John 17 is so powerful, and is such holy ground that we dare not enter here lightly…oh what we miss if we do.
But just as Moses stopped and pondered the burning bush that was not consumed as it burned, so we need to slow down and taste and see that the Lord is good as we read Jesus’ conversation with the Father of Glory in John 17.
There is a special message here. I’ll skim over it and if you see that it is a worthy thought, go examine it more yourself.
Jesus is praying for those who would believe. He isn’t praying now for the world but for those who heard the call and accepted the invitation to become a child of God. He doesn’t address those who rejected the invitation because it is impossible to include them here. This request is only possible for those who heard God’s call because they had a heart to love God. Those who never did or would love God have excluded themselves and there is nothing God can do now for them. This prayer is for believers only. Jesus would have loved to include the ones who rejected Him but He cannot.
This is a request to sanctify now those who do believe. It is a request to make them one as Jesus and the Father are one. That isn’t possible for a non believer. They are not in the thought of Jesus here. They were once, but no longer. That door is closed forever for them.
If you are one of those who He is not praying for in John 17, there is still time for you. You must choose Him now. It might be too late even the next minute. But God knows all things. He knows the ones who will believe already because He knows all things. If you are a sheep, you will receive Him.
Jesus is saying, Father, these have believed, now perfect them. It is step two. Moving on to perfection as read in Hebrews 6 refers to sanctification where the believer’s will is no longer his old nature will, but 100 percent the new nature will…Gods will. The sanctified believer has lost the will of the sin nature and now only has God’s will. He only desires what God desires because Christ is fully formed in him now. He has yielded body soul and spirit to God completely, holding nothing back.
In Ephesians 3-4 we read of specific spiritual gifts which are given to certain believers who are called to present the saints as perfect to the Father. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, preachers and teachers are given the stewardship of this mystery (as T. Austin Sparks would call it), which is Christ in you. There is a five-fold ministry false doctrine pretending to know this. Stay far from it.
But those given these 5 gifts are tasked with the perfecting of the saints. Paul elaborates and explains John 17 in Ephesians 3-4 specifically.
Jesus’ words in John 17 are strictly in reference to Him and His work. We will look at a few of them in a bit. But first let me say that there is a secret here, or a hidden treasure, if you are a believer charged with this task. I believe that if Christ is fully formed in you, perfected, then this message here Jesus speaks of Himself, He is also speaking to the Person of Jesus in you now, fully formed in you…your perfected new nature that is 100 percent yielded to Him.
Listen: In a parallel sense these statements are true of us…but lacking the Godhood here, because redeemed man is a creation of God and not God, even though we become one with God.
1-“I have sanctified myself that they may be sanctified through the truth. Your word is truth.”
2-“I have glorified You on earth, I have finished the work which You gave me.”
3-“I have manifested Your name to those You gave me. They were Yours and You gave them to me and they have kept your word.”
4- “I gave them the words which You have given to me and they have received them and know I came from You. They believe You sent me.”
5- “Keep them in Your own name.”
6-“I don’t pray that You take them out of the world but that You would keep them while they are in the world. Keep them from evil.”
7-“That they would be made perfect in one, even as we are one.”
Just know that if you have followed Him with your whole heart then you are likely gifted in this area. Remember that the world hates Him and will hate you too, but persevere for the hour is coming. Who will you present to the Father as perfect in Christ Jesus, because You have declared His word and sanctified yourself by the keeping of His word so that the flock He has given to you in this life will be one with Him even as you are one with Him…hidden with Christ in God?