The High Priestly Prayer - Jesus Prays for all Believers part 2

Thank you for that worship, Keith. The Christ Center worship flows very well with where we are going this morning. If you would, go ahead and take your Bible turn to John 17. I'm sure your Bible is marked already from our scripture reading earlier. In John 17, we will be in verses 24-26. Now last week we covered verses 20-23. And I think it's obvious for all of us that we are about to conclude John 17, this lengthy, high priestly prayer from Jesus. Now if you remember what we learned last week in our message, you remember that we saw a major transition in this high priestly prayer.

Jesus shifted from praying only for the 11 disciples to praying for the 11 as well as praying for all New Testament believers. We see this transition right there in verse 20. I know that verse 20 is not part of our verses from this morning, but let's look at verse 20. I want you to see this transition. Jesus is praying and He says, "I do not ask for these only." That is the 11 disciples right there. But notice, "But also for those who will believe in Me through their word." There is the transition where Jesus begins to pray for all New Testament believers as well as the 11.

Now our verses this morning are still sooner around all of these New Testament believers. Truthfully verses 20-26 belong together. A lot of Bible commentators group these verses together as one prayer or maybe one message. But I divided them into a part one and part two for the sake of time. Now in our message last week, we saw that Jesus was still on this high mountain top of intercession. All through this prayer, He's been on the high mountain peak of prayer. As He looked up to His Father in intercession, He is praying out over time over all New Testament Christians.

Jesus is praying out over the nations, over the peoples, and all cultures for all Christians from the time of the apostles and beyond. In verses 20-23, Jesus had one primary request. He was praying for unity among His people. We saw that three times as He prayed that His people would be one in verse 21, in verse 22, and in verse 23. Now here in our verses this morning, Jesus' prayer changes. He is still on this high mountain peak of intercession. He is still praying up to the Father while He is praying out, out for all of these New Testament Christians. But His primary request here involves heaven and His future with His people.

Jesus prays that in the right time, His people, all believers, would be with Him in heaven or in glory. Now if you remember all the way back in verse 11, I made a statement about the heart and mind of Jesus here. I said that Jesus had one foot on earth and one foot in heaven. We will see that in our verses this morning as He is praying. He is praying for His people, His believers, that they would join Him in heaven at the right time. So let's go back to our verses and read them. Verse 24, 25, and 26. These are the verses that we will divide this morning.

"Father, I desire that they also whom you have given Me may be with Me where I am, to see My glory that you have given Me because you loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know You, I know You, and these know that You have sent Me." Verse 26, "I have made known to them Your name, and will continue to make it known that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them." Now I said earlier this is a part two. This is the high priestly prayer of Jesus. It's very simple. Jesus prays for all believers.

These are New Testament believers from the days of the apostles, even to today. And you see how we will divide these verses. It is rather simple. Each major truth comes from each of the verses. That's the way it fleshed out. We will see first, or number one, the believers' future with Christ out of verse 24. The believers' knowledge of God in verse 25, and the believers' continued knowledge of God in verse 26. We do encourage you to take notes. We want to study God's Word together, and we want to be faithful to what the Lord wants to teach us. So let's look at our first major truth in our outline.

Number one, the believers' future with Christ. Let's go back to verse 24. "Father, I desire, or I will," the King James says, "I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am, to see my glory, that you have given me because you love me before the foundation of the world." Now it is obvious, but we see Jesus is still praying here in these verses. Jesus uses the word "Father" here in verse 24, and we see this language all throughout the prayer, all throughout these verses. We see this language in verse 1, verse 5, and verse 21.

Back in verse 11, Jesus prays, "Holy Father." In verse 9, Jesus prays, "I am praying for them." Now this is clearly Jesus still praying in the upper room as these disciples are watching and listening and being very attentive to this prayer. Now I want us to break this prayer down, this request down, in three ways. Three observations I want to make out of verse 24. First, I want us to see Jesus' great desire in the prayer. He has this great desire within the prayer.

Go back to the beginning of the verse, "Father, I desire." The New American that I'm reading from reads, "I desire." The King James, it reads, "I will." Now in the original, this is a very strong word. This communicates an action of the will. This is not a hope so. Jesus is not praying that He wishes for something. This is an authoritative word. This Jesus heart is the same as the Father's. This prayer is the very will of God. Again, this is not a wish. This is not a hope so. For Christ wills that this be. So we see His heart's desire, His will. And I like the word will because it moves us away from a hope so. We see Jesus' will, His desire.

