Rock of Ages Missionary Baptist Church
Commissioned to Serve this Present Age
On-Line Family Bible Study
Notes: Bible Expositor and Illuminator Union Gospel Press, Spring Quarter 2023
Jesus Prays for Believers
Lesson Text: John 17:6-21
Golden Text: John 17:21
Related Scriptures: Luke 22:31-32; John 17:22-24; Hebrews 7:24-27
Time: A. D. 30 Places: Jerusalem
Devotion: Song/Prayer/Song/ Scripture Reading/doxology/Lord’s Prayer
Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Yc3exCsHCw
Adult Video: https://youtu.be/LpItKizt974
Youth Lesson Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atZVOuLOMiM
Introduction:
Jesus’ teaching on prayer is quite extensive, especially in His Sermon on the Mount. He taught His disciples about prayer. He taught them to pray for their enemies (Matt. 5:44-45) and to pray in private and with simplicity (6:5-8).
Jesus also taught the need to be persistent in prayer (Matt. 7:7-11) and to pray with humility (Luke 18: 9-14). He taught that prayer must be made in His name, that is, on the basis of His character and authority (John 14:13-14). And, of course, Jesus gave His disciples a model of prayer (Luke 11:1-4). As important as this teaching is, it is dramatically enhanced by Jesus’ own example.
Jesus’ prayer in John 17 is better described as the “Lord’s prayer” than is His model prayer in Luke 11. It is the most extensive prayer of Jesus recorded in the Gospels. It reminds us of the importance of prayer in Jesus’ life, but it is more than a mere example. It reveals the heart of Jesus, and it focuses first on His disciples and then on future believers. It is a prayer for us! (Bible Expositor and Illuminator Union Gospel Press, Spring Quarter 2023).