God Prays for Our Unity

What would Jesus' prayer request be?

• In John 17, we get a chance to hear God pray. Jesus prays.

John 17 - The Prayer of Jesus

1After 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. 2For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. 3And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. 4I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5Now, 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. 7Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, 8for 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. 10All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. 11Now 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. 12During 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.

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. 14I 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. 15I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 18Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. 19And 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. 21I 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. 23I 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. 24Father, 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. 26I 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.”

• Jesus prays for himself, in order that he would glorify God
• then he prays for his disciples
  • these men are imperfect and all different from each other
• then he prays for me and you - "those who would believe"

Jesus prays multiple times for the church to be one, to be unified.
He prays that:

in verse 15 he prays to keep us safe from the "evil one"

• Satan wants to lure us away from the truth
• be aware of lies sowing disunity

2 Corinthians 11:15-15

• "Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light."

If we don't know what's true, we're at risk of being "scammed out of life" by satan's disinformation campaign

So what is truth? In verse 17, Jesus says it is God's word.

Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.

But it is not just about hearing the truth, but also following the truth.

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.

in John 16, Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will guide us in truth.

How do you know if you are following Truth? Has it ever stopped you in your tracks? Has it ever changed your decision process?

John 14:6 Jesus says "I am the way and the truth"

• What unifies us is the truth, is Jesus

While Jesus is praying for the disciples, they are having a disagreement about who is the greatest. These tendencies toward disunity pop up for everyone everywhere.

The union we have in God is greater than anything we can have in common with another person.

In Christ, we share in God's glory, even though we fall short of it.

If you're a follower of Jesus, you have more in common with an Iranian immigrant who is a Christian than 100,000 americans who are not.

• we have the same common union as Christians

• satan wants our focus to be on lesser things
• Jesus is praying this because he knows our unity is mission critical, and our mission is critical
• the gates of hell cannot stop a united church
• people who are greatly affected by the election results - happy or sad - are focused on lesser things

The church is like legos. We are each unique. God is like the great designer, assembling us into a beautiful building, united together.

Jesus prayed this for them, for us, for you.

What would it be like for us as the church to pray for our common unity? The world is divided. Polarized.

1. Protect us so we might be one
2. Make us one so we many might be won
3. Help us know your love more and more so we are known by your love more and more