Monday, June 17, 2013

Sunday´s Sermon


2013.06.16                                  John 17: 1- 24                     Jesus´ High Priestly prayer
As we have been studying the Gospel of Luke ….. I have reminded us that a Large part of John´s Gospel….. happens in the Upper room on the night Jesus was betrayed….. I invited all of us to read John 13-17 in our own personal quiet times with the Lord….. We have seen Jesus telling His disciples what would happen……. That He would be betrayed and crucified…….. He Warned and encouraged them … to prepare them to endure the grief and sorrow that was soon to hit them…..
Jesus is preparing the disciples for hard times...…… Sorrow and fear will soon come upon them like a massive flood…… They will soon be discouraged and scattered as their world comes falling down….. He is not only preparing them…… He is also comforting their hearts by telling them what will happen….. He says you will be sorrowful….. but the sorrow is only temporary….. Your sorrow will turn to joy!
Last week we studied Parts of the evening that John recorded for us…. In John 13 v1 we understand something wonderful about our Lord Jesus……
John 13: 1             NKJV   Schlachter 2000
13 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
1 Vor dem Passahfest aber, da Jesus wußte, daß seine Stunde gekommen war, aus dieser Welt zum Vater zu gehen: wie er die Seinen geliebt hatte, die in der Welt waren, so liebte er sie bis ans Ende.
Even though Jesus was tob e crucified the very next day…… He continued to love His disciples to the very last minute that He had with them….. Jesus was preparing them for the horrible times ahead……. He was only interested in loving and serving His disciples……. In John 14…. Jesus said…v 1 …. Don´t let your heart be troubled… in v 15 He again promised the Comforter…. And in v18…. Jesus said…. I will come to you…. lets it read again…. John 14: 18….  
John 14: 18           NKJV   Schlachter 2000
18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
18 Ich lasse euch nicht als Waisen zurück; ich komme zu euch.
I will not leave you orphans….. I will come to you…..
Jesus was telling them all of this because He wanted them to be filled with joy and not sorrow! We saw that in John 15v 11….
Jesus says…..listen guys….. I have been telling you all this to take away the sorrow and turn it to joy…... But instead of being excited and joyful….. they're still sorrowful because he said that He is going away and they can´t come with them…... Sorrow has filled their hearts……
Jesus is responding to them in His unfailing love here……
There are 5 easily identifiable elements in this record of Jesus on that last night with His disciples…. We have already seen the first three in the last few weeks…. The 4th and 5th we will see this morning….
Jesus unfailing Love for His own…..
1   He has told them the future to prepare them…..
2   He has promised to Holy Spirit to lead and teach them……
3   He has promised His indwelling presence to sustain them……
4   He has promised that He will continue to intercede for them and all that would believe on His in the future…..
5   He has promised that His own will be with Him forever…..

This morning we will get a preview of What Jesus is doing now…. Jesus´ High Priestly prayer…..
Turn in your Bible with me to John17….
This passage is what is   known as Jesus' High Priestly prayer…. It is a picture of Jesus….. Loving and protecting His own…… and interceding for His own…… It is in this chapter that the veil to the Holy of Holies is drawn back….. and we  approach with Jesus to the very throne of God…….   For this is perhaps the holiest ground in the Scripture....... Jesus Himself is approaching the throne of Grace for His own….  
At the end of chapter 16 in verse 33…… Jesus said…..
John 16: 33        NKJV   Schlachter 2000
33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
33 Dies habe ich zu euch geredet, damit ihr in mir Frieden habt. In der Welt habt ihr Bedrängnis; aber seid getrost, ich habe die Welt überwunden!
With that promise of ultimate victory….. Jesus Finishes His most important last words to His disciples….. He promised them peace….. He promised them joy…... He promised them support and supply….. He promised them answered prayer….. He promised them power…..   He promised them the Holy Spirit…… He promised them His presence in their hearts and lives….  And again now….. He promised them trouble…….. But He said…. Don´t be sad and discouraged…. I have overcome the World…. Victory is certain…….

