John 17
"What Jesus Wants His Church To Be "

Gospelcom Bible Gateway

" ¹ Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, ²as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. ³And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. ⁴I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. ⁵And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. ⁶ "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. ⁷Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. ⁸For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. ⁹"I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. ¹⁰And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. ¹¹Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me,that they may be one as We are. ¹²While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. ¹³But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. ¹⁴I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. ¹⁸As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. ¹⁹And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. ²⁰ "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²²And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. ²⁴"Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. ²⁶And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

INTRODUCTION:

A. There was a small town in the midwest that had three churches: Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist. Each had the same problem - squirrels in the church. Each had a meeting to solve the problem. The Presbyterian's said that they were predestined to be in the church and the people would have to learn to live with them, The Methodist's decided to deal lovingly with them and gently and humanely trapped and released them. Of course, in 3 days they were back. The Baptist's had the answer. They voted them all as members, baptized them and now only see them on Christmas and Easter!

B. We all suffer from concepts of what the church is to be, what it is to do and how it is to act. The wrong concept is that the church is a place where people meet rather than a group of people who are called out together. Therefore, we ought not to be looking for the right place to meet but rather what kind of people we are to become to the glory of God.

C. As people we must not only be believers but belongers as a group of people growing together. We need to be committed to grow together as a family.

D. What does Jesus want His church to be?

1. The church ought to radiate the glory

2. The church ought to reveal the truth of God

3. The church ought to rescue the enemies of God

4.The church ought to rally around the love of God

I. The church ought to rescue the enemies of God (v. 14-19)

A. We have been sent on a mission to rescue those that are enmities

B. Someone once said that, "the church is the only organization that exists for the benefit of non-members"

C. What opportnities has God provided you in your walk to rescue others? What did you do about it?

D. Jesus said "Go into all the world." We have changed this mandate to "Come."

E. How has this impacted Christianity and your personal walk?

F. What is the normal pattern of Christian growth? Saved, Serving, Sent

G. "Father as you sent me into the world I send them into the world."

H. How do we rescue those that are in enmity with God?

1. By knowing our position in Chirst

a.We are to live in it but not of it

b. The world (Kosmos) means "an ordered system of ideals and energy controlled by the devil"

c. Notice Jesus' relationship with the world

1. Jesus saw it as a stopping off point to do HIs Fathers work and then he is out of there

2. It is the same with us.

3. Do you live as if this is the case? Why not?

4. John 17:14 - "....they are not of the world"

5. We are going to be hated

2. By growing in preparation (17)

a. Sanctified by the truth which is the Word of God

b. Why so much emphasis on the Word of God?

1. To swim in a sea of worldly tempation you need your "scuba gear" to survive in it and to not conform.

2. The pressure to conform to the outside needs to have pressure from Holy Spirit on the inside to confront it

3. "I want it to be said that I took everything I can get my hands on to inflict heavy damage on the enemy so that when I stand before my comander and chief I will hear well done good and faithful servant"

3. By going and fulfilling the mandate

a. What has been the Church's reaction over the ages

1. Isolate ourselves - Monastic movement

2. Insulate ourselves - the world is bad and we need to protect ourselves against it - The Pharisees

3. Vegetate - Becomes apathetic and live for their personal comfort

4.To imitate - The only way to survive is to be like the world so I can reach them (Compromise)

5. To permeate the world - filled with the Gospel of God and the Spirit of God.

b. Are you a live church or a dead church?

c. Not only does the world need you but you need the world. What does this mean for us a believers?

II. The church ought to rally around the love of God (v. 20-26)

A. Who are the "those" and who are "those who will believe in Me through their word" ?

B. Doesn't that excite you?

C. What is Jesus saying in these verses? Unity among Christians based upon love and truth (prays four times in this prayer)

1. What does unity mean?

a. This doesn't mean ecumenical unity

b. This doesn't mean uniformity either

c. This does mean that the unity is to be based upon the revelation of who Jesus is to us

⁸For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. ⁹"I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. ¹⁰And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. ¹¹Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me,that they may be one as We are.

2. Why is unity important? That the world might beleive that God sent Jesus. Our unity proves the veracity of the Gospel.

3. "In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty and in all things charity" - St. Augustine

APPLICATION:

1. Look at where you are at and ask God to show you who He has called you to reach out and rescue?

2. Take a moment to reflect on your walk and those areas that you are not promoting unity. Confess it and ask God to show you what he would have you do about it.

MEMORY VERSE FOR THIS WEEK

John 17:1-4

^"1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, ²as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. ³And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. ^"