Putting the Father’s Glory on Display by Abiding

Text: John 17:1-26  Word of the Week: GLORIFY

Speaker: Kevin Kinzie

Takeaways

Jesus has been saying some hard things to the disciples. Now, He turns the conversation toward His Father. This passage is a prayer of Jesus that He allows the disciples to hear, and we also get the privilege. 

As we look at the prayer, we can be assured of several things:

• Jesus gets what He prays for.
• He prays with His eyes open (prayer doesn’t require bowing head and closing eyes.)
• The overarching theme is glory – putting the Father on display.
• Jesus is not only praying for the disciples physically with Him but for those who will follow – which includes believers today!
• Jesus loves his disciples.
• Praying matters.

A couple of helpful definitions:

Glory – a continuous revelation of God’s excellence, beauty, and holiness

Eternal Life – to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent; measured in the experience of a relationship with God now and ongoing. A believer’s eternal life has already started.

1-6 – The Father is Glorified through the Glory of the Son

He asks the Father to glorify Himself so that He may glorify God. 

As we abide with God, we can ask Him to use us to bring Him glory.

7-18  – The Father is Glorified through the Disciples

The disciples are understanding more about how they bring glory to God through their belief in Jesus.

As we abide with Jesus, we will understand more and more how obedience to Him brings glory to the Father.

19-26 The Father is Glorified in Us

Jesus prays that we will be in the Father and we will be unified with each other.

We will live in unity with other believers as we abide with God, ask and listen for His daily guidance, and obey Him. We do not have to worry about making sure others come to Him; He does the work, drawing others to Himself. Our abiding and unity will simply bring glory to Him and enhance that process.

If you want to bring glory to the Father, abide in Him, asking for His daily direction. Follow through with that, and He WILL be glorified – and your joy will be made full.

🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃

Reflection Prompters

1. What burdens do you carry that may overshadow your experience of the glory of God in your life? How might this passage help you shift your paradigm?

2.  This prayer contains at least 15 things that Jesus has already told the disciples. Why might He have reinforced these things in this prayer that they were privileged to listen to?

3. How does it make you feel that Jesus prays for YOU?

4. We need to understand that the world hates God.  We may not see the “results” we hope for as we live our life with God before others. Prayerfully release those expectations to the Father.

5.  Spend time daily in our 21 Days of Prayer/Abiding in a Limitless God.