Welcome to John 17.
Here's a few "pre-shower" points of mine I want to share before I get onto the regular SOAP.
1. Have you ever wondered what "eternal life" was? Well, I always thought that eternal life was living forever with God! That's true, but I also really liked what Jesus said about the subject:
"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." ~John 17:3
Jesus is saying that eternal life is knowing God the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ. Wow.
2. "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." ~John 17:15
Jesus isn't asking the Father to take us out of the world, to save us from trouble, but to protect us from the evil one in this world. Wow. Isn't that wonderful to know? Jesus will protect us from Satan. Sure, sometimes people we know will die. We will die. But God will save us from Satan, and the eternal death. Remember Matthew 10:28 from yesterday??
"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body"
Even if we die, if we have loved God and done all that we know to please him, he will raise us up to eternal glory on the last day! Check out 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18--
"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Therefore encourage each other with these words."
Okay, okay. I know I can get long-winded sometimes! It's just that I get so excited about different Bible passages and ideas!!!! Onto our SOAP.
Scripture:
"Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one...My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." ~John 17:11, 20-21
Observation:
In these verses, Jesus prays that his disciples be one just as Jesus and his Father are one. And beyond the disciples, Jesus prays that those who hear the disciples' message (us!!) would be one, too. Just like the vine and the branches. Just like Jesus and his followers. Jesus wanted us to stay and remain in him, and also be one with each other.
Application:
Being one with each other. I'm pretty sure that equates out to being at peace with each other. Or at least that's a big part of it. Sure, yeah, Jesus is asking the Father to make us one with each other and Him. But I think we have a part in that, as well. We can't be at peace with each other when we're all raising a fuss. Fighting with my little sister can't help either! What can I do--what can you do to be at peace with the people around us?
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you so much for letting me read this passage today. Thank you for all the wonderful promises you've given me, too! I want to be at peace with other people--please show me how, and make me willing to do what you want me to do. Amen.
1. Have you ever wondered what "eternal life" was? Well, I always thought that eternal life was living forever with God! That's true, but I also really liked what Jesus said about the subject:
"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." ~John 17:3
Jesus is saying that eternal life is knowing God the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ. Wow.
2. "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." ~John 17:15
Jesus isn't asking the Father to take us out of the world, to save us from trouble, but to protect us from the evil one in this world. Wow. Isn't that wonderful to know? Jesus will protect us from Satan. Sure, sometimes people we know will die. We will die. But God will save us from Satan, and the eternal death. Remember Matthew 10:28 from yesterday??
"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body"
Even if we die, if we have loved God and done all that we know to please him, he will raise us up to eternal glory on the last day! Check out 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18--
"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Therefore encourage each other with these words."
Okay, okay. I know I can get long-winded sometimes! It's just that I get so excited about different Bible passages and ideas!!!! Onto our SOAP.
Scripture:
"Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one...My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." ~John 17:11, 20-21
Observation:
In these verses, Jesus prays that his disciples be one just as Jesus and his Father are one. And beyond the disciples, Jesus prays that those who hear the disciples' message (us!!) would be one, too. Just like the vine and the branches. Just like Jesus and his followers. Jesus wanted us to stay and remain in him, and also be one with each other.
Application:
Being one with each other. I'm pretty sure that equates out to being at peace with each other. Or at least that's a big part of it. Sure, yeah, Jesus is asking the Father to make us one with each other and Him. But I think we have a part in that, as well. We can't be at peace with each other when we're all raising a fuss. Fighting with my little sister can't help either! What can I do--what can you do to be at peace with the people around us?
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you so much for letting me read this passage today. Thank you for all the wonderful promises you've given me, too! I want to be at peace with other people--please show me how, and make me willing to do what you want me to do. Amen.
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