Jesus' Prayer for His Followers

MY PRAYER FOR FBC – BETHEL SPRINGS

INTRODUCTION:

THE HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER OF JESUS, RECORDED HERE IN , WAS A PRAYER THAT JESUS PRAYED RIGHT BEFORE HE AND HIS DISCIPLES LEFT THE UPPER ROOM AND HEADED TO THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE, WHERE HE WOULD BE ARRESTED.

JESUS KNEW THAT THE TIME OF HIS DEPARTURE WAS AT HAND, AND HE WANTED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRAY OVER THEM.

BUT THIS IS SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST A PRAYER.

EVERY TIME JESUS PRAYED WITH HIS DISCIPLES, IT WAS A TEACHABLE MOMENT.

SO AS WE READ THE PRAYERS OF JESUS, WE ARE REMINDED OF TRUTHS THAT HELP US CARRY OUT THE MISSION, AND ENCOURAGE US TO CONTINUE IN THE MISSION.

THAT’S WHAT I WANT TO FOCUS ON HERE.

SO LET ME SHARE WITH YOU FOUR THINGS FROM THIS PASSAGE THAT I HOPE WILL SERVE AS ENCOURAGEMENTS TO YOU IN THE DAYS AHEAD.

HERE’S THE FIRST THING.

1. NEVER FORGET THE MISSION.

a. – 5 AND NOW, FATHER, GLORIFY ME IN YOUR OWN PRESENCE WITH THE GLORY THAT I HAD WITH YOU BEFORE THE WORLD EXISTED. 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.

i. THE IMPORTANT TRUTH IN THIS PART OF JESUS’ PRAYER IS THAT EVERY BELIEVER HAS A ROLE IN GOD’S MISSION STRATEGY THROUGH THE COMING OF THE INCARNATE JESUS.

ii. THE MISSION IS TO TAKE THE GOSPEL TO THE NATIONS.

b. THERE IS A LOT TO THIS PASSAGE, SUCH AS THE ETERNALITY OF CHRIST, BUT THE ONE THING I DON’T WANT YOU TO MISS IS THE FACT THAT WE ARE – YOU ARE – PART OF THE MISSION OF GOD.

c. YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MISSION OF GOD.

i. GOD HAS GIVEN YOU, ME, ALL OF US, TO CHRIST, SO THAT HE MIGHT BE GLORIFIED THROUGH US.

d. HOW IS CHRIST GLORIFIED IN US?

i. WHEN OUR LIVES AGREE WITH OUR TESTIMONY OF FAITH.

ii. WHEN WE SHARE THE GOOD NEWS THAT BROKEN SINNERS CAN FIND HOPE AND REDEMPTION IN THE SAVING WORK OF JESUS.

iii. WHEN WE PARTICIPATE IN THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH, WHICH IS TO MAKE MATURE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS.

e. SO FIRST, NEVER FORGET THE MISSION, AND HERE’S A SECOND TRUTH…

2. REMEMBER THAT GOD WILL KEEP YOU.

a. – 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.

b. JESUS ASKED HIS FATHER TO KEEP THEM IN HIS NAME.

i. JESUS SPEAKS A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN IN THIS PASSAGE ABOUT THE FACT THAT WHILE HE WAS IN THE WORLD, HE “KEPT” ALL THAT GOD HAD GIVEN TO HIM, AND HAD NOT LOST ANY OF THOSE GIVEN TO HIM.

ii. HE ALSO USES THE TERM “GUARDED.”

iii. THE IMPLICATION IS ONE OF PROTECTION.

1. THE GREAT NEWS FOR THE CHRIST-FOLLOWER IS THAT EVEN IN THE MIDST OF UNCERTAINTY, GOD IS “KEEPING” YOU.

2. IN THE MIDST OF DANGER, GOD IS “KEEPING” YOU.

3. IN VERSE 15, JESUS ASKS HIS FATHER TO KEEP BELIEVERS FROM THE EVIL ONE.

iv. WE KNOW THIS, BUT I THINK IT BEARS REPEATING HERE, THAT THE EVIL ONE, SATAN, HAS NOTHING BUT YOUR DESTRUCTION IN MIND.

v. SO JESUS PRAYS THAT HIS FATHER WOULD KEEP THOSE WHO FOLLOW HIM FROM THE EVIL ONE.

c. AND GOD WILL DO THAT, IF YOU WILL SUBMIT YOURSELVES TO HIM.

