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Well, you can turn with me in 
your Bibles to John 17. For all those who were in the 
confession study, I forgot I had chosen that hymn for worship 
this morning, so we sang it this morning in the confession study, 
twice now. but it's fitting in both contexts. 
This morning in our confession study, we argued for the use 
of the Second London Confession in the life of our church, and 
here specifically with our Lord Jesus. He prays for the preservation 
and protection of his disciples, and thus we are called upon to 
fight the good fight. Well, I wanna read the section 
in John 17 from verses 11 to 19, or I'm sorry, six to 19. So beginning in John 17 at verse 
6, I have manifested your name to the men whom you have given 
me out of the world. They were yours, you gave them 
to me, and they have kept your word. Now they have known that 
all things which you have given me are from you. For I have given 
to them the words which you have given me, and they have received 
them, and have known surely that I came forth from you, and they 
have believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I do not pray 
for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they 
are yours, and all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am 
glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, 
but these are in the world, and I come to you. Holy Father, keep 
through your name those whom you have given me, or that they 
may be one as we are. While I was with them in the 
world, I kept them in your name. Those whom you gave me I have 
kept, and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, 
that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to you, and these 
things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled 
in themselves. I have given them your word, 
and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, 
just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that you should 
take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from 
the evil one. They are not of the world, just 
as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by your truth. 
Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, 
I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes, I 
sanctify myself that they also may be sanctified by the truth. 
Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in Heaven, thank you for the Lord's Day. Thank you for this 
privilege to gather together in your house and to praise your 
great and awesome name. We ask that you would be glorified 
in this glad hour, that you would fill our hearts with joy, that 
you would cause us to reflect upon our great salvation by grace 
alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And may this indeed 
provoke from us that worship and praise and adoration due 
to such a gracious and a glorious God. Forgive us now for all sin 
and unrighteousness. Cleanse us in the precious blood 
of the Lamb for any and all here dead in their trespasses and 
sins. We pray that you would awaken them, that your Holy Spirit 
would convict them, and that the Holy Spirit would show that 
in Jesus Christ there is forgiveness and there is a righteousness 
to be had. And we ask this in the name and for the glory of 
our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. Well, we come to John 17, 
which is called the High Priestly Prayer. This comes after the 
Upper Room Discourse or the Farewell Discourse in chapters 13 to 16. 
So not a lot of time transpires between the Upper Room and this 
prayer and then Jesus being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. 
It's taking us time to move through the High Priestly Prayer because 
there's so much good stuff here. but realized the hour had come 
upon the Lord, that hour that had been mentioned by John initially 
in John two, and then throughout the gospel record. And the hour 
was simply his death, his resurrection and his ascension back on high. 
So this time frame, Jesus is praying just prior to Gethsemane. And specifically, we see him 
pray for himself in verses one to five, for the apostles in 
verses six to 19, and then for all believers in verses 20 to 
26. And perhaps you have a friend, hopefully you have a friend, 
perhaps you have a brother, hopefully you have a brother or sister 
that prays for you. It's very encouraging to hear 
when somebody says, I've been praying for you. And I don't 
think they're doing that or hopefully they're not doing that to sort 
of advertise their piety or their holiness or how concerned they 
are for you, but it's common in Christian circles to say that, 
I've been praying for you. And if they were to say, I've 
been praying specifically that you would have grace for this 
difficult situation that you're in, hopefully that would encourage 
your heart. Hopefully it's a good thing for 
you to know that somewhere, somebody is praying for you specifically 
with reference to your needs. Well, that's what we have in 
this particular prayer of the Savior. We see how he intercedes 
for the disciples. We suspect the disciples are 
within earshot. They hear this prayer and this 
would have been a great encouragement to them to know that Christ is 
praying for their protection, for their preservation, for their 
sanctification, that Christ loves them and intercedes on their 
behalf. And as we come to the specific petitions, we've seen 
the reasons for the petitions. That's in verses 6 to 11a. The 
objects of his intercession, they are the elect given to him, 
they are taught by him, and they are obedient to him. The focus 
of his intercession, he prays for them. He doesn't pray for 
the world. And then as well, the reason for his intercession 
is that he's going to depart. He's going to be physically absent 
from them. He's going to be enthroned at 
the right hand of the Father. He will ever live to make intercession 
for them, but at this point, as he's departing from this world 
to go back to the Father, he sees this time an opportunity 
to pray for them. And as we look then at this petition, 
in verses 11 to 16, we see the preservation of the disciples 
as an uppermost concern for our Lord. So we'll look at that, 
the preservation of the disciples in 11b to 14, and then secondly, 
the protection of the disciples in verses 15 and 16. And it'll 
give the reasons why He prays the way that He does. And I think 
those reasons why He prays the way that He does are very instructive 
and encouraging for us as well. But note in the first place, 
in terms of the petition, the first petition is found in 11b, 
the second is found in 17. We won't get to 17 today, but 
11b, note specifically. He's given the reasons why he's 
praying for his apostles. And then he says in 11b, Holy 
Father, keep through your name those whom you have given me 
that they may be one as we are. So note that he addresses his 
prayer to the Holy Father. And I think that title, Holy 
Father, suggests a couple of things. The glorious transcendence 
of God as the one alone who is to be prayed to. But as well, 
the familial nearness. He's not only holy, gloriously 
transcendent, but he's Father. Therefore, he's intimately connected 
and intimately involved in the lives of the disciples. As well, 
he is the giver of every good and perfect gift, according to 
James 1.17. So it makes sense that the Lord Jesus prays to 
the Holy Father. And then when he says specifically 
in terms of petition, keep, that's the emphasis, keep through your 
name those whom you have given me that they may be one as we 
are. That word keep means exactly what it means. It means to cause 
a state, condition, or activity to continue. Keep specifically 
unharmed or undisturbed. And there's Old Testament background 
in terms of this kind of petition. In Psalm 54, verse 1, the psalmist 
cries, Save me, O God, by Your name, and vindicate me by Your 
strength. So Christ is praying according 
to what He has in His mind and heart in terms of the Psalter. 
