John 17:9
~12 min read
TRANSCRIPT
I bring you greetings in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ from Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church here in Cebu City, the Philippines. I praise and thank the Lord for this opportunity to minister to you, our beloved brethren at Bethel BP Church.
For tonight's meditation, I want to consider with you this one verse from 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.”
The Lord bless us in the reading of His most holy and sacred Word. We are very familiar with John 17 in such a way that we all know that John 17 records for us the Lord's high priestly prayer. It is a beautiful, inspiring, comforting prayer offered by the Lord unto the Father for His disciples and for all the believers—the future believers included—and that includes the true believers even of our time as well as in the future time. As we come down for a while to verse 20, where the Lord there said, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.”
Tonight I want to focus our meditation on verse 9 and consider the significance of the words of the Lord, even the act and the thought about the Lord praying and interceding for His disciples. As we look closely at this verse, there are three things I'd like to share with you as we think about the Lord praying and interceding for His disciples.
I. An Amazing Fact
I want to say that it is an amazing fact. Notice what the Lord said here, "I pray for them." Now isn't that amazing? Some would be quick to say that Jesus here was referring to His disciples during that time. Yes, that is correct. But don't forget what Jesus said in verse 20, which I've read a while ago, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." Somehow it gives us that impression that the Lord in His high priestly prayer did not just limit His prayer to His disciples during His time and in His earthly ministry, but obviously it includes also the future believers. As the Lord said, "But for them also which shall believe on me through their word."
Indeed, as we look at verse 9, where the Lord says, "I pray for them," it is indeed an amazing fact—the Lord is praying for us. Now let's stop for a moment and think. Isn't it amazing indeed? You know as a church, we come together week after week for our prayer meeting. Like tonight, as we come and gather together, we come and gather together to pray. We come and gather together to pray for one another. We come and gather together to pray for the work of the ministry—the ministry of the church and even the work of the gospel in missions. Add to it, we come together to intercede for our families and loved ones, and likewise to share among us our personal prayers. And that's how we take comfort, as we all come together to pray and intercede for one another.
No doubt it is a great blessing that we pray for one another. It is a great blessing that others are praying for us. It is a great blessing that we remember others in our prayer. It is just comforting to know likewise that others are praying for us.
As I was speaking to you in this message, please know that Bethel BP Church is a regular in our prayer items and prayer list here in Cebu. Week after week, we uphold the church there in Australia—Bethel BP Church of Melbourne—in our prayers. And we likewise take comfort at the thought that week after week you also have been upholding us in prayer. It is indeed comforting, inasmuch as it is assuring, that we are being remembered by others in prayer, and that we also remember others in our prayer.
And for sure we all do appreciate the prayers that have been made and offered unto the Lord on our behalf, And for us, even for myself, I consider it a privilege to remember others in my prayer. As a pastor of the church, I often do receive personal prayer requests in addition to those prayer requests that our brethren would want to be included in our weekly prayer items in our church corporate prayer meetings.
I thank the Lord for the privilege to receive some prayer requests that some brethren would want me to pray for—privately and personally—and I take it indeed as a privilege, even so as we also hear of their testimonies of how the Lord heard and answered their prayers.
No doubt about it, it is indeed a great blessing, as we also enjoy such a privilege that we can pray for one another and remember one another in prayer. We know this very well—that prayer is a means of grace, and to pray is a remarkable gift. It is a blessing because it opens us to God and invites God to help us. It opens us to God and invites God to grant us His favour, and convey, if not bestow unto us, His blessings in answered prayers—and likewise unto those whom we have been upholding in prayer.
It is indeed comforting and assuring that not only we pray for one another, but more so that God hears and answers our prayer. But what about this? We are told in our text tonight that the Lord Jesus actually prays for us.
If we have enjoyed such a blessing and such a comfort and assurance knowing that brothers and sisters—fellow brethren—have been upholding us in prayer, how about learning and knowing and realising that Jesus Himself is praying for us?
Indeed, it is such a great blessing. It can be recalled that Jesus at this time was anticipating His soon arrest that would eventually lead to His death by crucifixion. We read down in John 17: 11-14 of how the Lord expressed His anticipation, "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. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world."
Indeed, the Lord in this high priestly prayer has been anticipating His soon arrest that would eventually lead to His death by crucifixion. And here we find Him praying for His disciples and for all the believers.
Now that the Lord has gone back to Heaven, still we take comfort that He continues to pray for us. In Romans 8:34, this is what we read, "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."
Indeed, the Lord is praying for us, and the thought about the Lord praying for His disciples and for all the believers is just an amazing fact. No doubt about it—it is an amazing fact that the Lord is praying for us.
II. An Affirming Act
Furthermore, not only that it is an amazing fact, please know also that as we think of the Lord praying for us, it is also an affirming act. It is an affirming act. Look with me again at verse 9, "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine."
I want us to take a closer look at the words of the Lord here and notice how affirming His prayer was. It is a very particular prayer—that He prayed only for His disciples and followers, the believers, and not for all the people in the world, and not for all the people in general, but only, "For them which thou hast given me; for they are thine."This is obviously in reference to everyone whom God the Father has given to His Son, the Lord Jesus.
