The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Pamphlet 1517
John chapter 17

We were with Him, even on "His side" (as opposed to being of that 1/3 who were drawn away by Satan (Rev. 12:4), before the overthrow of the first earth age and creation of this present earth age.

When we last left Jesus and the disciples at the end of chapter 16, the hour when Jesus would be delivered up was drawing very near. And now that the disciples finally believed and understood, that He came forth from the Father, Jesus knew they were ready for Him to tell them that they would have tribulation in the world, but to be of good cheer because He had overcome the world, and so He would be returning to the Father to be their advocate.

We now move to chapter 17 where Jesus is going to speak a beautiful prayer to the Father. In fact, if you are one of God's elect, even at this present time, then Jesus Christ, who is about to be crucified and leave this present world, is going to pray to the Father for YOU. Now stop and think for a moment how profound a statement that is and what it truly means. Jesus will say in verse 9, "I pray for them... which thou hast given me." So if you are one of His, then read this prayer with extreme due diligence for if you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then you must know that any request contained in a prayer of Yashua Messiah is as good as fulfilled exactly as He states it! Wow!

Let's "listen in" as Jesus lifts up His eyes to heaven.

John 17:1
These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
[2] As thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
"Over all flesh" means over all of mankind.  Also, it is significant that it will be said "7" times in this prayer that His people, i.e. His elect, the firstfruits, have been given to Him.
[3] And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Jesus was sent by the Father, as His only begotten Son, the Greatest Gift ever to mankind.
[4]I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
How did Jesus glorify the Father? By finishing [doing] the will of the Father, which you will know was even from the beginning, if you have understanding of His Word!Yes, even before this present earth age was formed the "work", the plan, was laid out. Do you remember that we began this Book of John by learning in the first few verses of chapter one that it was Jesus Christ Himself who was the Light that shined in the darkness in Genesis 1:3? There's been a lot of work!
[5] And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
"Before the world was" He was. And He is about to be glorified and go sit at the right hand of the Father.
[6] I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
"Manifested" means to make known, and Jesus made His disciples to "know" the Father. Do you realize what that means for His disciples? You guessed it, Eternal Life! Here's verse 3 again: John 17:3 "And this is life eternal, that they might "know" the the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

If you "know" Him, which is to believe, then you "shall not perish, but have eternal life!" (John 3:16)

And don't overlook the importance of the last phrase in verse 6,"and they have kept thy word". That's what His disciples do. Are you one of Christ's disciples?

John 17:7
Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
Jesus told them time after time that He spoke not His own words but only those that were given to Him by the Father. Then finally in John 16:30 after they "saw" the reality of Isa. 66:5-15 (which we covered in chapter 16) His disciples would say, "Alas"...:
John 16:30
Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.
Jesus will recap this, not for their benefit only, but for yours and mine, and for a very good reason. It is the qualifier of the people He will be praying for in the subsequent verses, i.e. those who "have received" His Word, and have "kept" His word, and KNOW from HIS WORDS and believe that Jesus is the Christ. Is that you? Let's continue with Jesus' prayer.
John 17:8
For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
Those are for whom He is now praying!
[9] I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
They, His elect, were the Father's from before the foundation of this world, and chosen by Him and given to the Son to bring forth the gospel and the plan and DO THE WORK [the will] of God.

Here's the apostle Paul saying exactly that:

Ephes. 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
We were with Him, even on "His side"(as opposed to being of that 1/3 who were drawn away by Satan (Rev. 12:4), before the overthrow of the first earth age and creation of this present earth age. And it was the Father who chose us then!
[4] According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

[5] Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

Are you predestined to be a part of the fulfillment of those scriptures which need yet be fulfilled in these end times? For instance, somebody has to help with Rev. 7:3!  And some will have to be delivered up to Satan when he comes as the false-christ and give testimony (Mark 13)! Do you have a destiny, a pre-determined destination in the "works of God"?

Do you recall the question that was asked concerning the blind man in John 9:3 as to whose sin, his or his parents, was the cause of him being born blind? What did Jesus say? John 9:3 "Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him."

The blind man was "chosen before the foundation of the world" to be part of the plan! I hope you can see that!

Now look at this verse in John 17.

John 17:10
And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
Luther, the great reformer, said,"Any man can say 'All mine is Thine', but only the Son can say 'All that is Thine is Mine.'"

Notice that Jesus said He is glorified in His disciples! How does that happen? The same way Jesus glorified the Father which we already read in verse 4. They too "finish [do] all that He has given unto them in His Word".They receive and keep the Word of God and as a result they produce fruit from the True Vine. Thus is Christ glorified!

[11] And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
Jesus is about to depart this world and leave His disciples behind, and He now comes to the Father on their/your behalf. This is touching indeed!
[12] While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
There is only one other place in the scriptures where the phrase "son of perdition" is used, and that is in II Thes. 2:3. In both instances it refers to the "son who will perish", Satan himself, who is the only son who has (so far) been tried and sentenced to die, i.e. perish, in the lake of fire. He hasn't died yet, however he was judged in the "world that then was" (II Pet. 3:6) and you can read about that judgment in Ezekiel 28. But judgment for all others has been postponed until AFTER the Millennium and the plan of salvation (the plan to "save" all others from the sentence of perishing) is complete. That judgment occurs at the Great White Throne Judgment.

So don't let any one or any commentary tell you that verse 12 refers to Judas Iscariot, for even he has not yet been sentenced. Besides, have you never read Matthew 27:3 where Judas repented? Mat. 27:3 "Then Judas, which had betrayeth him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,". The kenites who had Jesus crucified also murdered Judas to keep him quiet about their murder plot. So what will be the fate of Judas Iscariot, who was chosen before the foundation of this world, yes, even to betray the Messiah? We will leave that decision in the Father's hands for we are not the judge!

