Jesus' Prayer For You (Biblestudy by Rudi van Zyl)
Scripture reading: John 17:1-26
John 17:9: “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but
for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine”.
Jesus’ Prayer For You:
Introduction:
During the 16th century there lived a man of God
called John Knox who suffered persecution because of his faith. The queen of
Scotland “Mary Guise” said that she fears the prayers of this man more than she
fears the assembled armies of Europe. The reason was because he was a man known
for his effective praying.
Even his prayer for Scotland’s turn was answered when God
sent revival. If such a man comes to you telling you that he is praying for
you, wouldn’t you be very eager to hear what he asks God for you? Knowing that
this man’s prayers are all answered, you will hope that what this man is
praying for you will not be for your inconvenience. You would like to hear that
this man is praying for your prosperity, for God’s blessing on every facet of
your life.
The good news is that there is indeed someone who is praying
effectively for you. As we read in verse 9, Jesus is praying for us. In verse
20 He clearly said: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which
shall believe on me through their word”. His prayers were not limited for only
His twelve disciples, but we as believers are included in His prayers.
His praying was also not limited to His earthly ministry,
but as Mediator He is continuing this ‘prayer ministry’ where He sits on the
right hand of the Father. Hebrews 7:25 says: “seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them”. His prayers are not limited to His saints collectively,
but He is praying for the individual. In Romans 8:27 we read: “And he that
searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh
intercession for the saints according to the will of God”. This verse also says
that Jesus is praying effectively, because His prayers are in perfect harmony
with the will of the Father.
It is very important to mention that in this contexts Jesus
is not praying for everyone, but only for those who are truly saved. The Gospel
of John is written for believers. Vernon McGee says that we may write over
chapter thirteen to seventeen the words “For Believers Only…All others Stay Out!”
While the Gospel of John emphasizes the deity of Jesus, we must take note of
the authority of Jesus’ prayer.
If you are absolute sure that you are saved by the blood of
Jesus and that you are a child of God, I want to remind you today that Jesus is
praying for you. In the passage we read, four things can be identified which
Jesus asks the Father for you:
1.
Protection:
Jesus asks God to protect you spiritually.
John 17:11, 15 “Holy Father, keep through thine own name
those whom thou hast given me. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of
the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil”.
Thomas Hale commends that Jesus didn’t pray that the Father
would protect us against trouble, but against evil. While all of Jesus’ prayers
are answered, believers still fall sometimes into sin. This does not mean that
God doesn’t protect us against evil, but that we don’t hide in His protection.
We have to realize that this prayer of Jesus is answered. In 1Corinthians 10:13 we read: “There hath no temptation
taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not
suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation
also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it”. What a promise! The
Bible also teaches us that we have a personal responsibility. In 1John 5:21 we read: “Little
children, keep yourselves from idols”.
Jesus is not only
praying for our spiritual protection, but also for our:
2.
Pleasure:
He wants us to have joy.
John 17:13: “And now come I to thee; and these things I
speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves”.
This doesn’t mean that Jesus prayed that His children will
always have fun on earth. If believers would always have fun on earth, who
wants to go to Heaven? What Jesus prayed is that His joy would be fulfilled in
us. He wants us to have joy despite difficult circumstances. Our joy must be in
the fact that He died for us and that we are saved by His grace, that He was
raised from the dead and He ascended to Heaven where He is praying for us, and
that we are going to Him. Matthew Hendry puts it this way: “Christ is the Christian’s
joy, his chief joy”.
The unfortunate reality is that many believers don’t
experience this joy, not because Jesus prayer went unanswered but because they
seek their joy in other things but in Him. The answer is to be filled with the
Holy Spirit, because this will bring the joy Jesus prayed for. The Apostle Paul
says in Galatians 5:22: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…” We
have also in this regard a responsibility. Philippians 4:4 gives us a command: “Rejoice in
the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice”.
This is the reason why Jesus also prays for our:
3.
Purification:
Jesus wants us to be redeemed from inbred sin so that we can
live holy and increase in holiness.
John 17:17: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is
truth”.
The message of the Bible is holiness. Jesus is praying for
people who already are saved, but who needs to be sanctified. Sanctified from
what? The child of God needs to be sanctified from the remains of sin, namely
inbred sin. The fact that Jesus prayed for this is a proof that the believer
doesn’t need to suffer continually because of sin, but that we can be delivered
from it.
The fact is also that most of confessing believers don’t
live a victorious spiritual life. This is why Paul said in 1Thessalonians
5:23-24: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly… Faithful is he that
calleth you, who also will do it.” To accomplish this, the believer has the
responsibility to surrender himself totally unto God and trusting God for
entire sanctification. 1Peter
1:15-16 says: “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all
manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy”.
Jesus further prays for our:
4.
Partnership:
I mean that Jesus pray that we as believer will be united.
John 17:20-21: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them
also which shall believe on me through their word; 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”.
Jesus is not praying that every believer will always think
the same way about everything. Jesus also doesn’t pray that there will only be
one ecumenical denomination. What Jesus is asking from God is that His Children
will be united despite the diversity.
Vernon McGee correctly says that Jesus’ prayer for unity
between the believers is answered by the fact that everyone who believes is
baptized into the body of Christ and this forms the organic unity. Although
there are many things believers differ with one another, there is only one true
Church. Johan Heyns discusses the unity
there is in the Church of Christ, saying that there is a unity in origin,
calling, confession, witness, being, communion, and in service. We became
“partakers of the heavenly calling” (Hebrews 3:1), “partakers of Christ”
(Hebrews 3:14), and “partakers of the divine nature” (2Peter 1:4).
Where there is division, it is because of carnality. Entire
sanctification and the consequent filling with the Hole Spirit work a
realization of this unity in the body of Christ. Just as Jesus prayed for this
unity, Paul exhorts by saying in Ephesians 4:3: “Endeavouring to keep the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace”.
Conclusion:
The Person who most effectively prays is praying for us. He
prays that we will be protected against evil, that we will find our pleasure in
Him, that we will be purified, and that we will be partners of Christ and other
believers. For each of these prayer requests there is a command for us in this
regard. He commands us to protect also ourselves, to be sanctified, to be
joyful, and to be united. Although Jesus’ prayer is answered, we have a
responsibility to consider this and to act accordingly.
