Father, Protect Them

You can open your Bible, if you have it with you, to John chapter 17.

John 17 · chapter mention

We're continuing where we left off last Sunday.

We're in the midst of Jesus' prayer.

It's the night of Jesus' betrayal.

After spending quite a lot of time teaching and comforting and warning his disciples,

Jesus began to just pray out loud in front of them.

Last Sunday, we listened to the first words of Jesus in this prayer.

He expressed his longing to be restored to the glory that he had with God the Father before the world began.

He told the Father that he had completed the work that the Father had given him to do up until this point.

Jesus has more to say in this prayer to the Father.

This morning, we're going to hear more about the work that Jesus has finished.

We'll hear what else is on Jesus' heart.

And we'll hear this sort of building up to one big request that Jesus has.

And we'll see more of this unique relationship that Jesus has with God the Father.

So we're at John chapter 17, verse 6.

John 17:6

And as I was studying this earlier this week, I felt like I was trying to come up with a metaphor for this.

But I felt like I was kind of like Indiana Jones.

And I'd stumbled into this treasure room.

And man, there's so much in here that's wonderful.

And then the more I got into it and was looking at the different themes and the things that come up in here,

I thought, man, this isn't just a single room.

This is like the foyer into all kinds of other treasure rooms.

I'll give you an example.

This is not the main theme or the main point of Jesus' prayer.

But three times in these seven verses that we're looking at this morning,

Jesus refers to the disciples as those whom you gave me.

We see this in verse 6 twice.

And then in verse 9 once more.

I pray for them, for those you have given me.

And I mentioned this idea last week, but here again, there's quite a lot of emphasis on this reality.

This thing that was probably unperceived by Jesus' disciples.

About how each one of them has been given to the Father.

Given by the Father to Jesus.

And as we see here in verse 6, there's even a sense in which they belonged to God before they were given to Jesus.

This is one of those smaller treasure rooms.

If you belong to Christ Jesus, there's more to your story than just one day I heard and believed and became a follower of Jesus.

That's what happened from your perspective.

But from God's perspective, you were His.

You were chosen.

You were loved.

Before you were even born.

He was sovereignly at work on you.

And in you.

And around you.

You were preparing for that day on which He would give you to His Son.

It's precious.

It's wonderful.

It's just one of the many things that we find in Jesus' prayer here.

And so even though we're not going to touch on all these things,

I want to encourage you to take time to meditate and reflect deeply on these words of Jesus on your own.

So let's read these seven verses here.

Jesus praying to the Father said,

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

They were yours.

You gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.

Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you.

For I gave them the words you gave me.

And they accepted them.

They knew with certainty that I came from you.

And they believed that you sent me.

I pray for them.

I'm not praying for the world.

But for those you have given me.

For they are yours.

All I have is yours.

And all you have is mine.

And glory has come to me through them.

I will remain in the world no longer.

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 that 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.

There are three sections or movements that we might see in this part of

Jesus' prayer.

The first one is in verses 6 to 8.

Jesus talks to the Father about the work that he has finished.

And the result of that work.

Then in verses 9 to 11.

Jesus prepares to make his request of the Father.

And he begins to express some of the reasons for this request.

What's on his heart.

And then in verses 11 and 12.

Jesus makes the request.

And expresses more about what he longs to see the Father do.

So let's begin with this first movement in verses 6 to 8.

These words of Jesus seem to flow right out of Jesus' previous statement.

Back up in verse 4.

Jesus prayed,

I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.

And this section,

verse 6 of chapter 17,

is marked by Jesus telling the Father what he has done.

The main verbs here are all first person and past tense.

I have revealed.

First person and past tense.

Down in verse 8.

I gave them the words you gave me.

It's all about the work that Jesus has been doing.

And that is now past.

It's now done.

It's now complete.

And what is that work?

In verse 6,

Jesus says,

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

This has been the work of Jesus.

