TEXT: John 17:24-26
24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
26 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.
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 198 messages in this series.
This is message #199 titled, The Profound Prayer that Jesus Prayed, Part 15
Warren Wiersbe said, “I have often used John 17:24 as a text for funeral meditations. How do we know that Christians go to heaven? Because of the price that Jesus paid, and the promise that Jesus made, and the prayer that Jesus prayed. The Father always answers His Son’s prayers, so we know that believers who die do go to heaven to behold the glory of God.”
As we near the end of Jesus’ profound prayer, we see that Our Lord turns His focus to heavenly things. He has prayed for His disciples in the present; and He has prayed for those who would become His disciples in the future. Now we see that He Himself is looking beyond all that and is gazing upon eternal glory.
Jesus prays, “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am.” Now, Jesus’ disciples are present with Him in the Upper Room as he is praying. It does not appear that Jesus is praying for their physical presence there. Instead, Jesus is praying for them to be present in Heaven with Him when He is glorified.
Through prayer, Jesus has ascended in spirit to the heavenly realm. He is not in Heaven at the present, but He prays as though He is. In the spirit of prayer, He longs for His church to be there with Him. Here on Earth, we sing, “draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord.” Jesus Himself has the same desire — to be nearer to His church, not just spiritually, but physically.
Alexander MacLaren said, “Our Lord says not only ‘that where I am, they also may be,’ but adds ‘with Me.’ That is not a superfluous addition, but emphasizes the thought of a communion which is more intimate and blessed than local presence alone would be. The communion here on Earth is real but imperfect. It will be perfected in Heaven by the dropping away of flesh and sin, by the change of circumstances, by emancipation from cares and toils necessary here, by the development of new powers and surroundings, and on His side by new manifestations.”
Why does Jesus long for us to be with Him in Heaven? He prays, “that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” In Heaven, our attention is going to be occupied by the glory of Jesus Christ. Everything about Heaven will be an extension of His glory and we will be a part of that.
In Heaven, we will also experience first-hand the love that God has for His Son Jesus Christ. Because we are in Christ, that very same love which was showered upon Jesus from before the world began, will be and even is now showered upon us. There was never a time when God did not love. As some commentators have observed, in order for love to be genuine and perfect, it must have an object outside of itself to love. God is love, but even before the world came into existence, that love was being shown to the only begotten Son of God. Love existed among the Godhead — the Father, the Son, and the Spirit — even before anything was created. And in Heaven, we will join that perfect union of love.
Today, we thank God for loving us just as He loved His own Son, and we, too, prayerfully look forward to the day when we will be united with Him in glory.
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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 