Grace Fellowship Church Pastor/Teacher Jim Rickard Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Doxology Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.— Amen.

John 17 The Great High Priestly Prayer of our Lord!

Summary of John 17:6-19: Jesus Prays for His Disciples.

Three Main Aspects: 1. He prayed that they might be kept, guarded, and unified, He desired that the disciples might have His joy; +H, He requested their sanctification, 17, 19. Three Main Aspects: 1. He prayed that they might be kept, guarded, and unified, He desired that the disciples might have His joy; +H, He requested their sanctification, 17, 19.

John 17:6, “I caused Your name (God the Father’s) to be made known to the men (disciples) whom you gave to Me out from the world (Satan’s Cosmic System), they (the disciples) were Yours (God the Father’s) and You gave them to Me, Myself, and they have guarded Your teaching.”

The primary ministry of Jesus during His First Incarnation: to manifest God the Father to the world, i.e. teach them Bible Doctrine.

John 17:7, “Now (prophetic regarding Pentecost +), they have come to know, that all things whatsoever You (God the Father) have given to Me (from eternity past) are from You (the immediate source).”

The disciples will fully understand at Pentecost all that Jesus had taught them up to this point.

John 17:8, “Because I have given to them (the disciples), the words (Bible Doctrine) You gave to Me, and they received them, and they truly understand that I came from (the immediate source of) You, and they believe that You sent Me.”

Jesus taught, and the disciples learned according to the Father’s plan.

John 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

John 17:9, “I keep on praying concerning them, I do not pray concerning the world, but concerning those whom You (God the Father) have given to Me, because they keep on being Yours.”

Jesus understands the principle that all believers are God’s children. Eph 1:14; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9

1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen race, A royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

John 17:10, “And every thing that is Mine is Yours and what is yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them.”

The Father and the Son are one, and everything done is to the glory of God.

John 15:8, “My Father is glorified by this, that you all bear much fruit, and become My disciples.”

John 17:11, “I am no longer in the world (His impending departure, The Cross), but they are in the world and I come to You Holy Father. Keep them in Your name, which You have given Me, in order that they might keep on being one just as We are.”

Unity is an important aspect of being protected by God. The believer is guarded and protected by having Bible Doctrine in the soul, which also results in having unity with the Trinity experientially.

John 17:12, “While I was with them, I Myself was continually keeping them in your name. You gave them to Me (in the past with the result that they belong to me forever); and I absolutely guarded them, and not one of them was lost (to eternal condemnation), except the son of destruction, with the result that Scripture might be fulfilled.”

Jesus’ guardianship is by teaching God’s Word.

John 17:13, “But now I myself come face to face to You (God the Father) and I kept on speaking (teaching) these things (Bible Doctrine) while in the world in order that they (the disciples) might keep on having and holding My joy made full in themselves (+H).”

The provision for our protection; the Word of God. The result of this protection; Sharing the Happiness of God (+H).

John 17:14, “I have given (taught) to them Your (God the Father’s) Word (i.e., Bible Doctrine); and the world (Satan’s Cosmic System) hated them (the disciples) because they are not of the world just as I am not of the world.”

As a result of having God’s Word resident within your soul you will have hatred from Satan’s Cosmic System.

1 Peter 4:4, “In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you.”

John 17:15, “I do not ask (petition in prayer) that You (God the Father) take them (the disciples) out from the world (Satan’s Cosmic System), to the contrary that You guard them from the evil one (Satan).”

Jesus prays for the disciples’ protection as they stand behind enemy lines as ambassadors for Christ.

John 17:16, “They (the disciples) are not of the world (Satan’s Cosmic System) just as I (Jesus) am not of the world.”

We have POLITEUMA privileges as citizens of heaven.

7 ways we are not of the world: 1. The believer has a different position, 1 Cor 15: There is a different birth, John 3:5-7; Titus 3:5. 3. There is a difference of service, John 8:44.

4. There is a difference of purpose, 1 Cor 6:19-20; Rom 15:6. 5. There is a difference of power, Gal 5: There is a different way of life, Eph 4:22-24; 2:13.

The world’s way of life is either religion and legalism or anarchy and lasciviousness. In contrast the Christian way of life is a supernatural grace- oriented system.

7. There is a difference of destiny, John 3:18, 36.

John 17:17, “Sanctify them (the disciples) in the sphere of Truth; Your (God the Father’s) Word is Truth (Bible Doctrine).”

Three Sanctifications: Positional, Experiential, Ultimate.

John 17:18, “As You (God the Father) sent Me (God the Son) into the world, I (Jesus) also sent them (the disciples) into the world.”

The commissioning of disciples to witness to a lost and dying world.

John 17:19, “And for their benefit (sake) I sanctify (set apart) Myself in order that they also may keep on being sanctified by means of THE truth (Bible Doctrine).”

Principles: 1. Christ separated and devoted Himself to the work of redemption; it is through His action that disciples are sanctified too.

2. Jesus “sanctified” Himself by building His very own Edification Complex of the Soul (ECS) in His humanity during His incarnation.

3. He did it ahead of His disciples and us to show that it can be done in humanity.

4. By building His own ECS from His humanity, He glorified the Plan of God the Father that will continue all the way to Cross.

5. As a result the believers of the Church Age also have the opportunity to build their very own ECS.

6. You build your ECS by: a) Your volition. Are you positive toward Bible doctrine or negative? (Apathy is also a negative!)

b) You will have the self- discipline to concentrate, and to exclude other things that are important to you.

c) You will get to a place where you can get Bible doctrine consistently (i.e. your right Pastor-Teacher).

d) You will continue to take it in, GAP, under conditions of adversity or prosperity.

e) You will rebound and have the filling of the Spirit consistently, in order to make GAP function.

f) When you do these things, over a period of time you will build an ECS and have Experiential Sanctification, just as Jesus had during His incarnation.

7. Building the ECS is a series of literally thousands of decisions. One decision will not cut it! You have to stay with it.

Grace Fellowship Church Tuesday, April 10, 2012 Tape # Summary of the Second Part of the Great High Priestly Prayer Jesus Prays for His Disciples Great High Priestly Prayer, Part 88 John 17:6-19; 14:26; 15:8; 1 Peter 2:9 James H. Rickard Bible Ministries 2012