Those Who Will Believe In Me

John 17:18-21 – As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

1 Corinthians 1:2-3 – To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Application:

• ·         Jesus died on the cross not only to save us but also to consecrate us to God’s service.
• ·         “Sanctified in Christ Jesus” means consecrated to the service of God through Christ’s saving action in their lives—as Jesus had “sanctified” Himself.
• ·         Jesus was confident that His followers would spread the gospel, and He prayed for those who would believe as a result.
• ·         We may long for heaven, but it is on earth that our work is done.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

World

John 17:8,18,20-23 – 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…As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world…“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Application:

• ·         We may long for heaven, but it is on earth that our work is done.
• ·         Three things about the disciples are mentioned: (1) They accepted the teaching. (2) They knew with certainty Jesus’ divine origin. Acceptance of that revelation led them further into truth. (3) They believed.
• ·         The unity of believers should have an effect on outsiders, to convince them of the mission of Christ.
• ·         There are two indwellings here: that of the Son in believers and that of the Father in the Son.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Sanctify

John 17:14,16-17,19 – 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…They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth…For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

1 Kings 17:24 – Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”

1 Corinthians 1:2-3 – To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 8:31-32 – To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Application:

• ·         “The world” is the world that is hostile to God and God’s people.
• ·         The widow had addressed Elijah as a man of God previously, but now she knew in a much more experiential way that he truly was a prophet of the Lord.
• ·         Jesus died on the cross not only to save us but also to consecrate us to God’s service.
• ·         “Sanctified in Christ Jesus” means consecrated to the service of God through Christ’s saving action in their lives—as Jesus had “sanctified” Himself.
• ·         Such consecration to God’s service marks them as “holy” and requires that they be morally “holy”.
• ·         “Free” means freedom from sin, not from ignorance.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Not That You Take Them Out Of The World

John 17:15,18 – My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one…As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

Matthew 6:13 – And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

Application:

• ·         “The evil one” is Satan, who is especially active in the world, making God’s protection indispensable.
• ·         We may long for heaven, but it is on earth that our work is done.
• ·         God does not tempt.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

My Joy

John 17:11,13-14 – 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… “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. 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.

John 15:11 – I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

John 1:12-13 – Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Application:

• ·         The name suggests both remoteness and nearness; God is both awe-inspiring and loving.
• ·         The Christian way is never dreary, for Jesus desires His disciples’ joy to be complete.
• ·         “The world” is the world that is hostile to God and God’s people.
• ·         Membership in God’s family is by grace alone—the gift of God.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

I Protected Them

John 17:12 – 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 6:39 – And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

1 Peter 1:3-5 – Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Application:

• ·         Christ’s power is adequate for every need.
• ·         True believers will persevere because of Christ’s firm hold on them.
• ·         Christians are never kept contrary to their will nor apart from God’s activity.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Protect Them By The Power Of Your Name

John 17:9-11,20-23 – I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 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…“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

John 10:30 – I and the Father are one.

1 Peter 1:15-16 – But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Leviticus 11:44 – I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground.

1 Samuel 17:45 – David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

Psalm 5:11 – But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

Ezekiel 20:9 – But for the sake of my name, I brought them out of Egypt. I did it to keep my name from being profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they lived and in whose sight I had revealed myself to the Israelites.

Application:

• ·         The unity of believers should have an effect on outsiders, to convince them of the mission of Christ.
• ·         There are two indwellings here: that of the Son in believers and that of the Father in the Son.
• ·         The name suggests both remoteness and nearness; God is both awe-inspiring and loving.
• ·         The unity is to be like that between the Father and the Son.
• ·         To be holy is to be set apart—separated from sin and impurity and set apart to God.
• ·         Because of who God is and what He has done, His people must dedicate themselves fully to Him.
• ·         David strength was his reliance on the Lord.
• ·         Both the “love” and the “fear” that belong alone to God are similarly directed toward His name.
• ·         God’s name is His identity and reputation—that by which He is known.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

They Believed That You Sent Me

John 17:7-8,1418,20-23 – 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…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…As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world…“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

John 1:7,12-13 – He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe…Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

John 20:31 – But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Application:

• ·         Three things about the disciples are mentioned: (1) They accepted the teaching. (2) They knew with certainty Jesus’ divine origin. Acceptance of that revelation led them further into truth. (3) They believed.
• ·         “The world” is the world that is hostile to God and God’s people.
• ·         We may long for heaven, but it is on earth that our work is done.
• ·         Jesus’ prayer is a rebuke of the groundless and often bitter divisions among believers.
• ·         There are two indwellings here: that of the Son in believers and that of the Father in the Son.
• ·         John the Baptist’s singular ministry was to testify about Jesus.
• ·         Membership in God’s family is by grace alone—the gift of God.
• ·         Faith has content.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

I Have Revealed You

John 17:4-6,14 – I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. “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…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.

