Come, Know Jesus Who Is Consistently Praying for Us!

[0:00] Please take your Bibles and go to John's Gospel, John 17, John 17. If you're visiting with us or you left your cell phone at home, you can pull that black Bible out in the chair in front of you.

[0:17] And then go to the back of that Bible. Excuse me, you'll find, to find page 87, page 87 of that black Bible. John 17, John 17, page 87 in that black Bible.

[0:32] John 17, and this morning we're gonna study verses 9 through 19, verses 9 through 19 of John 17. This is the Lord's prayer, our Lord praying.

[0:45] He prays for the disciples, yet we'll also actually see, he'll be praying for us as we embark on this journey in verses 9 through 19. Let's see what God has to say to us this morning.

[0:58] Jesus continues, I ask concerning them, I ask not concerning the world, but those whom you gave me. They are yours and all things that are mine are yours and yours are mine, and I've been glorified in them.

[1:15] And no longer I am in the world, yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you gave me, that they may be one even as we.

[1:31] Verse 12. When I was with them, I was keeping them in your name, which you gave me. And I guarded, and not one of them was destroyed, but the son of destruction, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled.

[1:44] But now I come to you, and these things I speak in the world, in order that they may have my joy made full in themselves. I've given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they're not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

[2:03] I ask not to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. Verse 16. They're not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Consecrate them in the truth.

[2:15] Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And on their behalf, I sanctified myself, that they themselves also may be set apart in truth.

[2:37] Imagine, if you will, a queen, who was willing to go to the king, uninvited, to speak and intercede on behalf of the people for a significant life or death situation.

[2:59] Imagine that. And imagine if you were one of those people, on death row, how would you feel about that queen?

[3:11] Wouldn't you be so grateful that she would intercede for you in that way? Wouldn't you be so grateful that she would plead for you in that way? To the king, uninvited, her life was on the line.

[3:24] She was putting her life on the line for you. that's what Esther did on behalf of the Jews.

[3:35] In Esther chapter 4, verse 15 into chapter 5. Because you were not allowed to go into the king's chambers uninvited. And she went in. And she interceded for the Jewish people on behalf of the Jews.

[3:52] So, how much greater does Jesus, God the Son, who is the fullest expression of the Father's love for His people, speak and intercede for us before the Father who's not angry with you, who doesn't want you to come into His presence?

[4:16] No, as a matter of fact, He loves you. Imagine that. And that's what we see from our texts. The Father loves us and Jesus intercedes for us.

[4:29] The Father loves us because we trust His Son. And Jesus intercedes for us because we're His people. Come know Jesus. We've seen this in John's Gospel.

[4:40] And if you're here and you don't know Jesus, you should come know Jesus. Trust Him for the first time. But for us as Christians, come know Jesus means we come to know Him in deeper, fuller ways.

[4:52] We come to know Him in a more personal, intimate way. And today we'll see we come know Jesus, the one who is constantly, consistently praying for us.

[5:03] He is consistently, He's constantly interceding for us. That's what we'll see in verses 9 through 19. Come know Jesus who is consistently praying for us.

[5:20] Here's a statement for you. Consistently praying for us. Jesus prayed for His 11 disciples. And as He prayed for them, we can see, we will see that He was also praying for us, His other disciples.

[5:41] In verses 9 through 19, Jesus prays for His 11 disciples, these ones. And as we work through this text, you will see that He also was actually praying for us.

[5:54] You'll be able to pull these principles out and apply that to us and know that Jesus is praying for us in the very same way. So Jesus prayed for His 11 disciples and as He prayed for them, we can see that He was also praying for us, His other disciples.

[6:13] Here's another way we can put it. We take comfort and have the confidence in the fact that Jesus prays consistently for us as His people and our Holy Father hears Him.

[6:28] He hears Him. In this Lord's Prayer, Jesus prayed that His mission would glorify the Father and also prayed that as a result of His mission, His followers would be preserved from evil.

