“Yours Are Mine”
[John
17:6-19]
April 23, 2017, Second Reformed
Church
We return to our look at the Gospel of
John this morning, and we will remember that Jesus is in the Upper Room with
the Eleven, ready to go to the Garden of Gethsemane, and He pauses to pray what
is called the High Priestly Prayer.
As we began to look at this prayer, we see
Jesus explain that eternal life is knowing the Father and the Son – eternal
life is being in an intimate relationship with the Triune God in which we
believe in Him and the Savior He sent and obey Him, love Him, and seek to
glorify Him – to show Him as He truly is, just as the Father glorified the Son
in His bodily return to the Right Hand of the Father.
Jesus is specifically praying for the
Eleven at this point – though we will see in the weeks to come, if the Lord is
willing, Jesus expands His prayer to all believers. Here, we see Jesus pray for Who God will be
for them after Jesus returns to the Father – and Jesus prays as though He has
already ascended – which impresses upon them – and we who read this – the
surety of what Jesus is saying – just as Jesus most assuredly ascended back to
the Father about two months after He prayed this prayer, so will these things
come to pass for the Eleven – and for all Christians.
So, first we see that believers in
Jesus are given to Him by the Father.
“I have manifested your name to the people
whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given
me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have
received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they
have believed that you sent me.”
Through His life and ministry, Jesus
manifests the Name of the Father – He explicitly shows – and tells – those who
hear Him – that He came from the Father, His authority if from the Father, His
mission is from the Father, He speaks the Word of the Father and obeys the
Father in all He does.
Jesus is the perfect example of an
ambassador – and we, Christians, are called to be ambassadors:
“From now on, therefore, we regard no one
according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the
flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is
from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry
of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself,
not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of
reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal
through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew
no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (II
Corinthians 5:16-21, ESV).
We are ambassadors. We have been sent by Jesus – authorized –
given His authority – to go to all of Creation with the Gospel – Who Jesus is
and what He has done – and we are empowered by God the Holy Spirit to tell
everyone that Gospel and that Gospel alone.
We do not have the right or the authority to proclaim anything more or
anything less that the Gospel we find in the Bible.
The Son of God came to earth in the
person of Jesus, lived a perfect life under God’s Law – credited all who
believe with His righteousness, took on the sins of all the who believe and
paid our debt, died, physically rose from the dead, and ascended back to the
Father – repent and believe that is the only way to be right with God. That is what we are authorized to say as
ambassadors. If we say anything less or
anything more, we’re in trouble.
If we say that it doesn’t matter if
we really believe that Jesus bodily resurrected, we are misrepresenting
God. If we say these things – and then add – and God will give you a new car, a perfect
spouse, lots of money, the recognition you deserve – we are misrepresenting
God.
Jesus perfectly proclaims the Gospel
to the Creation; He is the perfect ambassador.
And then Jesus acknowledges that God
the Father is the Creator of everything that is. God created you. God created me. God created every human being that ever has
lived and ever will live. And since God
is our Creator, God has the right to do whatever He wants with us. And since we have all sinned against God –
since we have not done what God has commanded and we have done what God
commands us not to do, we are deserving of God’s Wrath, but God – for reasons
outside of ourselves – God chose to give a people to Jesus to save.
And Jesus prays saying that the
Eleven have kept the Word of God – they have believed and are obedient. They believe that the Son came from God the
Father as His ambassador and our Savior, and they believe that Jesus will
return to the Father Who sent Him to earth to save the people God the Father
gave Him.
Now, if God the Father created all
of us, and God the Father chose to give some of us to His Son to save – to make
them right with God – and God the Son came to earth with the Truth of God – the
message of the One Way to salvation – and He gave that message to those the
Father gave Him – and they believe – who is going to take them away from God
and His salvation?
If you belong to God the Father, and
God the Father gives you to God the Son so God the Son can save you – make you right
with God and bring you into His eternal kingdom – into eternal life – who is
going to undo that? Who has the power
and the skill to steal you away from God Who has saved you?
No one. No one is stronger than God. No one can undo the Will of God. If God has saved you, you are eternally saved
– you are engaging in eternal life now.
Of course, you could be fooling yourself – you could be fooling us – you
may not really have ever believed – you may not be saved by the Son – and
that’s another story. Examine your
hearts and make sure that you truly believe that Jesus is God the Son and
Savior – and if you are sure of that, then rest assured that you belong to the
Son.
