THE GREATEST PRAYER EVER SPOKEN PART FOUR

John 17:1-26

 

We have been looking closely at the prayer that Jesus gives to the Father

about His disciples in John’s gospel here in chapter 17. It’s here that Jesus’ prayer contains some deep things which are hard to understand, but absolutely wonderful according to the Scriptures. The Lord Jesus does things for His believing people which He does not do for the wicked and unbelieving. (v6-v10) The Lord Jesus does not pray that His believing people to be taken out of this world, but to be kept from the evil of it. (v11-v19)

 

And here Jesus changes His prayer from His disciples, to others, which

should be treasured by every Christian.

 

What I do mean? If were to ask you “Where does Jesus pray for you in the Bible?” You could say with full confidence that answer is right here, if you are a believer this morning. This is pretty incredible to say the least; that out of the 6 plus billion people, on planet earth, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Maker and Sustainer of life, prays this over me to the Father. This absolutely humbling to know as David marveled about the glory of God over him, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” Psalm 8:3-4

 

“the son of man that you care for him?” Think about that for a moment. What was man, as he was originally made, that such exalted honor should have been conferred on him. Once rebellious, but now brought near to the Son, through the gospel. And because of His redeeming grace He cares for the believer, as He prays to the Father to keep them. Philip Melanchthon, the reformer who was Martin Luther’s partner in ministry, said that “there is no voice that has ever been heard, either in heaven or earth, more exalted, more holy, more fruitful, more sublime than this prayer.” So, this is a rich passage of Scripture that I believe can be of great encouragement to us as we live our lives out for Him, in this world, because we are not of this world.

 

The prayer that Jesus prays for all believers is essentially that we would be one.

It is the most frequent word used in His petition for us.

 

I came across a pastor who wrote that someone recently reminded him of a church meeting where a question was asked of me: “How can we pray for you” and the pastor’s response was to pray in accordance with John 17:21; “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. Jesus prays that the church will be united as one just as the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are one. Jesus is concerned about His people’s love, holiness and mission, but its here that Jesus prays that unity be the staple of the church as it reflects the glory of God to the nations. (v21-v23)

 

Jesus prays for a supernatural unity that is modeled by the Godhead. This unity is possible and attainable because true believers are united in the core of their being through the gospel transformation. This means we share in His divine nature as Paul said, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.” Col 2:6-10

 

The closer we draw to Christ, the closer we will draw closer to one another. The unity that Jesus is praying for is not one of outward conformity, but of an inward transformation that is based on the union the believer has with Christ. Paul wrote about our union with Him when he said, “But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.” 1 Cor 6:17. And this applies to one another as well inside the local body of believers. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.” Gal 3:28-29

Kent Hughes said, “Our unity can be described as an inverted cone, with God at the top and believers around the base. As we ascend the slopes of the cone, drawing nearer to God, we draw closer to our fellow believers. At the pinnacle (in God) we touch one another in deepest joy.” This is why John wrote this in his first epistle. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” 1 John 1:1-4

 

Christian unity is supernatural, because

it comes from God.

 

The reason its supernatural is because without God, unity has no staying power or desire by the natural man or woman. Now unity does not mean uniformity in everything; in the Trinity there exists a unity in diversity…three distinct Persons, yet they are One. I came across a reading that gives a good example of this using Christians throughout the ages, and if we could bring them back together under one roof today what that would look like

 

If you took…

From the fourth century Augustine of Hippo

From the fourteenth century John Hus

From the fifteenth century Martin Luther, William Tyndale, George Wycliffe

From the sixteenth century the reformer John Calvin

From the seventeenth century John Wesley the great Methodist preacher who advocated of free will, and along side of him a reformer named George Whitefield the evangelist.

From the eighteenth century of C. H. Spurgeon a Baptist preacher and D. L. Moody.

From the twentieth century Billy Graham and R C Sproul

 

If we gathered all these men under one church, we would have trouble. We would be unable to get a unanimous vote on many things, but underneath all that it would still be a display of unity. Why? The more the men lifted up Christ, and the more that they focused on Him, the greater the unity would be. There would be unity amidst a great diversity of style and opinion. See, Christ’s prayer for unity does not mean we all should be the same; many Christians make the mistake in thinking that this is what Jesus is praying. Too many Christians think you need to be like me, read the same books like me, walk like me, do as I do. Educate your child in the same way, have the same dislikes and likes. See, that be uniformity not unity. Kent Hughes said, “It produces a judgemental inflexibility that hurls people away from the church with deadly force.”

