Sermons

Dear Friends in Christ our Savior, who is also our perfect high priest INTRODUCTION A deadbolt, a gun, an alarm system, extra lights on the outside of your home, heavy blinds or shades. These are all ways we use to protect ourselves and make ourselves feel safe. In our day and age there are things which make us want to feel safe and secure. Even in his Word, God assures us that he wants us to feel safe and assured of his love and protection. But God’s Word this morning also speaks to us about safety, security and protection. These words of our text are part of what often referred to as Jesus’ high priestly prayer. The prayer he prayed the evening of that first Maundy Thursday for his disciples after he had instituted the Lord’s Supper. In just a few hours he would cross the Kidron Valley to the Garden of Gethsemane where he would be betrayed. As true God, Jesus knew what his disciples would face over the next 36 hours and so he wants to give them a feeling of protection and peace. He doesn’t give them one of the security devices we mentioned above – he prays for them. We need to remember and understand that prayer is not a Means of Grace. Instead, Jesus prayer is that his disciples would use the Means of Grace to find This morning we listen and learn as Jesus’ Prays For His Own. In this prayer we hear him pray 1) that his Word will protect us and, 2) that his Word will lead us to service. We read again 11 b, 15-19 of our Gospel lesson from John chapter 17. I. That his Word will protect you A prayer for protection by a believer is not an uncommon occurrence. But what is rather interesting is the content of Jesus’ prayer. Maybe it would be better to say what Jesus does not pray for. He doesn’t pray that all trouble be taken away. Instead he prays that they be given the right tool to protect themselves when trouble does come. “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” (v.15) “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me” (v.11b). We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating – our Savior doesn’t ask anything more of his children than he himself first did. During his 33 years here on earth, he used the power of God’s Word to fight off sin and the devil. Perhaps the best example is when Jesus was tempted by the devil. Do you remember the story? The devil took Jesus out to a lonely place where he threw temptation after temptation at Jesus. And one time after another Jesus used the power of God’s Word to refute the temptations and protect himself from the devil. When he was a 12 year old boy and the rest of the young boys Still today that is our Savior’s prayer for us. His prayer is that when we face death or other fears in this life that we find protection in his Word as it reassures us “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28). When we feel all alone or don’t know what to think or where to turn, he invites us to find peace and protection as his Word tells us “I am with you always….” (Matthew 28:20). I recently read the story of a young man who had dreamed since he was a boy of working in the lumber camps in the north woods. A week after he graduated from high school he headed off to fulfill his dream. Every week his parents would talk to him and every week they asked him the same question “Son, are you doing OK?”. Each week his answer would be the same “Mom and dad, everything is just fine”. After several months he came home for a weekend and his parents asked him the same question, but probed just a little further “Son, is everything OK? How’s your faith doing?” His reply stunned them. “Mom and dad, everything’s just fine – they never found out about my faith, I never told them”. That young man failed to trust in the power of God’s Word to protect him against Satan’s temptations. He also failed to do the other thing which Jesus prayed for – let that same Word lead him in a life of Christian service. II. That his Word will lead you in service (vv. 17-19) Not only does Jesus pray for the safety of his followers, he also prays that his Word will cause fruits of faith to come forth in their lives (vv. 17-19) Have you ever asked yourself “What is my goal in life?”? For some who are younger, that is probably as clear as day. They have their life dreams and ambitions all figured out. For some on the other end of the age spectrum, they probably see their goal as enjoying being grandparents and the days which the Lord will still give them. Perhaps, though, you are like one of those whom I have had conversations with in the last several weeks. They wonder “what purpose does the Lord have in mind for me?”. Sometimes Christians fall into the trap of thinking that if their service to the Lord doesn’t change the world or make the headlines or get noticed by others, they wonder if they are really doing good service to the Lord. All that our Lord asks of us when he prays that his Word would lead us in service is that we serve him faithfully. Using the gifts and position in life where he has placed us and using them to their best potential for his glory. That is what he prays for us. CONCLUSION Two Christian friends went out on a fishing trip one day. After several hours, their boat began to leak and take on water. The one man said to the other, “Do you think that we should pray that the Lord helps us in this situation?”. His friend replied “That’s fine – Let’s pray and work!”. That is what our Savior prays for us in our text. That we speak to him and prayer and use his Word, but at the same time also faithfully serving him. That is what Jesus prays for his own. Amen.