Then  comes this prayer in chapter 17…..
Jesus turns to God the Father and prays this prayer….. It's the most amazing prayer ever prayed in all the Bible…...
Remember as Jesus prays….. there's one Heavy event on His mind….. Jesus is on His way to the cross….. In the morning…..  Judas´ betrayal is going on at this exact time…  Jesus will soon the trail and  the beatings….and soon now His execution on the cross…...
This prayer  Looks forward to His current great work of intercession for all believers….

The  book of Hebrews exalts Jesus as our great High Priest……. But we don´t learn a lot about His work in practice….. If you want to see Jesus´intercession  in action you go to this chapter……. HereOur Geat High Priest is interceding for us….  Jesus could havve prayed   silently and we would have never known what He said….. I think He prayed out loud to show us what His intercession is like…..
The prayer falls into three parts….  In the first five verses Jesus prays concerning The Fathers´ Glory and Himself.....
This wonderful prayer is an example of the perfect and unbroken communion and fellowship that Jesus had with the Father all this time….  it was unbroken  because They were One……  there were points of time in the earthly ministry of Jesus when He engaged upon uniquely prolonged times of prayer…… Jesus often got away from the crowds and went to pray….. Sometimes Jesus prayed all night….. But we don´t have much recorded of those prayers….
We can be very thankful for this chapter….. because here John lets us see the communion between Jesus and God the Father…… The whole prayer is recorded for us….. Awesome!
 The great High Priest interceding for His own…. There is one God and one mediator between God and man….. Christ Jesus…..
Let´s look at the first section….. v 1 to 5….
 Here  the focus of His prayer is personal….. He is praying in regard to Himself….. but its implications touch all of  us….. John 17 v 1…
John 17: 1- 5                   NKJV
1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should[a] give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
John 17: 1- 5                   Schlachter 2000
1 Dies redete Jesus und hob seine Augen zum Himmel empor und sprach: Vater, die Stunde ist gekommen; verherrliche deinen Sohn, damit auch dein Sohn dich verherrliche
2 — gleichwie du ihm Vollmacht gegeben hast über alles Fleisch, damit er allen ewiges Leben gebe, die du ihm gegeben hast.
3 Das ist aber das ewige Leben, daß sie dich, den allein wahren Gott, und den du gesandt hast, Jesus Christus, erkennen.
4 Ich habe dich verherrlicht auf Erden; ich habe das Werk vollendet, das du mir gegeben hast, damit ich es tun soll.
5 Und nun verherrliche du mich, Vater, bei dir selbst mit der Herrlichkeit, die ich bei dir hatte, ehe die Welt war.
V1 "These things Jesus spoke; and lifting up His eyes to Heaven, He said…… These things refers to John ch13 to 16……. Everything He'd been saying in that upper room discourse…..
Now Jesus is going to pray to the Father to  bring to pass the plan…… The paln that they had made from before the foundation of the World…..  To bring to reality all the promises that Jesus made……
Jesus knew the mind of God…. He knew what God had promised and what God was doing…. And He knew what God would do….. He was Himself the perfect reflection of the Father….. Why was Jesus praying? Jesus in His willing subjection and submission to the Father…..  Humbled and Submitted Himself to the Father's will….. knowing the Word of God did not cause Him to cease to pray….. Instead we see Jesus passionately asking God to do what He had He had said He would do…... Glorify your son….. as I glorify you by giving eternal life to those that you have given me…..
It´s time Father for all of our Plans to be accomplished….. v4… I have Glorified you here on the earth….  I have finished the work which you have given me….
