This One Thing (3)

We Ought to Pray for Protection

Most of us would cheer for someone who defended their children and their home from someone trying to break into the house in the middle of the night. And certainly they deserve our cheering for doing what they had to do, using whatever force they had to use, to protect their children and their home.

But we also must never forgot there is a enemy who want to break into our homes, attack our children, throw our home in chaos, and beat our family down. And we must have the same vigilance in defeating this enemy as the person trying to break into our home. The difference is this is a spiritual enemy. The devil and his demons want to destroy your home. He and his demons want to destroy this church. And conventional physical weapons will not work against this enemy. We must use spiritual weapons to fight off the spiritual enemy.

And that is where the problem comes in- most Christians don’t know how to protect spiritually their family and their home. They don’t know how to protect their church. They don’t use the weapons Jesus has given them to keep their home and their church safe.

Jesus prayed many prayers while ministering with his disciples that were recorded in the Gospel accounts. This prayer we are going to look at today is the longest one of Jesus’ prayers that was written in the Scripture. This prayer was meant to be overheard by the disciples. And so I believe this prayer had a two fold purpose. Certainly, it was Jesus communicating with the Father, but it was also a teaching moment for the disciples as to how to seek protection when Jesus would no longer be with them.

So, let’s begin by reading our Scripture from Luke 17:9-19.

Scripture

John 17:9–19 (NKJV)

9 “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. 10 And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Point #1

There is power in the name of Jesus. Use it as a weapon against the devil; don’t find yourself just tacking the name of Jesus onto the end of a prayer.

Vs. 11… Keep through your Name...

Jesus had just finished praying: All mine are yours, and yours are mine. And what Jesus is saying is that I and the Father are one. It is a mystery for our brains, but that is what the Scripture teaches. So, it is fair to say that the name of the Father is Jesus; the name of the son is Jesus, and the name of the Holy Spirit is Jesus.

And there is power in that name Jesus to protect your family, to protect this church. Remember what Paul says in Philippians 2:9 Therefore God has given Him the name which is above every name.

John 14:13–14 (LEB)

13 And whatever you ask in my name, I will do this, in order that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

So based upon that Scripture, it seems to me that if you ask in the power of the name of Jesus for protection for your family, your home and church, Jesus will protect.

I wonder how many parents and grandparents say as your child is getting on the school bus or being dropped off by you: In the name of Jesus, protect my child today at school.

What I think happens more often than not if you want protection you say a pray and tack on the words in Jesus name. It is like you having said a complete pray unless you tack on the name of Jesus. But does it has meaning to you. NO! It is kind of an automatic end to the pray. I don’t think that does a whole lot. It is like we are on auto pilot not really thinking about the power in the name of Jesus.

In Acts 3:6 Peter and John on the way to the temple healed a lame man. Listen to what Peter says: Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

Now that a prayer that recognizes the power of Jesus and not just tacks it on in the end to complete the prayer.

And that is how we need to pray: pray knowing the power of Jesus to protect.

Point #2

There is power in the person of the Holy Spirit living in you. Speak to Jesus through Him when you sense that you are in need of protection from the evil one.

John 17:12 (NKJV)

12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

Jesus says that while I was personally with my disciples. I protected them. And that is true.

On one occasion Jesus tells His disciples in Luke 8:22 let’s cross to the other side of the lake. And they launched out, but Jesus fell asleep. A great windstorm came down on the lake and the boats were filling with water and they were afraid. And it was Jesus who protected them. It was Jesus who calmed the sea.

Well the Bible says that He ascended into heaven but not without first promising that He will seen a Comforter that lives in you.

Think about this: as good as the disciples had it with Jesus in their midst, you and I have it better because the Holy Spirit lives with us. Wherever I go, He is protecting me.

You say how does the Holy Spirit protect you. The Bible says that He sealed me until the day of redemption. The devil and his demon cannot seal me from God’s hands. How often do you thank God for that seal of redemption?

The Holy Spirit warns me when there are wolves in sheep clothing that try to get me to understand a Scripture the wrong way.

And I know that in my personal life, the Holy Spirit gives off warning signals about a situation that is all wrong. He gives off warning signals about someone who will lead me down the wrong path.

Teenagers might not like when a parent says I don’t like that boy or girl and I don’t want you to be hanging around with them. That could be the Holy Spirit warning system to help identify the type of persons you should or should not hang around.

There is power in the name of Jesus. Ask Him to have His Holy Spirit reveal the right thing to do.

Point #3

There is power in the living active Word of God. Pray the Word of God over your children, your family and your church.

John 17:14 (NKJV)

14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

There are people all around who discredit the Word of God. They don’t see the power in God’s Word. They may see it as a good book but it cannot do anything. They may see it as a book with good stories but that is all they see it as.

But for those of us who believe that the Bible is a God breathed communication from the Father to us that is without error, divinely written by writers of old as inspired by Holy Spirit of God. it is more than a book, it is a power .

The Bible has power to protect our families, our children and and our churches. We so that first hand in Jesus’ temptation in the Garden by the devil after His baptism by John the Baptist. The living active Word of God protected Jesus when He was being tempted by the devil. To each temptation the devil threw at Him, Jesus responded with the Word of God?

And that same Word can protect us. Let me give you a couple of examples of Scriptures that you can pray over your children, your self, your family or the church?

Why not pray over a family member who is struggling with some issues in their life and cannot find peace in their heart?

Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV)

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

How about praying this way for a son or daughter or even yourself if addictions are a problem?

1 Corinthians 6:19 (NKJV)

19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

How about praying for your church in this matter? Lord, we need you to build this church.

Psalm 127:1 (NKJV)

1 Unless the Lord builds the house,

They labor in vain who build it;

Unless the Lord guards the city,

The watchman stays awake in vain.

God loves to hear His Word prayed back to Him, and for us there is power in praying God’s Word. It is more than a book, it is a living and active power that can be used in our life.

Conclusion

Isn’t it great to know that we don’t have to protect ourselves? God desires to protect us. As Christians, use all that God has given of Himself to protect your family, yourself and your church. His Name, His Holy Spirit, His Holy Word.