Rev. Sherif Fahim is a doctoral student at PRTS, Lecturer & Administrator at the Alexandria School of Theology, and General Director of El-Soora Ministries (www.elsoora.org).

It’s a joy to worship the Lord with you today, me and my family. So before starting, let’s turn to the Lord in prayer and ask his blessing to the world. O Lord, to whom else shall we go? You are the one who have the words of eternal life. We thank you for this day that you have made for us to rejoice and to come and worship, to listen to your word. Open our hearts and minds to receive your word in faith. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Many times we would have leaders and pastors and ministers and mentors that we really cherish, we really like and love and we appreciate their ministry to us. We treasure the time that we spend with them. We would love to sit with them maybe after the sermon or after a lecture to talk more privately. to learn from them, to ask for advice, to ask for mentoring, counsel. And many times it would be great if we asked them, would you pray for me? We would appreciate this very much. We may come with some burdens in our hearts and we say, I need so-and-so to pray with me or to pray for me. We may even send them an email or a letter saying, would you pray for this? We love them, we trust their piety, and we ask them to pray for us. And it’s a great blessing to have such leaders and pastors and ministers in our life. It’s a great gift from the Lord to have such people in our lives, to help us, to pray for us, to counsel us. And here we are in these verses that we just read from John 17, we are in front of a prayer. But the one who is praying this prayer is greater than any leader or a minister or a pastor that you would ever think of. This is the prayer of the son of God himself. The prayer of the one who worked in the lives of all these leaders that you really treasure. He’s the one who used them, who converted them, who changed them because of what he has done. And he’s praying. And he’s not just praying a normal prayer, it’s a prayer in a very special time. Very special time. It’s before few hours from the most important event in the history of mankind, before his crucifixion and the resurrection a few days later. Very special night. Very special prayer. And Jesus himself is praying this prayer. And when we read the New Testament, we find many times that it says Jesus is praying. He went to the mountain to pray. He went in kind of solitude to pray. Not many times these prayers are recorded to us, but this prayer is one of the few prayers that are recorded. We have a very short prayer in John 11 before raising Lazarus. Jesus is praying. In John 12, he’s praying. But in John 17, we have a long prayer, maybe the longest prayer in Jesus’ life that is recorded for us. And the Holy Spirit wants us to read and to listen to this prayer. Very special time, very special, very special day, and a very special person. And what makes it more and more special is that the church, the believers now, here and everywhere else, is the subject of this prayer. Open with me again, verse 20, and see what he’s saying. I do not ask for these. And what does he mean by these? By the disciples themselves. He was just praying for the disciples. In the very first chapter, in the beginning of this chapter, he was praying for himself. He prays for the disciples. And now from verse 20 he is saying, I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their words. Many theologians would call this prayer, it’s the priestly prayer of Christ. This reminds us of the high priest in the Old Testament who would come to the Lord in the tabernacle or in the temple, and he would wear on his chest 12 stones, and on his shoulders two stones with the names of the tribes of Israel, and he would come to the Lord with the people in his heart and on his shoulders, asking for them. And Christ is doing this. He is praying for the church, for the believers. And we need to listen carefully. What is he saying in this prayer? If you would know that Jesus is praying for you or prayed this prayer for you personally, it would be a very important prayer to know, right? It will make a big difference, and it will show us what’s really in his heart for us in this very special time, just before the cross. Before going deeper to the content of the prayer, it’s interesting that Jesus is praying for those who will believe through the word of the disciples. At that time, he was not crucified yet. He was not resurrected, he’s not risen. He did not send the Holy Spirit. The disciples themselves at this time, how were they? They were very afraid, right? They were puzzled, shocked. He’s saying that he’s leaving them and they don’t know where he’s going. Yet Jesus is saying and praying for those who will believe through their preaching, through their word. For Christ, the success of the mission of these fearful guys was something guaranteed, it’s going to happen. And he’s even praying for those who will believe, you and me, because of the words of the apostles. You may say, but we didn’t. We didn’t hear the apostles themselves. We didn’t listen to them preaching. But everyone who believed or has ever believed in any time or in any place of the world, he has believed because of the words recorded in the gospel, right? In fact, we are reading the words of one of them, which is John, right? We’re preaching through their words. We’re telling the gospel through their words. So this means Christ is praying for us, those who believed. because of the words of the apostles, because of the New Testament, because of what we have seen in the word of God, in the gospel. Now let’s turn to the two things, two main things that Jesus is praying for. The first will be from verse 21 to 23, and then the second will be from 24 to 26. The first thing that Jesus is praying for is the unity. see with me how many times the word one or unity or to be in me or I in them is repeated in this few verses that they may be all one just