Christ Prays for His Disciples (2) 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.“[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.“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. 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.“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; 17:17.“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.“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; 16:13 (first part).“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.“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.“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.“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.“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.“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?4. Explain Christ’s saying: “They are not of the world.”5. Summarize the biblical definitions of “truth.”