Living Words
"Living Words" is a weekly podcast that explores the transformative power of scripture across a diverse range of Biblical books, guided by insightful devotionals from the author's own works. Each episode seeks to deepen faith and understanding, connecting listeners with the enduring wisdom and relevance of the Bible in their daily lives.
Living Words
In His Footsteps Week 22: The High Priestly Prayer
How does Jesus' prayer for His disciples and all future believers resonate with us today? Join me, Charles Vance, as we take a closer look at John 17, known as the High Priestly Prayer, where Jesus prays with such depth and devotion on the night before His arrest. This episode of the Living Words Podcast will illuminate how Jesus seeks to glorify the Father, calls for His disciples' sanctification, and dreams of a united community of believers. Reading from the New King James Version, we highlight the profound themes of glorification, sanctification, and unity, offering insights into Jesus' divine purpose and deep desires.
We also share a heartfelt prayer for sanctification through the Holy Spirit, emphasizing the transformative power of God's word. Our discussion invites you to open your heart and mind to scripture, allowing its truths to guide you on paths of righteousness. As we explore the importance of being set apart for God's purposes, you'll find encouragement to face worldly challenges with your eyes on the eternal kingdom. Be equipped to live as lights in the darkness, drawing strength and comfort from the Holy Spirit to live more fully and victoriously over sin. Tune in for a spiritually enriching journey through the High Priestly Prayer and beyond.
Get a copy of the In His Footsteps devotional here.
Good morning. I'm Charles Vance and this is Living Words Podcast. We're in week 22 of In His Footsteps Devotional 52 weeks in the Gospel of John, and we're going to be dealing with the High Priestly Prayer, which is probably one of the most famous prayers of the ages. John 17 is the text and we're going to go through that prayer. This is the prayer, the high priestly prayer, that Yeshua Jesus, messiah, king of kings and Lord of lords, prayed the night Before his Capture and then the trial and the crucifixion and resurrection. So this is basically the beginning of the end and he sets it off with an impactful, powerful prayer that we're going to go through.
Speaker 1:I'm going to be reading from the New King James. I like the King James because it's an honest text. It has the letters are italic if they've been added. It doesn't make any pretenses. It's a bit stilted, you know, because it's closer to Old English. It's a little formal with the these and the thous. Old English, it's a little formal with the these and the thous. So I choose New King James because it's the same text but it's just been modernized a little bit so that we can understand the words and comprehend them better.
Speaker 1:So in the first part of the prayer Yeshua prays for himself. It says Jesus spoke these words, lifted up his eyes to heaven and said Father, the hour has come. Glorify your son, that your son may also glorify you, as you have given him authority over all flesh, that he should have given eternal life to as many as you have given him and all flesh that he should have given eternal life to as many as you have given him. And this is eternal life. That they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work which you have given me to do and now, o Father, glorify me together with yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the world was.
Speaker 1:And then he prays for his disciples. I have manifested your name for the men whom you have given me out of the world. They were yours, you gave them to me and they have kept your word. And now they have known that all things which you have given me are from you, for I have given to them the words which you have given me and they have received them and have known, surely, that I came forth from you, and they have believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those whom you gave me, for they are yours and all mine are yours and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world and I come to you, holy Father. Keep through your name those whom you have given me, that they may be one as we are While I was with them in the world Verse 2.
Speaker 1:Have my joy fulfilled in themselves, and I have given them your word. And the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. As you and now Jesus prays for all believers, I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they all may be one, as you, father, are in me and I in you, and they also may be one in us.
Speaker 1:That the world may believe that you sent me and the glory which you gave me I have given them, that they may be one, just as we are one, I in them and you in me. That they may be perfect in one, and that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved me as you have loved me, that have loved them as you have loved me, father. I desire that they also, whom you gave me, may be with me where I am, that they may also behold my glory, which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world has not known you, which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you and these have known you, that you sent me and I have declared to them your name and will declare it that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them. Father, thank you for this word and please open up our eyes and our ears to hear it and see it. In Yeshua's name, amen, thank you.
Speaker 1:And now, having read the text, we're going to talk about John 17 itself. It is often referred to as the High Priestly Prayer. It is one of the most profound chapters in the New Testament. It records the prayer of Jesus immediately before his arrest, offering deep insights into his desires for himself, his immediate followers and those who would come to believe through his message. This chapter is divided into three parts the prayer for himself, the prayer for his disciples and the prayer for all believers. The context was just after his farewell discourse to disciples and before his passion narrative.