[6:46] They would see His glory. They share in the Trinitarian love and imitate that same love toward other Jesus followers. In short, Jesus prayed for His glory, for His disciples, and for the church, or to be very specific, for us as a local church body.

[7:05] Jesus completed the work the Father gave Him and then prayed for its fulfillment, the continuation of it being fulfilled through these 11 disciples and then all future disciples.

[7:18] Jesus consecrated us to God so that we would give them glory, we would trust in their protection, provision, and plan, share in their joyful love, and accomplish their mission for us to the world.

[7:30] I'm summing up this Lord's Prayer for you. So God's mission was consecrated to be our mission as Christ's body and it will never fail.

[7:42] Why? Because it's sanctioned by the Trinitarian God. How will it give and fail? It's not gonna fail. God's ultimate purpose is His glory and this glory is primarily and ultimately revealed in the Son's identity and mission, Jesus' person and work.

[7:58] So remember, I said this last week and actually said this in weeks prior, that most of these verses speak primarily to the 11 disciples and yet you'll see how these principles, especially what we're gonna see here in verses 9 through 19, they carry over to all of Jesus' disciples.

[8:19] So first, I'm gonna have it connected to the 11 disciples but then you can also take this and apply this to yourself as well. Notice how it begins verse 9.

[8:32] I ask not concerning, excuse me, I ask concerning them, I ask not concerning the world. Jesus prayed for His disciples, not the world. He doesn't pray for the world.

[8:46] There's a sharp contrast and that's been seen throughout John's gospel between God's own versus the world. And yet though, there's a sharp contrast of separation.

[9:00] We're actually called to go and call people to join us. We're actually called to go to the world and call the world to join us. We'll see that in a moment.

[9:13] Jesus asked that the Father's mission work would be finalized by them, setting these disciples apart for God's plan and purpose. I ask concerning them, I ask not concerning the world.

[9:25] Now, three questions arise from the text. I think we had the questions last week too, or the week before. Three questions will arise from the text and we'll answer those questions today. Question number one we ask, why did Jesus pray for them?

[9:41] Why did Jesus pray for them? Here's the first reason. Jesus begins it here. He says, they belong to the Father, those whom you've given to me for they are yours. Why does Jesus pray for you, Christian?

[9:57] Because you belong to the Father. The first grounds of his request, they already belong to the Father. They were not of the world. Jesus said this in verse six.

[10:12] I revealed your name to the ones whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours. You gave them to me. Jesus prays for us because we're from the Father.

[10:28] We belong to the Father. So first reason, why does Jesus pray for them? Why does Jesus pray for us? First, because they belong to the Father. Here's the second reason.

[10:39] They belong to the Son. Verse nine, I ask concerning them, I ask not concerning the world, but those whom you gave me. For they were yours.

[10:53] And look at what he says here in verse 10. And all things that are mine are yours, and yours are mine. Since that's the case, that they were the fathers.

[11:05] And then because all that belongs to Jesus belongs to the Father, and all things that are the fathers are Jesus, they also belong to Jesus. Why does Jesus pray for you?

[11:17] You belong to the Father, you belong to Him. That's why. You have a relationship with the Father, you have a relationship with the Son. That's why Jesus prays for you. Interceding for you.

[11:31] Pleading now before the throne, as we say. And it's not a transfer, by the way. It's a transfer from this to this. No. It's access to the Father through Jesus because only a Jesus disciple can have relationship with the Father.

[11:50] Because you have a relationship with the Son. And oh, the Father loves His Son. So if you have the Son, then that one has all that belongs to the Father too.

[12:03] That's why He says that in verse 10. All things are mine, mine are yours, yours are mine. This relationship we have with the Godhead, this relationship with the Godhead is a relationship of love, faith, obedience, intimacy, dependence, joy, peace, blessing, and fruitfulness in God's mission.

[12:35] This is what binds us together as one, as the body, because we have this as His people. This is what it means to have a relationship with the Godhead. These words.

[12:47] There's love, faith, obedience, intimacy, dependence, joy, peace, blessing, fruitfulness. It's not guilt, dreariness, depression, destruction.

