High Priestly Prayer: Jesus Prays for His Disciples
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In 2007 my wife and I had the opportunity to spend three months in Belize working on the crew of a Christian movie called, “The Enemy God”
During one of the off days we went out on a boat to to an island to do some snorkeling.
Has anyone here ever snorkeled in the Caribbean?
Its an amazing experience
The water is so blue, so many fish, the coral reef is amazing
We had a few hours to swim and snorkel and every time i would dive down to explore something i was bombarded with just a stunning beauty.
Everywhere I looked I saw different things calling for my attention.
After the 2 hours we got in the boat and headed back… and as much fun as it was there was so much left unexplored.
a person would need days to explore the glorious found in that blue water.
We went out another time and we had a guide, and he showed us specified things
He found a sand shark, stingrays and guided our swiming so we were not overwhelmed by all that we could have seen.
is much like that experience.
If we try and explore everything in this chapter we would need months, so this morning we are going to focus on just one stunning truth that comes up many times in this chapter.
Jesus prays that his disciples will be unified with Christ and his body.
Jesus prays that his disciples will be unified with Christ and his body.
Jesus prays that they would be unified with him, as he is unified with the father
And for the disciples to be unified with Christ they must be unified with his body - the church.
For Christ is not divided, you cannot be united to Christ without being united to his body.
There is so much to see as we dive deeper into the glorious waters of this chapter, but for us to not be overwhelmed we are going to focus on how Jesus prays that his disciples will be unified with Christ and his body.
6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.
7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you.
8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.
9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.
10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.
11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
13 But now I am coming 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 ask 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 in the truth; your word is truth.
18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
Lets pray.
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
We are going to be in verses 6-19 and what we see in these verses is Jesus praying for his disciples
in 1-5 he prays for himself
and next week we will look at 20-26 where Jesus prays for future believers.
But this morning we are seeing how Jesus prays for the disciples.
What distinguishes Christians from non-christians?
We could go through many biblical descriptions such as:
Christians are to marked out as people who love one another
Christians are to love what God loves
Christians are to be salt and light in the world
Christians are those who have trusted Jesus as their savior
Christians are to walk by faith and not by sight
Christians are those who have pledged their allegiance to King Jesus.
And all these things are true, and each of these description are things we should be aspiring toward.
However, in we see another distinguishing mark that is the foundation upon which these other descriptions are built upon.
A gift from the Father to the Son
6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.
Jon
Throughout the Bible, God has manifested himself in many ways however we see that mans sinfulness keeps them from drawing near to God, sin keeps us from unity with God.
God told Moses that no can see his face and live. For his glory is to great
So God manifests himself in what we call theophanies
God manifests himself in the burning bush, the whirlwind, the storm, in the pillar of cloud and smoke.
The closest anyone got to the glory of God was the high priest on the day of atonement, and that was a near death experience.
unless the priest is properly prepared he would not be able to enter God’s presence.
But salvation is found only in God’s presence, if man is not able to come into the presence of God, how are they to be saved?
This is part of the amazing news of the gospel, though we could not enter God’s presence that does not mean that God cannot enter our presence.
You see again, are sin cannot enter God’s presence, so God had to come to us.
Douglas Wilson once said, “If I am chained to a dungeon wall it would follow that i cannot reach out and touch the jailers nose, but that does not mean the jailer cannot reach out and touch my nose.
Though chained by sin unable to reach out to God, God reached out to us.
And God reached out to us in the person of Christ
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
when Jesus says that he manifested your name, that means that in Jesus God’s name embodies his character; to reveal God’s name is to make God’s character and nature known.
6 Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.”
Jesus has come, and he has made God known, his name, his character, his nature, his glory, his excellencies, his love, mercy, grace. All of it. Jesus is the exact imprint of the nature of God.
So if Jesus has come to make God known, to manifest his name, the question is then, “to whom did he make God’s name known”?
look again at verse 6
6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.
There is a beautiful foundational truth of the gospel that we often don’t consider
Jesus made God known to those whom the father had given him.
When we think about what it is to be a Christian we often spend most of our time thinking about what we do, where this verse tells us what we are
6 Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.”
One of the main themes of Jesus’ high priestly prayer is that his people are a gift to him from the Father.
Five times he says his disciples are a gift from the Father.
john 17 2
2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
What distinguishes followers of Christ from those who do not follow Christ?