To reveal God, the Father, to his disciples.

To show them who God is.

What he's really like.

This is one of the primary purposes and missions of Jesus.

To make the Father known to us.

If we look all the way back to John's introduction to the gospel.

Chapter 1, verse 18.

What did John say at the beginning of this account?

He said,

No one has ever seen God,

but the one and only Son,

who is himself God,

and is in closest relationship with the Father.

He has made him known.

That's what Jesus came to do.

It's not as though we knew nothing about God before Jesus came.

I find the author of Hebrews very helpful here.

This is what he says in his writing.

The letter to the Hebrews,

Hebrews 1:1–3

chapter 1, verse 1 to 3.

He writes,

In the past,

God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets.

The Son, he says,

is the radiance of God's glory.

And the exact representation of his being.

So, Jesus brings a much fuller,

a much greater revelation of the Father to us.

He represents the Father exactly

beyond what the prophets of old could do.

They were spokesmen for God in the past,

but Jesus is the exact representation of God's being

here among us in human flesh and blood.

So, Jesus says,

I have done what you gave me to do.

I have revealed your name to them.

I have revealed you to them.

Well, there's a second work that Jesus has just finished doing,

and it's related.

Verse 8,

Jesus says,

I gave them the words you gave me.

I gave them the words you gave me.

This has also been one of the primary purposes

or missions of Jesus,

to give words,

to speak to his disciples.

And notice the source of these words.

Jesus has been speaking to his disciples

the very words that God has given him to say.

We've talked about this before,

but it's worth saying again.

Jesus doesn't teach his own material.

In everything he says,

he functions like a prophet,

relaying the very words that God has to say to people.

We saw this back in John 7, verse 16,

John 7:16

when Jesus answered,

My teaching is not my own.

It comes from the one who sent me.

We heard it again in John 8, verse 28.

John 8:28

Jesus said,

There, when you have lifted up the Son of Man,

then you will know that I am he,

and that I do nothing on my own,

but speak just what the Father has taught me.

And we heard it again in John 14,

earlier this same evening,

verse 24.

He said,

Anyone who does not love me

will not obey my teaching.

These words you hear are not my own.

They belong to the Father who sent me.

So Jesus now in this prayer

is kind of reporting to the Father.

I've finished the work that you gave me to do.

I've given them your words,

the words that you gave me to say to them.

So we see two types of work

that Jesus has finished doing.

The work of revealing the Father to his disciples,

and the work of giving them the Father's words.

And then we notice throughout this first section

that Jesus kind of reports to the Father

about how the disciples have responded to all this.

I'll just read this whole section again

and emphasize that.

I have revealed you to those

whom you gave me out of the world.

They were yours.

You gave them to me,

and they have obeyed your word.

Now they know that everything you have given me

comes from you.

For I gave them the words you gave me,

and they accepted them.

They knew with certainty that I came from you,

and they believed that you sent me.

So in this conversation between Jesus and the Father,

it's like he's reflecting on the results

of the work that he has been doing,

and the results are very good.

We hear five statements

about how the disciples have responded favorably

favorably to this revealing and teaching work of Jesus.

The first,

they have obeyed your word,

or literally,

they have kept your word.

Verse six,

this is good.

This is what the Father and the Son

have been longing for.

Jesus was sent by the Father into the world

to teach and speak on the Father's behalf,

as we just said,

and the report is good.

These men have been holding fast

to the things that they have been hearing from Jesus.

And let's remember,

it hasn't been easy to hold fast to the words of Jesus.

It's been getting harder and harder and harder

as the story has gone on.

The opposition to Jesus has been mounting,

and yet here they are this night,

on the night of his betrayal,

and they're still holding fast to his words.

The second statement comes in verse seven.

Jesus says,

now they know that everything you have given me

comes from you.

Now this statement

sounds a little strange at first.

Quite literally,

it's,

now they know

that all things,

as many as you have given to me,

are from you.

