John 17:1-5

1. Jesus’ Prayer for His Disciples
John 17:1-5
31 May, 2015

2. This prayer is powerful and inspiring…
• But has caused different reactions to
different churches through the ages
• Some churches elevated the disciples
to a “go-between” status
• Even elevated them into a special
group of pedigrees as if they were nearly
perfect people while they were here
with Jesus

3. This prayer is powerful and inspiring…
• They really were a motley crew
• The influence which Jesus made in
their lives was a true transformation
by God
• Every one but John was murdered for
what they believed
• Even John was plunged into boiling oil in Rome,
but suffered nothing from it
• His prayer for them is for us too…

4. 6 “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. 7 Now they have come to
know that everything You have given Me is
from You; 8 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. 9 I ask

5. on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the
world, but of those whom You have given Me;
for they are Yours; 10 and all things that are
Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have
been glorified in them. 11 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

6. are. 12 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.
13 But now I come to You; and these things I
speak in the world so that they may have My
joy made full in themselves. 14 I have given
them Your word; and the world has hated

7. them, because they are not of the world, even
as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask You to
take them out of the world, but to keep them
from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world,
even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them
in the truth; Your word is truth. 18 As You sent
Me into the world, I also have sent them into

8. the world. 19 For their sakes I sanctify Myself,
that they themselves also may be sanctified in
truth.
John 17:6-19, NASB

9. A. God’s Character in the Disciples…
• Vv 6-8– to the Jew, a name is more than just
one’s identity, it refers to character or
the nature of the person named
• i.e. Jacob– when born took hold of
Esau’s heel, means “heel-catcher” or
“supplanter”
• Esau means, “hairy”, also was
beast-like in life

10. A. God’s Character in the Disciples…
• How, you may ask?
• Jesus made the Father known to His
disciples with His teachings and the
way He lived
• He didn’t just teach about the
character and nature the Father
to them, but He manifested it
• Means “displayed” it as His own

11. A. God’s Character in the Disciples…
• The disciples had been given to Jesus by the
Father
• The gift was irrevocable and the Father was
able to guarantee it
• They recognized that Jesus’ teach -
ings came from God the Father and they
accepted Him as a messenger of God,
as their own confession declared in Jn 16:30

12. A. God’s Character in the Disciples…
• The disciples had been given to Jesus by the
Father
• The gift was irrevocable and the Father was
able to guarantee it
• They recognized that Jesus’ teach -
ings came from God the Father and they
accepted Him as a messenger of God,
as their own confession declared in Jn 16:30

13. A. God’s Character in the Disciples…
• Through Jesus’ earthly ministry, the disciples had
received Him as the Messiah, and their
conviction of His “Messiahship” had
grown progressively during the period
of association with Him
• Now that the supreme test of their faith
was impending, Jesus prayed that they
might be preserved against the
persecution that could separate them from Him
and from one another

14. B. For Them, NOT for the World…
• Vv 9-10, not that he doesn’t care about the lost
of the world…
• At this point his intercession is
confined to the 11 present, praying
specifically for these men under His care
• He knew well they would fail, nevertheless, He
prayed for them with confidence that they
would be kept by the Father’s power and
presented for a future ministry

15. B. For Them, NOT for the World…
• The same goes for us; we cannot do anything
right by ourselves
• But in Christ, we can do all
things because He strengthens
us through the Holy Spirit who lives in us
• As long as we abide in Jesus and in His Word,
we can overcome this troubled world

16. C. Jesus’ 1st Request– Father Keep Them
• Vv 11-12, Our spiritual safety depends on the
Character of God– not our own conduct
• I’ve said before, you are bullet proof until
He’s finished with you
• Note the end of v11 “one as we are”
• Nowhere Scripture tells us to be loners
• Talks of Unity and Fellowship, why?

17. C. Jesus’ 1st Request– Father Keep Them
• Because we need each other
• In the next few hours these men will discover
just how weak they are, and just how much
they’ll need each other for encouragement
• While I’m on this subject…
• Son of Perdition? Greek word is “apoleia”
• He knew Judas’ heart and prophesied Ps41

18. “Even my own familiar friend in whom I
trusted, Who ate my bread, has lifted up
his heel against me.”
Psalm 41:9, NASB

19. D. Insolation not Isolation thru the Word
• God’s purpose is to multiply joy in our lives
(joy fulfilled), not subtract it– but that’s not
what the worlds says
• If you love the Lord, you are public Enemy #1
• What do I mean by point D?
• There are two types of movements in the
modern church in which God does NOT want
us involved, I believe…

20. D. Insolation not Isolation thru the Word
• 1.) Becoming One With The World
• Under the banner of “un-believer friendly” is
the Seeker Sensitive Church movement
• It waters down God’s holiness and
righteousness and over-emphasizes His love
• No talk of sin’s depravity and need for
repentance, only Grace, Mercy, Love,
Forgiveness

21. “I know your works, that you are neither
cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or
hot. So then, because you are lukewarm,
and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you
out of My mouth.”
Revelation 3:15-16, NASB

22. D. Insolation not Isolation thru the Word
• You cannot have the love of God without the
holiness of God– they are hand in hand
• Seeker Sensitive churches are lukewarm-
Jesus-is-my-boyfriend-church
• It is not important for you to hear what yo’d
like from me, only important what He wants
me to say

23. D. Insolation not Isolation thru the Word
• 2nd) Isolating ourselves from the world
• Some try to do this, some do it by default
• You can try to remove yourself from the
culture around you, but it WILL find you
• Withdrawing to a Christian subculture is not
possible; look at what He prayed in v 15
• Objective not to isolate, but insolate w/ Word

24. D. Insolation not Isolation thru the Word
• Not to evade, but to invade
• We are to impact the culture without being
compromised by it
• If you put the Word of God in your heart, it
guards you
and protects you
and enables you to enjoy
the Father’s love for us

25. “If you put the Word of God in your heart,
it guards you and protects you and enables
you to enjoy the Father’s love for us”
Psalm 119:11, NASB

26. E. Jesus’ 2nd Request– Sanctify them
• Vv 17-19, the Word not only brings
and love, it imparts God’s Power for Holy
Living
• True sanctification means being set apart for
God– when saved you were set apart
• As you grow you become more and more like
Him, love Him more, the world and sin less
• You want to serve Him, to be a Blessing

27. E. Jesus’ 2nd Request– Sanctify them
• All of this comes through
the Word
• Jesus set Himself apart for us, now He set us
apart for Him and His purpose
• Father sent Him into the World, now He
sends us into the world
• We are people “under orders”, better obey…

28. Take-Home!
1. Our spiritual safety depends on the
character of God – faithfulness, not our own
intelligence or conduct
2. We must not neglect fellowship with
believers. This equals an easy target for Satan
3. Believers should not isolate, but insulate
themselves with the Word of God; not to
evade, but to invade the unbelieving world.