The Real Lord’s Prayer - Part Two - Jesus Prays for His Apostles. (John 17: 6-19)

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Episode Notes:

The Real Lord’s Prayer - Part Two: Jesus Prays for His Apostles (John 17:6-19)

Introduction.

In our previous episode, we saw that Jesus prayed for Himself, focusing on His glorification through the cross, and in heaven. Today, we will explore the second part of His prayer in John 17, where Jesus prays for His apostles.

Transition to Praying for the Apostles. (John 17:6-8 (NIV): 

Here, Jesus shifts from praying for Himself to praying for His apostles. He emphasizes their understanding and acceptance of His teachings, and their belief in His divine origin.

Two Main Requests for the Apostles

• Protection from sin (John 17:6-15).
• Perfection in service (John 17:16-19).

These can be summarized by the theological term sanctification—being set apart for God’s holy purpose.

Jesus describes the apostles as:

• Given to Him by the Father.
• Having kept the Father's word.
• Knowing and believing that Jesus is sent from God.

The Petition for Protection - John 17:9-12 (NIV):

Jesus prays for the apostles to be protected from the world. He emphasizes:

• They belong to God.
• He is leaving them in the world.
• Their need for joy and fulfilment in their mission.

In the World but not of the World - John 17:13-15 (NIV): 

Jesus highlights the need for the apostles to be in the world but not of it. He prays for their protection, not isolation.

Sanctification and Mission -John 17:16-19 (NIV): 

Jesus prays for the apostles to be sanctified in truth, emphasizing:

• Their mission to the world.
• The importance of being set apart for God’s purpose.
• The cooperative process of sanctification involving both God and the apostles.

Application for Today

We, too, are called to be in the world but not of it. We should engage with the world while remaining distinct and holy. This involves:

• Protection from evil.
• Commitment to God's service.
• Living out God’s word.

Conclusion

Jesus’ prayer for His apostles is a powerful reminder of our calling. We are to be in the world, protected from evil, and sanctified for His service. Through His word, we are equipped to fulfil His mission. Let us live lives that reflect His glory, engage with the world, and remain fully dedicated to His purposes.

Preview of Part Three

In the next part of our study, we will see Jesus praying for all believers, including us today. This highlights the inclusiveness of His prayer and His concern for all who would follow Him.

Transcript

The Real Lord’s Prayer Part Two. Jesus Prays for His Apostles. (John 17: 6-19)

Complete Transcript.

 So, the first part of the prayer the Lord's prayer is for himself, and it can all be summed up in one word that he be glorified means that he be glorified in the cross in heaven but it seems to me, but he also wants us to be glorified in our relationship with Him and with one another.

Jesus Christ desires to be glorified through the cross. He wants to be revealed as the loving sacrificial substitute for all humanity. 

Additionally, He seeks to be glorified in heaven with the Father, with His glory re-establish as it was before coming to earth.

Moreover, that that, Jesus also wants to be glorified in you. He wants others to see Him through your actions, words, and the very manner in which you conduct yourself. 

Our words need to minister grace to those who hear us, and our very presence should reflect Jesus Christ to others. When people are in our presence, they should sense that there is something different about us, not just by our actions and speech, but in our whole being, characterized by graciousness because of our relationship with Jesus Christ. 

But more about that tomorrow.

The Lord in one of His final acts on the cross bowed His head and said, "O Father, the hour has come.

That perspective of glory is manifested here in all its levels through this prayer the Lord makes..

·         Glorify me in the cross that I may secure salvation for men. 

·         Glorify me in heaven, at the right hand of the father.

·         Glorify me in those who are mine. May others see me in them." 

So in His prayer, His first petition is, in a sense, for Himself—that His glory might be manifested, and revealed. 

After this part of the prayer, He now prays for the apostles, those around Him on that day.

6 I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them, the words you gave me, and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.

(John 17: 6-8)

In the opening verse here, Jesus says, "“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word." 

Here, marks the point were Jesus shifts from praying for Himself to praying for others—specifically, His inner group of apostles those disciples who have been with Him through His ministry life.

Later in verse 20 onwards He will pray for all believers from the apostles forward.

But in this section of prayer his apostles, and Jesus asks for two main things:

1.     Protection from Sin (John 17:6-15)

2.     Perfection in Service (John 17:16-19)

These requests can be summarised with the single theological word: “sanctification”. 

Jesus prays for Himself to be glorified and for the apostles to be sanctified

Jesus describes the apostle’s situation. They were in the world, but He has also taken them out of the world. He has given them the word of the Father, and they have kept and obeyed it.

He continues. “Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me, and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me”.

In verses that form the block we are looking at today, Jesus emphasizes the need for their sanctification and protection as they carry out His ongoing mission in the world.

Although these phrases may seem a little cumbersome, in the modern-day translations the Lord's message in the original language is simple: The disciples are described as being "out of the world" and having "kept His word." They now know for certain who Jesus is.

Let me pause to emphasize that we all must keep His word before we can really know Him for sure. We know him fully as he reveals himself to us in the direction our lives take as we choose to do what His word says to do.