9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.
12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
And not only the disciples, but all future believers are also a gift from the Father to the Son
24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Five times in this prayer we see Jesus reference Christians as a gift from the father to the Son.
Bu
6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.
And what a glorious truth this is!
And what a glorious truth this is!
From eternity past God has chosen for himself a people.
And for salvation to come to God’s people he had to give them to the Son.
And it was the Son who secured their salvation through the cross and resurrection.
When we think about what it is to be a christian we often think about the last part of this verse, “that we keep his word”
When we think about what it is to be a christian we often think about the last part of this verse, “that we keep his word”
What distinguishes Christians from non-christians?
We could go through many biblical descriptions such as:
Christians are to marked out as people who love one another
Christians are to love what God loves
Christians are to be salt and light in the world
Christians are those who have trusted Jesus as their savior
Christians are to walk by faith and not by sight
Christians are those who have pledged their allegiance to King Jesus.
And all these things are true, and each of these description are things we should be aspiring toward. As this is what it is to keep his word, this is what it looks like to be sanctified in truth.
But there is a foundation upon which these good works are built. And that foundation is that you have been chosen before the creation of the world by God the Father, you were then given as a gift to the Jesus Christ who took you as his bride and redeemed you from your sin.
But God didn’t give the disciples to Jesus just for them to be eternally secured, rather he gave them to him for them to keep his word.
And thats what Jesus affirms at the end of verse 6. They have kept his word
And what does it look like to keep God’s word?
7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.
7-8
Keeping God’s word is not fundamentally based on works, but rather on faith
Its trusting that Jesus speaks the words of God, and that Jesus is the only way to the Father.
The only way to have eternal life.
Jesus goes on to pray directly for the disciples in 9-13
9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
Here we see Jesus clearly praying for the unity of the disciples.
R. C. Sproul, John (St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary; Lake Mary, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing, 2009), 322.
That they may be unified to Christ and to his body.
Apart from God’s sovereign hand keeping the disciples they will never be able to keep the words of God, nor will they be able to have unity with one another.
Look with me at verse 11
11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
Now Jesus know that he is going to be returning to the Father and prays that the Father will do the work to keep the disciples in his name.
And the reason for this petition is not so that the disciples will receive physical blessings
Jesus doesn’t ask God to keep the disciples so they will be successful with their careers
J
The disciples, aided by the Holy Spirit, will have to face the world’s temptation and the world’s hostility without the help of his immediate physical presence and protection.
But now, they will be left on earth without Jesus’ physical presense.
The purpose statement for this is so that the disciples may be one, even as we are one.
Many commentators stress the point that Jesus is not praying for visible, physical, tangible unity for the disciples, but rather that they will be unified in their faith and in their position in Christ.
Jesus wants the disciples to live in unity with one another. He wants them to experience the J
This gift is not because of anything intrinsic in the people themselves - For God gave them to Christ out of the world
Jesus
Jesus manifested God’s name
Jesus manifested God’s name
6 Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.”
This gift is not because of anything intrinsic in the people themselves - For God gave them to Christ out of the world
Jesus
I think this robs the power and emphasis of Jesus’ prayer
They are the ones who receive his Words
This same prayer for unity comes up later in the prayer as Jesus prays that future believers will also be unified in the same way that the son and the father are unified.
Jesus prays that the disciples will be one even as the father and the son are one.
Jesus prayer is not less than Spiritual unity, but its also earthly, social, relational unity.
Jesus knows that for the future church to be unified the apostles would have to be unified.
It is upon the apostles and their teaching that the foundation of the church, the new covenant, is built.
In the same way the 12 sons of Jacob were the foundation for the people of God in the Old Testament, so the Apostles are the foundation for the people of God in the New Testament.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
The city that is being described is the bride of Christ, the people of God. and the 12 are the foundations.
So Jesus prays that the Disciples would be unified, that they would be fused, aligned, and united to God and to each other.
Unity is being fused, aligned, and united to God and his people
And unity only comes when they are unified to God; kept in his name.
To be unified as a people is to pursue the mind of Christ as a people
Unity looks like the body of Christ working together, being of one mind, healthy, and seeking to accomplish the mission God has given us.
However, unity is not something that comes natural to us, we like our father Adam, apart from the spirit of God, will run away from God rather than toward him.