Speaker 1:He serves as a spiritual summit of John's gospel. He reveals the heart of his unity, sanctification and divine glory amidst his impending suffering. So the key themes are he prays for his glory in return to the Father. Jesus begins by asking the Father to glorify him so that he may glorify the Father, pointing to the cross as the moment of supreme glorification. This reflects the mutual indwelling and love of the Father and the Son and underscores the purpose of His mission to reveal the Father's glory, the intercession for the disciples' sanctification and unity. Jesus prays for the protection, joy and sanctification of His disciples, emphasizing the Word of God as the means of their sanctification. He also prays for their unity, reflecting the unity of the Father and the Son with a purpose that the world may believe in His divine mission Prayer for all believers. Extending His prayer beyond His immediate followers, he prays for all who will believe in Him through them.
Speaker 1:His prayer focuses on unity among believers, a unity so profound that it mirrors the unity between the Father and Son, ultimate desire for his fellowship with the believers. He expresses his desire that believers would be with him where he is, to see his glory and to share in the love and fellowship of the Godhead. And this highlights the ultimate goal of salvation eternal communication with God and communion with God. Here are some lessons from this reading the Purpose and Power of Divine Glory. His request for glorification is not for His benefit but for the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan, highlighting the interconnectedness of glory, sacrifice and divine mission. The glorification of the Son through the cross and His resurrection reveals the depth of His love and the path to eternal life for humanity. And unity is a reflection of divine relationship. So Jesus prays for the unity of His disciples and all believers, mirroring the unity between the Father and the Son. This unity is foundational to the witness of the church. It demonstrates the love and holiness of God in a divided world. It calls believers to seek spiritual harmony that transcends doctrinal, cultural and personal differences.
Speaker 1:Sanctification through truth. Jesus emphasizes the role of God's word in the sanctification of believers. Sanctification, or being set apart for his purpose, involves a deepening knowledge of truth and transformation into the mind and likeness of Christ. This process equips believers to navigate the world without being of it embodying the values of his kingdom. So some questions for reflection and discussion.
Speaker 1:How does the promise of the Holy Spirit comfort or empower you in your own spiritual journey? Well, with me, the promise of the Holy Spirit is vast. It's everything. Without it you're nothing. There is no, you can't, you're not a believer if you don't have the Holy Spirit to comfort you and to guide you and to empower you, give you courage and strength. It is critical that you open your heart and mind to allow the flow of the Spirit. So Jesus prays not only for his immediate disciples but for all believers. How does knowing that you're included, how does that make you feel? I mean, that's everything to me? Every time I see that I say that's us, that's us. Yes, he prays for himself. Jesus prays for you directly. He says for those and for those that hear because of those, here's some suggested prayers.
Speaker 1:A prayer for embracing and reflecting divine glory. Heavenly Father, we come before you in awe of the glory revealed through your Son, jesus Christ. Teach us to understand the true nature of your glory, displayed in love and sacrifice on the cross. Help us to live lives that reflect this glory, amen. And a prayer for unity among believers. Lord Jesus, our High Priest, you prayed for our unity, that we would be one, as you and the Father are one. Instill in us a deep desire for unity with your body, the Church. Help us to overcome divisions and to love one another, genuinely reflecting your love to the world. Strengthen our bonds, that our collective witness may lead others to believe in your name and the love of the Father that it has for us. Amen.
Speaker 1:Here's a prayer for sanctification, to the truth, to the Spirit. Holy Spirit, our guide and sanctifier, you have called us to be sanctified in the truth of God's word. Open our hearts and minds as we engage with scripture, allowing your truth to transform us from the inside out. Lead us in paths of righteousness, setting us apart for your purposes. Equip us to navigate the challenges of this world, keeping our focus on the eternal kingdom and living as lights in the darkness. Amen.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining me this week. My prayer for you is that you'll find some light, some meaning, that something in the prayer that Jesus prayed for you, that you be one with him and the fact that you follow his, be obedient to him and follow his commands and abide in him, and you'll receive the strength that you need from the Holy Spirit and the comfort to live life more fully and victorious over sin. My prayer is that you'll go forward with this, yeshua. I just pray that you would be with every one of these listeners, that they would be touched by your spirit and your heart, and that they would be empowered for the week and for the day In Yeshua's name, amen, until next time.
