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John | Chapter 17

c. 17:1-26 Prayers

John 17:1-6

“The definition of success”  

I. Intro.

II. Vs. 1-3 Things given up

III. Vs. 4-6 Things given back


Intro.

In the upper room and along the road to the garden of Gethsemane Jesus spoke of the Father to His followers now as they arrived at the garden He talks to His Father about His followers. This prayer is what I call the “Lord’s prayer” and it comes after the Upper Room Discourse as Jesus talk along the road to Gethsemane and just before His betrayal and arrest. Here we get a glimpse into what we are told of in Romans 8:34 where Paul said that “It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us”, that is why Jesus is our great High Priest! 

Now although we can find other prayers of Jesus this is by far the longest recorded prayer of His in the Bible, there are other times where we are told that He went up to a mountain to pray and was there for many hours but we don’t have any thing recorded. What we see in this prayer specifically in this section is His inner thoughts with regards to His fellowship with the Father. This prayer is also the longest with regards to far reaching as we will see in verse 20 Jesus says, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word”. Saint’s that’s you and me that Jesus is praying for! It was a full moon the night our Lord prayed for us as He looked up into heaven and into the Father’s face He spoke of us. Ever wonder if Jesus mentioned your name? Well He has many times and here we see that we were included in His prayer over 2000 years ago. Along with His prayer is His evaluation as to how the last three years have gone, His definition of success if you will as we see Jesus prays for three things:

  1. Vs. 1-6 That He would be glorified
  2. Vs. 7-19 That His disciples would be sanctified
  3. Vs. 20-26 That His future followers would be unified    

Vs. 1-3 Things given up

Vs. 1 Three times in this prayer we hear our Lord say “I pray” or “do not pray”, how wonderful it is to read this of Jesus. Allow me to make five general observations we regards to this prayer:

  1. The word John uses for prayer here is used else where in the New Testament but only John uses it for prayer and he only uses it for Jesus’ prayers. Perhaps we get the closet understand to the meaning of this word in verse 24 where the same word Jesus used of the word “pray” is rendered “I desire” which suggests a desire spoken in perfect fellowship with whom one speaks. Friends, prayer is not just a monolog it is a dialog. Jesus was not asking for a favor or even making a request He was expressing His heart with One in whom shared His very Heart, the Father. Of further interest is that this word also carries with it a resolve, thus some render the word “I will” or “am determined”.
  2. This prayer states emphatically that Jesus was no victim but rather a victor! “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”, He said in verse 33 now He prays as a victor not as a victim. The word “world” is recorded 19 times in this chapter as clearly Jesus prays as an overcomer and through Him the Bible declare in 1 John 5:4 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith.”  
  3. Next notice that the deepest passion of His heart was not the salvation of man but the glorification of the Father and then because of that the saving of man. On the eve of the cross Jesus was praying for the cross that it would accomplish that which it was designed to do Glorify the Father. How about it do you pray that what God has placed before you would accomplish that which it is designed for?
  4. Notice as well the posture of this prayer as we tend to think of the posture of prayer as closing ones eyes and bowing our heads but we read here that Jesus “Lifted up His eyes to heaven”. Clearly the posture of prayer is not nearly as important as the posture of the heart of the one praying. Though Jesus starts this prayer with praying for Himself it is anything but selfish as His concern is the glory of His death that this would glorify the Father. The acceptance of Jesus’ sacrificed was what would bring the Father glory and it is this that Jesus prays for. That which the world would identify as failure and complete humility was the very path to the Glory of God. How about it friend are you willing to fail in the worlds eyes that God will receive His glory through your humility?
  5. Another fascinating aspect of this chapter is we get a glimpse into Jesus prayer life and by that we can learn a lot about what our prayer life ought to be. For instance notice Jesus prayer for Himself in verse 1 “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You”. “What ever it takes for me to glorify You, even it means the cross”, Jesus says. Before there is ever a crown my friend there will always be a cross. Here we learn the most important aspect of prayer:
  6. It is not means of getting God to do what you want Him to do
  7. It is the means by which He gets us to do what He wants us to do

“Prayer”, the signs reads, “changes things”! But it should read “Prayer, changes me”!

Hey folks I think we can see in Jesus actions a lot about how to communicate, we ought to be always talking about the goodness and greatness of our Father to each other and we need to be continually talking to the Father about each other, it’s the only kind of gossip God allows. 

