John 20:19-31 "He's Still Risen"

I'm working on getting the audio up.  In the meantime, here's the manuscript from Sunday.

                For quite some time, the Sunday after Easter, known by various titles, the Octave of Easter and Low Sunday, has been a puzzling Sunday for many pastors and churches.  Whether that should be the case or not is debatable, but it is a reality.  For many Christians, there is a sense in which Easter is a spiritual high, a climax, that often ends with a crash.  We’ve all seen sports teams go out and win a big game over a top competitor, only to lose to a virtual nobody the very next game.  Also, so much work goes into the Easter/Lenten season that many churches are physically and spiritually spent once it is over.  Then, there is the very saddening fact that the Sunday after Easter is statistically the lowest attended day of worship in American churches.  Basically, we go to church on Easter Sunday and hear of the wondrous news of the resurrection, and we respond with tiredness and by neglecting worship the next opportunity that we have.  However, the truth of the matter is that the reality that we celebrated last Sunday on Easter, the empty tomb, is just as much of a reality today as it was a week ago.  It’s no less worth celebrating today than it was last Sunday.  In fact, we could make the argument that it’s even more worthy of our praise today than last week because not only are we further removed from the cross, but we are also even closer to the time of Christ’s second coming.

                So, with that in mind, we’re going to continue the unfolding of the events of that resurrection day with our text today that we just read.  We left off last Sunday with Mary Magdalene going to the disciples and telling them that Jesus had risen from the dead.  What’s odd, as we move from that text to our text for today, is that in the first verse of our text, the very next verse following Mary telling Jesus’ followers about his resurrection, we’re told that they were sitting in a house with the doors locked.  I think, in our minds, we would them all to be running around in the streets spreading the good news. Now, it’s worth noting that it was more than just Jesus’ disciples gathered together there.  We know that Judas wasn’t there because he had hung himself on a tree.  We know from the second part of our text that Thomas wasn’t there for some reason.  So, that makes at most ten disciples or apostles.  Also gathered with them are other followers; Jesus’ mother Mary, Jesus’ brothers, and others as well.  And they’re all sitting in a house with the doors locked because they’re afraid of the Jewish authorities.  Word had probably made it to the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin that Jesus’ body wasn’t in the tomb anymore.  The Jewish leaders have had enough of this group and they want to deal with this nuisance once and for all.  Many of them probably thought that the apostles were the ones responsible for Jesus’ body not being in the tomb.  It isn’t very difficult to imagine that social and political conditions weren’t exactly favorable for the followers of Jesus.  It’s understandable why they’re hiding in one place instead of being out on the streets spreading the news that Mary had told them that morning.

                You know, I think that we can relate a bit to these followers of Jesus in this sense, “fear of consequences can sometimes overcome what we hear about Jesus.”  Stick with me here, I’m not saying that it should, but it happens.  Fear of being socially cast aside or banished can make us shy away from speaking about Christ.  Fear of persecution and consequences can cause us to be silent in situations where we know that we ought to speak up.  However, that’s where the rest of our text tells us how we are to respond to that fear.  We’re told that Jesus comes into the room somehow, showing those in the room the scars in his hands and on his side so that they know that he isn’t a ghost or an angel but an actual person.  But if you look at verses 20 and 21, you’ll see that much of what is recorded there is added by John.  What Jesus actually says goes like this, “Peace be with you…Peace be with you.  As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”  Now, a few things are worth noting here.  First, the words “peace be with you” are a standard Jewish greeting.  Jesus is wishing God’s shalom upon his followers, his family, and his friends.  Secondly, notice that this greeting is repeated.  We know from reading and studying Scripture as we have that anytime something is repeated that it means that what is about to be said is deserving of special attention.  There was no underlining or bold font function for the biblical authors.  The way that we know something is important is by this double wording.  So, and this leads us to the third thing that I want us to see in this greeting, Jesus is saying that what is important is that his followers go out into the world.  This is John’s version of the Great Commission, which is typical given John’s usual brevity when it comes to his writing style.  The very first time that Jesus saw the majority of his disciples after his resurrection, he told them that they needed to go out and spread the news of his resurrection; they needed to spread the gospel.