as you father are in me and I in you that we also may be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me the glory that you have given me I have given to them that they may be one even as we are one in them and you and me that they become perfectly one so that the world may know that you sent me and loved me even as you loved me. That you loved them even as you loved me. So, the first thing Jesus is praying for is the unity. And I will say with you, if you are taking notes, three things about this unity. What is the shape of this unity? What does it look like? How it is achieved? And what is its goal? What is the unity? What is the shape of this unity? How does it look like? Same thing, how it is achieved and what its goal. The first thing in verse 21, what does this unity look like? It says that they may be all one just as you Father are in me and I in you. The first thing about this unity, it is similar to the unity within the Trinity. between the Father and the Son. This is the shape of the unity that Christ is praying for to happen to the believers. We call it ectival unity. It’s similar, analogous to it. It’s not exactly the same unity, but according to this unity, similar in a way, analogous to this unity. The unity between the father and the son. The father who is working all his works through the son. From the very beginning of the Gospel of John. The father is creating through the son. And the son is doing all his deeds because the father sent him to do these deeds. They’re working together in love. The son is submitting to the father. Fellowship. doing the same, having the same purpose, working together. There is a unity between them, and Jesus praying that, I want them to be like that, to be like us, to have this same unity, unity analogous to the unity between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So if we think of the love between them, if we think of the submission of the Son to the Father, and the Holy Spirit to the Father and the Son, We think that the fellowship between them, this is kind of unity is what Jesus is praying for to happen or to be within us or between us. This is the kind of unity that he’s praying for. But it’s not just unity like the one between the son and the father. He’s saying, but they also may be in us. It’s a unity in the Trinity, not only like the Trinity. And it’s in the Trinity. And this makes a big difference. You know, many people are united for different reasons. Sometimes for same ideas. The Republicans here in the States and the Democrats, the Democrats are united, right? They have a union. And the Republicans, they have a kind of unity as well, right? Syndicates, there’s a unity between them. All doctors, there’s something united between them. Even those who would support one team or another, there’s a kind of a union between them. And they may even love each other, right? They can work together. They can do great things together. Some people may have unities that they have the same ideas. Jehovah Witness or Jehovah Witnesses, they have unity, right? When I see them here in the States or when I meet them in Egypt, they say the same thing. They do the same thing. They use the same writings. There’s a unity between them. But this unity that Jesus is praying for is different. It’s a unique unity. And what makes it unique? Because it is with God himself in the Trinity. Two chapters earlier, Jesus was speaking about the vine and the branches. He’s the true vine. And the believers are the branches that are connected, vital, to the vine. Our life, our spiritual life, comes from him. Our fruitfulness. comes because we are united in Him. If we try to make any kind of unity apart from the Trinity, this is not what Jesus is praying for. It’s not just a social group coming together, enjoying the time together to eat and to do things together. No. What brings us here today is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That’s why we are united. This is the true meaning of our unity, that it is in the Trinity. So it is like the Trinity. It is in the Trinity. This is the second thing about this shape or how this unity or how does it look like. The third thing, at the last part of verse 21, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. It is not a hidden unity. It is a revealed unity. A revealed, not just to us, but revealed to the world around us. They would realize something is special about this group of people. They’re different. We can see, and they’re not different individually, they’re different collectively. When you see them together, you see something different. Wherever you go, All over the world, you would realize something is unique about the church. For me, this is very interesting. This is our first time for us as a family to come here. And we didn’t feel that we are in a strange place. We have not worshipped with you before. We are worshipping in another place in Grand Rapids right now. And back in Egypt we are worshipping in a totally different church. But if I go with you on the elements of worship, what we are doing, why we are worshipping, what we are saying, what we are singing, it’s the same. It’s the same. Anyone would come to any church all over the world, an Orthodox church, church that holds the word of God, he’ll find the same thing. He’ll find the same unity, the same doctrines. The same prayers. You’ll find this group of people, when they gather on Sunday, they do something all over the world. They would bring some bread and they eat it together, right? And some wine or grape juice and drink it together, right? The world will see it. So it’s a revealed unity. It’s not just a hidden unity. It’s a unity with a goal that people would see it and understand that something unique about these people. They love each other in a very strange way. We are not used to this. They forgive each other. They stay with each other. They serve each other. They cry with each other and they rejoice with each other. They love one another. So it’s a revealed unity. It’s like the Trinity, in the Trinity, revealed unity. And it’s a unity that is not just based on sentimentals or emotions, but it’s based on the truth. There’s one true gospel that connects all of us. One faith, one true faith. Many people may speak about unity, we need to love everyone. Well, yes, we need to love everyone. Christ is teaching us, love your enemies, right? But this doesn’t mean that there is unity between us and the enemies. No unity. There is no unity between darkness and light. Yes, we are supposed to love them, but not to say that we are in unity with them. The unity in verse 6, see what Christ is saying, something makes us in this unity. I have manifested your name to the people whom you have gave me out of the word. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Something unique about these people. They are a gift from the father to the son. And Jesus is saying, I’m praying for those you have gave me from the word. Jesus is not saying all the world should be in unity, but he’s saying for those who are given to him from the father to be in this unity. We are not supposed to be in unity with everyone around us, unless they accept the gospel, unless they become part of the church, unless they have submitted to the truth. In verse eight, he says, for I have given them the words that you have 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 have given them the word, the truth, and they have submitted, they have received the truth. This is what characterizes them. They have the same truth. In the book of Ephesians, Paul was speaking about unity in the church in Ephesians 4. And in the same context as he was speaking about one faith, one Lord, one baptism, in this same context, see what he’s saying? In verse 14, that we henceforth Be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. He doesn’t ask to be children tossed with every doctrine. Some people are trying to call for a kind of a fake unity. Let’s love each other. Let’s pray together. let’s eat together, let’s make some events together. Well, when it comes to what we believe, we try not to talk about this because we know if we talk about these doctrines, we may have some disunity or conflicts. So leave this aside. Well, this is not the unity that Jesus was praying for. He was praying for a more profound unity, profound, we can believe, that Jesus is God and not God at the same time. You cannot say that Jesus is the only way to God, and someone would say, no, there are other ways. We can’t be in unity in this way. No, there’s light and darkness. So this is the shape of unity that Christ is praying for, like the Trinity, in the Trinity, revealed to the people, and according to the truth. How can we achieve this unity? How this unity can be achieved? Verse 22. The glory that you have given me, I have given to them, that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you have sent me, or you sent me, and love them, even as you love me. Two things. for this unity to be achieved according to these words. The first is that Christ has given the disciples the glory that he has taken from the Father. The glory that you have given me, I have given to them. But what does it mean that Christ is giving the disciples the glory? In order to understand this, I think chapter one will be very helpful. Chapter one, verse 14. It says, or before verse 14, even before this, he say, he came to his own and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become the children of God. And then in verse 14, he says, we have seen his glory. We have seen his glory. Glory as the only son from the father, full of grace and truth. Christ came and has shown his glory to the disciples and to many others. But not everyone received him. Only those who received him became the children of God. We saw the holiness of God in Christ. We saw the mercy of God in Christ. We saw the love of God in Christ. We saw the justice of God in Christ. We saw the glory of God in Christ. And those who have seen the glory and submit to this glory and receive this glory, they’re called the children of God, the beloved. the church, the people in this unity. Many people, Christ showed this to many people. In fact, he had many conflicts with the Jewish leaders. He has shown them his glory, and they kept saying, no, no, you are not sent from the father. And he kept saying, well, I have shown you the deeds that I am doing, true, but you don’t want to believe. The problem is not that there is no glory. The problem is you don’t want to see the glory. But on the other hand, the one who said, let there be light has shown in the heart of the disciples and the believers all over history to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. This is the way Jesus gave us his glory. He’s shown us his glory. And you know, the greatest point when we saw this glory is in the cross. The great manifestation of God’s love. The great manifestation of God’s holiness. Those who have seen this and submitted to this and believe that this is the son of God, they have received the glory. They have been given the glory. The glory that you have given me, I have given to them. That they may be one even as we are one. The only way to be in this unity is to see the glory of Christ. and to submit to the glory of Christ. And the question today for us, have we seen the glory of Christ? Have we submitted to the glory of Christ? And I’m not just saying, well, I know Christ is Lord, I know Christ was crucified. Well, head knowledge is important, of course, but it’s not enough. The devils, they know, and they quiver. but they don’t submit, they don’t like this. They don’t live according to this. Did we submit to the glory? Did we receive the glory? Only then we are in this unity. They are called the sons of God, the beloved. So the first means for this unity to happen through beholding the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, to receive the glory that Christ has given to us. The second thing in verse 23 is through the mediator. This unity