 

See, one of the gospel glories is that it hallows our individuality even while bringing us into unity. That unity without uniformity is implied in Paul’s teaching on spiritual gifts. “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” 1 Cor 12:4-7. This unity that Jesus prays about is not just individual Christians, but also the local assembly of believers.

 

Unity is oneness and harmony, so this means that strife, contention, conflict, and friction are the opposite. From this we can conclude that without singleness of purpose there is no productivity. This means that God blesses those who work together harmoniously. Unity results in believers’ being of the same mind, but again this doesn’t mean that we all share the same likes and dislikes. This also means that we don’t have to agree on secondary doctrinal issues that godly men are passionate over. This means the believer is controlled by a deep knowledge of the Word of Christ through the Spirit. Paul wrote, “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Col 3:12-17

Unity results in believers’ maintaining the same love that they love each other equally. This doesn’t mean that they have the same emotional attachment or commitment towards everyone. The love in view here is “Agape love” the love not of emotional desirability, but the will and choice to love the person in Christ. It’s a devoted love, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” Rom 12:10

 

Unity is believers’ being “united in spirit” this means “one souled”. This is a passionate common commitment to the spiritual goals for each other and the church. This excludes…divisive attitudes, personal ambitions over the sake of another, selfishness, hatred, envy, jealousy and countless other unfruitful evil attitudes. Paul wrote, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.” Eph 4:1-7

 

Unity results in believers being “intent on one purpose” because we are of the same mind, and are united in Christ, we all have the same end goal. Advancing the Kingdom of God, not the kingdom of Mike or you. This can easily be disrupted when we implement our own fleshly behaviour over the Kingdom of God, and the gospel proclamation. This is why its important as Paul wrote, “Only let your manner of life (your conversation of life) be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,” Phil 1:27. In our manner…. of speech, our plans of living, our dealings with others, our conduct and walk in the church, and out of it; all should be done as becomes the gospel.

 

A church that walks this way lives honestly and honorably; they are people of truth and uprightness. They will have no sources of regret when they die, and they will not give occasion to their friends to hang their heads with shame in the remembrance of them. What does that look in full colour? Luke penned these words, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47

 

We know that outside forces oppose a greater threat to true Christian unity, but we also know that can easily happens from within as well. From… superficial false converts, to those who deny the central truths of the Christian faith. These can easily cause division and strife in the church; but the church is called not to compromise, but to unite under Biblical truth. We read in Jude’s letter to stand firm under His gospel, “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Jude 3,4

The true church of Jesus Christ cannot unite with those who deny the essentials of the gospel, or who affirm a false gospel. Paul was very clear on this. “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” 

2 Cor 6:14-18

Unity is very much at the heart of Jesus’ prayer and that should cause our hearts to respond according to the privilege we have as brother and sisters in Christ.

 

Here is the reason for this prayer of unity among believers’. (v21, v23) If the church has unity the world believe that Jesus really came from God. So, this means that unity is an evangelist necessity, because we live in fragmented world system. Ever since Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden, man has continued on a downward protectory.

 

The only way to change that is when we come together

in unity, not disunity as a church body.

 

Jesus prays this for the church because He knows the world’s pursuit of unity is futile. But according to studies the church is getting just as bad. Do we/you realize the church body is so severed that it would take a miracle to sow the pieces back together again? Census Canada said “the church is on a continuation of a long-term downward trend in the population who report Protestant denominations.  At the same time, the number of Canadians who reported religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism has increased substantially. Other studies show that over 3800 American churches close their doors annually throughout the USA alone. The reasons for these closures run because of pastoral incompetency, strife, infidelity in leadership marriages, lack of financial integrity, doctrinal discrepancies, power struggles, persecution, congregational distrust or dissatisfaction (only 43% of Christians surveyed say they fully trust their church).

 

If there such a high percentage of people that feel that way about their

church how are we to come alongside disputing saints?

 

This can be so damaging to a church body!! How damaging? One writer wrote, “Satan can use a church split to spiritually destroy the most vulnerable. For babes in Christ, seeing the world through rose-colored eyes, nothing on Earth can compare to the sweet fellowship from which they've found nourishment. Suddenly, boundaries become obscured. Friends become enemies. Brothers become adversaries. And another church-attender goes down with the ship.”

