John 17:6-19 "What is Discipleship?"

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                Last Sunday, we looked at the first part of Jesus’ intimate prayer that he offered up there in the Upper Room with his disciples, commonly known as the High Priestly Prayer.  What we took away from it were a couple of things:  the intimacy of that exists between the Father and the Son, as well as the fact that God is glorified through not only the work of Christ, but our believing in him and our being obedient to Christ’s teachings.  We noted that we get to take part in the amazing joy that it is to bring glory to God’s name.  We do so through our worship.  Now, although the bulk of our focus was upon corporate worship, we also said that the way that we live our lives is our worship as well.  We mentioned Paul’s call to the Christians in Rome to present their “bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”  However, we said that it was primarily through corporate worship where we learn how we can go about presenting our whole lives as acceptable acts of worship.

                Another primary way in which we learn how to worship God through the proper living of our lives is our focus for today, and that is discipleship.  As Jesus has prayed for the glory of God to be manifest, to be known, he now prays for those whom this glory with be made known to and through, his disciples.  Now, it is worth noting that while Jesus is surrounded by 11 men who are commonly known as his disciples (I’ll remind you that Judas had already left to go and betray him), the concept of discipleship that these words have in view is to be applied to all those who follow Jesus Christ and profess him to be Lord and Savior, and not just some select group.  While Jesus is praying for his disciples, specifically the 11, he is also praying for all of his other followers as well.

                Being able to see a logical flow of things, since we talked about worship last Sunday, we’re talking about discipleship this Sunday, and (spoiler alert) we’re talking about missions next Sunday, you can probably guess that we are looking at this prayer as a prayer for the Church as a whole.   That’s what we’re going to do on Palm Sunday, as we gather together and put all of these pieces together to see this unified picture of the Church.  However, I want to rein our focus back upon our text for today and really hone in on three things that discipleship ought to instill in us:  joy, holiness, and truth.  However, I think that the first thing that we have to understand is exactly what we’re talking about when we say discipleship.  I’m betting that if I were to ask you to describe, accurately, what Christian discipleship is, then you might have some difficulties.  Well a common definition of Christian discipleship is:  the process by which disciples grow in the Lord Jesus Christ and are equipped by the Holy Spirit, who resides in our hearts, to overcome the pressures and trials of this present life and become more and more Christ-like.  In other words, discipleship is the process by which we come to know Christ and are equipped to handle the world around us; sounds an awful lot like worship doesn’t it?  Well, the two are very similar in that they are how we come to grow in our relationship with the Lord, but discipleship has a little different element to it than corporate worship, and we will see that as we move along.

                As I mentioned a moment ago, the first thing that discipleship instills in us is joy, joy in the gospel.  In discipleship, we are trained, we’re educated.  Discipleship can come in a formal classroom setting like Sunday School or an informal setting.  Over the years, I’ve found just as much success (I don’t have a better word) through both methods.  I’ve seen people grow in formal educational settings.  I’ve seen people grow in their relationship with the Lord through informal gatherings were we discuss faith and life over food or drinks.  The type of setting doesn’t matter, what matters is the substance.  I don’t want to give you the impression that I don’t value the educational ministry of the church, because I do, greatly.  What I’m saying is that what is truly important is that we are properly training people in their knowledge of God.  It does you no good to simply attend a time of instruction or worship without actively participating in them.  Physical presence is nothing without mental presence and attention.  I spent some years in education prior to going into ministry, and I can tell you that even the most effective classroom managers of students and their behavior fail at their task.  Yes, they can have classrooms that are the envy of the whole school, but they are failing at their primary objective of teaching and training their students in their particular subject areas.  The purpose of a teacher isn’t to train kids how to behave, but to instill knowledge in them in a certain subject.

                As Jesus is praying for his disciples as well as praying for his coming hour (v.1), he says in v. 13, “but now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”  So, as Jesus is saying that as he leaves them (his disciples and all the other followers of Christ) to ascend to heaven and dwell with the Father, his prayer is that all of the teachings that he has given to them over the last 3 years would give them joy; that they would find joy in the teachings of Jesus.  And you know, that’s really a contrast when it comes to the faiths of many Christians today.  As we read through Scripture, I’m afraid, many Christians today are more saddened by the things that they are commanded to do or not to do than they are joyful for what they read.  “You mean I have to actually care about someone who I don’t like?  You mean I have to give away my hard-earned money?  You mean I can’t be the one who decides what is and isn’t right for me?”  Do you find joy in the teachings of Jesus?  Or do you find yourself wishing that Scripture didn’t call us to live in the manner in which it does?  True discipleship, discipleship that is guided by God and not our earthly wants, will always seek to develop a joyous reaction to God’s word in the hearts of believers.

                The second thing that true discipleship will do (and we’re going to revisit all of these in a few weeks when we look at the entirety of the prayer), is develop within us a sense of holiness.  Now, we know that we cannot be holy exactly like God is holy.  We know that we especially can’t be completely holy while fallen human beings upon this earth.  However, we can’t just brush off the desire or call to be holy entirely either.  After all, for years, God’s people had heard the words of God spoken through Moses calling them to “be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”  Later on, in Peter’s first epistle, he says, “do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.”  Peter then reminds his audience of these words of Moses from Leviticus that we just mentioned.  So, there has to be some expectation of holiness from God on the part of His people.  All of this is what Jesus is praying about when he asks that God “keep them [his people] from the evil one.”  He prays not for them to leave the world with him, but for them to stay and work in the world without being corrupted.  In other words, he prays for them to be holy.  I know that we’ve said it many times and that a lot of you in here already know the biblical meaning of the word holy, but for those of you who don’t, it means “to be set apart.”  Holy means to be separate, to be sacred, to be of greater weight or worth.  Jesus was praying for his disciples, his followers, to be in the world, but not of the world.  This text is where that popular saying comes from.  Jesus was praying for them to be holy, to be set apart, to be different.  He wanted their minds to be focused upon the righteousness of the kingdom of God and not upon gaining earthly wealth and power.  He wanted them to be concerned with their faithfulness to God and not their own security or well-being.  Their new birth in Christ Jesus that was going to come to full fruition through Jesus’ work upon the cross meant that a radical division would exist between those who followed Christ and those who didn’t.  It already existed to a certain extent, but it was about to be expanded to an even greater level.

