"That They May Be One" John 17 Part 8 by Kathryn Kuhlman

Again today, for a very few minutes, you and I are going to listen in, as it were, to that sacred hour when Jesus was talking to the Father. I pray that you would have received as great a blessing as I have been receiving. in just talking about this beautiful portion of the Word of God as found in the 17th chapter of John. These words spake Jesus. He spoke the words audibly. Those near enough to him heard the words. And they saw him as he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour is come. Glorify thy Son, that thy Son may also glorify thee. Now, in previous Heart to Heart Talks, we saw that the very first thing that Jesus said when he began this wonderful prayer with the Father, this conversation with the Father, and wouldn't you like to know what some of the other conversations were that Jesus had with the Father? Because every time that he withdrew from the crowd, going into the wilderness, going alone, we know that he spent time talking to the father. But this is a glimpse into the very heart of their relationship. And the first... thing that he reminded the father of was his position as son glorify thy son that thy son may glorify thee and then he leaves that relationship and speaks of himself as i have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest to me out of the world Now we come to the third part. And we see him as he is talking to Father about us. I pray for them. And when he spoke of them, he was talking about those who were born again. Christians. Those who have accepted the Christ as their Savior, the Redeemed. I pray not for the world. Remember I reminded you that when he said, I pray not for the world, what he was saying, I am not at this moment in this prayer. Praying for the unregenerated. I will be giving my life. I have come for the salvation of all men. He's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to eternal life. But he said, after this moment, Father God, I am praying for those who will carry on the work that I have been doing. Those who will take the responsibility. Those who will represent me. I'm leaving now. In the expedient that I go away, for I take a new position, the position of great high priest. And the same Holy Spirit has been so faithful in strengthening me. The same Holy Spirit who has given me the power to overcome temptation. The same Holy Spirit who has performed miracles through my life and in my earthly ministry. He will come. He'll be the same strengthner to them that he has been to me. I leave them not alone. I leave them not orphans. I leave them not in a state of frustration and confusion. I pray I desire Father God. that they too shall live this same glorious, victorious life that I have lived. And I am giving them, leaving with them, the greatest gift that is possible for me to give to my church, to these that thou hast given me, the one who has not failed me. I am giving them that gift, and that gift is the Holy Spirit. And then he continues. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. In other words, Jesus is glorified through you. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is glorified through my life. As a Christian, as an heir of God, as a joint heir with Christ Jesus. Think of the responsibility that is ours. Jesus himself, in speaking to the Father, reminded him that he will be glorified in us. And now I'm no more in the world, but these are in the world. In other words, I'm leaving and taking the position of great high priest. But these are yet in the world. You and I are still in the body of flesh. We are still in the world. And I come to thee, Holy Father. Keep to thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee, and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. And we're seeing something, that when he prays for us, His desire for us is threefold. He says to the Father, keep them in thy name. We've already discussed that. The third desire, that they may be one even as we are one. Oh, to me that's so vitally important. That is so vitally important. This glorious oneness in the spirit. What did he mean? Simply this. In order that I may reach the world, I'm not for the moment praying for the world, but for those through whom I am going to reach the world. He was praying for the instrument he was creating through which he would reach the world. And this instrument, that is, You and I, born again Christians, were to reach the world, we must be kept in his name, and we must also be as one. His words to Father, as we are one. First of all, that is vital and essential oneness. He was one with the Father, vitally, essentially. And now he prayed that these, kept in his name, may be one in exactly that same way, having a vital relationship. Not the oneness of sentiment or intellectual opinion, but the oneness that is living, one in life. therefore one in light, and therefore one in love. He and the Father were one in essential life. He and the Father were one intellectually, in all light, in all understanding. He and the Father were one in love. Keep them there. Keep them in the name that I have revealed and manifested to them. Keep them there. That they may be one as we are one. One in life. One in light. One in love. You've heard me say it over and over again. Referring to the three persons of Trinity. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Absolute deity. Absolute divinity. This very moment, even I'm speaking to you. There's God the Father. I always like to think of him as the big boss, seated upon the throne, and there is only one throne in heaven, that's the throne of God. God is seated upon his throne. At his right hand, the Son of God, the great high priest, the one who ever lived to make intercession for you and for me. In the world, this very moment, is the Holy Spirit, the mighty power of the Trinity. How vitally important is this mighty third person in the world today? Literally, he is the one who's holding the whole thing together after this moment. The great convicting power, the great strengthening power. But never forget, The Holy Spirit never works separate and apart from Jesus Christ the Son or from God the Father. Never once when Jesus walked on this earth, not for a second, did he ever work separate and apart from the Holy Spirit and from God the Father. Not one member of the Trinity ever works separate and apart from the other. That's why recently when I talked about prayer, and I told you at that time that very often, you know, every one of us gets to the place when we know not how to pray, seeking God's will, and yet it is so hard sometimes to know the perfect will of God. At a time like that, When you get to the place where you have no will of your own and you turn it completely over to the Holy Spirit, it's at that time that he, the Holy Spirit, who knows the mind of God, he who has perfect knowledge and perfect wisdom, knowing the perfect will of God, will intercede for you before the throne. But you can only... Get the perfect will of God. You can only know the perfect will of the Spirit and the perfect will of the Son when you get to the place where you have no will of your own and your will is surrendered to the will of God. You become one in Him. When Jesus walked this earth, as much man as though he were not God. Never once did Jesus ever seek to do one thing that was separate and apart from God's will for him. They were so much one. The Father was so much one with the Son, and the Son was so much one with the Holy Spirit. that the three were one. And in his desire for his own, this is one of the things that he prayed for, that they may be one even as we are. I cannot begin to tell you how much I desire that. Nobody in the whole world knows how many, many times I have stopped and looked up, knowing that I had to have the guidance, the leadership, the wisdom of God. Oh, did I have the wisdom. Wisdom of God. More and more and more, I realize how often the wisdom of man fails. I must depend on the wisdom of God in making decisions. Just one little decision that I might make can affect the lives of... of people. I dare not lead on my own understanding. I dare not. I dare not seek my own desires, my own wishes. I dare not live for self. I dare not. The responsibility is too great. There's too much at stake. In fact, there's everything at stake. And if it be that only one person's life was at stake, and I made the wrong decision, that one life in the sight of God is the most valuable thing in the world. Therefore, I must seek to carry out His desire for me and for every one of His children that I be one in the Spirit with Him even as the Son and the Father were one. Consider that. Just consider that. You say, all right, how is that possible? Paul understood. He understood perfectly well. When enclosing one of his letters, he wrote, the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ. The love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. There is a closeness. There is a fellowship. Do you know what I'm talking about? Do you really know what I'm talking about? There is a communion. perhaps not an audible word is spoken. There is a constant communion that I do not have the vocabulary or the ability to express because it's something that is spiritual. And some of these spiritual experiences, one is unable to express in audible words. It's something that's there. It's something that's so sacred. It's something that you just don't tell the whole world about. It's like displaying the most priceless gem possible. You don't put it on display for the whole world, but it's there. It's precious. It's priceless. There can be such a oneness in the spirit between an individual, between a child. and his parents. Between the spiritual child and the Heavenly Father. Between the Holy Spirit and the Christian. That constantly you're conversing with him and yet a word is not being spoken. You're being guided by the Holy Spirit. When he guides, you follow. Remember, he is our guide. The Holy Spirit guides. He leads. And when you're led, you always follow. You know, inside of you, there's peace, there's joy, there's fellowship. And he gives wisdom. And he gives faith when faith is needed. And he gives strength when strength is needed. That's what Jesus was talking about when he said that they may be one even as we are one. That, my friend, is the... greatest experience a Christian can have.