As well, Solomon in the Proverbs says, The name of the Lord is 
a strong tower. The righteous run to it and are 
safe. So Jesus says to the Father, 
Holy Father, keep through your name those whom you have given 
me. Now if you're using a Bible that is not in the King James 
tradition, there's a bit of what we call a variant reading here. Doesn't mean there's errors or 
mistakes in the Bible, just means in the transmission of Scripture, 
once in a while, differences arose. Now, as we look at what 
we have here in the New King James Version, I'm going to go 
with this particularly because of the emphasis on the fact that 
the Father has given a people, specifically the apostles, to 
Him. The other reading, it's in the 
margin of the New King James, if you've got the ESV, it says, And I think that at least theologically 
that makes sense of the rest of the gospel. So it's not that 
it's wrong. The theology is there and simply 
what it means is the Father's name is given to the Son and 
that fits the Christology of the book of John. The Father 
doesn't give the name Father to the Son. but rather God. In 
eternal generation, He communicates the divine essence to the Son, 
and therefore the Son is operating in the name of the Father. So 
the theology is sound and good, but in terms of the particular 
reading in the context, I think we ought to favor the fact that 
God the Father has given these to the Son, and the Son is now 
praying on their behalf. So, notice then, in terms of 
the name, verse 11b, he says, Father, Holy Father, keep through 
your name. Now, the name there doesn't just 
mean Father, it doesn't just mean Yahweh, it doesn't just 
mean God. His perfections, His beings, 
His glory, His majesty, all of that is representative of His 
name. And I think specifically here 
what the Lord Jesus is alluding to is the strength of God, the 
power of God, the faithfulness of God, the plan of God. Keep 
them through your name. In other words, don't leave them 
alone. Be their present portion and 
lot all their days because they'll need that. And they'll need that 
for the reasons that he's going to give in just a moment. But 
the particular objects of the prayer are the elect and those 
he's already mentioned very specifically. Chapter 6, verse 37, all that 
the Father gives me will come to me. And the one who comes 
to me, I will certainly not cast out. But in this high priestly 
prayer, he mentions them in 17 too. As you have given him authority 
over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many 
as you have given him. And then in 17.6, I have manifested 
your name to the men whom you have given me out of the world. 
And then in 17.9, I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, 
but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. So Christ 
prays specifically for these ones. the elect in general, but 
the apostles that are sitting before him are present around 
him, so that when he ascends on high, when he departs to the 
Father, he's physically absent from them, they will nevertheless 
be kept by God according to his power, according to his strength, 
according to his faithfulness, according to his very being, 
that the Most High would keep his people such that they would 
not stumble and fall, such that they would not be caught off 
guard, such that they would not be distracted from the mission 
that was at hand. Christ is preparing his apostles 
to take the gospel into the then known world and to turn that 
world upside down. And thankfully the Father hears 
that petition, the Father blesses that particular petition, and 
the book of Acts demonstrates the reality that God made good 
on that promise. So that when the apostles go 
to the various towns in the Roman Empire, when they go to the various 
synagogues and they're castigated, when they're cast out, when they're 
delivered up to the civil magistrate, they don't falter. They don't 
pander. They don't change the message. 
