Sermons on John 17:1-5
The various sermons below on John 17:1-5 share common themes of unity, sanctification, and eternal life, with each offering unique insights into Jesus' prayer. A recurring theme is the concept of "mission accomplished," where Jesus reports to the Father about completing His earthly mission, often illustrated through analogies like "Mission Impossible" or a "Christmas miracle." The sermons emphasize the relational aspect of prayer, highlighting Jesus' focus on glorifying God and fulfilling His mission as a model for believers. The Greek word "gnosko" is frequently mentioned to underscore that eternal life is about an experiential knowledge of God, not just intellectual understanding. Additionally, the cross is portrayed as the ultimate glorification of both the Father and the Son, with its paradoxical nature as both a moment of suffering and exaltation being a focal point.
In contrast, the sermons diverge in their emphasis on specific theological themes. One sermon highlights the experiential knowledge of God as the essence of eternal life, contrasting it with other religious views of the afterlife, while another focuses on prayer as a relational practice rather than a transactional one. The theme of Jesus' eternality and His role as the giver of eternal life is central to one sermon, connecting it to the Christmas message and the broader narrative of salvation history. Another sermon emphasizes divine love, portraying Jesus' mission as restoring humanity to a perfect relationship with God. Meanwhile, the cross is presented as the ultimate expression of God's love and justice, with eternal life characterized by a personal and intimate knowledge of God.
John 17:1-5 Interpretation:
Jesus' Prayer: Unity, Sanctification, and Eternal Life (River City Calvary Chapel) interprets John 17:1-5 by emphasizing the concept of "mission accomplished" as Jesus reports to the Father about completing His earthly mission. The sermon uses the analogy of a "Mission Impossible" theme to illustrate how Jesus accomplished what seemed impossible for humanity. The Greek word "gnosko" is highlighted to explain that eternal life is about an experiential knowledge of God, not just intellectual understanding.
Transformative Power of Prayer in Believer's Life (Faith Church Kingstowne) interprets John 17:1-5 by focusing on the relational aspect of prayer, as demonstrated by Jesus. The sermon emphasizes that Jesus' prayer was about glorifying God and fulfilling His mission, which serves as a model for believers to prioritize glorification and obedience in their prayer life. The sermon also highlights the repeated use of the word "glory" in the passage to underscore the importance of glorifying God through prayer.
Embracing the Gift of Eternal Life Through Christ (Prestonwood Baptist Church) interprets John 17:1-5 by emphasizing the eternality of Jesus. The sermon highlights that Jesus' prayer acknowledges His eternal existence and His divine mission to grant eternal life. The pastor uses the analogy of a "Christmas miracle" to describe the infinite God humbling Himself to enter creation, emphasizing the miraculous nature of Jesus' incarnation and His eternal nature.
Embracing Divine Love: A Relationship with Jesus (South Lake Nazarene) interprets John 17:1-5 by focusing on the relational aspect of Jesus' prayer. The sermon highlights Jesus' desire to return to the glory He shared with the Father before the world began, emphasizing the depth of the relationship within the Trinity. The pastor uses the analogy of a perfect relationship that requires nothing external, illustrating the completeness and perfection of the divine relationship that Jesus invites believers into.
Jesus' High Priestly Prayer: Love, Unity, and Glory (Crossroads Assembly of God Taylor Texas) interprets John 17:1-5 as the pinnacle of Christ's mission, emphasizing the dual nature of the hour as both suffering and exaltation. The sermon highlights the cross as the ultimate glorification of both the Father and the Son, presenting it as the culmination of God's eternal plan. The preacher uses the metaphor of the cross as a "spiritual throne," suggesting that Christ's greatest glory was achieved through his lowest stoop, which was his crucifixion. This interpretation underscores the paradox of the cross being both a moment of shame and a moment of ultimate honor.
John 17:1-5 Theological Themes:
Jesus' Prayer: Unity, Sanctification, and Eternal Life (River City Calvary Chapel) presents the theme of experiential knowledge of God as the essence of eternal life, contrasting it with other religious views of the afterlife. The sermon also introduces the idea that Jesus' greatest glory came through His suffering, suggesting that believers' greatest spiritual victories may come through their own trials.
Transformative Power of Prayer in Believer's Life (Faith Church Kingstowne) introduces the theme of prayer as a relational rather than transactional practice. The sermon emphasizes that prayer is primarily about communion with God, demonstrating dependence, obedience, and glorification, rather than merely asking for things.
Embracing the Gift of Eternal Life Through Christ (Prestonwood Baptist Church) presents the theme of Jesus' eternality and His role as the giver of eternal life. The sermon emphasizes that Jesus' mission is to provide eternal life to humanity, and this is central to the Christmas message. The pastor connects this theme to the broader narrative of Jesus' divinity and His role in salvation history.
Embracing Divine Love: A Relationship with Jesus (South Lake Nazarene) introduces the theme of divine love as expressed through Jesus' willingness to leave the perfection of heaven to dwell among humanity. The sermon emphasizes the relational aspect of salvation, highlighting that Jesus' mission was to restore humanity to a perfect relationship with God, characterized by divine love and eternal life.
Jesus' High Priestly Prayer: Love, Unity, and Glory (Crossroads Assembly of God Taylor Texas) presents the theme of the cross as the ultimate expression of God's love and justice. The sermon emphasizes that the cross is not just a historical event but the central point of God's eternal plan, where divine love and justice meet. It also introduces the idea that eternal life is not merely about duration but about the quality of life, characterized by a personal and intimate knowledge of God.
