“I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 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.” John 17:9-11

Jesus spoke to His disciples of many things before going to the cross to suffer and die for the sins of the world and then rise again and ascend to the right hand of God the Father in heaven. He told them what would happen to Him, how He would be betrayed and crucified, rise again, and ascend to the Father. He spoke to them of heaven, of the Holy Spirit (the Comforter), and of the persecution and suffering they would face in this world. He urged them to continue in His Word and abide in Him so that they might produce much fruit and glorify God the Father.

After His words of comfort, counsel, and encouragement to His disciples, Jesus turned to His Father in prayer, first for Himself as He finished the work which the Father had given Him to do in this world, but then for His disciples. Notice that Jesus is not here praying for the whole world of men, but for those whom God the Father had given Him — those graciously chosen before of God and now brought to faith in Jesus through the hearing of God’s Word, which Jesus spoke to them.

What does Jesus pray? Not that God the Father would take them out of this sinful world, but that He would keep them in the true and saving faith and protect them from the assaults of the evil one upon their souls. Jesus prays: “Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.”

Jesus kept them in the true and saving faith while He was with them in the world, and none was lost but Judas, the son of perdition, that the Scriptures might be fulfilled (cf. Psalm 41:9; 69:25; 109:8). Now Jesus was coming to the Father and He prayed the Father to keep them from the evil one and sanctify them (set them apart as God’s own special people) through the truth, and Jesus says God’s Word is truth! As the Father sent Jesus into the world to redeem mankind, Jesus was sending His disciples into the world to bear witness to Him and the redemption He was providing by doing the Father’s will and going to the cross to bear the punishment for man’s sin.

What can we learn from this portion of Jesus’ high priestly prayer? First of all, we see the importance of praying for our fellow believers that God, who has graciously brought them to faith in His Son through His Word, would preserve them and keep them in the faith as they live out their lives in this world (cf. Phil. 1:6). Secondly, we see that God uses His Word to bring us to true faith and sanctify and set us apart for Him — this is all the more reason to read and study the Bible. Thirdly, we see that unity with the Father and the Son and our fellow believers comes to us from God through knowledge and belief of the truth (cf. 1 John 1:3ff.) — it is not an outward unity without regard for the doctrine of Holy Scripture. Finally, we see that, as Jesus was sent into the world and willingly went to the cross to redeem us, Jesus sends us into the world to bear witness to Him and the redemption He has accomplished for all by His innocent sufferings and death on the cross (cf. Luke 24:46-48; Acts 1:8).

Dear Father in heaven, graciously guard and protect us from the assaults of the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh upon our faith. Sanctify us through truth and preserve and keep us in saving faith until our lives in this world are through and we are received into Your glorious and everlasting kingdom of heaven. Enable us to bear witness to You and the salvation You have provided in Your Son, Jesus Christ, that others too might be brought to faith and be one with You, Your Son, and all others who believe the truth and trust in Your name. We ask this for the sake of Jesus and His blood shed for us upon the cross. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“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: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” John 17:1-5

The hour had come. Jesus was about to go to the cross to suffer and die for the sins of the world and then rise again. On the eve of His death, He prayed that God the Father would glorify Him (the Son) so that He also might glorify the Father by giving eternal life to all that the Father had given to Him. To this end, God the Father had given Jesus authority over all flesh.

Jesus is here praying to His heavenly Father that, after He died for sin and accomplished our redemption by shedding His blood on the cross, the Father would exalt and glorify Him to His right hand so that He might also pour out the Holy Spirit and give to all God’s elect the eternal salvation which He won for us. In this way, God the Father, too, would receive glory for saving us from sin and death and giving us everlasting life.

What is eternal life? Jesus said, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” To have eternal life is to know God the Father, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom the Father sent into the world to redeem us.

Notice that it does not say: “To know about God and about Jesus Christ.” It says: “That they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” Jesus, on another occasion, said, “No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him” (Matt. 11:27).