John 4:34 – “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

John 1:18 – No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

John 14:13 – And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Application:

• ·         John often mentions that Jesus depended on the Father and did the work the Father sent Him to do.
• ·         “The world” is the world that is hostile to God and God’s people.
• ·         Since no human being can see God as He really is, those who saw God saw Him in a form He took upon Himself temporarily for the occasion.
• ·         “In my name” is not simply prayer that mentions Jesus’ name but prayer in accordance with all that the person who bears the name is.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Sent

John 17:3,8,18,20-23 – Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent…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…As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world…“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Philippians 3:8-9 – What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

John 4:34 – “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

Application:

• ·         What Paul now has as a Christian is not merely preferable or a better alternative; in contrast, his former way of life was worthless and despicable.
• ·         Three things about the disciples are mentioned: (1) They accepted the teaching. (2) They knew with certainty Jesus’ divine origin. Acceptance of that revelation led them further into truth. (3) They believed.
• ·         We may long for heaven, but it is on earth that our work is done.
• ·         Jesus’ prayer is a rebuke of the groundless and often bitter divisions among believers.
• ·         There are two indwellings here: that of the Son in believers and that of the Father in the Son.
• ·         John often mentions that Jesus depended on the Father and did the work the Father sent Him to do.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Those You Have Given Him

John 17:1-2,8,11-12,14 – After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him…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…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. 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…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.

John 6:37,39,44 – All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away…And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day…“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.

Application:

• ·         God’s action, not ours, is primary in salvation, and Christ’s mercy is unfailing.
• ·         True believers will persevere because of Christ’s firm hold on them.
• ·         Three things about the disciples are mentioned: (1) They accepted the teaching. (2) They knew with certainty Jesus’ divine origin. Acceptance of that revelation led them further into truth. (3) They believed.
• ·         The latter part of the prayer strongly emphasizes unity.
• ·         Christ’s power is adequate for every need.
• ·         “The world” is the world that is hostile to God and God’s people.
• ·         People do not come to Christ strictly on their own initiative; the Father draws them.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Overcome

John 16:33 – “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 15:21 – They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.

1 John 5:3-4 – In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

Revelation 2:7 – Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Application:

• ·         In its greetings of peace the world can only express a longing or wish.
• ·         Because Christians do not belong to the world, persecution from the world is inevitable.
• ·         To overcome the world is to gain victory over its sinful pattern of life, which is another way of describing obedience to God.
• ·         “Paradise” was originally a Persian word for a pleasure garden.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

You Will Be Scattered

John 16:2,31-32 – They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God…“Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

Zechariah 13:7 – “Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!” declares the Lord Almighty. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones.

Application:

• ·         The disciples had faith, but not enough to stand firm in the face of disaster.
• ·         Religious people have often persecuted others in the strong conviction that they were doing God’s will.
• ·         “My shepherd” was the royal Good Shepherd.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Believe That You Came From God

John 16:8-11,27-30 – When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned…No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”

1 Kings 17:24 – Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”

John 1:7 – He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.

John 4:34 – “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

John 17:8 – 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.

Application:

• ·         “About righteousness” was the righteousness brought about by Christ’s sacrificial death.
• ·         The widow had addressed Elijah as a man of God previously, but now she knew in a much more experiential way that he truly was a prophet of the Lord.
• ·         Christ is explaining why the disciples can come directly to the Father in prayer: They have loved and trusted in Jesus, and in love God will hear their requests in Jesus’ name.
• ·         John the Baptist’s singular ministry was to testify about Jesus.
• ·         John often mentions that Jesus depended on the Father and did the work the Father sent Him to do.
• ·         Three things about the disciples are mentioned: (1) They accepted the teaching. (2) They knew with certainty Jesus’ divine origin. Acceptance of that revelation led them further into truth. (3) They believed.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

In My Name

John 16:26-27 – In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

John 14:13,21,23 – And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son…Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”… Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.

Romans 8:34 – Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Application:

• ·         It is prayer aimed at carrying forward the work Jesus did—prayer that He Himself will answer.
• ·         Paul gives three reasons why no one can condemn God’s elect: (1) Christ died for us; (2) Christ is alive and seated at the right hand of God, the position of power; (3) Christ is interceding for us.
• ·         Christ is explaining why the disciples can come directly to the Father in prayer: They have loved and trusted in Jesus, and in love God will hear their requests in Jesus’ name.
• ·         Love for Christ and keeping His commands cannot be separated.
• ·         Love and obedience are linked.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Your Joy

John 16:2,24-25 – They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God…Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father.

Matthew 7:7 – “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

John 15:11 – I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Application:

• ·         Persistent prayer is being emphasized.
• ·         The Christian way is never dreary, for Jesus desires His disciples’ joy to be complete.
• ·         Religious people have often persecuted others in the strong conviction that they were doing God’s will.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

You Will No Longer Ask Me Anything

John 16:23,27 – In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name…No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

Matthew 7:7 – “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

John 14:13 – And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Application:

• ·         Persistent prayer is being emphasized.
• ·         Christ is explaining why the disciples can come directly to the Father in prayer: They have loved and trusted in Jesus, and in love God will hear their requests in Jesus’ name.
• ·         It is prayer aimed at carrying forward the work Jesus did—prayer that He Himself will answer.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Going To The Father

John 16:8-11,17-22 – When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned…At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.” Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

Isaiah 26:19 – But your dead will live, Lord; their bodies will rise—let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy—your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.

John 15:11 – I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Application:

• ·         “About righteousness” was the righteousness brought about by Christ’s sacrificial death.
• ·         “Dew” was a symbol of fruitfulness.
• ·         The Christian way is never dreary, for Jesus desires His disciples’ joy to be complete.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV