Mike Bickle emphasizes the power of Jesus interceding for His people, drawing from Zechariah 3 where Joshua, accused by Satan, receives God's mercy and blessing. Bickle explains that while accusations from the enemy can affect our lives, we have the authority to resist them in Jesus' name, leading to spiritual and relational restoration. He connects this Old Testament truth to Romans 8, highlighting that Jesus, as our advocate, silences accusations and intercedes for us, ensuring we are justified and blessed. The sermon encourages believers to recognize their identity in Christ and to stand firm against the enemy's lies, embracing the grace and mercy offered through Jesus.

A message on Zechariah 3. I want to do a part 2 on it and take the first few moments to remind you of some of the things that were said about Zechariah 3. Now Zechariah 3 is this classic chapter in the Bible of which one of God's leaders, Joshua, was being accused by Satan. Satan was accusing him fiercely and the Lord broke in and stopped the accusation of Satan and released the blessing of God onto Joshua. And the simple message is that Satan is set on bringing accusation to us and that accusation actually has a corresponding expression in our natural lives and in our spiritual lives. Meaning when the accusation is silenced and we break our agreement, we use the name of Jesus, it actually has effect on our spiritual life, our heart, and on our circumstances. And that was some themes that we developed several weeks ago. I want to give a little bit of review on this and then move on to a New Testament application of Zechariah 3, which would be Romans chapter 8 where Paul takes the truth of Zechariah 3 but through the lens of the cross and resurrection. And then he tells us what it looks like, this same truth, but through the work of the cross and the victory of the resurrection and the ascension. Well paragraph A, first I'll start with a short prophetic testimony. Deborah Hebert who helped start IHOP 15 years ago and part of our senior leadership team, she had a prophetic dream 14 years ago. It was in the winter of 2001 and in this prophetic dream, which I told a bit more detail of several weeks ago, but I'll just recap it. She saw that on January 26th the Lord was going to emphasize and release a blessing on the spiritual family related to Zechariah chapter 3. Now that's a little bit random, January 26th, Zechariah chapter 3. And she was very touched by this and shared it and so when January 26th came, nothing apparently happened. And then the next January 26th, then the next year, the next year, the next year, for 14 years nothing apparently happens that's unusual, that's noticeable. But several weeks ago, 2015, January 26th, our friendship group about 20-30 leaders were meet together in a friendship group and they were meeting on this Monday and Alan Hood and several others, they just began to share spontaneously about Zechariah chapter 3. It's on January 26th. Now they have are not connected with the dream from 14 years ago, although every single year on January 26th Deborah says, is this the year? And that very morning she's crying out for the Lord, Lord we need this release. Well Alan speaks and Corey, Russell and a few others and a lot of people are touched. Diane and I were in Florida on vacation but we're getting these emails. The Lord's doing something powerful in our friendship group and people are being touched. It was a special thing and it ends up, it happens to be, it's exactly on January 26th. So I'm, I put the things together and talked with Deborah, said this is the beginning of that. There we are entering a season as a spiritual family, it's more than a day, but that was a day where it was confirmed and highlighted so that we're aware we're in that season. Zechariah chapter 3 where the accusation of the enemy is being, is resisted by the Lord and the Lord's people and there's a corresponding release of God's blessing in our lives related to that accusation being hindered and stopped and confronted. Well a week later, which was two three weeks ago, a week after January 26th, I have this very unusual prophetic dream and it's on this truth and I experience it myself in a way that I know is for the the spiritual family here and so that's why I'm taking two weeks to address the subject because I believe it's significant and relevant enough for our personal lives, our relationships, our families, our marriages to address the subject. Well in this dream, a week after January 26th, again just a couple weeks ago, I'll say it again briefly, I give more details a couple weeks ago when I told this story, but I'm praying, I'm talking to several people from the fellowship here, from the ministry here and we're sitting around a table fellowshipping and it becomes apparent to me the enemy is wanting to hinder God's blessing in their life and so I extend my hand and I say in the name of Jesus I take authority over Satan's work and I break the power of this and as I'm doing this in this dream I wake up and just like in the dream my hand is extended but now I'm awake and I finish