The first thing Jesus prays for with regard to Himself is that the cross (His sacrifice as the Lamb of God) would be acceptable and bring the Father glory. In Hebrews 10:5-7 we are given a preexistent conversation between Jesus and the Father in which Jesus says to the Father, “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come– In the volume of the book it is written of Me– To do Your will, O God.” So the cross of Jesus is not only the visible demonstration of God’s love for fallen mankind it is all an instrument of glory. Paul wrote to the Galatians in 6:14 saying, “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

Vs. 2 Jesus prays concerning the authority that the Father had given Him over all flesh and that Jesus would grant eternal life to all the Father gave Him. Ten times in the 17th chapter Jesus mentions in this prayer thing’s that the Father has given Him. Friends Jesus prayer is full of recognizing the gifts of the Father and one of those gifts is us as we are His bride. Now these words to some have been a dividing point between Divine election and man’s free will. And all I can say on this is from God’s vantage point He has given us to the Son and from our vantage point we have agreed with His choice! I do not wish to argue this what I do want to do is worship the Lord and marvel at His selection of me. In Ephes. 1:4 Paul elaborates on this further saying that, “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love”. In that verse we learn that the choice was prior to our earthly existence with full understanding of who we are and may I say “aren’t”. But that this choice was never going to be apart from Jesus and that this choice included our transformation as we should be holy and without blame before Him and basis of God seeing us that way is His LOVE which was made visible on Jesus sacrifice for us on the cross.

Vs. 3 This is exactly the emphasis in Jesus prayer in verse 3 that eternal life is in continually knowing God experientially not just intellectually and this is done this only done by knowing Jesus. Friends God is not a name it is a designation and what ever we allow to govern our lives has that designation. There are many folks who allow a bottle or some pills to have the designation of god in their lives. There are others like the Governor of N.Y. that has allowed sex and pleasure to have that title in His life. Some make their jobs or families a god but friend there is only One worthy to occupy that place in our lives and that is the One who created us and loved us enough to send His only Son to redeem us.  

It is a great thing to pray “Bless me Lord” but only if you finish that sentence with the words “that I may be a blessing to You and to my fellow man”. I’m afraid that to many Christians have confused the King of Kings with Burger King as they bark orders at Him saying “Hold the pickles, hold the onions” I want it my way! Who do you want making decisions as to what is best for you someone who can’t see what is going to happen 10 minutes from now or someone who knows the beginning from the end?


Vs. 4-6 Things given back

Vs. 4 Notice that Jesus sees the work as finished before the cross as He had already committed to obedience. It is the same way that God sees us perfect before we are as He has already committed to finishing what He started. The phrase of verse 5 “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” makes no sense unless Jesus is preexisting further more Isaiah 48:11 He says, “I will not give My glory to another.” Therefore sense Jesus is preexistent and He has shared glory with the Father than who other can Jesus be except God. Back in John 4:34 Jesus told His disciples who had gone to get food while He spoke to the women at the well, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.”

Jesus is always about finishing what He started and aren’t thrilled with that? I mean what would have happened if when they mocked Him in Matthew 27:40 saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Jesus said, “You’re right!” and just came down off the cross; well all of mankind would have remained dead and eternally separated from the love of God. Or what if the words of Paul in Philip. 1:6 where he writes that we can be “confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”. Now what if Jesus said, “Awe that’s good enough, I’ll just leave old Dale have finished.” You know what the house painter says, “Can’t see it from my house!” So what If Jesus just said, “Well Dale’s not finished but I can’t see Him from My house!” Friend’s aren’t you thankful Jesus always finishes the work?

Have you ever stopped to realize that Jesus started that work before the creation of the world? And that He continued that work after the fall by covering Adam and Eve with the skin of an innocent animal. He then continued the work through Abraham and Noah and then David, He spoke about it through the Psalms and the Prophets and finally it became a reality at Jesus birth. Then finally 3 ½ years earlier on the banks of the Jordan as John was baptizing he looked across the river and said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”. And only a few hours from this very prayer Jesus would finish that work that began before time with the words of John 19:30 “It is finished!”

