Part I: The Great High Priestly Prayer of Christ. Part II: Interceding in Prayer

Transcription

1 1 Part I: The Great High Priestly Prayer of Christ Part II: Interceding in Prayer John 17:1-26

2 2 Text: Part I: The Great High Priestly Prayer of Christ John 17:1-26, 1. These words spoke Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 6. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 11. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 12. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

3 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. 20. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24. 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 hast loved me before the foundation of the world. 25. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee: and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

4 4 Introduction: I. Jesus, on the betrayal night, in the shadow of the cross, prayed for himself, his apostles and for those of all generations who would come to believe on him. A. Jesus was ever deeply concerned for others. B. The prayer we are to study today is the real Lord s Prayer. C. This is Christ s high priestly prayer in which Jesus consecrated himself to be both priest and sacrifice. (Dummelow via Coffman, John, p. 399) D. This is the longest prayer recorded in the New Testament. II. Three Puritan preachers saw in this parable an inexhaustible well of incomparable spiritual values. A. Manton s sermons on this prayer covered 400 pages. B. Newton s exposition covered almost 600 pages. C. Burgess sermons on this prayer covered 700 pages. Reference: (Coffman, John, p. 400) Commentary: John 17:1, These words spoke Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: I. After Jesus had finished talking with his disciples as recorded in John 14-16, Jesus began to earnestly pray to the Father. II. Jesus lifted up his eyes, looked toward heaven and prayed. A. Does this indicate this prayer was spoken after the Lord and the apostles had left the upper room?

5 5 III. Father, the time has come (for Christ to die for the sins of the world). IV. Glorify your Son (in his death, burial, resurrection and ascension). V. In order that your Son may glorify you. A. All Jesus did was designed to glorify the Father. B. This should also be true of everything we do. C. Matthew 6:9, After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. John 17:2, As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. I. You (Father) granted him (Son) authority over all people, A. Jesus will one day judge all mankind. B. His kingdom is worldwide and covers all nations of every age. II. In order that he (Son) might give eternal life III. To all those you (Father) have given him (Son). A. Eternal life is given through the Son. B. Those who faithfully follow the Son have eternal life. John 17:3, And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I. This is eternal life: A. To have eternal life we must know the Father and Son.

6 6 II. That they may know you (Father), the only true God. A. Yahweh/Jehovah is the only true God. Toleration does not require us to ignore the truth about God. B. This is also a fact! C. Knowing God is ultimately unfathomable. In what ways and to what extent do we know the Father? III. That they may know Jesus Christ whom you (Father) have sent. A. 1 John 2:4, He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. B. 1 John 4:8, He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love. C. 1 John 5:12, He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. D. 1 John 4:13, Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. John 17:4, 5, I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I. I (Jesus) glorified you (God the Father) upon the earth. A. Jesus glorified the Father by his sinless life lived according to God s plan and by the gospel he preached. B. Jesus is now to glorify the Father by his sacrificial death. II. I (Jesus) did this by accomplishing (completing, finishing) the work you (God the Father) gave me (Son) to do.

7 7 III. Jesus then prayed, Glorify me Father, with yourself A. That is, receive me back into your presence in glory. IV. With the glory which I had with you (the Father) before the creation of the world. A. John 1:1-11, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. B. Christ s eternal existence is here affirmed. C. Christ prayed for a loving Father s welcome back to glory, to the right hand of God. John 17:6, I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. I. I (Jesus) revealed, manifested your (God the Father s) name unto the men (the apostles) you (God the Father) gave me out of the world. A. Christ s words and miracles always were designed to glorify the Father. B. Christ especially was intent on having the apostles see God s glory through him.

8 8 II. These chosen men were yours (God s). III. You (God) gave them to me (Jesus). IV. They have kept your (God s) word. John 17:7, Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. I. At this time they know that all things of whatever kind you (God) gave me (Jesus) have indeed come from you (God). A. They would as apostles come to see that God the Father and Christ the Son are inseparable. B. We cannot serve one while excluding the other. John 17:8, For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I. The words you (God) gave me (Jesus) I have given unto them (apostles). A. Jesus was faithful to the Father and delivered the exact message which had been entrusted to him. B. We also must heed these words: 1. John 12:48-50, He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

9 Corinthians 4:6, And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another C. The apostles became custodians of the very Word of God. II. They (apostles) accepted, received these words. A. The world today regrettably often does not receive the words of the gospel. III. They (apostles) knew for a fact, certainly that I (Jesus) came from you (God). IV. They (apostles) believed you (God) sent me (Jesus). John 17:9, I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. I. I (Jesus) am praying for them (the apostles). II. I (Jesus) am not, on this occasion, praying for the world, but for those You have given me A. Jesus was concerned for the world; he was within hours to die for the world. B. At this time Jesus was focusing on his apostles from whom he was to be separated by crucifixion. III. I (Jesus) pray for those (apostles) whom you have given me because... IV. They (apostles) are yours (God s). A. The apostles were God s chosen representatives to the world.