                I can just imagine Jesus coming into this house, this room, and seeing all of his followers gathered together with the doors locked and looking at Mary Magdalene, “Didn’t you tell them what I told you to tell them.”  Mary responding, “Yes Lord, I told them.”  Jesus, then turning his attention to them and saying in a frustrated manner, “Well then what are y’all still doing here?”  However, instead of condemning them, he encourages them.  He tells them to “Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”  Jesus encourages them by telling them (and us) that he’s going to give them his Holy Spirit.  He reminds them of one of the things that he told to them in the Upper Room (16:2), that when he ascended to his Father, that they would receive the Holy Spirit.  Well, we know that that day was fast approaching, the Day of Pentecost.  The same Holy Spirit that worked through Jesus and sustained him during his earthly ministry was to be theirs and ours as well.  Jesus also, speaking specifically about and to the apostles, establishes the concept of apostolic authority.  Under the power of the Spirit, the apostles would have authority to declare God’s condemnation of sin and His offer of forgiveness.

                Then, we come to the record of Thomas’ first encounter with the resurrected Christ.  You can imagine that growing up as an inquisitive, pessimistic, and constantly questioning little boy with the given name of Thomas, that I was regularly called Doubting Thomas.  Now, my response has often been in defense of the biblical Thomas.  I mean, it’s not like any of the other followers of Christ were any more obedient prior to their actually seeing Jesus after his resurrection.  After all, we already noted that Thomas wasn’t present during Jesus’ first appearance before his disciples.  “So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’  But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”  Now, we have to admit that the “word” never just sort of stings when we see it here.  However, Thomas is really only wanting what the other disciples have already seen.  They have seen the marks on Jesus’ body that Thomas says he needs to see.  We were specifically told that in the first part of our text.  They’ve heard Jesus speak directly to them, whereas Thomas hasn’t yet.  Thomas does go the extra mile (in the wrong direction) here and say that not only does he want to see the marks, but to touch them as well.  However, we can’t completely dismiss the fact that Thomas is human.  There’s got to be a sense in which he feels slighted a bit that Jesus would appear to all the other disciples, his family, Mary, and other followers, but not him.  I’m not excusing it; I’m simply trying to help us create the type of mindset that Thomas might have had in that moment.  Or, we could just simply say that Thomas didn’t believe because he didn’t have full confidence that Jesus was the Messiah.  Maybe he thought that all of the other disciples and followers of Jesus had mentally and emotionally snapped and that they had lost it.  Either way, Thomas has drawn his line in the sand so-to-speak about his belief in the resurrected Christ.

                So time goes on; eight days to be exact.  Which, if you’re counting, would correlate with the following Sunday, today, and the disciples were together again and Thomas was with them this time.  As a side note, I can’t imagine what some of the conversations would have been like between Thomas and the other disciples during that week.  All of them probably kept talking about Christ’s resurrection (rightly so) and Thomas pipes in every time, “Nope!  Won’t believe it till I see it.”  Anyways, the door is locked again just as it was the first time the week prior.  Jesus once again, appears to his disciples despite the locked door and gives to them the same typical Jewish greeting of “Peace be with you.”  Again, he’s not coming with condemnation, but with the hope that his disciples are enjoying God’s shalom, God’s peace and rest. 

However, Jesus’ attention turns immediately to Thomas.  “Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side.  Do not disbelieve, but believe.”  Notice that he doesn’t even give Thomas the chance to ask about it before telling him to come and see and feel the marks of the crucifixion.  Now, it is possible that Jesus had appeared to the other disciples again already and that they had spoken about Thomas’ disbelief.  It’s also possible that Jesus simply knew Thomas’ heart and knew his doubt and his disbelief.  It really doesn’t matter one way or the other.  Now, it’s worth noticing that nowhere in John’s recording of these events that Thomas actually takes Jesus up on his offer.  We’re never told that Thomas felt the marks left by the nails, the spear, or the whips.  “Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”  Apparently, he didn’t have to feel the marks to believe, which makes Thomas a liar as well.  Thomas knew without a doubt what he needed in order to believe, until he came in contact with Jesus.  Thomas’ insistence that he wouldn’t believe until he felt Jesus’ marks was gone when Jesus spoke to him.  I love it when I hear about people setting their criteria for believing in God, only to have all of their criteria melt away when they are confronted by the very real and powerful presence of God.

