New Park Street Pulpit · Sermon No. 188
Delivered on Sabbath Morning, April 18th, 1858.
“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 lovedst me before the foundations of the world.”—John 17:24.
WHEN the High Priest of old entered into the most holy place, he kindled the incense in his censer, and waving it before him, he perfumed the air with its sweet fragrance, and veiled the mercy seat with the denseness of its smoke. Thus was it written concerning him, “He shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail: and he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not.” Even so our Lord Jesus Christ, when he would once for all enter within the vail with his own blood to make an atonement for sin, did first offer strong crying and prayers. In this 17th chapter of John, we have, as it were, the smoking of the Saviour’s pontifical center. He prayed for the people for whom he was about to die, and ere he sprinkled them with his blood, he did sanctify them with his supplications. This prayer therefore stands pre-eminent in Holy Writ as the Lord’s Prayer—the special and peculiar prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ; and “if,” as an old divine hath it, “it be lawful to prefer one Scripture above another, we may say, though all be gold, yet this is a pearl in the gold; though all be like the heavens, this is as the sun and stars.” Or if one part of Scripture be more dear to the believer than any other, it must be this which contains his Master’s last prayer before he entered through the rent vail of his own crucified body. How sweet it is to see that not himself, but his people, constituted the staple of his prayer! He did pray for himself—he said, “Father, glorify thou me!” but while he had one prayer for himself, he had many for his people. Continually did he pray for them—“father, sanctify them!” “Father, keep them!” “Father, make them one!” And then he concluded his supplication with, “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am.” Melancthon well said there was never a more excellent, more holy, more fruitful, and more affectionate voice ever heard in heaven or in earth, than this prayer.
We shall first notice the style of the prayer; secondly, the persons interested in it; and thirdly, the great petitions offered—the last head constituting the main part of our discourse.
I. First, notice THE STYLE OF THE PRAYER—it is singular: it is, “Father, I will”. Now, I cannot but conceive that there is something more in the expression, “I will” than a mere wish.It seems to one, that when Jesus said “I will,” although perhaps it might not be proper to say that he made a demand, yet we may say that he pleaded with authority, asking for that which he knew to be his own, and uttering an “I will” as potent as any fiat that ever sprang from the lips of the Almighty “Father, I will.” It is an unusual thing to find Jesus Christ saying to God, “I will” You know that before the mountains were brought forth, it was said of Christ, “in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O God.” and we find whilst he was on earth, that he never mentioned his own will, that he expressly declared, “I came not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me.” It is true you do hear him when addressing men, saying “I will,” for he saith, “I will, be thou clean;” but in his prayers to his Father he prayed with all humility;
“With sighs and groans he offered up,
His humble suit below.”
“I will,” therefore, seems to be an exception to the rule; but we must remember that Christ was now in an exceptional condition. He had never been before where he was now. He was now come to the end of his work; he could say, “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do,” and therefore, looking forward to the time when the sacrifice would be complete and he should ascend on high, he sees that his work is done, and takes his own will back again and saith, “Father, I will.”
Now, mark, that such a prayer as this would be totally unbecoming in our lips. We are never to say, “Father, I will.” Our prayer is to be, “Not my will, but thine be done.” We are to mention our wishes, but our wills are to subside into the will of God. We are to feel that whilst it is ours to desire, it is God’s to will. But how pleasant, I repeat, it is to find the Saviour pleading with such authority as this, for this puts the stamp of certainty upon his prayer. Whatsoever he has asked for in that chapter he shall have beyond a doubt. At other times, when he pleaded as a Mediator, in his humility he was eminently successful in his intercessions; how much more shall his prayer prevail now that he takes to himself his great power, and with authority cries, “Father, I will.” I love that opening to the prayer, it is a blessed guarantee of its fulfillment, rendering it so sure that we may now look upon Christ’s prayer as a promise which shall be assuredly fulfilled.