If you were sitting with someone and going to have a heartfelt conversation what would that sound like? Really opening up your heart on where you are, how you feel about what’s going on around you? What your future holds? Jesus is giving us that insight here in this prayer, the longest of all his recorded prayers.
Many call the prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray, the Lord’s prayer. It should be called the disciple’s prayer because Jesus could not pray, “forgive me my trespasses,” as Jesus had no sin. What we are about to discover is the Lord’s prayer.
Prayer is simply talking to God. It should be an intimate exchange as it is normally a personal discussion just between you and the one who loves you the most. Prayer was important to Jesus as it was where we see him much of the time. Often, he has gone away to pray, he prayers before events like choosing the disciples and other key times. One of the many interesting things about this prayer is, Jesus was most likely walking and talking on the way to Gethsemane when he was praying this prayer. The disciples were walking with him and so it was easy for them to record this prayer and personally feel the impact of it.
You do know Jesus is always praying for you Hebrews 7:25
“….since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Hebrews goes on to remind us that Jesus is our high priest and that is part of the role of the high priest to stand in the gap between the people and the Father!
Let’s begin our journey…. First, he prays for himself
John 17
After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. 2 For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. 3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. 4 I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.
These first five verses are Jesus praying for himself….let me show you some things that are extremely important
- Everything Jesus did he did to bring glory (honor) to the Father. He is asking that now the Father recognizes that and honors him with people understanding what he is about to go through so that The Father will once again receive honor
- He is making it clear that he is in control here, He is all the power, “given me authority over everyone” everyone includes Pilate, Herod, the High priest, the soldiers, even those who pounded the nails in his hands and feet (“I am” statement in the garden)
- He is going to the cross for everyone willing, everyone who believes in who Jesus is and pushes in to actually know the Father
- Jesus completed the work “completed the work you gave me to do” what work? The work of our ability to have relationship with the Father (we can’t do anything to earn that Jesus did it all already) destroyed the work of the enemy who kept mankind trapped
- You were on his mind before the world even began…Ephesians 1:4
“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.”
You have been loved even before you were created, God knew you, as he knows all things, and he loved you and hasn’t stopped. He has all authority over all people so as one whom he loves he will always be there to protect, defend, deliver, and walk you through everything. He willing took on all your sin, rebellion, rejection and still went to the cross, and is praying all of these things for you daily….that is all part of his heart
Now he begins to pray for the 500 or so closest to him not just the 11 (and for us)
6 “I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, 8 for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.
Do you realize you are a gift the Father gave Jesus! How important must we be to God that he loved the whole world so much that he sacrificed his son….his gift to the world and what a precious gift you and I are to him that he gave us to the Son.
Do you realize here too that even though the disciples blew it multiple times and will blow it shortly he does not focus on that because he sees them through the eyes of love, they have potential, “they accepted the message” and “they believe you sent me” we spend so much time struggling beating ourselves up over our sin but….
- Jesus heart here is, I’m going to the cross for all of that what I am concerned about, what my heart is have you accepted my message, and will you share it, do you understand my love and forgiveness and are applying it to your life
9 “My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you.
Jesus’ heart here is hard for some to grasp, Jesus is our high priest, what does the high priest do? He stands in the gap, intercedes for His people.
- Jesus’ heart is for us to know we are always being talked about to the Father. He is saying His intercession is not for the lost but for you
….does he pray for the lost? He did on the cross, “Father forgive them they don’t know what they are doing!” but I believe his daily intercession is for all believers. WE must continue to pray for the lost
10 All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. 11 Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. 12 During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.
Do you belong to Jesus? If you do as you walk with Him daily, you bring him honor in all you do! How does that sound to know that you bring honor to God by living your life His way. Jesus is also saying he protected them while here on earth. He is praying to the Father that He will now protect them as he comes to the Father….Do you realize that, because Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, the Father is daily protecting us. Jesus heart is that we would be protected always and feel the love, joy, and peace we need daily to know God has got this (whatever “this “ is in your life.) No matter what you are going through
- Jesus’ heart is that you would be protected, and feel the love from the Father so he made a way for that to happen that we can count on
- Jesus heart is also that you would NOT be miserable…let me show you
13 “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy.
Jesus is saying, he has given us his heart, he has shown us the Father’s heart through the word and if we read it, know it, and live it we will be filled with joy….
- Jesus’ heart’s cry is that we be filled with JOY!!!!
14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do.
Jesus understands exactly what we are going through every day. He knows exactly how the people in bondage to this world system will react to those of us that are free from it. People in fear, anger, anxiety, pride, jealousy want others to act just like them, bound in these things but as people of God we are free and the cares of this world do need to weigh us down, usurping the power the enemy has over us.
- Jesus heart though is that armed with this knowledge, this understanding this freedom that we would stay in this world to win as many to freedom as we can and God will protect us from Satan’s power…but we must realize our own flesh will be our greatest battle, because the enemy is limited in power against us because of the Father
17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. 19 And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.
Jesus is focusing in on the Holy Spirit here as the Holy Spirit will now be able to fill every Christian unlike the OT times because Jesus is going to the cross the Spirit of truth is being freed to bring the truth of the way the world really is and the power we have by faith in Christ.
20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
Jesus is specifically praying for you and me. Listen to his words again..
“I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.”
Jesus knew what the Father was doing all of the time, in fact here is an example of the oneness Jesus has with the Father…John 5:19-20
So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished.
- Jesus’ heart is that we be one with He and the Father so we always know what they are doing and we will never worry, but accomplish everything that is on His heart and that we were designed to accomplish!
22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. 24 Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!
Jesus is saying, Father as you and are in in each of those who follow us, their hearts should be just like our heart they should see everything through our perspective and feel the way we feel. They should understand where people are and the way the world is going the way we do. Together they should recognize the power they have living within them as we are in them, and the knowledge to change the world, and destroy the enemy that we have. They should look at everyone and everything through the eyes of love as we do which will cause such a unity that the world will wonder who we are and want to know us as they know us….
- Jesus’ heart is that the church be unified not uniform but unified living with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit fully with us!
25 “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. 26 I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”
Jesus final words of the prayer, wrap up His heart….
- Jesus’ heart is that we may be overwhelmed everyday by His love.
I hope today you will realize Jesus’ heart for you…if you don’t have joy he has it for you, if you don’t feel protected and safe he is doing it for you, if you feel alone…he wants you to know you are part of something bigger and you are one with a very wonderful group of family. If you feel lost not knowing what’s next, he knows what’s next and will show you. He wants you free from all bondage so you can bring others to freedom. If you feel abandoned or alone you now know you are always being talked about with the Father.
What assurance do you need today. Come let us agree with you that you would have the full assurance of some most or all of these things…Jesus’ prayers are always answered, he prayed this for you!