Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis - Dial In - John 17:20-26 (Ep. 45)

Episode Date: June 8, 2020

Dial In is a devotional series with the intention of helping followers of Christ understand God’s word and love Him more. Jonny seeks to communicate the profound depth of scripture in a digestible and condensed format each weekday. The goal of the podcast is that our “minds would be renewed” as we behold who God is in His word. In this series, Jonny is walking sequentially through the Gospel of John.In this episode, Jonny covers John 17:20-26Watch VideosVisit the Website Follow on InstagramFollow on Twitter

Hey guys, my name is Johnny Artavanis and this is Dial In. We come now to the conclusion of the high priestly prayer of Jesus Christ. Our passage is John chapter 17 verses 20 through 26. Let's dial in. John chapter 17 verses 20 through 26. I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, John chapter 17 verses 1 through 10. have loved me before the foundation of the world. Oh, righteous father, even though the world does not know you, I know you and these know that you have sent me. I have made known to them your name and will continue to make it known that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them. In chapter 12, we read that Jesus's soul was deeply troubled. And this makes a lot of sense when you consider what Jesus is facing,

not just in regards to what men will do to him, but what God, his father, will do to him. The pain of the cross is one thing, but the emotional and spiritual pain that Jesus is going to bear as God the father lays on him the sin of all believers for all time and then treats him guilty as such. And in the midst of this trouble and this grief, Jesus, on the final night before he is crucified, is completely concerned with his followers. At the beginning of chapter 13, Jesus reveals his deep, deep love for his disciples, not only with words, but in actions as he gets on the ground and begins to wash their filthy feet. I love what chapter 13 verse one says. It says that Jesus loved them to the max. I love that.

And he shows them this love as he washes their feet, but not only in that, but he tells them what he is going to do for them. He tells them in chapter 14 that he is going to prepare a place for them in heaven, that he is going to send his spirit. And here in chapter 17, Jesus reveals his love to his followers as he prays for them to the Father. Today, you might hear people say, yeah, man, I'll be praying for you, or you tell someone else that. But we sometimes forget, we sometimes neglect to actually pray when we tell others we will. Maybe you've heard of someone in your life that is defined as a prayer warrior. And when I was growing up, there was a guy who was defined in this way,

the type of guy where to be on his prayer list was an honor because you knew he was going to pray for you. His name was Hal Kemper, and I remember he was in his 80s when I first met him, and I was 13. And one day I spent the day with him picking weeds when I was a boy. And at the end of the day, he asked me if he could pray for me. I remember even as a young boy feeling the value of Hal's intercession on my behalf. And I spent a moment considering a request that was worthy of Hal's prayers. Maybe you have a prayer warrior in your

life, but I want to ask you a question. Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus prays for us and he prays for you if you're in Christ? Hal Kemper's prayers, I'm sure, were powerful because he was a righteous man, but Jesus, the son of God, prays on behalf of his followers. Think about that. That's amazing. It's unique to say, but nonetheless true. Jesus prayed for you. And Jesus on the night before he is slaughtered is interceding for his followers. And it's not just for the 11 disciples there. It's in verse 20 for all the followers of Jesus Christ for all time. He is praying for you. This is his intercessory work. Think about this with me. Jesus, at the beginning of the gospel, had taken a collection of teenage fishermen, a terrorist,

a tax collector, consisting of doubting Thomas, Peter, who would deny him three times. And you remember the conversation in chapter 13? The rest of them are arguing over who is the greatest. And listen, this group of young men, Acts 17, 6 says, would turn the world upside down. How? How is that possible? Yes, through the power of the Spirit, but we see here through the intercessory prayer of Jesus Christ. This encourages me and brings me great comfort. This is why Paul says, God doesn't choose many noble, strong, or wise, but he uses vessels that are filled with his spirit and whom he prays for every single day to the Father. I want you to think about that, that Jesus prays for you. The work of Jesus Christ wasn't completed at the cross. Yes, the payment for sins was completed

at the cross, but the work of Christ continues each and every day because Jesus intercedes for you to the Father. And Romans 8, 34 says he does this constantly. Jesus continues in verse 21 and says that they may all be one just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. The glory that you have given me, I have given to them, that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. You'll often hear pastors and preachers use this reference to encourage everyone to get along and be unified. But Jesus is talking about something that is an accomplished reality.

He says, talking to God the Father, that they may be in us, I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfectly one. Jesus is praying for something that is a fact, not a fantasy. The unity that Jesus is referring to here isn't something that you or I could produce. It is something that we already have in Jesus Christ. John MacArthur says it this way, God became joined to man in the person of Jesus Christ so that man could be joined to God in the person of Jesus Christ. I'll say that one more time. God became joined to man in the person of Jesus Christ so that man could be joined to God in the person of Jesus Christ. He became one of us so that we might become one with him. We are united to Jesus Christ.

And this is why Paul says in Galatians 3.28, There is no longer Jew nor Greek. There is no longer slave or free. There is no longer male and female. For all of you are one in Jesus Christ. And in light of that scripture and in light of John 17, Paul tells us in Ephesians 4 to keep the unity that is already accomplished for us through Jesus.

But why does Jesus want this unity? Why does he want us to be one with him? Well, he tells us the answer in verse 23, and this is awesome. He says, So that the world will know that you loved them, even as you have loved me. Jesus wants us to be unified with him. And consequently, if we are all united to him, we are united to each other. He wants this because he loves us.

This is what salvation is all about. He says, so that the world may know that you have loved them even as you have loved me. All of these promises in chapter 13 through 16, all of this intercession in chapter 17, Jesus is doing on our behalf because he loves us. I remember when I was a kid, my mom used to sing me, Jesus loves me as I went to bed. And maybe you've wondered, well, how much does Jesus love me? How much does God love me? I love it. Verse 23 tells us as much as God, the father loves the son. That's how much he loves you. Think about

that. God, the father loves his son infinitely, intimately, perfectly. This is unthinkable. It's unthinkable because maybe you might be wondering, how can God love us like that? Doesn't he hate sin? Isn't he offended by our sin? Yes, God hates sin and he is offended by our sin. Thankfully, all of that hatred towards sin and all of that offense towards sin, all of that wrath towards sin was placed on his one and only son. And he poured out that wrath on him so that when he looks at us who are in Christ, all there's left for us is love. And he loves us not as a friend. He loves us as a son, the same way he loves Jesus. And because Jesus loves us and because the father has adopted us as sons and daughters, verse 24, Jesus says that

his desire is for us to be with him for all eternity in heaven. He says, this is my desire, father. This is nuts. Jesus is praying that you and I, if we're in Christ would be joined with him for all eternity. The promise to you, if you have believed in Jesus Christ is that heaven is your home. This is what Jesus desired. Think about that with me. Jesus does not say, I guess I'm willing to accept them. It's like, get their act together. No, he says, Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me,

will be with me where I am. This is staggering yet true. That's our home, heaven with Jesus. And being with Jesus is the simplest definition of heaven. Jesus is there. And I'm excited for that day when faith will be sight. And as Psalm 23 says, we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Stay dialed in.