[13:04] It's none of those things. It's just the opposite. Do you want a relationship with the living God? Do you want a relationship with the living God?

[13:16] God, this is the heart of the gospel. Turn from your sin and trust Christ. This is the relationship you would have with God. This is what it would consist of.

[13:27] This relationship, this type of belief, this type of union with the Father, of believing in Jesus and trusting Jesus. You would say, Jesus, I believe you died for my sin in my place.

[13:41] I turn from sin. I trust in you. You have relationship with the Father and with the Son. Don't you want that? Come. So, why does Jesus intercede for us?

[13:55] Why does He pray for us? We belong to the Father. We belong to Jesus. Here's the third reason. They, we, they glorified the Son. Look at verse 10. All things are yours or mine.

[14:07] And, excuse me, all things are mine and yours are mine. Last part. And I have been glorified in them, in the disciples, that is. God gets all the glory by the work He accomplishes in Jesus' disciples, even us, as His church, as His body.

[14:26] We glorify God when we bear His name and participate in His mission. Jesus, Jesus bore the Father's name, giving Him glory by revealing the Father to these disciples.

[14:43] And Jesus' disciples, they manifest God's glory as they also bear the Father's name and also as they accomplish His mission. So, they glorify the Son.

[14:55] We glorify the Son as we bear His name to others. We belong to the Father, belong to the Son, glorify the Son. Here's a fourth reason. He was going to the Father, verse 11, and even verse 13.

[15:11] Verse 11, He says, and I no longer am in the world, they themselves are in the world, and I come to you. Verse 13, but now I come to you.

[15:24] Jesus was about to go back to the Father, but His disciples remained in the world. They were not of the world. These 11 would have to face the world without Jesus' physical help.

[15:39] We face the world. We don't have the physical presence of Jesus here, but we have the Spirit, so He's praying. I'm going to pray for them because, Father, I'm going back to you.

[15:50] He's going to the Father. And now they're going to need the Spirit to help them through this. So, they belong to Jesus.

[16:00] Excuse me, they belong to the Father. They belong to Jesus. They glorify the Son. He was going to the Father. Here's the fifth reason, five reasons. They're not of the world. They're not of the world, and the world hates them like they hate Jesus.

[16:18] Look at verse 14. I've given them your word. We'll look at that later. Notice the next part. And the world has hated them because they're not of the world just as I am not of the world.

[16:31] They were chosen out of the world and were revealed to the Father. And they obeyed that word, aligning themselves to the Father by aligning themselves to Jesus.

[16:42] That's the same thing with us, right? Same thing happened with us. We were chosen out of the world. And we were revealed to the Father and then we obeyed the word, aligning ourselves to the Father by aligning ourselves to Jesus.

[16:57] and because of this, the world hates you. The world hates you. We're not of the world.

[17:10] Because they, we, because they committed their allegiance to Jesus as God's message, the gospel, the world hates them just like it hated God, hates Jesus.

[17:22] Or, because we committed our allegiance to Jesus as God's message, the gospel, the world hates us just like it hates Jesus.

[17:35] Put it that way. The vast majority of the world will hate us. That's just a fact. the disciples, disciples of Jesus are so connected and intertwined with the Father and the Son that they are foreigners in the world, foreigners to the world, just like Jesus.

[18:04] Look at verse 16. He repeats this. They're not of the world just as I am not of the world. He repeats this. It forms an inclusio. We're not of the world. We're unique as Jesus' disciples.

[18:15] This is why Jesus prays for us. We belong to the Father. Belong to Jesus. Glorify Jesus. He was going to the Father. We need the help from the Spirit and then we're not of the world.

[18:28] This is why. This is why Jesus prays for us. Now, second question. How did Jesus care for them? How did Jesus care for us? Five ways here too.

[18:42] How did Jesus care for his disciples? How does Jesus care for us? Here's the first way. He kept them. Look at verse 12. When I was with them, I kept them in your name which you gave me.

