Jesus Prays For His Disciples

JESUS PRAYS FOR HIS DISCIPLES

John 17:6-19, NKJV

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: NONE ARE SHARP

1. A man was describing his multiple jobs to his Cantonese coworker, “I’m a jack of all trades and a master of none!” “Oh,” he said.

2. “We have a similar expression in our culture, “Equipped with knives all over, but none of them is sharp!” [RD]

B. TEXT

1. 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. John 17:6-19, NKJV

C. THESIS

1. We’re going to look at the High Priestly prayer of Jesus Christ in John 17, just as He was about to have to leave His disciples and return to Heaven.

2. We learn that we are His treasured possession that the Father gave Him. He prays for our unity and that we might be kept by God until we can be reunited with Him.

3. The title of this message is, “Jesus Prays for His Disciples.”

I. THE SAINTS: CHRIST’S TREASURED POSSESSION(6-8)

A. WE ARE GIFTS TO CHRIST

1. “Father, You gave them to Me,” vs. 6. Jesus speaks as a man who has been given precious jewels. When He knows He’s going to have to die and then ascend back to Heaven, He doesn’t want His treasures unguarded. So He prays and entrusts them back to His Father for safekeeping.

2. It is like a husband who has obtained his bride, but finds that he must go away. He gives her back to her father who originally gave her to him, and says, “Take care of her for my sake. As you love me, take care of her.”

3. We are talking about you – believers in Christ! What a wonderful communication we get to hear, between the Father and the Son. The Father gave you to Jesus because He loved Jesus. He wanted Jesus to have something which would give Him the most happiness, and that something is YOU!

B. WE KEEP CHRIST’S WORD

1. In verse 8 Jesus prays, “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.” We can see the impact that hearing and receiving the Word and Person of Jesus have upon us.

2. The Word alters and transforms us. It is life to those who find it. All that receive Christ’s word, and believe in him, are taken into covenant-relation with the Father, and are looked upon as belonging to God.

3. Our attitude toward God’s Word is of the highest importance! “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father...” John 14:21.

4. Praise God we have such a wonderful promise!