10 10 B. The salvation of the world hinged upon these apostles. John 17:10, And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. I. All things I have are mine (Jesus ) and yours (God s). A. God the Father and God the Son held common, joint ownership of everything. II. All things you have, that are yours (God s) are mine (Jesus ). A. This is a clear statement of the deity of Jesus. B. Jesus and the Father shared the divine nature. III. And I (Jesus) have been and continue to be glorified through them, (the things jointly shared, owned by the Father and the Son). John 17:11, And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. I. I (Jesus) will remain, am no more, no longer in the world (physically). A. Within hours Jesus would depart this world in death. B. Jesus would spiritually remain with the apostles. Matthew 18:20, For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. II. But these (apostles) remain in the world, A. The apostles remained in the mortal state after Christ s ascension.

11 11 B. Satan would continue his attacks on the apostles, even intensify the attacks. III. and I (Jesus) am coming to you (God). A. In death. B. In ascension. IV. Holy Father, keep, protect them (apostles) in your name which you have given me. A. The name Jesus Christ, Son of God, the one you (God) gave me. Acts 4:12, Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. B. Jesus prayed the Father to protect the apostles from the coming persecutions and tribulations. V. This is for the purpose of producing unity, that they (apostles) may be one as we are one.(jesus and God the Father) A. Unity is vital, essential. B. Its importance is made clear by Jesus repeating the point in verse 22. Note: In this prayer Jesus addressed God in three ways; viz., Holy Father (v. 11), Father, (vv. 1, 4), O Righteous Father (v. 25). John 17:12, While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. I. While I (Jesus) was with them (apostles) whom you gave me,

12 12 II. I (Jesus): A. Kept, protected them in your (God s) name, by that name you gave me. 1. God s name which he gave his son is Jesus Christ. B. Guarded them, kept them safe. III. Not one of them has been lost, perished except the son of perdition, the one doomed to destruction. IV. The perishing of Judas was to fulfill scriptural prophecy. A. Psalm 41:9, Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. B. John 6:39, And this is the Father s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. C. John 13:2, And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot Simon s son, to betray him; D. John 13:18, I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. John 17:13, And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I. I (Jesus) am coming, now come to you (God). A. John 17:11, And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

13 13 II. I speak these things while I am still in the world so that they (apostles) may have a full measure of my joy in themselves. A. In order for the apostles to be filled with joy, Christ had to depart to be with the Father and God would need to grant Jesus prayer here. B. The joy here mentioned refers to the happiness of the apostles resulting from the resurrection. John 17:14, I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I. I (Jesus) have given them (apostles) your (God s) word. A. God s word is a unitary body of truth, not to be divided, diluted nor modified. II. The world has hated them (apostles). A. Jesus was moved with the troubles, tribulations to be faced by the apostles. III. The world hated them (apostles) because they are not of the world. IV. I (Jesus) am not of the world. This Jesus and the apostles had in common. A. Jesus was divine. This the apostles were not. B. However, Jesus and the apostles held in common that their lives were in keeping with heaven s standards, not the world s standards, value system. C. Both rejected Satan s rule over the world and their lives.

14 14 John 17:15, I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. I. I (Jesus) do not pray that you (God) take them (apostles) out of, from the world. A. There was work for the apostles to do. It was not time for them to leave this world. B. The salvation of the world remained of central importance to Jesus while on earth and certainly after his ascension. II. I (Jesus) do pray that you (God) will protect, keep them (apostles) from the evil one (devil). A. The essential thing was that the apostles be protected from the devil so they could do the Lord s work, convert the world by the preaching of the gospel. B. Christians are to work as leaven in the world, not to be ascetics sequestered from the general population. John 17:16, They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I. The apostles are not of the world even as I (Jesus) am not of the world. A. This is a repetition of verse 14 above. B. It is repeated here to make clear its importance to Jesus. C. Jesus, the apostles and all Christians are to make it clear to everyone that they are of heaven, not of this world. D. Too often the distinctions between Christians and non- Christians are blurred by failure of Christians to hold the line between righteousness and sinfulness.