Now, as it relates to our text for today, again we would expect some words of condemnation or rebuke on the part of Jesus.  I know that if we were in Jesus’ shoes we would have some words for Thomas.  I would imagine that the other disciples probably had some words with Thomas.  “So Thomas, what happened to that whole not believing until you feel Jesus’ scars thing?  Way to stand your ground Thomas.”  However, instead of us finding some statement along those lines, we find these words of Jesus, “Have you believed because you have seen me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  While we could certainly read into Jesus’ words to Thomas a sense that believing in the resurrection is great, but belief without having to actually see Jesus would have been better, I think that there is something more to it.  Of this verse, John Calvin writes, “Christ blames nothing in Thomas, but that he was so slow to believe, that he needed to be violently drawn to faith by the experience of the senses; which is altogether at variance with the nature of faith.”  Calvin then goes on to talk about the fact that our faith ought not be based on our experiences or our observations, but on the Spirit’s work in us and our responding to the calling that God places upon our hearts.

Calvin’s words about faith are why I think that a connection can be made between these words of Jesus and the final two verses of our text.  Typically (and probably in your Bibles) there’s a division in the final three verses.  However, I’m not so sure that we are to take these few verses as entirely separate thoughts.  After all, John is very prone to jump back and forth between narrating events as they happened and his own authorial comments.  If we look at all of these verses together we read, “Have you believed because you have seen me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.  Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book, but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”  Now, obviously the first verse is pertaining to the events that took place between Jesus and his disciples there in that room.  However, when we look at them as a thematic whole, we see them as more than just an encouragement to believe.  They are more than an encouragement to believe without physical evidence.  These words are both a call to have faith in Jesus as the Son of God, and also a promise that faith in Christ leads to everlasting life.

Do you know why we can have eternal life with Christ?  It’s because of what we celebrated last Sunday.  It’s because Jesus Christ has died, paying the price that was owed for our sins, but also because he rose from the dead, conquering the enemy of death.  Jesus Christ is life.  Do you know how we know about Jesus?  Well, obviously, the primary answer is Scripture.  We don’t have anyone walking around the world today who was an eyewitness to anything that Jesus did during his earthly ministry.  We have God’s word as our witness about Jesus.  And while there may be differences in chronology and interpretation between different accounts in Scripture, we know that what is in Scripture is sufficient for us to have this saving faith.  As the Westminster Assembly set out to construct the Confession of Faith in the mid 1600’s, the very first chapter that they constructed was one on the nature of Scripture.  It was vital that they have a clear definition of Scripture because it influences the way in which we see all the other matters of God.  Yes, we see God through nature, through family, and a host of other means.  However, nothing can come close to revealing God to us like His Word.  These other means of coming to know God also can’t provide us with the knowledge that is contained in God’s word.  And one of the main things that we know from Scripture is that the tomb was empty. 

We see the way in which the philosophy of the church shifts with the coming of Christ.  We see the way that the resurrection affects every action, every teaching, and even the direction of the church.  Shouldn’t the same be said for us?  Shouldn’t the good news of Christ’s resurrection shape everything about our church, about our lives?  I know that we’ve been all over the place today, but I’ll close with this thought:  have you spent this past week living like the tomb is still empty?  Has the wondrous news of Christ’s resurrection so permeated your heart that you can’t keep it in?  If you have then that’s great.  If you haven’t then what are you waiting for?  Are you still sitting locked in that room?  Friends, we are sitting on news that is too good not to share.  The tomb is empty, and it has been empty since that time and will remain empty forevermore.  Let’s start living like it.  Let’s starting living like it’s Easter Sunday every day.

John 20:1-18 "Just Imagine"

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                Over roughly the past month, we’ve had the privilege of looking at Jesus’ time spent in the Upper Room with his disciples.  Now, while we didn’t have the time to look at all of the moments of teaching that Jesus had with them, we did see quite a lot.  We looked at the beginning of their time together and the institution of the Lord’s Supper.  Over the past four Sundays, we have paid particular attention to the way in which Jesus ended their time together in the Upper Room, his High Priestly Prayer.  We ultimately took away from this prayer that it is a prayer for us, the Church.  Jesus, in his most vulnerable moments, had us on the forefront of his mind.  How amazing is that when we really stop to think about it? 