And Jesus will clarify

some of what he means

in this next verse.

For I gave them the words

you gave me,

and they accepted them.

So some of the everything,

some of the all things

that have been given to Jesus

that they are recognizing

is from God,

are the words

that God has given

to them,

to Jesus,

to give to them.

So Jesus is saying,

now they know

that the words

that you have given me

come from you.

They recognize that.

But as I was thinking about this,

I don't think Jesus says

all things

or everything

without reason.

As we've seen,

the Father has given

more than just words

to Jesus.

He's given him

various kinds of authority.

Authority to judge,

authority to forgive sins,

miracle working power,

supernatural wisdom,

knowledge of the future,

and more.

It's a package deal,

I think,

as Jesus says it here

in verse 7.

Now these disciples of mine,

they know that

all these things

that they've been seeing

come from you.

Again, this is good.

This is success.

This is mission accomplished.

They're seeing Jesus

and the things

he says and does

and they're coming

to the right conclusion

from it.

They're tracing

all these things

back up to the source

as they should.

They recognize

that everything

Jesus does

and says

is from God,

the Father.

The third statement,

Jesus says,

they accepted

the words

you gave me.

This in verse 8.

For I gave them

the words

you gave me

and they accepted them.

The fourth statement

comes also

in verse 8.

They knew

with certainty

that I came

from you.

And the fifth statement

also in verse 8.

And they believed

that you sent me.

all of these things

are a big deal.

The claims of Jesus

are lofty.

The promises of Jesus

are out of this world.

But the disciples

have accepted them.

They've believed.

They know

with certainty

that Jesus

has been sent

from God

in heaven.

I can't help

but think

that Jesus

is full of joy

as he reflects

on this

and tells this

to the Father.

This is what

they've been

working together

toward.

Just like

in the days

of creation

where God

saw all

that he had made

and it was good.

I can't help

but see

the smile

of Jesus

as he reflects

on the past

three years

of difficult work

and says

to his Father

it's done

and it's good.

The result

is good.

They believe

you sent me.

They know it

with certainty

that I came

from you.

They have accepted

the words

you gave me

to give them

and they have

kept those words

and are holding

fast to them.

It's good.

It's very good.

But as we come

to this second

section

it's not over yet.

What's happened

is good.

The work is done

but there is

on the heart

of Jesus

a weight.

A burden.

A loving

concern

for these

followers

of his

because a very

difficult time

is coming.

And so we come

to verse

nine.

Jesus says

I pray

for them.

I pray

for them.

I'm not praying

for the world

but for those

you have given

me.

Quite literally

I

for them

am asking.

Not for the world

am I asking

but for those

you have given

to me.

Jesus has

on his heart

a request

something

to ask

for.

And he doesn't

immediately make

his request.

First he

clarifies

just who

he is asking

this for.

It's not

for the world

he says.

It's not

for every

single person

on earth

that Jesus

asks this

is about

to ask

this.

It's

specifically

he says

for those

you have

given me.

here in the

present context

that's the

disciples of

Jesus.

That's these

eleven men

with him.

But perhaps

also in his

mind are

the other

followers that

he has

that are

not here

with him.

The Marys

and the

Marthas

the Lazaruses.

Jesus

grounds

his request

that he's

about to

make with

some reasons.

He reminds

the father

that these

disciples of

his belong

to him

the father.

They're not

just Jesus

disciples

even though

they have

been given

to him.

At the

same time

they also

belong to

the father

as well.

They're his

people too.

I pray

for them

for they

are yours

says Jesus.

Now I

imagine that

if we were

among the

eleven disciples

with Jesus

listening to

all this

we might be

wondering about

this.

First Jesus

talks about

how we've

been given

to Jesus

by the

father and

so we belong

to Christ

now.

Just as he

said earlier

they were

yours you

gave them

to me.

But now

Jesus says

that we are

still God

the fathers

yours.

So whose

are we?

