Jesus Prays for Your Focus – Part 1

Here's a engram what's your relationship with God the father, God the son, the Holy Spirit is so Jesus is praying that you stay focused and you're listening to living in the light with Engram once Jesus is praying for you is praying for your focus. With all that you have swirling around in your life. He wants you to stay focused on your relationship with God. That is exactly the title of today's message. So let's join engram locks down from John chapter 17 with Jesus prays for your focus. George Bergen was a Navy man who worked for my mother and daddy. My sister Gigi would remember him. But he mowed the grass.

He kept up the yard and when it snowed he would be at 2 o'clock in the morning to be plowing the driveway so mother would get snowed in and he did lots of things. Her mother, but one of the things you did on the side.

He was a deputy sheriff and Buncombe County right here answer every year you have to requalify to be a deputy sheriff so the year that he requalify one of the things you had to do it. I can't remember exactly how many shots he had the fire and how many seconds it was like three shots within 10 seconds and had to shoot that fast and had to be so accurate that he would hit the bull's-eye every time. So this particular year. He went to requalify for his deputy's license or his deputies badge and came back and he told my mother about it and he said Ms. Graham. He said I went.

He said I was there and I had to go to the firing range and shoot the pistol and aim at the target but he said I just got new bifocals and he said I wasn't used to the way you look through them and he sat began to get nervous. I was uptight and I began to sweat my bifocal steam definitely slid down my nose and he saw just close my eyes and pull the trigger three times and on open my eyes and went to check the target and hit the bull's-eye every time and mother said George. How in the world did you do that and he said well Ms. Graham is there when I lost sight of the target. I just remembered my position in today with all the craziness going on. The fog, the darkness is coming on our land. The confusion, the fear new glasses fog up. Remember your position your child of the King Jesus is seated on the and he's praying for you took the theme for this series in John chapter 17 verse nine. I'm praying for them. He said Jesus is praying for you and divided chapter 17 into three sections were going to think one at a time, but is just the first five verses he's praying for your focus. You would stay focused on your relationship with God. And when there's so much confusion so much fear so much noise so much chaos. This is been his word to me and stay focused on your relationship with me and then he describes the relationship verse one.

It's a personal relationship.

He begins his prayer saying father, and sometimes it's hard for us is because we don't want to think of God as father because of the way our father was and I don't think he's meaning that God is like your father like my father. And if I can just save this my father was absent about 60% of my growing up years and my father never tucked me in bed. You never help me with my homework playing a game with them.

Maybe ping-pong a couple of times we did hike to the ridge and it wasn't until I got married, had children saw the way my husband fathered my children that I realized.

Oh my goodness that's what I missed. And so my daddy would be the first one to tell you, in fact is written it in his book that he wasn't a good father. Not the way we think of his father's okay. He was an absentee father.

So what about your father, let me say this before I move on.

I rather have Billy Graham for father than anybody else I know. One reason a man came. One reason is because he godliness genuine Christ likeness inside the home and outside the home.

Okay but maybe your father didn't do that.

Maybe he was abusive maybe was alcoholic maybe was an adulterer.

Maybe he abandoned you and I don't know. But Jesus is not saying God is like your father. My father, I think he just underscoring the fact that you can have a personal relationship with God. There is no more personal relationship and that between a parent and a child in the Old Testament God was the God of creation. He spoke a word and things came into being any part of the Red Sea with his breath and it was on Mount Sinai with lightning and thunder and you know all sorts of crashing. He was Almighty. He was majestic he was glorious.

Nobody would think of calling him father. So this was a revolutionary thought that you could know God interpersonal relationship as personal as a parent with a child.

