that there might be a oneness, a unity, and he also prayed for glory. Verse 22, the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them. Verse 24, Father, I will also, that they whom thou hast given me be with me where I am.

By the way, the last time a saint died, God answered that prayer. Someone in your family who knows the Lord went to sleep and didn't wake up again, God answered that prayer. Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, absent from the body, present with the Lord.

The next time death comes and takes someone that you hold near and dear, you will weep. There is sorrow, but remember this, it's an answer to prayer. Our Lord prayed that we might go to heaven.

For what purpose? That they may behold my glory. Oh, what marvelous petitions. He begins with God being glorified.

He ends with God's people seeing his glory and sharing his glory. He prays for himself, glory, oh God, be glorified. He prays for his disciples, may they be sanctified, may they be kept safe.

He prays for the whole church, may they be unified and may they gather in heaven to behold my glory. The greatness of the petitions that he uttered. I think if I were facing a cross, I wouldn't be praying like this.

Some of us can hardly even face going to the dentist, let alone going to a cross. And yet the greatness of these petitions lifts our own prayer life higher. There's a third consideration that makes this a great, if not the greatest prayer.

Consider the greatness of the purpose involved in this prayer. What is the purpose involved in this prayer? You'll find it eight times. As we spend several weeks together, the Lord willing, going through John 17, eight times you're going to find this purpose.

Eight times you find this one word, glory. Glorify, glory, it's twice in verse one. Glorify thy son, that thy son may glorify thee.

Verse four, I have glorified thee on the earth. Verse five, and now, oh Father, glorify me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. Verse 10, I am glorified in them.

Verse 22, the glory which thou gavest me, I've given them. Verse 24, that they may behold my glory. Our Lord was facing a cross, yet he's talking about glory.

Why? On the other side of that cross, he saw glory. The purpose for his praying was glory, the glory of God. What do we mean by the glory of God? Of course, in the Old Testament, the glory of God meant the flashing of all of his brightness and his splendor.

When they dedicated the tabernacle, God's glory came and dwelt there. And so great was the glory that men feared. When they dedicated the temple, the glory of God came and filled the temple and they weren't able to serve.

In the New Testament, you have that same idea. Wrapped up in the expression of all of God's character. The glory of God doesn't just mean the flashing of his majesty and the brilliance of his splendor.

Light unapproachable. But the glory of God also means the shining forth of all of his character. The beauty of all of his attributes.

What is Jesus Christ concerned about? He's concerned about the glory of God. Now, verse five tells me he came from glory. The glory which I had with thee before the world was.

He came from glory. While he was here on earth, he glorified God. Verse four, I have glorified thee on the earth.

He gave this glory to those who trusted him. Verse 22, the glory which thou gave us me, I have given them. Not only did he come from glory, not only did he glorify God on earth in his life, his death, his resurrection, not only did he give this glory to his people, but he dares to say in verse 10, I am glorified in them.

I wonder if our Lord Jesus could come and look at our fellowship and say, I am glorified in them. I wonder if Jesus Christ can walk into our homes and look at our families and say, I am glorified in them. Verse 24, he tells us we're going to behold his glory.

And so from start to finish, this prayer is concerned about one thing, the glory of God. Paul had this same idea when he said, whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. He wrote to the Philippian church and said that Christ might be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

I think our praying would mean a lot more if we just lift a little higher and say, oh God, here are the things I think I need. And here are the things I think I ought to have. And here are the things I think you ought to do.

But Lord, I'm giving it to you and I want you to be glorified. Whatever it is you want to do, you will receive the glory. Jesus said, I receive not glory from men.

He could have compromised and received glory from men. He wouldn't do it. He said, the only glory I receive is the glory that comes from God.

There's a fourth consideration that makes this the greatest prayer ever prayed. We've considered the greatness of the person who uttered the prayer and the greatness of the petitions that he uttered and the greatness of the purpose of the prayer, God's glory, but consider fourthly, the greatness of the people about whom he was praying. He said, I pray not for the world.

Many people have the idea that our Lord Jesus Christ in his closing hours on this earth was interceding for a lost world. He wasn't, nor is he today. You and I should be.

We should pray for all men. That includes the unsaved. We ought to be interceding for the lost.

But today, Jesus Christ is continuing what he started here in John 17. He's praying not for the whole world. He's praying for his church.

The greatest people in the world today are those who belong to his church. I'm not talking about church members who belong to some local organization. I'm in favor of that.

Every Christian ought to be a part of a local Bible-believing, Christ-exalting assembly. I'm talking about those people who have the characteristics that he points out here. Up in verse two, he's given them eternal life.

Verse 14, I've given them thy word. Verse 22, I've given them thy glory. Who makes up his church? Those who by faith have received eternal life.

Those who have received his word. Those who have his glory. Those who share his life down inside.

That's his church. That's for whom he's praying. Now, interestingly enough, the word world is used 19 times in this chapter.

19 times he mentions the word, the word world. But he does so as a background against which his people can shine in glory. It's the church he's praying about.

He prays for his disciples. They were his believers. He prays for believers today.

Verse 20, neither pray I for these alone, but for them also who shall believe on me. That's a great encouragement. When Peter stood up at Pentecost to preach, he remembered that Jesus had prayed that people would believe.

The greatness of the people for whom he's praying. We have been living through a whole generation of people who have been criticizing the church. A great many organizations have been founded and these organizations say we are doing what the church cannot do or will not do.

I'm getting a little tired of that. For these same organizations that tell us they are doing what the church cannot do or will not do, come to the church for their support. Financial support, prayer support, leadership support, and we're glad to give it.