Well Jesus

next statement

will clarify

this.

We who

believe belong

to both

the father

and the

son.

Jesus makes

the statement

all I have

is yours

father.

And all

you have

is mine.

What a

statement.

all I

have is

yours

says

Jesus.

Yes

you gave

them to

me

but

everything

I

have

is

yours

says

Jesus.

There is

I think

in these

words

an absolute

surrender

an absolute

devotion.

Jesus

keeps

nothing

to

himself

and for

himself

alone.

Everything

I have

is yours

it belongs

to you

father.

father.

He's got

a whole

hearted

devotion

to God

that same

kind of

devotion

that every

one of

us

every human

being

should

have

all of

me

all I

have

belongs

to you

God.

Oh

that we

would all

have

that same

heart

always.

But then

Jesus says

something else

the flip

side

something

that's

quite

surprising

all I

have

is

yours

whoa

but then

all

you

have

is

mine.

Again

Jesus

claims

things

that

nobody

else

claims.

It's

one thing

to belong

completely

to God

it's

another

thing

to say

that all

God

has

belongs

to

you.

This

would be

the height

of

blasphemy

if

Jesus

was merely

a man

but

Jesus

is

more.

He

is

the

divine

son

of

God

sent

from

heaven

who

makes

this

claim.

He

says

to

God

the

father

I

share

completely

in

what

you

have

everything

that

you

have

as

if

it

were

my

own.

Do

you

hear

this?

Let

me

tell

you.

What's

that?

Sure

do.

Let

me

tell

you

if

Jesus

was

just

a

man

making

false

claims

and

if

God

knew

that

in

this

moment

Jesus

was

speaking

blasphemy

God

could

strike

Jesus

dead

on

the

spot

and

make

it

absolutely

clear

to

his

followers

that

Jesus

had

crossed

the

line

with

this

statement.

In

fact

God

did

that.

He

struck

a man

dead

for

accepting

worship

as

though

he

were

God

on

a

particular

occasion.

That

was

Herod

in

Acts

Acts 12 · chapter mention

chapter

12.

But

no

God

knows

his

own

son

and

there

is

this

mysterious

and

wonderful

relationship

between

father

and

son

such

that

yes

even

this

is

true

all

I

have

is

yours

and

all

you

have

is

mine

says

Jesus.