3. DEDICATE YOURSELF TO GROWTH IN THE FAITH.

a. – SANCTIFY THEM IN THE TRUTH; YOUR WORD IS TRUTH.

i. THAT WORD SANCTIFY IS A WORD THAT MEANS TO “SET SOMETHING APART FOR HOLY PURPOSES.”

ii. JESUS PRAYER FOR HIS DISCIPLES IS THAT THEY WOULD BE TRANSFORMED BY THE WORD OF GOD.

1. THEY HAD LIKELY ONLY HEARD THE WORD ORALLY, BECAUSE THEY WERE WITH JESUS, LISTENING TO HIS TEACHINGS.

iii. BUT WE HEAR THE WORD AS THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES US UNDERSTANDING IN OUR STUDY OF THE WORD.

b. WHY DID JESUS PRAY FOR GOD TO SANCTIFY HIS FOLLOWERS?

i. BECAUSE HE KNEW THAT THERE WERE OTHERS WHO WOULD HEAR THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL TROUGH THEM AND RESPOND.

ii. AND THAT THE GOSPEL WOULD BE SPREAD BY FAITHFUL SERVANTS, WHO WERE SET APART FOR THE HOLY PURPOSE OF LEADING OTHERS TO FAITH IN CHRIST.

c. MY PRAYER FOR YOU ECHOES THE PRAYER OF JESUS, THAT AS YOU INGEST THE WORD OF GOD, GOD WILL TRANSFORM YOUR THINKING, AND GIVE YOU A BURNING DESIRE TO TAKE THE GOSPEL TO THE NATIONS.

i. AND THE RESULT WILL BE THAT MANY OTHERS WILL BELIEVE THROUGH YOUR WORD.

d. AND THAT THEY WILL OBSERVE A CHURCH, THIS CHURCH DOING WHAT JESUS PRAYS FOR AT THE END OF THIS PRAYER.

4. WORK HARD AT UNITY.

a. – THE GLORY THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN ME I HAVE GIVEN TO THEM, THAT THEY MAY BE ONE EVEN AS WE ARE ONE, 23 I IN THEM AND YOU IN ME, THAT THEY MAY BECOME PERFECTLY ONE, SO THAT THE WORLD MAY KNOW THAT YOU SENT ME AND LOVED THEM EVEN AS YOU LOVED ME.

b. FOUR TIMES IN THIS PASSAGE, THE CONCEPT OF UNITY IS SPOKEN OF BY JESUS.

i. VERSE 11 – “THAT THEY MAY BE ONE.”

ii. VERSE 21 – “THAT THEY ALL BE ONE.”

iii. VERSE 22 – “THAT THEY MAY BE ONE.”

iv. VERSE 23 – “THAT THEY MAY BECOME PERFECTLY ONE.”

c. JESUS KNEW THAT UNITY IS DIFFICULT FOR HUMAN BEINGS, BECAUSE WE ARE, AT OUR CORE, SELFISH AND PRIMARILY CONCERNED ABOUT OURSELVES AND OUR NEEDS AND DESIRES.

d. BUT IN THE ECONOMY OF THE BODY OF CHRIST, WE ARE CALLED TO GO AGAINST THE NORMAL TENDENCIES OF THE FLESH IN ORDER TO CARRY OUT THE MISSION THAT GOD HAS GIVEN THE CHURCH.

i. OUR DESIRES CANNOT BE PRIMARY.

ii. GOD’S PURPOSE AND MISSION MUST BE PRIMARY.

e. SO WE ARE CALLED TO WARK HARD AT UNITY, BECAUSE THE GOSPEL DEPENDS UPON A UNITED CHURCH TAKING THE WORD OF GOD TO A DIVIDED PEOPLE, WITH THE HOPE AND PURPOSE OF UNITING THOSE DIVIDED PEOPLE, UNDER THE BANNER OF THE GOSPEL.

f. SO WORK HARD AT UNITY.

CONCLUSION: