Jesus prays for his disciples’ protection

We hear that Jesus so loves His disciples that He prays for their and our spiritual protection.

! This week we're very much going to hear the heart of Jesus for His disciples.

! This week we had our last ever primary school parent consultation.

And it was really nice to spend time with a P7 teacher who had invested a lot in terms of education, character, trying to build confidence.

And His last words were all about having a healthy concern for ongoing progress.

Knowing the next phase of high school was about to begin, eager that Seb continue on in his educational career.

Different conditions need new provisions.

Jesus has been with His disciples for the last three years.

Every day He has been physically with them, their teacher and their master.

He has protected them in their lives of faith.

But now, as we hear at the beginning of the chapter, His hour has come.

He's about to depart.

He's going to go to the cross, then there'll be the resurrection, and then He'll return to the glory of heaven.

And so here He takes time to ask His Father to continue the good work of protecting them spiritually.

That Jesus' loving concern for His disciples remains.

This prayer is often called the High Priestly Prayer.

And that's a really helpful title for this section.

Because remember, Jesus is praying out loud so His disciples can hear.

He wants to encourage them.

He wants to strengthen the disciples as they listen in.

The disciples knew all about the work of the High Priest.

They saw Him get dressed up.

They knew that He wore the name of God's people on His shoulders and wore them on a breastplate on His heart as He would go into God's presence once a year.

And that's exactly the image that we get of Jesus.

His people are on His heart.

He bears them on His shoulders.

He carries us and our needs into our Father's presence.

And so we're going to think about that this evening.

Three very basic questions.

First of all, who does Jesus pray for?

Secondly, what does Jesus pray for?

And thirdly, why do we need this prayer for ourselves?

So question one, who does Jesus pray for?

But again, just to press on this, that we are invited into the loving heart of Jesus.

Because think about it.

He knows that He has already entered into a dark time, a season of sorrow.

He's about to go to the cross.

He's going to take the cup of God's wrath and He's going to drink it to the dregs.

He's literally going to walk into the darkness as He is judged for the sin of His people.

That hour is upon Him, yet here He takes time to pray for His friends.

And as He prays, they get to listen in.

And so do we.

And every word and every phrase matters because they are given and we are given powerful reminders that disciples of Jesus, they are those who are saved by God's grace.

And disciples of Jesus are those who are deeply loved.

This prayer isn't, because Jesus could immediately have gone, Father, I'm praying for my disciples, protect them.

But He takes time to express truths about them, to show characteristics of the Christian.

Some from God's perspective, thinking about salvation.

Some from a human point of view.

But He makes absolutely clear in this prayer that He prays for those who are saved by His power and His grace.

Look at how He begins this section of His prayer.

Verse 6,

Or verse 9,

What's really clear as we listen to Jesus are that disciples are those who've been given to Jesus the Son by God the Father.

And so what's really clear is that they belong both to God the Son and they belong to God the Father.

And they belong to God the Father even before Jesus' ministry.

We're being invited again to recognize this eternal election.

Love before the world was even made.

Chosen before the world was created.

God loves His people.

God loves these disciples because He freely chose to love and to save them.

And what we hear in Jesus' prayer is an aspect of covenant love.

It's followers of Jesus bound to God the Father, bound to God the Son in steadfast, faithful covenant love from all eternity and forever.

Disciples who are saved by God's grace have been given to the Son from out of the world.

Did you hear that emphasis?

Verse 6,

I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world.

Verse 9,

I'm not praying for the world but for those you have given me.

Maybe we're familiar with that idea of being in the world but not of the world.

Christians have been given a new identity.

So, we are called to live here on this earth as foreigners with our true home in heaven with Christ.

And so, we should live our days differently.

Some of us, I know, watch race across the world.

And this week, teams ended up in Mongolia.

And they were dropped into Mongolia, taking a flight over China.

And the territory they entered, it felt like another world to so many of them.

Totally different language.

Totally different way of life.

Entirely different customs.

Really hard to enter in.

And every point on that journey, they were clearly different foreigners, strangers.

Jesus says that's our identity as those who are in Christ.

In the world but not of the world.

In the world but at the same time called out of the world to be given to Jesus.

Important to say that in John's gospel,

sometimes Jesus will use that word world in a really specific way.

Not talking about the earth, geography,

but thinking about a system or a set of people who live in opposition to God and His kingdom.

The world are those whose hearts and desires are fixed on this world, not on heaven.

Those who are seeking glory for themselves in this world, not seeking the glory of God.

And truly, that's the condition of each and every person who has ever lived.

