ABUNDANT LIFE VISION
The Prayer of Jesus John 17:11-26
Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. [12]During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold. [13]“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. [14]I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. [15]I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. [16]They do not belong to this world any more than I do. [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. [20]“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. [21]I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. [22]“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. [23]I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. [24]Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! [25]“O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. [26]I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.” NLT.

What is Prayer? I can say almost all religions have a system of Prayer. The Muslims pray, the Hindu believers pray, and those who are practising African traditional religions also pray. This reality was acknowledged by Jesus when he taught his disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:7. Prayer is an integral of the Christian faith, which is a system of communication between men and God. This is done to achieve intimacy, empowerment, direction, vision, and a system of requesting for things from God. We do not pray for God to benefit from our prayers. Instead, we benefit by talking to God in the place of prayer. Prayers is a channel of staying connected to God.

The scope of our teaching this morning is to look at the prayer Jesus prayer in John 17. As a result, we will not do a full study in prayer by looking at the different types of prayer in the bible. When Jesus was about to depart the world, he prayed for his disciples to achieve some things after his departure. The prayer he made in the chapter, started from the first verse of the chapter and by the time we get to verse 11-25 he went into the specifics of the request. The specifics of his prayer are the points we will look at in this teaching.

1. The request of protection: verse 12-16
Jesus requested that God should protect the disciples he was leaving behind and by extension, he requested for the protection of all who will believe in him afterwards which include everyone who is currently living now.

2. The request of holiness: verse 17-20
Holiness is a big deal with God. Hebrews 12:14: Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. NLT. Jesus knew the importance of holiness in relating with God and he included it in the prayer for us. The church is the bride of Jesus which must be holy for the coming of the Lord.

3. The request of oneness: verse 21-23
This particular request is a corporate request. He requested that God should make us one. Oneness in the body of Christ is an evidence of our love for God. It also shows that we are true disciples of God. Love is expressed through unity. What makes people united in this kingdom is love. This is the secret behind the trinity where three equal beings function as one.

4. The request of eternal life: verse 24
The life and ministry of Jesus aimed at giving us eternal life. John 3:26 and 1 John 3:8: But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. NLT. Jesus came to destroy the work of sin and make us reign with him forever. He captured this in his prayer for us making eternal life available through him.

5. The request of love: verse 25-26
Jesus said something interesting in verse 26, he showed us that it is only through God that we can see the true meaning of love and it is only through the perfect expression of love that intimacy with God can be unlocked.

All in all, all of the requests Jesus made in his prayer are answered prayer because they were made in accordance to the will of God. Therefore, they are readily available for us in Christ. On that note, if you are reading this and you would like to be a recipient of these answered prayers, say this prayer wholeheartedly by receiving Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Dear Jesus, I believe that you died for my sins and you resurrected on the third day by the power of God, please forgive my sins and write my name in the book of life and I will serve you forever. Amen. If you have recited the prayer, I congratulate you and I urge you to join a bible believing church as you begin your journey in Christ.

God bless you.