Can anyone then know God the Father, or God the Son, if it were not given to him of God? No, it is a gracious gift of God to know Him and to know Jesus as God the Son and our Savior (cf. John 1:11-13, 18; 6:37-40, 44-47, 63, 65; Matt. 16:15-17). And to know God the Father and Christ Jesus, His Son, is to know and receive by faith the eternal salvation Jesus won for us by His innocent sufferings and death on the cross.

Do you know God and His Son, Jesus Christ? Or do you merely know about God and His Son? It is one thing to know of God and of Jesus and what He did for us and then continue on in our old ways. It is quite another to take hold of God’s mercy and grace through faith in Jesus Christ and to walk in fellowship with God (cf. 1 John 1 and 2). To have eternal life is to know and embrace God the Son as our Savior and walk with Him (cf. 1 John 5:11-13; Eph. 2:8-10).

Jesus finished the work which God the Father had sent Him into the world to do. He was on the way to the cross to pay in full for our sins and the sins of the whole world. Thus, Jesus brought glory to the Father, who had sent Him, by finishing His redemptive work. Jesus prayed that the Father would now glorify Him with the glory that He had with the Father before the world was created. This God the Father did when Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven to rule over all things and bring men into His eternal kingdom! Cf. Col. 1:12-14.

Dear Lord Jesus, graciously grant that we may truly know You and the Father and partake of Your grace and mercy through faith. We ask this for the sake of your holy and precious blood shed for us upon the cross. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Life in this world is full of trouble and heartache. In addition to the sickness, pain, and death that all face, there is the persecution and suffering that those who follow Christ Jesus can expect in this world from those who continue in impenitence and rebellion against the LORD God, who created and redeemed them.

Before His betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion, Jesus attempted to prepare His disciples for what lay ahead. They were about to witness His passion and death on the cross, and all would look hopeless to them because of their unbelief and hardness of heart.

Though they would see Him again, alive from the dead, He would no longer be present with them in the same manner as He had been over the months and years before (cf. John 16:19-20). And they, too, would suffer much from the enemies of Christ as they proclaimed His Word and doctrine in the world (cf. John 16:1-5).

Jesus did not want His disciples’ faith to be shaken and destroyed by what was to come. He wanted them to continue to trust in Him and have peace in Him. Jesus warned His followers ahead of time so that, when all these things came to pass, they would hold fast to Him with the confidence that, in Him, they had forgiveness and, in Him, they had life everlasting in the mansions of His Father’s house (cf. John 14:1-6).

These words of comfort are for you and me, too, as we face tribulation and suffering in this world. We will face hardships and trouble. As Paul wrote, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). We should expect no less as we follow Christ and bear witness to the truth of His Word.

But though we must endure tribulation in this world, we can have peace in Christ Jesus. He has redeemed us from sin and death by His own innocent sufferings and death in our stead, and He has risen again in victory. Through faith in Him, we, too, have the victory. In Him, we have pardon and peace — forgiveness for all our sins. In Him, we have the assurance that we, too, shall be raised up unto life everlasting.

In the world, we shall have tribulation. Being a Christian and follower of Jesus will not bring us a life of ease and worldly peace, but we have peace in Jesus. We can be of good cheer whatever comes our way because Jesus, our Savior, has overcome the world. In Him, we have the final victory. In Him, we have the everlasting joys of heaven!

Jesus said: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Dearest Lord Jesus, thank You for the gift of life You won for me by Your innocent sufferings and death in my stead. Graciously keep me in Your peace. Grant that I hold fast to You and Your Word and trust in You for pardon and life everlasting. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” John 16:7-15 (Read John 16:1-15)

From Jesus’ words to His disciples before His death, resurrection and ascension, we learn much of the Holy Spirit’s ministry. When Jesus ascended into heaven and poured out His Spirit, the Holy Spirit was a witness against the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment.