[18:57] Jesus kept these men in the Father's name. That is, in the revelation of the Father provided in the ultimate disclosure, revelation of himself in the identity and mission of Jesus.

[19:09] and that's exactly what the Father does, what Jesus does for us. He keeps us in this message. He keeps us in the truth.

[19:21] Jesus will keep us. So how did he care for these disciples? Has he cared for us as his disciples? He keeps us. Here's a second reason, second way.

[19:32] He guarded them, verse 12, and I guarded them or protected them or preserved them. Their protection and preservation is linked to their salvation.

[19:47] Jesus guarded them because they're the gift from the Father. Jesus keeps you and guards you because you're the gift from the Father to the Son. So Jesus will keep you.

[20:00] Jesus will guard you. That's how he cares for his own. Third reason. Third, excuse me, way. He keeps us. He guards us.

[20:11] He lost none of them. He loses none of us. Again, verse 12. And not one of them was destroyed except the son of destruction in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

[20:25] There's a play on words here because when it says not one of them perished, it's actually the word destruction. And it says, but the son of perdition, which actually the other word, Greek word for destruction.

[20:41] None of them were destroyed except the son of destruction. Who's he talking about? He's talking about Judas, the one who betrayed Jesus. What does he mean by he's the son of destruction?

[20:52] In other words, he faced God's judgment. He was condemned by the Father. He was outside of God's protection, outside of Jesus keeping and guarding. And look at the purpose in order that the Scripture may be fulfilled.

[21:06] Psalm 41, verse 9. Jesus keeps us. Jesus guards us. Jesus will lose none of those according to the predetermined plan and personal knowledge of the Father.

[21:18] Jesus will not lose his own. Never. Never. How does he care for us? How did he care for them?

[21:28] He kept them. He guarded them. He lost none of them. Here's a fourth way he does it. He'd give them his joy. He'd give his joy to them.

[21:39] Look at verse 13. He'd give his joy to them. But now I come to you and these things I speak in the world. What's the purpose? And nor that they may have my joy made full in themselves.

[21:53] How does he care for us? He gives us his joy. Jesus will be turned to the Father so he said these things while in the world and the purpose said my joy will be fulfilled in them.

[22:08] Jesus brought this up in chapter 15, verse 11. These things I've spoken to you, the disciples, the 11, for the purpose that my joy may be in you and your joy may be made full.

[22:19] Joy. This is a mark of the Spirit, joy. It's a result of our relationship with the Father, joy. So Jesus' joy is linked to him abiding in the Father's love.

[22:37] We saw that in chapter 15. Which is linked to him obeying the Father. So the Son's joy, which stems from him obeying the Father, that's the basis for our own joy.

[22:52] Put it a different way. Jesus prayed that they be preserved, remaining loyal to the Father's love, obedient to him, and in allegiance to the word taught by Jesus.

[23:04] And as they did this, they'd have great joy. They'd have his joy. Let's read this a different way. Jesus prayed that we would be preserved, remain loyal to the Father's love, obeying him, and allegiance to the word taught by Jesus.

[23:20] As we do this, he gives us his great joy. That's how he cares for you. That's how he cares for you. He gives you his joy.

[23:34] His great joy. He's so, the Son so enjoys the Father. He says, Father, I'm gonna obey you. That's gonna make my joy so full because I love you.

[23:44] Same thing for us. Same thing for us. Father, we love you. We just wanna obey you. We wanna have that joy, the joy that the Son has in obeying you. That gets to be our joy.

[23:59] How does he care for us? Is he praying? How does he care for us? Keeps us, guards us, doesn't lose us, gives us his joy. Here's a fifth way.

[24:09] He gave the Father's word to them, verse 14. I have given them your word. Why is this so vital? Why is this so important? This looks back to verses 6 through 8.

[24:23] That they were given all that Jesus revealed concerning the Father. So, see, Jesus, he's the ultimate revelation and self-disclosure of the Father.

[24:34] God's message is in Christ. The heart of the message of God is in Jesus. He is the gospel. He is the truth. So, he gave the Father's word to them and he keeps us in that word.

