John Chapter 17

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This entire chapter is Jesus' prayer. From it, we learn that the world is a tremendous battleground where the forces under Satan's power and those under God's authority are at war. Satan and his forces are motivated by bitter hatred for Christ and His forces.

Key Verse: John 17:13 "And now I am coming to you. I have told them many things while I was with them so that they would be filled with my joy."

Joy is a common theme in Christ's teachings--He wants us to be joyful (see 15:11, 16:24, 33). The key to joy is living in close contact with Him, the source of all joy.

Verse 5. Before Jesus came to earth, He was one with God. Now that His mission on earth was almost finished, He was asking His Father to restore Him to His original place with God. Jesus' resurrection and ascension--and Stephen's dying exclamation (Acts 7:56) attest that Jesus did return to His exalted position at the right hand of God.

Acts 7:56 "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

Genesis 1:26 "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness..."

John 8:58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

Verse 10. Jesus said that His disciples are His glory. What a fantastic truth, that Jesus glories in us and that our lives bring Him joy. Are you living in a way that brings Him joy? Does He glory in you?

Verse 11. Jesus is asking that the disciples be united as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are united--the strongest of all unions.

Verse 12. Judas was the "son of hell," who perished because he betrayed Jesus. Judas' betrayal was prophesied in Psalm 41:9.

Psalm 41:9 "Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me."

Verse 17. A person becomes pure and holy through believing and obeying the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12), and accepting the forgiveness of our sins through Christ's sacrificial death (Hebrews 7:26, 27). The process of becoming holy and pure involves God's workmanship with respect to our past, present, and future. Through Christ we have been saved from sin; through the Holy Spirit we are growing in our Christian life; according to God's plan, we will be made perfect when Christ returns (Hebrews 9:24-28).

Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

Hebrews 7:26-27 "Such a high priest meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered himself."

Hebrews 9:24-28 "For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; He entered Heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. Nor did He enter heaven to offer Himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.

Verse 18. Jesus didn't ask God to take believers out of the world but instead to use them in the world. Because Jesus sends us into the world, we should not try to escape from the world or avoid all relationships with non-Christians. We are called to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16), and we are to do the work God sent us to do.

Don't ask, "How can I get out of this situation," but ask yourself, 'what can I do in this situation to bring glory to God?"

Matthew 5:13-16 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Go out on a limb, that's where the fruit is located.

Verses 21-23. Jesus' great desire for His disciples was that they become one. He wanted them unified as a powerful witness to the reality of God's love. Are you helping to unify the body of Christ, the church? You can pray for other Christians, avoid gossip, build others up, work together in humility, give your time and money, lift up Christ, and refuse to get sidetracked arguing over matters that divide us.

If you don't make any money, tithe 10% of your time.