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Welcome to the Daily Blade. The Word of God is described as the sword of the Spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.

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All right. This week we're spending some time in John, chapter 17, where we're breaking down Jesus's high priestly prayer. So we covered verses one through five yesterday, where Jesus was praying for himself, and today we'll look at verses six through 12, where Jesus prays for his disciples' preservation. So let's go to verse six. Here I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you, for I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know, in truth, that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours, all mine are yours and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them and I am no longer in the world. But they are in the world and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them and not one of them has been lost, except the son of destruction, that the scripture might be fulfilled. So let's go ahead and break it down.

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Verse six I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. So Jesus has revealed the name of God to the disciples. Right, the disciples themselves were sovereignly picked out by God from the world and entrusted to Jesus. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. So, again, god owned them and gave them to Jesus, and even though they were confused a lot of the time and they made some mistakes along the way, the disciples have tethered themselves to God's word. Verse 7,. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. So, although not totally and perfectly yet, the disciples have grown to be able to understand that Jesus's divine mission is what he was sent here to do. That's what he was sent here for from the beginning. Now, verse 8,. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know, in truth, that I came from you. So the disciples actively received the words of God as capital T truth and they have believed that you sent me. So the disciples now see that Jesus was sent to earth by God.

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Now, verse 9,. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. So Jesus is giving priority here to believers, right? So he is not praying for unbelievers.

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Jesus also acknowledges that the believers, or the elect, are chosen and given to Jesus by God the Father. Now, verse 10. All mine are yours and yours are mine. So this is just reaffirmation of the mutual possession shared between God the Father and God the Son, and I am glorified in them. So Jesus is glorified by the faith and obedience of his disciples. He is glorified by the redemption of their lives.

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Now, verse 11,. And I am no longer in the world. But they are in the world and I am coming to you. So Jesus is well aware of what awaits him. It's a very cruel and merciless death.

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But he also acknowledges that his disciples will remain in the world, that is, and will be hostile to their presence and Jesus's message. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. So to be kept in his name means that God will maintain and protect their faith and their character and their witness, and calling for them to be as one is obviously a prayer that they would remain unified in the continuing mission of the gospel. Now, verse 12, while I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. So Jesus has been an earthly and spiritual guardian for his disciples during his ministry. He has protected them the entire time. I have guarded them and not one of them has been lost.

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So he's essentially pre-arguing against people that would see the actions and betrayal by Judas as a bug. Right, but Jesus said that the betrayal isn't a bug. It's actually a feature, even in betrayal. Judas's actions highlight the sovereignty of God and the sufficiency of scripture via the fulfillment of prophecy. So ponder this today how does knowing that Jesus prayed for our perseverance help us to cultivate resilience on a daily basis? So, guys, I would highly suggest that you go ahead and read the high priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17, and just read it every day this week as we continue along. Tomorrow we'll focus on Jesus praying for the disciples' mission.

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