the sentence. In the dream I go, in the name of Jesus I rebuke you. I go like, what? You know, I'm in a conversation. Okay, wow, that was strange. So that's about two o'clock in the morning so I go back to sleep and about an hour later I have the same sort of dream. I'm seeing people in the congregation and and I'm doing the same thing. I go, in the name of Jesus and I wake up, my hand is extended and I finish the sentence. I go, wow, that happened twice in one night. That's an unusual thing. It happens a third time and so then, you know, that morning at the 6 a.m. prayer meeting I get Alan and Debra together and I go, hey, I just had an encounter about Zechariah 3 that you guys experienced in the home group a week ago on January 26th. This is a season. Now this truth of Zechariah 3 is always true. It's always true throughout all of church history but there are seasons where the Lord highlights truths and corresponding blessings that become evident and manifest and so I'm believing that we're in this time where the Lord wants us to have a heightened awareness of the fact the enemy is accusing and when the enemy accuses, we don't take it, we don't agree with it, we don't just lie down before it and say, oh well, you know, woe is me, but we take our stand and in the name of Jesus we resist it and it does have a corresponding impact on our lives, our marriages, our families, on the things that we're doing. We're here in Zechariah chapter 3 paragraph B. We'll go back to the story, short recap. Joshua, this is about 500 years BC. Joshua is one of the main spiritual leaders of Israel. Matter of fact, he's the high priest and the prophet Zechariah is seeing this open vision. He's seeing the high priest standing before the Lord and Satan is there and Satan is accusing this high priest of the Lord, saying before the Lord, this man is disqualified from his leadership. This man is not in a position to receive the blessing of God. This man's work is worthless and he's accusing him, I mean with fierceness and the Lord answers Satan back and the Lord rebukes Satan. Now the problem we find out as you read Zechariah 3 is that Joshua actually did have compromise in his life. It was actually true. So Satan wasn't exaggerating that point, but he was using it to prove that Joshua was disqualified from his position and from the place of leadership. Now paragraph C, we find out that the word Satan actually means accuser. The Hebrew word when translated means accuser because Satan's one of his most effective tactics against the body of Christ is to accuse us night and day. It's so effective he does it night and day. There's a reason it's night and day because he says hey this this strategy is working and so when Satan is accusing us before the throne of God, his demonic emissaries, demons, and I'm assuming there's billions of them when nobody knows the number, but there's multitudes. Those demons are echoing that accusation in the minds and inspiring these ideas in the minds of believers all around the world. That is one of their primary ministries, I'm not ministries, I mean assignments is to fill our mind with accusing thoughts. Now we think the thoughts came from us and their thoughts are I'm disqualified. Thoughts of I've gone too far, it's too late, I don't have enough resource to do the will of God, nobody is paying attention to what I'm doing anyway, it's not making any impact, I'm not gaining any ground, I'm not getting victory in that area. The last years I've never had a breakthrough and it's many different expressions of accusation that hits our minds and demons are are very focused on inspiring again there's not just failure but it's in our character but it's also the mission won't work, the assignment don't work, I'm not getting a recognized, nobody is appreciating it, all kinds of thoughts hit our mind, hit our mind. Now the enemy wants us to stay in agreement with them because if they get lodged in our mind and we agree with them then it has greater negative impact on our life. We're to resist them but not only are we to resist them when they hit our mind, we're not to give voice to those accusations to the people that we are connected to. In a lot of marriages the one spouse to another is voicing and echoing the accusation of the enemy to the other. We're parents to children, children to parents, siblings and just all kinds of relationships, ministry relationships, marketplace relationships that we don't want to receive the accusation, we don't want to give voice to it because when it's expressed and when it's received the enemy can hinder the blessing of God in a greater way. In paragraph D let's read and see what the Lord did. So the Lord, Zechariah 3 verse 2, paragraph D, the Lord says to Satan he's hearing these this aggressive accusation that's disqualifying Joshua's leadership and his calling and the Lord says the Lord rebuke you Satan. Then he adds a phrase he says the Lord who chose Jerusalem rebuke you. Is this not a brand plucked from the fire? So the Lord the good news is he doesn't receive the accusation and neither should we. But he rebukes