15 15 John 17:17, Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. I. Sanctify them by, in your (God s) truth. A. Sanctification is God setting us aside for His purposes. B. The Holy Spirit guided the apostles in the preaching of the pure gospel truth. C. Romans 1:16, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. D. Romans 10:17, So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. E. Romans 8:26, Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. II. Your (God s) word is truth. John 17:18, As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. I. Just as you (God) sent me (Jesus) into the world... A. Jesus was God s spokesman on earth. B. Jesus spoke God s word only, exclusively, fully without modification. III. I (Jesus) have sent them (apostles) into the world... commissioned them to preach the gospel to all the world. A. The apostles were to speak Christ s word only, exclusively, fully without modification.

16 16 John 17:19, And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. I. For their sakes I (Jesus) sanctify myself. A. Jesus was sinless...from eternity to eternity. Sanctify could not here mean that Jesus is to become sinless, but rather that he has committed himself wholly to his mission. B. Jesus here stated that for the benefit of the apostles he was going to consecrate himself as a sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. II. The purpose of this is that they (apostles) also may be thoroughly sanctified in truth. A. The death of Christ was also for the purpose of allowing the apostles to be truly sanctified, dedicated to the same cause, the salvation of the world! B. As history clearly shows the apostles without reservation totally dedicated themselves to the salvation of the world through the preaching of the gospel of Christ. John 17:20, Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; I. I (Jesus) don t pray for only these (apostles). A. At this point Jesus prayer turned from exclusive attention to the apostles to believers of all ages in all parts of the world. II. I (Jesus) pray also for them who will believe on, in me through their, the apostles word, message. A. We today believe on Jesus through the preaching of the apostles. Jesus, therefore, prayed for us also. B. Salvation is through the preaching of the apostolic word.

17 Peter 2:2, And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 2. Salvation is through the preaching of the gospel. 3. It is our duty to preach the gospel to the whole wide world in every generation. 4. How can we do this job better? John 17:21, That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. I. I (Jesus) pray that all who believe on me may be one. A. Division among believers is contrary to the will of Christ who wants all Christians to be one. B. Robert Milligan said, This (unity) would be to all thoughtful persons a moral demonstration that the Christian religion is not of men, but of God. (Coffman, John, P. 411) II. United to the extent that you, Father) are in me (Jesus) and I in You (to the extent that God is in the Son and the Son is in the Father). A. This unity of believers is not to be superficial. It is to be a perfect unity, the kind of unity which exists with the Father and the Son. B. If all believers were united to this extent, truth would sweep the earth as light sweeps the earth with the rising of the sun each morning. III. That they also may be in us, A. Disunity causes the world to doubt that divided Christianity is from God and Christ who are absolutely unified.

18 18 B. Division, discord and rancor among believers is one of the devil s most effective devices in hindering millions from becoming Christians. C. John 14:20, At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. IV. This unity is for the purpose of convincing the world that God the Father sent Jesus into the world. A. Unity among believers leads to faith. B. Disunity among believers leads to disbelief. C. To be effective in saving the world we must be united. John 17:22, And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I. The glory which you (God) have given me (Jesus). II. I (Jesus) give to them... believers of all ages. A. Holiness. Hebrews 12:10, For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. B. Divine nature. 2 Peter 1:4, Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. C. Reconciliation. Romans 5:11, And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. III. To enable them to be one to the extent that you (God) and I (Jesus) are one, perfectly united.

19 19 John 17:23, I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. I. I (Jesus) in them and you (God) in me (Jesus)... A. Christ was perfectly united with the Father by his total submission to the will of the Father. B. In this same way we are to be perfectly united with God in Christ. II. for the purpose of enabling them to be completely, perfectly united (or maturely united ) III. so that the world may know that you (God) did in fact send me (Jesus). IV. and have loved them even as you (God) have loved me (Jesus). John 17:24, 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 hast loved me before the foundation of the world. I. Father, Jesus prayed, I really want those you have given me to be with me where I am so they may behold my glory which you have given me. A. Jesus prayed here for the salvation in heaven, in glory for the apostles and for those who would believe on him through their word. B. John 14:1-3, Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father s house are many dwelling places: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for

20 20 you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. II. Because you loved me before the creation of the world. A. John 17:5, And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. B. John 1:1-11, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. C. Luke 1:78, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us. John 17:25, O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. I. O righteous Father, Jesus prayed, though the world has not know you, II. But I (Jesus) knew you (God).