                The third thing that right discipleship does (at least as it’s found in our text), is teach the truth about God.  “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.”  In these verses, we see a repetition of what we just mentioned about being holy.  Sanctification is the process of becoming holy.  It’s the work of God’s free grace by which our whole person is made new in the image of God, and we are made more and more able to become dead to sin and alive to righteousness.  We see the call for sanctification twice in these verses, which tells us that part of the way in which we become holy is by knowing the truth.  The way in which we keep ourselves from falling victim to the desires of the world is by knowing what our desires should be, as well as what they shouldn’t be.  All of these three marks of discipleship (joy, holiness, and truth) are intertwined and are to a great extent inseparable, as they should be.  However, to focus on truth for just a second, I want to ask you a question.  What is truth?  What does it mean for something to be true?  Well, that used to be an easy question to answer didn’t it?  We used to be able to say that if something was accurate or correct, then it was truthful.  However, in our modern world, where each person wants to set their own definition for truth, that word has become harder and harder to define.  I can’t tell you how many discussions, debates, or just flat out arguments I’ve been in where someone has used the line, “Well, what’s true for you isn’t necessarily true for me.”  Let me confess something to y’all right here and now; I sin greatly in thought (and sometimes word and deed) when I hear someone say those words.  I know I shouldn’t but I just can’t help it.  Yes, our situations may be different, our priorities may not line up, and our opinions may be on opposite ends of the spectrum, but that doesn’t mean that what is true isn’t the same for both of us.  God is truth.  God exists whether you recognize Him or not.  Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of those whom God has chosen for salvation, and his status as such has absolutely nothing to do with whether we choose to acknowledge it or not.  I don’t like to think about the evils that exist in this world, both foreign and domestic, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t real.  I don’t like to think about the future world that my children might find themselves in as we continue on our current trajectory away from God’s word, but that won’t stop it from happening. 

                God’s word is our guide for faith and life.  It is the only authority for faith and obedience, says the Westminster Confession of Faith.  In order to know how we ought to live, we have to know God’s word.  It’s only in the pages of Scripture that we will find the revelation of God concerning how we are to conduct ourselves in parenting, family matters, business deals, and everyday situations.  It’s only by spending time in the word of God and committing ourselves to times of study and devotion that we can come to know God on a deeper and more intimate level.  While we may receive some clarity of thought in moments of silence or meditation, that clarity ought to always find its origins in God’s word.  Don’t think that you (or anyone else for that matter) are going to somehow magically receive some new knowledge from God as to how you are supposed to live that hasn’t already been given to you in Scripture.  Through discipleship, we discover what God has already said on a particular matter as opposed to rewording God’s commands to suit what we want to do.  In essence, we search for truth instead of making our own truth.  I mentioned a moment ago that we are on a trajectory away from God’s word.  Well, the only way that we are going to be able to change that trajectory is by seeking the only source of truth, the Bible, which teaches us what we must believe of God and what He requires of us.  The myth of different truths for different people is just that, a myth.  As I said, situations, circumstances, worldviews, and opinions may be different, but what is truthful is truthful for all.

                Now, there is a lot that has gone unsaid about much of this text and I’m well aware of that fact.  As I’ve said a couple of times, we’re going to revisit this passage again in a few weeks, along with the rest of this intimate prayer between Father and Son.  However, I want to leave you with this thought for today as it pertains to discipleship in the life of the Christian, and in particular you.  Are you in any type of a discipleship relationship?  Are you in any type of relationship where you regularly or irregularly meet up with someone and spend time discussing God’s word, applying that word to your life, and coming to know God on a deeper and more intimate level?  Are you trying to grow in your faith through more than just attending weekly worship?  If you’re involved in a Bible study or two that’s great, but how often do they meet?  How much time do you spend in Scripture?  If you’re only meeting once a month and sometimes you don’t even get around to opening your Bible, then is it really a discipleship relationship or just fellowship?  Don’t get me wrong, fellowship is great in the life of the church, but it cannot replace discipleship.  We see the call for discipleship is foundational to the life of the Christian.  Proverbs 22:6 speaks to discipleship of children, “Train up your child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”  Proverbs 27:17 speaks of our discipleship with each other, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”  Discipleship is vital to your growth as a Christian.  Yes, you grow through worship as we said last Sunday, but you also grow through regular study of God’s word.  You grow through studying God’s word alongside fellow believers.  You grow through learning from those who know more than you and from teaching those who know less than you.  It’s not enough just to hear the proclamation of the gospel on Sundays, but you must proclaim it to your own heart and the hearts of others all other days as well.  If you’re not engaged in discipleship in some way, then I can almost guarantee you that you’re not growing in your faith.  Don’t let the gift of faith in Jesus Christ go unnourished in your life.  Water it with the waters of discipleship, water it with the nourishment of the gospel.  Christ’s prayer for your life is that you worship, devote yourself to God’s word, and as we’ll see next week, that you take that word out into the world and proclaim His name.