Satan twice and that's what I was doing in this dream a week after that January 26 leaders gathering when Zechariah 3 was being highlighted by the Lord to a group of leaders and then the week later I have the dream and I'm doing this with our spiritual body. It's really Zechariah chapter 3 verse 2 and this is the very thing Jesus does, Paul reveals in Romans 8 but he adds new dimensions to it that really make it powerful. We'll get there in just a moment. So when the Lord says to Satan the Lord who chose Jerusalem rebuke you. That's a very significant title that the Lord gives himself. He's the Lord who chose Jerusalem and the idea is this Jerusalem from the view of the Hebrew prophets, the Jewish prophets is one of the most wicked cities in human history. Jerusalem is called in the Bible by the prophets the harlot city. Jerusalem is called the city that murdered the prophets. There was a city on a number of occasions that the leaders of the city were deeply involved in Satan worship. They were involved in human sacrifice to Satan. Just I mean steep in bloodshed and immorality and oppression of the poor. A very wicked city. Here's what God is saying to Satan. He goes I chose Jerusalem to give mercy and you know how wicked Jerusalem is but Jerusalem did not out send the boundaries of the grace of God. I'm the God of mercy. I've even chosen Jerusalem and I will recover Jerusalem. How much more can I recover Joshua's life and his destiny and his testimony? I mean this is a this is a Satan does not like this and God put the Bible points to Jerusalem as a illustration to all of history. If God is that extravagant in grace to forgive Jerusalem and choose Jerusalem and crown Jerusalem with glory how much more will he do to any human being? That's the idea. So he looks at Satan and he says the God that forgives continually the wicked city of Jerusalem and crowns Jerusalem with glory ultimately that's the God that is forgiving Joshua. And then he goes on and he says is not Joshua like a brand or put the word branch like a branch plucked out of a bonfire? Isn't Joshua wasn't he on the verge of destruction several times in his life already? Didn't I pull him out of destruction of in due time and I delivered him? So I'm the God who who chose Jerusalem I'm the God of mercy. I'm the God who plucked him like a branch out of a bonfire. I'm the God that turns around circumstances and delivers from destruction. He goes Joshua is under my care and in my sight. Satan I rebuke you. And that's in essence what I was I didn't say that elaborate but saying in that dream and it was for this spiritual family and it's not about me praying it but it's it's as highlighted to me that's a season we're in and 14 years ago Deborah saw this dream and that it would be highlighted some year on January 26 and it was this year and I'm confident that the Lord is saying I want you to really take hold of this and appropriate this and enter into the blessing of what the Lord saying here look at paragraph 8 the Lord went on to say verse 3 Zechariah 3 verse 3 and 4 that Joshua his garments were in fact dirty. I mean he did have issues in his life that needed to be repented of. I mean he was disqualified if he was going to only get what he deserved. Then verse 4 the Lord says something opposite of Satan because Satan is accusing him Satan is saying set him down write him off be finished and the Lord says opposite take the dirty garments cover him forgive him restore him and so he has the exact opposite pronouncement of the Lord. Then look at this word here in the end in verse 4 it says see tell Joshua this see I have removed your garments I've forgiven you see Joshua I've put robes of salvation on you and the exhortation is it's not enough that the Lord rebukes Satan the Lord intercedes we need to see it we need to agree with it we need to stand with it and we need to respond to it for it to have the full impact on our life at any given season of our spiritual life. Well paragraph F it says look down here in verse 6 it goes on the angel of the Lord which speaks of the Lord he admonished Joshua this is important because a an admonishment is an exhortation but with a tone of correction so he's exhorting but it and even encouraging but it has a tone of correction in it and he gives him two exhortations he says here in verse 6 Joshua you need to walk in my ways and number two you need to keep my command and the command in this verse this passage means obey the assignment that I gave you and I developed that a couple weeks ago in the notes if you want to check that out we have that on the archive on the website if you want to then he gives him a promise he says Joshua if you will do this you will walk in my ways if you will renounce these areas receive my forgiveness commit yourself to obedience here at the end of verse 7 you'll judge my house the leadership calling the leadership grace will be restored and multiplied in your life then he goes on to say he goes I'll even give you access to those who are standing in my midst he's talking about the angels because I'll give you access to the supernatural