Vs. 5 Next Jesus prays for the preexisting glory to be restored that which He had lain aside when according to Philip. 2:5-8 where Paul tells us that “Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Twice Jesus asks to be glorified, in verse 1 where He speaks of the cross and again in verse 5 where He speaks of the glory that was His before the incarnation.

But just what does glorify mean anyway? The word means to make visible the treasure that isn’t immediately recognizable. That is what John has already said in John 1:14 where he declares that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” That which John and the disciples didn’t immediately recognize with regards to Jesus character they later beheld and saw that He was filled to overflowing in grace and truth.  

There are fourfold definition of success found in these verses:

  1. The first definition of success is found in Jesus’ words where He says in verse 4 “I have glorified You on the earth.” We can be a philanthropist going around spending money doing good; we can have great talents and gifts that are beneficial to others, we can use all our time for public service and as good as these things are if they have not “Glorified God on the earth” then they have been for our own glory and reputation. Jesus said in Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Hey saint’s it is not just what we do it is the way in which we do it. What way? Well the Baptist way! You know what John the Baptist said in John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.” What makes what we do successful isn’t that the world recognizes it and praises our contribution to making the world a better place. No what makes what we do successful is who receives the praise for our works!
  2. Vs. 4b The second definition of success is found in the words, “I have finished the work.” Jesus didn’t say “I started the work” or “I got most of what you wanted Me to do done”. No He said I have “finished the work which You have given Me to do”. So Jesus definition of success isn’t to be found in partial obedience or good intentions it is only to be found in finishing that which He has given us to do. There is a great illustration of this in 1 Samuel 15:3 where the Lord told Samuel to “Go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.” But in 1 Samuel 15:9 we are told that “Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.” As far as the Amalekites were concerned Saul was obedient 99.99% as he only left the King Agag alive as a trophy. Fast forward 25 years as Saul is on Mount Gilboa fighting the Philistines when he is mortally wounded and he calls to his armory barer to kill but he refuses and on the scene comes and Amalekite who cuts off Saul’s head. Hey wait a minute where did that Amalekite come from? Well apparently Saul gagged on old Agag and 25 years later it cost him his life as one of Agag’s relatives kills him. Friends we can’t rest upon partial obedience even if it is 99.99% as it will inevitably be that one thing that we didn’t put under the Lord that will come back and get us.    
  3. Vs. 4c Next Jesus says that His finishing was specific in that it was that, “which You have given Me to do”. Jesus’ definition of success isn’t to be found in activity or business, running around doing everything it is to be found specifically in doing those things that God has given us to do. Much of our Christian life will be found in us determining what the Lord has called us to do and not worrying about what everyone else thinks we should be doing. A lot of the time we will find out that what everyone thinks we should be doing is the opposite of what God had called us to do. Success isn’t necessarily determined by committee it is to be found in hearing what God has called to do and finishing that. One other point on this based upon Jesus words in Matthew 11:30 that His “Yoke is easy and His burden is light” and think that is a good test to determine if what you are doing is from God our just the tyranny of the urgent. Other wise you will end up being a man pleaser instead of a God pleaser.

Vs. 5-6 Jesus prayed, “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world.” Here we have yet another way in which Jesus defined success and that is through demonstration not proclamation. In the first chapter of John the apostle proclaimed of Jesus that the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst them. Jesus put flesh upon the nature and character of God as He lived out by demonstration who God is. Jesus didn’t deal in the realm of theory or ideology He dealt in the realm practical life and living demonstration of what he taught. He should that what He said was true not by passing an examine but by living it daily. There are those that try to argue into a specific theological position, taking you to scripture after scripture to support their point of view but often in doing so the manor in which they convince you convinces you that what ever their position is you don’t want it if it makes them the way they are. Friends the best way to convince someone that your theological position is the right one is to demonstrate the benefits of it in your life. Anything that makes God greater and me less is something that I’m interesting in.             


John 17:7-19

“Given, kept and sent”  

I. Intro.

II. Vs. 7-10 Provision

III. Vs. 11-13 Preservation

IV. Vs. 14-19 Protection


Intro.

