Jesus is the answer
John 17:1-3
[1] When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, [2] since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. [3] And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
“In 2008, tragedy struck the family of Christian singer-songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman when one of his teenage sons arrived home, turned the corner of the driveway, and didn’t see his 5-year-old sister Maria Sue, who had darted directly into the path of his SUV.
Chapman saw the accident take place from the front porch, but he doesn’t remember much about the immediate aftermath. “I do remember running around to the back of the house and finding my wife, of course, just in hysterics,” he said. “It was a lot of blood.”
Chapman also doesn’t remember something that others witnessed in that horrible moment. As he was leaving the scene to go to the hospital (where little Maria would be pronounced dead on arrival), he looked over and saw his son crumpled up in a ball on the ground, his older brother on top of him, holding him and praying for him. At that moment, Steven told the driver to stop. He rolled down the window and called out, “Will Franklin, your father loves you.”
That scene chokes me up every time I imagine it. To think of a father, in the throes of shock and grief, in that terrible fog of horror and chaos, instinctively assuring his son of unconditional love instead of casting blame or bowing to bitterness—the moment says something about the character of a man. Out of the overflow of a heart smitten by hardship comes a word of consolation.”
– Trevin Wax
As I wrestled with our passage today and how to acknowledge or even preach on Father’s Day I recalled reading this article a few weeks ago and some dots connected for me. There’s no doubt in the importance of this passage in the Gospel of John and even its impact on it, but sometimes in the midst of our lives we hear and believe but struggle to apply or act. I really want this passage to speak to you today. I want you to consider what it says and how it impacts. I continue to go back to “if Jesus is who he says he is (and He is) then that changes everything.” The connection that keeps coming to mind is back to our kids’ lesson. Jesus is the answer for many of the questions I ask them and Jesus is the answer for the questions you have in your mind today too. I think that’s what He has for us today in our passage.
We’re at the end of Jesus Farewell Discourse to his disciples and now the High Priestly Prayer. It’s Jesus prayer before his betrayal and arrest.
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John 17
The High Priestly Prayer (a conversation with God)
[1] When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, [2] since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. [3] And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. [4] I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. [5] And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
[6] “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. [7] Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. [8] For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. [9] I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. [10] All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. [11] And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. [12] While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. [13] But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. [14] I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. [15] I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. [16] They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. [17] Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. [18] As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. [19] And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
[20] “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, [21] 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 have sent me. [22] The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, [23] 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. [24] Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. [25] O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. [26] I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
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This is a statement, a conversation, not things for us as believers to do. It is a window into God the Father and Son. It’s indicative of the love of God for us. Jesus is about to die a horrific torture filled death and yet, He’s glorifying the Father and praying for us, his children. Jesus is the fulfillment of scripture. Jesus is the answer to what they’ve been awaiting.
What can we take from it? – Jesus is the answer. The answer to what?
Here are the top selling self help books of all time.
- Think and Grow Rich
Over 80 million copies sold
- The Alchemist
Over 65 million copies sold
Through this young man’s travels, the book teaches the importance of following one’s heart and dreams while paying attention to the journey.
- You Can Heal Your Life
Over 50 million copies sold
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Over 26 million copies sold
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Over 25 million copies sold
- Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff… And It’s All Small Stuff
Over 25 million copies sold
We all know too well that stress undermines many of life’s pleasures.
- Who Moved My Cheese?
Over 23 million copies sold
This book is About change
- The Celestine Prophecy
Over 23 million copies sold
The book is ideal for exploring New Age spirituality and ways to succeed during difficult life transitions.
- The Secret
Over 20 million copies sold
based on a simple premise. This premise says that what we think has the power to attract both good and evil into our lives. Thus, “the secret” explains how this law of attraction can serve to attain the best life has to offer.
- The Power of Positive Thinking
Over 20 million copies sold
If quality of life and personal satisfaction is your goal, this book offers a strategy to achieve just that. Through affirmations and visualizations, Norman Vincent Peale demonstrates in his book how positive thinking can be cultivated. It has remained one of the most popular self-improvement books since its release in 1952.
- Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus
Over 15 million copies sold
This book by John Gray remains one of the best self-improvement books for those seeking better relationships.
- How to Win Friends and Influence People
Over 15 million copies sold
- Chicken Soup for the Soul
Over 11 million copies sold
Through this book, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen introduce a unique way of inspiring people to find their own happiness in life.
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But…..
“if Jesus is who he says he is (and He is) then that changes everything.”
“Two Stories Vying for Attention in Our Hearts
Author and pastor Mark Sayers says there are two stories competing for our minds and hearts. The first story is broadcast loudly across pop culture, social media, and all media. It claims that you and I are the center of the universe. We are unique individuals, and we can be awesome. We just need to create our identities. By making the right choices with our wardrobe and weekends, and by hanging out with the right people and doing the right things, we can be limitlessly happy. The world offers you and me an amazing life; we just have to go out and make it happen.
The second story is quiet. It’s more of a whisper from the back burner in our brains, but it will not go away. It’s there in the quiet, in the middle of the night. It’s the longing when the promises of the first story under-deliver. The whisper tells us we were made for more. In hushed voices, it insists that we have an immovable and important identity, a sort of real home somewhere out there. We’re longing for it, and we know it’s not just in our imaginations. There’s got to be more to this life, it nags.
We continuously suppress that second story, though, largely because the first story is so loud. Everything from Instagram to movies to clothing ads to political campaigns declares that we can be whoever we want to be. Pursuing the second story takes time and intentionality and going against every cultural grain.”
– Mark Sayers
Jesus is the answer. The answer to what?
How do I be a better man or woman?
How do I be a better husband or wife?
How to be a better dad or momma?
How do I be a better friend?
How do I be a better son or daughter?
How do I find satisfaction?
How do I find peace amidst the struggles?
He is the answer to your struggles. (It’s just not always quick)
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Condo Collapse Cause
Federal investigators released a preliminary report yesterday regarding the collapse of a condominium tower in Surfside, Florida, revealing a “severe strength deficiency” in the pool deck. The tower collapsed two years ago, resulting in the deaths of 98 people.
Although the exact cause of the collapse has yet to be determined, the team suggested the pool deck’s supporting columns lacked sufficient strength, and it likely collapsed seven minutes before the rest of the structure. Additionally, the condo failed to meet the original building codes from the 1980s—some column strength was only about half of that required at the time—and additions such as planters and heavy pavers were not accounted for. The report adds to previously reported signs of corrosion in the deck.
The investigation is expected to cost around $22M and has been described as one of the most complex ever undertaken. The news comes after survivors and relatives of the victims reached a $1B settlement in the case last year. A final report is expected in May 2025.
Matthew 7:24
[24] “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
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Jesus is the answer for the world today
Above Him there’s no other, Jesus is the way
Jesus is the answer for the world today
Above Him there’s no other, Jesus is the way
If you have some questions
In the corners of your mind
And traces of discouragement
And peace you can not find
Reflection of the old past
They seem to face you every day
There’s one thing I know for sure
That Jesus is the way
I know you got mountains
That you think you can not climb
I know that your skies have been dark
You think the sun won’t shine
In case you don’t know
I’m here to tell you
That the World of God is true, yeah
And everything that He’s promised
I tell you He would do it for you
Jesus is the answer for the world today
Above Him there’s no other, Jesus is the way
Jesus is the answer for the world today
Above Him there’s no other, Jesus is the way