He says father, the time is come, he knew what time it was in his life and nothing is very important that you and I know what time it is not only in our lives. But in human history. I believe were living at the end of the end of human history. What worse thing going on in the world is a set up for the rule of antichrist. And that's going to be a set up for the glorious return of Jesus Christ to reign and rule in this world so Jesus knew what time it was and what time it was in his life. It was time for the cross. It was time for his betrayal. It was time for his arrest was a time for his trials is torture his crucifixion, his death, the time is coming, says, and then he said, glorify your son, so he saying that time is come for the cross and asking you to glorify your son at the cross and glorify means to reveal God's character in such a way that you're drawn to God that you see, God is revealed and you make himself attractive to you.

You want to know and you want to love and you want to draw near to him because that's his glory that's rebuilding and Jesus is saying God I want you to glorify your son at the cross. How how did the cross glorify Jesus.

In such a unique way that his character was revealed and would cause us to love him and draw near to him and you have the cross glorifies Jesus in that the cross proves that he's the only Savior. There is there is no other Savior, nor the way you can have your sins forgiven, nor the way you can go to heaven when you die. No other way you can have eternal life nor the way you can come into a personal relationship with God. It's only through the cross of Jesus Christ and listen to me if there had been any other way. God would've found it. He never would've sent his son to die on the cross of their been any other Savior, but there's not another Savior. Jesus is the only one answer he's glorified at the cross lifted up as the only Savior he is the way the truth he like no one will come to the father except they come through Jesus and then Jesus said, glorify your son that your son may glorify you. So how did Jesus glorify his father at the cross. How was God uniquely revealed that the cross in such a way that we love him and want to draw near to him and send this. The cross reveals the love of God that God so loved you. Nobody else needed to Savior. He would've sent Jesus for you that God so loved you and he sent Jesus to the cross and so the cross reveals the depth and the height and the breath and the lengths to which God will go the take away your sin and bring you interpersonal relationship with himself. Oh that the D of God for you and at the cross, God is glorified so Jesus says, stay focused on your relationship with God the father, God the son God the Holy Spirit is a personal relationship and I want to underscore this just for somebody maybe was watching online, somebody here and you've never claimed that personal relationship for yourself because you don't get about osmosis. You don't get it from coming to the cove. You don't get it from going to church and calling yourself a Christian, I was a little girl I can remember I was eight or nine years of age.

I remember as a good Friday. I was across the valley.

My parents home and watch the picture about Jesus on television and when it came to the scene of the cross on you that he had died for me and I felt very convicted of my sin and I told God I was sorry and I asked him to forgive me… My knees asked him to forgive me to cleanse me with his blood come into my heart and I believe is a young girl I was born again into God's family. I put my faith in Jesus as my personal savior and God doesn't have any grandchildren right so just because I'm Billy Graham's daughter didn't mean I was a child of God. I had to make that intentional decision for myself, which I did and some want to know when. If you make that intentional decision. Can you remember point in time when you confessed your sin told God you were sorry asked him to come and your hardened surrendered your life to him as Lord because you must be born again you come to the cross. Confess your sin told God just are you willing to stop all those wrong things you've been doing asking to give you eternal life come in your heart. The person of the Holy Spirit and he will a personal relationship with God is established at the cross of Jesus Christ. When you put your faith in him as your Savior and Lord. Have you done that. Don't believe this mountain until you're sure that you're sure. Praise God that the relationship we have with him is personal relationship and secondly it's a permanent relationship. He says in verse two for you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him, and when you asked Jesus to come in your heart and your sins are forgiven and Clancy gives you eternal life and eternal life is life that will never end. And for those of you who think you can lose your salvation. For those of you who think you put your faith in Jesus and you do something wrong you do something out of line or whatever you can lose your salvation.

Let me tell you something if you could lose your salvation. It would be trial wouldn't it would be temporary. When you receive Jesus by faith as your Savior and Lord comes in you and he will never leave you. He will never forsake you a permanent relation won't even be interrupted by death. Did you people today. This covert seem so afraid and everybody scared and I think probably there afraid to going to get covert and then they're probably afraid they're going to die from covert, but you know something I just tell you not afraid face death three times the last five years my husband's death.

My father's death and then the diagnosis of cancer that I received and I'm not afraid of death.com can be afraid of the pain and suffering, going to the hospital.

