Arizona sun., 1947-03-21


MEMORY SELECTION-And now I am
no more in the world, but these are IN
the world. and ] come t. thee. Holy
Father, keep through thine own name
those whom thou hast given me, that
they may be one. as we are.-John 17:11.
The voice of the Son Of God lifted
in audible prayer! What could be
more sacred and more blessed? He
who had by act and example taught
his disciples loving service (John
13), and had spoken to them words
Of comfort and assurance (John IL
16), now prayed for himself. for
them, and for us.
While he spoke most intimately
with the Father as his only begotten
Son, he prayed aloud that his disci-
pies might hear his prayer and join
with him in it.
This prayer is often called the
high-priestly prayer Of Christ, and
rightly so, for here the lone medi-
ator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus" Il Tim. 2:5) spoke
as ''the High Priest of mankind who
begins his sacrifice by offering him.
self to God with all his people"
(Godet).
First we find that he prayed for
himself as he spoke Of 80
I. Salvation Finished-Then Glory
with the Father (vv. 1-5).
He looked up and said, Father" "
that was all. No struggling, no
pleading, just the recognition of his
own divinity. his intimate and unique
Sonship to God. Throughout this
entire prayer the same close rela-
tionship is found. It was not as we
would pray "Our Father" but "Fa-
ther."
Jesus was The Son Of God. Yes.
he was and God. He and the Fa-
ther are onWin blessed eternal in
finite unity. But as he is in the
Father. we who believe are in him.
So the poet well says:
Near, so very near to God,
Nearer I cannot be,
For in the person OF his Son
I am as near as he"
This divine Redeemer, who laid
down his glory when he came to
earth (Phil. 2:7, 81 to be Saviour.
was now ready to take up that glory
again. He spoke Of the work Of sal
vation as completed-for in his obe-
dient soul the death On the cross
which was just ahead was already
accomplished.
Now he. was ready for the Father
to glorify him even as he had glori-
fed the name Of the Father. That
prayer was answered, and Christ
now sits at the right hand Of the
Father in heaven. What glorious
Saviour we have!
His prayer was soon turned to
those who had believed in him. They
were precious to him, for they were
given to him by the Father.
III. Out Of the WOrld-Then Kept
by the Father (vv. GID.
There is something powerfully as
suring to the believer to read the
words of Jesus which declare that
these who had believed ON him had
been given to him by the Father.
They belonged to the Father, and
he gave them to the Son. They kept
the Word of God, and thus they
knew the Son as the manifestation
of the Fathers name. What could
be more certain for time and eter-
nifty!
Note that they we're taken "out Of
the world" does not mean that
they left this earth. They lived here
as we live here, but they were de-
livered from that evil world power
which opposes God.
Some professed Christians who
find their greatest delight in fellow
ship with the Christ-rejecting world
had better read carefully here, for
it appears that the one who is truly
in Christ is not ''of the world"
These disciples had to remain in
the world (though they were not of
IT'D and they needed to be kept.
Now that the earthly ministry OF
Jesus was to be brought to a close,
he tenderly placed them anew in the
Fathers mighty hand. Again we
say, what could be more blessedly
secure than that!
We must note that our Lord had
special interest and prayer for his
own. Verse 9 obviously does not
mean that he is not interested in all
mankind. He died for them (John
3:16. But here his prayer was for
his own, and in that prayer the
world was left out. That makes us
feel still more assured in him. He,
the blessed Son Of God and only
Saviour. prayed for me, for you!
The closing words of verse IL
reach out into the third petition of
our Lord. as he prayed for their
HI. Unity in Christ-Then Testi-
mony to the World (vv. 2O-23).
The verses between the foregoing
division and this one (vv. 12-19 are
important. Our Lord was concerned
about the hatred Of the world for
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