SERVICES: SATURDAY 6PM | SUNDAY 9AM & 10:45AM. 

We Livestream at www.FaithFellowshipWeb.com/livestream, through the FFC App, and YouTube.

Prayer for the Disciples

Prayer for the Disciples
Words of Faith 3-2-17
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2017
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

John 17
Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one. [12] While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. [13] "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. [14] I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. [15] My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. [16] They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. [17] Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. [18] As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. [19] For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

John prayed for the disciples. There were only eleven now as Judas had given his heart over to evil and was in the final preparation to betray Jesus. Jesus prayed for the eleven disciples in seven specific ways that reveal the heart of Jesus for His disciples.
1) Protection by the power of the name. On the basis of the holiness of God's character, Jesus requested the Father to preserve the disciples. The verb "protect" here is generally used to mean "obey" in the sense of keeping commandments or to "observe" the Sabbath. In Judaism, such observance was a way of protecting the holy things of God with a sort of “hedge”. Jesus calls on the Father to "preserve, protect and defend” the disciples with a barrier or hedge much like the Sabbath laws “defend” the holiness of the Sabbath. This is done by the power of the "Name". The Name stands for the power of God manifested in His person and authoritatively represents the person it describes. The name of Lord Jesus is a hedge of protection for the disciples of Jesus.
2) Unity. The disciples would need unity. Tough times were ahead to be sure. But the unity Jesus prayed for was not simply a unity achieved by legislation. It was a unity of nature that He compared to that of the Son and the Father. Real unity among disciples must spring from the common life that is imparted to all believers by the new birth. Real unity in the church can only come from a common love for Christ and for one another when facing a hostile world. The unity of the Son and the Father was manifested in the deep love that each sustained for the other and by the perfect obedience of the Son to the Father and the perfect response of the Father to the Son.
3) The full measure of His joy. Jesus prayed not only for the safety of the disciples but also that they might have joy in spite of the coming conflict. The Joy of the Lord is our strength. There would be nothing in the attitude of the world to promote joy. But the presence of the Holy Spirit would manifest this fruit in their lives and relationships. The awareness of the approval of the Father and the consciousness of a task ahead would also be a source of joy for them.
4) Not to be removed from the world. The very fact that the disciples received the message of God from Jesus made them different from the world at large. They had a different nature and a different affiliation. Such a radical contrast drew the hatred of the world, which always demands conformity to its viewpoint and practices. They had taken their stand with Jesus and would therefore be susceptible to the same rejection he had experienced. Yet Jesus did not call for them to be removed from this conflicted world. They were to be a light that shines in the darkness.
5) Protection from the evil one. Jesus did not ask that the disciples be removed from the disagreeable and dangerous environment of the world. They had a mission to complete no matter the danger. But Jesus did ask the Holy Father to protect them from the evil one.
6) Sanctified by the truth of the Word. The word "Sanctify" means "to separate" or "to set apart" for some good purpose or use. It also means to "dedicate" or "consecrate" and then "to revere" or "to purify." The believer is so changed by the working of God's Word in his life that he is separated from evil. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Since the Word of God is truth, it provides the unchanging standard for the course and character of life as we are sanctified. The form of the expression "your word" raises the possibility that Jesus may have been referring to Himself when He spoke. He had said that He was "the truth" (14:6). As the Word-- Logos of God-- Jesus embodied truth in its totality and would provide the means of sanctification.
7) Sent into the world. A disciple is a sent person. The word "Sent" implies equipment for a definite mission. Jesus united the disciples with himself in the work he began and expected them to continue. Just as the Father sent Him with authority, so He gave them authority (Matt 28:18-20). Just as He had come with a message of God's love and forgiveness, so they should proclaim the same. Just as Jesus had come into danger and peril of death, so they would encounter the same problems. Just as the Father had sent him to the victory of the Resurrection, so they could expect the same. His words include warning, commission, and encouragement

Lord Jesus, Father God: Protect me by the power of Your name. Give me unity with other believers. Give me the full measure of Your joy. Make me a light that shines into the darkness. Protect me from the evil one. Set me apart for Your purpose by the truth of Your Word. Send me. In Jesus’ name.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2002, 2017
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an E-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an E-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.