We

keep

going

forward

verse

11

Jesus

says

I

will

remain

in

the

world

no

longer

but

they

are

still

in

the

world

and

I

am

coming

to

you

Jesus

is

getting

closer

to

making

his

request

and

again

he

seems

to

explain

the

reason

for

this

request

a little

bit

more

he's

aware

that

these

disciples

of

his

these

ones

who

have

been

given

to

him

entrusted

to

him

by

the

father

they're

going

to

continue

to

remain

in

this

world

with

all

its

troubles

all

its

difficulties

and

Jesus

will

no

longer

be

with

them

because

he's

leaving

I'm

leaving

the world

and coming

to you

father

says

Jesus

but

it's

like

this

reality

weighs

on

his

heart

his

people

are

not

coming

with

him

they're

going

to

have

to

live

and

endure

all

that's

ahead

without

him

right

there

by

their

side

like

he

has

been

for

these

past

three

years

and

so

Jesus

finally

makes

his

big

request

of the

father

he

asks

for

something

very

specific

I

will

remain

in

the

world

no

longer

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

that

they

may

be

one

as

we

are

one

here

it

is

at

last

this

is

Jesus

concern

for

these

men

with

him

this

night

keep

them

safe

let

no

harm

come

to

them

we

often

call

this

prayer

Jesus

high

priestly

prayer

and this

is

partly

why

this

is

probably

one

of

several

requests

but

one

of

the

first

ones

that

he

prays

for

his

followers

that's

what

priests

do

they

speak

to

God

on

behalf

of

people

and

that's

what

Jesus

is

doing

here

he's

asking

for

something

on

behalf

of

his

people

and

what

is

it

protection

why

protection

well

Jesus

gives

us

a number

of

reasons

right

here

in

his

prayer

first

protect

them

because

they are

still

in

the

world

verse

11

this

is

something

that

Jesus

has

been

thinking

about

in

fact

it's

been

the

topic

of

conversation

this

very

night

Jesus

has

been

warning

them

about

how

the

world

will

treat

them

they

will

hate

you

chapter

15

verse

18

and

19

they

will

persecute

you

chapter

15

verse

20

they

will

kick

you

out

of

the

synagogues

chapter

16

verse

2

they

will

hunt

you

down

and

try

to

take

your

life

also

same

verse

you

will

be

scattered

chapter

16

verse

32

you

will

have

trouble

16

verse

33

Jesus

knows

that it

will

not

be

easy

for

them

to

continue

on

in

this

world

and

so

Jesus

calls

on

God

he

asks

God

the

father

protect

them

keep

them

safe

in

his

second

we

see

here

in

verse

12

just

how

personal

this

is

for

Jesus

Jesus

says

while I

was

with

them

I

protected

them

and

kept

them

safe

by

that

name

you

gave

me

this

is

personal

for

Jesus

he's

walked

three

years

with

these

men

He's endured the challenges and the jeers and the insults with these men.

He's been there through all of it to encourage them,

to remind them as the trouble comes, don't lose heart.

He's been there to remind them what's true.

Remind them to have faith in God and in Him.

I think this is so interesting.

If you've seen any of The Chosen,

that new TV series that portrays something of the life of Jesus,

there's at least a few episodes in it where

they kind of portray Jesus' disciples as having a bit of a bodyguard mentality.

Peter especially, but the others as well.

They're going to try to keep Jesus safe as He does His ministry.

They're going to try to keep the crowds at bay so that Jesus can move around unhindered.

Were the disciples really like that?

We don't know.

We will see Peter draw his sword in the next chapter

and fight to prevent Jesus' arrest in the garden.

But according to Jesus, they haven't been protecting Him.

He's been protecting them.

He's been watching over them,

keeping them safe as the tensions have been rising,

as the opposition has been growing.

Do you see the heart of Christ here?

He is an ever-vigilant shepherd of His sheep.

He cares about them so deeply.

He's making arrangements for them in this prayer

to be cared for by His Father

because they will remain in the world

while He goes to the Father.

This is personal for Jesus.

I protected them.

I kept them safe while I was with them.

But now, Father, I ask You to take up that work.

Watch over them.

Keep them safe.

Protect them.

Because I'm leaving.

I'm coming to You.

There's a third reason that Jesus prays for their protection.

And we see it in verses 11 and 12.

Jesus prays,

Holy Father, protect them

so that they may be one

as we are one.

Now, this sounds strange to me,

probably to you as well.

Protect them so that they may be one.

It's like Jesus is concerned about their unity,

about them staying together,

continuing to have this deep fellowship with each other.

And I can't say for sure what Jesus means by this.

I can only guess.

But could it be that Jesus knows

what the tactic of the devil is

in this hours that are coming?

That He knows what the devil is going to try to do,

that He's going to try to divide them

and conquer them,

to isolate them,

to scatter them,

to rip this fellowship that they have

with each other apart.

And so perhaps Jesus prays

that God would protect them

so that they would be one,

undivided,

deeply one,

together, united,

just like Jesus is together

and united with His Father.

The devil is on the prowl.

Jesus alludes here,

to Judas,

in the next verse.

He's kept all of His disciples,

protecting them and keeping them safe.

None of them has been lost

except one,

says Jesus.

Back in John chapter 13,

John 13:27

verse 27,

this was just hours ago,

John told us this,

as soon as Judas took the bread,

Satan entered into Him.

And then of course,

Judas went off to

put the betrayal in motion.

So the devil is on the prowl.