dimension of the kingdom in a greater way now notice in verse 7 it's a big if I mean the the if is important and the if is real and the reason I want to point that out is that God is gracious in his in his mercy and grace but it's unto giving us confidence to rise up receive a new beginning so that we have a resolve to obey him meaning some folks they present the grace of God is God just covering sin that's the end of the story no he covers sin in order to empower us to have courage and confidence to stand before the Lord you love me I love you I give myself fully to your leadership it's not forgiveness just so that we can keep on sinning it's forgiveness to produce confidence to produce gratitude to produce courage and has to rise up to obey the Lord now a lot of folks today all around the world they're presenting the message of the grace of God as license to sin they're magnifying the grace of God in a non-biblical way and people are hearing and they're saying well God is so gracious hey I mean let boy you know let boys be boys you know I mean God is so full I mean the cross did it let's continue in our compromise and God's Word here in Zechariah 3 to the spiritual leader Joshua wasn't I'm covering you so you can keep doing it I'm covering you to fill you with gratitude to give you confidence and courage to rise up renounce these areas in your life and press into God Jesus takes sin very seriously and in the body of Christ today sin is is often just being reduced to a form of human weakness it's like well you know we struggle we're all weak and we want to be sympathetic we want to be merciful but because of sin Jesus had to become human and was crushed by the wrath of God I mean sin really cost him a lot he didn't want to just forgive us he wants sin to be forgiven and he wants us to walk away from it so we enter into that dynamic partnership with him that's filled with love that really is a is in his heart it's about forgiveness under walking in love which is wholehearted obedience now folks talk about the Bible talks I mean about confession of sin now confession of sin is much more than a verbal admission of sin some people go I confessed it and what they mean is they verbally admitted that's a that's a part of confession but confession biblical confession means the renouncing of the sin it means the making it a premier issue in your life to walk away from that area of sin it's not just to say thank you for the forgiveness but it creates another response of I don't want that I'm warring against it I may stumble in it again but it's a premier issue in my life to resist it to say no to it to find a way in the grace of God to walk in freedom from it now today one of the prevalent things in our culture is pornography I mean pornography is it's just filling the Western culture all around the Western world and beyond and it's become you know 20 years ago it was like it was like horrifying but it's become so normalized in the culture and it's all through the church culture as well but this sin has been reduced to human weakness like well I struggle with that a little bit you know I do have a struggle with that I want to say that the Lord is sympathetic with our failures but pornography isn't just a general little struggle it is a grievous sin that really injures our relationship with the Lord it injures our ability to receive the love of God and walk in the love of God and express the love of God and my point being I mean I'm not going to go through a list of 20 things I mean you could have a list it wouldn't be hard to come up with it my point is things that have become normal normalized in our culture sins grievous that defile our relationship that injure our walk with God that hurt our destiny in God have been reduced to weakness that we all kind of pat each other back we are trying to get free but if we don't we don't it's not a premier issue of our life to break loose from that demonic hold in our life immorality the church is filled with it because the culture is and it's not so troubling in the church like it used to be let me say the biblical definition of immorality is all sexual activity with another person that's outside of the covenant of marriage of one man and one woman the biblical definition of marriage is one man one woman all sexual activity outside of that is immorality you know a lot of young people and older folks as well well we love each other we're probably gonna get married we know we're gonna get married it's not that big a deal I want to say the biblical point of view Jesus's leadership all of that is sin and immorality now I'm not saying this like I'm just like you know trying to make you feel bad I'm telling you that the leader of love Jesus himself is saying I didn't make these commands to hinder love I made these commands to express love to define love so you can walk in it immorality outside of the covenant of marriage any sexual activity outside the covenant of marriage is immorality we need to look at that and say wow okay well we're gonna get married in a year the Lord says well live under my leadership and stay