21 21 John 17:26, And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. I. I (Jesus) have made you, your name known to them. II. I (Jesus) will continue to make your name known in order that the love (you) God had for me (Jesus) may be in them. III. Jesus prayed that the love God had for Jesus would be in them. IV. Jesus prayed that he too would be in them. V. To be in Christ as Christ is in God is everything, essential to salvation. A. Ephesians 1:3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: B. Paul in his epistles used the expression in Christ some 166 times!

22 22 Text: John 17:1-26, Part II: Interceding in Prayer 1. These words spoke Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 6. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 11. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 12. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

23 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. 20. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24. 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 hast loved me before the foundation of the world. 25. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee: and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. Introduction: I. John 17 in its entirety records the prayer that Jesus offered in the upper room on the night of his betrayal.

24 24 II. This is a prayer of Jesus for himself (1-5), for the apostles (6-19), and for those of all generations who would believe on him through the apostles word (20-26). III. John 17 is in truth the Lord s prayer. The prayer to which we generally refer by the designation Lord s Prayer is actually a prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray. The prayer in our text for today was the prayer Jesus himself prayed when he was at the end of his earthly ministry and in the very shadow of the cross. Commentary: Jesus Prayed for Himself (1-5). John 17:1, After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. I. When Jesus had finished his discourse with the disciples, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and prayed. II. Jesus prayed that God the Father in the crucifixion, burial and resurrection would glorify him so that the Son through the atoning sacrifice would then be able to glorify the Father in return. III. This was a reflective glory. God s glorious light was to shine on the Son which would then be reflected back to the Father. John 17:2, As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. I. Jesus speaks of himself in the third person,... thou gavest him authority... Jesus was so united with the Father that he was speaking of his human condition as if it were another person. II. Jesus affirmed that God had given him authority over all flesh; that is, the judgment of all humanity.

25 25 III. Those God had given the Son would be given eternal life. IV. God had given to Christ those who were or were to be obedient in faith to his saving gospel. John 17:3, And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I. Salvation is through the one and only true God and through his Son Christ Jesus whom he sent into the world. There is no other way! II. To know the Father and the Son is to believe in both and to obey from the heart the commandments of the Father and the Son. A. 1 John 2:4, The man who says, I know him, but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. B. 1 John 4:8, Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. C. 1 John 5:20, We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. D. 1 John 4:13, We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. John 17:4, 5, I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I. Jesus stated that during his sojourn on earth he had glorified the Father and had performed the work that had been assigned to him. He now requests that God glorify him with that same glory which Jesus enjoyed in the company of the Father before the world was created.

26 26 II. Christ has indeed ascended back to the Father and enjoys the glory for which he prayed. On this earth millions of people by their lives glorify Christ. Millions who have already gone to their reward and millions who have not yet been born are also to be among those glorifying the Son. Jesus Prayed for the Apostles (6-19) John 17:6, I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. I. Jesus revealed/manifested the name of the Father to the disciples during his entire ministry. II. The disciples/apostles had been instructed in the word and, except for Judas, had believed and obeyed it. John 17:7, Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. I. The apostles were well aware that every word spoken to Jesus and every miracle performed was actually a gift from God the Father, Jesus the Son and God the Father being one. II. God had given these apostles to Jesus by their acceptance of Christ s invitation and by their obedience to his word. John 17:8, For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I. The words Jesus spoke were actually given to him from the Father. Jesus spoke them and the disciples believed them.

27 27 II. The disciples believed that Jesus had come from God and that God had sent him. III. Jesus was a faithful conveyer of the true word of God. The word that has been entrusted to us must be carefully guarded and conveyed to other faithful people who will in turn continue to proclaim the gospel. John 17:9, I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. I. Jesus here offered a special petition to God the Father on behalf of the disciples. Christ had the apostles uppermost in his mind at that moment. He was praying for them at that time, not for the world in general. II. The disciples actually belonged to God the Father and had been given to Christ by the Father. III. Jesus prayed for the disciples on whose preaching the salvation of the world depended. John 17:10, And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. I. Christ asserted that all things that belonged to God belonged to the Son and vice versa. II. Christ was glorified in mutual ownership of these divine qualities. III. God in Christ, Christ in Christians, Christians in Christ, Christ in God. All are to be one with each other.