They don't say, well, I'm going to back it down now. No, God 
kept them by his power such that the advancement of the kingdom 
occurred. right under the powerful influence of unbelieving Israel 
and the Roman Empire. It wasn't the best conditions 
for a new religion to flourish and thrive, whichever is there 
been the best conditions for a new religion to flourish and 
thrive, like this one, but God blessed them, God kept them, 
God the Holy Father answered that prayer, and this good and 
perfect gift came down from Him. And the specific direction that 
he prays in, in terms of verse 11, is that they may be one as 
we are. I don't think he means to incorporate 
the apostles into the divine essence, which is God. That's 
not what he's saying. He wants the apostles to manifest 
unity in their mission to serve the master. Gil takes it this 
way, in nature, will, affection, and understanding, which must 
be understood not of equality, but of likeness, and designs 
not their union to Christ, but to one another. In fact, he's 
going to pray at the end of the prayer, with reference to all 
believers, this same emphasis on unity. What does Jesus envisage? Jesus envisages that for the 
church to march forward throughout the ages in whatever situation, 
being in enemy territory, the way that she's going to do that 
is by being unified. By having one heart, one mind, 
striving for the faith of the gospel. By not being so many 
separated and divided people, but rather that unity of the 
faith, wherein they rally around the great commander and head-in-chief, 
and they follow him wherever he bids them to go. They don't 
get bogged down in all of the details that are surrounding 
them in life. They don't get bogged down in 
all their little divisions or idiosyncrasies. They rather rally 
around the truth of God's holy word and the glorious gospel 
of the kingdom, and they go forth in the fear of the Lord and in 
the comfort of the Holy Spirit. So Gil, as I said, mentions this, 
but to one another, abiding together, cleaving to each other, standing 
fast in one spirit, having the same designs, and the interest 
of a Redeemer in view and at heart. And you'll see why this 
is going to be important, because the world out there, he says, 
hates you. despises you, loathes you, detests 
you. So if you don't have one another, 
if you don't have that unity of the saints, if you don't have 
what's celebrated in Psalm 133.1, if you don't have what the apostles 
admonished us unto various times in the epistles, if you don't 
have that unity and that camaraderie and that brotherhood and that 
churchmanship, you're going to be prone to be knocked down by 
a godless world. The Lord Christ, as he prays, 
prays as one who understands the nature of the enemy, who 
understands the nature of the non-enemy, his people, and what 
it is they need in terms of trial and affliction and hardship. 
So the petition is simple. Keep them by your power. Keep 
them by your name. Keep them by your strength. Keep 
them according to your plan. And then he gives three arguments, 
three reasons why he prays thus for his apostles. The first is 
the preservation by Christ in verse 12. Second, the departure 
of Christ in verses 13 and 14a. And then thirdly, the hatred 
of the world in verse 14. So these are the reasons why. 
Father, I pray that you will keep them. Why? Because I've 
always kept them. This is why I call this head 
the preservation of the disciples. In other words, he's saying to 
the Father, maintain continuity between my preservation of them 
and the preservation that I need them to have when I depart to 
go be with you, Father. So the preservation by Christ 
during his earthly ministry. You see that all throughout his 
earthly ministry, right? Whenever the disciples were in 
trouble or trial or difficulty, Jesus was there. Even in the 
midst of the boat, when the waves come and the winds are blowing. This is a great illustration 
that Christ in the boat does not mean the absence of storms. See, I think we think that. Well, 
Jesus is my Savior. I'll never go through a storm 
again. Jesus is my Savior. I'll never be challenged with 
any physical trial again. Jesus is my Savior. I'll only 
ever have sunny days and 30 degrees. It'll always be short and t-shirt 
weather because Jesus is my Savior. Jesus is in the midst of the 
boat, in the storm. In the storm, in the boat in 
the midst of the storm. It's not that Jesus' presence 
with us means the absence of any trial. It just means that 
Jesus is present with us in the midst of trial, and therefore 
we have the ability and the power to navigate through that trial. 
And so the Lord kept his people during his earthly ministry. And notice, during his earthly 
ministry, more often than not, it wasn't the disciples that 
were the target of the world's hatred and opposition. It was 
him. Same here. He's about to be arrested 
in Gethsemane. Let's never underestimate the 
true humanity of the Redeemer. The true humanity of the Redeemer. 
You see it in Gethsemane. Father, if it is possible, let 
this cup pass from me, even so, Father, not my will but thine 
be done. That's the expression of true 
humanity. Any man facing the wrath and 
fury and judgment of God is going to pray thus. Any man that is 
facing the sorts of things that are gonna come upon Jesus when 
he gets to Gethsemane is gonna be tempted to be consumed with 
that. Maybe you got a tough meeting 
at work on Thursday. How's Monday through Wednesday 
looking? You're consumed, right? And it's 
not about the welfare of everybody else that's in that meeting. 
