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In John 17, Jesus prays what is perhaps his most powerful prayer in all of scripture. While perhaps less known than the model prayer He teaches his disciples when they ask him -- the prayer we often call the "Lord's Prayer" -- the prayer he prays here is far more personal, and powerful even than that! This morning, we look at the first 5 verses of John 17, where Jesus speaks to the Father in a way quite unlike anything else we see in scripture. We see Jesus praying not merely as a man, but the divine second person of the Trinity, and what he asks for is something God has vowed never to share -- his glory! We unpack the significance of these words, and think about what this means for both our conception of Jesus, and God's glory itself.

Sometimes what looks like defeat can actually be victory, and what appears to be a vicrory may be a defeat. But how do we respond when we don’t see the full picturr? Jesus was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”. But how did he prepare his disciples for the grief and sorrow that they would experience following his death? Without negating the reality of the pain of the moment, he also reminds them to forward to the joy that would come after, but what does that mean for us?

In the gospels, Jesus makes many good promises to his people. The promise that we will be hated and persecuted is perhaps one we'd prefer wasn't there! In John 15:18-6:4, Jesus reminds his disciples that following him will set them at odds with the world. But why does he tell them this, and what can we learn from it? By reminding them about all that is to come, Jesus prepares his people to live the life he has called them to, and ensuring that they are ready to proclaim the gospel effectively.

Jesus used many agricultural parables and pictures to help people understand his message. In John 15:1-11, John records for us one of these parables — the picture of the vine, and the branches. But in a world increasingly disconnected from the land, do we understand this picture? Do we recognize the powerful significance of this image? We look at this teaching, and think about what it means to be branches, abiding in the vine.

In John 14:15-31 Jesus promises that his people will receive the Holy Spirit in detail for the first time. When he does, the things he says about who the Holy Spirit is, and what He will do in their lives that may surprise us, given our assumptions and preconceptions many may have about this. What does that mean for us as believers, and how do we live in the light of this? We unpack this passage, and look at how Jesus reveals a divine, personal, and active comforter to be with them.

As Jesus continues to teach his disciples during their last days together on earth, he continues to prepare them for his imminent death, and the trials that are to come. In doing so, he proclaims to be The Way, The Truth, and The Life — making an exclusive claim for all who are lost. He claims to be the one, and only way by which people can ultimately be found, and find their way. But how can he make such a claim? And what does it mean for us if it’s true?

How do we respond to betrayal? Where do we turn when people turn on us? In John 13:21-30 Jesus is confronted with his imminant betrayal by his friend Judas. How did Jesus walk with Judas for so long knowing he was going to turn on him? How did he respond when the hour came? Why didn’t the other disciples realize he was never truly one of them? We look at this passage, and compare the responses of Jesus, Judas, Peter, and the “beloved disciple” — John himself — when faced with this moment.