Jesus specifically prayed for his disciples (close friends).

Why pray? If God knows my heart, why does prayer matter? Why do it? Why did Jesus do it since He is God? Relationship and Connectedness!

Definition of Disciple—A disciple is a Christ follower who loves others and pursues living like Jesus.

The world = those opposed to God.

Jesus glorified in the disciples. Glorify means to bring honor, praise, reverence, love, approval, and also to acknowledge worth and majesty through words and actions.

Oneness = Unity, not Uniformity!

Guarded-->Not lost one. Jesus is the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-18)

Scripture might be fulfilled. Fulfilled prophecy = confirmation of the revealed plan.

My Joy in them (Jn. 15:11) Joy is found in obedience to God.

Not of this world = entirely different nature (Jn. 3:3-8)

This is where the phrase “In the world but not of the world” comes from. Biblical concept but not actually a quote. Be careful…we misrepresent and even weaponize/justify things like this, so understand the context.

Sanctify them--Make them Holy. Set them apart for your purpose.

In truth; your word is truth. Jesus is the living word (John 1:1-5,14). Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

The disciples were sent/commissioned (Already/Not Yet). They are the continued plan. Jesus will leave, they will wait for God the Holy Spirit to come, and then they will go.

Jesus set himself apart for the disciples (and us) so that we can be Holy and set apart for God (2 Cor. 5:21).

In this prayer, Jesus reveals 6 realities:
1- The love of God for His people.
2- The value God places on communicating with Him in prayer.
3- God’s power to protect, unify, and sanctify.
4- God’s plan has been revealed in the written word (scripture) and living Word (Jesus) and that plan will continue until completion.
5- The reach of His prayer isn’t limited by time and extends to us. *Much more on this next week!
6- We can and should pray for the spiritual lives of others.

The power of prayer…we can’t wrap our brains around it. God’s supernatural power in/through us when we are aligned with God’s heart. The depth we can’t comprehend unless we are connected…so next week we start looking at the practice of prayer.

Discussion Questions & Application:

1) What does Jesus’ prayer for the disciples reveal about the power and importance of intercessory prayer?

2) What does Jesus' prayer for unity teach us about the power of believers united in Christ?

3) How does Jesus' prayer for sanctification flow into daily discipleship?

4) The disciples didn’t understand the whole picture and plan. How do we abide and remain faithful when we don’t see the whole picture/plan?

5) Take time to pray for the individual spiritual lives of those in your Community Group.