Jesus' Prayer For His Disciples
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Grace!
Grace!
Verses
“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
“Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You;
for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.
“I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours;
and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.
“I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.
“While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.
“Those whom You gave me” — This is a direct reference to the disciples but the idea of election might be extended to our day as well. The Father chose these men out of the world and gave them to Jesus as His disciples. God has chosen us out of the world as well, given us to Jesus as His followers.
Manifested — Jesus makes an emphatic statement here. He has revealed the Father to those whom the Father had given Him out of the world.
And just as He did with the disciples…God has a plan He has called us to embark upon as followers of Christ.
You and I are chosen. The Father looked upon us and had mercy on us. He gave us to Jesus who saved us on the Cross and made us His followers.
He has revealed the Father’s character and message through His life and ministry…through His words and miracles.
God
Revelation should never be taken lightly. God has chosen to reveal Himself to us. We are not deserving of such a blessing. There is nothing we have ever done nor anything we could ever do in order to earn such an honor. God, in His love and mercy simply chose to reveal Himself to us.
One of the primary ways God reveals Himself to us today is through his written word, The Bible. Just as the video we just watched showed, it is a means by which God communicates His life, character, power, will and expectations but also His salvation.
But even with the Word of God right before our eyes…there is no possible way we could understand them and be saved apart from the work of the Holy Spirit who makes the words come alive.
God places His word in our hearts and minds, revealing Himself to us just as He did to the first disciples through the spoken words of Jesus 2000 years ago.
So Jesus manifested Himself to these men and they believed…
“Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You;
for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.
The disciples had finally come to the point that they believed...
The message Jesus had preached to them was a message from God. (message)
They now believed that Jesus came from the Father as well. That He was God. (origin)
They believed in the mission of Jesus...that He came from the Father for their salvation. (mission)
These men had received revelation from the Father in the person of Jesus…after all the time they had with Him…now…near the cross and the end of His ministry…they had come to faith that the message of Jesus was true, He was Himself God and that the Father had sent Him on mission to earth.
But we must never forget…It was the initiative of the Father and His choice to save us that led to the revelation, life and mission of Jesus on earth…GRACE!
“Those whom You gave me” — This is a direct reference to the disciples but the idea of election might be extended to our day as well. The Father chose these men out of the world and gave them to Jesus as His disciples. God has chosen us out of the world as well, given us to Jesus as His followers.
And just as He did with the disciples…God has a plan He has called us to embark upon as followers of Christ.
God has chosen to reveal Himself to us and make possible our response to it. We are saved when we come to faith in Christ but that opportunity is precipitated by the Father’s decision to save us, send His Son to die for us and His Spirit to reveal His plans to us.
So God chose these men and revealed Himself to them…just as He has for us in this room who are followers of Christ. Jesus states these facts in His prayer for them as a beautiful testimony to the work He has already accomplished on their behalf.
These disciples had finally come to the point that they believed the message Jesus had preached to them was a message from God Himself.
Then He prays for them...
They no believed that Jesus came from the Father as well. That He was God. (origin)
They believed in he mission of Jesus that He came from the Father for their salvation. (mission)
These men had received revelation from the Father in the person of Jesus…after all the time they had with Him…now…near the cross and the end of His ministry…they had come to faith that the message of Jesus was true, He was Himself God and that the Father had sent Him on mission to earth.
But we must never forget…It was the initiative of the Father and His choice to save us that led to the revelation, life and mission of Jesus on earth…GRACE!
The Prayer of Jesus For His Disciples
The Prayer of Jesus For His Disciples
“I am praying for them” — He is not praying for the world right now. After all, what would you pray for the world? That they would be taken out of the world and saved. That they would come to faith in Christ!
“I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours;
“I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours;
and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.
This is a prayer for the disciples specifically but so much of this is simply what Jesus hopes and prays for all disciples of all times.
He is not praying for the world right now. After all, what would you pray for the world? That they would be taken out of the world and saved. That they would come to faith in Christ!
So this is a prayer for His followers…those in whom He is glorified…His character and power are revealed.
What Jesus prays for His disciples…
“I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.
“While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.
“Keep them in your name” — This is a prayer for unity. However this is not a unity as some think of unity. Many folks in the Ecumenical movement would champion all churches coming together un the banner of love, mercy and care for the hurting.