As we have seen the first part of Jesus’ prayer was a response to what He had done with what the Father had given Him which is summed up in the words of verse 6 where Jesus said, “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world.” What an interesting statement with regards to Jesus’ mission. He didn’t come with a new theology or philosophy, nor did He come with a political agenda. No what the world needed was a demonstration of the character and nature of God. Consider the words of Paul in Romans 1:20 where he says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse”. Then combine those words with Paul words in Col. 1:15 saying that Jesus “Is the image of the invisible God”. The false god’s that the world worshipped all had images associated with them but the true God was known through His actions which demonstrated His character and nature. When the Israelites were hungry God provided manna from heaven but in Jesus they saw first hand the manna from heaven He is the image of the invisible God, He demonstrated what mercy, truth, justice, grace, holiness looks like.      

We now move to the Lord’s prayer for these 11 followers and it seems that Jesus had three areas that were on His with regards to them and all of them deal with the word of God and the effect it had upon them in the world.

  1. Vs. 7-10 Belong to the word not the world: The first thing Jesus does is pray with regards to them belonging to the Father and the Son.
  2. Vs. 11-13 Kept in the word from the world: Next He prays that they would be kept from the world and it is the Word of God that will do so.
  3. Vs. 14-19 Set apart in the word to be sent into the world: Finally, Jesus prays that the word would sanctify for use in the world.    

Vs. 7-10 Provision

There are two things that seem to have motivated this prayer of Jesus on behalf of His disciples:

  1. Vs. 6 LOVE First because they are a gift from the Father: Jesus spent 3 ½ years with them and He loved them, they were precious to Him. Every morning Donna and I pray together and we always pray for the ones we love, so too with Jesus. That is why He says in verse 9 that He does not pray for the world and by that I believe He means what John would call the world in 1 John 2:16 where we are told that “all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world.” I don’t believe that this speaks of the unsaved in the world as we have already seen God’s heart towards them in Jesus’ words to Nicodemus where He proclaimed that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
  2. Vs. 11 LEAVING Second, it appears that He prayed this because of His departure: In only a few moments Jesus knew He would be leaving them and this motivated Him to pray all the more for them. In so doing He commends them to the Father’s care. Several years ago as I traveled for the first time out of the country to Russia knowing that I was going to be gone for three weeks with little or no contact I took the teenage kids aside and told them to take care of their mother for me while I was gone and I told them that I loved them and that I would be praying that the Lord would watch over them. Some where over the ocean I was thinking about the conversation when I realized that whether I was with them or not it was always the Lord that was watching over them.

There are three areas in which Jesus brings before the Father with regards to His disciples:

  1. Vs. 8-10 Provision: Given them the word: Jesus will use two different words for “word” rhema and logos and His prayer centers upon giving the right word at the right time to the right person which will produce faith and unity and the written word which transforms us.
  2. Vs.11-13 Preservation: Kept them in Your name: Which Jesus will define not only on the bases of security (not losing us) but also upon what that security will produce in us joy as Jesus experienced it.
  3. Vs. 14-19 Protection: Sent them into the world: Jesus’ prayer is not that we should be taken from the world but rather that we would be kept from the influence of the world. As such His prayer is that our sending would be purposeful as we would be set apart by truth.     

Provision: Given them the word

Vs. 8 Jesus again shares what He has done with what the Father had given Him and in this case Jesus speaks of the “words” which was given Him. The use of the word rhema speaks of the right words at the right time to the right person. Friends when the word is spoken this way it will have a greater impact, the truth is sometimes what people reject isn’t the truth of the word but rather the manor in which it is delivered. Jesus words matched not only the content of the Fathers they matched the heart of the Father as well. As such Jesus declares that His words had threefold progressive impact upon the disciples:

a. “They have received them”: The word here means to take a hold of, to grasp and it speaks of an intellectual knowledge. Else where in the word this is rendered “to be amazed, accept or to weigh”, in other words the right words at the right time to the right person caused these fellows to be amazed and weigh the words taking hold of them.  

b. “Have known surely that I have come from the Father”: This led to them experiencing personally the truth that Jesus is God the Son. 

c. “They have believed that You have sent Me”: Finally these words spoken to the right person at the right time led these disciples trusting in Jesus mission as the redeemer.

Vs. 9 Because Jesus’ words were the right words at the right time to the right people He isn’t making a request to change the world system He is requesting to change people taking them from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. 

