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Lesson 11. Christ Prays for His Disciples (2)
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MEMORY VERSE: “And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:26).
Suggested Reading: The Sanctified Life, pp. 61–69.
“As a consecrated high priest He intercedes for His people. As a faithful shepherd He gathers His flock under the shadow of the Almighty, in the strong and sure refuge. For Him there waits the last battle with Satan, and He goes forth to meet it.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 680.
1. UNITED IN CHRIST Sun, Sep 7
a. What point essential to the success of the church does Jesus mention repeatedly in His intercessory prayer?
John 17:11 (last part), 21–23: Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
“[Christ] prays that His disciples may be one, even as He and the Father are one; and this unity of believers is to be as testimony to the world that He has sent us, and that we bear the evidence of His grace.”—My Life Today, p. 252.
“If we draw nigh to God, individually, then don’t you see what the result will be? Can’t you see that we will draw nigh to one another? We cannot draw nigh to God, and come to the same cross, without our hearts being blended together in perfect unity.”—Our High Calling, p. 96.
b. How can church unity be achieved and maintained?
1 John 1:7: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
“A union of believers with Christ will as a natural result lead to a union with one another, which bond of union is the most enduring upon earth. We are one in Christ, as Christ is one with the Father. Christians are branches, and only branches, in the living Vine.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 47.
2. NOT OF THE WORLD Mon, Sep 8
a. What does Christ say concerning His disciples and the world?
John 17:13, 14: 13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Why does the world persecute them?
“The early Christians were indeed a peculiar people. Their blameless deportment and unswerving faith were a continual reproof that disturbed the sinner’s peace. Though few in numbers, without wealth, position, or honorary titles, they were a terror to evildoers wherever their character and doctrines were known. Therefore they were hated by the wicked, even as Abel was hated by the ungodly Cain. For the same reason that Cain slew Abel, did those who sought to throw off the restraint of the Holy Spirit, put to death God’s people. It was for the same reason that the Jews rejected and crucified the Saviour—because the purity and holiness of His character was a constant rebuke to their selfishness and corruption. From the days of Christ until now His faithful disciples have excited the hatred and opposition of those who love and follow the ways of sin.”—The Great Controversy, p. 46.
b. What is God’s plan for His children as far as the influences of the world are concerned?
John 17:15, 16: 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
“By His own example the Saviour has shown that His followers can be in the world and yet not of the world. He came not to partake of its delusive pleasures, to be swayed by its customs, and to follow its practices, but to do His Father’s will, to seek and save the lost. With this object before him the Christian may stand uncontaminated in any surroundings. What-ever his station or circumstances, exalted or humble, he will manifest the power of true religion in the faithful performance of duty.”—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 467.
“The world has not enough true Christians; the church has need of them; society cannot spare them. Christ’s prayer for His disciples was: ‘I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil.’ Jesus knows we are in the world, exposed to its temptations, but He loves us and will give us grace to triumph over its corrupting influences. He would have us perfect in character, that our waywardness may not occasion moral deformity in others.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 334.
3. POWER IN THE TRUTH Tue, Sep 9
a. What does the truth do for those who know and obey it?
John 8:32: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
17:17: Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
“Received into the heart, the leaven of truth will regulate the desires, purify the thoughts, and sweeten the disposition. . . .
“The word of God is to have a sanctifying effect on our association with every member of the human family. The leaven of truth will not produce the spirit of rivalry, the love of ambition, the desire to be first. True, heaven-born love is not selfish and changeable. It is not dependent on human praise. The heart of him who receives the grace of God overflows with love for God and for those for whom Christ died. Self is not struggling for recognition. He does not love others because they love and please him, because they appreciate his merits, but because they are Christ’s purchased possession. If his motives, words, or actions are misunderstood or misrepresented, he takes no offense, but pursues the even tenor of his way. He is kind and thoughtful, humble in his opinion of himself, yet full of hope, always trusting in the mercy and love of God.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 100, 101.
b. How is the truth defined?
