John 17
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John 17:9:
I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. |
“I pray not for the world,” (Jn 17:9). Against universal redemption. If Christ would not spend his breath to pray for them, then surely he would not spend his precious blood to purchase heaven for them. Christopher Love, The Christian’s Duty and Safety in Evil times-.
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Jesus came to bring about the fullness of joy in man. Often we see Christians who are not exhibiting a lifestyle of joy, and therefore we assume God is not a happy God. We see all the darkness that surrounds us and assume that God is most often angry or sad. But in John 17:13 (ESV), Jesus prayed to the Father: “But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”
Jesus’s prayer in John 17:13 demonstrates two important, life-changing truths for you and me today. First, Jesus had joy. We could not have His joy fulfilled in us if He doesn’t have joy to start with. And the whole of Scripture supports the truth that within God dwells the fullness of joy. Psalm 16:11 (ESV) says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” And Galatians 5:22 tells us that joy is a fruit of the Spirit. The God whom you have been filled with at salvation longs to produce the fruit of joy in your life. He longs to make you a joyful person from the inside out so that your joy wouldn’t be based on circumstances or the fleeting whims of the world.
Second, John 17 tells us that we can have the joy of Jesus for ourselves. The God of joy longs to fill you to overflowing with satisfaction and hope. He longs to make your joy abundant and transcendent of the good or bad around you. God is joyful because it’s a part of His nature. And He longs for it to be the same with you. -Craig Denison
Jesus’s prayer in John 17:13 demonstrates two important, life-changing truths for you and me today. First, Jesus had joy. We could not have His joy fulfilled in us if He doesn’t have joy to start with. And the whole of Scripture supports the truth that within God dwells the fullness of joy. Psalm 16:11 (ESV) says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” And Galatians 5:22 tells us that joy is a fruit of the Spirit. The God whom you have been filled with at salvation longs to produce the fruit of joy in your life. He longs to make you a joyful person from the inside out so that your joy wouldn’t be based on circumstances or the fleeting whims of the world.
Second, John 17 tells us that we can have the joy of Jesus for ourselves. The God of joy longs to fill you to overflowing with satisfaction and hope. He longs to make your joy abundant and transcendent of the good or bad around you. God is joyful because it’s a part of His nature. And He longs for it to be the same with you. -Craig Denison
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John 17:17:
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” |
When Jesus prayed to the Father for us in John 17:17, He prayed: “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” The Word of God as contained in the Bible is truth. You can rely on scripture to always enrich the abundant life of integrity Christ gives to the believer.
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God knows the hearts of men, and He knows what their true needs are. God doesn’t have to guess what they might need – He KNOWS; and His Word, when preached faithfully, does its job of addressing the individual’s need.
A man of veracity makes a true statement. Veracity is, therefore, a personal moral attribute, and truth is a property of things. This being the case, veracity is that perfection in God which renders all his judgments according to truth, which prompts him to say what is true, and which makes it impossible for him to lie. This impossibility is moral, not natural. That is, God has the natural ability to say what is not true, but infinite excellence of his character, including His veracity, makes it morally impossible for him to lie. Jesus in praying for his disciples addressed his Father thus: Sanctify them through thy truth: Thy word is truth. The word of God is true, because veracity is one of the attributes of his moral character. Whatever that word says as to the part, present or future is true, for the word of God endures to all generations. Truth, in the highest sense of the word, is a correct representation of the things as they have been, as they are now, or as they will be forever. The term “truth” is fully applicable to all that God says, for though heaven and earth shall pass away, his words will not pass away.
A man of veracity makes a true statement. Veracity is, therefore, a personal moral attribute, and truth is a property of things. This being the case, veracity is that perfection in God which renders all his judgments according to truth, which prompts him to say what is true, and which makes it impossible for him to lie. This impossibility is moral, not natural. That is, God has the natural ability to say what is not true, but infinite excellence of his character, including His veracity, makes it morally impossible for him to lie. Jesus in praying for his disciples addressed his Father thus: Sanctify them through thy truth: Thy word is truth. The word of God is true, because veracity is one of the attributes of his moral character. Whatever that word says as to the part, present or future is true, for the word of God endures to all generations. Truth, in the highest sense of the word, is a correct representation of the things as they have been, as they are now, or as they will be forever. The term “truth” is fully applicable to all that God says, for though heaven and earth shall pass away, his words will not pass away.
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John 17:25-26:
“O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them |
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