All that kind of stuff, you know. Nobody enjoys that.

But the moment of death, not afraid of because the Bible says a believer will not see that. Did you know that you and I want to experience death the way a nonbeliever experiences this we don't see death when we close your eyes to this life, we open them to the face of Jesus death is just that moment when we pass from say decides. So don't be afraid to member the first time I went to India.

I've been invited to hold meetings over there and so accepted and got halfway around the world and what are you doing you gotta be crazy you don't know who's going to meet you. You don't know what to expect. You don't know really staying another meetings exactly and just I was almost paralyzed with fear and somehow got on the plane I made the next half of the journey in got to India and was met by wonderful people. They took good care of me.

The meetings will blessed came back and have gone to India four times since then and each time I look forward to it.

I was expected because I knew something of whom would meet me something of what I would expect when I got there, it took the fear away so when you know Jesus is going to meet you in heaven's door. It takes the fear away doesn't you just going to see Jesus, whom you love the new live for and you have known them by faith and now you going to open your eyes to his face and it's going to be wonderful is no reason to be afraid of death. And besides, when you walk through that valley fish out of the Lord's going to be with you before, at the moment and take you home moment after I was trying to explain this. My mother several months before she did that and she had pneumonia and we thought she was going to die so sitting up beside her in the bed and had not told her that I'd recently been to London England and I had been to Westminster Abbey and this is not true now but then it was true. There's just a small door that went into Westminster Abbey to go through the door and then there was a sort of a small narthex or foyer by way blessed Abby is where I know you know that right were the kings and queens are married and crown lindens Andrew and Printz, William, and the deformed soap glorious Cathedral in downtown London and so you going this narthex and in the narthex is sort of small and dark and Crampton, but that's where you buy your ticket that will take you through the next door that will actually going to the sanctuary, but you get a guidebook also in the God that tells you something of what you going to see on the other side of that next door. So then you go to the next door you turn in your ticket. The doors flung open you going to the sanctuary. This glorious sanctuary and the God that tells you something of what your going to see how told my mother I never saw anybody getting your ticket in their guidebook running out in the street and no luck. I got a ticket to Westminster Abbey and have a God broken the whole purpose of the narthex was to provide that transition from outside to inside the sanctuary purpose of the narthex was the place we got your ticket in your guidebook and that got you through the next door and I told my mother's life is like the narthex and you in on this life we get our ticket to heaven.

When we put our faith in Jesus's sins are forgiven and were given eternal life. We have a guidebook which is our Bible and it tells us something going to see on the other side when that moment of death, we step into eternity. Return in our ticket so to speak in the doors flung open and Jesus is right there to welcome us into the glorious sanctuary of his father's house. So there's nothing to be afraid of everything to look forward to your relationship with God that you established that the cross that you grown and that you've developed that relationship is not interrupted by your desk. Do you understand that that relationship just goes from faith decides on June 14, 2007, my mother left in our thanks one of the hardest days of my life.

One of the best days of hers.

The only thing that mattered at that moment didn't matter.

All the things that she accomplished her her reputation or is she had as a little girl in China should put her faith in Jesus and I know he was right there to welcome her into the place that he prepared for her. The relationship with God the father, God the son God the Holy Spirit is so Jesus is praying that you will stay focused units of all this covert in the midst of all these threats and chaos. We want to stay focused on the relationship with him. That's personal and it's permanent. Thirdly, it's privileged and means he says in verse three. Now this is eternal life, that they may know you, and that word that he uses for know is a word for very intimate relationship between a husband and wife.

So when Adam and Eve and she conceived that knew that word, no less. The same word okay so is talking about having an intimate personal relationship with God the father, God the son God the Holy Spirit member talking with a great Bible teacher once in the person could quote Scripture knew it backwards and forwards just like sort of a biblical encyclopedia but with tears streaming down their face.