[24:50] These ways were how Jesus cared for them and these are ways that Jesus cares for us. Chapter 14, verse 24 and 25 brings us up again.

[25:02] It says, he who does not love me does not keep my words and the word which you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. He gave the Father's word to them.

[25:13] How does he care for us? Keeps us, guards us, loses none of us, gives us his joy, gives us his word. So, we looked at why he prays for us, look at how he cares for us in the midst of him praying for us.

[25:27] Now, we have to ask this third question which is vital. What does he pray? We looked at why. We looked at how he cares for us but what does Jesus pray for them?

[25:41] How or what ways does Jesus pray for you? Three, from the text. Number one, to keep them loyal to the truth.

[25:56] That you stay loyal to the truth. Verse 11, right in the middle. Holy Father, keep them in your name.

[26:07] Now, stop here. Notice, Holy Father. Kind of an oxymoron to be honest. In some ways.

[26:18] Holy. The transcendent, the God is far above us, the otherness of God. That's what holiness means. He's Godness.

[26:30] He's not like you. He's separate from you. He's set apart from you. Awesome transcendence.

[26:42] Holy Father. Fatherly intimacy. Jesus brings both of those words together. The Father is set apart from us and yet now he's close to us.

[26:55] He's separate and yet he's with you. Holy Father, keep them in your name.

[27:08] Preserve them in your name. Keep them unharmed or to be undisturbed. That's what the word means. Protect them in the Father's name. And notice he says, name which you gave me.

[27:20] The Father's name is everything about his very nature, his character. Be their protection and preservation. May these eleven stay loyal to you, adhering to your character.

[27:37] Keep them faithful to you and the full revelation I mediated to them. Change the pronouns. May these Christians stay loyal to you, adhering to your character.

[27:51] Keep them faithful to you and the full revelation I mediated to them. To you. His name.

[28:02] The Father's name. All that the Father's character entailed, which was also given to the Son. Because remember, everything that's the Father's is the Son, the Son's is the Father's, they go together.

[28:15] Because they're one in their being and their character and their purpose, Jesus was completely faithful to the task given to him in the same way. Notice the purpose.

[28:28] He says, keep them in your name, which you gave me, and the purpose that they may be one as we. Just like the Father and the Son are one.

[28:39] The Father's mission, that's the Son's mission, which is our mission. Jesus stayed loyal to the Father. We stay loyal to the Son, to the Father. Father, keep them in your name and all that you are in your character, loyal to the truth.

[28:58] That's what Jesus prays for you. And notice, unity. Unity can only happen as we center on God and Christ and the gospel. Unity cannot happen apart from sound doctrine.

[29:11] It's based upon sound doctrine. You don't say, let's have unity, let's throw doctrine out the window. That's ridiculous. You're supposed to have unity in the doctrine of who Jesus is. And that's why Jesus praised this for us.

[29:26] So friends, trust, trust, the Father will keep you. Trust, the Father will keep you. So first, to keep them loyal to the truth.

[29:37] Here's the second request from Jesus. To keep them from the evil one. Verse 15. I ask not to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.

[29:54] Father, don't remove them. Don't remove them. Protect them. So Jesus prays, first, to keep us loyal to the truth.

[30:07] But second, to keep us from the evil one. Well, why? Does he pray this? Well, first, he doesn't pray that God would take them out of the world.

[30:20] Jesus prayed for God to use us in this Jesus disciple hating world. We pray for God to sustain us while living in this Jesus hating world.

[30:37] This is what Jesus prays for us. Listen to this. One writer put it like this. Quote, the desire of Christians to remove themselves from the world is actually out of step with the purposes and plan of God.

[30:56] End quote. Do you pray for God to take you out of the world? Friend, I think you're praying the wrong thing. Jesus doesn't pray that for you.

[31:10] We're not to withdraw from the world, but neither are we to partake in the world. We are strangers.

[31:21] We're aliens. We're not of this world. Look at what comes before verse 15 and what comes after verse 15. Before in verse 14. And the world has hated them because they're not of the world just as I am not of the world.