Hey friends, Jesus isn’t a radical reformer He is a radical transformer. Were in an election year with much at stake for our country and as citizens of this great country we should vote our conscience but with that said I find it wonderful that Jesus didn’t come to change the political landscape, He didn’t run a political campaign. No His method isn’t in changing the system His plan is to change the citizen!!! Change the system and for a season you may be able to force some of the citizens to follow but change the citizen and no matter what the system it doesn’t stand a chance. Now with that said one day once Jesus as finished changing the citizen He will place them all into a new system where as Paul said in Philip. 3:20 “our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ”.   

Vs. 10 How confident is our Lord in this transformation? Well enough to say we are part of the family and that in spite of our failures and shortcomings with great confidence Jesus can say, “I am glorified in them”, not will be one day, but am right now, AMAZING! Anyone can say to God the Father all mine are Yours but only Jesus could say and Yours are Mine.

            Friends it is for this reason we need to be listening to God’s words to us regularly as His word continues to work in our lives so that He is glorified in us. There are many things that theologically I have a hard time wrapping my mind around practically and this is one of them, “How the Lord can be glorified in me”. Only Jesus should be glorified in our lives not our denomination or our theology only Jesus.


Vs. 11-13 Preservation

Preservation: Kept them in Your name

Vs. 11-13 Now we move to the second part of His prayer and this deals with being kept in the Father’s name. The fact that Jesus prays that He has kept us and now requests that the Father keeps us presupposes that we are the type of people who need to be kept because left to our own means it would very easy for us to become lost. Jesus’ prayer was in front of them so that in hearing His prayer they would have His joy. According to Jesus words in the 10th chapter in the 29th verse we are in the Father’s hand and no one is able to snatch us from Him. The necessity of this request is brought in the simple truth that Jesus proclaims “Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.” Friends it is of a great comfort to realize that our “keeping” is not left up to us and our character but to Jesus’ prayer and His character. As I see it I have three things that continually pull at me and try to get me out of the Fathers hand:

  • Satan
  • The world system
  • The old flesh

Any one of which would be able to rip me off but combined could over power me but Jesus is keeping me safe in His hand, “Oh, Holy Father, keep them”. 

There are two things this keeping ministers to me:

  1. Vs. 11 “Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.” The first is a keeping of both identity and security as it is in the nature and character of God and will produce “oneness”. What I find interesting in this request of Jesus is that “unity” is an equal combination of identity and security. There is a great picture of this in the Old Testament in Exodus 28:28 where Moses is instructed to construct a breastplate with 12 different stones each one having a name of the 12 tribes of Israel. There was to be a gold braided chain so that Aaron, the high priest, could bear the people on his shoulders and carry them on his heart. Jesus is our great High Priest who with joy carries us upon His shoulders and with love bears us upon His heart.
  2. Vs. 13 “But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.” There keeping and care will continue to produce Jesus joy fulfilled in their lives. Friends what causes me joy is to realize that Jesus is faithful and His work in my life is not determined upon my faithfulness but His. Try as I might, rely on the Spirit as I should, pray and read my Bible as often as I can I’m still going to blow it but wait a minute I’m kept by Jesus now worries then! Friends is it not a great comfort to realize that all of the Father’s resources are employed in our “keeping” which implies that nothing that comes our way has bypassed His will. The thing to realize is that Jesus’ prayer is not just what we are kept from but what we are kept too:
  • We are kept to unity in verse 11: Jesus prays that they would be kept by the Father’s authority and activity to be one with them.
  • We are kept in security in verse 12: Jesus continues with this idea by saying that while He was in this world He lost none except Judas who fulfilled scripture. The son of perdition is a phrase that suggests a total abandonment of character, one who is utterly lost and given over to evil.
  • We are kept in joy in verse 13: God’s design for our lives is multiplication of joy in our lives how different the world views Christianity as taking away joy but that’s not the case.   
  • It isn’t until the 15th verse that we are told that we are kept from “the evil one”!

I tend to agree with Jon Courson when he said that there is a real danger of demon possession and demon oppression but the greatest danger to Christians may be the danger of demon obsession. We tend to think that are keeping is first and foremost a keeping from and not a keeping too!   


