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Book: John
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John 17:20
I. "Neither pray I for these alone"
A. The prayer now moves into the third phase.
1. He began the prayer talking to the Father about their
relationship and asking the Father to glorify Him.
2. He then moved into His requests for the disciples.
3. This portion of the prayer is where we come into
remembrance.
B. "On them also which shall believe on Me through their word."
1. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are included
in this portion of the prayer.
2. It is always comforting for me to know that Jesus is
praying for me.
a. Isa. 53:12 prophetically declares, "He made
intercession for the transgressors." The direct
reference is to His prayer, "Father forgive
them for they know not what they do." I feel
that it can be carried on beyond the immediate
context.
HEB 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into
the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [our]
profession.
HEB 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the
feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as
[we are, yet] without sin.
HEB 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come
unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for
them.
HEB 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands,
[which are] the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now
to appear in the presence of God for us.
1JO 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin
not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate,
Christ the righteous:
b. Romans 8:34 "Who is he that condemneth? It is
Christ who has died, ye rather is risen again
and is even at the right hand of the Father
making intercession for us.
II. What is Jesus praying for us?
A. That we all may be one.
1. With people being as diverse as they are, that is a big
order.
a. We seem to have differing opinions on so many
issues.
b. It is a tragedy that one of the earmarks of the
church through the centuries is the divisions.
c. He is not asking that we all have the same
doctrinal position on every issue.
d. He is not requesting that we agree on every
point.
e. I believe that there is room for divergence of
opinions and practices in the church.
f. I don't insist that all believe just as I
believe, or worship as I am comfortable in
worshipping.
g. I won't try to push my ways on them if they
won't try to push their ways on me.
h. There are pastors that have taken issue with
our seeking to forgive and restore David
Hocking, they have voiced their opinions on the
subject, some rather vehemently.
i. They don't have to agree with me, but they have
to love me, that is the command of the Lord.
j. I do not have to agree with them, but I have to
love them.
2. Chuck Swindol does not agree with us on the David
Hocking issue, yet we remain good brothers in Christ.
That is the way it should be. He has chosen not to
participate in the Harvest Crusade, that is his
prerogative, and we should not judge him for it or
think any less of the marvelous ministry that God has
given to him.
a. Let us allow others their feelings and
opinions.
b. But let us be one. Let's not become divisive,
for then we are going against the prayer of our
Lord.
B. This oneness for which Jesus is praying is likened unto the
oneness between the Father and the Son. "As You Father are in
Me, and I in You, that they might be one in Us."
1. Jesus in verse 11 prayed for His disciples that they
may be one, Jesus said, "As we are."
2. Jesus said in John 14:20 "At that day, ye shall know
that I am in the Father, any you are in Me, and I am in
you."
3. Paul tells us that "God was in Christ, reconciling the
world to Himself. "II Cor 5:19
4. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God and the Word was God, the same was in the beginning
with God."
5. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, and after
our likeness."
6. Paul warned the Galatians against biting and devouring
one another thus consuming one another.
7. Our real enemy is not another believer in Jesus Christ,
no matter how weird their doctrinal position may be.
a. We are not to threaten to shoot them or wish
them in hell.
b. We are not to wish evil upon them, or their
families.
c. We are to pray for them that are spiteful to
us.
8. Satan must have a field day when the church starts
aiming their guns at each other.
C. Jesus continued, "That the world may believe that You have sent
Me."
1. We should ever be conscious about our witness to the
world.
2. When the prophet Nathan rebuked David for his sin with
Bathsheba, he declared, "For you have given the enemies
of the Lord great cause to blaspheme."
3. We are witnesses, whether we like it or not, the
question what kind of a witness am I?
a. Are others convinced of the truth of the gospel
by the way I live?
b. Or are they prone to doubt the gospel, and
blaspheme by the things I do?
4. Jesus in 13:35 declared, "By this shall men know that
you are My disciples, that you love one another."
a. Again the issue is the witness to the world.
"Shall men know."
b. If we do not love another, what does that
witness.
c. According to John it witnesses that we are
liars. IJoh. 4:20, "If a man say that he loves
God and hates his brother, he is a liar."
d. To the world it says that there is nothing to
Christianity.
D. "The glory that You have given to Me, I have given to them,
that they may be one, even as we are one."
1. What glory it is to be a Son of God. This glory was
given to us by Jesus Christ.
a. As many as received Him to them gave He the
power to become the sons of God, even to those
who believed on His name.
b. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it
does not yet appear what we shall be, but we
know that when He appears, we shall be like Him
for we shall see Him as He is."
2. What glory it is to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
This is also given to us by Jesus Christ.
a. And I will pray the Father and He will give you
another comforter, even the Spirit of truth
which the world seeth not.
b. And He breathed on them and said, "Receive the
Holy Spirit."
c. Peter on the day of pentecost declared to the
people that Jesus had ascended into heaven, and
being by the right hand of God exalted, and
having received from the Father the promise of
the Holy Spirit, has shed forth this which you
now see and hear.
3. Again the purpose of giving us this glory is to make us
one.
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