THE HEART OF THE SAVIOR

Keith O’Connor

Woodland Church

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

(John 17:1-5, NLT) “After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.  Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began”

1.  Jesus prays for Himself

(John 17:1-5, NLT) “Father, the hour has come, glorify your Son so He can give glory back to you. For you have given Him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given Him. And this is the way to have eternal life – to know You, the only True God, and Jesus Christ the One You sent to earth. I brought glory to You here on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do. Now, Father, bring Me into the glory We shared before the world began”

(John 16:33, NLT) “But take heart, because I have overcome the world”

(John 17:3, NLT) “And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth”

(1 John 5:20, NLT) “And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life”

(John 14:6-7, NLT) “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

(John 17:4-5, NLT) “I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began”

(Matthew 5:16, ESV) “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”

2.  Jesus prayed for His Disciples

(John 17:6-19, NLT) “I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.

     My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you.  All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory.

      Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.

     During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold. Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.

 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do.  Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world.  And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth”

(John 17:6-8, NLT) “I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me”

(1 Thessalonians 2:13, NLT) “Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe”

(Romans 10:17, NLT) “So, faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ”

• Protection

(John 17:11, NLT) “Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name”

(John 17:15, NLT) “I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one”

• Sanctification

(John 17:16-19, NLT) “They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth”

• Unity

(John 17:11, NLT) “Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are”

3.  Jesus prays for future believers

(John 17:20, NLT) “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message”

(John 17:21-23, NLT) “I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me”

(John 17:24, NLT) “Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began”

(John 17:25-26, NLT) “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them”