Jesus's Prayer for His People
Notes
Transcript
Text:
6 I have revealed Your name to those You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours; You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
7 Now they know that everything You have given Me comes from You.
8 For I have given them the words You gave Me, and they have received them. They knew with certainty that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me.
9 I ask on their behalf. I do not ask on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those You have given Me; for they are Yours.
10 All I have is Yours, and all You have is Mine; and in them I have been glorified.
11 I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by Your name, the name You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one.
12 While I was with them, I protected and preserved them by Your name, the name You gave Me. Not one of them has been lost, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.
13 But now I am coming to You; and I am saying these things while I am in the world, so that they may have My joy fulfilled within them.
14 I have given them Your word and the world has hated them; for they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15 I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.
18 As You sent Me into the world, I have also sent them into the world.
19 For them I sanctify Myself, so that they too may be sanctified by the truth.
20 I am not asking on behalf of them alone, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their message,
21 that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one—
23 I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me.
24 Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, that they may see the glory You gave Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
25 Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, I know You, and they know that You sent Me.
26 And I have made Your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love You have for Me may be in them, and I in them.”
PRAY
Introduction:
Isn’t it encouraging when someone tells you, “I’m praying for you”? It makes my day to hear that.
It is all the more encouraging when it’s someone close to us, perhaps a family member or a close friend.
Whether we hear these words spoken to us in person, or in a card, or in a text, or however it comes to us, it is helpful and encouraging to know someone is praying for you.
But I want us to consider this morning, and receive great encouragement in this: if you are a believer, Jesus is praying for you!
The perfect Son of God who gave His life on the cross to take away your sin and give you eternal life - He’s praying for you right now!
This prayer that Jesus prayed in John 17 wasn’t just for His disciples then, but it is His ongoing prayer for every true believer.
20 I am not asking on behalf of them alone, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their message,
And His prayer for us is far more important than the prayers of our loved ones here on earth — because our eternity depends on it.
34 Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us.
25 Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.
The prayer of Jesus for us is not insignificant or unimportant - it is vital, essential; we would not make it to Heaven without His prayer for us.
And because of who He is and what He’s done for us, His prayer will certainly be answered.
One of the main reasons that Jesus makes this prayer at this point is that He is about to leave His disciples and go back to His Father. He has fulfilled His ministry among them, and now the time is coming for Him to ascend back to Heaven. So then, these things He prays are in light of this reality: Jesus is no longer physically here with His followers to accomplish these things. So He prays that the Father would accomplish these things, which we understand that God does for believers through the Holy Spirit’s power and work.
In verses 6-10, Jesus says that while on earth, He has faithfully carried out the Father’s will regarding His disciples: He has taught them both by His words and His example. He also clarifies for us in these verses whom He is praying for:
6 I have revealed Your name to those You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours; You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
7 Now they know that everything You have given Me comes from You.
8 For I have given them the words You gave Me, and they have received them. They knew with certainty that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me.
9 I ask on their behalf. I do not ask on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those You have given Me; for they are Yours.
10 All I have is Yours, and all You have is Mine; and in them I have been glorified.
Twice Jesus speaks of “those You have given Me” - those whom the Father had chosen and given to His Son. This certainly applies to the 11 remaining Apostles, and later in His prayer in v. 20, Jesus indicates that He’s praying not only for those 11 Apostles, but for all who would come to trust in Him - which is us today, for those of us who trust in Jesus.
In this prayer, there are basically 4 requests that Jesus makes for us as His followers, and we’ll look at them in the order they appear in the text:
Jesus prays that the Father will protect us.
Jesus prays that the Father will sanctify us.
Jesus prays that the Father will make us one.
Jesus prays that the Father will bring us to be with Jesus.
Jesus’s Prayer for Our Protection (v. 11-16)
11 I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by Your name, the name You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one.
12 While I was with them, I protected and preserved them by Your name, the name You gave Me. Not one of them has been lost, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.
13 But now I am coming to You; and I am saying these things while I am in the world, so that they may have My joy fulfilled within them.
14 I have given them Your word and the world has hated them; for they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
15 I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
The Petition (Protection)
Protect them (v. 11)
John 17:11 (BSB)
11 … Holy Father, protect them by Your name, the name You gave Me…
Keep them from the evil one (or from evil - v. 15)
15 I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.
Jesus is asking for spiritual protection from the opposition of the world and its enticements and temptations as well as protection from the attacks of Satan and his forces. He is praying for our preservation in faith amidst the temptations and opposition of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
The Reasons for This Petition (Protection):
Jesus will no longer be in the world, but His disciples will (11a; 13a; 15a)
John 17:11 (BSB)
11 I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them …
John 17:13 (BSB)
13 But now I am coming to You…
John 17:15 (BSB)
15 I am not asking that You take them out of the world…
Jesus had protected His disciples while He was in the world (v. 12)
John 17:12 (BSB)
12 While I was with them, I protected and preserved them by Your name, the name You gave Me…
Jesus’s disciples are not of the world, just as He is not of the world (14b, 16)
John 17:14 (BSB)
14 … the world has hated them; for they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
The Purpose of This Petition (Protection):
That they may be one as We are one (v. 11)
John 17:11 (BSB)
11 … Holy Father, protect them by Your name, the name You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one.
