Originally given at Glorious King Jesus Christian Church, 12/12/10
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-13
1 Corinthians 1:10-13 (NKJV)
10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you.
12 Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ."
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
Tonight, we have a shorter message, but the passage is powerful. We will take some time tonight to study the composition and historical reliability of the biblical texts, but first, we will continue in our study of who Jesus is in John's Gospel.
A few weeks ago, we took a look at Thanksgiving, and the importance of a life lived in thanksgiving to God. In commemoration of the Thanksgiving holiday, we also looked at the bravery of the Pilgrims in sailing to the 'New World' to seek out greater freedom to worship the Lord. These people were one in purpose, risking everything to follow what they perceived as the Lord's direction. "In God We Trust" has been on quarters since 1908. We have been one nation united and 'Under God' in the past. The phrase, "In God we Trust, United we Stand" is on the 9/11 Memorial.
Our nation has been united through hardship undergone -- whether it relates to freedom, to war, to financial crisis, or even to terrorist acts. Many Americans are quite nationalistic, and they have no problem unifying for the cause of America. Tonight, as we look at John 17, we have a greater call to have complete unity for the cause of Jesus, and we will see that the Lord Jesus prayed for this very thing the night before He was Crucified!
Regarding this prayer, reformer Philip Melancthon wrote, "There is no voice which has ever been heard, either in heaven or in earth, more exalted, more holy, more fruitful, more sublime, than this prayer offered up by the Son of God himself." (Melancthon)
In His prayer, which many refer to as the 'High Priestly Prayer':
- Jesus first prays for Himself and God's Will to be done in verses 1-5.
- Jesus then prays for His disciples and those who were followers of Him at the time in verses 6-19.
- Jesus finally prays for those who will believe in the future in verses 20-26.
We will focus on the third section of His prayer tonight, from John 17:20-26, so please turn and we will read this section of God's Word.
Text:
John 17:20-26 (NKJV)
20 " I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
21 "that 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.
22 "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
23 "I 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.
25 "O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.
26 "And 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."
Before we continue, let's pray.
Opening Prayer
You may remember that Paul mentioned to the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 1) that they were to be unified in following after Christ and not some other individual -- neither Paul, Apollos, or whomever. It is awfully easy for people to 'latch on' to individuals. This is good to the level of imitation if the person is living a godly life and pointing to Christ, but we are never to follow after a man. It is also very easy for people to detect small differences in belief and critically shun others who are not exactly in the same field on everything. While we need to be firm on the essentials, we need to be flexible with the non-essentials. Jesus prayed for our Unity -- we need to follow Him, and we need to greet brothers who are truly following Him with the 'right hand of fellowship.'
Verse 20:
Jesus has just finished praying for those who are His and are living in a world that is not their home. Jesus' prayer is that they may be unified in purpose. He prays for those who believe to be sanctified by God's Word.
Sanctified -- Made Holy/Made Pure before God
We are to be Holy, as the LORD is Holy (cf. Leviticus 19:2).
In Matthew 5:8, Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount that those pure in heart will see God. We can only be made pure through Him.
You should note that 'holy' is not the same as 'self-righteous'. We are always to have the knowledge that we're redeemed sinners and act compassionately to others and joyfully to God from that knowledge. We were without hope, yet now we have eternal hope through Jesus Christ!
Jesus continues His prayer for those who WILL believe, not just those who were there in His time.
Note that Jesus prays for those who will believe in Him through His followers' message. He doesn't pray that people will believe in His disciples. The buck stops with Jesus. He is our hope, and we are always to point to Him. We are never to follow any of His disciples -- we are to follow Him!
Verse 21:
Jesus prays for His followers to be unified, as well.
Just as Jesus and the Father are united, we are to be united, and this is so the world will believe in Him.
Remember, Jesus is not God the Father…He is God the Son. Jesus and God the Father are two separate persons in the Godhead, and yet they are One. We are, as a Body of believers, separate individuals, and yet we are to be united in Christ.
In fact, one of the most evangelistic things Christians can do is stand together united.
The world will know that we are His disciples by our love. The world will know the Lord's love through this as well as our unity together.