But the prayer of Jesus reminds us that out of that mess of sinful rebellion,

God chooses to reach down and pluck some out to bring to Himself.

Not because they have earned it, but because God delights to be gracious

and to give a people to His Son.

And so, as we listen to Jesus' prayer, we're being reminded of the power of God.

That authority properly belongs to Him.

He is the creator, He is the King.

And this same powerful God who created the world by speaking it into existence,

with that same power raising Jesus from the dead,

with that same power gives us new life in Christ and gives us to Christ.

The God of all power acts in Christ Jesus to set us free, as we were thinking about this morning,

to redeem us from Satan and from sin that leads to death,

through the death of Jesus on the cross.

We were reminded a couple of weeks ago that the U.S. government recently spent around $300 million

to rescue a single airman who was lost in Iran.

The gospel reminds us that the Lord God of heaven paid the ultimate cost,

infinite cost of His Son, His blood shed on the cross,

to redeem and to set us free, to deliver us from enemy territory,

to bring us home to our God.

And so, as we listen to Jesus' prayer, He's putting the power of God on display,

but also the grace of God.

Nothing in these disciples merits His mercy.

Nothing in us merits His mercy.

We are by nature sinful rebels.

Our hearts and wills are set against God.

We break His laws.

We break relationship with God.

But He freely in love gives His Son for us and gives us to His Son

so that all praise and glory belongs to Him.

So, He takes a number of verses to really focus in His prayer on,

here is what God has done for these people who have been given to Him

to show His power and grace.

But also notice that Jesus prays for those who believe God's Word

about Jesus, the Messiah King.

Because this is another emphasis.

Verse 6,

You gave them to Me, and they have obeyed Your Word.

I gave them, verse 8, the words You gave Me, and they accepted them.

End of verse 10,

Glory has come to Me through them.

And so, He's praying for these 11 apostles,

recognizing that these 11, they've been with Jesus from the beginning.

They heard the call of Jesus into discipleship,

come, follow Me, and they responded in faith.

They heard Jesus preach,

The kingdom of God has come near, repent and believe the good news.

And they believe that He is God's King,

and that His coming is good news,

and that salvation is found nowhere else but in Jesus.

In John chapter 6, we get to that point where many people are offended by Jesus.

John 6 · chapter mention

Big crowds have been following, but they begin to turn away from Jesus.

And He says to His disciples,

Will you also leave?

And they say,

To whom else will we turn?

You alone have the words of eternal life.

They believe God's Word about the Messiah King.

Now, their obedience is not perfect.

We know that they have many misunderstandings.

They misunderstand the nature of the kingdom,

and so they fight with pride to be top dog.

We hear Peter,

Jesus,

You shall never suffer.

It's not fitting for the Messiah to go to the cross.

Jesus,

You shall never wash my feet,

far be it from You to act as a servant.

And shortly,

they will fail Him at His point of need.

Watch and pray with me,

so they fall asleep.

When it's the time for Jesus' arrest,

they turn and run.

So, their obedience is not perfect,

but it is true obedience.

They have responded in faith and belief.

Compared to the others that we meet in the Gospels,

it becomes evident that the seed of God's Word,

it has been planted in their hearts

and has found good soil.

They are those who've been enabled by Jesus

to preach good news

and to perform miracles in Jesus' name.

At great cost to themselves,

they have confessed that Jesus is Lord,

that He is God's promised Messiah,

Savior, King.

And so, He prays.

Two wonderful truths, I think,

as we think about who Jesus prays for.

There's the wonderful truth of the Gospel,

that God saves sinners.

Here we are reminded,

even as Jesus prays,

that the three persons of the Trinity,

well, here it says the Father and Son in focus,

but they work together in wisdom and power

to achieve the salvation of a chosen people.

That the Father in love

elects before the creation of the world,

and the Son in love fulfills the Father's plan

by redeeming that chosen people.

And the Spirit, well, He shows the love of God

by giving the gift of new life.

And in this work of salvation,

it's God who does everything.

He's the one who plans it.

He's the one who, through Jesus, achieves it.

He is the one who gives the free gift of salvation.

And He gives it to sinners.

Those, again, who are by nature guilty.

Blind to our need and blind to the wonder of God.

Helpless and hopeless.

Dead in our trespasses and sins.

Unable to lift a finger to save ourselves

so that salvation is seen to belong to God.

That God gets all the glory

in saving these disciples,

in saving any disciples.

And it's also wonderfully clear,

as we listen to the prayer of Jesus

and we hear His heart,

that Jesus loves His disciples

and Jesus loves imperfect disciples.