Second observation. Jesus for who is Christ praying? Go back to the verse, "For I desire that they also," and here it is, "whom you have given me." Now this is right in the middle of the verse. Now back in verse 2, Jesus basically says the very same thing. I will read verse 2. This is earlier in the prayer. Jesus says, "Since you have given me authority over all flesh to give eternal life to all whom you have given Him," this is the who of the prayer. Those who the Father has given Christ. Now in this portion of verse 24, if we look at the construction of these words, there is a very interesting layer here.

In the original, it is in what is called the singular collective construction. Jesus speaks to the fact that those who have been given to Christ for salvation are a single identifiable group. They are collected into this group and this fact is seen beautifully in Matthew chapter 16 verse 18. Jesus says, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades," or hell, "shall not prevail against it." Notice this word church. This word church literally means those called out or the called out ones. This goes back to what we see here in verse 24.

Now this is the first time that this word is used in the New Testament, this word church. In the New Testament, it is applied to those individuals being called out of the world, being called to Christ, and being called into the institution of the church. And it is very important to see who, who this is here in verse 24. Starting back in verse 20, Jesus is praying for the 11 and all those who would believe through their word, through their ministry. Here in verse 24, we find all of the New Testament church, those who are called out. So Christ is praying for the church, which is us, even us today. And then third, for what is Christ praying?

Go back to the verse, "For I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am to see my glory that you have given me because you love me before the foundation of the world." To see what Christ is praying for, we need to see two things in the heart of Jesus, right here in this verse. This can be seen easily if we observe this prayer. First He is praying that they may be with Him. Isn't that what He says? That they also may be with me where I am. We learn back in verse 11 that Jesus' heart and mind were with His Father in heaven while His body was on earth.

Again, I said that He had one foot on earth and one foot in heaven. So here we see that Jesus longs for His people to be with Him in heaven. We saw this same heart earlier in the farewell discourses back in chapter 14 in verse 3. Jesus said, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself that where I am you also may be." So here is a desire in Christ that His people would be with Him in heaven. But also, notice second, He is praying that they may see His glory. It's rather lengthy, but go back to the verse.

That they also may be with me where I am to see My glory that you have given Me because you love Me before the foundation of the world. Now here we do see the eternality of the Father's love for the Son. But He is praying that they would receive His and see His glory. Now this love existed before the beginning of time, but the question arises, what is this glory? This is none other than the full manifestation of His glory. Yes, that's what He is saying, that they may see the full manifestation of His glory. This is the full manifestation that can only be seen in heaven.

Now in the incarnation of Christ when He was on earth, those disciples saw a partial manifestation of His glory. This is taught in Philippians 2 verse 7. The verse reads that Christ emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. So they saw the partial revelation of His glory on earth, but Christ prays that they would see His full revelation in heaven with Him, and that is His desire. He is praying that they would be with Him, and He was praying that they would see His glory. So in summary, what do we see here in verse 24? Jesus has this great desire. This is not a wish. This is not a hope so.

His desires are always fulfilled. He desires that His people may be with Him in heaven to enjoy His glory forever, not the veil glory which He possessed during His earthly ministry. This is the full glory which Christ had before the world began. John expresses these same realities in 1 John chapter 3 verse 2. Notice what John says there. "Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared. But we know that when He appears, notice, we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is." That is a reference to His glory in heaven. Now an application, what can we learn out of verse 24?

We need to see that Christ desires that we Christians be with Him in heaven. Yes, this applies to us. Remember back in verse 20, we saw that this prayer applies to the 11 and to all New Testament believers from their day on. And Christ desires that we would be in heaven with Him as well. This heart in verse 24 is the same heart He has for us. Now this is not a hope so. This is not a wish. Now turn it around. There are many people who hope they make it to heaven. There are many people who wish that they could get to heaven. But that's not the case here with Christ.

