John 17:11-19 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
INTRODUCTION
To quickly bring you up to speed, our passage for this morning is the portion of Jesus’ high priestly prayer that contains His prayer for His disciples. He prayed these things just before He was betrayed, arrested, and crucified. The two main sections of this part of Jesus’ prayer address (1) the relationship between Jesus and His followers to the world and (2) the content of Jesus’ prayers for them in light of that relationship.
We considered all of the first part and half of the second part last week. That is, in part 1 of this sermon we saw that mankind is defined, in large measure, by our relationship to the world. In that way, Jesus’ disciples are those who are in, but no longer of the world. We also looked at the first three (of six) of Jesus’ prayer requests for the disciples (perseverance, unity, and joy).
This morning, we’ll see three more things from this passage. First, we’ll take a look at the final three prayers of Jesus for His disciples. Second, I’ll point out two things Jesus did not pray for His disciples. And third, we’ll consider the awesome reality that every one of Jesus’ prayers was answered in the lives of the disciples.
Like last week, the big idea of the passage is that Jesus was leaving, the disciples were staying, and, therefore, they needed specific help to continue living according to the Word Jesus had given them. The primary takeaways for us are to consider carefully our relationship to the world, and within that, to seek the things Jesus prayed for above everything else (perseverance, unity, joy, faithfulness, protection, and sanctification).
WHAT JESUS PRAYED FOR
As I mentioned, in light of the facts that Jesus was leaving this world and that the world’s disdain would be redirected from Jesus to His disciples who would remain to carry on His mission, Jesus asked the Father for six things on their behalf. The first three we looked closely at last week.
- Perseverance (11 12). Jesus’ first prayer was for perseverance in the name of God.
11 … Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me… - Unity (11). Jesus’ second request was for unity among the disciples.
11 … Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. - Joy (13). In Jesus’ third petition He asked the Father to give His joy to His followers.
13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
Let’s now turn our attention to the next three things Jesus prayed for, beginning with faithfulness.
- Faithfulness (14). While the other five requests are explicit, this one is more implicit. That is, in v.14 is an implied prayer that Jesus’ disciples would remain faithful to the Word He’d given them.
14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
Jesus had given them the Word of God. He had revealed more fully than ever before the nature and the will of God in His person, teaching, and actions. The disciples were His disciples because they’d believe Him even when so many others didn’t. What’s more, they were His disciples because they obeyed Him even when so many others didn’t.
It was because of Jesus’ person, teaching and actions that the world despised Him. And it was precisely because the men listening to Jesus’ prayer believed in Jesus’ that the world despised them as well.
Jesus’ charge to them was to continue believing and obeying the Word. And Jesus’ promise to them was that as they did two things would inevitably happen. First, the world would increasingly hate them and persecute them. And second, they would honor God and bless the world (even if the world didn’t realize it).
For them to continue in the very obedience to Jesus’ words that separated them from the world and incited the world’s hatred would require God’s help. Jesus asked the Father for that help.
The danger, as the Apostle Paul words it is being like “children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14).
Likewise, the opposite of “holding faith [in the word of God] and a good conscience [by obeying the Word of God]” is to make “shipwreck of [your] faith” (1 Timothy 1:19).
Jesus prayed that the Father would keep the disciples faithful to the Word that He’d spoken to them. He prayed that the Father would not allow them to be tossed to and fro or make shipwreck of their faith as false doctrine and persecution ratcheted up.
And so, it is for us, Grace. We too must continue to obey the Word even though obedience to the Word is (increasingly) the source of the world’s hatred. And we must do so for as long as the Lord keeps us in this world. But those things still require the grace of God. We cannot do it on our own. The good news is that Jesus is still interceding on behalf of all who trust in Him, asking the Father to continually pour out that grace.
Practically, this means that we must tell the truth about life and sex and gender, even if it brings social scorn or workplace or legal consequences. We dress modestly even if it makes us look “outdated.” We love even when those around us would label it hate. We practice church discipline even if it is seen as arrogant, narrow-minded, harsh, or judgmental. We spend time each day in prayer, Bible reading, and worship even if it makes our day “less productive.” We help the poor in ways that don’t hurt even if it seems less compassionate. We keep the rhythm of the Lord’s Day even when it means missing a game or activity. We make the gospel the center of our friendships even when shared interests is easier. And above all, we share the good news of Jesus Christ even if it is called folly, creates division, is expensive, or costs us our lives.