Like us, sometimes mixed up

and sometimes we mess up,

yet the steadfast love of the Lord Jesus endures.

And the reality is that now in heaven,

He still loves His own,

He keeps on praying,

and He seeks our protection.

So that's who Jesus prays for.

But now we need to ask ourselves,

but what does Jesus pray for?

And that's there in verses 11 and 12.

Again, just to remind ourselves

the context for this prayer.

Verse 1,

Father, the hour has come.

So Jesus is aware that His departure is coming.

He's aware of the gap His disciples are going to feel.

He's always been present with them,

but now He's leaving.

And so in His heart,

He loves them.

And so He prays that His Father

would protect and keep.

And remember, He's doing this all out loud.

And so here are the disciples,

and this is a prayer to strengthen

and fortify their faith.

Remember last week,

we heard Jesus pray,

and He reminded them as they listened in

that they were held by their loving Father

and held by Jesus.

And now we are being reminded

that the disciples of Jesus

are protected by God's powerful name.

I will remain in the world no longer,

Jesus says in verse 11,

but they are still in the world,

and I am coming to you.

Holy Father,

protect them by the power of Your name,

the name You gave me,

so they may be one as we are one.

While I was with them,

I protected them and kept them safe

by that name You gave me.

None has been lost

except the one doomed to destruction

so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

Think about what's going on in this way.

When somebody we love,

at a human level,

is going through difficulty,

going through a personal crisis

or a testing time,

don't we feel that they're always

on our mind and in our heart?

Sometimes we find ourselves

actively praying for them,

but even when we're not,

don't we find it can be hard

to focus on what we're supposed

to give ourselves to?

We feel distracted

because we're worried about them.

It's still always on our heart.

Jesus' heart is bigger than ours.

His love is wider than ours.

He knows better than we do

what His disciples will go through,

and from His loving heart.

When His disciples are on His heart

and His mind,

He prays to commit them

to the love of His Father.

He is the high priest

who bears His people on His heart.

And here we discover Him

praying for their protection.

They've already begun to see

what it costs to be a follower of Jesus.

But last week,

we were thinking about that message.

Jesus said,

if they hated Me,

they'll hate you also.

He knows His disciples

in days to come

will face trial

and temptation

and persecution

and prison for His sake.

He knows that they need

the protection of God.

Notice too,

in verse 11,

the way Jesus addresses God.

It's the only time

in all of the Gospels

that we hear Jesus pray,

Holy Father.

And that suggests a few things to us.

I think it certainly suggests to us

that in Jesus' mind,

it is spiritual protection,

it is soul protection

that we need the most.

God's people need to be guarded

so that they might live holy lives.

And so,

Jesus asks His Holy Father,

the fountain and source

of true holiness,

to protect His set-apart people

that they might live set-apart lives,

come what may.

He calls Him Holy Father.

And Jesus prays for God's children.

And so,

we're also inclined to think about

the idea of family likeness.

Just as in a human family,

traits and character and speech

are often passed down

the generations,

Jesus prays to His Holy Father

that by His grace and power,

He would increasingly make

His children holy,

conforming them,

conforming us

to be more and more

like Jesus.

Jesus knows that the root

of holiness

in God's people

stems from

the relationship

that we have

with God as our Father

through the Lord Jesus.

And so,

He prays

that there would be

more conformity

to be more like

God the Father

in holiness.

God Himself

declares that

within His Word.

He wants us to imitate

this attribute book

of Leviticus.

Be holy

because I am

holy.

And so,

Jesus prays

to His Holy Father

knowing that the Holy Father

wants to see holiness

in us

and He knows

our weakness

and He knows

the only way

we're going to grow

in holiness

is if God

works powerfully

in us.

And so,

this prayer

is the reason

why

we are shaped

and grow

in holiness.

It's also striking

to think about

the moment

at which Jesus

prays,

Holy Father.

He is facing

the reality

of His own suffering.

He is facing

the prospect

of going

to the cross.

He faces

the grim reality

for Him

of feeling

forsaken

of His Father

as He becomes

the sin bearer

of the world.

Yet here,

as He lifts

His gaze

to heaven,

there's that sense

of wonder

and awe.

His Father

is holy

and pure

and perfect

and righteous

and good.

And His deep

desire

is that His people

would reflect

His holiness.

And so,

He prays

to His Holy Father

that His followers

would be

protected

and kept,

verse 11,

by the power

of God's

name.