Vs. 14-19 Protection

Protection: Sent them into the world

Vs. 14 Finally Jesus says I’ve given them Your word and here the word Jesus uses is logo. That’s the written word; it is the same word used in the first chapter where John declares in the beginning was the “logos” the very thought and expression of God we have that in the scriptures don’t we. Further more Jesus says that the word of God runs completely contrary to the world system there for the world will hate us as it hated Jesus. The Bible is a three volume set:

  • The scriptures a book we can learn from
  • Jesus the son who manifests truth and love
  • The Holy Spirit who empowers us

Notice Jesus says concerning these disciples that they are not of the world, isn’t that wonderful that our Lord sees perfect even though we aren’t? I pray that we all realize that we are not of this world; we just don’t belong here do we. I’m afraid that far too many Christians are far too comfortable in there surroundings and I wonder if it isn’t the Lord’s doing sometimes to shake up our surroundings to cause us to realize that we aren’t to be of this world.  

Vs. 15-16 It is for this reason Jesus can say with great confidence that He sends us into the world, set apart for that very purpose, unique separate transformed people proclaiming the truth in love. Jesus says, “Father I’m not asking that you take them out of the world, I’m asking that you continually take the world out of them!” There is always a part of us that would like to get away from all the things in this world, join a monastery to avoid evil but my monastery would need to be devoid of mirrors or anything else that would reflect my image as that’s the one person who gives me the hardest time. Friends we are in the world we are just not to be of the world.  

Notice that Jesus’ request isn’t that we would be taken from the world only kept from the enemy’s influence. Paul spoke of this influence in Ephes. 2:2 saying that we “once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience”.  

Vs. 17-19 Because they are kept they are to be sent as sanctified instruments into the world they are called out of. Again notice that in Jesus’ prayer He didn’t leave them to sanctify themselves He prayed for it and this also implies that it is a process as we are being changed from glory to glory as we are told in 2 Cor. 3:18 by the Spirit of the Lord. Sanctification is by the Spirit through the application of the truth of God’s Word. And though we are in this process our Lord is confident enough in His work in us that He sends us out into the world.  

Hey isn’t that interesting they we are first called out of the world then the Lord calls to injected back into the world. Sort of like a vaccine where that which is a viruses has been altered by antibodies and not becomes that which can cure what ails the world? We are called not to be of the world but in the world and sometimes Christians can become isolationists to the point that they have no dealings with anyone that isn’t a Christian but here Jesus prays for these fellows to be set apart in order to be sent out.   

Jesus prays for the provision, preservation and the protection of His disciples.

  • Vs. 7-10 Provision: Is through the word, which calls is out of the world and separates us from the world by which He is glorified in and through our lives.
  • Vs. 11-13 Preservation: That they would be kept by the Father as they were kept by the Son, kept to God, kept from ourselves, kept to His joy.
  • Vs. 14-19 Protection: Protection from the world system, protection from the evil one, protection from themselves, protection with a purpose that they can be sent into the world.    

John 17:20-26

“That they all may be one”  

I. Intro.

II. Vs. 20-23 Unity

III. Vs. 24 Destiny  

IV. Vs. 25-26 Intimacy


Intro.

We now move to the final part of the Lord’s prayer and this section deals specifically with you and me. So on the evening of Jesus arrest and hours before His trial and crucifixion Jesus was looking past the immediate circumstances to what would be accomplished through His death namely our salvation. At once we are struck by the reality that Jesus is praying for us who live today, having already generally prayed for our provision, preservation and protection He now speaks in His prayer of what this will produce in our lives namely unity, destiny and intimacy. Friends we may belong to different fellowships but we all belong to the same fellowship with the Lord and therefore with each other. How unfortunate that far to often what has characterized the body of Christ has been:

  • Competition instead of cooperation
  • Selfishness instead of selflessness
  • Division instead of diversity

In the words an old Puritan preacher “For wolves to worry the lambs is no wonder, but for one lamb to worry another, is unnatural and monstrous.” The lost world cannot see God, but they can see Christians; and what they see in us is what they will believe about God. If they see love and unity, they will believe that God is love. If they see hatred and division, they will reject the message of the Gospel.  

        

Vs. 20-23 Unity

In the last section of his prayer Jesus prays in words which reach out to the whole of the church, and encompass all believers of all time, including us here this morning. This section is also in three divisions:

  1. The unity of the church
  2. The destiny of the church
  3. The intimacy of the church

It is interesting to note that as we saw last week Jesus prayed for:

  1. The provision
  2. The preservation
  3. The protection

Of the church these three things week are the natural outcomes of this prayer in our lives.

