John chapter 17 is a very interesting transition point. It is the last open and intimate prayer that Jesus says in front of His disciples before He is betrayed and arrested. In it, He prays for Himself, for His disciples and then for each one of us who will eventually believe and
receive His precious gift of life.
In every case His prayers focus on: 1) The will and glory of the Father, 2) Protection from the enemy, 3) Eternal life (personal knowledge of God the Father through Jesus), 4) Sanctification (being set aside in this world) by God’s absolute
truth, 5) Strength in unity (the Helper) so that we can be one just as God is One, and finally (the last verse) 6) That we be reminded that God’s love is in us and that “Jesus is in us.”
This is how He prayed as we finish this series:
Jesus Prays for Himself
1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have
given Him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the
glory which I had with You before the world was.
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom 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 have known that all things which You
have given Me are from You. 8 For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. 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.
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24 “Father, I desire
that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.
26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” - John 17:1-26 @threadreaderapp unroll
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This is the theme that our Lord Jesus Christ placed so very heavily on my heart as He awoke me early this morning. In light of recent things that He has brought before my spiritual eyes (indeed things that we have all seen with increasing intensity over the past 3 years), it was
not difficult for me to hear this theme and to understand what He wanted me to share about it.
When He was here with us, this is the key theme that Jesus shared with His disciples throughout all of His 3-1/2 year ministry with them. Two days ago we read in John 17 where He
It is true that our bodies need daily physical nutrition in order to be sustained. When denied over time, its lack will cause our bodies to become unsatisfied and to weaken (picture what happens when we are in times of prayer and fasting). However, this type of nutrition and
satisfaction are very limited and only an image of the ultimate satisfaction that is part of our design as images of God.
Jesus illustrates this important principle in today’s devotional scripture. It describes a famous scene where Jesus had just finished talking with the
Today we will read the end of John chapter 16 where Jesus has just finished explaining to His disciples that He is leaving them but that it is a very good thing for them as part of God’s perfect plan. He had previously said that He had more to tell them but that they could not
yet fully understand or benefit from it. But He knew that they would eventually be able to understand and benefit from the truth. Personal knowledge of the truth would eventually set them (as well as us) free from this world system as we will read tomorrow.
The bible says in 1 John 3:2 that “it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.” Yesterday Jesus said that when we receive the Holy Spirit, He will point us to the truth and show us things that
belong to Father God through His Son. Jesus also said that He had many more things to tell us but that we could not yet bear or fully understand them. THAT is why we need the Helper today so that we can lean not on our own understanding (see Proverbs 3:5-6).
Yesterday in part 2 of this devotional series I mentioned how the disciples wanted to avoid pain and suffering at all cost. They saw the declaration by Jesus that He would be betrayed and killed as the worst thing that could ever happen. Based on their own understanding, they
struggled and prayed that it should NOT happen to Him (see what Peter said in Matthew 16:22).
Now if we are honest with ourselves, we will recognize that we all have this tendency to instinctively (based on our own feelings and understanding) ask God to take away all troubles
John chapter 16 is an excellent picture of the important gospel message that the “Lord is always with us.” Up until this point in His ministry, Jesus had been pouring into His disciples after getting their attention and calling them to follow Him. He had shown them clear evidence
that He is God, He was with them, and that they had no reason to be afraid.
But at this point in His ministry, Jesus had begun to tell them about bad things that were going to happen. In the previous chapter He had just told them that He is the Truth (the true vine) and because