[31:36] Look at verse 16. They are not of the world just as I am not of the world. Notice that there's like a sandwich here and what's in the middle, the meat, is this. I don't ask you to take them out of the world but to protect them from the evil one.

[31:51] Why? Well first, the world does not dictate or define our nature, our purpose, or our priorities. That's first thing.

[32:02] But something else, we cannot compromise with the world nor can we disengage from the world. Jesus prays this because this is what Satan attacks.

[32:17] This is why we need help against Satan because he attacks us in this way. The evil one, I do believe this should be translated as the evil one.

[32:30] We need the Father to protect us from the evil one, Satan, who wants to get us off focus. He wants to get you off mission. He either wants you to compromise with the world or disengage from the world.

[32:50] That's what he'll do. So in the context of the mission to which we're consecrated, which we'll see that in just a moment, the evil one will tempt us to compromise with the world becoming just like them or he'll tempt us to not engage with them at all.

[33:12] There's the temptation. That's what the evil one will do. Is it not? He'll tempt you to become just like the world, oh Christian, won't he?

[33:23] That's why John says do not love the world nor the things in the world. Or he'll tempt you to disengage from the world and not be around them at all. To disconnect from them completely.

[33:37] We're not supposed to do either one. We're not of or from the world like Jesus is not from the world so we interact with the world but not compromise with the world.

[33:52] Nor do we compromise the truth and end up not giving them the truth of Jesus. Or we don't give them the truth because we are like them or we don't give them the truth because we separate ourselves totally from them.

[34:06] so he prays to keep us loyal from the truth, to keep us loyal to the truth. We trust the Father will keep us.

[34:18] He prays to keep us from the evil one so believe the Father will protect you. Trust the Father will keep you. Believe the Father will protect you.

[34:29] and here's the third request. First again, keep us loyal to the truth. Second, keep us from the evil one. Third, to consecrate them in the truth.

[34:44] Or, again, change the pronoun, to consecrate us in the truth. Verse 17 through 19. Verse 17, sanctify them in the truth.

[34:57] Your word is truth. I've heard a bazillion times this verse used to talk about the Spirit's work of making us holy.

[35:11] This is what this verse means. But that has nothing to do with the context. That's not what this verse means. It doesn't mean, Father, make them holy from your truth.

[35:22] That's not what this verse means. And people have used that in that way. Sanctify means to set them apart or consecrate.

[35:35] And it comes from the root word which means holy. So, set them apart. Sanctify them. Consecrate them to your mission, Father.

[35:47] Dedicate them for this holy task. You're a holy mission. dedication. Dedicate them, notice, in the truth. Your word is truth.

[36:01] That is, consecrate them in the message from the Father in the identity and mission of Jesus the Son. Set them apart in the revelation of Jesus of himself in his Son.

[36:17] God, this is the truth. It's the word. So, it's done in the Spirit because the Spirit is the truth. He's the Spirit of truth. Remember, he brought that up earlier in chapter 14 and chapter 16.

[36:34] So, set them apart. Dedicate them in the truth of how you revealed yourself in me, Father. Father. And look at what he does in verse 18.

[36:47] He talks about this mission. Verse 18. Look at verse 18. As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. Set them apart to participate in this mission.

[37:02] What does Jesus pray for you? He prays you'll stay loyal to the truth. He prays to keep you from the evil one. But he also prays that you'll be consecrated in the truth that you'll be set apart for this task of proclaiming the gospel, the full disclosure of the Father and the identity and mission of Jesus.

[37:25] That's what he prays for you. That you will go give people the gospel. That's what he prays. Just as you, Father, sent me to participate in your plan and purpose for me and I obeyed you, Father.

[37:43] So I've sent them into the world. Remember, the world hates you. Never said it was going to be easy. Now, the roles are different, but the Son has sent us.

[37:58] We're the extension of Jesus in this world while we're in this world. Now, different roles because we're not a sacrifice for the world or to the world, but we speak to the world of Christ's sacrifice so they can become partakers of this love like you're a partaker of this love.