His desire is in His will is that His true born-again believers would be with Him. This is done. This is signed, sealed, and delivered. And it is only a matter of time. And when your day comes to leave this earth, it is the appointed time when you go to be with Christ in glory. And that is His desire right now. Doesn't this show us how much He loves us? Now speaking only to born-again people? We're born-again? God loves us so much that He desires for us to be with Christ in heaven. But we must also see what awaits us in heaven. Christ and His glory. This is the ultimate end in salvation.

This is the ultimate goal in salvation that we would be with Christ and dwell with Christ and see His glory. Now we have a problem today. In many people's homes and lives and minds and in many churches, there has been propagated this man-centered understanding of heaven. You hear it all the time. What are we going to do in heaven? Am I going to have a family reunion with grandpa and grandma in heaven? Oh, am I going to hunt and fish in heaven? See that's all man-centered and the opposite of what's taught in the Word of God.

I remember being at a funeral service, a graveside service, sitting on a tombstone, an image of a man deer hunting and talking about deer hunting in heaven. That is completely the opposite of what's taught in God's Word. And see, there are so many reasons why we have a man-centered understanding of heaven. I thought about three. First of all, the number one reason is lostness. Most people who do not know God, they will always have a man-centered version of heaven. Another reason why many people have a man-centered version is bad theology.

There are a lot of people that teach bad theology, sing bad songs, and preach bad sermons about heaven and glory and the afterlife. But then also sometimes immature Christians can have a bad understanding of heaven. That's why it's important for us to go word by word, verse by verse through God's Word. No heaven isn't about you. Heaven is about Christ and His glory and our submission to that glory. And see, heaven is about Christ desiring to be with us because when we observe His glory, He gets glory. We worship Him forever. So in verse 24, we see that Christ desires that born-again people be with Him in heaven.

Let's move on to our second major truth, the believer's knowledge of God. The believer's knowledge of God. Verse 25, "O righteous Father, even though the world does not know You, I know You, and these know that You have sent Me." Now, there is a little debate here about the nature of verse 25 and verse 26. Some commentators say that these last two verses are a prayer, but there are some that say this is only reflective language. They say that Jesus is simply making retrospective statements. He's just thinking about the past. I do think that it is reflective. We have seen portions of this prayer have a reflective tone.

But I do think we have a prayer. The requests here are not as obvious as they are in some of the other verses. So this is reflective, but yet it is still a prayer. Now there are three observations I want to make here. Three ways I want to break this verse down. First notice Jesus' confidence in the Father. There is a confidence that Jesus has in the Father. The beginning of the verse, "O righteous Father." Now this is a unique way for Jesus to address the Father. This is not seen that often. With this language, Jesus is expressing His confidence that His Father would answer His prayers.

Of course we know that God is righteous, totally righteous. God is righteous in all of His deeds. Psalm 103 verse 17 tells us, "God is righteous in His judgment." Psalm 19 verse 9 teaches. And God is righteous in His words. Psalm 119 verse 123. Now that's just a partial list. But we see the righteousness of God. So Jesus had full confidence that His prayers would be answered because He knew that His Father is a righteous Father. Second observation, the world's relationship to God. The world's relationship to God. We see that right in the middle of the verse. Even though the world does not know you.

Now we've seen Jesus make similar statements before in this prayer. Back in verse 14, Jesus says, "The world has hated them," talking about the disciples, "because they are not of the world." Now He continues along this theme in verse 15 and verse 16. Simply, Jesus has shown that the world does not know the disciples nor receive His Word. And now He states that the world does not know the Father. I like how one commentator says it. It's real short, Leon Morris says, "The world in its very nature was ignorant of God." I add to that by saying that the world is also antagonistic in its nature to God.

That's why the world persecuted these 11 disciples. So we see the world's relationship to God. But then notice third, the disciples' relationship to God. Notice a transition in verse 25 towards the end. "I know you, and these know that you have sent Me." Here we see Jesus contrast the disciples against the world. But notice that Jesus does not say that these believers know God. Go back to the verse. "I know you, and these know that you have sent Me." He says that they know that God sent Jesus. We need to see that these believers know that God has sent Christ. They know Christ.

And this knowledge comes through Christ's incarnation and saving relationship. So the disciples know God through Christ. And this includes us today. So what do we see here in verse 25? There is a stark contrast between true believers in the world. And that is part of the prayer. He is contrasting the world to the disciples. The world does not know God. They are ignorant. They are antagonistic by nature. But true believers, born-again Christians, are different from the apostles all the way to today. They know the Father sent the Son. They believe in the mission of the Son.

