This is the true Lord’s prayer! What we have in Matthew 6 and Luke 11, that is known as “The Lord’s Prayer”, should be called “The Apostles’ Prayer”. Jesus would never pray, “Forgive us our sins” — he never sinned! No, this prayer in John 17 is the real Lord’s Prayer. It’s the final conversation that Jesus had with His Father before He went to the cross. Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen to Him and still, the last request He has is for His followers, His true believers.
Jesus just finished preparing His disciples for His death, telling them that He was going to prepare a place for His followers that we could be where He is (John 16). Now, let’s read this heartfelt, personal prayer that is meant not just for Jesus’ followers back then, but ALL His followers until His Glorious Appearing. Think about it! In the final moments before His arrest, Jesus prays for us!
That’s right! The King of kings and Lord of lords, loved us SO much that His final words to His Father were about us….
John 17 — The Prayer of Jesus
After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. 2 For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. 3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. 4 I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.
6 “I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, 8 for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.
9 “My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. 10 All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. 11 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. (Judas Iscariot)
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.”
John 17 NLT
How to Become ONE with God
- We can only become ONE with God through Jesus and with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- The Holy Spirit cannot live in a sinful heart. That’s where atonement and repentance come in.
- We get closer to God by knowing Him better as we read the Bible daily — His Word — breathed by the Holy Spirit of TRUTH.
- All born-again believers are united as ONE with God through the Holy Spirit.
- We are NOT of this world! Our home is heaven! We are citizens of heaven on earth!
That last bit of truth is what gets us through each day in this sin-sick world. No matter what happens here on earth, God is still in control! He is our only eternal hope!
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
Invite Jesus into Your Heart and Receive the Gift of Grace, Joy, Peace, and the Confident Hope of Eternal Life…
Soli Deo Gloria! To God Alone Be the Glory!