We must remain faithful to the Word, as those no longer of the world, even when it causes the world hates us for it and it’s easier to do otherwise. That’s the fourth thing Jesus asked of His Father, for His disciples - Protection (15). Jesus’ fifth prayer was for a certain kind of protection for His disciples. We’ll come back to the first part of v.15—what kind of protection Jesus didn’t pray for—in just a bit. For now, consider what He did pray at the end of v.15.
15 I … ask … that you keep them from the evil one.
Hardship in the form of persecution was coming to the disciples in certain and increasing ways in Jesus’ physical absence. We’ve seen that it would come in significant measure from “the world”—those of the world, especially the Jewish leaders, who rejected Jesus. In Jesus’ prayer, though, we see that “the world” was not their only enemy. The evil one, the devil, was out to get them too. Jesus, therefore, prayed for their protection from him as well.
John referred to the evil one three times before this in his Gospel. In chapter six Jesus revealed that Judas would betray Him because he was of the devil. In chapter eight, Jesus rebuked the Jews for rejecting His word and explained that it was because they were children of the devil. And in chapter thirteen, during the Passover meal, John explained that Satan entered into Judas, that Judas might betray Jesus.
The main thing to see is not only that Jesus knew of the devil’s activity, but also that it had been directed primarily at Jesus. Jesus’ prayer here, however, made it clear that just like the world’s attention was about to turn to the disciples, so too was that of the evil one. And so He prayed for their protection.
This ought to cause us to consider at least a handful of things.
First, the devil is real. He is not a fairy tale or a children’s story.
Second, he is truly evil. He has no good intentions. He seeks only destruction (1 Peter 5:8).
Third, he every bit as alive today as He was then. Therefore, Peter commands Christians, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith” (1 Peter 5:8-9).
Fourth, although his power is limited and his defeat is certain.
12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.
14:30 …the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me…
16:11 …the ruler of this world is judged.
Fifth, nevertheless, he can still cause significant harm in the world.
1 John 5:19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
Today, actively, the evil one lies (8:44), deceives (Revelation 12:9, and murders (Psalm 106:37). Worst of all, the evil one has some measure of power to blind unbelievers to the glory of Christ (1 Corinthians 4:4).
Finally, sixth, it is the Lord who protects us from the devil and his minions. The devil’s hand can go no further than the Father allows for His own good purposes. That’s why Jesus prayed and continues to pray that the Father would hold back the full measure of harm the devil might cause. - Sanctification (17, 19). As Jesus’ first five prayers were answered (as the Father granted perseverance, unity, joy, faithfulness and protection), the disciples’ persecution at the hands of the world and the devil would grow along with those things. Jesus’ sixth and final prayer, therefore, was that their holiness would grow as well.
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth… 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
I hope you can already see the progression of Jesus’ final prayer.
The first clause is simply, “sanctify them.” By the very nature of their faith in Jesus, the disciples are set apart. They are holy. Therefore, Father, Jesus prayed, make them set apart and holy. You have given them my holiness and have set them apart for my purposes. Because of that, give them increasing measures of their own holiness and ministry fruitfulness. They are positionally holy, so make them practically holy. They are indicatively holy, make them holy in the imperatives. They have been declared holy, Father, let them live entirely consistently with that. Those things were at the begging of Jesus’ final petition for His followers.
The second clause is key as well. It gets to the heart of the means by which the Father would answer Jesus’ prayer and sanctify His people. The Apostle Paul words it like this, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2). Jesus words it like this, “Sanctify them in the truth.” There is no holiness in lies. You cannot be transformed into Christ’s character through deceit. We are transformed in righteousness only by the renewing of our minds in truth.
Brilliantly, the next clause explains the source of truth, “your word is truth.” The very words Jesus had spoken, the words given to Him by the Father, are truth. And by understanding and believing the truth of Jesus’ words, with the Father’s help, the disciples would be sanctified. There is no holiness in lies and there is no sanctifying truth apart from the words of Jesus.
Finally, and most critically, Jesus prayed concerning the ultimate source of all of this. The disciples would be sanctified in the truth of the word of Jesus only because Jesus was about to consecrate Himself. That is, Jesus was about to die on the cross to pay for the sins of His disciples (and all who would believe in Him), so that they might be sanctified. That’s the essence of v.19.