And they know the Son because they are in a saving relationship to the Son. Therefore, because of the Son, they know God. Now an application for us. We need to see that knowing God is not a mere profession of faith. Now you know, me by now, that I always point out some of the error of our church culture. And what is deeply ingrained in our church culture is this profession of faith, this decisionism, this "I have decided" mentality. But this is more than a profession of faith. Knowing God is knowing the Son. And outside of a saving relationship with the Son, no one knows God. I don't know if you remember the theme verse of John.

It's been a long time since I've mentioned this. But the theme verse of the Gospel of John is found over in John chapter 20, verse 31. And notice what John says, "But these things have been written." In other words, I wrote the book for this purpose. That you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in His name. And so the purpose of the book is that those who would read would come to know the Son in a saving relationship, therefore know God. If you're here this morning and you are not born again, you are just like the world. Oh, you might not realize it, but you are ignorant of God.

You do not know God. You may know lots about God, factual information about His Word. But you do not know God, and you are antagonistic by nature against God in His Word and the things of God. But let me give you a word of explanation. Some of you need to see that you are under the umbrella of grace. Some of you have a hedge of grace around you. You're lost, and you don't know Christ. Therefore you do not know God, but you have an umbrella of grace or a hedge of grace. I'll speak to you children or teenagers. If you are not born again, you are under the umbrella of grace, possibly through your parents.

If your mom and dad love God, then you are under an umbrella of grace. And they bring you to church, and they teach you how to live and how to act, possibly according to the Word of God. And you are not out on your own, but let me share this with you. If you venture out in life and you are not born again, you will become increasingly antagonistic to the Word of God and God. Why? Because you are not born again. There are some of you who are adults. God has brought you here, and God has put around you a hedge of grace.

There's a church here to preach the Word of God, and you are drawn to the things of God and the teachings of God and God's people. See there's this hedge of grace around you for this day and this time and this hour, and part of God drawing you to Himself. But again I say, if you are not born again, you are antagonistic in your nature to God's Word, God's Son, and God's ways. So the believers here, they know God because they know the Son. And let's move on. Let's notice our third major truth. The believers continued knowledge of God. The believers continued knowledge of God.

Verse 26, "I have made known to them your name, and will continue to make it known that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them." Again, there are some who see this as merely reflective and not a prayer. This is reflective, yes, but I do believe we see prayer here. It is very much implied. Now again, there are three observations I want to make here out of verse 26. First notice that Jesus revealed God's name. Jesus has revealed God's name. Verse 26, "I made known to them your name." Obviously, He is speaking of the 11th. Now this is almost word for word a repeat of what Jesus prayed in verse 6.

Verse 6, Jesus prayed, "I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world." Now in verse 26, Jesus says, "I made known." In verse 6, Jesus says, "I have manifested." Meaning is virtually the same. We need to see that this verb made known and the term name, there is a lot of truth here we need to see. Notice to make known. This means to reveal, it means to show. In verse 6, this word manifested means virtually the same, although manifested speaks of an accomplished work. So right here we see that to make known means to reveal or to show. But also the name, the term name. It is very important.

As applied to God, this speaks of the whole person of God. This speaks of God's character, of God's nature and God's attributes. Just like in verse 6, here we see that Christ revealed the name of God to these people through, through the incarnation. Christ was the revealed nature, character and attributes of God to these people. I mention again the verses that we've referenced. Back when we covered verse 6, this will help us see and understand verse 26. So notice these verses, what they teach us. John 12 verse 45 says, "And whoever sees me, sees him who sent me." What is Christ saying? If you've seen me, you've seen the Father.

Again in John 14.9 Jesus said, "Have I been with you so long and you still do not know me Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say show me the Father?" And then in Colossians, Colossians 1.15, he is the image of the invisible God. 1.19, "For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell." Chapter 2 verse 9, "For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily." And then in Hebrews 1.3, "He," this is Christ, "is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. And he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

And after making purification for sin, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high." Now why do I repeat these verses? This is essential truth. That's why it needs to be repeated. That's why Christ repeats this in verse 26. Christ revealed God to the people the Father had given him. He did this through his words, through his works, and through his person. Christ was the image of the invisible God, the exact imprint of his nature. So Jesus revealed God's name to his people. But then second, notice Jesus will continue this work. Go back to the verse.

