John 17:1-26
God's Word is Truth And Jesus Has Followed God's Complete Word
1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
6 “I have revealed you those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. 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. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 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. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
Before Jesus' arrest He looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come...Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You...For You granted Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those You have given Him...Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the Only True God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent...I have brought You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave Me to do...And now, Father, glorify Me in your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began...
We read and can believe that Jesus is Sacred and Holy, and has a Special Relationship with God in these verses...Jesus believed that He should always do God's Will...He did not do anything that God did not want Him to see or have Him do...He completely followed God's Will...Jesus fulfills our Scripture and our Bible...
Jesus being Sacred and Holy showed us that He LOVES to teach about God and God's Kingdom...He gave us and taught us how to prayer, and was always teaching and God's Truth, and He tells us that God's Word is Truth...He followed all the verses of Scripture, because He fulfilled them...
As we read the Bible we see that Jesus perfectly aligned His Will with God's, demonstrating absolute obedience...We see His Divine Nature and Authority...Jesus' identity as the Son of God is affirmed, emphasizing His unique relationship with the Father...Jesus fulfilled Old Testament Scripture...Jesus perfectly fulfilled the prophecies and laws of the Old Testament...Jesus not only taught about God's Kingdom but also demonstrated it through His life and actions...
And Jesus followed the teachings of John Charles Ryle...
John Charles Ryle was an English evangelical Anglican bishop...He was the first Anglican bishop of Liverpool...We can learn from Jesus and Mr. Ryle...He wrote and said these teaching quotes: “Do nothing that you would not like God to see...Say nothing you would not like God to hear...Write nothing you would not like God to read...Go no place where you would not like God to find you...Read no book of which you would not like God to say, "Show it to Me."...Never spend your time in such a way that you would not like to have God say, "What are you doing?”...“We live in an age when there is a false glare on the things of time and a great mist over the things of eternity.”...
“Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, according as we find His mind described in Scripture...It is the habit of agreeing in God's judgment, hating what He hates, loving what He LOVES, and measuring everything in this world by the standard of His Word.”...
And though it is very hard to do Ryle adds: “Next to praying there is nothing so important in practical religion as Bible reading...By reading that book we may learn what to believe, what to be, and what to do; how to live with comfort, and how to die in peace.”...Happy is that man who possesses a Bible!...Happier still is he who reads it!...Happiest of all is he who not only reads it, but obeys it, and makes it the rule of his faith and practice!”...
And Ryle tells us to beware of certain things: “. . . Beware of being wise above that which is written...Beware of forming fanciful theories of your own, and then trying to make the Bible square with them...Beware of making selections from your Bible to suit your taste...Dare not to say, ‘I believe this verse, for I like it...I refuse that, for I cannot reconcile it with my views.’...Nay! but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?...By what right do you talk in this way?...Surely it were better to say, over every chapter in the word, ‘Speak, LORD, for thy servant heareth.’...Ah! if men would do this, they would never deny the unquenchable fire.”...
John Ryle believed every aspect of life should be lived in conscious awareness of God's Presence and approval...He believed that the Bible is the ultimate authority for faith and practice, not personal opinions or preferences...He believed believers should approach Scripture with humility, recognizing God's sovereignty and wisdom...He believed that holiness is like a habit...A consistent focus on God's character and will lead to a life of holiness...Faith must be lived out in daily life, impacting our thoughts, words, and our actions...
Ryle's teachings provide a strong foundation for a robust Christian life characterized by obedience, devotion, and a deep reverence for God's Word...To me, it seems that Jesus fits all the things that Ryle has written about above...