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Jesus is Interceding for You

TEXT: John 17:1-26

Romans 8:34 — Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Hebrews 7:25 — Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

1 John 2:1 ¶ — My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

Introduction - The Day of Atonement & the High Priests Intercession

1. Intercession

  • entreat in our favor
  • Christ's priestly office consists of two parts, (1) the offering up of himself as a sacrifice, and (2) making continual intercession for us.

2. General

  • It is the longest prayer recorded in the New Testament.
  • The words were proceeding to the garden of Gethsemane. It was offered in the stillness of the night, in the open air, and in the peculiarly tender circumstances in which Jesus and his apostles were -- Jesus was about to die.
  • This prayer is an example of the manner of Christ's intercession

3. Day of Atonement

  • Our Lord, who was now going to act as high priest for the whole human race, was foreshadowed by the Jewish high priest on the great day of Atonement; who, in order to offer up the grand atonement for the sins of the people:

THE DAY OF EXPIATION, OR ATONEMENT, was a yearly solemn day, observed with rest and fasting, five days before the feast of tabernacles. The ceremonies of this all-important day are minutely described in Le 16:1-34. On this day alone the high priest entered the Most Holy Place the various acts of the day required him to enter several times.

  1. First with the golden censer and a vessel filled with incense.
  2. Second with the blood of the bullock, which he had offered for his own sins and those of all the priests, in which he dipped his finger, and sprinkled towards the veil of the tabernacle eight times; and having mixed it with the blood of the bullock, he sprinkled again towards horns of the altar of incense seven times, and once above it towards the east; after which,
  3. Third Having again left the sanctuary and taken with him the basins of blood, he poured out the whole on the floor of the altar of burnt-offering.
  4. The fourth time he entered to bring out the censer and vessel of incense; and having returned, he washed his hands and performed the other services of the day.
  • Prayer Before Gethsemane + 3 times in Gethsemane

4. Washed, Dressed & Prayed

  1. Washed himself, and put on clean linen garments. This Christ appears to have imitated, Joh 13:4. He laid aside his garments, girded himself with a towel. [High PRiest Washed not only his hands and feet (as at other sacrifices) but his WHOLE body. He then put on a plain linen garment identical to the other priests.]

wearing neither his purple robe nor the ephod, nor the breastplate, because he was to expiate his own sins with those of the people. He first offered a bullock and a ram for his own sins, and those of the priests ; placing his hands on the heads of the victims, and confessing his own sins, and the sins of his house. Afterwards, he received from the princes of the people two goats for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering, to be offered on behalf of the whole nation.

The lot having determined which of the two goats should be sacrificed (scapegoat). He then washed himself and put on his High Priestly garments, ephod, breastplate, etc. Then sacriced 2 lambs. 1 for the the people and one for himself.

  1. The high priest addressed a solemn prayer to God:
      1. For himself this Christ imitates, Joh 17:1-5.
      1. For the sons of Aaron: our Lord imitates this in praying for his disciples, Joh 17:9-19.
      1. For all who should believe on him through the preaching of the apostles and their successors, Joh 17:20-24.

5. Prayers of Jesus

  • In several places, We read of our Lord’s private prayers which are not recorded for us to read and to reflect upon (Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35; 6:46; Luke 5:16; 6:12; 9:18).

Matthew 14:23 — And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

  • He was in prayer at His baptism, when the Holy Spirit come upon Him (Luke 3:21).
  • He was in prayer when He was transfigured before His three disciples (Luke 9:29).
  • Jesus taught His disciples to pray (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-4).
  • He prayed to bless the little children (Matthew 19:13),
  • He prayed that Peter’s faith might not fail (Luke 22:32)

Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

  • He Prayed even on the cross:

Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

I. Prayer for Himself, vs. 1-5

Joh 17:1 — These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

  • glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
  • I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
  • O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

Joh 1:1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

II. Prayer for the Apostles, vs. 6-19

  • "Manifested" / "Declared" Made Known

6 ¶ I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

  • Father, Keep Them

11 ¶ And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. 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.

  • Don't Take themm out, Keep them In!

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. 17 ¶ Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

III. Prayer for all Believers for all Time

20 ¶ Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 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. 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. 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.

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