Also, if you were able to be with us this past Thursday for our Maundy Thursday service, then you would know that we looked back at a brief unfolding of the events that took place over roughly a 24 hour period, culminating in the death of Jesus Christ and the words he spoke as his life on this earth came to an end.  Now, we do have to admit that in each of the gospel accounts, the final words of Jesus are a bit different, but that’s nothing more than really a difference on behalf of the human authors and what they recorded.  Had we read from John’s account of the events, we would have seen John’s very brief recording of Jesus saying the words, “It is finished.”  Now, I know that so often pastors, folks like me; say in a manner that often comes across as condescending, that if you aren’t looking at the original Hebrew or Greek then you’re not getting the full effect.  Well, here, that happens to be true, although I hope I’m not saying it condescendingly.  The Greek word for “finished” here is a form of the Greek that tells us that the action is totally complete.  It’s over; period.  The end or the goal of what was being done has reached its full completion.  So, Jesus died.  And after some confirmation of his death by the Roman soldiers, he was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.  That’s where we have left off in the unfolding of the events of roughly 2000 years ago.

I’ve often thought about the moment that Jesus died.  Now, that’s an obvious statement for any Christian really.  We’ve probably all thought about the death of Christ on the cross, or at least I hope we all have.  We should every time we take communion shouldn’t we?  However, I’ve tried to think of it in modern emotional terms, and let me explain.  Have you ever been in the room when someone’s time on this earth was done?  It’s a pretty surreal feeling isn’t it?  You don’t even have to know them all that well for the magnitude of what just happened to hit home in a big way.  It’s similar to some of the emotions that we feel during a time of loss when we’re given that first glimpse of someone’s body lying in a casket during a visitation or wake.  It’s akin to that sinking feeling that we get when we watch a casket or an urn being placed into the ground or a mausoleum.  I’m not trying to conjure up painful memories, but I’m building up to this point.  Imagine that the person that you have watched fade into glory is Jesus.  Imagine that the person that you saw lifeless, devoid of all spirit was Jesus.  Imagine that you’re watching the rock being closed over the opening to the tomb, sealing Jesus inside and the Roman guards are taking their place.  Imagine the sense of finality and hopelessness that you would have felt if you were a follower of Jesus witnessing all of this. 

Now, of course the disciples are probably depressed, they’ve spent the better part of three years with him.  They think back to all the things that they’ve seen and heard and think, “this can’t be it?”  Of course his mother Mary is saddened, she has lost a son.  Not to mention the fact that she’s seen Jesus’ powerful work and been told directly by the angel Gabriel that she was giving birth to the Son of God.  She was told that Jesus was going to be given, “the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”  Well, now it looks like there’s an end.  However, I want to also think of all of those other folks, some of whom have only recently heard of Jesus, the long-awaited and promised Messiah that was going to restore God’s people, and now he’s dead.  Even the most casual or nominal follower of Jesus had to feel some loss and some pain during those moments.  After all, we know what had to happen, what would happen, and what we gain from all of these events and we still feel great sorrow and sadness at the crucifixion of Jesus don’t we?  Now, I’m not saying that we should be saddened by the crucifixion, since it means everything to us, but there is a sense in which it breaks our hearts to know that Christ, God himself, had to endure such pain and suffering on our behalf.  It’s because of our sins that the cross is even necessary.

Think about all that you’ve done since Friday afternoon about three o’clock.  That’s roughly about the time Jesus died.  Imagine if all you had to do was to sit around and ponder bad or sorrowful news.  The old business adage is to fire someone on a Friday because people are statistically happier on Fridays.  Well, I’m guessing that those who’ve said that have never been fired, and probably not on a Friday.  There is nothing that would make me feel worse than being told something on a Friday afternoon and knowing that there was nothing I could do about it for several days.  Day one, you’re in shock.  Day two, you’re angry.  Day three, you’re depressed.  Can you imagine the disciples and all the followers of Jesus going to bed that Friday night, hoping that it was just a dream?  However, when they awake on Saturday, they are confronted with the reality of what happened; Jesus was gone.  Jesus’ followers make their way through Saturday, some of whom deciding that they are going to go to his tomb the following morning for some reason.  Maybe it’s to offer spices to mask the smell, maybe it’s to spread flowers, or maybe it’s a way for them to have some sense of closure about what has happened.