That for those

of us who are

Christians,

Jesus is praying

that we would become

more loyal to God,

that we would be

growing in love,

that we'd be living

in line with

the character

of God,

we'd be coming

more like Jesus

as we are kept

and shaped

by God's mighty hand.

Jesus prays

that these disciples

would be faithful

to the Word of God

that they believed

about Jesus

so that they

would continue

to trust

and to share

the good news

that Jesus truly

is God's King

sent from heaven

to save from sin

and death.

He prays

at the end

of verse 11

that they may be

one as we are one,

that His disciples

would be united

in the love

of the Father

and the Son,

but they'd also

be united

as apostles

committed to Jesus

as Messiah

and His mission

in the world.

And so we get

the sense of

here is the heart

of Jesus

where He longs

is that His disciples

would be protected,

that God's name

would be honored,

that God's kingdom

would come

in their lives.

And we know

that because Jesus

prays the Father's will

and because Jesus

seeks the Father's glory

and because Jesus

is the Son of God,

His prayers

must be answered.

And so God

will protect

His disciples,

His followers,

His children.

And so again

for us as Christians,

here is where

our security lies,

not in ourselves,

but in our God

and in particular

here on the praying

life of Jesus,

our great High Priest.

As so many studies

tell us,

children who grow up

in stable,

protective environments

tend to thrive

and have more confidence

and have more

resilience

because they have

that secure

home life.

How much more

for the people

of God,

for the children

of God,

are we invited

to find

real strength,

real security,

and even real sleep

as we know

the God of the universe

protects His people.

The Lord

who never slumbers

or sleeps

always has His eye

on His people,

on His church.

And as we listen

into the prayer

of Jesus,

we're reminded

here is where

our hope is found,

not in our strength,

not in our resources,

but the reality

that the Lord God

is on our side.

And since God

is for us,

who can be

against us?

That this prayer

must be answered

and so this protection

that Jesus seeks

will be ours

if we are in Christ

from the beginning

of our life

with Jesus

until eternity.

So Jesus prays

for our protection.

Thirdly,

and just to really

kind of drill down

on this,

why do we need

this prayer?

So we've been

in John 17

for the last few weeks

and the basic idea

that we keep returning

to is Jesus

is our mediator

and so He prays

this prayer for us.

As the sinless

Son of God,

this prayer is answered.

But Jesus is also

our model

and so we understand

well if Jesus

prays this for us,

well it must be important.

It's something

that we should desire

for ourselves

and pray for ourselves

and we should pray

for others.

So we'll close

with this.

We'll close

with five reasons

and there's lots more

I'm sure

but there's five reasons

at least why we need

this prayer of Jesus

and why you and I

should pray it for others.

You know,

Holy Father,

start from ourselves,

protect me,

protect my family,

protect my church leaders,

protect my church family,

protect ministers

and missionaries

around the world.

Why?

Here's why we need

this prayer.

First of all,

because holiness is hard

and we find that

to be the case.

Living for God

is not straightforward.

The world is not holy.

In fact,

the world is often hostile

to God and His ways.

Holiness is not highly prized

in the world today.

It doesn't open many doors.

It doesn't get us much

by way of approval

and when we honestly reflect,

sometimes we recognize

holiness feels a lot more

like battle and struggle

and sometimes

short-term happiness

seems an awful lot easier.

Shopping and scrolling

and watching and relaxing,

that seems easier

than the disciplines of grace

and seeking to grow

in holiness

and Jesus knows us

and Jesus knows that.

So, He prays to His Father

for us.

Protect them

so they will persevere.

Holy Father,

may Your name be so powerful

and beautiful

in their thoughts

that they will choose holiness

even when it's hard,

even when it hurts.

And so,

we are encouraged

to pray for ourselves

and to pray for one another.

Protect us,

Father,

from giving in

or giving up.

Keep our eyes fixed

on our loving Savior

and the sure prospect

of eternal reward.

Father,

as You have promised,

finish the good work

You have begun

in our hearts.

We need Him

and we need His protection

because holiness

is hard.

Here's the second reason

why we need this prayer.

Because sin

makes us senseless.

Sin,

to use Calvin's word,

makes us stupid.

The Bible tells us

sin is lawlessness.

Sin is illogical.

Sin is against reason.

Sin is a contradiction

of who we truly are

in Christ.

In Christ,

we are declared

to be saints.

We are children of God.

We are set apart

as holy.

But each one of us

who are Christians here,

we know sadly

that as Christians,

we make and often

make foolish choices

and we choose

reckless behaviors

and we speak

terrible words

and we go back

to old habits

and we reap

destruction

as we go

and often

we find ourselves

bearing the scars

of our guilt

and our shame

and Jesus knows us

and Jesus knows that

and so He prays,

Father,

they will need

Your help.

