TEXT: John 17:9-11
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
We are in a series of messages titled “Praying Through the Bible: A Series on Every Passage and Verse Regarding Prayer in the Bible.” The purpose of this series is to encourage and motivate you to pray to the God of the Bible. We highlighted each of these over 500 verses and passages in the Prayer Motivator Devotional Bible. So far, we have completed 188 messages in this series.
This is message #189 titled, The Profound Prayer that Jesus Prayed, Part 5
Nine verses into His prayer, Jesus turns His focus fully on His disciples and fully on the distant future. He has already looked to the past — on what He has accomplished and on what He has taught His disciples. He has also looked to the near future, asking that God would be glorified and that He would be glorified in God as He went to the cross.
Now, He looks at those whom He will leave behind in a physical sense. He states simply and emphatically, “I pray for them.” The Greek word for pray, “erotao,” means to desire, to entreat, to beg, or beseech. Jesus was begging God on behalf of those whom He would leave to carry on His work.
Then, Jesus say, “I pray not for the world.” This does not mean that Jesus did not care for the world, or that he was unconcerned about the unsaved. Indeed, He was going to the cross that the world might be saved. But, at this point in time, Jesus wanted to focus on His disciples; He narrowed His prayer and zeroed in on these eleven men.
This teaches us a wonderful principle: sometimes, we need to focus our prayers. Often, we go to God and say things like, ‘Lord, lead me today. Bless my family today. Heal all the sick people. Be with those who are suffering,’ and so forth. That is fine, but prayer is more effective (and we are more focused in our prayers) when we target certain people and situations when we pray. Ask God for what to do in particular situations and conflicts that you face on a daily basis. Pray for healing for someone by name. Be specific about the ‘blessing’ you want God to give to your family members. By being focused and specific in your prayers, you will also be able to quantify God’s answers to your prayers. If you didn’t ask for anything specific, you won’t be able to tell if that prayer has been answered. When answers are given in response to specific, targeted requests, your confidence in the power of prayer will increase.
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Now, if you are with us today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, your first prayer needs to be what we call the Sinner’s Prayer. First, please understand that you are a sinner, just as I am, and that you have broken God’s laws. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! Congratulations on trusting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. You have done the most important thing in life. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door, by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.
Gospel Light House of Prayer International 