The Final Discourse and Prayer Of Jesus

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The Final Discourse and Prayer Of Jesus

Jesus' final discourse and prayer is best documented in The Gospel of John, chapters fifteen through seventeen. In chapter fourteen of John, Jesus, as if by introduction, said, Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God. Believe in me also. In this same chapter, He also said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you know me, you know my Father also. The final discourse begins with chapter fifteen.

        I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, He prunes and purges so it may bring forth more fruit. Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abide in the vine, no more can you unless you abide in me.

        I am the vine. You are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, brings forth much fruit; for, without me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is a branch that is cut off and will wither. Men gather these and cast them into the fire to be burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, all that you ask will be done. This is how my Father is glorified; that you bear much fruit and, by doing so, are my disciples.

        As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Continue in my love. If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love. I tell you this so that my joy will remain in you and your joy will be full.

        This is my commandment, That you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends. If you do what I command you, I do not call you servants. The servant does not know what his lord does. But I call you friends because all that I have heard from my Father, I have made known to you.

        You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you so you will go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit will remain so that whatever you ask of the Father in my name, He will give it to you.

        These things I command you, that you love one another. If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But you are not of the world. I have chosen you out of the world. Therefore the world will hate you. Remember that I told you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept my word, they will keep yours also. But they will do all these things to you for my name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent me.

        If I had not come and spoken to them, they would be innocent of sin. But now they have no cloak to hide their sin. He who hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done works which no other man has done, they would not have sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.

        This all comes to pass so that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law: They hated me without a cause. But when the Comforter comes, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about me. And you also will bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning.

        I am telling you these things so you are not offended. They will put you out of the synagogues. The time will come when whoever kills you will think that he does God a service. And they will do these things to you because they have not known the Father nor me. I did not tell you these things at the beginning because I was with you. But now I am going away to the one who sent me. And none of you ask, Where are you going? But because I have said these things sorrow has filled your hearts.

        But, I tell you the truth, it is best for you that I go away. If I do not go the Comforter will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send Him to you. When He comes, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. Of sin, because they do not believe in me. Of righteousness, because I go to my Father and you see me no more. Of judgment, because the evil one who is prince of this world is condemned.

        I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot hear them now. However, when the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all truth because He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will reveal. He will show you things to come. He will glorify me because He will take from what is my own and reveal it to you. All things that the Father has are mine and that is why I said He will take from my own and reveal it to you. In a little while you will not see me. And then, in a little while, you will see me, because I am going to the Father.

        Then some of His disciples said among themselves, What is this that He said to us? In a little while you will not see me? And in a little while you will see me, because I am going to the Father? What is this little while? We cannot tell what He said. Now Jesus knew that they wanted to ask Him, and He said to them, Are you wondering about In a little while you will not see me, and, in a little while, you will see me?

        I tell you, You will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful but your grief will be turned into joy. When a woman is in labor she is troubled because her hour has come. But as soon as she delivers the child she remembers her anguish no more because of her joy over a new birth to the world. So you now have sorrow. But I will see you again. And your heart will rejoice. And no one can take your joy from you. In that day you will need to ask nothing of me. Whatever you ask the Father in my name, He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, so your joy may be full.

        I have said these things as examples. But the time will come when I will use no more examples because I will show you plainly from the Father. On that day you will ask Him in my name and I will not have to say that I will ask the Father for you. For the Father Himself loves you because you love me and believe that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I leave the world and go to the Father.

        His disciples said to Him, now you speak plainly. Jesus said, Do you now believe? The hour comes, yes, has now come, when you will be scattered and on your own. You will leave me alone. Yet, I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have said these things to you so that, in me, you will have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But, be of good cheer, because I have overcome the world.

        Jesus spoke these words. Then He lifted His eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy Son so that thy Son may also glorify thee, as you have given Him power over all flesh so He could give eternal life to as many as you have given Him. This is life eternal, that they might know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work that you gave me to do.

        And now, glorify me, Father, with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. I have manifested your name to those you gave me from the world. They were yours and you gave them to me. They have kept your word. Now they know that all things you have given me are from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me. They have received them and they know truly that I came from you, and they have believed that you did send me.

        I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those you have given me, because they are yours. All of mine are yours, just as yours are mine; and I am glorified in them. Now I am in the world no more but they are in the world. I come to thee, Holy Father. Keep, through your own name, those you have given me, so they may be one, just as we are One.

        While I was with them in the world I kept them in your name. I have kept those that you gave me. None of them is lost, except the son of perdition so that the scripture would be fulfilled. Now I come to you and speak these things in the world so they will have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

        I have given them your word. The world has hated them because they are not of the world as I am not of the world. I do not pray that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from evil. They are not of the world as I am not of the world. Perfect them through your truth. Your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have also sent them into the world. And, for their sakes, I sanctify myself that they also might be perfected through the truth.

        Neither do I pray for these alone. But I pray also for those who will believe in me through their word so that they all may be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you. They also may be one in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. And the glory which you gave me, I have given them, so they may be made perfect in one, as we are One, and so the world may know that you have sent me, and love them as you love me.

        Father, I wish those you gave me may also be with me where I am. May they behold my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the world began. O righteous Father, the world has not known you. But I have known you, and the ones you have sent me have known you. I have declared your name to them. And I declare that the love, with which you have loved me, be in them, and I in them.