in the boundaries of what I call love not what the culture calls love my point being is that we don't want to accept the cultures lax casual definitions of sin they're grievous they injure our life they injure our walk with God they injure our destiny and God is telling Joshua here I'll forgive you I'll rebuke the devil I'll reinstate you I'll give you a new beginning but I verse 6 I want you to walk in my ways I don't want you to receive my kindness and just kind of like say be casual about it I want you to be serious I'm gonna restore your leadership I'm gonna open up the realm of the supernatural where you have access among where the angels dwell that's the supernatural dimension of the kingdom let's go to page 2 I mean holiness is love purity is all about love I want to walk in purity because I want to enjoy love feel love express love purity and holiness are not hindrances to the real stuff holiness and purity that is where real love we're real exhilaration in our spiritual life takes place well in Romans chapter 8 Paul is taking the truth of Zechariah 3 and he's reading it through the lens of the cross I mean if you think the angel the Lord rebuking Satan is a powerful reality this is the Lord himself paid for the paid the penalty of our sin purchased our redemption standing in the court of the father as our advocate standing as the intercessor saying the opposite of Satan see Satan says they're finished there's no hope in them going there's no use to them going forward Jesus is opposite they're not finished I've paid the debt they're under my leadership they're connected to me they are my companion my eternal companion Jesus is giving the exact opposite argument before the father that Satan gives here in paragraph B Romans 8 verse 33 and 34 gives us again a snapshot of Zechariah 3 through the lens of the cross Paul he asked a question who shall bring a charge against God's elect and what he means is who's gonna go before God's court and charge God's elect in a way that has consequences I mean who has the authority to make a judgment a final judgment that God will back up in his court he goes who could bring a charge against God's elect Satan accuses but he didn't have the authority to charge meaning Satan didn't have the authority to to execute a sentence or a punishment against us he has no authority in God's court he only has accusations so when Paul says who shall bring a charge against God's elect then in verse 34 who is he who condemns when he uses the word to bring a charge or who is he that condemns he's using the idea who has the authority to execute a punishment a judgment that has consequences that the father will back up who can do that in Paul's point in Romans 8 most of you know the chapter he says the next passages the next verses are who can separate us from the love of God God is the one standing on our behalf he's the one that justified us he goes Satan can't cancel us out angels can't demons can't somebody who's mad at you their accusation doesn't have power in God's court negative circumstances nothing can cancel you out in Zechariah chapter 3 what because it's God who justifies you it's God who justifies you here in verse 33 now when he says it's God who justifies you he's speaking of the father he goes it's the father's court it's the father's plan it's the father who sent the son it's the father who accepts the son's blood is pleased with his sacrifice who then announces in his court the father that we are innocent because the debt is paid so Paul is saying don't yield to those accusations don't agree with them don't give voice to them in your own life or the life of anybody else beloved in God's court nobody can bring a charge or a condemnation meaning a to execute a sentence against you their only word Satan he can accuse but he can't condemn then he goes on in verse 34 and he identifies for historical events that for historical events that are significant and a part of the father justifying us I'll say it that way number one historical event Christ died number two historical event he rose the third historical event he's at the right hand of the father and the fourth historical event is that he makes intercession for us now Paul again he's taking the Zachariah 3 context reality he's presenting it through the lens of the cross he's using the legal language of a courtroom Satan is the prosecutor he's coming after us to prove that we are disqualified our sin is too much Jesus is the defense attorney he's the advocate he's the lawyer saying now I'm defending them the price has already been paid the sentence of judgments ought to be executed against me I paid for it the father is not going to judge the same sin twice because that would be injustice in his court and I paid for it so let's look here in paragraph 4 let's look at these events these four historical events number one which is paragraph 4 here Christ died for us here's the idea he received historical fact the innocent one took the place took the role of the guilty one all of our sin was placed on him the innocent one became guilty so that us the guilty ones have