Left to ourselves we are all rebels trying to destroy what God has created.
Left to ourselves we are all:
King Ahab - who rebelled against God and worshiping Baal
Eli - disinterested in what God has called him to be and allowed his family to live as wicked priests
Judas - exchanging our love for the son of God for worldly possessions
Judas is an example of the dangers of disunity.
12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
Judas is one who was never in the Fathers hand, he freely chose to abandon Christ and therefore chose to be leave the faith.
j
John says
19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
Many of you have grown up believing in the doctrine of “once saved always saved”
And we assume that because we prayed a prayer as child, or walked forward during an alter call that we are eternally secure, no matter how we live our lives.
Your faith is in your own past decision to trust Christ.
And many of you hold a more reformed view of salvation where as long as we are elect, chosen by God, we can live however we want
God will chose whom he choses and we think we have some sort of insight into the eternal decrees of God. And we find our assurance in our confidence that God has chosen us for salvation.
But what we find in the bible is that our assurance of salvation is not wrapped up in
a past decision or prayer
a knowledge of God’s eternal decree
our ability to do good works
But rather, our assurance of salvation is wrapped up in our unity with Christ and his people.
Its an on going trust and faith, by the power of the spirit, in the saving work of the Christ.
And this faith looks like loving God and loving his people
1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.
Judas separated himself from his unity with Jesus and the people of God. And when that happens, there is a lack of assurance, a lack of faith, a lack of love and joy.
1 john 51
Judas shows us the sever consequences of not being united to Christ. To not be connect to Christ is to be a Son of destruction - This is harsh language to say that if you are not connected to Christ your eternal end is outside of Christ, and to be outside of Christ is eternity in Hell.
9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
10 But you, O Lord, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them!
3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
So as believers unity is of utmost importance
eternal life is that we know God
Division is antithetical to the gospel, it is outright rebellion to the God who has created us to be in unity with him and each other.
and this word for know entails much more than just an intellectual awareness
However, we have to fight for unity, like i said before, it is not natural for us.
It refers to knowing through association and experience
So what are some of the practical dangers of disunity? of not being unified with Christ and his body?
It refers to knowing in the context of intamacy
So if one does not know Christ, does not associate or experience him, if one does not have intimacy with him, than they don’t have eternal life.
What are the dangers of disunity?
What are the dangers of disunity?
But I want to finish up our section this morning by looking at vv. 13-19 in its negative form, Like looking at an x-ray. And we will see the dangers of disunity.
What are the dangers of disunity?
In Jesus prayer 13-19 flow out of Jesus’ praying for unity.
So I want to look at these verses and see what happens if we live in disunity rather than unity.
And next week we will see what happens when we live in unity as Jesus has called us too.
Lets start by looking at 17.13
Lets start by looking at 17.13
13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
Being unified to christ in his body produces the joy of Christ.
So…
Apart from unity we have no joy
Apart from unity we lack joy
Apart from unity we lack joy
The joy of the Lord comes in connection with Christ and his people
apart from unity you have no joy
Its amazing how often we think joy is derived from our circumstances.
Circumstances cannot produce joy any more than a human heart can produce righteousness
When we lack joy we try and change our circumstances like a chess player moving his pieces.
However, Joy is not found in circumstances
Getting a better job does not produce joy
having a clean house does not produce joy
having your dream car does not produce joy
Joy only comes when we are connected to the one who is the giver of joy
I lamp cannot produce light unless its plugged into an outlet
in the same way we cannot produce joy unless we are plugged into Christ
And being plugged into Christ is to be plugged into his church.
Christ has promised joy, but it can only be found when we are united to his body.
Disunity does not only effect our joy, but it also puts us in danger of the evil one
Apart from unity we are not be safe from the evil one
Apart from unity we are not be safe from the evil one
Look at v.15
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.
Look at v.15
15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
14
The kids and I enjoy watching documentaries about animals. The kids love seeing the big cats like lions, and jaguars hunting for their prey.
The commentator always says the same thing, when animals of prey are hunting their food. They say, “the lion will wait for one of the zebras to wander off away from the herd.”
This is the lions strategy, wait for one of his prey to be alone, then attack.
The lion has a much greater success rate if the zebra is alone.
For the Zebra to be safe, he must stay close to the herd at all times.
In The apostle Peter charges the community of believers to be sober-minded and watchful.
