Scripture to Read: John 17:6–8
Jesus knew the eleven disciples had always belonged to God the Father and that God the Father gave them to Jesus. Jesus said in John 17:6, “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.” Jesus had revealed God the Father to the eleven disciples, and He continues to reveal God the Father to everyone who surrenders to Him as Lord. God the Father chose the disciples, along with everyone else who has ever lived and is alive today, before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4–5). God the Father gave them to Christ the Son, and those who are indeed His will walk in obedience to Him and His Word. Jesus then says to the Father in John 17:7–8, “Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; 8 for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.” The proof that the first eleven disciples had surrendered to Jesus as Lord is made evident by Jesus in His prayer to the Father. Jesus says that the eleven disciples received the words He shared with them and that they believed that both Jesus and the words He shared were from the Father. We have the complete revelation from God the Father through Jesus and His Word, so we have no excuse not to believe.
Challenge & Application
• How do we know that Jesus is from God the Father and that His Word is true?
• How can you assure someone that God’s revelation of Himself is seen in Christ and His Word?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!