(Opened this message by having congregation bow their heads, close their eyes, and rest in praying of John 17. Then prayed the Scripture.)
Last week we began exploring Jesus three requests for us.
KEEP/PROTECT (NIV)
Interesting twist to verses 14 & 15
Harm comes through the world, but it is from the enemy, the evil one, Satan. (Ephesians 6:10-12)
The problem - We don’t wrestle with flesh and blood, but what we do wrestle with often takes up residence in flesh and blood.
Important to understand that prayer is spiritual warfare.
This conflict took all of 19 verses to unfold in Genesis. It can be found in every book of God’s Word.
Jesus knew it was about to overwhelm the disciples.
And it is a conflict that can still overwhelm the church today.
Prayer is spiritual warfare and warfare is not comfortable -
It is bloody
There are casualties
Not everyone survives
Rules of fairness are thrown out
The enemy, especially when defeated, plays dirty.
So we need to learn to pray as in battle. But. . .
We don’t have to shout.
We don’t have to use special formula prayers
We don’t even have to fully understand the battle
We do need to recognize the battle, and pray.
Emphasized that doing battle alone is not healthy.
(Plug prayer teams, and 5 day fast block)
There is a reason why Jesus prayed
for our protection from the enemy. . .
We find it in verse 11 (read)
He was praying. . .
PROTECTION FOR THE PURPOSE OF UNITY ¡V
A prayer that we be one.
v. 11, 20-21, 22-23
Highly Complex Greek Study - heis (one)
Lexicon Definitions - One: one
A second key request of Jesus was for unity.
And with good reason.
Illustration:
Some time ago I came upon a fellow on a trip who was carrying a Bible.
"Are you a believer?" I asked him.
"Yes,¨ he said excitedly.
I’ve learned you can’t be too careful.
"Virgin birth?" I asked.
"I accept it."
"Deity of Jesus?"
"No doubt."
"Death of Christ on the cross?"
"He died for all people."
Could it be that I was face to face with a Christian? Perhaps.
Nonetheless, I continued my checklist.
"Status of man."
"Sinner in need of grace."
"Definition of grace."
"God doing for man what man can’t do."
"Return of Christ?"
"Imminent."
"Bible?"
"Inspired."
"The church?"
"The body of Christ."
I started getting excited. "Conservative or liberal?"
He was getting interested too. "Conservative."
My heart began to beat faster.
"Heritage?"
"Southern Congregationalist Holy Son of God
Dispensationalist Triune Convention."
That was mine!
"Branch?"
"Pre-millennial, post-trib, noncharismatic, King James, one-cup communion."
My eyes misted. I had only one other question.
"Is your pulpit wooden or fiberglass?"
"Fiberglass," he responded.
I withdrew my hand and stiffened my neck. "Heretic!" I said and walked away.
We, the body of Christ, are highly fractured.
(Compare church to UK fans only rooting for one player rather than whole team.)
Why would Jesus pray this? (Luke 22:14-26)
- Just had the Lord’s Supper
- Possibly attacking each other (v. 23)
- Clear signs of lack of unity despite 3 years together
Francis Frangipane writes, "The only unity
the disciples knew that night was a common fear
and a collective abandonment of Christ."
What does the unity Jesus is praying for look like-
The trinity (v. 11) - Apple & Egg
In each other (v. 21) - 2 in one coat
Bound by God’s glory (v. 22) - movie heros tied back to back in chairs.
Standing in Jesus place (v. 24)- athlete’s glory after parent’s death
Great picture of this meshing of unity and prayer
in James 5:13-16.
Confession piece leads us to the third petition/request.
OUR SANCTIFICATION
"The shallow, immature level of the church has never stopped Christ from praying for its perfection." (Francis Frangipane)
v. 17-19, v. 23
Good News - One word: hageeadzo
Bad News - Difficult word to understand
Theological Definitions - 1 to be venerable or hallow.
2 to separate from profane things and dedicate to God.
3 to purify. free from the guilt of sin.
According to the George Barna Research Group,
"When pressed to describe what it means to be holy, American adults give a wide range of answers. According to new research by Barna, the most common reply is "I don’t know," offered by 1 out of every 5 adults. Other responses fall into categories such as "being Christ-like", making faith your top priority in life, living a pure or sinless lifestyle, and having a good attitude about people and life. Other response categories include focusing completely on God, being guided by the Holy Spirit, being born again, reflecting the character of God, exhibiting a moral lifestyle, and accepting and practicing biblical truth."
There is some truth in many of those answers.
Not time to fully teach what it means to be sanctified.
(Plug Firm Foundations)
Why I believe in sanctification/holiness doctrine -
Not because of my Nazarene upbringing (roots like Paul)
Not because of Phineas Bressee
Not because of John Wesley
Because God’s Word calls me to it:
Genesis 17:1 - "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ’I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.’" Holy.
Exodus 19:6 - "And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."
Leviticus 20:26 - "And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine."
Deuteronomy 14:2 - "For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all peoples who are on the face of the earth."
Psalm 15 - Turn to this one with me. Bibles subtitle this, "The Character of Those Who May Dwell with the Lord"
Proverbs 16:17 - "The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who keeps his way preserves his soul."
Isaiah 35:8 - "A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray."
Zechariah 8:3 - "Thus says the Lord: ’I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain.’"
Romans 12:1 - "I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."
II Corinthians 7:1 - "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
Ephesians 1:3 - "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love."
One more - 1 Peter 1:16, "Holiness characterizes God. And that holiness must be reflected in His people."
I’e got a gazillion more, but you get the point.
I also believe in sanctification/holiness doctrine. . .
Because when Jesus prayed, He prayed for me to experience it.
How does it happen?
Achieved by Truth (v. 17) - The Word is Truth
Importance of Scripture Reading w/ Prayer
1 Timothy 4:8, "Physical training is of some value, but Godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both present life and the life to come."
Reading Scripture with prayer is spiritual fitness.
Praying to hear, not just to speak.
Done as a team, in unity together (v. 23)
Need for accountability within the body
Personal Examples: LDJ, Vision Team, LBA
Look @ guide in Matthew 18:
How often is this guide used in the church? What percentage of the time when there is an issue of conflict or sin?
Left unchecked, all three requests disintegrate.
Application -
How do we respond to accountability questions?
Who is asking you?
Who are you asking?
Psalm 15:8 - Connection between the power of prayer, and the holiness of the prayer.
2 Chronicles 7:12-16 - Connection of unified,
humble repentance towards holy living,
leading to a sanctified place of effective prayer.
Connection of three requests - cover to cover themes
Spiritual Battle
Unity of the Body
Sanctification/Holiness of the Believers
(a full audio recording of this message is available a no charge by contacting the contributor)