That they may have My joy fulfilled within them (v. 13)
John 17:13 (BSB)
13 … I am saying these things while I am in the world, so that they may have My joy fulfilled within them.
The Means of the Petition (Protection)
“By Your name” (v. 11)
John 17:11 (BSB)
11… Holy Father, protect them by Your name, the name You gave Me…
Jesus’s Prayer for Our Sanctification (v. 17-20)
17 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.
18 As You sent Me into the world, I have also sent them into the world.
19 For them I sanctify Myself, so that they too may be sanctified by the truth.
20 I am not asking on behalf of them alone, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their message,
The Petition (Sanctification)
Sanctify them (v. 17) - positional and practical sanctification
17 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.
The Reason for this Petition (Sanctification)
Jesus’s self-sanctification (v. 19)
19 For them I sanctify Myself, so that they too may be sanctified by the truth.
The Purpose of this Petition (Sanctification)
That others will believe in Jesus through their message (v. 18, 20)
18 As You sent Me into the world, I have also sent them into the world.
20 I am not asking on behalf of them alone, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their message,
The Means of the Petition (Sanctification)
The truth - God’s Word (v. 17, 19)
17 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.
19 For them I sanctify Myself, so that they too may be sanctified by the truth.
Jesus’s Prayer for Our Unity (v. 20-23)
20 I am not asking on behalf of them alone, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their message,
21 that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one—
23 I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me.
The Petition (Unity)
That all of them may be one (v. 21a, 22b, 23a)
John 17:21–23 (BSB)
21 that all of them may be one…
22 … that they may be one as We are one—
23 I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfectly united…
The Reason for the Petition (Unity)
The unity of the Father and the Son (v. 21, 22, 23)
John 17:21–23 (BSB)
21 that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You…
22 … so that they may be one as We are one—
23 I in them and You in Me…
The Purpose of the Petition (Unity)
That the world may know and believe that the Father sent the Son (the vindication of Jesus’s words and actions - v. 21, 23)
John 17:21 (BSB)
21 … so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
John 17:23 (BSB)
23… that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me…
The Means of the Petition (Unity)
by our unity with God Himself (v. 21)
John 17:21 (BSB)
21 that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us…
by our experience of God’s eternal Trinitarian love (v. 23)
John 17:23 (BSB)
23 … You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me.
Jesus’s Prayer for Us to Be with Him (v. 24-26)
24 Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, that they may see the glory You gave Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
25 Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, I know You, and they know that You sent Me.
26 And I have made Your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love You have for Me may be in them, and I in them.”
The Petition (Our Eternal Presence with Jesus)
That all whom the Father had given Jesus would be with Him where He is (v. 24)
John 17:24 (BSB)
24 Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am…
The Reason for the Petition (Our Eternal Presence with Jesus)
Because of the Father’s eternal love for the Son (v. 24)
John 17:24 (BSB)
24 … because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
The Purpose of the Petition (Our Eternal Presence with Jesus)
That they may see the glory that the Father gave to the Son (v. 24)
John 17:24 (BSB)
24 Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, that they may see the glory You gave Me …
That we may fully experience His eternal love and union with Him (v. 26)
John 17:26 (BSB)
26 … so that the love You have for Me may be in them, and I in them.”
The Means of the Petition (Our Eternal Presence with Jesus)
Knowing Jesus in a personal way (v. 25-26, 3)
25 Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, I know You, and they know that You sent Me.
26 And I have made Your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love You have for Me may be in them, and I in them.”
3 Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.
Application:
1. Pursue the things Jesus is praying for, trusting in the power of His prayer.
Jesus is praying for our holiness, our commitment to His truth, and our growth in love on our way to be with Him forever. Elsewhere the Scriptures tell us to be pursuing these very things.
But as we pursue holiness, we remember that Jesus is praying for it.
As we persevere in our commitment to His Word, we consider that Jesus is praying for that also.
And as we seek to demonstrate God’s love to everyone around us, we keep in mind that Jesus is praying for that too.
And as we long to be with Him in heaven, we can rejoice in this: Jesus is praying for that as well, and He wants us there more than we want to be there.
2. Find encouragement in the fact that Jesus is praying for you!
If you’re a believer,
Jesus is praying that the Father will protect you.
Jesus is praying that the Father will sanctify you.
Jesus is praying that the Father will make you one with other believers.
Jesus is praying that the Father will bring you to be with Him.
Thank God for your perfect High Priest who is even now making intercession for you!
3. If you’re not a believer, come to Jesus today, and experience the joy of having the Son of God pray for you!
PRAY