He's infiltrated

Jesus' circle of 12.

And perhaps this prayer of Jesus

suggests that Satan means

to divide

and conquer them.

And so Jesus asks the Father,

protect them

so that they may be one,

so that they may come through this

united together.

This last part about Judas

also suggests to us

that there's another dimension

to the protection that Jesus has in mind here.

It's about more than just physical protection.

Jesus says,

basically,

up till now,

I've been successful.

I haven't lost

any of them

except Judas.

This is about more than just

physical protection.

This is about the spiritual battle

that's going on as well.

And Judas has been lost,

which means not that he's come

to physical harm,

but that he's come

to spiritual harm,

spiritual ruin.

And so I hear

in these words of Jesus

not just a plea

that the disciples

will have physical safety,

but a plea that God

would keep their souls,

their faith,

that they would not

turn away from God

or from Jesus

when the going gets tough

like Judas did,

or that they would not

be drawn away

by the allure of this world

and its offerings

when they begin to sparkle

like they did for Judas.

It's protect them,

keep them safe

for eternity,

for they are yours.

Now I know there's parts here

that I haven't even touched on.

Some of you might have

some questions.

What does it mean

to keep them safe

by the name

that you gave me?

What scripture was fulfilled

by Judas being lost

and why is he

the son of destruction?

How has glory come to Jesus

through these disciples?

Again,

there's lots of doors

to lots of different

treasure rooms

off the main room here,

so I encourage you

to take time on your own

to search these things out,

to meditate on these things.

But with these last few minutes,

let's think about

how these words

apply to us.

Clearly these words

are for the disciples,

the eleven men

with Jesus at night

and possibly,

by extension,

the Marys and Marthas

and Lazaruses.

We aren't mentioned

in this prayer

until verse 20,

and we'll get there.

But I think we all know

that there are

timeless principles

and truths

about Jesus

and about all

of his followers

revealed in this section

that we work through today.

Jesus has come

into our world

to reveal God

to us.

He's come to give us

the very words

of God himself.

The disciples

believed

that God sent Jesus.

Do you?

The disciples

knew with certainty

that Jesus came

from the Father.

Do you?

Do you?

Do you?

Do you?

Do you?

The disciples

accepted the words

that Jesus spoke

to them

from the Father.

Do you?

The disciples

kept God's word.

They held fast

to God's words.

Are you?

In the same way,

we know that Jesus

is not only

the good shepherd

of these eleven sheep

with him,

but that his care

and concern

is for the whole flock.

Jesus said so

for all

who the Father

will give to him.

Do you know

that Jesus

understands

and feels

the weight

and burden

of what it's like

to be in this world?

Do you know

that Jesus

asks the Father

not just for the apostles,

but for you also,

that God

would protect you,

bring you through,

keep you safe

to the end

until he returns.

Jesus' desire

is that none

be lost,

not a single one.

He desires you

to make it.

And God

will answer

Jesus' prayer

for them

back then

and for you

and me

today.

so take heart

as Jesus said,

in this world

you will have trouble,

but Jesus

has prayed for you

and by his grace

if you believe

in him

like the disciples

did,

God will see

to it

that you make

it through

safe and secure

to the end

to be with him

and the Father

one forever.

Let's pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Lord Jesus,

we address

our prayer

to you.

We thank you

that you went

to your knees

for us.

Thank you

that we're not

alone in this world.

Thank you

that you know

exactly what it's like

to live here.

And thank you

that your promises

are sure.

Thank you

that one day

you will bust

through

the clouds

in the sky

and you will

gather

all your people,

all who belong

to you

and the sorrows

and the sighs

and the troubles

and the temptations

and the sin,

all of it

of this world

will vanish,

will disappear.

You'll make

everything right

and you will

usher us

into glory

with you forever.

Oh, I pray

that we would

hold fast,

each one of us

to your words.

We ask this

for your glory

and your name.

Amen.