19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
The most central truth tied to our sanctification is the sanctifying, sacrificial death of Jesus.
How awesome is all of that, Grace?! How amazing is the grace that Jesus called on the Father to provide for His closest followers?! How marvelous is the price Jesus paid to reconcile a people to Himself?! How sweet is the love of God that leads to our perseverance, unity, joy, faithfulness, protection, and sanctification?! This can be yours today, whether for the first time or in in creasing measure as you trust in Jesus. Trust in Jesus, therefore!
Having been sent by the Father’s love, Jesus loved His followers and so He prayed for them in their time of need. He asked that the Father would grant them all they needed to remain faithful to Him as their hardship grew because of it. He prayed for their perseverance, unity, joy, faithfulness, protection, and sanctification. That leads us to the second part of the sermon.
WHAT JESUS DIDN’T PRAY FOR
In a manner similar to how Jesus clarified who He was and wasn’t praying for (in vs.5-9), Jesus clarified what He was and wasn’t praying for. He described repeatedly how hostile the world was to Him and would be to His followers. He also said several times that He was leaving the world. It might have occurred to the disciples, therefore, that Jesus might ask for something to counter-act their suffering. The simple truth, however, is that He didn’t.
In fact, as I mentioned earlier, were the Father to grant perseverance, unity, joy, faithfulness, protection, and sanctification—if He were to answer Jesus’ prayers—those things would almost certainly only make the world and the devil’s hatred grow and therein make the disciples’ suffering increase. That is, by granting those things, the disciples would be living even less like the world and more like Jesus; the exact thing that had and would fan the flames of the world’s disdain.
Perhaps as important was what Jesus did pray for, therefore, is what He didn’t.
It’s hard not to notice two of the things Jesus didn’t pray for, since they are the things most of us pray most for.
- He didn’t pray for improved circumstances. In fact, in a way, Jesus prayed against improved circumstances!
I asked you last week to think for a few minutes about what you’d want Jesus to ask the Father on your behalf if you were in the disciples’ shoes. What, specifically, would you want God to do if you knew the world’s hatred was going to be directed at you for remaining faithful to the Word of Jesus?
If I’m being honest, my number one prayer would probably be the exact thing Jesus said He wasn’t praying for. That is, my main prayer would probably be to rescue me from the world, but Jesus explicitly prayed “I do not ask you to take them out of the world…” (15). Woah.
Consider that carefully, Grace. Consider carefully the fact that honoring God is not tied to your circumstances—to anything that happens to you or is done to you? There are many situations that you might find yourself in that are not honoring to God, but there is a way for you to honor God in every one of them. If your hope is in Jesus, then there is no situation you’ll ever encounter for which there is no God-honoring response available to you. Jesus knew that and so He did not pray that the disciples’ circumstances would improve or their persecution would end.
You might wonder why that is. Did Jesus want His followers to suffer? In one sense, absolutely not. In another sense, absolutely. The simple fact of the matter is that in most cases suffering is the absolute best measure of the true state of our heart, means of our sanctification, and testimony to the watching world.
When things are going well, it is easy to think you are more spiritually mature than you are. Suffering removes all illusions.
Likewise, we may enjoy peaceful, sunny, coffee-supported, back deck, morning quiet times, but a few moments of suffering for righteousness often brings about more growth in holiness than a few months of comfortable devotions. Comfortable devotions are well-suited to sustain holiness, but by God’s design persecution is usually a more significant means of growing it.
And we may say all the right gospel things in times of prosperity, but praising God in the midst of significant pain and suffering almost always stands out to the world in an entirely different way.
Jesus didn’t pray for improved circumstances because He loved His disciples and knew that their humility, sanctification, and witness were more important for them than their comfort. - He didn’t pray for the world’s condemnation. There is nothing imprecatory about this prayer. Jesus didn’t pray that God would silence, crush, break the teeth of, remove, or even slow down the world. Two things.
First, the hostility of the world is no obstacle to God’s accomplishing of His purposes. In fact, as I just mentioned, it is often the faithfulness of Christians in the midst of severe persecution that God uses to save the world. Whether God restrains the evil devices of His enemies or allows them to continue, both are for God’s greatest glory and the greatest good of His people, and neither can hinder God’s mighty hand.