Remember, we were once part of the world until the Lord called us out of the world. That we read in verses 14–16, "I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world."
Yes, we were once part of the world until the Lord called us out of the world. And thus Jesus prayed that the Father will keep us from evil. It is always comforting when we pray for God’s protection upon us and upon our fellow brethren. But nothing can be more comforting knowing that Jesus is praying for us too. Surely, it is just amazing and just affirming, knowing that Jesus is upholding us in prayer.
An Assuring Truth
Moving on in our meditation, we have looked at the Lord praying for us as an amazing fact, and it is also an affirming act. Realise that it is also an assuring truth. Look again at verse nine: "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine."
Now, isn't it very assuring knowing that we belong to the Father? True, we were once of the world until God called us out of the world. We can look at it in verse six where Jesus here said, "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word."
Yes, we were once of the world. Yet, as we have just read in verse six, where Jesus said,"I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world," it is the Lord who called us out of the world. God called us out of the world, and notice how indeed Jesus stressed the truth here, "Thine they were." Isn't it assuring that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself affirmed that we belong to the Father, and that it is the Father who gave us to His Son, the Lord Jesus?
Look again in verse six: "Thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me." As we think about our conversion, even so of our salvation, we know very well that salvation is of the Lord. As we look at the words of the Lord here in this verse, it surely would bring us back to that precious truth of God choosing us even before the foundation of the world—calling us out of the world, calling us out of darkness, and bringing us unto His marvellous light.
And that, as we speak about our salvation, it is never our choosing that gets us saved, but it is God's choosing us, whereby by the working of regeneration we have come to respond to the call of the gospel and take that step of faith to believe in the Lord Jesus.
And as you can see in verse six, "Thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word." And as we reflect upon our salvation, even as we reflect upon how we get to know the Lord, and how we came to believe in Him and receive Him as our Lord and Saviour—truly it is all the work of the Lord.
And as we ponder upon what Jesus also had said in verse fifteen, in which Jesus here says, "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." Indeed, the Lord Jesus even prayed that the Father would keep us from evil.
As we think about our ministry of prayer and intercession, we oftentimes remember one another in prayer—for the Lord's leading and guidance, for the Lord's protection, for the Lord's deliverance from harm and evil. And indeed, we are comforted with such prayers uttered on our behalf. But what about this? "I pray"- the Lord Jesus Christ said, "I pray for them: I pray not for the world." And as we have just read in verse fifteen, "I pray". Notice here this assuring truth—that the Lord indeed prays for us.
And as we speak about God choosing us and calling us unto salvation, and giving us to His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, whereby we are kept safe—the Lord would speak about this in John 6:37, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." Learn here how we are kept safe, not just for a time, not just for a moment, but for all eternity. We are safe, and we are secure. As Jesus said here, "And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
Come with me then to verse 44 of the same chapter. When verse 37 speaks about our security in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ, as He said, "And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out," here in verse 44, Jesus stressed upon the certainty that everyone that comes to Him is of the Father, and that it is the Father who draws him unto His Son. And that the Lord also assured that anyone, and whosoever has come to Him, has been given of the Father, and that He assures them that He will raise them up at the last day.
Now look with me at verse 44, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." Isn't it assuring that as the Lord prayed for us, it is a very specific and particular prayer? As He said: "I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine." (John 17:9)
And indeed, Jesus stressed upon the truth when He said here in John 6:44,"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him." What an assurance indeed—that we belong to the Father, and it is the Father that draws us to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ—leading us and bringing us to faith and bringing us to salvation.
One more verse from John 6:65 and here we read, "And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father." True indeed. No one is able to come to the Lord Jesus Christ, except it is given to him by the Father.
Ponder upon these things, my dear brethren, that as we consider the words of the Lord whereby He prayed for His disciples, whereby He prayed for all the believers, including the future believers—we are reminded of this assuring truth in here: that whosoever comes to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith has come to Him by faith because of the drawing of the Father.
And as Jesus acknowledged that all that come to Him were given to Him by the Father, and as we read in the last part of verse nine of our text, "For they are thine." As we ponder upon all this amazing truth before us this evening, it reminds me of the words of the Lord in John 10:28, where it says, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."
Coming together for prayer meeting tonight, let us rejoice and praise God—realising that our Lord Himself is also praying and interceding for us. While we take comfort as we pray for one another, as we intercede for one another, let us take comfort even as we rejoice—realising that the Lord Jesus Himself is praying for us. And such an act of the Lord is indeed an amazing fact, an affirming act, and an assuring truth. Let us pray.
Lord, thank you for bringing to our attention this evening this wonderful, comforting and assuring fact, O Lord, of how Thou hast been praying and interceding for us. It is such comforting unto us, O Lord, even while we come and gather together tonight for prayer. We have been reminded, O Lord, of how You Yourself set the example for us—that You have been praying and interceding for us.
May we all be encouraged, and may we all be committed, O Lord, to carry on and continue to be burdened to come for prayer meetings—knowing especially that You Yourself have been praying for us. Bless our time together this evening in prayer and intercession. And may all our prayers, O Lord, be found pleasing and acceptable in Your sight—even so, glorifying unto You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
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