"I made known to them your name, and will continue to make it known." Now this speaks of the perpetual mission of Christ for his people while they are on earth. Christ desires to continue revealing the Father to his own. This is first done in salvation. When we come to Christ in salvation, the nature and the person and the name of God is revealed through his Son. And all his people who come into that right relationship through saving faith enjoy knowing and understanding and seeing his name. Second, this is done through personal sanctification. This involves the work and the power of the Holy Spirit and the life of the believer.

Just as the 11 disciples, all believers will continue to know more of God through the sanctifying process. And then last, this final stage of knowing God's name comes at death or glorification when we go to Christ in glory. So Christ is continuing to reveal his name to his own as they walk with him on earth. And then the third observation, God's love will be in them. What does he say? "That the love which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them." Here we will see that Christ's aim was that his people be filled. Now there are two ways here that he desires that they be filled.

First Jesus desires that they be filled with the love that the Father bestowed on him. And that what the verse says, "The love which you have loved me may be in them." It is important to see that this love was tied to the cross. The Father loved the Son because of his perfect obedience. And for these believers, this prayer focuses on the fact that we love the Father and we take up our cross. We learned this last week when we examined verse 22. Believers are obedient to the life of the cross. And so the Father gives believers this love which he had given his Son. And then second, Jesus desire that they be filled.

Right there at the end, what does he say? "And I in them." Now we know how Christ will be in them. This is a reference to the giving of the Holy Spirit. Back in chapter 14, Jesus spoke. In verse 18 he said, "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." Verse 20 he goes on to say, "In that day you shall know that I am in the Father, and in me and I in you." So Jesus is praying that he would be in them. So what do we see in verse 26? Jesus revealed God's name to these believers and he continues to do so today. This is the perpetual ministry of Christ in believers while they are on earth.

And his name represents his character, his nature, and attributes. All that the Father is, and Christ desires that believers be filled with his love and filled with his Spirit who is Christ. Now a question and application. How is God's name being manifested or made known to us in our lives? We need to ask that question. How is God's name being made manifest or made known to us in our lives? Well for these disciples, when they are walking with Jesus and listening to Jesus and observing everything that Jesus did, Jesus was making the Father's name known to them. Well for us, we know the name of God through his written Word.

That's why the preaching and the teaching and the study of God's Word is so important. To know Christ, we get into his Word. And to know the name of God, we get into the Word of God. Jesus is the exact representation of God and his Word is the representation of Christ. And that's why it is so important for us as believers to be consistently and daily and habitually in his Word. That's why it is so important to be here together on Sunday morning and yes on Sunday evening and on Wednesday evening because we're always going to look at God's Word.

And every time we're in the Word, whether corporately or individually, we're being exposed to the name of God. His character, his attributes and his very nature. Now what about this God's love poured out? How does this apply to us? What does the verse say? That the love with which you have loved me may be in them, in I in them. We must see that this love is tied to the cross. Oh listen, when we take up our cross and we follow Christ in biblical discipleship, there is a love that is poured out in us and through us because of obedience. Oh believer, listen close.

You will never have God's love shed abroad in your heart and come out of your life until you are faithfully and obediently carrying your cross. And you will never have Christ in you in his fullness until you are faithfully and obediently doing what God has called you to do. It's obedience and it is tied to the cross. Now I want us to see how this prayer ends. Like I said earlier, we're at the end of this chapter, the end of this high priestly prayer. But before we see how the prayer ends, we need to go back to the beginning. If you would go all the way back to verse 1, you have your copy of God's word open.

Maybe you have to turn a page, but go all the way back to verse 1. Just the beginning portion when he begins to pray. And he said, "Father, the hour has come." Notice that Jesus starts the prayer with the cross. That's what that term means, the hour has come. All through his ministry, Jesus has been saying, "My hour has not yet come." "My hour has not yet come." Now what is he saying? The hour of the cross, this substitutionary death. So Christ begins this prayer with the glory of the substitutionary death. God the Son coming to die in the place of man on the cross. So he starts with the glory of the cross.