We're glad for any organization God raises up to win souls, teach the word, but there's no organization that takes the place of a local church. Our Lord is praying here for his people who belong to that great body of Christ and who meet together in individual bodies. He's saying, oh God, my father, bless them.

So often our praying is selfish. Our Lord wasn't praying selfishly. He says about these people, I've called them out of the world and I'm gonna send them back into the world.

I've called them out that I might save them. I'm sending them back that they might serve me. As the father sent me, I'm gonna send them.

And so we're in this world to witness for Jesus Christ and he's praying for us. The greatness of the people for whom he prayed. When Solomon prayed, he prayed to dedicate a building made of gold and silver and costly stones.

Our Lord Jesus is praying for his church, a temple made of blood bought people quarried out of the pits of sin, cemented by grace on the foundation, Jesus Christ. I wonder if you're a part of those people. Have you trusted Christ? Have you received eternal life? Verse two, have you received his word? Verse 14, do you have his glory down inside? Verse 22, as a final consideration and perhaps the greatest.

Consider the greatness of the price that Jesus paid to answer this prayer. How many times you and I have prayed and God has answered and it didn't cost us very much. There are times when we've been in emergencies and we've said, oh God help.

And God's help didn't cost us anything. Peter's walking on the water, Lord save me. And God saved him, didn't cost him anything.

But there are times when we pray prayers and God says, are you prepared to pay the price to answer that? Moses is off taking care of his sheep in the desert and he's saying, oh Jehovah God, how is it back in Egypt? How are my people back in Egypt? And God calls him and says, I'm gonna do something. And Moses says, wonderful, I've been praying about that. I'm gonna send you.

Nehemiah had a soft position in the palace. He was the cup bearer to the king. And one of his relatives took a trip to the Holy land.

And when he came back, Nehemiah said to him, how are things in Jerusalem? I've been praying about Jerusalem. And he said, oh, the walls are burned down and broken down, the gates are burned and it's terrible. And Nehemiah prays, oh God, the city of my father's, the great city of the great king, oh, do something.

God said, Nehemiah, I'm sending you. And Nehemiah gave up his soft position in the palace and became the governor to rebuild a war-torn city. It sometimes costs to pray.

It costs Jesus Christ his life to answer this prayer. Father, the hour is come. What hour? The hour when I'm gonna die.

But why are you gonna die? Oh, because I wanna answer this prayer. God can't be glorified unless I die. There cannot be the people of God unified and sanctified unless I die.

I can't give you my glory unless I die. You mean you have to die to answer this prayer? Yes, yes. Written into John 17 is one word.

The word is not there as I give it, but the idea is there, it's the word grace. 17 times in John 17, you find the word give or given. God the Father gave the Son.

God the Son gave himself. God the Father gave people to the Son. The Son gave them everlasting life.

Seven times in this chapter, you and I are called those whom thou has given me. We think of salvation as the Father's love gift to us. God so loved he gave his Son.

We are the Father's love gift to his Son. Oh, Father, I would that those whom thou has given to me. Oh, to think that you and I are God's gift to his Son.

It's grace, but grace costs something. Grace is free to you and me. It costs Jesus his life.

Oh, the greatness of the price that Jesus had to pay to answer this prayer. Someone here says, well, I want this eternal life. Thou has given him authority over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as thou has given him.

I want this eternal life. You can have this eternal life. It costs Jesus his life.

How do you get it? Receive it. You say, I want this to be true of my life that he says in verse 24. I wanna be with him up in heaven.

I wanna behold his glory. You can have that, but you've gotta come to the cross. We take these things so lightly.

We speak of them so glibly. We sing of them so carelessly sometimes. And yet for you to go to heaven to see his glory, he had to go to hell and die.

For us to behold glory, he had to suffer shame. For us to have life, he had to have death. Oh, the greatness of the price he paid to answer this prayer.

Measured by this prayer, our own praying may seem very weak and ineffective, but don't feel that way. The greatest ministry you can have is the ministry of prayer. And the greatness of this prayer encourages me to pray.

The greatness of the person who prayed. If Jesus had to pray, how much more do I? And when I pray, this makes me more like him. The greatness of the petitions.

Oh, may the Lord help us to pray for the big things, the eternal things, the vast things, as well as those small things in the light of the big things. The greatness of the purpose of this prayer, the glory of God. Not my own comfort, not my own success, the glory of God.

The greatness of the people. To pray for more than just myself, my family, my little group that excites me so much. Oh, to pray for the ongoing and the strengthening and the building of his church.

And the greatness of the price to be willing to say, dear Lord, you paid a price. Here am I, send me. Prayer is the greatest exercise you and I can share in.

As we worship God, as we petition God, as we surrender to God. Did you notice that in this prayer, the Lord Jesus did not leave out the unsaved? Father, I pray for those who shall believe through their word. Father, others are going to believe and others are going to believe.

Father, I want to pray for them. If you're unsaved today, if you've never received the Savior, you're here. He can save you.

He prayed for you. Why don't you come and trust him? God has given you the gift of his son. Now he wants to take you and make you his gift to his son.

Gracious Father, as we have been considering this prayer, we feel like we have been on holy ground. That all that we have said has been but a little cup of water dipped from a vast ocean. Forgive us the smallness of our Christian lives.

The little things that trip us up. Forgive us, oh Lord, for the smallness of our praying. Help us, oh God, so to be caught up in the greatness of prayer and the greatness of your will for our lives that we will pray even as Jesus did.

Thank you for the privilege of prayer. I pray, Father, for any here today without the Savior, any who hear this word, oh, that they may come and trust you, speak to their hearts and help those of us who are your children really to pray, to share in the greatness of prayer for Jesus' sake. Amen.