The Holy Spirit, through the preaching of the apostles and ministers of Jesus, testifies against the whole world of unbelievers, convicting them of sin because they have rejected and crucified Jesus Christ, God’s own Son and the only source of forgiveness and life (cf. Acts 2:1ff.; Heb. 10:26-31); convicting them of righteousness because Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, had ascended to the very throne of God with the only righteousness that is acceptable to God (cf. Acts 4:11-12; Rom. 3:10ff.; 1 John 2:1-2); and convicting them of judgment because the devil, who rules over the world of sinners, has already been overcome and judged by Jesus’ victory on the cross, meaning that all who continue under Satan’s rule will soon share in his judgment and condemnation (cf. Luke 10:18; Rev. 12:1-17; Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10-15).

But for those of us who believe, the Holy Spirit comes alongside us and dwells in us as a Helper and Encourager to keep us trusting in Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness and life eternal.

He guides us into all truth because He takes the things of Jesus Christ and tells them to us. Through the apostles and prophets, He has given to us the Holy Scriptures, “which are able to make [us] wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15; cf. 3:14-17; James 1:18).

The Holy Spirit teaches us as we read and study His Word so that we know the truth and are made free from slavery to sin and alive to God through faith in Jesus and His blood shed for sin (cf. John 8:31-32; 1 John 2:27; Psalm 119:97-105).

The Spirit reminds and assures us that, though we have sinned, through faith in Jesus’ shed blood we have forgiveness and life everlasting (cf. 1 John 1:8-2:2; Rom. 3:21-26; Isa. 1:18).

And the Spirit comforts us with the knowledge that, though our lives in this world are full of pain and suffering, we have an eternal inheritance awaiting us in heaven for Jesus’ sake (cf. 1 Pet. 1:3-9; Rev. 7:9-17; John 14:1-3; 16:33).

Dear Lord Jesus, grant us the help and comfort of Your Holy Spirit that we may learn the truth revealed in Your Word and trust in You for forgiveness and life and follow You unto life everlasting. Amen.

[Scripture quoted from the King James Version of the Bible]

“If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.” John 15:22-24

With knowledge comes responsibility. Knowing the truth and not acting on it brings greater guilt than failing to act because one did not know.

Jesus said this was the case regarding His countrymen who heard His words and saw His miracles but refused to believe that He was and is the long-promised Messiah, the very Son of God who came into this world as a man to redeem us from sin and death and to grant to all who believe pardon and life eternal.

Jesus told His disciples that if He had not spoken to His fellow Jews and shared with them the truth regarding their sinfulness and the way to be forgiven and saved through faith in His name, they would not be guilty of rejecting the truth. But, since they heard the truth and rejected it — since they refused to repent of their sinful ways and look to Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross in faith for pardon and forgiveness — they had no excuse for their sin.

Jesus pointed out that those who hated Him and rejected Him were rejecting God the Father as well. They were rejecting the God they claimed to worship and serve!

And if Jesus had not done among them the many mighty miracles that testified of the truth that He is the eternal Son of God in human flesh and blood, they would have had an excuse for their unbelief and sin.

But they saw His works — works no one could do if God were not working in Him and through Him, and works that testified to His deity and His power and authority to save! Therefore, they were guilty before God of hating and rejecting God the Son, their Messiah and Savior, and hating God the Father also, the one who sent His Son into the world to win for us pardon and salvation!

And, I might add, they rejected the witness and testimony of the Holy Spirit, too, for He, as well as Jesus’ disciples, testified of Jesus regarding His person and His work (v. 26-27).

What about you? Through the teaching of the Bible, you have heard the truth about your sinfulness and about Jesus, God’s Son and Your only Savior. Through the pages of Scripture, you have learned of His mighty works — healing the sick, opening the eyes of the blind, cleansing the lepers, driving out demons, and even raising the dead and rising again Himself after being crucified for the sins of the world. Do you turn from your sins to Jesus and His cross in faith for pardon, forgiveness, and eternal life? Or do you reject Jesus and God the Father who sent Him?

With knowledge comes responsibility. Knowing the truth and not acting on it brings greater guilt than failing to act because one did not know.

Dear Lord Jesus, grant that I believe the witness of Your words and works and trust in You for pardon and the eternal joys of heaven for the sake of Your holy life and innocent sufferings and death in my stead and Your glorious resurrection. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]