They said and how is it that I missed the main thing and while they had all the they didn't have that intimate relationship with God. That's the privilege I remember when I was young I love Jesus was in love with him, got married, had my children just the business of being a broadly young mother. I just neglected them.

I couldn't keep up my Bible reading Bible study, prayer time and all that an answer drifted from and I got so homesick for, and wanted to be back in his word and how to go about it. Somebody told me about Bible study Fellowship and I'll leave it all the details, but nobody would start it. I wanted to begin.

So I started it so I could begin it and taught it for 12 years but the first droptop we taught Genesis when it came to chapter 12 and Abraham.

Abraham walked off the pages of my Bible and them online and not known about them all my life but I didn't really know and what occurred to me is that he was a very ordinary person that became extraordinary because when God called him to follow him in a life of obedient faith Abraham followed him one step at a time. One day at a time a week at a time here at a time.

Didn't mean he didn't fail he made mistakes he sin, but he never quit. He just picked himself back up and he kept on going to the end of Abraham's life God calls Abraham in Scripture three times my friend so as I told you the queen of William was my friend, you could sort of smirk, and you'd be right now. The queen walked in here and she said and lots is my friend that makes a difference. That's impressive and Abraham didn't say God is my friend, God said, Abraham is my friend and so way back then. 30 some years ago concept that is my life's goal.

I want to know God in a relationship that one day he will describe as a friendship. I want to know him better today than I did yesterday better tomorrow than I do today and this is my thought process. If Abraham could know God is his friend if Noah could know God is his refuge from the storm.

If Moses could know them is the bondage breaker.

If David good known as a shepherd. If Isaiah could know him in his glory for logic of Norman's power you talk of Norman's grace and Peter Norman's forgiveness and married Norman his humanity, and John Norman. His glory has a king of kings and Lord of lords. And why cannot like that. The Bible says that God hasn't changed is the same yesterday today and forever know God like the Old Testament and New Testament people know is nothing wrong with God is something wrong with me and so I began my journey, the know God to embrace knowing him the fullness of that relationship and cannot tell you something that's a privilege and I think there are many people within the church within the body of Christ who have a personal relationship with God in a permanent relationship with God, but for whatever reason they stop short of the privilege and I want to challenge you don't stop short, God will reveal himself to you. Speak to you. Quicken is word illuminated for you, talk it in your heart whisper in your ear and you come to know God as one who left and wants you to know him in an intimate way.

He knows you will never embarrass him you'll never disappoint him. You'll never shock him now. He knows you inside and out.

He understands you and he loves you so Jesus said you've given me the authority to give them eternal life and eternal life is knowing you and the one whom you sent. Who is Jesus through the person of the Holy Spirit is knowing the triune God and lastly, the relationship that were to focus on is not only personal and permanent and privileged. But it's purposeful. There's a reason for it.

In verse four he says I brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do so when Jesus came to earth. He had a job yet an assignment.

He had a work to do in order to finish it to complete it. He had to be very intentional about the way he spent his time who he was with what he said what he did. He wasn't whimsical. He didn't guess his way through life.

He was absolutely devoted to his father's will and God is given you and me a purpose. We also have a purpose to live for, and the overarching purpose is the same for all of us were to live for the praise of his glory were to live our lives in such a way that people look at me and they want to know Jesus and love Jesus and draw near to Jesus because of what they see in and lots we want to make Jesus desirable attract the people around us and I'll tell you what. This is a good time to do that because people are afraid they don't have hope they will have peace have joy and we do or we should so Jesus finish the work that you gave me to do in the work was the work of redemption. It was coming to were certainly to reveal God the father to us and that we look at Jesus and we can see God. We can hear God know God, but it was also down the cross is the Lamb of God would take awareness and redeem us from and way of life, save us from the penalty empowers so Jesus said, I finish the work that you gave me to do so. You and I have the purpose of living for the glory of God. This has been living in the light please take advantage of all the free resources that and Graham lots.org to help and encourage you in your walk with God and in your study of his word.

During this here each week for living in the light