Our specific text for this day records Mary Magdalene going to the tomb so early that it’s still dark outside.  Seeing that the stone had been moved, she runs to go get “Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved” (commonly thought to be John and I’ll refer to him as John moving forward).  She’s distraught; she thinks that someone has come in during the night and stolen Jesus’ body.  They all go running to the tomb where Jesus was buried, coming finally to the door (John adding in that he beat Peter there).  John looks in, and Peter, upon getting there, just goes right inside the tomb only to find the linen cloths lying there and the face cloth folded up sitting by itself.  John joins Peter inside the tomb.  They become even more disheartened at this point.  Not only is Jesus dead, but someone has stolen his body from the tomb.  And before you think that they thought he might be alive, John specifically records the words, “for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.  Then the disciples went back to their homes.”

So, there’s Mary Magdalene remaining at the tomb by herself, weeping and cleaning up a bit.  However, she finally looks in and sees these two angels sitting where Jesus had been laid.  Why didn’t Peter and John see them?  Well, obviously they weren’t meant to and they may not have been there at that point.  What matters isn’t that these two disciples didn’t see them but that Mary did.  And they have some pretty big news to tell Mary.  Although, it is quite puzzling that we have nothing recorded of Mary’s reaction.  Regardless, the angels ask her why she’s weeping.  Again, we don’t know if they expected Mary to be excited or what was going on.  So, Mary tells them why, “She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’”  She’s heartbroken; not just at the fact that Jesus is dead, but that now his physical body is gone as well.

Then, after informing the angels why she’s saddened, she turns around, and there’s Jesus, only she doesn’t recognize him.  Maybe it was shock, maybe she didn’t get a clear vision, or maybe it was some supernatural impairment that kept her from recognizing Jesus similar to that of the disciples traveling on the road to Emmaus that is recorded in Luke 24.  Whatever the case might be, Mary doesn’t recognize him right off the bat.  Then, Jesus says to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?  Whom are you seeking?”  After what can be described as a frantic response to whom she seems to think is a gardener, Jesus has to get her attention.  “Mary” he says to her, and she turns to see him.  “Rabboni!” she responds back to him.  She finally sees that Jesus is alive and standing in front of her.  Now, think about all of this for just a moment.  First, it’s possible that in her frantic nature that she’s not noticing what is right in front of her.  I won’t ask for a show of hands, but how many of you have panicked at the thought of losing a certain piece of jewelry, a watch, your wallet, your keys, or some other important item without checking your pockets or your person?  Sometimes our emotions can control us to the point where all rational thought goes out the window.  Again, this may have been some supernatural work of God in Mary not recognizing Jesus, but it does give us a glimpse into her state of mind.  Secondly, once again there seems to be a lack of reaction on the part of Mary.  She doesn’t seem to be overcome with emotion.  There’s no mention of screaming or fainting or any type of outburst.  We can assume from Jesus’ words to her that she might have grabbed onto him, but that’s all we’re told.

“Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father, but go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”’”  As I said, we can assume from the text here that she might have grabbed onto Jesus.  It is commonly suggested that she fell to her knees, grabbed him by the legs, and refused (at least momentarily) to let go.  Imagine, if you will, the way that a child clings to his/her parent when walking into a room full of strangers.  There is a sense in which regardless of whatever else is going on, that child feels safe as long as they have a hold of mom or dad’s leg.  Mary, probably confused at everything that has transpired over the course of a short period of time (but with the emotional rollercoaster that has been the past week taking it’s toil), knows nothing else other than that everything is going to be okay as long as she has a hold on Jesus.  All of the questions that we would naturally want to ask (how, why, or things like that), none of those things matter to her in that moment.

We sit here today, and we’re all excited and ought to rejoice constantly at the fact that Jesus rose from the dead.  However, can you imagine being Mary Magdalene?  Can you imagine living out those moments?  There’s no reading to see what happens.  There’s no way to speed things up and see how things are going to play out.  In the words of the biblical scholar Tom Petty (kidding), the waiting is the hardest part.  Mary had had to wait since around 3 pm on Friday, wondering if this was the end, and now she has her answer.  Jesus is not only alive, but he’s well and he’s standing right there in front of her.  It’s not as if she’s only heard that he’s alive; she’s seen him, she’s touched him, and she’s spoken directly to him.  He’s also given her the command to go and tell the disciples (Jesus’ brothers as he calls them) about his resurrection; which she does.  Now, I do have to imagine that there was a little piece of Mary that was afraid to leave.  What if he wasn’t there when she came back?  What if she brings back the disciples and something happens in the meantime?  You would almost expect to find her saying to Jesus, “Why don’t you come with me to see them Jesus?”, but we don’t.