It's about me. So in Jesus' earthly ministry, 
in Jesus' high priestly prayer, when the entirety of the known 
world around Him opposes Him, hates Him, and is going to cry 
out, away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him, who's He concerned 
about? Father, keep them. He's concerned 
for the disciples. He's concerned about their health, 
about their safety, about their functionality to carry out the 
will of the Father in perpetuating, or propagating rather, the Christian 
gospel. Notice the Lord speaks of that 
preservation during His earthly ministry, but He does note the 
exception. Look at verse 12. Verse 12, while 
I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name. Those 
whom you gave me I have kept, and none of them is lost except 
the son, a perdition that the scripture might be fulfilled. 
This isn't the first time that we've seen a reference to Judas 
Iscariot in John's Gospel. John 6, verses 70 and 71. John 
13, 2. John 13, 10-11. John 13, 18-30, when the betrayer betrays him. And 
then again in John 18, 2-5, when Judas shows the Roman guards 
where Jesus is praying. So Judas is that son of perdition. And as we saw in John 13, 18, 
it's a quote from Psalm 41, 9. Even my own familiar friend in 
whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. 
Don't miss that Genesis 3.15 connection in terms of heals 
and againstness of the seed born of a woman. The fulfillment is 
not, it is written, so Judas must betray me, but rather it 
is written by way of predictive prophecy and thus he is going 
to go this particular way. Luke 22.22, and truly the Son 
of Man goes as it is written, but woe to that man by whom he 
is betrayed. Acts 1.16, men and brethren, 
this scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before 
by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to 
those who arrested Jesus. And that scripture is then quoted 
in Acts 1.20, and it is a reference to Psalm 109.8, an imprecatory 
psalm about God smashing the enemies of Yahweh. So the Lord 
Jesus notes the exception so that nobody could ever come back 
and say, well, you lost Judas. He was an apostle among the apostles 
and you lost him. This was according to the scripture. 
So in terms of the prayer of our Lord Jesus, the reason or 
argument for his prayer that the Father keep them is because 
of his own preservation of them in his earthly ministry. But 
then secondly, the departure of Christ in verses 13 and 14a. But now I come to you. That's 
the departure. He's already spoken to it in 
1628. 1628, I came forth from the Father 
and have come into the world again. I leave the world and 
go to the Father. He refers to that elsewhere. 
In many places, he's going to go to the Father. So you get 
the connection, right? Physically absent. Physically 
absent. Nevertheless, present. Now, this 
seems so fundamental to us because we live on this side of that 
redemptive event and Christ has never been physically present 
with us. We didn't bump into Jesus at 
Walmart. We don't break bread upstairs 
with Jesus. We just don't. So for us, it's 
a bit perplexing. Well, of course they should just, 
three years. They had been in close physical 
proximity to him. Three years. they had broken 
bread with him. Three years they had gone to 
Walmart with him, three years. And now he's gonna be stripped 
away from them in a most bloody and gory way. They're gonna hear 
the cries, away with him, away with him, crucify him. They're 
gonna hear that wretched mob want Barabbas instead of Jesus. They're gonna hear all that wickedness 
expressed against Yahweh and against his Christ. They're gonna 
see all that. Brethren, I'm not a therapist 
by any stretch of the imagination, but that's gotta impact a person, 
right? You're with somebody for three years that has never done 
anything wrong. That's not a sort of a general 
sentence. Specifically, never did anything 
wrong. That's what Peter tells us in 
1 Peter 2. He cites the prophet Isaiah, 
applying it to Jesus, that he never committed sin. Brethren, 
if you're with me for three minutes, you'll know that that's not true 
of me. Three days, it gets even worse. Three weeks, man, forget 
it. Three years, you're ready to cast me off. They were intimately 
connected to this man. And this man did nothing wrong. 
They knew he didn't do anything wrong. Pilot knew he didn't do 
anything wrong. Pilot's wife says, have nothing 
to do with him. This ain't gonna end well, honey. and he's violently stripped from 
them, he's violently thrown upon a cross, he's violently cut off. Now of course he does rise from 
the grave, of course he does ascend on high, of course he 
does leave captivity captive, and he does give gifts to many. 
All that stuff they did see, but from this vantage point, 
he's going to depart. What's going to happen to us? 
He's gonna be gone, and if the world that hated him is gonna 
hate us, this could be problematic for us. You know, he ran point. He shielded us, he protected 
us. He was our, you know, the fellow 
that was always out front, dealing with the wretchedness of these 
scribes and Pharisees and Sadducees. He handled their tough questions. 
He took their abuse. What's gonna happen when he leaves? 
So you see, for them to be in proximity to this would have 
been great encouragement. Holy Father, keep them. Why? Because I'm gonna leave 
them. And I want them to know there's 
this continuity in terms of preservation that they don't have to fear. 