This is the key principle in these verses. Jesus carefully states that they have kept the word, and now they know. Him It is as we keep His word and do what He says that we experience His blessings and come to truly know who He is and what He is meant to be about in our lives.

In fact, someone shared with me this past week about an incident where a person was struggling with doubts about spiritual matters. This person went to a well-known Preacher, expecting a profound answer. Instead, this famous bible teacher and theologian simply said, 

"You know it's all true because you're a Christian, and you have had experiences where the Lord revealed Himself to you." 

The man was surprised by this simple answer, but he realized it was true. This illustrates what the Lord is saying here: they know because they have kept His word, and because of that God has manifest himself in their lives through the events that will occur.

So Jesus describes the disciples and their state in the world and then makes a petition for them. He prays for them, and says 

9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

(John 17: 9-12)

Jesus requests in these verses that His disciples be kept. The problem arises in verse 12, where it says in some older translations that, "None of them is lost except the son of perdition." 

The answer lies in the Greek text, which plays on words: "None is lost except the son of loss" or "None is perishing except the son of perishing." The exception clause clearly goes with the phrase "none is lost," meaning that one of their number, Judas was lost from the beginning.

Beyond this issue about Judas in verse 12, the main point of this section is that Jesus prays for His disciples to be kept from the world. (Living in the world, but not of the word) Meaning living in the real world, out their ministering among people but not adopting any of the worlds beliefs or fallen false practices.

He argues that they should be kept because they belong to God (verses 9-10), because He is leaving (verses 11-12), and so that their joy may be fulfilled). 

He sums it up in verses 13-15, 

13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

(John 17: 13-15)

The whole point in the verses up to 15 is that Jesus prays for the disciples to be kept. They are in the world but not of the world, so they need to be kept safe while they are in it. This prayer is crucial for the apostles, for all of us in fact.

Let me pause again to say that we are to be in the world but not of it. Christians have often misunderstood this, leading some to seek isolation from the world out of fear of persecution or contamination. 

Some have even become hermits or joined monasteries and convents and cut themselves off from the world. However, Jesus is not praying for isolation; He is praying for insulation, protection from the things of the world. We are to be in the world but not of it, like a boat in water without the water getting into the boat. 

In this part of His prayer, Jesus focuses on His own 12 disciples, asking the Father to keep and sanctify them. 

A bible commentator and Church of Scotland minister called George McCloud talking about this perspective once argued rather poetically for what he called: The Cross in the Marketplace

"I simply argued that the cross be raised again at the centre of the marketplace as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles but on a cross between two thieves on a town garbage heap at the crossroads of politics so cosmopolitan that they had to write His title in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek; and at the kind of place where cynics talked, soldiers gambled, and thieves cursed. Because that is where He died, and that is what He died about. That is where Christ’s men ought to be, and that is what church people ought to be about."

This poem highlights the reality that Jesus did not die in a sacred, secluded place but in the middles of the world’s messiness and sin. This is crucial for us to understand as we consider His prayer for His disciples and how it should apply to us.

One reason we are often ineffective in reaching others for Christ is that we isolate ourselves from the world. We surround ourselves with fellow believers, creating a bubble that distances us from those who need the gospel. 

Research show that many people who become Christians within 5-10 years have no real friends outside the church. Jesus never intended for His followers to withdraw from the world. Instead, He prayed for their protection from evil while they are in it. 

He prayed for isolation not insulation

In this prayer He emphasizes their need to remain distinct and holy (set apart spiritually) while still engaging with the world. He describes them as the people he recognises as having kept God's word and now know truth of who He really is by living in this obedient manner.

Finally it says.

16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

(John 17: 16-19)

In verses 16-19, Jesus prays that His father would "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." This sanctification is not just about personal holiness but about being set apart for service. Jesus sends His disciples into the world just as the Father sent Him, implying a mission and purpose behnd their sanctification.

To sanctify means to set apart for a specific purpose. Jesus sanctified Himself for the sake of His disciples, setting the example of a life dedicated to God's service. Our sanctification involves both a separation from sin, but being set apart to do stuff and that stuff is fuelled by a commitment to serving God's purposes in the world.

True sanctification is a cooperative process involving both God and us. Jesus sends his disciples into the world, and the Father sanctifies them through His truth. Our part is to present ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This involves a daily commitment to living out His word and being His representatives in the world.

Our culture often prioritizes wealth and longevity over purpose, but Jesus' prayer reminds us that a single life fully lived for God is what truly matters. We are called to burn brightly for Christ, not rust out our time on earth in comfort and safety.

So in conclusion.

Jesus' prayer for His disciples is a powerful reminder of our calling. We are to be in the world but not of it, kept from evil and sanctified for His service. Through His word, we are equipped and set apart to fulfil His mission. Let us commit to living lives that reflect His glory, engage with the world, and remain fully dedicated to His purposes.

So, Jesus has prayed for Himself (Yesterday).

Then he prayed for his apostles. (Today)

Finally he will pray for what he calls his disciples, meaning anyone and everyone who subsequently becomes a follower of Him.

And that means he prayed for you and I also, in this prayer.

We will look at that tomorrow.