John 17:1-5 Historical and Contextual Insights:
Embracing the Gift of Eternal Life Through Christ (Prestonwood Baptist Church) provides historical context by describing the setting of Jesus' high priestly prayer. The sermon explains the significance of the prayer occurring just before Jesus' betrayal and crucifixion, highlighting the gravity of the moment and the disciples' ability to witness this intimate communication between Jesus and the Father.
Jesus' High Priestly Prayer: Love, Unity, and Glory (Crossroads Assembly of God Taylor Texas) provides historical context by situating John 17 within the events of the Last Supper and Jesus' journey to Gethsemane. The sermon explains that this prayer marks the beginning of Jesus' high priestly work, as he intercedes for himself, his disciples, and future believers. It also highlights the cultural significance of the Passover meal and the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant through Jesus' impending crucifixion.
John 17:1-5 Cross-References in the Bible:
Jesus' Prayer: Unity, Sanctification, and Eternal Life (River City Calvary Chapel) references Romans 8 to emphasize the security of believers in God's love, suggesting that nothing can separate them from it. The sermon also mentions Ezekiel 18:4 to highlight the concept of God's ownership of all souls and the idea of perdition as a life wasted without God.
Transformative Power of Prayer in Believer's Life (Faith Church Kingstowne) references Matthew 26:39 to illustrate Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane, highlighting His obedience to God's will despite His human desire to avoid suffering. The sermon also references Matthew 6:9-13, the Lord's Prayer, as a model for how believers should pray, emphasizing adoration, surrender, dependence, confession, and protection.
Embracing the Gift of Eternal Life Through Christ (Prestonwood Baptist Church) references several Bible passages to support the theme of eternal life through Jesus. These include John 3:16-17, which emphasizes God's love and the gift of eternal life through belief in Jesus; Revelation 22:13, where Jesus describes Himself as the Alpha and Omega; and various New Testament passages that affirm Jesus as the giver of eternal life, such as 1 John 5 and Romans 6:23.
Embracing Divine Love: A Relationship with Jesus (South Lake Nazarene) references Genesis 1:26 to highlight the presence of the Trinity at creation, emphasizing the eternal relationship within the Godhead. The sermon also references John 1:1-3 to affirm Jesus' eternal existence and role in creation, and John 14:1-6 to illustrate Jesus' promise of preparing a place for believers in heaven.
Jesus' High Priestly Prayer: Love, Unity, and Glory (Crossroads Assembly of God Taylor Texas) references Philippians 2 to explain the concept of kenosis, where Jesus emptied himself to take on human form. This passage is used to illustrate Jesus' humility and obedience, culminating in his request to be glorified with the Father. The sermon also references John 16 to provide context for Jesus' words in John 17, emphasizing the themes of peace and overcoming the world.
John 17:1-5 Christian References outside the Bible:
Transformative Power of Prayer in Believer's Life (Faith Church Kingstowne) references R.C. Sproul, who questions why Jesus prayed if He was God, suggesting that prayer is about relationship rather than transaction. The sermon also cites Timothy Keller, who argues that if we knew what God knows, our prayers would be different, emphasizing the importance of praying according to God's will. J.C. Ryle is quoted on the struggle of prayer, noting that even bungled prayers can be used by God, and Oswald Chambers is referenced to assert that prayer is the greater work, not just preparation for it.
Embracing the Gift of Eternal Life Through Christ (Prestonwood Baptist Church) does not explicitly reference non-biblical Christian authors or theologians in the discussion of John 17:1-5.
Jesus' High Priestly Prayer: Love, Unity, and Glory (Crossroads Assembly of God Taylor Texas) cites Charles Spurgeon, who described the cross as Jesus' "true spiritual throne," highlighting the paradox of Jesus' greatest glory being achieved through his greatest suffering. This reference is used to support the interpretation of the cross as the ultimate glorification of Christ and the Father.
John 17:1-5 Illustrations from Secular Sources:
Jesus' Prayer: Unity, Sanctification, and Eternal Life (River City Calvary Chapel) uses the "Mission Impossible" theme as an analogy for Jesus' completion of His mission on earth, suggesting that what seems impossible for humans is possible with God. The sermon also references the Blues Brothers' phrase "I'm on a mission from God" to illustrate the idea of being on a divine mission.
Transformative Power of Prayer in Believer's Life (Faith Church Kingstowne) uses a personal anecdote about praying with a respected leader in the faith to illustrate the struggle and importance of prayer. The sermon also references Paul E. Miller's book "Connecting with God in a Distracting World" to highlight the challenge of maintaining a prayer life amidst distractions.
Embracing the Gift of Eternal Life Through Christ (Prestonwood Baptist Church) uses several secular illustrations to convey the concept of a "Christmas miracle." The pastor references popular Christmas movies, such as "Christmas Vacation," "Elf," "It's a Wonderful Life," and "Die Hard," to illustrate the cultural recognition of miraculous events during the Christmas season. These examples are used to draw a parallel to the true miracle of Christmas: the incarnation of Jesus and the gift of eternal life.
Jesus' High Priestly Prayer: Love, Unity, and Glory (Crossroads Assembly of God Taylor Texas) uses the story of Pat Carter, a Marine who sacrificed his life by covering a grenade to save his fellow soldiers, as an analogy for Jesus' sacrificial love on the cross. This illustration is used to emphasize the theme of ultimate love and honor being demonstrated through self-sacrifice, drawing a parallel between military valor and Christ's redemptive work.