So notice then, in verse 13, But now I come to you that these 
things I speak in the world, I would take that as the entirety 
of his earthly ministry with a specific emphasis on the upper 
room, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. Interesting. Very interesting. Father, keep 
them by your name. He's gonna explain because the 
world hates them. Notice that he doesn't just say, 
keep them so that they knuckle under, so that they persevere, 
and so they don't get sidetracked. Oh, do that, Father. But while 
doing that, I want my joy in them fulfilled. In other words, 
it's not just suffering for suffering's sake. He's already promised them, 
1518 to 1604, you're going to be hated. You're going to be 
opposed. In fact, that principle comes 
out a couple of times in this brief section. If they hate the 
master, they're going to hate the servant. It's the master-servant 
paradigm. You follow Jesus, and you're 
faithful to Jesus, and this world's going to hate you. It's just 
the way it is. The haters of God and His Christ 
hate the followers of God and His Christ. That's probably one 
of the most fundamental basic principles of Christianity 101. 
So the idea that, I can't believe the world hates me. Why can't 
you believe that? Because Jesus says it many, many, 
many, many, many, many times. It's played out in the book of 
the Acts of the Apostles. Do you think that Stephen was 
despised and loathed and hated because he was a good speaker? 
Stephen was hated and loathed and despised because he had bad 
breath. Now they despise him because 
he sided with Jesus. What about Paul? Why is he delivered 
up into the hands of the civil government? He had been a golden 
boy as an adherent to Judaism. He had been a golden boy. He 
had quite the resume. All of a sudden now, things just 
changed. He's becoming this great. It's 
because he preached Jesus' gospel. Do you think that the history 
of martyrdom, the 20 centuries, the 20th, by the way, being one 
of the most bloodiest and cruelest of all, do you think that the 
history of martyrdom is unique in the Christian experience? 
Do you think that your government officials now that are cracking 
down, that are opposing, that are persecuting, boy, this is 
a new development in terms of the history of the world. It 
is what it is. When you love the master, the 
world will hate you. So when that happens, you're 
to persevere. Being kept by God's power, being 
kept by God's strength, being kept by God's faithfulness, being 
kept according to God's plan, you persevere. But you don't 
do it miserably. You don't do it with the long 
face of distress. You do it with the joy of the 
Lord God most high. Look at what Jesus prays here, 
it's amazing. Verse 13, but now I come to you 
and these things I speak in the world that they may have my joy 
fulfilled in themselves. The desire of the Savior in a 
context where he's praying keep them because the world hates 
them and I'm departing from them. Nevertheless, I don't want their 
joy mitigated. He's spoken of their joy in the 
upper room. He has spoken of their joy in 
chapter, I'm sorry, in chapters 15 at verse 11 and then at chapter 
16 and verse 24. And then you see this principle 
all through scripture in the New Testament. and the Old Testament, 
but the people of God suffer, but they suffer well. I'm not 
saying that there's never a day to have a downcast face. David 
in Psalm 42 and 43 had days with a downcast face. I'm not suggesting 
that you have to walk around with a big fake smile painted 
on your face 24-7. If that's the thing that I lost, 
because that ain't me. But I am suggesting, brethren, 
that the overarching theme in the heart of God's people, even 
in trial and affliction, is the joy of the Lord is my strength. I pray for them, keep them. I 
pray for them because I'm departing. I pray for them because the world 
hates them. But I pray for them such that they won't lose sight 
of the joy of the Lord as their strength. Again, you turn to 
the pages of the New Testament, Matthew 5, the Beatitudes, blessed 
are you when men persecute you. Blessed are you when men persecute 
you. Acts 5.41, they are beaten with 
many stripes and what do they do? They go out rejoicing, why? Because they had been counted 
worthy to suffer shame for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
You see that theme, you see that emphasis, you see that joy. We 
looked at it a few Wednesday nights ago. My brethren, count 
it all joy, James 1-2, when you fall into various trials. That's not my default. When I 
fall into various trials, it's whining, grumbling, complaining, 
and a quick prayer for deliverance. But that's not Jesus' mindset. 