John 17:13
And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
Imagine the joy that His disciples must have felt as they heard Jesus speak these things!

How about you? Can you hear Him? All He said is written for us. You can read/hear and understand the wisdom of this by studying the little black book, the one laying there on your coffee table! Is His joy fulfilled in you as you listen to Him speak these things?

Next, Jesus will pray for some specific things concerning His elect. And remember, whatever He prays is exactly the way it is. In that case verse 24 is definitely going to fill you with joy!

It is now only moments before Jesus and His disciples will go forth over the brook Cedron and into the garden of Gethsemane, and Jesus has lifted up His eyes unto heaven and is praying for His disciples, both those with Him at this Last Supper and those He would send forth even until the final generation when He returns.

So as you read the rest of this beautiful prayer and Christ's glorious sentiments just before His hour is come, draw near unto Him and understand that close family relationship, for we are the Family of God. Read each and every tender word He speaks as if He were personally praying about you, because you know what?He is!

Also, know this: There will be three very special requests in the remainder of this heart felt and heart warming prayer that the Lord will desire for His disciples, which again, includes you if you are one of His disciples!

If so, then His requests for you are as follows:

(1) That you be kept from the evil one (vs. 15).
(2) That you be sanctified [set apart] through the truth, which is His Word (vs. 17).
(3) That you be where He is and behold His Glory (vs. 24).
And so it is, and so it shall be for all of God's elect. Remember verse 6 ithat we talked about earlier? They were His from the beginning, when He chose them "before the foundation of the world" (Eph 1:4), and gave them all to the Son.
John 17:14
I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
God's elect were sent into this world (vs. 18) for a reason, with a predestination (Eph 1:4), "that the works of God should be made manifest in them." They are part of the plan and they are to bear fruit after being nourished from the True Vine.
[15] I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
Did you read that? Jesus Christ just prayed that His elect "should not be taken out of the world".Arrgggh! There goes the Rapture Theory right down the tubes.  This means if you are one God's elect, you "Ain't Goin' Nowhere"! You have work to do! Right up until the 7th Trump blows! However, remember Jesus asked that you be kept from the evil one, so the words of the Psalmist (Ps. 105) apply to that evil one:
Psalm 105:15
Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
And so He gave us the Gospel Armor (Eph. 6) to keep the evil one from us. That armor is composed of Holy Spirit and is impervious and impenetrable. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had theirs on when they were tossed into the fiery furnace by Nebuchadnezzar, who was a type, of the spurious messiah to come, i.e. Satan.
John 17:16
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
[17] Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
The philosophers and gurus of the world spend their lives trying to discover what "truth" is, when it is so simple. His Word is Truth! And when His Word is in you, you are set apart [sanctified] from the world (you extreme right wing Christian conservative, you!) The media world sure hates you!
[18] As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
How did the Father send the Son into the world? With HIS WORDS, which were the words Christ spoke. Jesus has given you His Word (vs. 14) and He just said in verse 17 that you are to be "sanctified" through that Word. Are you beginning to see that you are, shall we say, commissioned in His service? Look up the word "sent". It is the Greek word apostello from which apostolos comes, i.e. "one sent forth", an apostle.

Now if you think Jesus is only praying for those disciples present with Him this night, and not for you, then verse 20 will completely dispel that thought.

[19] And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
Note: "I sanctify myself" = I dedicate or consecrate Myself. This shows the meaning of sanctify; not making holy as to moral character, but setting apart for God. The Lord was the antitype of all the offerings, which were holy unto Jehovah. (Companion Bible)
John 17:20
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; (you and me)
The branches on the vine must produce fruit. And so the keepers of His Word will continue to be sent into the world by Him even until that final generation, the generation He will utter from His lips just before He says, "It is finished", and breaths His last breath. Yes, Jesus began His Sermon on the Cross, in the presence of the thief who would be converted by it, with the first verse of Psalms 22, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?", and He would speak these words about His elect, who would come in the final generation and "declare His righteousness", His Word, unto that final generation, which is that same generation of the fig tree that He spoke of in His sermon on the mount.

And you know what? They are working hard and they shall finish the work they were sent to do! Are you doing your part?

Psalm 22:30
A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
[31] They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
Note: He hath done this = It is finished. (Jn. 19:30)
John 17:21
That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
We are the Family of God, the Body of Christ, and we are one in Him.
Ephes. 4:4
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

[5] One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

[6] One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

We are the Family of God. And we are the Champions, for we have the victory because He was victorious and overcame the world and defeated death [Satan].
John 17:22
And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
How precious this is. Can you feel the closeness to Him?
[23] I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Jesus knows He is about to be crucified and yet He thinks only about us all being together!

And then He wills it to be so (that we all be together):

[24] Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
Do you grasp what He has said here? Jesus Christ wants His elect, the ones whom He sent forth (vs. 18), to be with Him, where He is, yes, even from the foundation of the world throughout eternity! It won't be long and we will be with Him when He returns.
Rev. 20:6
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
He now concludes His prayer with these words to the Father.
John 17:25
O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
[26] And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
Our Father is our closest relative, for He created our very souls, and He loves His children very, very much, and He wants His children to love Him very, very much! And so He gave His only begotten Son to bring salvation to those children who will receive His Word, and believe on Him.
John 18:1
When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.
The hour has come. Don't miss the rest of the book of John, for Jesus is about to be betrayed.


To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.

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