The High Priestly Prayer Part 2

Reverend Kent Compton's sermon, "The High Priestly Prayer, Part 2," delved into Jesus' profound prayer for His disciples as recorded in John 17:6-15. Compton began by highlighting the unparalleled intimacy and significance of this prayer, offered by Jesus just before His crucifixion, emphasizing that it reveals the very heart of Christ's concern for His followers. He noted that in this section, Jesus transitions from speaking about the glory given to Him by the Father to interceding specifically for those the Father has given Him out of the world. Compton pointed out that Jesus describes these disciples as those who have "kept your word," indicating their faithfulness and obedience to His teachings. This establishes the foundation for Jesus' subsequent requests to the Father on their behalf, underscoring their unique relationship with both the Son and the Father.

Compton then moved into the core of Jesus' requests for His disciples, focusing on two primary concerns: protection and sanctification. Jesus asks the Father to "keep them in your name," which Compton explained refers to preserving them from the evil one and upholding them in God's divine character and authority. This protection is not from physical harm necessarily, but from spiritual apostasy and the corrosive influence of the world. The second major request is for their sanctification—that they would be "sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." Compton elaborated on this, stressing that sanctification is a process of being set apart and made holy, a process deeply intertwined with God's Word. He emphasized that it is through engaging with and living by divine truth that believers are progressively transformed and consecrated to God's purposes.

The sermon concluded with a powerful reflection on the present-day implications of Jesus' High Priestly Prayer. Reverend Compton reminded the congregation that this prayer is not just a historical record but a living testament to Christ's ongoing intercession for His people. He underscored that believers today are the beneficiaries of this same prayer, enjoying the same divine protection and the same call to sanctification through the Word. Compton urged listeners to take comfort in the knowledge that Jesus actively prays for their perseverance and holiness, even as they navigate a world that is inherently hostile to spiritual truth. This assurance provides both comfort in trials and a compelling motivation to live lives that reflect the truth of God's Word.