That's not the disciples' mindset. Count it all joy when you fall 
into various trials? Yeah, because of the theology 
of James. Knowing that the testing of your 
faith produces patience. And that patience then leads 
to the perseverance and the endurance that one needs to run the race 
that is set before them. In other words, God uses the 
afflictions and the trials and the hardships to further conform 
us onto the image of his beloved son, such that our perseverance 
to the very end is a blessing and with joy. And then notice, 
he speaks of the preservation, verse 12, the departure, verses 
13 and 14a, and then the hatred of the world in verses 14, and 
the rest of verse 14. I have given them your word and 
the world has hated them because they are not of the world just 
as I am not of the world. So this wonderful provision of 
Christ helps in the continuity in terms of preservation. How, 
you know, yeah, God keep them just as Jesus has kept them, 
but he doesn't do it, you know, by shielding, putting a bubble 
around you, a protective bubble. Oh, you can't touch him, he's 
got a protective bubble. He's got a, you know, a bulletproof 
Hummer, and he's just gonna drive to heaven in that. No, it's the 
means of the word. I have given them your word, 
and I take that three ways. First, the incarnate word himself. I have given them me. God so 
loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. They have 
received salvation by grace through faith in Jesus. I have given 
them the written word, the proper interpretation of Old Testament 
scripture, and I have given them the word that they're going to 
pen under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Remember those 
promises of the gift of the Spirit in the Upper Room Discourse in 
terms of the Spirit teaching them and reminding them and bringing 
to remembrance all things. It's for the apostles who are 
going to take pen to paper and write down what Jesus did and 
said in His earthly ministry. It's going to be the pen of the 
Apostle Paul, one by inspiration of the Spirit. He's going to 
write Galatians. He's going to write Ephesians. He's going to 
write Philippians and Colossians. It's going to be John receiving 
that, and on the island of Patmos, who's out there exiled for the 
Word of God and the testimony of the Lord. He's going to write 
the Scriptures. I've given them your Word. This is the means 
by which God keeps us. It's the means by which God sanctifies 
us too. John 17, 17, when we get to that 
next petition, sanctify them, not just by clicking your cosmic 
fingers and making them holy, sanctify them by thy truth. Thy 
word is truth. The same emphasis is here. Verse 
14, I have given them your word and the world has hated them 
because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. This is a repeated emphasis in 
the teaching of our Lord, repeated emphasis, not just one time, 
not just some obscure text that there's a possibility doesn't 
really mean what he means. Oh, he means what he means. And 
all you have to do is look at him. to see that he means what 
he means, because he's been treated with contempt. He's been treated 
with scorn. He's been treated with hatred. 
He's going to be treated with murder. All that is true. So it's an observed phenomenon 
for them. But in terms of the encouragement 
of this prayer for them, it has to be good to be near earshot 
of the Savior as he prays these things for his people. And then 
that brings us quickly and finally, there are a couple of things 
we need to appreciate in the protection of the disciples in 
verses 15 and 16. Verse 16 pretty much repeats 
what he's already said. They're not of the world just 
as I am not of the world. The master-servant paradigm, 
if you serve the master, you love the master, then the world 
that hated the master is going to hate you. Again, just that 
simple. But notice the prayer specifically 
for their protection in the midst of a world that hates them. Verse 
15, I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but 
that you should keep them from the evil one. So first, negatively, 
I do not pray that you should take them out of the world. I 
think there's a contrast here with how we pray. If you don't, 
I don't want to impugn your good name with any evil, but I think 
and suspect, having surveyed my own heart and my own situation, 
and talking to a few others along the way, that when hard things 
happen, we pray that the hard things would stop, right? And to a degree, that's gotta 
be instinctive, right? If I am being burned in flames, 
I don't think it's untoward to say, somebody throw water on 
these flames? God, spare me from these flames? It's not bad, but there is a 
different methodology here in the way that the Savior prays 
and in the way that we pray. The disciple, more often than 
not, prays for deliverance from trial and hardship. but not Jesus. I do not pray that you should 
take them out of the world. Again, you're at earshot. You 
hear his constant emphasis on the world's hatred of them. You 
heard it in the upper room, 1518 to 1604, in probably a lot more 
detail than you even wanted to hear. You're going to get cast 
out of the synagogues. You're going to be killed by people 
who think they're doing service to God. So you're on board. You get it. This world doesn't 
like you. Wouldn't the reflex be, Lord, can you take us with 
you? If you're the partner of the 
Father, can we hitch on too? If that kind of opposition is 
coming our way, if that kind of aggression, if what they're 
going to do to you is going to likewise be done to us, wouldn't 
you possibly think to pray that, I don't want to do that. I don't 
want to go through that. I don't want that heartache. 
Again, it's contra. to the disciple the way that 
the master prays. I don't pray that you take them 
out of the world. You're following the prayer thus 
far. Wait a minute, that would be the prayer, right? Take me 
out of the world. World hates me, world's gonna 
hurt me, world's gonna kill me, world's gonna spit on me, world's 
gonna oppose me. Makes sense. Get me out of the 
world. My brethren, count it all joy 
when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your 
faith produces patience. See, as Christians, we're never 
promised no trial. We're promised grace, help, strength, 
wisdom, James 1, in the midst of trial and in the midst of 
affliction. So if we ask the question, why 
does Jesus pray negatively? I do not pray that you should 
take them out of the world. Well, it reflects his priority. What's his priority? that the 
world hears the gospel and that those in the world believe the 
gospel for their salvation. In other words, he's got a plan 
and a purpose and a mission for that. If they're just raptured 
out of the world, well then, who's going to evangelize the 
then known world? How will we get that report in 
Acts that is contrary to the apostles that these men have 
turned the world upside down? See, if Jesus gets them out of 
the world, there's no book of Acts. There's no church in Ephesus. There's no church in Philippi. 
