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- Jesus highest teachings, given just to his disciples in John 14–17 come to a climax in his prayer at the end,
and now we reach the very pinnacle of the prayer
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Sermon Outline - The High Point in the whole of Jesus’ Teachings
Goal:
To receive the task that Jesus gives us
with joy, excitement and determination to do it.
Plan for today
- Unboxing the exquisite gem of the 6th prayer
- Seven Questions about the prayer
- How it calls us to respond
Structure of John
1–12
”Book of Signs” |
13–21
”Book of Glory” |
John 13–21 “Book of Glory”
13 A meal with the disciples
14–17 New Teaching
from Jesus
to the disciples |
18–20 Arrest
Crucifixion
Resurrection |
21 A meal with the disciples
Last Week: John 17:17–19
- Make them 100% committed to the message
- Just as you sent me into the world
- So I send them
- And for their sakes
- I’m 100% committed
- So that they will be 100% committed to the message
1. Unboxing the exquisite gem of the 6th prayer
A very natural form
- I wish I could support my friends who are in need
But I would need more income
which would mean a better job
So I am praying for this
so that when God answers my prayer
and gives me a better job
and I have more income
I can support those in need
That was an intro. Let’s get into the prayer
2. Seven Questions about the prayer
Questions
- What does it mean to “be one”?
- What does in look like in practice?
- Is it local or global?
- Has this prayer been answered?
- What does it mean that we have been given Jesus’ glory?
- Is it going to happen before Christ’s return?
- Do we have to do anything?
Development of teaching in John
10:30 I and the Father are one
13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another.”
14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me?
14:20 At that time you will know that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you
17:11 Holy Father, keep them safe in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, just as we are one.
What kind of Oneness?
- All believing exactly the same?
- The world needs to see a general agreement between Chrstians about what they believe
- But lack of healthy diversity in ideas is very worrying
- Do people trust organizations (e.g. political parties) where everyone believes exactly the same?
Are they impressed with the JW’s uniformity?
- Organizational unity?
- In-fighting and divisiveness is very bad
- But high organization does not make people believe it is from God!
- I’m so impressed by the military—they are so unified, it must be from God!
The Mormon church is very well organized
- Self-sacrificial love for one another
- Everyone values self-giving love
The only explanation the world must have is supernatural:
”…you [God] have loved them just as you have loved me”
Similar ideas in Ephesians 4
- …building up the body of Christ,
- until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to full maturity, reaching the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
- so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of teaching, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
- Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
- from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Questions
- What does it mean to “be one”?
- What does in look like in practice?
- Is it local or global?
- Both to some extent, but the emphasis is on the local
- Has this prayer been answered?
- To some extent with the early church—partly why it grew so fast!
- But a long way to go, according to Paul
- What does it mean that we have been given Jesus’ glory?
- Is it going to happen before Christ’s return?
- Do we have to do anything?
What does it mean that we have been given Jesus’ glory?
- Jesus describes his death as his glory because it was the ultimate shining display of divine love. It lit up the universe!
- When we become a Christian, we are given some of the life of God in us. We are “born of God”
- This is New Creation life.
- If you are a Christian, this fierce and shining divine love must exist inside you.
Ephesians 3
- that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
- so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
- may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
- and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Glory:
New creation life—
Perfect self-giving love and unity,
as revealed by Jesus on the cross.
Questions
- Is it going to happen before Christ’s return?
- Jesus prayed it—of course his prayer will be answered! How could it not be?
- Do we have to do anything?
3. How the Prayer calls us to respond
- One of the biggest obstacles to showing this kind of love is the lie we carry, that love must be easy, natural, requires no effort, cost or preparation.
Love: the hardest task
“For one human being to love another;
that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks,
the ultimate,
the last test and proof,
the work for which all other work is but preparation.”
―Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
Goal:
To receive the task that Jesus gives us
with joy, excitement and determination to do it.
How can we respond?
- Recognize how important this is—the greatest task of your life!
- Ask God to show you the who and the how
- Tap into his love within you to empower you
Updated on 2020-05-17 by Andrew Fountain