See we need to stop the ship from sinking! How? By what Jesus prays about for you here; it starts by loving each other despite our quirks and short comings! The church isn’t a game or a place where I can be selfish and do whatever I want, it’s a place to grow, and be used for the ministry inside and outside these doors

 

If we can’t get along in here, how are we to

show that Jesus came from the Father?

 

We have an obligation, a responsibility, a joy, towards one another! Why? We are all susceptible to fall to the flesh, because of our sin nature. This is why we must get involved... WHETHER IT’S: family church functions, funerals, Bible study, DVBS, our Camp, private social visits, whatever it is we are to GET PLUGGED IN and get involved with the children of God. We need to stop thinking only one way/self; and ask the Lord to open our eyes to the concerns of one another. Unity and the fellowship of God’s children is vital part to church and to the community.

 

How you treat one another in here, is how you

really treat people in general out there!

 

Real unity is the supernatural world of the Spirit who gives us the ability to do just, and that it points to a supernatural explanation that shows Jesus came from the Father. (v23) indicates Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost, and the church authenticates the Father’s love for believers. When unbelievers see believers love for each other, it offers proof to them that the Father has loved those who have believed in His Son. The loving unity of the church made visible is used by God to produce a desire on the part of the unbeliever, to experience that same love. The unity of the church would convince many in the world concerning His Divine mission of redemption. “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35

In order to do that we must consider these

four simple biblical principles.

 

BE CONSIDERATE OF OTHERS…..“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.” 1 Peter 3:8-9. Brotherly love (means) loving each other as Christian brethren, Be lovers of the brethren. Tender hearted (means) a deep-pitted compassion, sympathetic. We must not look to hurt the brethren with words or actions. We should be ready to spread blessings towards one another. We should be ready to bear and to wish them well and not return evil.

 

DON’T INSIST ON PLEASING YOURSELF…… “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;” 1 Cor 13:4-5. Remove your selfish pride! Why? Selfishness always leads to conflict and disunity.” In order to preserve the unity of the church we must disregard our selfish desires.

 

DEPEND ON GOD’S WORK IN OUR LIVES….. “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,” Rom 15:5. Realize that without His enabling grace we will never deny self and please others.

 

BE RECEPTIVE TO EACH OTHER…. “Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.” Rom 14:1. Instead of rejecting one another through argument over differences of opinion, let us receive one another in spirit of unity. Let us overlook our differences, over non essentials, and have no eternal value, but seek to love this church family that God has set apart for His glory!!

 

Look around this room… the ones sitting here are the ones God has entrusted to you, by putting them in your life, so that you can love, care, edify and come along side to show the world that Jesus is who He claimed to be. A T Pierson wrote, “To a true child of God, the invisible bond that unites all believers to Christ is far more tender, and lasting, and precious; and, as we come to recognize and realize that we are all dwelling in one sphere of life in Him, we learn to look on every believer as our brother, in a sense that is infinitely higher than all human relationships. This is the one and only way to bring disciples permanently together. All other plans for promoting the unity of the Church have failed.”

 

So, lets use the time the Lord gives, to get busy and love this church as a joy to glorify our Lord in Heaven. Start looking at people through the lenses of Jesus Christ and see how you can help someone in the church today. As Paul Blart said in the movie “Mall Cop 2” “If you believe the purpose of life is to serve yourself, then you have no purpose. Help someone today.”

 

 

D.A. Carson said “What binds us together is not common education, common race, common income levels, common politics, common nationality, common accents, common jobs, or anything else of that sort. Christians come together because they have all been loved by Jesus himself. They are a band of natural enemies who love one another for Jesus' sake.”

 

Let’s walk closer together, and keeping each other accountable, as a body of believers who are saved by sovereign grace. This is what Jesus is praying for to the Father, on your behalf Church family, Christian, your name is on His hands. Your name is inscribed on His heart, marked with permanent grace, and you are secure in Christ. You will be kept. Trust Him for it, look to Him for His grace, and love Him, praise Him, and follow Him in response. His joy that we have, the world did not give us, and the world cannot take it away. We are assured of a place in glory where there is everlasting love.

Godly people will always reproduce

other godly people.

 

Jesus concludes His prayer for all believers with these words — O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 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.” May that be true of all of us at Calvary Baptist