I don't pray that you take them out of the world because they 
have a purpose to serve in the world. You mean that there are 
grander purposes in view that give some degree of meaning to 
my trial and suffering? Yeah, that's what I mean. That's 
exactly what I mean. that at times you may be called 
upon, in trial, in suffering, in hardship, to advance the cause 
of your blessed King, and like the men in Acts 5.41, we ought 
to rejoice, because we were counted worthy to suffer shame for His 
name. So I don't pray that you take 
them out of the world. They've got gospel to preach. They've got disciples to make. 
They've got churches to plant. They've got mission to embrace. But positively, in the midst 
of a world that despises them, the end of verse 15, but that 
you should keep them from the evil one. Now there's some question 
in terms of translation. Is it keep them from evil generally 
or the evil one specifically? I think the context directs us 
to a specific application. Jesus has been speaking about 
the ruler of this world. The same sort of a question applies 
to the sixth petition in the Lord's Prayer. Is it evil in 
general or is it the evil one? Well, I think on balance it's 
the evil one. Jesus is perceptive. Jesus knows 
that the enemy behind the world is the devil that opposes Him. 
That's why he says in John 8, 44, to the religious leaders, 
you are of your father, the devil, the desires of your father you 
want to do. That's why Paul says in Ephesians chapter six that 
we're, it's not flesh and blood that oppose us. Now, the prince 
and paladins work through flesh and blood, just like the devil 
worked through those men in John 8, 44, but the power lay behind 
them. Where's the power of the beast 
in Revelation chapter 13? It's the dragon, it's the devil. And so Jesus acknowledges that 
here, and Jesus says to the Father, keep us, or keep them rather, 
from the evil one. The danger of the devil is seen 
in 1 Peter 5.8, be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary 
the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. 
You've got the parable of the sower in Luke's account, in Luke 
chapter 8, and the birds of the air, that's the devil. The birds 
of the air may come eat up your seed, but it's not out of vindictiveness, 
viciousness, and a desire to murder you. No bird ever ate 
your seed saying, man, I hope the people die from starvation. It's a parallel, it's an analogy. 
The fact is, is that the birds do gobble up seed. They don't have the malicious 
intent. But the parallel, or the analogy rather, is the devil. 
He does pick up the seeds of the gospel when it's preached, 
lest you hear, unless you believe, unless you be saved. There is 
malicious intent. He is a hater of God. He roams 
about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. I have a 
long believed that the devil is more active in a church that 
is preaching the gospel than anywhere else on a Sunday. Right? He doesn't want sinners to hear 
the truth of the gospel, to believe that gospel, and be saved by 
the Christ of that gospel. Sure, go do any other thing. 
You're not going to be bothered when you're doing any other thing. 
How many times have you sat under sermons? Maybe happening right 
now. Man, it's brutal trying to pay attention. It's brutal 
trying to keep my thoughts. It's brutal keeping my eyes open. 
You could be anywhere else and have no challenge whatsoever 
with those things, but the moment you come to church, it's like 
we walk through a tube and we're just in this miasma of, I'm just 
gonna go to sleep. This is Paul. Romans 7. When does he see the principle 
at work in his heart in terms of remaining corruption? when 
I seek to do good. Paul picks up the local newspaper 
and he's reading the sports page. Paul shucking and jiving at the 
place of business, making tents, selling his wares, making money 
on his trade. Paul going to read scripture? 
Paul going to write scripture? Paul going to prayer? It's when 
I do that that I find this principle at work. Brethren, don't ever 
underestimate that reality. If you're challenged in the midst 
of spiritual activity, don't conclude you mustn't be saved. 
And they'll conclude that the devil doesn't want me engaged 
in spiritual activity, plus my own remaining corruption isn't 
a big fan of it either. So the Lord Jesus prays, don't 
take them out of the world, but rather keep them from the evil 
one. As I said, he repeats basically 
verse 16, the disciples have a discontinuity with the world 
now because they have a continuity with Jesus. This is the language 
of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 6. I have been crucified to the 
world and the world to me. The radical change that has come 
by God's grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. At 
one time, the world was fine with Paul, and now the world 
hated Paul. At one time, the world was fine 
with you, but now the world hates you. But brethren, may I encourage 
you that if the world that hates God and hates his Christ has 
a problem with you, it's okay. It's okay. It's when everybody 
in the world sees you as one of their own, then the danger 
bells should ring. Well, in conclusion, I would 
suggest that the nature of his intercession is very clear. He is conscious of their needs, 
not boats and cars and houses and wealth, but preservation 
and protection. He is specific in his petitions. I don't want you to take him 
out of the world. Not even a little bit. I want them in the world, 
kept by the Father, such that they can engage in the mission. 
