http://christianprayerandfasting.com/2007/03/01/john-176/ Spurring Others Toward Closer Communion With Our Creator Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:30:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 http://christianprayerandfasting.com/2007/03/01/john-176/#comment-575 Wed, 18 Jul 2007 04:24:39 +0000 http://christianprayerandfasting.com/2007/03/01/john-176/#comment-575 [...] It was not offered for the world outside. It would not be a suitable prayer for those who are dead in sin. Our Lord referred to the company of men and women who were already saved, of whom he said that they had kept God’s Word: “Thine they were, and thou gavest them me” (John 17:6). They were therefore sanctified already in the sense of being consecrated and set apart for holy purposes; and they were also sanctified in a measure already in the sense of being made holy in character; for the immediate disciples of our Lord, with all their errors and deficiencies, were holy men. It was for the apostles that Jesus thus prayed; so that we may be sure that the most eminent saints need still to have this prayer offered for them: “Sanctify them through thy truth” (John 17:17). Though, my sisters, you may be Deborahs, worthy to be called mothers in Israel, yet you need to be made more holy. Though, my brethren, you may be true fathers in God, of whom the Scripture saith truly that we have “not many,” yet you still need that Jesus should pray for you: “Sanctify them through thy truth.” [...] […] It was not offered for the world outside. It would not be a suitable prayer for those who are dead in sin. Our Lord referred to the company of men and women who were already saved, of whom he said that they had kept God’s Word: “Thine they were, and thou gavest them me” (John 17:6). They were therefore sanctified already in the sense of being consecrated and set apart for holy purposes; and they were also sanctified in a measure already in the sense of being made holy in character; for the immediate disciples of our Lord, with all their errors and deficiencies, were holy men. It was for the apostles that Jesus thus prayed; so that we may be sure that the most eminent saints need still to have this prayer offered for them: “Sanctify them through thy truth” (John 17:17). Though, my sisters, you may be Deborahs, worthy to be called mothers in Israel, yet you need to be made more holy. Though, my brethren, you may be true fathers in God, of whom the Scripture saith truly that we have “not many,” yet you still need that Jesus should pray for you: “Sanctify them through thy truth.” […]

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