We know our own hearts

to some degree

and so as we think

about the need

to be protected

spiritually,

we're invited to pray,

help me.

Help me fight against sin.

Help others to fight

against sin,

not to be captured by it.

Help us to believe

in any given moment

that our Father in Heaven

is so powerful

and good

that He can help us

choose holiness

when naturally

we'd want to give in

to temptation.

Protect us.

Give us eyes

to see sin

for what it is.

Sin is like

a contagious virus.

Think of all

the precautions

we take

for human medical viruses.

Spiritually,

we ask God's help

to be wise

that we might

be protected,

that our church

and our churches

might be protected.

Here's a third reason

why we need this prayer,

why the disciples

needed it

and why we need it.

Because others

will oppose us.

Jesus knows

that enemies

are literally

coming up the hill

and will soon

arrest Him

and persecute Him

and kill Him.

And Jesus knows

that His friends

and His followers

will also come

into the firing line.

Now, Jesus was

the most loving man

who ever lived.

Gave Himself

to caring

for the weak

and the poor.

He helped people.

He healed people.

He offered dignity.

He gave forgiveness.

He gave eternal life.

But He

was spat on

and mocked

and abused

and rejected

and finally executed.

And so others

will oppose us.

And so,

Jesus prays for us.

Father,

help them.

Protect them

because without

the protection

of our God,

we will choose

to compromise

or we will hide

in a corner

or we will simply

turn and give up.

and so we need

to pray

for strength

and protection.

Help me,

help us

to make Jesus

non-ignorable

to the people

around me.

Help us

to live

a set-apart life

even if no one

else around me is.

Help me

to be a consistent

light source

in places

of darkness.

Protect me.

here's a fourth

reason why we need

to pray this prayer

for spiritual

protection and keeping

because the mission

of God

matters.

Robert Murray

McShane,

the famous

preacher from

St. Peter's

in Dundee

in the 19th century

famously said,

my people's

greatest need

is my

personal holiness.

For anybody

to represent

a holy God,

well,

we need to

practice

holiness.

There needs

to be something

of the character

of God

in our lives.

We need

to follow

in the way

of Jesus.

And so we need

to be protected

in our holiness

for the sake

of God's mission.

The flip side,

think about the

danger of

unholiness.

When people see

that in the church,

that's what turns

people off.

That's what gives

people an excuse

to not believe,

to point at the church

and say,

see,

I told you so.

Following Jesus

is worthless.

Jesus knew

what His disciples

would face.

Jesus knew

His disciples'

natural fears

and so He prays

for them.

Father,

protect them

in this mission

that we have given

to them

because the world

needs those apostles.

And God heard

that prayer

and God answered

that prayer

and so those apostles,

they preached

the message of Jesus

and His saving work.

and they wrote

down the New Testament

that we have

in our hands

and they planted

churches that would

change the Roman Empire

and change the world.

They would give

their lives

in service

of the kingdom

of God.

And in the same

manner,

we pray,

please keep me,

help us

to walk

in the truth.

Help me

day by day

to live

in love.

enable me

to be

a good ambassador.

Think about

where you find

yourself

on the front lines

and where

the mission

of God

matters

but where

the challenges

are greatest

and pray

and pray

for one another

in the heat

of battle.

Fifth

and final

reason

why we need

this prayer

is because

it gives us

a chance

to hear

Jesus'

heart of love

for His children,

for His people.

because sometimes

life is really

tough as a Christian.

Sometimes it's like

the sky turns

black

and the storms

roll in.

Sometimes as Christians

we find ourselves

asking God,

are you there?

God,

do you care?

And in those times

we cannot trust

in our feelings

and our senses

but what we can

trust in

the feelings

of Jesus

for us.

the steadfast

love of Jesus,

the heart

of Jesus

for His people,

God's covenant

love for His own

which will never

shift.

Jesus will

always be

the great

high priest

for His people.

He is always

carrying us

on His shoulders.

He is always

bearing us

on His heart.

He is always

taking our needs,

our concerns,

our prayers

to His Father

in heaven.

The one who

prays for the

disciples,

the one who

prays for us

is the one

who loved us

and willingly

faced the hour

of the cross

to save us.

And now that

Jesus is in heaven,

He loves us

still.

And because of

that love,

He will

protect us.

God will

protect us

to the very

end

and into

eternity.

let's pray

together.

God our

Father,

we thank

You for

the way

Jesus'

prayer gives

us a

name.

Amen.