Psalm 119:142: Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.
“The truth as it is in Jesus is obedience to every precept of Jehovah. It is heart work. Bible sanctification is not the spurious sanctification which will not search the Scriptures, but will trust to good feeling and impulses rather than to the seeking for truth as for hidden treasure. Bible sanctification will lead its possessors to know the requirements of God and to obey them.”—Lift Him Up, p. 152.
c. How can we be sanctified by the truth?
John 17:19: And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
16:13 (first part): Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:
“Christ declared He sanctified Himself, that we also might be sanctified. He took upon Himself our nature, and became a faultless pattern for men. He made no mistake, that we also might become victors, and enter into His kingdom as overcomers. He prayed that we might be sanctified through the truth. What is truth? He declared, ‘Thy word is truth.’ His disciples were to be sanctified through obedience to the truth.”—My Life Today, p. 252.
4. TENDER REGARD THAT IS FAR-REACHING Wed, Sep 10
a. How do we know that Christ included us in His mediatorial prayer?
John 17:20: Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
“All that Christ was to the disciples, He desires to be to His children today.”—Steps to Christ, p. 75.
“Christ’s redeemed ones are His jewels, His precious and peculiar treasure.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 309.
b. What assurance do we have that Christ’s watchcare, through the Holy Spirit, is over us today?
John 14:16: And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
“The words spoken to the disciples are spoken also to us. The Comforter is ours as well as theirs. The Spirit furnishes the strength that sustains striving, wrestling souls in every emergency, amidst the hatred of the world, and the realization of their own failures and mistakes. In sorrow and affliction, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we feel helpless and alone—these are the times when, in answer to the prayer of faith, the Holy Spirit brings comfort to the heart.”—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 51.
“In the hour of greatest need, when discouragement would overwhelm the soul, it is then that the watchful eye of Jesus sees that we need His help. The hour of man’s necessity is the hour of God’s opportunity. When all human support fails, then Jesus comes to our aid, and His presence scatters the darkness and lifts the cloud of gloom.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 530.
c. What desire did Jesus manifest in behalf of His people at the end of His prayer?
John 17:24: Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
“Before the foundations of the earth were laid, the Father and the Son had united in a covenant to redeem man if he should be overcome by Satan. They had clasped Their hands in a solemn pledge that Christ should become the surety for the human race. This pledge Christ has fulfilled.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 834.
5. THAT WE MAY KNOW HIS NAME Thu, Sep 11
a. How are we to reflect the Father through Christ?
John 17:25, 26: 25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
“Christ declares Himself to be sent into the world as a representative of the Father. In His nobility of character, in His mercy and tender pity, in His love and goodness, He stands before us as the embodiment of divine perfection, the image of the invisible God.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 739.
b. What focus must we always maintain in life?
Jeremiah 9:23, 24: 23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: 24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.
“All boasting of merit in ourselves is out of place.
“The command is not, Let him that glorieth glory in himself, but in God. . . . There is, then, no ground for men to take glory to themselves. For every blessing which they enjoy, for every good quality which they possess, they are indebted to the grace of Christ. None should exalt themselves as possessing wisdom or righteousness. . . .
“Those who have the deepest experience in the things of God, are the farthest removed from pride or self-exaltation. They have the humblest thought of self, and the most exalted conceptions of the glory and excellence of Christ. . . . When we have our eyes fixed upon heaven, and have clear views of the character of Christ, we shall exalt the Lord God in our hearts.
“As one becomes acquainted with the history of the Redeemer, he discovers in himself serious defects; his unlikeness to Christ is so great that he sees the necessity for radical changes in his life. Still he studies with a desire to become like his great Exemplar.”— Sons and Daughters of God, p. 235.
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS Fri, Sep 12
1. What can I do to promote unity among the brethren?
2. How can I benefit from Christ’s prayer in behalf of His disciples?
3. In what ways can I develop a deeper knowledge of the name of God?