Many cults are hateful toward others. Some well-known ones were even here locally picketing a funeral. It's amazing how far off things can get in a short period of time. Even if something is off doctrinally in a minor way, a path continued on the wrong angle leads to greater and greater distance from the truth.
We are to be loving and compassionate, and also unified under allegiance to Jesus Christ.
Verse 22:
Jesus has given us His Glory.
What does this mean?
Some commentators:
"The honor which thou hast conferred on me by admitting me to union with thee, the same honor I have conferred on them by admitting them to like union with me." (Barnes)
"And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them - That is, the power to work miracles, and to preach unadulterated truth, say some; but as our Lord is not here praying for the disciples, but for all those who should believe on him through their word." (Clarke)
Jesus was always One with the Father, so that distinction needs to be made. We know that Jesus has given us the royal honor of joining Him in His courts in Heaven as an inheritance. He has let us share in His glory. At the time of Jesus' prayer, the Disciples still don't quite get it 100%. They will once the Holy Spirit comes in Acts 2, and Jesus knows that they will eventually see who He truly is.
Jesus knows the end from the beginning. Remember Gideon? God knew that Gideon would do mighty things, and despite the appearance of the situation, God used him mightily. David? He was the least of the sons of Jesse, and yet God knew that he would take down Goliath, as well as rule His people through an amazing era of blessing. Moses? God knew that He would use him to deliver His people from oppressive slavery. Likewise, Jesus knew that His disciples would believe fully. He also knew that there would be more who would come along and believe. We see from John 10:16 that Jesus mentioned that there would be others who have not yet entered into His flock. There's always hope while we are here. Follow Jesus, who knows our end even from the beginning.
Verse 23:
Unity -- Purpose - to show that God the Father has sent the Son into the world.
Some translations 'perfect' -- complete.
Verse 24:
Call to Heaven.
In John 14, Jesus promised the Disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them, and one day, they will meet Him there. Jesus is praying for that blessed day. This is not a statement of doubt or 'maybe.' Jesus knows that the Father has given Him all things, and Jesus knows what will come about.
Consider Jesus' patience with the Disciples. Time and time again, the Disciples just don't get it. Especially in Mark, this theme of Discipleship Failure comes through. Jesus knew that there would be Pentecost. He knew that Peter would live a life of display and not denial. He knew that each one who remained faithful would be used mightily by God to bring many people to eternal life.
When we are in Heaven, we will behold Jesus' radiance. We also see from this verse that Jesus was before all time. Remember from John 1, 'In the beginning was the Word…'. The Father has loved the Son from the beginning of time. Jesus never had to earn honor from God. He always had it. He is fully in nature God.
Verse 25:
Some believe, and yet some don't.
World here refers to the population of unbelievers.
So was Jesus correct -- did His disciples know that the Father sent Him to be our hope? The Apostles testify that Jesus was sent by the Father for our benefit:
John
1 John 4:14 - And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.
Paul
Galatians 4:4-6
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"
Peter
1 Peter 1:3-4
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
In this season, we also celebrate the initial sending of Jesus to earth. It was more likely that He was born here in September or October, rather than December, but regardless, 'tis the season to remember Jesus. The Father has sent the Son in order that we might know Him personally and be cleansed from any grime of sin.
Verse 26:
Jesus' mission -- declaring the Father's Name.
Purpose: That the Father's love may be within us, and that He may be within us.
The Holy Spirit's role -- He is the Comforter, and He guides believers into truth. He indwells believers, convicts them of sin, and leads us to understanding of Jesus' teachings and God's commands.
Application
So as we reflect on this part of Jesus' prayer, how can we show His love for others?
- Sharing the Gospel with others. Tell them about hope in Jesus!
- Letting good works flow from pure faith. James covers this quite a bit -- we need to show God's love for others tangibly.
- Showing compassion. We need to forgive others, knowing that we've been forgiven by Jesus if we've put our faith in Him.
As we love one another and seek unity within the Body of believers, let's glorify Jesus in all we do. Let's close in prayer.
Closing Prayer
Bibliography
Barnes, Albert. Barnes' Notes on the New Testament. Public Domain. Accessible via Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
Clarke, Adam. Clarke's Commentary - John 17. Accessible online at: http://www.godrules.net/library/clarke/clarkejoh17.htm
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