The Lord is desirous for their joy. I want that joy fulfilled 
in them. Brethren, this is an area that 
we really all need to work on. Again, maybe I'm impugning evil, 
maybe you're a happy sufferer, but the tendency seems to be 
negative, grumpy, whiny sufferers in the kingdom of God. Me owning 
my part. The Lord is realistic concerning 
their danger. He's not whitewashing. He's not 
a gaslighter, right? You know what gaslighting is. 
You've lived through five years of it now. You should have got 
it by now. The Lord doesn't do that. The 
world hates you. I don't know how else to describe 
it, but the world hates you. Just the way it is, but in the 
midst of that hatred, I want you to be happy. I want you to 
be faithful. I want you to be kept, preserved, 
protected. The Lord is focused on their 
mission. Notice in 1720, I do not pray 
for these alone, the apostles, but also for those who will believe 
in me through their word. That's why he doesn't want these 
men taken out of the world. He wants those who will believe 
in his word to hear those men. And the Lord is very perceptive 
concerning their enemies. It is the evil one and the world 
animated by him. We don't wrestle against flesh 
and blood, but against principalities and powers and darkness and wretchedness 
and wickedness and opposition to Yahweh and His Christ. I would 
suggest, secondly, this provides comfort for His people. Good 
to know what we're facing, right? I prefer the honest approach 
by our Lord that, yeah, the world's going to hate you. Okay, at least 
we know what we're dealing with. And that's the drift of the New 
Testament Scriptures. Peter in 1 Peter 4, don't think 
it's crazy. Don't think it's bizarre. Don't 
think it's strange that you're undergoing this fiery trial. 
Why would you think that? You didn't hear Jesus say, blessed 
are you when you are persecuted for my sake? I've mentioned the 
health, wealth and prosperity weirdos on a few occasions over 
the last few years. It's just such an ungodly, horrible, 
heretical approach to Christianity. Oh yeah, come to the Savior and 
life will only ever be good. That's not even gaslighting, 
that's just flat out lying in the faces of a bunch of fools 
that for some reason like that mindset. How do you read the 
end of Hebrews and come to the conclusion that being sawn in 
two is your best life now? Just doesn't make any sense. 
So have comfort, at least in the fact that you know who your 
enemy is. And by that, I don't mean go out and treat them as 
enemies with your guns blazing and all that. No, just realize 
the degree of opposition that is going to come to you if you 
live faithful in Christ Jesus. It's an inevitability. Also, they have been given the 
word of God, incarnate word, written word. They have joy even 
in the midst of trial and hardship, and they ultimately have Jesus 
as their savior and intercessor. He prays for them. He intercedes 
for us now. In fact, He always lives to make 
intercession for us. And we end this morning with 
this consideration. His priority is the advancement 
of His kingdom. His priority is to seek first 
the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then these things will be 
added to you. This is evident in the way that He prays for 
them. preserve them, protect them. Don't take them out of 
the world, keep them in the world, protect them from the evil one, 
such that they can engage in the proclamation of the truth, 
the making of disciples, the planting of churches, and the 
advancement of the cause of Jesus Christ. is what is the priority 
for the master. And certainly the disciples being 
kept and preserved is absolutely crucial in that. So we are very 
thankful that the Lord prays that way and very thankful that 
the Lord has, as his concern, the advancement of the gospel 
such that sinners, even sinners sitting in a local church in 
Chilliwack, BC in 2025, can come to know the Savior. I pray for 
those who will believe in the word that these men speak. We 
who have been saved are inheritors of that apostolic preaching. 
You here who are not saved, can I encourage you? Can I call upon 
you? Can I try and persuade you to 
come to the Lord Jesus Christ and inherit the blessings that 
God has provided in the gospel of his son, namely the forgiveness 
of sins? David said, if you, Lord, should 
mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness 
with you that you may be feared. Scripture teaches that there 
is to be a fountain open for sin and uncleanness. A hymn writer 
puts it this way. I can't remember that hymn writer 
off the top of my head. No, not even going to try. It's 
Zechariah 13. In that day there will be a fountain 
open for sin and uncleanness. You not only need forgiveness 
of your sins, but you need to be clothed in righteousness so 
that you can enter into the presence of God. Well, lo and behold, 
in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, both those blessings 
are provided. Believe on Him and you shall 
be saved. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in Heaven, thank You for Your Word, and thank You for the prayer 
of our Lord Jesus in this chapter of John's Gospel. What an encouragement 
to know that He prays to the Holy Father, that You would keep, 
that You would protect, that You would preserve and watch 
over Your disciples. Lord, we know that he ever lives 
to make intercession even for us now, and we find great comfort 
in that. May these things encourage us, and may you help us to have 
that same priority of Matthew 6.33, to seek first your kingdom 
and your righteousness. And we ask this through Jesus 
Christ, our Lord. Amen.