is only possible through a mediator. And see how Christ is expressing the idea of mediator, or his mediatorship in this verse. I in them and you in me. He’s talking to the father. I in them and you in me. This is the first part. That they may become perfectly one. But in verse 21, he says, you father in me. So in verse 23, he’s saying the same, you in me, and here saying the father is in me and I in you. Two common things between 21 and 23. The common thing between them, the father is in me, or I am the father. But then the difference between them, he’s saying in verse 21, I in you, I in the father and I in them. So Christ is, the father is in Christ in 21 and 23, but Christ is saying in 21, I am in the father and 23, I in them. He is the mediator between us and the father. If there is a unity that is possible between us and the Father, it will only be through Christ, the priest, the king, the prophet. He’s the only way, he’s the way to God. That’s what he said to Philip in John 14. I am the way, the truth, and life. No one comes to the Father except through me. So, this unity is only possible through Christ, to be called a son of God, a daughter of God, to be part of the household of God, must be through the Son. There is no other way. Okay, now we have seen how does this unity, how does it look like. We have seen how it can be achieved. Now, what is the goal of this unity? In verse 23, he says the last part of it. So that the world may know that you sent me and love them even as you loved me. Once again, the goal is that the world may know that the father has sent the son. When the world come and see the church, when the world see the love in the church, the forgiveness in the church, the commitment to the truth, the sacrifice, the unity. When the world see this, they would say, this is something different. This is not from this world. This can only happen because the father has sent his son. This kind of love that we can see within you is a proof that God has done something. When someone comes to your church, or to my church, or to any other church, and see how the members of the church, how they deal together, how they interact with each other, how they love each other, how they serve each other, this is not from this world. Yes, it is not. It is not. And you know what? We have a story to tell you when you come to see our church, or this church. We are like this not because we are nice people, but because God has done something in our lives, has done this through his son, whom he has sent 2,000 years ago to die for our sins and to rise again. Through this work, we are like this. If I come to the States, I see it, well, this is happening here because someone died 2,000 years ago, right? In a place thousands and thousands of miles away from here, right? Not only here, if you go to Japan, to Egypt, to South Africa, to Australia, to Europe, to anywhere in the world, you’ll find spots, churches, groups of people, that proves that the Lord has sent his son 2,000 years ago to die for these people. So the goal is that the world may know that you have sent me. We are here a proof that Christ came 2,000 years ago because of the unity in the church. Now imagine with me if there are conflicts in the church. if there are divisions in the church, if there is no love in the church. What would this say to the world around us? Well, it’s a place like all the other places around us. Maybe selfishness, greed, pride, but this is not the unity. This is not the goal that Jesus was praying for. But the second thing, or the second goal, that the people may know that you have sent me and love them even as you loved me. The world must also see that these people are changing from one day to another. Virtually, individually. Christ’s redemptive work has the power to transform us. to be in his image. And this is the love of God in our lives. Not just that he saved us from our original state as the sons of wrath, but that he’s transforming us day after day after day. So the world must see this fellowship in the church, this love in the church. And when the people see this uniqueness in the church, they would say, These guys, these people, are God’s beloved. He loves them, and that’s why they are like that. That’s why they are different, so that the world may know. There’s a great missiology or a mission work in the unity of the church. Okay, this is the first part, Jesus praying about the unity of the church, how we should live right now. how this unity is possible. How can we have this love together? And again, without the mediatorship, without Christ as the mediator, without hearing the gospel, without seeing the glory of God, all what I’ve just said cannot be attained. That’s why this is what we do every Sunday. We speak about Christ again and again and again. Because if there is a chance for us to keep loving each other, it’s because of the gospel. because of what we see in the gospel. Now we go to the second part of the prayer from verse 24, which is a prayer for the glorification of these beloved people, for the consummation of their salvation. Jesus is not just praying for our present, he’s praying for our future as well. and see what is the content of this prayer. In verse 24, he’s saying, Father, I desire that they also, speaking of the believers today, I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. He’s calling us, the title that we have in this verse, Whom you have given me. The believers are the gift of the father to the son. And for me, this is a very comforting idea. Who can take a gift from the father to the son? Who can snatch it? Who can take it away? Very secure, right? This is our security. It’s a deal between the father and the son. whom you have given me. And I want them to be with me. I’m praying for this. Christ is praying before the cross. I want them to be with me. I want them to see my glory. You were just saying that we have seen the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Yes, but we did not see everything yet. We did not. All the greatness that we have seen, all the things that have amazed us so far, we did not see everything yet. See what John is saying. John himself in the first epistle, chapter three, verse two, this is what he’s saying. With a lot of hope, a lot of expectation, waiting for something. See what he’s saying. Beloved, we are God’s children now. And what we will be has not yet appeared. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him because we shall see him as He is. Till this point, we did not see the glory of Christ in its fullness yet. We did not see it yet. We have seen a lot. We have tasted a lot. We have experienced a lot, but not fully. And Christ is praying that He wants us to see Him in His whole glory. And you know what? For me, this prayer is a great expression of God’s love for us. Because if someone loves someone else, he would want him to have the greatest satisfaction, to have the greatest good. And the greatest good, the greatest satisfaction, the greatest thing that would satisfy our hearts is God’s glory himself. So for Christ to seek that we would see his glory in his full manifestation, he wants to satisfy us to the uttermost. He wants us to enjoy him as the greatest thing in this world. More than anything else, he’s incomparable with anything else. And he’s praying for this. I want them to be in my presence forever, and to see my full glory. Many times we are seeking other things, and we think, if I just get this thing, I’ll be satisfied. If I just get this, if I just reach this point, and we are not asking the right thing, it will not satisfy us. How many times we achieve something that we have been seeking for a long time, and when we got it, well, we are still hungry, we are still thirsty, and we look for other. Only Christ can satisfy this. Only beholding the glory of Christ can satisfy our hungry hearts. And that’s why he’s praying this prayer. I want them to see me. But the world that we are in, that we live in, in verse 25, is not a welcoming world, is not a loving world to us. It’s a hostile world. That’s why Jesus is saying in verse 25, O righteous father, even though the world does not know you, I know you and this know that you have sent me. And he’s praying this prayer, he’s saying these words. Few hours later, he will be killed. And the disciple will just run away. In fact, chapter 18, this is the prayer in the end of chapter 17, chapter 18 is telling us about the crucifixion. This is the world that he is living in, and this is the world that he is praying for us to face. Well, they will be against them. It will be hostile to them. But I am praying for them, that you will keep them, that you will sanctify them, keep them in unity. And verse 26, I made known to them your name and I will continue to make it known that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them. See what Christ is promising in this prayer? I made known to them your name. I have given them the glory. They joined our unity. They became members in the household of God. And this was not just in the past. I will continue to make it known. I will keep working in the lives. I will keep showing them my glory. I will keep changing them, even within this world that they’re living in, with all the attractions around them, with all the enemies around them. I will keep showing them who you are. I will continue to do this. What a promise. What a promise. If we are sure today that one day we will see Christ in his full glory because he has promised. Because he said, I will do this. And he’s asking the Father that this should be accomplished. So Christ is praying for our unity as a church. To be a light to the world. To show the love of God that has changed us. And he’s praying for our future that we see him in his full glory. promising that he will continue doing this in our lives day after day till we behold him as he is. Two final questions and I will leave with you. The first one I have mentioned before, are we part of this prayer? Are we part of this small world, those In verse 20, I don’t ask for this only, but also for those who will believe in me. Did we see the glory of Christ coming to the church week after week, opening the scripture week after week? Have we seen the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ? Have we received him? What a joy, blessed are those who are part of this prayer. No greater privilege than this. No greater privilege. And the second question is, are our priorities in prayers similar to Christ’s priorities? This is the prayer that Jesus is praying for his church. To be one. To love each other. To forgive each other. To submit to the truth. to long for beholding the glory of God fully. Are these our priorities? Well, we may ask him for other things, and he’s asking us if you need something, if you need the food, the daily bread, I will give it to you, and you can ask me about this too. But there is more important things. More important things. The kingdom of God and his righteousness. to see the glory of God. Are our priorities in prayers similar to Christ’s priorities in prayer? Amen. May the Lord bless this word to our souls today. Let’s pray.

O Lord, what a privilege to be called the sons and daughters of the King of Kings, Lord of Lords. It’s an amazing thing that you have called sinners, rebels like us, to be members in your household, to be called your family. To be in this unity between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. What a privilege. No greater privilege than this. that we can come to God Almighty and call Him Abba Father, and to have Jesus Christ as our elder brother, and to have the Holy Spirit in our hearts, indwelled by Him, transformed by Him. There is no greater privilege than this. Oh Lord, open our eyes to the treasures that we have in You. We thank you for the glory that you have shown us, and we long for more. Every day in our lives, we long to see and to experience the love of God in Jesus Christ, till we see you as you are. In the great name of Jesus, I pray.