“Keep them in your name” — This is a prayer for unity. However this is not a unity as some think of unity. It is not a unity where everyone finds what we agree upon and decide to work together. Many folks in the Ecumenical movement would champion all churches coming together un the banner of love, mercy and caring for the hurting. But the unity of which Jesus speaks here is a unity in the name of the Father. This is a unity of belief. Jesus is praying here that the
But the unity of which Jesus speaks here is a unity “in the name of the Father.” This is a unity of belief and genuine relationship. Jesus is praying that the disciples will continue to understand, believe and walk in the revelation and relationship they have been given.
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Jesus speaks in the present tense, “I am no longer in the world” but His disciples are still in it. He had preserved them while He was with them but now the disciples would be without His constant physical presence. Jesus prays they will remain in the truth once He is no longer physically with them.
There is a sense that Jesus is simply handing off the baton to the Father and Holy Spirit. He did the work of preserving the disciples while He walked on earth but now the responsibility would rest in the Father and coming Holy Spirit.
Unity is preserved by the power of God Himself.
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
“My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
F.B. Meyer wrote about two Germans who wanted to climb the Matterhorn. They hired three guides and began their ascent at the steepest and most slippery part. The men roped themselves together in this order: guide, traveler, guide, traveler, guide. They had gone only a little way up the side when the last man lost his footing. He was held up temporarily by the other four, because each had a toehold in the niches they had cut in the ice. But then the next man slipped, and he pulled down the two above him. The only one to stand firm was the first guide, who had driven a spike deep into the ice. Because he held his ground, all the men beneath him regained their footing. F.B. Meyer concluded his story by drawing a spiritual application. He said, "I am like one of those men who slipped, but thank God, I am bound in a living partnership to Christ. And because He stands, I will never perish."
While Jesus was with the disciples not one perished save Judas, and he never really knew God in the first place. He never was genuinely a follower of Christ.
Those who genuinely receive the Gospel have received the truth…the revelation of God through Jesus…and by faith remain in that truth…the Father keeps us in it…should we ever begin to stray, He brings us back, convicts our hearts, draws us and keeps us in Himself…the truth.
The unity Jesus prays for here is a unity of relationship between His disciples and God…He is praying for the Father to take up the work that He had accomplished Himelf in His time on earth…preserving believers in their relationship with God.
As for our unity one to another...
We are not really, genuinely unified by our personal preferences, friendships, location or any other earthly thing. Unity from those types of bonds can and will eventually break.
Christian unity is found in our relationship with God…a relationship dependent upon and initiated by God Himself.
The Christian life is not some shallow, insipid following of a traditional pattern. It is a life characterized by “unexhausted (and inexhaustible) power for fresh creation.”
Conclusion
Conclusion
Morris, L. (1995). The Gospel according to John (p. 598). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
We are valuable because God has chosen us. He chose to love us, show us mercy, reveal Himself to us, save us and keep us saved for eternity.
Just as God chose these men out of the world and called them to the ministry of discipleship…God has called us out of the world to be a part of His family and has a calling for our life as well.
It is in what God thinks of us and has done for us that we find our personal value.
Some people think they are valuable to God for the wrong reasons…because they are faithful, preach, pray a lot or read their Bible daily.
While all of these things are wonderful and increase the joy of our relationship with God as well as our usefulness to Him…our value is found only in Him and His choice to save us.
Watchman Nee tells about a new convert who came in deep distress to see him. "No matter how much I pray, no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot seem to be faithful to my Lord. I think I'm losing my salvation." Nee said, "Do you see this dog here? He is my dog. He is house-trained; he never makes a mess; he is obedient; he is a pure delight to me. Out in the kitchen I have a son, a baby son. He makes a mess, he throws his food around, he fouls his clothes, he is a total mess. But who is going to inherit my kingdom? Not my dog; my son is my heir. You are Jesus Christ's heir because it is for you that He died." We are Christ's heirs, not through our perfection but by means of His grace.
God never loses those who place faith in Him and His grace...He never loses even one of us. Those who have placed their faith in Jesus for salvation will never lose it…people can talk all they want about the possibility of someone giving it up and leaving the faith…but…no one is ever loses it because God is the one who preserves it.
God has revealed Himself to us…saved us…and now preserves us for all eternity in the unity of our relationship with Him.
We are secure in Christ…even on our worst day. He always loves us…not just good little boys but even those who are bad. He loves us when we are faithful and when we are unfaithful…He loves us, secures us and will never lose us.