become innocent and God in God's court it's a legal declaration his righteousness has been given to us it's been put on our account it's a legal exchange the debt is fully paid is the idea that's a glorious reality okay paragraph 5 the second thing that happens the second historical fact Christ is risen now some people they miss the idea of how Paul is of why Paul is emphasizing the resurrection in the context because the context here is who can accuse you the context here is who can cancel you out the context here is what circumstance is proof that God has given up on you the devil's accusing you he's even got people saying are you even agreed with it here and there when you've yielded to the enemy's lies but it goes these four historical facts prove the opposite now what the resurrection was in this context resurrection has many implications but the resurrection was God's public declaration that he was fully satisfied with the offering of Jesus's death or his blood before him so when the father saw Jesus and Jesus told in essence he says I'm gonna offer myself for you and the father's going to accept you and the Apostles okay good we trust you he dies he goes to the ground they're going okay how do we know the father accepted your blood on our behalf how do we know for sure a human being with a physical body is raised from the dead with a fully operational glorified body they're looking at him and Paul tells us the resurrection one of the resurrection it's proof that the death of Jesus was accepted by the father it's a public declaration and the public doesn't mean just that today publicly we read the Bible and we believe it now I mean that's important but what happened in first Corinthians 15 Jesus did something that's never happened in history before he appeared to 500 people at one time never in history before or after has a dead man received a resurrected physical body and appeared to 500 people this was not a vision I'm talking about a man with his real body fingers elbows toes bones he appeared to them and they're looking at him and Jesus is saying this is proof this is proof the father was pleased with my sacrifice of myself this is proof the father is satisfied and these 500 people and all the Apostles they see this the Apostles touch him they handle him and they tell the story it's not a cleverly crafted fable many of these people died a martyr's death because they believed it they saw this and it's that witness of the early of the early church those Apostles of the 500 and others who testified they saw his physical body policy that's proof that's proof again they were they were not it was not a crafted fable they were willing to die for it they were so convinced because it was real it is proof because that's historical fact number two and the idea is it doesn't matter who's accusing you Jesus rose from the dead as proof the father was satisfied and pleased and accepted Jesus's death on our account well the third historical fact is paragraph 6 Jesus a man is exalted to the right hand of the father I mean this is I mean we're used to the idea sort of I don't think we really get this a a human being is at the right hand of the father not an angel a human who is sympathetic to the whole human race because he's human he knows the human condition he knows the human plight he knows the temptations so God raised him up enthroned him and in John chapter 5 verse 22 the Bible says that all judgment of the human race was given to a human God is judging humans by a human who understands the real plight of human life on the earth a sympathetic judge so the father Paul is saying there's a man that's been exalted he has more authority over anyone nobody can get by him to the father because the father gave all power to judge to him he has a name above every demon above every angel above every enemy you will have Jesus has a more powerful position and so Paul is saying the historical fact this isn't just a faith fact this man rose from the dead in a point in time and ascended and sits on a literal throne at the father's right hand and that's proof that nobody can get to the father with an accusation that the father will receive unless they go through Jesus and Jesus is at the right hand of the father with authority to judge everyone and Paul says he's the one that died he's the one that rose for you he's the one at the judgment seat he's not just our lawyer he's the judge he goes you're in good shape nobody's gonna get through to the Lord I mean to the father because they got to go through Jesus Jesus's word is the only word of judgment that counts then Paul says well it doesn't end there the fourth historical fact he makes intercession for you and the verse earlier a handout I wrote in Hebrews 5 I mean 7 verse 25 Jesus lives forever to make intercession I mean that's a remarkable reality that Jesus was engaged in intercession before the cross and he's engaged in intercession after the cross the intercession just means prayer Jesus prays for his people you say well I mean God the father has all authority and all blessing why did the father just like