28 28 John 17:11, And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. I. Jesus was no longer to be in the world. The next day he would be crucified. II. The disciples would remain in the world. They would carry on his work. III. Jesus prayed for the disciples that they might be one with each other, perfectly united, even to the extent that God the Father and God the Son were united. IV. Even after he had gone back to heaven, Jesus was with the disciples (Matthew 18:20). He prayed God s watch, care and protection over them as they took the gospel to the world. V. Just as the disciples were to be unified, all Christians today are to be unified. Sadly we are not unified! This hinders the progress of the gospel. VI. The names of Jesus include Jesus Christ, Immanuel, Son of God, Son of Man, Son of David, et. al. John 17:12, While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. I. While Jesus was active in his ministry he kept all of the disciples within the authority of God the Father. He guarded them. II. Not one of the disciples was lost except for Judas who is here called the son of predation. Judas was lost as a fulfillment of Scripture. Psalm 41:9, Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

29 29 John 17:13, And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I. Jesus here tells the Father that he is coming home to heaven. This phrase contrasts sharply with Christ s being in the world for only a few more hours. His death was imminent. II. Jesus fully understood the events that were to transpire. III. Jesus spoke that the disciples might have full joy understanding the necessity of his atoning death and that he would never leave them desolate. IV. The joy of the disciples would be made full upon his resurrection from the dead and his ascension into heaven. John 17:14, I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I. The word is singular. While the word consists of many words, it is a unified single element. II. The world is evil in its nature. The word of God promotes righteousness. The two are and will forever be opposed one to the other. III. The world opposed Jesus because he was righteous and the world was wicked. The world hated the apostles and essentially killed them all except for John who was exiled because the apostles were righteous and the world was evil. It is even so now. IV. Those who would avoid the world s persecution must dilute the gospel making it without efficacy to save. Those who stand firmly for the word may expect persecution. V. It is of utmost importance that we adhere to the faith, the word, which was once for all delivered unto the saints. Revelation 22:18, 19, I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If

30 30 anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. John 17:15, I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. I. Jesus did not pray that God would remove the apostles from the world. The world needed them desperately. They were indispensable to the world s salvation because they would carry the gospel to the four corners of the world. II. Jesus knew the persecution that would befall the disciples after his ascension and he prayed that they would remain faithful and that God would keep them from being overtaken by the devil. They would directly confront Satan in all of his evil power. John 17:16, They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. I. Jesus was by origin not of this world. Jesus was not of this world in that his way of life and teachings were in direct conflict with the world. II. The disciples were not of this world in that the teachings and the life they had accepted were in direct opposition to the ways of the world. John 17:17, Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. I. The disciples were to be sanctified, set apart, made holy by the truth, the word of God, the gospel. II. To become Christians people must adhere and obey the truth. To grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, disciples must know and apply the gospel truth to their lives.

31 31 John 17:18, As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. I. God the Father sent Christ the Son into the world. Christ the Son now sends the disciples into the world to further the work that God had given both Jesus and the disciples to do. II. It was crucial that the apostles adhere to the strict word that had been delivered to them and that would be given to them by the guidance of the Holy Spirit because what they taught would affect millions of people throughout the ages. III. Matthew 18:18, I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose one earth will be loosed in heaven. IV. The disciples were not at liberty to teach anything that they were disposed to teach, but to adhere unfailingly to the truth as delivered, the gospel which was once for all imparted to the saints. V. Christ had adhered strictly without deviation to the orders of the Father. The disciples were to adhere to Christ s directives in that same explicit manner. John 17:19, And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. I. Jesus stated that he sanctified himself; that is, set himself apart, consecrated himself to the job of enabling the apostles to proclaim the truth of the gospel in years to come. II. The disciples would be sanctified, set apart, consecrated to the proclamation of that truth throughout the remainder of their lives.