Jesus says…. I have Glorified you! And now I have finished my work…. Father let our full and shared Glory be seen….. Just like when we were together before the World was….. Then in the next few verses we understand the work that the Father gave him to do….. John 17: 6….
John 17: 6- 8                     NKJV
6 “I have manifested Your name to 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. 7 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. 8 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.
  John 17: 6- 8                 Schlachter 2000
6 Ich habe deinen Namen den Menschen offenbar gemacht, die du mir aus der Welt gegeben hast; sie waren dein, und du hast sie mir gegeben, und sie haben dein Wort bewahrt.
7 Nun erkennen sie, daß alles, was du mir gegeben hast, von dir kommt;
8 denn die Worte, die du mir gegeben hast, habe ich ihnen gegeben, und sie haben sie angenommen und haben wahrhaft erkannt, daß ich von dir ausgegangen bin, und glauben, daß du mich gesandt hast.
Look with me at v 6….. I have revealed you to those that you have given me out of the world…. They were your´s and you have given them to me…. They have kept your word……. Not exactly perfectly….. But they have believed and followed Him….. They get it…… They know the truth and they have received it…. Let´s continue v 9…
John 17: 9- 14                          NKJV
9 “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. 10 And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 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. 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 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.
John 17: 9- 14                          Schlachter 2000
9 Ich bitte für sie; nicht für die Welt bitte ich, sondern für die, welche du mir gegeben hast, weil sie dein sind.
10 Und alles, was mein ist, das ist dein, und was dein ist, das ist mein; und ich bin in ihnen verherrlicht.
11 Und ich bin nicht mehr in der Welt; diese aber sind in der Welt, und ich komme zu dir. Heiliger Vater, bewahre sie in deinem Namen, die du mir gegeben hast, damit sie eins seien, gleichwie wir!
12 Als ich bei ihnen in der Welt war, bewahrte ich sie in deinem Namen; die du mir gegeben hast, habe ich behütet, und keiner von ihnen ist verlorengegangen als nur der Sohn des Verderbens, damit die Schrift erfüllt würde.
13 Nun aber komme ich zu dir und rede dies in der Welt, damit sie meine Freude völlig in sich haben.
14 Ich habe ihnen dein Wort gegeben, und die Welt haßt sie; denn sie sind nicht von der Welt, gleichwie auch ich nicht von der Welt bin.
V 9   I pray for them… Thank God! We have an advocate with the Father…
I pray for those that you have given me…. They are yours…..
V10 I am Glorified in them…..
Jesus says I am Glorified in them? WOW! Not ….. not very often does this happen…… But it will happen because it is part of God´s plan….
V11…. Now I am no longer in the world…. Jesus has already moved beyond the cross…… I´m out of here…… Father you keep and protect them…. So that they may be 1…. Jesus is praying for our preservation in the Father….. and He is asking the Father to do it for us…. He will keep us in the Lord Jesus Christ….. God himself will do it!
V12 While I was in the world…. I kept them in your name…. And none is lost…except the son of perdition…. So that the scripture is fulfilled….
V13 now I come to You…. I want them to have my joy in themselves….
V14 I have given them your word…. Remember Jesus said … What I hear…. That I speak (declare)… They are Hated…. Let´s look at verse 15 and 16
John 17: 15,16   NKJV  Schlachter 2000
15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 1
5 Ich bitte nicht, daß du sie aus der Welt nimmst, sondern daß du sie bewahrst vor dem Bösen.
16 Sie sind nicht von der Welt, gleichwie auch ich nicht von der Welt bin.