wave his hand and bless us and the scriptures is now God the father releases blessing corresponding to prayer because he wants humans involved in the process of the father releasing his blessings well there's a human named Jesus he's fully resurrected he's at the right hand of the father it's a man it's a man who's interceding for man or a human being interceding for human beings I mean with greater power and authority before the father he says that he is perpetually interceding that the blessing of God would increase more increase more increase more and Paul's point is this he says who can charge you in God's court who has the authority to execute a sentence who has authority to make anything stick in God's court the father is the one that justified you Jesus paid the price he rose from the dead and the father proved the 500 people that he was pleased with that man by letting him appear that's only happened one time in history that a man rose from the dead and appear to 5,500 people at one time I mean Lazarus was raised from the dead he was resurrected he died a little bit later Jesus has a glorified resurrected body no man's ever done that before Jesus ascended to the position of judge of all at the right hand of the father the ultimate position of authority and Jesus is the one doing the opposite of accusation father cover them father bless them father release your full glory in their life father release this and release that well you say what exactly is Jesus saying I mean what's what's he crying out for what here in paragraph C and this is just a three-minute introduction to kind of wet your appetite for John 17 which we will develop in the days to come John 17 is the prayer Jesus prayed for his disciples before the cross now we know because Jesus never changes never changes he's the same today yesterday and forever Hebrews 13 tells us never changes so the way he prayed for his disciples then gives us insight in the way that he prays for his disciples now Jesus is interceding for us now what's he asking for well John 17 doesn't give everything but it gives us some of the main themes of which Jesus is saying father release more of this release more of this release more of this in their life and and the whole intercessory prayer ministry in heaven and earth that come into unity by the orchestration of the Holy Spirit we are to pray and agree with the way Jesus is praying for us look here in John 17 now when every one of these phrases put your name in it I mean I make this personal this is about me it's about me and him I'm going on this what I'm believing for and then when I pray for a friend or a family member or my wife or sons grandchildren daughters-in-law I could put their name in here I mean look at verse 6 again I'm only gonna just hit for about two minutes on this and kind of stir you up and make you kind of man I want to really go after John 17 we starts off in verse 6 I love it he says Lord the man you've given me they kept my they kept your word and I'm glorified in him I go really they kept your word and you're glorified in that Jesus said to an hour earlier at the Last Supper he told him every one of you are gonna deny me tonight and Peter Satan's gonna sift you and you're gonna totally deny me I go this is pretty gracious Lord and Lord says now I see their failures but I see the resolve of their heart to be mine and God the Bible tells us God is abounding in grace and very kind and so it starts off he declares his gracious view of weak men I mean I could take an hour and outlay out the failures of the Apostles that are in the Bible and I could imagine some that aren't in the Bible but Jesus look at this gracious as I go father verse 6 I have kept your word I mean through the lens of Jesus I have you know what I mean father I mean of you know that's how he looks at that's how he looks at because he sees the resolve of our heart to say yes to him and to walk this thing out then he goes on in verse 11 he says here's the first actual request is in verse 11 this is the the primary one that gets unpacked and elaborated on through the rest of John 17 keep father keep them through your name so he's appealing to the father as though the father is the shepherd of the flock now we know Jesus is the shepherd but the Bible makes it describes the father as the shepherd he's saying father I have kept them for three years now I'm entrusting them into your hands that you would keep them in your name and what that means and again we'll develop this quite a bit more in the days to come to keep them in your name means God show it means much more than this but show them who you are to them and who they are to you through the realization of what is involved in the relationship who you are to them as the healer as the Holy God is the leader the provider all these things the Redeemer show them who you are to them and show them your investment and how dear they are to you keep them by the revelation the realization of how your name and your character is interacting with their salvation and their everyday life is the great shepherd then he goes again there's