John
© copyright 2008 Darroll Evans, all
rights reserved
Chapter 17
What we
normally call “The Lord’s Prayer is a sample prayer. This Chapter is the true
Lord’s actual Prayer!
John 17:1-5
1 These words spake Jesus, and
lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the
hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should
give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work
which thou gavest me to do.
5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine
own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
Jesus looked up into heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come!
“Glorify Your Son so that Your Son
may glorify You!
“You have given Him authority (Gr.
exousia-ἐξουσία) over all flesh so that He may give everlasting
life to those You have given Him.
“An intimate relationship with {You} the only true God and Jesus Christ whom You
sent is everlasting life!
“I glorified You
in the earth!
“I finished the work You gave Me to do!
“Now, Father, glorify Me with Yourself with the glory which We had prior to
creation!”
To me, it is interesting that
Christ Jesus speaks in the third person.
That may reflect the Son of Man speaking about the Son of God! Christ
Jesus was both man and God!
John 17:6-10
6 I have manifested thy name
unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest
them me; and they have kept thy word.
7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast
given me are of thee.
8 For I
have given unto them the words which thou gavest me;
and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from
thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which
thou hast given me; for they are thine.
10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am
glorified in them.
Christ went on to say, “I have
revealed You to those which You gave Me!
“They were Yours,
and You gave them to Me!
“They kept Your
word!
“Now they known all things I have
was given by You!
“I gave them the very words You gave Me!
“And, they accepted them!
“They assuredly know that I came
from You, and they have fully trusted that You sent
Me!
“I pray for them!
“I pray not for the world, but for
them, which You gave Me, because they are Yours!
“All of mine is Yours,
and Yours are Mine!
“I am glorified in them.”
This section of the Lord’s prayer
needs great understanding. It is the way
the Good News works!
The truths taught in this section are not widely taught in
Churches today!
Christ Jesus is now at the right hand of the Father
interceding for those who are now calling on His name! He does not intercede in
vain, because “Love never fails” (1 Cor. 13:8a).
John 17:11-16
11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world,
and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine
own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name:
those that thou gavest me I have kept,
and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be
fulfilled.
13 And now come I to thee; and these
things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in
themselves.
14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them,
because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15 I pray not that thou shouldest take
them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep
them from the evil.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Christ continued in prayer, “And
while now I am no more in this world, these [those You
gave me] are in the world, and I come to You!”
“Holy Father, keep those You gave Me through Your own name so that they may be
united, as we!”
“While I was with them in the world,
I kept them in Your name!
“I kept those You
gave Me, losing none, except the son of perdition so that the scripture may be
fulfilled.
“Now, I am coming to You and I speak this in the world so that they may have My
joy fulfilled in them!
“I have given them Your Word!
“The world hates them, because they
are not of the world!
“I am also not of the world!
“I do not pray not that You should take them out of the world, but that You should
keep them from the evil one!
“They are not of the world, as I am
not of the world!”
You will notice that in verse 15,
Christ does not pray that His followers may be taken out of harm’s way, but instead
that they may be kept safe in the midst of evil!
Paul expressed the same thought!
1 Cor 5:9-10
9 I wrote unto you in an epistle
not to company with fornicators:
10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or
with the covetous, or extortioners, or with
idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
John 17:17-19
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As
thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might
be sanctified through the truth.
Christ Jesus prayed that the Father would, “Sanctify them through Your truth!”
Then he said something that few understand!
As part of His prayer, Christ said, “Your Word is Truth.”
He is Truth!
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word
was God.
He is Truth!
John
14:6 Jesus saith
unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
He is Truth!
Christ continued, “As You sent Me
into the world, I send them! And, for their
sakes I sanctify Myself so that they may be sanctified
through the Truth!”
As Christians, we are sanctified through Christ Jesus!
He is the truth!
Therefore, we are sanctified through
the Truth, Christ Jesus!
John 17:20-26
20 Neither pray I for these
alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and
I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that
thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me
I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in
one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them,
as thou hast loved me.
24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be
with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me:
for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the
world.
25 O righteous Father,
the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that
thou hast sent me.
26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it:
that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
Christ Jesus did not limit His
prayer!
He said, “Neither
do I pray for only these, but I also pray for those who shall believe on Me through their word!”
Christ Jesus, the Son of God, prayed
for you personally!
Then He explained why he prayed for
us all, “That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me,
and I in You so that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that
You sent Me!”
Then Christ Jesus blessed us, “And,
the glory which You gave Me I have given them so that
they may be one, as We are One!”
Christ proclaimed, “I in them, and You in Me so that they may be made perfect (Gr.
teleioō- τελειόω) [complete] in One, and that the
world may know that You sent Me, and have loved them, as You loved Me.”
Did you know that God the Father
loves each of his “born again” children with the same love that He loves His
Only Begotten Son?
We are complete in Christ!
However, that does not mean that we
have, as some teach, learned all things about all things!
Being complete in Christ is a
responsibility!
Then, Christ said, “Father, My desire is that those, whom You
have given Me, may be with Me to perceive the glory, which You gave Me, because
before the foundation of the world, You loved Me!”
We
shall be with Christ when we fully perceive the glory of the Father!
Again,
we go back to the opening of this gospel:
John 1:1-2
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
“O righteous Father, the world has not known You, but I have
known You, and these [with Me] have known that
You sent Me, and I have affirmed Your name to
them, and will affirm it so that
the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them!”
That
is the purpose of Christ’s coming!
Christ
affirmed God’s love, and through the Church is now affirming that love!