V 15…. I do not pray that you take them out of the world…. but protect them from Satan…. We are here to proclaim the GOOD News! Just like Jesus was sent into the world… we have also been sent into the world….
V 16 They are not of the World…. We are in the world … but we don´t belong here…. Heaven is our home…..



Let´s look at these next verses in NLT and Neues Leben….

John 17: 17-19                 NLT   Neues Leben
17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. 19 And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.
17  Reinige sie und heilige sie, indem du sie deine Worte der Wahrheit lehrst. 18 Wie du mich in die Welt gesandt hast, so sende ich sie in die Welt.
19 Und ich gebe mich ganz für sie hin, damit auch sie durch die Wahrheit ganz dir gehören.
V17 make them Holy by your truth…. 
V18 I am sending them into the world….
V19 Here we see another amazing thing that Jesus did for us on the cross…. He gave Himself as a Holy Sacrifice…. So that we could become Holy by God´s truth… Jesus has been praying for the disciples directly….
Now beginning in verse 20 Jesus is interceding for the church…... John 17 verse 20…..
John 17: 20- 26             NKJV
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26 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.”
John 17: 20- 26                Schlachter 2000
20 Ich bitte aber nicht für diese allein, sondern auch für die, welche durch ihr Wort an mich glauben werden,
21 auf daß sie alle eins seien, gleichwie du, Vater, in mir und ich in dir; auf daß auch sie in uns eins seien, damit die Welt glaube, daß du mich gesandt hast.
22 Und ich habe die Herrlichkeit, die du mir gegeben hast, ihnen gegeben, auf daß sie eins seien, gleichwie wir eins sind,
23 ich in ihnen und du in mir, damit sie zu vollendeter Einheit gelangen, und damit die Welt erkenne, daß du mich gesandt hast und sie liebst, gleichwie du mich liebst.
24 Vater, ich will, daß, wo ich bin, auch die bei mir seien, die du mir gegeben hast, damit sie meine Herrlichkeit sehen, die du mir gegeben hast; denn du hast mich geliebt vor Grundlegung der Welt.
25 Gerechter Vater, die Welt erkennt dich nicht; ich aber erkenne dich, und diese erkennen, daß du mich gesandt hast.
26 Und ich habe ihnen deinen Namen verkündet und werde ihn verkünden, damit die Liebe, mit der du mich liebst, in ihnen sei und ich in ihnen.
We could study these verses for the rest of our lives…. It is full of wonderful and powerful truth…… To me the most powerful is the amazing love that Jesus has for His own……. That´s us…… We belong to him…. Jesus is on his way to the cross….. Finally after being told many times…… The disciples are beginning to understand…… They are broken hearted….
Jesus has  great compassion and love for them….. 
Nothing is a better picture of the love of Jesus for us than that He prays for His own…. Listen to me…
He has you and me in His heart at every moment…. He is not praying that we will be taken out of this world,… He is praying that the Father will preserve and protect us…… He knows your deep sorrow and grief and He carries us to the throne of the Father….. He pleads for us….  And He also prays that He will sanctify and Make us Holy with His truth… His words of Life….…..  That's how much He loves His own……
Here in these verses… Jesus has prayed for His disciples… And now as He comes to verse 20 His prayer looks into the future beyond the Apostles…
Look at verse 20... I do not pray for these alone."
Jesus prayed for all that would ever believe….. Jesus is praying for you and me right now…..  
Before we were even born…. Jesus was praying and interceding for us…. Uli and I used to pray for our children before they were born….. I many parents do that… Here Jesus prays for all of us believers past present and future….  Even though most of them have not yet lived…. they are already on His heart….. and in His prayers … and their names  are written in the Book of Life… He was about to pay for their sins on the cross…… He knew that they would stumble and run away…. They would soon abandon Him…… Jesus had prayed for them that their faith would not fail…… He knew that they would make it through those very hard days and nights….. He knew that the Father would preserve them and restore them….. He knew that they would soon turn the world upside down with the Good News… These sorrowful and weak disciples would be restored…. They would become the first links in the powerful chain of witnesses…. that was going to begin the church….  
Jesus was also praying for those who He knew would be saved….. You know, I think it was good for the disciples to hear Jesus´prayer that night…. it would comfort and encourage them in the days to come…. Then when they saw Jesus and were filled with the Holy Spirit…. They would see a great revival right there in Jerusalem…… The whole flow of redemptive history would come from their preaching…... So, Jesus prayed for His very own...sheep yet unborn and unconverted.