Vs. 20 The first thing that jumps off the page at us is the inclusive nature of Jesus’ words, “I do not pray for these alone” He says, “but also for those who will believe in Me through their word”. These words of Jesus stretch back from this moment to when they were first uttered including people who as far as the world was concerned will never see their names written in a history book but they will read them in the Lambs book. Now look at how Jesus words this as He looks at those who would follow Him as He mentions two distinct groups that are called to be one. He call them, “these” (the 11 disciples) and “those” (those that through time would believe their words). Then in the 21st verse Jesus’ prayer is that the “these” and “those” would add up to the “ALL” that would be “ONE”.

There are several groups that teach “apostolic succession” which claims that their authority has been passed down from the original 11 through popes, bishops or apostles making them the only true authority and true church. Now I want to tell you that I believe in apostolic succession but just not the way that the Catholics and Mormons teach it (and in the case of the Mormons they have a different gospel then did the original 11). You see the problem with that position is that it sets up a hierarchy that is far to limited as clearly we can see that in Jesus prayer there is an apostolic succession but it isn’t passed down to only to a select few but to all “those who will believe in Me through their word” (verse 20) and suggesting other wise hinders these and those all becoming one. Now since we are one through believing the word of the apostles we don’t need new apostles to give us new words do we? We share a spiritual unity with each other that goes all the way back to those 11 fellows that makes us all brothers and sisters linked in fellowship with the Father and the Son.

It is apparent that Jesus knew that these 11 fellows failure wasn’t going to be permanent as He includes the fruit of their words, you and me in this prayer. I find this very comforting don’t you? At times we are prone to think that our failures, faults and frailties are permanent and that we are going to be bound up in them. Remember Jesus words to Peter in Luke 22:31-32 when Jesus said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you; that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” It wasn’t “if you return” but a “when you return to Me, strengthen your brethren”. 

Vs. 21 Looking forward through time of all the things Jesus could of prayed for with regards to His Church He prayed for unity not to be confused with uniformity where everything is the same but unity. Unity biblically is the horizontal relationship being made possible because of the vertical relationship. The oneness or unity that Jesus prays for is not academic theology it is instead on that is based upon love. Five times in these concluding verses Jesus mentions the word “one” which is the basis of His prayer on our behalf. No parent likes to see their children fight and bicker with each other and neither does our big brother Jesus or our Heavenly Father. Now this doesn’t mean that we are going to agree on every thing but does mean that we as the body of Christ are to get along with each other. Paul told the Christians in Rome “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” (Romans 12:18) There is room for diversity but our diversity should never be the catalyst to divisiveness and there is nothing wrong with linking together with those who enjoy things the same way but there ought to be civility between brothers and sisters who differ with us.

May I just say that there no perfect Church, no perfect pastor or person we are all in a state of growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. I had a fellow come up to me and say, “Pastor I don’t come to this church because of you I come because Jesus has called me here and I know that I’m going to hear the whole council of the word of God.” So I looked at him and said, “So what you’re telling me is that you don’t come here because of me but rather in spite of me.” To which we both said amen! When true biblical unity exists in the body of Christ there will be a glory of the presence of Jesus among believers which is the bases of our unity. Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 12:12 “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” Therefore as Paul shared in Ephes. 4:4 “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling”. How will that glory be seen? Well it will be like the glory visible in Jesus humble, meek, suffering servant who ultimately laid down His life.

Vs. 22-23 Notice the words in verse 22, “that they MAY be as one just as We are one” which implies that this is a process that will continue until it is realized when we are together with our Lord. We have all experienced apart of this as we travel around and meet someone who in the world we would have nothing in common and as we start to talk with them we find that they are a relative of ours because we have the same “Big Brother” in Jesus and the same “Father”. This is the unity that Jesus prays for that fellowship with one another regardless of denominational affiliations Jesus isn’t talking about some ecumenical movement where we all blend everything together. There will always be diversity with in the body of Christ but there should never division and divisiveness. We don’t have to agree with each other on everything but we do need to love one another as Christ has loved us. We do need to esteem each other more highly then we do ourselves. Friends, that is what Jesus is speaking of when He prays for unity, when we meet together, regardless of what our local label may be, we belong to one another because we share the same life together and that is the life the world will recognize as true. And visible part of the glory that the world will see found in the phrase of verse 23 where Jesus prays, “that the world may know that you have sent Me, AND (pay attention) have loved them as You have loved Me.” Simple put the glory Jesus speaks of in verse 22 which the Father gave Him was LOVE and that is what the world will see when we are one they will see the glory of His LOVE. “The glory which you gave Me I have given them”, Jesus says.   