so much more to that but that's a powerful statement I say father keep me in your name reveal the fullness of who you are and who I am to you that keeps my life energized and then in verse 15 he says keep them from the evil one verse 17 sanctify them with truth release the spirit of revelation on their heart give them living understanding look at verse 23 that they would be made perfect in one that's about restoring relationships to where there's a deep heart connect of the most important relationships that we're not just tolerating our relationship so we enter into a deep heart connect Jesus is saying restore and bring to fullness all God-ordained relationships that's what he's saying right here he goes on to the next one he goes let them know that you love them the way you love me reveal the father heart of God to them Jesus is praying that the father heart of God would be revealed to me into you like a lord I love that prayer father Jesus asked you to reveal your father's heart to me show me who you are is the father verse 24 Jesus said that they would be with me where I am that they would be with me that they would have a dynamic partnership of loyal love of obedience they would be walking with me and so we're asking that we're agreeing with that prayer that we would enter into those things that they would behold they or would participate in the manifestation of my glory that Jesus is praying that I would participate in his glory the power of God the gifts of the spirit the fruit of the spirit the wisdom of the spirit Jesus is asking the father that I would enter into more of that in the same for you I go yes yes and here's my favorite one at all the great crescendo and Jesus says yes father here it is his final prayer for the Saints before he goes to the cross he goes father and the love with which you love me you put it in them they would love me like you do father this is my final heart cry Jesus is praying that I would love him in a supernatural way like the father does beloved I'm taking hold of the same I go Paul if Jesus is interceding these things and he died for me he rose from the dead is the proof that I'm justified he's at the right hand of the father is the ultimate judge of the whole human race and he's crying out that I would enter to the glory of God the love of God kept from evil one who can judge me who can accuse me who can prevail upon me beloved Paul takes this Zachariah 3 passage to a whole nother level and this is what the Lord is saying to us I want you beloved people this spiritual family I want you to enter into this in a greater way in this season well a man and a man we're gonna pray I'm gonna pray like we did this three four weeks ago we're gonna do it again for just five minutes and what I'm gonna do I'm gonna pray what I saw in that dream because it was over the spiritual family so I'm gonna ask you all to stand and get in groups of six or seven and I want one person self-appointed leader of the group just say hey I'll do it I want everybody that that guy or gal to lay hands on there's just on their shoulder just in a non-invasive way just touch them and ten seconds and we're gonna pray and rebuke the enemy I want this for every single person in the room you don't have to say anything if you don't want to and so one guy I'm gonna pray here they're gonna lay hands I want everybody with hands laid on him again just just touch them gently on the shoulder and I'm gonna believe God for this thing to be shifted in this spiritual family I mean the blessing of God so I'm asking you everyone to be involved in this just for literally for five more minutes and I believe we're gonna see some some impact in people's lives father in the name of Jesus according to Zechariah 3 according to Romans chapter 8 there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus Satan I rebuke you in the name of Jesus I rebuke your accusations I release the blessing of God again one of you take leadership you're in a circle you don't have to hold hands if you don't want to you can if you want to but make sure everybody gets the one focus prayer for at least ten seconds then take a long time and you can add to the prayer if you want to the others of you in the group I'm gonna ask the worship team to continue on this and just to sing I'm gonna pray for another minute that I have to slip out because I have to catch that plane and to that leaders meeting in North Carolina I gotta catch a plane in just a moment here but father in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus I ask you keep them in your name I ask you keep them from the evil one I ask you father restore them in unity restore every God-ordained relationship God I ask you they would participate in the glory of God I ask they would see the father's heart God I ask you that you would fill them with the love wherewith you love your son and I pronounce blessing and I speak against the enemy's work in everyone's life even now in the name of Jesus Father, keep them. Lord, keep them. Keep them. Keep them in your name, Abba. Keep them from the evil one. Keep them in your name, Abba.