It's amazing to think about but two thousand years ago Jesus was praying for you…..  as well as dying for you…..   And you see Christ immediately here taking care of His own by interceding for them…... And that's how He cares for us now, this constant intercession goes on and on……  Jesus is praying for His own….
1  He prays for our oneness (unity)…. v21
2 He prays for our personal presence with Him…… v24

Let's look, first of all, at oneness, verse 21, "I pray that they may all be one….
This is a very simple statement…. It's a very popular verse….. It is  often used by those who would like to get us to sort of set aside our doctrinal differences….
Others think that this is some kind of practical unity where...where we just look like we got it together as a group… Of course we need to accept each other as much as possible…. We need to work together as much as possible… But this text is talking about more than  just a simple external Christian unity….. There is a goal to mthe unity that Jesus is praying for here…. Look at v21 again….
John 17: 21             NKJV  Schlachter 2000
21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
21 auf daß sie alle eins seien, gleichwie du, Vater, in mir und ich in dir; auf daß auch sie in uns eins seien, damit die Welt glaube, daß du mich gesandt hast.
You see… The key here is the phrase…. That the wold may believe….This oneness has to do with convincing the world that Jesus is God…… It has to do with convincing the world that the gospel is true….. And  that Jesus is the Savior….  that He alone can transform lives……
There are some religious groups and some non-religious groups that do a good job of supporting each other…..   That's not what it's talking about here…… This is much bigger than that…. v23…. The subjects here are perfection and love…. The father loves the son… The son loves the Father…. They love us….
The Father and the Son are one in holy perfection…… We should also be one in holy love……
Verse 24b "Thou didst love Me before the foundation of the world."
Verse 26b "The love wherewith Thou didst love Me."
The Son wants only to express that holy love by honoring the Father….. The Father wants only to express that holy love by honoring the Son……
When Jesus is praying that we may be one….. I believe He is praying that we might have a holy love….. That  we might have a love of a holiness….. A Godly perfection is what Jesus is praying about….. just like He and the Father…..  Jesus wants us to be salt and light an unholy and ungodly world…..
If there's anything that defines God….  it is that He is separate from sin….. And that's the most defining reality about The LORD JESUS….. He is our perfect High Priest…. Interceding for us….. perfect in every way….  He is holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners, the writer of Hebrews says….. look at Hebrews 7 v26…
Hebrews 7: 26                 NLT   Neues Leben
26 He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven.
26 Er ist ein Hoher Priester, wie wir ihn nötig haben, denn er ist heilig, ohne jede Schuld und unberührt von der Sünde. Er wurde von den sündigen Menschen getrennt und hat den höchsten Ehrenplatz im Himmel erhalten.
Jesus asks the Father to bring us to a holy ….Godly kind of Unity…. A unity centered in the Lord Jesus….. Shown to the world because He has given us His Glory….. backup to John 17 v 22…

John 17: 22, 23             NKJV    Schlachter 2000
22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
22 Und ich habe die Herrlichkeit, die du mir gegeben hast, ihnen gegeben, auf daß sie eins seien, gleichwie wir eins sind,
23 ich in ihnen und du in mir, damit sie zu vollendeter Einheit gelangen, und damit die Welt erkenne, daß du mich gesandt hast und sie liebst, gleichwie du mich liebst.
Verse 22… Amazing the Lord has given us some of His glory...... Jesus says….. I have given them the Glory that you gave me….
What is the glory which God gave to Jesus? His own glory….. Jesus was God in human flesh…..
 And Jesus is saying, "I'm giving them the same glory." Amazing. "Father, You gave Me all Your attributes, all Your character in human flesh, and I'm giving Your attributes to them."
What happens when you're a Christian? Jesus comes to take up residence in your heart……
 Jesus has committed Himself to us to take up residence in our hearts….. John 14: 18   
John 14: 18             NKJV   Schlachter 2000
18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
18 Ich lasse euch nicht als Waisen zurück; ich komme zu euch.
You couldn't live a holy life….. we couldn´t life a Holy minute……  unless we have Jesus living and working in our hearts and minds…. But we can live Holy lives….. Jesus has asked the Father to do this miracle in our hearts and minds….
God manifested Himself in Jesus and Jesus has manifested Himself in us….. This is wonderful truth…... And when there is that loving, holy, pure, righteous character, the world will say…… These people have been with Jesus…. "Jesus must be a Savior."
That´s the first thing that we see in this section….. Jesus asks the father for our holiness and unity in Him….
And then in verse 24 we have another important feature of Jesus' prayer….. This praying first for our holiness and our oneness….. Just like the Father and the Son are one in holiness…... now in verse 24…  Jesus prays for our eternal fellowship with Him…… This is how the whole prayer ends…...   v24….
John 17:24             NKJV  Schlachter 2000
24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
24 Vater, ich will, daß, wo ich bin, auch die bei mir seien, die du mir gegeben hast, damit sie meine Herrlichkeit sehen, die du mir gegeben hast; denn du hast mich geliebt vor Grundlegung der Welt.