Second, in the end, God would grant repentance to those who hated Jesus and His followers, or He would silence, crush, break the teeth of, and remove everything that remained in rebellion to God. Jesus knew that He was about to die for the sins of the world and that all who believed in Him would be saved. He also knew that all who persisted in their rebellion would be condemned, eternally. Grace, there will be ultimate justice. Therefore, Jesus asked the Father to strengthen the disciples to live faithfully no matter what might come as a light or a shame to the lost.
In other words, in all of this, Jesus prayed for the Father to help the disciples navigate the world’s hatred in a manner that was pleasing to God, not for the Father to make the disciples’ lives easier or the world’s harder. He prayed for the Father to help the disciples act increasingly in light of the truthfulness of the gospel, not for their circumstances to be made more pleasant.
This isn’t to say that there is no place to pray for any of those things—we have biblical examples elsewhere. It is to say, however, that there is a lesson to learn in the fact that at this time Jesus didn’t.
HOW THE FATHER RESPONDED TO JESUS’ PRAYERS
Finally, it’s remarkably encouraging and hope-building to recognize the awesome reality that the disciples experienced the Father’s answer to every one of the things Jesus prayed for on their behalf.
Perseverance in the name
Acts 4:29-31 probably best captures the perseverance of the disciples in light of Jesus’ prayer.
29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
The Father answered His Son’s prayer in such a way that each of the eleven disciples present to hear this prayer of Jesus died in the faith. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs tells us that…
- Bartholomew was at length cruelly beaten and then crucified by idolaters.
- James the son of Zebedee was beheaded.
- Andrew was crucified.
- Peter was crucified, his head being down and his feet upward, himself so requiring, because he was (he said) unworthy to be crucified after the same form and manner as the Lord was.
- John, the author of this Gospel, died in exile on an island called Patmos
- Thomas was martyred by being thrust through with a spear.
- James the Lord’s brother was beaten and stoned by the Jews; and finally had his brains dashed out with a fuller’s club.
- Philip was scourged, thrown into prison, and afterwards crucified.
- Matthew was slain with a halberd (a type of axe).
- Jude was crucified.
- Simon the Zealot was crucified.
Unity among themselves
Acts 4 captures well the unity that the Father created and preserved among them.
Acts 4:32-35 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
Joy of Jesus
Acts 5 contains one of my favorite passages on the kind of joy that comes supernaturally, even in the face of steepest hostility, to those who hope in Jesus.
Acts 5:40-42 …when [the Jewish leaders] had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.
Faithfulness to the Word
Again, in Acts 5 we’re able to see a powerful example of the Father’s answer to Jesus’ prayer for the disciples to remain faithful to the word of God even when the worst came upon them.
Acts 5:27-32 And when [the Jewish leaders] had brought [the disciples], they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
Protection from the evil one
In Acts 8 we see a remarkable example of the Father not only protecting the disciples from the power of the evil one, but also of giving them power over him!
Acts 8:5-7 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.
Sanctification
Finally, the entire book of Acts describes the eleven as men who grew in holiness in every possible way. It is largely the story of the transforming power of God, turning this group of confused, wavering, reluctant followers into fearless, powerful, determined, faithful, godly leaders within the Church; again, even to the point of death.
Jesus prayed for perseverance, unity, joy, faithfulness, protection, and sanctification for His disciples and the Father granted it in spectacular fashion; even as He does for all of us today!
CONCLUSION
Jesus called the disciples out of the world and charged them to live entirely consistent with that. He did so knowing that as they did, the hatred of the world and the devil would be focused on them. Therefore, He prayed. He prayed for perseverance, unity, joy, faithfulness, protection, and sanctification. Within that, knowing that the humility, spiritual growth, and worship of the disciples were more important than their comfort, Jesus didn’t pray for their circumstances to improve or the world to be crushed. And out of all of that, in the book of Acts, we’re able to see clearly that the Father was pleased to answer every prayer of Jesus in awesome ways in the lives of the disciples.
In the end, Grace Church, Jesus’ prayer in v.18 must ring continually in our ears,
18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
Just as Jesus’ mission had become the disciples’ mission, Jesus’ mission has become ours. Let us consider, therefore, Jesus’ prayers, the Father’s answer, and the disciples’ fate. And let us give ourselves, all of ourselves, in faith, to forsaking the world’s ways so that we can bring the good news of Jesus into the world for the glory of God and the good of all who hear.