IN THE UPPER ROOM WITH JESUS (26)

 

JESUS’ HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER (2)

The Preparation of the Apostles Is Complete

John 17:6-10

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   John 17 contains a prayer of Jesus. 

 

B.   These are the last words of Jesus before He exits the upper room and proceeds to the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His arrest and execution.

 

C.   He had been speaking to His apostles, but now His attention is turned heavenward.  In the opening section of the prayer, Jesus prays for His glorification (John 17:5).

 

And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

 

D.   In verses 6 -10, Jesus notes:  “The Preparation of the Apostles Is Complete.”

1.    They have known (v. 7).

2.    They have kept thy word (v. 7).

3.    They have received (v. 8).

4.    They have known surely (v. 8).

5.    They have believed (v. 8).

6.    I am glorified in them (v. 10).

 

E.   In this section, Jesus reveals several things that He did in order to prepare these men for their upcoming mission.

 

I.             THE WORK OF MANIFESTATION (John 17:6)

 

A.   Jesus’ Guidance (John 17:6)

 

I have manifested thy name unto the men…

 

1.    Manifested

a.    Strong (5319):  to render apparent

b.    Thayer:  to make visible or known what has been hidden or unknown whether by words or by deeds, or in any other way…to expose to view, to be plainly recognized, thoroughly understood regarding who and what one is

c.    Vine:  to make visible, clear

2.    Jesus said He had manifested God’s “name” to the disciples.

a.    The name involves all there is about an individual.

b.    Jesus illuminated the divine nature to the apostles.

1)    John 1:14

 

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

 

2)    John 14:9b

 

…he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

 

c.    Jesus’ words, deeds, character, and interactions all showed the Father to the disciples.  They had plainly seen the Father through Jesus’ life.

 

B.   God’s Gift

 

…which thou gavest me out of the world:  thine they were, and thou gavest them me…

 

1.    These men were not just any men.  They were God’s gift to the Christ.

2.    The night before Jesus selected His apostles, He spent all night in prayer (Luke 6:12-13).

 

And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples:  and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles.

 

a.    These men had been called out of the world to follow Jesus (See Matt. 4:18-22).

b.    Jesus chose the men, but He sincerely believed that they were God’s answer to His prayer.  “…thine they were, and thou gavest me them…”

 

C.   Jesus’ Guarantee 

 

…and they have kept thy word.

 

1.    The information Jesus communicated to the disciples was not misunderstood or ignored or denied.

2.    Jesus said “they have kept thy word.”

a.    One definition of the word “kept” is “to observe.”

b.    Another definition of the word “kept” is “to guard, to take care of.”

3.    The apostles laid up the word of God in their hearts with the seriousness the words demanded.  They were fully aware of their responsibility to Jesus’ words.

 

II.           THE WORK OF REVELATION (John 17:7)

 

Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

 

A.   When Jesus came to earth God laid many things upon Him due to His role as the Savior of mankind and the Anointed One.

1.    A group of teachings, doctrines, or commandments (John 6:68)

2.    Power and authority (Matt. 28:20)

3.    A position as the Messiah (John 1:41, 45)

4.    A mission (Luke 19:10)

5.    Miraculous abilities (John 3:2)

 

B.   These apostles were fully convinced regarding everything that God had bestowed upon Jesus.

1.    His teachings were controversial.

2.    His power challenged the authority of the Jewish leaders.

3.    His position was misunderstood by the Jews and might be misunderstood to be in contrast to the rule of Rome.

4.    His mission was something only God could do, that is, forgive sins.

5.    His miraculous abilities were attributed to Satan.

6.    NOTE:  In all of the apostles were convinced and believed all of these things about the Christ.

 

III.         THE WORK OF INSTRUCTION (John 17:8)

 

A.   Jesus’ Grounding

 

For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me…

 

1.    Jesus’ teaching and mission did not originate within Himself (John 12:49).

 

For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

 

2.    The words Jesus received from the Father, He accurately and completely revealed to His ambassadors.

 

B.   Jesus’ Guarantee

 

…and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

 

1.    Again, this was a lot to believe.

a.    Jesus’s parents were known by all.

b.    Jesus was born in the little town of Nazareth.

c.    Jesus was the child of a carpenter.

d.    Jesus was a carpenter Himself.

2.    To affirm that Jesus came from God and that God sent Him into the world was a bold claim.

3.    These men received the teaching.  Jesus said they knew surely.  Too, they believed. 

4.    NOTE:

a.    It would not be long before their beliefs would be put to the test.

b.    If they did not truly believe, they would not follow through with faithful actio

c.    In other words, the things we truly believe we do.  The things we do not truly believe, we do not do.

 

IV.         THE WORK OF SUPPLICATION (John 17:9)

 

I pray for them:  I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

 

A.   Jesus took the names of these men before the Father’s throne in prayer.

1.    He understood the magnitude of their mission.

2.    He understood the frailty of the flesh.

3.    He understood the unbelief of the world.

4.    He understood the evil nature of Satan.

5.    He understood the power of God.

 

B.   These men needed strength, courage, wisdom, endurance, and doors of opportunity.  God could assist in providing all of these things to the apostles.

 

C.   Jesus knew they had a special place in the heart of God.  He affirmed:  “…for they are thine.”

 

D.   LESSON:  Jesus believed in the power of prayer to bring divine assistance to His followers.  We should manifest the same belief that our Lord had.

 

V.           THE WORK OF SOLIDIFICATION (John 17:10)

 

A.   The Divine Guild

 

And all mine are thine, and thine are mine…

 

1.    All of Jesus’ instruction was designed build a coalition with these men.

a.    They received, understood, believed, and kept the sayings Jesus gave them.

b.    This would put them in fellowship with the Father and Son.

c.    2 John 9

 

 …He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

 

B.   The Divine Goal

 

…and I am glorified in them.

 

1.    If these men were properly trained, the ultimate goal for them would be to glorify the Christ.

2.    There were several ways these men would glorify Jesus Christ.

a.    They would glorify Him by living for Him.

b.    They would glorify Him by teaching about Him.

c.    They would glorify Him by suffering for Him.

d.    They would glorify Him by dying for Him.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.   It is interesting to listen to Jesus pray.

1.    He boldly makes a request of His Father in the first five verses.

2.    He candidly discusses how He has trained the disciples in the five verses of this lesson.

 

B.   Jesus spoke openly and frankly to His Father.  We should too (Heb. 4:16).

 

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

 

C.   Two questions:

1.    Do our lives truly reflect the things that we say we believe?

2.    Do our lives seek to glorify Jesus Christ?

3.    If we answered, “No,” to one or both of these questions, we need to examine whether we are truly in fellowship with the Father and Son.