Amazing… Jesus  the glorious Son of the living God prays to His Father that He might have us with Him…. He asks for the Father to grant the eternal presence of all of us with Him in Glory….. This is also part of God´s perfect plan….. But it´s still incredible and wonderful….
God chose us before the foundation of the world….. John 6 says…
John 6: 39,40           NKJV  Schlachter 2000
39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
39 Und das ist der Wille des Vaters, der mich gesandt hat, daß ich nichts verliere von allem, was er mir gegeben hat, sondern daß ich es auferwecke am letzten Tag.
40 Das ist aber der Wille dessen, der mich gesandt hat, daß jeder, der den Sohn sieht und an ihn glaubt, ewiges Leben hat; und ich werde ihn auferwecken am letzten Tag.

To share in the resurrection with Jesus…. And to be with Jesus forever…  that's God's plan…..
Back to John 17 v 24….


John 17:24             NKJV  Schlachter 2000
24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
24 Vater, ich will, daß, wo ich bin, auch die bei mir seien, die du mir gegeben hast, damit sie meine Herrlichkeit sehen, die du mir gegeben hast; denn du hast mich geliebt vor Grundlegung der Welt.
He wants us with him so that we can see His Glory!
We see Christ with the eye of faith….. But there's going to come a day when He will show us He true Glory….. If it happened now we would not survive….. Our mortal bodies couldn´t take it….

You know, we're like Moses…. We see only glimpses of His Glory now…. He emptied Himself of all that glory and came to earth…. But   He's in full glory display right now and He wants us to be there with Him so we can see that…... More than that, He wants us to reflect it and that's why in 1 John 3:2….
 it says we will be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
One day we will see Jesus as He is…. In all of His Glory and we will worship Him forever and ever….. Because He is worthy to receive all Glory and Honor and power…..
And that was the whole purpose of God in the beginning…. So, Jesus is saying, "Father bring them all to glory…..
Let´s look at the final 2 verses…. John 17: 25,26…
John 17: 25, 26   NKJV   Schlachter 2000
25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26 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.”
25 Gerechter Vater, die Welt erkennt dich nicht; ich aber erkenne dich, und diese erkennen, daß du mich gesandt hast.
26 Und ich habe ihnen deinen Namen verkündet und werde ihn verkünden, damit die Liebe, mit der du mich liebst, in ihnen sei und ich in ihnen.

Here is a perfect illustration of prayer….. He knows the will of God and He prays for it….. Prayer is not   about changing God's mind about things….. It is affirming God's will….. That's why we pray, "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come...... and the next line says... Thy will be done."

And the Son always prays according to the will of God… and the Father always answers…. How wonderful that we have such a Faithful and awesome High Priest…… Jesus is at the right hand of the Father….. He is praying for us….. day and night…..
Close
In closing let´s make a list of the things that Jesus has been praying for….
Jesus prays for our
1 preservation… Father keep and protect them…. v11
2 joy… give them my joy…  v13
3 liberation…. Free them from the power of sin and Satan… v 15
4 sanctification… make them Holy…. v17
5 Unity…. Keep them united in Me and the Gospel… v22
6 unbroken Fellowship….. bring them to be with me… v24
7 glorification…… Glorify them with the same Glory that you have given me…. V22- 24

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