But then notice that Jesus ends with the glory of heaven. What does he say? "Father, I desire, I will, that they also, those whom you have given me, may be with me where I am." The Bible commentator, A.W. Pink says that Jesus praying for his people to be with him in heaven is the climax of the entire prayer of John 17. And when I agree, Jesus starts the prayer with glory and he ends the prayer with glory. Do you see that? Now as I move to the conclusion, the conclusion of the message, I want to show us four reasons why we should long for heaven. You and me, born again people.

Now again, I differentiate if you are not born again, if you know that you are not converted, you cannot long for heaven. You needn't long for salvation, you needn't long for the new birth to be born from above. But as born again believers, I want to give us four reasons why we should long for heaven. Now this is not a man centered heaven. Oh, this isn't fishing on the creek bank in heaven. No. First, our Father is there. God the Father is in heaven. If we look at the model prayer, various places in the gospels, what did Jesus say as he taught these disciples to pray? Our Father who is in heaven.

It's God the Father who is the creator of all, the giver of life and who sent his son Jesus to die to provide a way of salvation. He did not leave us in our sin. He sent his son and Christ died to make away. The very Father that loves us is in glory and we should desire to be in heaven first. First because God the Father is in heaven. The second reason we should long for heaven is that our family is there. Our family is there. Now I'm not talking about our earthly family. Maybe your grandmother was a born again believer. Maybe your father was a born again believer. Maybe an aunt that dearly loved you was a born again believer.

Maybe a brother or a sister who has left this earth was a born again believer. But I'm not talking about earthly family. The sad thing is many of our family members who die are without Christ and they're not in heaven. So I'm talking about our brothers and sisters in Christ. Those who are redeemed, our brothers and sisters, those who have gone before us, those with us now who will die before we will, even those Old Testament saints and New Testament saints, these 11 who have gone before us, our brothers and sisters, our family. They're in glory. And we should yearn to be with them. I'll give you a great list of those who are in glory.

Turn to Hebrews chapter 11 and study not this morning but in your own time that great hall of faith, that great hall of fame of those believers. They're in heaven. The third reason why we should yearn for heaven is our inheritance is there. Our spiritual inheritance is there. John Peter chapter 1 verse 4 describes an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled, one that will not fade away. Jesus taught in Matthew 5, 12 that our reward is in heaven. And we have a heavenly inheritance, a reward in glory. And we should yearn for that. The sad thing is many Christians are so worried about a physical earthly retirement.

They never lay up treasures in heaven as they should. My little friend, I warn you, all that you lay up here on this earth will soon one day be gone. Soon one day it will not be yours. One day you will leave this earth and someone else will spend that savings. I remember vividly, I enjoyed a wonderful grandfather who lived to be 99 and a half in four days. But outside of his family, his most treasured possession was a piece of land. And on that piece of land he loved those trees. Wouldn't dare cut them, unless maybe he had pine beetles. But he died in March and by January somebody else was cutting those trees.

Somebody else was putting the money in their pocket. Couldn't take that inheritance. Listen, as born again believers, we have an inheritance. And I would much rather lay up rewards in glory because this life gets shorter and shorter. And then the fourth reason is our Lord and Savior is there. See if you're born again, if you are born again, your heart automatically is warm. You are automatically moved to a great place of gratitude. What does Jesus say in John 14.3? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself. There where I am you may also be. What do we see?

Our hearts yearn to be in heaven because our Savior is there. Our Savior is there. The one who died for us and saved us while we were sinners. Our Father is there. Our brothers and sisters are there. Our inheritance is there. And our Lord is there. So this concludes this high priestly prayer of Jesus. This is the most unique prayer in all of the scriptures. There's none like it. This is arguably the greatest prayer in all of the scriptures. Some scholars say that the prayer of Jesus and Gethsemane is greater, but that's debated. But here in chapter 17, Jesus prays for glory for himself, glory for the Father, verses 1-5.

Jesus is interceding for this weak little band of disciples in verses 6-19. And then Jesus is interceding for us verses 20-26. May the Lord enable us to have a heart where we truly live for heaven, eternal things, and yearn to be with Christ as he yearns to be with us. pray.