What a different place if you and I could look at one another with Jesus’ eyes not on what we aren’t but rather on what we will be. What we aren’t is temporary, what we will be is permanent. Some say that love is blind but biblical love isn’t blind it sees “perfectly” and because loves sees perfectly its gaze looks beyond what we are to what we will be! There is a curious verse in Hebrews 10:14 which says, “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” Obviously this is speaking of Jesus work on the cross and its effect of perfecting us but the author of Hebrews goes on to say to those that are in the process of “being sanctified”. So we are positionaly perfected while we are practically being sanctified. The trick is for us to see each other the way this is stated here in Hebrews. Our Father like to see us get along and play well with each other sense we are His children and brothers and sisters. That is what the psalmist wrote in a song as they went up into the temple they would sing, Psalm 133:1 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

If these words of Jesus “Have loved them as You have loved Me” were not in the Bible I would not believe it. Have you considered the truth of these words? That the Father loves you with the same depth of love as He has loved Jesus! There is according to the words of Jesus no difference in the Father’s affection for the Children of faith as there is for His only Son.

“So near, so very near to God, nearer I could not be; for in the person of His Son, I am as near as He. So dear, so very dear to God, dearer I could not be; the love wherewith He loved His Son, such is His love to me.”    

John would write of this in 1 John 4:17 saying, “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.”  

   

Vs. 24 Destiny

Vs. 24 Here Jesus’ prayer is that the church, (the make up of these and those) will be all together with Him. That is what Paul would pray in 1 Thes. 4:16-17 where he said, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” Saints’ that’s our destiny, that’s what we are heading towards, Jesus promises and He can’t break a promise it’s not in His nature to do so. The purpose of being caught up together is described for us by Jesus when He proclaims “That they may behold My glory”, did you catch that? Jesus had prayer that the these and those would all be one and look at what He says in verse 24 with regards to this as He calls us “THEY”. Do you get it? The prayer for unity in verse 20-23 is already answered in verse 24! That’s our fate brother’s and sister’s, that our Lord’s plan and promise to be with Him and behold His glory where these and those will be forever transformed into “THEM”. The unity Jesus speaks of here is one of common love and shared identity the consummation of this unity will be ultimately fulfilled in our eternal togetherness with our Lord and each other. Jesus prayer therefore is that His followers would be kept, set apart and united as one body and that ought to be our desire as well.

What an amazing request, that those whom the Father has given Jesus may be with Jesus where (and notice this) “where I am”. The request is that those whom the Father has given will one day be able to join Jesus. Ah but when Jesus said this prayer He was on earth only moments before His death. My point is that Jesus viewed the cross through the crown not the crown through the cross. The author of Hebrews puts it this way in Hebrews 12:2 “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” My friends may I suggest that we have a practical guide to how to handle life’s crosses, and that is always do so from the vantage point of the crown. There was absolute certainty of victory and thus we too can be absolutely certain that we will behold His glory. We have seen that in verse 6 that Jesus demonstrated God’s character and nature and finally here we see that Jesus also declared God’s character and nature.    

     

Vs. 25-26 Intimacy

Vs. 25-26 The prayer concludes with the secret of Christian living “That the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them”. Jesus and His love indwelling us which reveals that bases of our unity is Jesus. Intimacy begins with relationship, you can not have intimacy without it. Thus Jesus says, “The world has not know you” and by implication is devoid of intimacy not by God’s choice but by man’s. I’m saddened as I read Jesus’ words only hours before the cross, “I’m dying that they may have the opportunity” Jesus is saying. Life without intimacy is called death by Paul in Ephes. 2:1

When he says, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins” but it need not be so friend, Jesus has demonstrated and declared and will continue to declare God character and nature to the you. Now the cool thing to me is that His love for us is something that we just can’t contain it spills out every where to every one. Hey isn’t amazing to stop and realize that we are loved by God? I mean look at us, and He love us and dwell is us.