Second, Jesus prays that the Father
will keep believers in Him.
“I am praying for them. I am not
praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.
All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.”
In this prayer, Jesus prays for the
gift the Father has given Him. Jesus
prays for the Eleven and, later in the prayer, all believers – that God would
keep them in Jesus – saved eternally.
Jesus distinguishes in His prayer – here, He is not praying for all
people indiscriminately, He is praying for those who are and those who would become
believers.
And Jesus gives two reasons why He
is asking the Father to keep – or preserve – believers in the faith: First, these people belong to the
Father. The Father created them and gave
them to the Son, but they are the Father’s, because Jesus and the Father are
the same One God. The Father’s are
Jesus’, Jesus’ are the Father’s, and also the Holy Spirit’s. Second, Jesus is glorified in the people that
God gave Him. Jesus is made known
through each one who believes in the Gospel.
For God’s reasons, He chose to use
humans to bring the Gospel to humans.
God chose to use sinful, broken, inadequate humans and our sometimes
good, sometimes not-so-good preaching to proclaim the Gospel to the world. God chose you to tell others about His Gospel
– about Who Jesus is and what He did.
You have been chosen by God – and empowered by God for this work – which
proves you are His and glorifies Him as we open our mouths.
We also see that Jesus is praying
for His people – which includes you and me and anyone who ever believes. Jesus is praying for you and me. Jesus, the Almighty God, is asking for our
good from His Father.
The author of Hebrews writes about
what the high priests did and how Jesus takes over that role: “The former
priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from
continuing in office, but [Jesus] holds his priesthood permanently, because he
continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who
draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for
them. (Hebrews 7:23-25, ESV).
And:
“For Christ has entered, not into
holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into
heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it
to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every
year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly
since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all
at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die
once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to
bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to
save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:24-28, ESV).
In the Sacrificial Law, you would
need to offer up a sacrifice before God through the high priest. The Law is fulfilled in Jesus, Who takes the
place of High Priest and Sacrifice – Jesus offered up Himself on our behalf and
now always applies that sacrifice to our account as He comes before the Father
on our behalf.
Do you feel more secure in your
salvation knowing that Jesus is praying for you to the Father? The Father and the Son are One God of One
Mind, so the Father will keep everyone who believes in His Son, the
Savior. Be assured in the victory of
God.
Third, Jesus asks the Father to
sanctify believers.
“And I am no longer in the world,
but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in
your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I
have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of
destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.”
Jesus prays to the Father that since
He is returning to the Father and His people will remain here in the world, He
asks that the Father will keep them by making them one as the Father and the
Son – and the Holy Spirit – are one.
What does Jesus mean when He prays
for us to be one?
The way this is often explained in
twenty-first century America is that God is very sad that we have so many denominations,
and He wishes we were all one church.
Well, whatever we might think – or
God might think – about denominations – that can’t be what Jesus is talking
about here, because He prays for believers to be one in the same way that He
and the Father are one.
Jesus draws the distinction in this
part of the prayer between believers and the world – that is, between believers
and non-believers. In this context, the
world does not mean “everyone,” but “non-believers.” So, Jesus prays for believers to be one, as God
the Father and God the Son are one – in opposition to non-believers.
What Jesus is praying for is our
sanctification – that we would be “set apart” – that we would be united with
each other in the essence of the Gospel against non-believers. Jesus is praying that we would stand together
in proclaiming the Truth of God and His Gospel – no matter what other
differences we have – and that comes through our growth in faith and obedience.
There are important and valid
reasons for denominations, but, as Christians who recognize each other across denominations
as brothers and sisters, we ought to stand together in proclaiming Who Jesus is
and what He did against unbelief – that is what Jesus means – we are not to
allow our valid differences to keep us from being one in witness to the Truth
against the world.
Jesus points out that He kept the
Eleven unified – and that Judas was lost not due to Jesus’ failure, but due to
the fact that Judas’ false belief was prophesied – he fulfilled Scripture
necessary to bring about the completion of the Gospel.
Then Jesus gives reasons why He is
praying for the sanctification of believers – and He explains the negative
reason and then the positive reason:
So, fourth, Jesus prays that
believers would be sanctified because the world will hate them and the evil one
will pursue them.