[38:23] We continue the mission of John 3.16 by proclaiming its message. God is able to protect his people.

[38:34] The place assigned to us to keep on the mission is the world which hates us. This place, this world is our mission where God is still at work using us so we pray as we sang in that song, use us now, Lord, we exalt your name.

[39:00] look, we are the glory of God embodied on earth, the church.

[39:13] We are, one writer put it like this, the spirit-filled dwelling of God on earth, the church. We are a living testimony of God on earth, the church.

[39:28] they need us to tell them the truth. We must stay in the world, but let's not fight to be from or of the world.

[39:41] Let's not fight to be a part of them. We live sent, just like Jesus himself lives. So we're sent to those in the world.

[39:55] Remember, Jesus doesn't pray for the world, he prays for us, but he prays so we were sent so that the world might abandon the world and join us.

[40:09] We were sent out so that the world might abandon the world and join us. Look, Jesus, he brings this out in verse 19, he says it, verse 19, on their behalf, who pair on their behalf literally from Greek, I sanctify myself.

[40:34] What does Jesus mean by this? Jesus set himself apart for the task given to him. What was the task given to Jesus?

[40:47] The cross. That was his mission. For them, for us. The purpose of the son's mission was his death and resurrection.

[41:00] So, Jesus says, I consecrated myself to the cross on their behalf. He dedicated himself to bringing in God's reign, to be the fulfilled prophet, priest, and king.

[41:14] And the purpose, look at what he says in verse 19, the last part, in order that they themselves also may be set apart in truth, consecrated in truth.

[41:28] Now, again, he's talking about the eleven disciples, but we're applying this to us, and we can do this very easily. They would be consecrated in the truth of the message from the Father in what?

[41:44] The identity and mission of Jesus. So, his mission is our mission. His mission has become our mission.

[41:59] So, these eleven guys would be the conduits, the ones who'd bring to us the message of the gospel in the New Testament.

[42:10] They give us the revelation of holy writ, so that as these guys would die, the baton has been passed on to us. Jesus praises for you.

[42:23] He praises for us. So, we can trust the Father will protect us. We can believe that He will keep us, and even, we can also say, we can submit to the Father's mission for us.

[42:41] Trust the Father will keep you. Believe the Father will protect you. Submit to the Father's mission for you, friends. He prays, Jesus prays for us, keep us loyal to the truth, keep us from the evil one, and to consecrate us in this mission.

[43:03] And then, of course, it's going to pull us into this next section, because now you'll see specifically, verses 20 through 26, we'll see this next week, how Jesus will be specifically praying for us, and you'll see the very same things that come up, and even other things that will come up, aspects we'll see from the text in 20 through 26.

[43:27] So, recap, Jesus prayed for His 11 disciples. Does He pray for them? We can see He's praying for us, His other disciples. We take comfort and have the confidence and the fact that Jesus prays consistently for us as His people, and guess what?

[43:47] I sound like Joe Biden is just, the Holy Father hears Him. He hears us. He hears Jesus. How for them He's interceding, pleading now before the throne.

[44:02] That's why we sang that song. So, let's pray now. And so, Father, we pray knowing that you, Jesus, are praying for us now.

[44:18] We pray. Help us remain loyal to the truth. You will hold us fast. You will keep us.

[44:29] You will guard us. You won't lose any of us. You'll give us your joy. You give us your word. help us stay loyal to the truth.

[44:46] Protect us from the evil one. And set us apart for this mission. The mission of calling this world, we're not of this world.

[45:01] We call this world this place that is an active rebellion against you. we call them to come and join us.

[45:14] And we pray that they will. I encourage you to take this moment to fill your mind with the truth of God's word.

[45:29] Take less, about a minute or so, time. Or it's quiet, and then Jane or myself, we get on the music and play, but it's the time for you to just reflect, to ponder, to fill your mind with truth.

[45:54] Take these few moments and do that now, please, would you? Amen. Amen. Amen.