He is essentially saying watch yourself, don’t wander off - don’t be like the zebra who wanders away from the herd and is all alone.
he then says…
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
1 pe
This word for “around” literally means to walk around
The devil, the evil one, walks around this community (Exodus Church), he walking around your family, he is walking around the people of God looking for those who wander away from the body so that he might devour them.
If we are not unified with the body, then we are not unified with Christ.
If we are not unified with the body we are alone and in great danger of the evil one.
This is one of the main reasons Paul stresses unity so much in his epistles
Over all it is the greatest theme in his letters, that the people of God be unified with one another.
If we allow disunity to enter our lives we will be in great danger of falling into damaging sin.
And if we are constantly falling as prey to the evil one, we will not be sanctified in the truth of God’s word.
Apart from unity we will not be sanctified in truth
Apart from unity we will not be sanctified in truth
Apart from unity we will not grow as beleivers, we will not be formed into the image of Christ.
Look with me at verse 17
If we are not unified with the body of Christ, we will not:
Pray for one another
Encourage one another
Apart from unity we will not be safe from the evil one
Rebuke one another
Serve one another
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
John
16
To be sanctified is to be set apart for holiness
Sanctification is the pursuit of all that God has called us to know, do, and be.
Sanctification is part of what it means to be a Christian
I love what Paul says in
13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
Our sanctification is directly connect to salvation and in the truth of God
Look again at
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
We are to be sanctified in the truth of God’s word.
And when we are living life not united to the body of Christ we will likewise be living apart from the truth of God’s word.
To be sanctified in truth is far more than just knowing what the bible says. It also includes being what the bible calls us to be, and to act the way the bible calls us to act.
If we are not unified with the body of Christ it is impossible to be sanctified in the truth of God’s word.
We will not be able to
Pray for one another
Encourage one another
Rebuke one another
Serve one another
Apart from these things, we are alone in our christian life and in danger of the evil one.
If we are not unified with the body we will not only
Lack Joy
Be in Danger of the evil one
And not be sanctified in truth
But also, apart from unity we will not be on mission.
Apart from unity we will not be on mission.
Apart from unity we will not be on mission.
God has left us in this world to continue the mission he started
He told us to go into all the world to make disciples
As God sent Jesus into the world to begin this mission, Jesus has sent us into the world to continue this mission.
Look at verse 18
18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
18
If we are not united to Christ and his body we will not be able to live out the mission Christ has called us to live out.
2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
Worship of Christ - V.10 “I am glorified in them”
10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.
wholistic worship
Head - the way we think about God
Heart - the way we feel about God
Hands - what we do for God.
Not only
Assurance of Our Salvation 1. Our Lord Prays for His Followers: His Reasons and Requests
why our Lord prays for his followers, and secondly what he prays for them
The mission of God, making disciples, is a team effort. We cannot do it alone
Assurance of Our Salvation 1. Our Lord Prays for His Followers: His Reasons and Requests
God sent him, he sends them, and he prays for them especially in the light of their calling and their task—the work of evangelizing. There are other people who are going to believe on him through their word, and so they must be enabled to do this work.
Jesus Prays for Unity
I heard one preach say… “Missions is like getting lowered into a dark well, you are either the one going down into the well or you’re the one holding the rope. either way you are going to get blisters on your hands”
Why Jesus prays for his followers
Church, my desire is for every person and family in this church to be presented as mature in Christ. So when Jesus received you in glory he will say, “well done good and faithful servant”
Jesus Prays for Mission
If you are not unified to Christ and his body, you will not hear these words.
What Jesus prays for his followers
And if you are not unified to Christ and his body you are not connected to the church.
If you are not connected to the church, you will lack joy
If you are not connected to the church, you are in danger of the evil one
If you are not connected to the church, you will not be sanctified in truth.
If you are not connected to the church, you are not living out the great commission, you are not living the life Christ died to give you.
If you are not connected to the church you are in outright rebellion to the king.
May we bring glory to God to demonstrating what true joy looks like in a joyless world
Church, may we be sober-minded and watchful, pulling those who are straying from the church back into safety so they will not be in danger of the evil one
And may we be a church that is set apart for holiness, pursuing the truth of the word and applying it holistically to our lives.
And may we be a church that is passionate about the mission of God, we should have blistered hands as we send one another into the darkness with the light of the gospel.
Lets pray