“But now I am coming to you, and these
things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
I 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. I do not ask that you take them out
of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”
The end of our salvation is joy in
Jesus and His Gospel. But that will not
fully come until Jesus returns in the fullness of His Kingdom.
In this world, as Jesus promised, we
will suffer in one way or another, if we are faithful to the Gospel. The world will hate us for proclaiming the
Gospel. The world does not want to hear
that we are all born sinners, in opposition to God, and in rebellion against
God. This world does not want to hear
that there is nothing they can do to be right with God – only Jesus Alone can
save.
No, the world says we can do it our
way, we deserve a break today, just do it, you are able, you’re basically good,
pull yourself up by your bootstraps, God wants you to be happy and healthy and
wealthy – you just have to really, really, really want it – lies!
But the devil and the world and our
own flesh assail us with temptation and lies about what we deserve and our
abilities – how Jesus is a good example, but unnecessary.
God, deliver us from the lie that Jesus
was a good teacher! Keep us and sanctify
us – set us apart for Your Gospel and help us to stand firm – proclaiming what
You have said. Fill us with joy in
knowing that we were born sinners, in rebellion against you, unable to help
ourselves, haters of You – but You so loved us that You sent Your Only Begotten
Son to save us as His people and to Your Glory!
Jesus does not pray that we will be taken
out of the world – He does not pray that we not be tempted and assaulted and
hated and even killed for the Gospel, but that we would stand for it – one with
each other – not matter what comes against us – knowing that Jesus is waiting
for us.
Finally, Jesus prays that believers
would be sanctified because He consecrated Himself.
“They are not of the world, just as
I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you
sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake
I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.”
Jesus prays that just as believers
are not of the world just as He is not of the world – we are one in being set
apart – we oppose everything in the world that denies that Jesus is God the
Only Savior – we oppose everything in the world that says we don’t have to do
what God has said to do and we can do those things God forbids – and the temptations
can come strong, can’t they?
Jesus prays that the Father would set
believers apart in his Truth – in the Truth of the Word of God. Brothers and sisters, Facebook is not the Truth,
CNN is not the Truth, Fox News is not the Truth, the New York Times is not the
Truth – in you want the Truth – and Jesus prays we will be drawn to and immerse
ourselves in the Truth for the sake of the Gospel and our sake as believers –
the Bible – the Word of God – is the only Truth – the whole Truth – the Truth
of our God and Savior. Jesus prays that we would be drawn to the Truth of God and
love the Truth of God and desire the Truth of God and find ourselves in the
Truth of God.
Because we have been sent into the
world – and for the sake of every believer Jesus consecrated Himself – and we
need to pause here for a moment – how can Jesus consecrate Himself? How can Jesus make Himself holy? Wasn’t Jesus holy from the beginning? Yes, He was.
We need to understand that in this context, the word “consecrate” means
“set apart,” just as in this text, the word, “sanctify” means “set apart.”
Jesus lived a life that was set
apart from the sin of the world – He loved the Word of God and lived the Word
of God and as part of our salvation, He transferred His Righteousness – He
credited us with that perfect keeping of the Law, so God looks at us and sees
us as holy – set apart for Him.
And Jesus died a death set apart
from the world – taking on the sin of every believer – paying our debt to God –
volunteering to be both High Priest and Substitutionary Sacrifice – as we
mentioned before.
And Jesus prays for us as we are
sent into the world to proclaim the Gospel, having done all to save us and set
us apart as His people that we would live for Him and die for Him and be
received into glory on the last day, because this amazing God and Savior
considered giving Himself for the sake of believers not something that takes
away from the Glory of the Godhead, but brings glory to the Godhead.
The Father gave us as a people to
Jesus to save, the Son volunteered to go through everything necessary to be our
Savior, and now, at the Right Hand of the Father, prays for us – that the
Father would keep us in His salvation and would set us apart from the world,
even as we are in the world, proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, finding
joy in the Word of God, and all the while being hated by the world – and all
this to the Glory of God.
What a Savior!
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You that Your
Son prayed for the people You gave Him.
We ask that You would keep us and never let us go, and we ask that You
would keep us set apart as we walk through this world, proclaiming the
Gospel. Help us to stay grounded in the
Truth of Your Word, and lead us forward in the Holy Spirit. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