32 32 Jesus Prayed for Those of All Generations Who Would Believe on Him Through the Apostles Word (20-26) John 17:20, Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; I. Jesus now extends his prayer to include all believers throughout all ages of time until the last generation alive at his second coming. II. Jesus included us in this prayer because we have believed through the word of these apostles. III. 2 Peter 3:2, I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. John 17:21, That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. I. Jesus prayed that all of those who believed in him would be united, would be one. II. This unity was to be so firm and close that it would resemble the unity which existed between the Father and the Son. III. The purpose of this unity would be to promote belief in others! The world would see by their unified teaching and their oneness of life that the soldiers of the cross acted as if they were one person, in complete unison, in complete accord. IV. It is clear that the division in Christendom promotes disbelief and ridicule of the holy gospel and the Lord s church. V. In speaking with missionaries to the Fiji Islands I have been told that the islanders say, You get together, agree on what s right, and then

33 33 come back and tell us. In the meanwhile these islanders remained unconverted and unimpressed. VI. The intense unity, loving and willful unity, would be a clear sign that God was with the early Christians and, if we could duplicate it in this age, would be a like sign that God is with us. John 17:22, And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I. The glory that God had given to Christ would in turn be given to his faithful servants who were one with the Father and with the Son. II. All faithful and united Christians share in this divine glory in this world and, more especially, in the world that is to come. III. We are partakers of his holiness, partakers of the divine nature, and have received reconciliation with God. A. Hebrews 12:10, Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. B. 2 Peter 1:4, Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. C. Romans 5:11, Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

34 34 John 17:23, I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. I. This unity of God in Christ and Christ in God, of the godhead in the disciples/christians and the disciples/christians in the godhead instituted such a firm unitary picture that, if this could be projected to the world, it would cause the world to know that God sent Christ into the world, that Christ has loved Christians of every age to the extent that the Father loves the Son. II. We have a long way to go, much improvement to be made in achieving the answer to this prayer. III. Will this prayer of Jesus ever be answered? Will it be answered in our lives? John 17:24, 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 hast loved me before the foundation of the world. I. Jesus projected himself into the presence of God knowing that his death was only hours away. II. Jesus expressed a desire that the disciples who had been with him for three and one-half years would be able to see his celestial glory, the glory which Jesus had with the Father before the foundations of the world were laid. III. John 14:1-3, Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have to told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

35 35 IV. The eternal existence of Christ, his deity, incarnation, and his descending to earth as the Dayspring from on high, and his ascension were elements in his glorification. V. John in Revelation saw the glorified Christ as victor, conqueror and eternal judge. At the great judgment day, Christ s glory will be consummate. John 17:25, O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee: and these have known that thou hast sent me. I. God the Father is righteous, ultimately and entirely righteous. II. The world did not know God the Father although the Jews thought they knew him and the heathens were searching for the divine Creator. III. Jesus knew the Father and revealed him to the disciples whom God had given him. IV. John 6:69, We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God. John 17:26, And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. I. Jesus had made the Father s name known to the disciples and he would continue to do so after his resurrection and ascension through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. II. The purpose of Christ in making the Father fully known to the disciples was that they might share in the love that God had for his Son. III. God loved and was in the Son. The Son loved and was in the disciples and would work through the disciples.

36 36 IV. Ephesians 1:3, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. V. Paul used the expression in Christ or its equivalents (in him, in whom, etc.) no less than 166 times in his epistles. Salvation is in Christ. VI. At the conclusion of this prayer we feel compelled to join with Peter who said, Lord... we have believed and know that thou art the Holy One of God. Conclusion: I. A number of years passed between the offering of this prayer by Jesus to the Father on the night of his betrayal and the time John wrote the book that bears his name. Only by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit could this have been done in such detail and with such accuracy. II. Some believe that this prayer was offered after leaving the upper room but before Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley, the prayer being offered on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane. Others believe it was spoken while the group was still in the upper room. III. Sometime all of us will face death directly on a one to one basis. Just as Jesus was in the shadow of the cross, so we will be in the shadow of the grave. IV. When that time comes, how we have lived our lives, whether we have faith in Christ or not, whether we are in the Lord will be all that matters. V. Life must be lived outwardly and upwardly, not inwardly and downwardly. VI. Are you this moment prepared to meet the maker/the master in peace?

37 37 Part I: The Great High Priestly Prayer of Christ Part II: Interceding in Prayer Questions 1. on the in the of the for, his and for these of all who come to on him. 2. Jesus said, I have thee on the : I have the which thou gavest me to do. And now, O, thou me with thine own with the which I had with before the was. 3. Jesus further said, I for them, the : I not for the, but for them which thou hast me; for they are. 4. Jesus prayed that all those who were Jesus own would be united, one every to the extent that Jesus and God the Father are perfectly one. What are the probabilities that all believers will be perfectly united? 5. Jesus continued to pray, them through thy : they is.