Prayer for Unity
NB. Sermon recorded at the Arts Centre Fatfield Durham 1 November 1998
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After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of[b] your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by[c] that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by[d] the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you[e] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
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The Christian Life
The Prayer
Today we visit the upper room on the Thursday before Good Friday. The scene of the ‘Last Supper’ shared by Jesus with his friends and the place where his famous prayer for them and us was prayed.
The Upper Room
I want to try and imagine being there. A few years ago I used to hitchhike a lot and one of my trips took me to Greece and a chap who gave me a lift invited me back to his house. It was a square whitewashed one-floor house with steps going up the outside to the roof. We went up the stairs to the roof and there was a room there with a wall about 3ft all the way around the perimeter.
It was just a room on the top of the house and the sky as the ceiling. It was like paradise, on a warm summer evening in Greece.
That was my experience of an upper room and when I try and imagine this scene of the last supper I remember that upper room in Greece. So, today, try and visualise the white plaster floor, white walls, try and smell cooking of the Passover meal - the last supper
Then Jesus speaks up to all ‘listen up, this is our last meal together… before long the world will not see me anymore’ John 14:19, John 14:27 ‘Peace I leave with you my peace I give you.... do not let your hearts be troubled and don’t be afraid… As the Father loved me so I have loved you. Love each other as I have loved you.2
That is the scene in the upper room, Jesus talking affectionately to his friends after their last meal together.
Then Jesus looked towards heaven [and in my upper room there is no roof], he looks towards heaven and he prays
“Father the time has come..” [and talking about his friends, he says] “they are yours and they have obeyed your word” John 17:9 “I pray for them” Jesus goes on, “I will remain in the world no longer but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you… my prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one... sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth”
You can sense his compassion for those he is leaving behind in the world. Then there is a surprise - he actually brings us into it, “ I pray for those who will believe in me through their Word, that they may all be one.. as we are one”
Jesus prayed this to the father for us, “I pray for those who will believe in me through the message, that all of them will be one.” What do you think of that - because of Jesus we are united through the ages also. That is part of the mystery of our faith.
So that is the prayer ‘I pray for them .. not to take them out of the world but protect them from the evil one…and that all of them will be one’
Themes in the prayer: (1) For Unity and (2) that they Remain in the world’
I just want to pick up those 2 major themes from the prayer
Unity
Firstly, Jesus prays “that all of them will be one.”
This is not a prayer that different races, sexes, and classes will become one humanity.
This actually means ‘one’ with the father and the Son and ‘one’ with believers across the span of history.
What can that mean “‘One with the father & the son”? Love is what unites the Father and Son & our love for each other here in this fellowship and love for those of other Churches. Irrespective of our differences whether it’s differences in personality or differences of practice; Love for each other and love for the Lord is what unites us - makes us one. And the reason for this prayer for Unity is John 17:21 “that the world may believe in Jesus” and he repeats it in verse 23 “that the world may know that you sent me”.
Jesus doesn’t repeat himself because he lost his place in the script! He wants us to know that the world will see Jesus through our unity. And that unity (because we’re different) will only be seen if truly love each other and love the Lord.
Throughout the history of the Church, its members have accepted that we are all different parts like a car has different parts which make up the whole car. But sometimes as a church, we have acted like those who expect their car engine to run without oil. When I had just passed my driving test at the age of seventeen, I bought an old Morris 1100. I loved that old banger. I could get from Portadown to Belfast in half an hour. But one day the engine seized up - no oil. The love it needed was Oil. Our ‘oneness’ is not ‘sameness’. Any more than the car is all pistons. But with the oil of Love uniting us our differences can be our strength so that some can be pistons, some tyres, some seats, some lights. All is needed in our unity. But when we put our creeds, our organisation, our style of worship before our love for each other. The oil runs dry, the love fades and as witnessing people we seize up.
We can still do church but as far as answering Jesus’ prayer in John 17:21 “that the world may believe in Jesus” - not so.
And he repeats it in verse 23 “that the world may know that you sent me” without the love we seize up.
Remain in the world
The second theme - not to take them out of the world but to protect them……John 17v21 ‘that the world may believe that you have sent me.’ This links in with Acts 16 when Paul and Silas were attacked. Do not take them out of the world but protect them.’ What a challenge this is to us. We need spiritual protection.
Wouldn’t it be easier if we created a Christian world around us with Christian friends, Christian holidays, Christian meals, Christian theme parks, and Christian music a whole Christian counterculture, that’s where it’s safe (and sound)! But thatis also where it is most comfortable. Jesus said in John 16:33 “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart I have overcome the world.”
That’s why He prays for protection - we should expect trouble. When in Phillippi, Acts 16 says Paul and Silas were attacked by a crowd, stripped and beaten and thrown into prison. Jesus said “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart I have overcome the world.” Through that imprisonment, God used them to speak to the jailer and through that encounter, his whole family believed in Jesus Christ and they were saved.
Do you remember the Hill Street Blues motto? “Be careful out there.” Jesus prays for us to be in the world and for protection.
We can see why must we stay ‘in the world’.. the answer is in verse 21 “that the world may believe that you [father] sent me” and he repeats it in for emphasis “that the world may know that you sent me. (v23)” Remember what I said, Jesus doesn’t repeat himself because he lost his place in the script… he wants us to know the world will see Jesus through us mixing and mingling in the world. We see the outworking in the attack on Paul and Silas, resulting in a family coming to faith.
How will our friends, relatives, acquaintances, neighbours, and work colleagues know who Jesus is if we cocoon ourselves?
How will they know what Easter is about if we don’t do what Jesus did for us “I pray for them” [those 4 words again].
“I pray for them” - we can do that: write their names in your bible, in your wallet, in a diary or journal whatever gives you a nudge, but say to God “I pray for these friends, relatives, acquaintances, neighbours, and work colleagues.”
Have you ever heard of Albert McMachin. In 1934 there was a tent mission in North Carolina and he took his pick-up truck full of friends to the mission every night of the mission. Except for one lad ‘William’ who thought this Jesus stuff was all rubbish.
But Albert kept inviting his friend William and finally he said to William ‘will you come to the tent mission if I let you drive my truck?’ That night, William came and heard about Jesus and Jesus touched his heart. He knew he was hearing the truth and he believed in the Lord Jesus, he turned his life over to Christ. William was ‘saved’ that day. And you may not have heard of Albert McMachin but that lad William has spoken to over 200 million people. Telling them that Jesus Christ is the one who will save ‘you and your household.’ William is of course Billy Graham and if it was not for Albert McMachin who knows what state the world would be in.
We get comfortable with passive praying. Some of us can be more active, you might not want to lend a 17-year-old your BMW but maybe someone could go to a football game, someone can invite a friend round for coffee, some can go for a drink, others will play squash, badminton ... think outside the box.
Ask yourself… how you can be active in telling people to ‘believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.’
It won’t be easy but that’s what Jesus was talking about when he prayed “not to take them out of the world but to protect them.”
These are the two major themes of Jesus’ prayer in that upper room ‘That they may be protected in the world not out of the world’ and ‘that they would be united as ONE so that ‘the world may believe in Jesus.’
Your hand o God has guided
Your church from age to age.
The tale of love is written
For us on every page.
Our fathers knew your goodness
And we your works record;
And each of these bear witness;
One church, one faith, one Lord.
Traditional