There is one of the great difficulties that we find in the Christian faith isn’t it.  Instead of going, we would rather Jesus just make himself known.  Now, we’ll see that next Sunday as we conclude this little glimpse at John’s gospel and this Easter/Lenten series with the account of Jesus appearing to his disciples.  You know, it’s not like Jesus isn’t fully capable, it isn’t as if God is incapable of just striking all of us right where we stand and telling us that He is God and God alone and the only one worthy of our praise.  I’ve seen that happen to people, I’ve heard testimonies of that actually happening to people.  However, Jesus calls us to take this message outward.  Unfortunately, we view this as more of a labor than anything else, don’t we?  You mean I have to talk to folks about Jesus and tell them about the empty tomb?  Think about how greatly things have changed from the time of Jesus’ resurrection.

I mentioned a moment ago about Mary’s hesitation with leaving.  However, notice that I said that that was just my opinion about what she might have felt.  Scripture in no way gives any indication that she balked at anything that Jesus said.  In fact, we could even say that the absence of resistance on Mary’s part is an indicator that there was little-to-no hesitation within Mary.  Immediately after being told that she needed to go and tell the disciples, we find our text saying, “Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’—and that he had said these things to her.”  In fact, as I read this, I envision her busting down the door of wherever the disciples are gathered and shouting with excitement, “I have seen the Lord.”  She’s got that thing happening inside of her that we experience when we have a secret about a proposal, a pregnancy, or a huge surprise that is about to come someone’s way.  We can’t wait to tell the good news that we know about.  We’re in such a wonderful mood because of our excitement that it changes everything about us; it makes us overjoyed.

Friends, does the news of Jesus’ resurrection give you that kind of excitement?  Does the words “He is not here; He is risen” cause your heart to become overjoyed?  Does the fact that Jesus endured all manner of pain and suffering and yet he still lives to this very day, give you the strength and the courage to know that God is working all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes?  Because if the fact that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, where he sits to this very day at God the Father’s right hand, serving as our advocate (our eternal prophet, priest, and king), if that news doesn’t cause your heart to skip a beat then I don’t know what will.  It’s great news; it’s wonderful news.  It’s the best news that we could ever have.  Not only is it news worth sharing, but it’s the only news that’s really worth sharing.  Jesus Christ is risen from the grave, conquering once and for all the enemy of sin.  “‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’  ‘O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?’  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Amen.

John 17 "Christ's Prayer for the Church"

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                Over the past three weeks, we’ve been looking at Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer; that intimate prayer that Jesus spoke to his Father while in the Upper Room as he was gathered together with his disciples, after having instituted the Lord’s Supper and given them their final period of teaching.  What we’ve seen during our look at this prayer is that while this is a prayer between Jesus Christ the Son and God the Father, this is so much more than just a prayer.  As we’ve said all along, this is the longest recorded such prayer of Jesus in all of Scripture.  And there are a number of different sort of breakdowns that are out there about how this prayer is segmented and who it is for.  Unfortunately, when we break something like this up, the central message and unity of it can become lost.  Now, don’t misunderstand me, it’s important for us to understand the parts that we’ve looked at; for us specifically, Jesus’ prayer for our worship, our discipleship, and our mission (or as some have called it, the upward, the inward, and the outward).  So, that’s why we’ve broken this prayer into these sections, so that we could gain an understanding of the parts.  As we’ve worked our way through this prayer, we’ve looked at it as a prayer specifically for the Church.  So, I want to take some time and put all of these pieces or parts that we’ve seen together in order to create a unified vision in your mind of Christ’s prayer.  I want us to have as clear of a picture of the whole prayer as we do of the parts of the prayer.

                To do this, I need to remind you of some of the things that we’ve pointed out thus far in our Lenten series.  Several weeks ago, when we looked at the first ten verses of this prayer, we focused in on the intimacy between Father and Son and talked about the glory of God.  We talked about what is commonly referred to as the doctrine of adoption.  We commented on how amazing it is that we can call out to God and use the language of Father, a word that is reserved for family; that we can call out to God who is so far above and beyond us like we’re on the same level.  Now of course we’re not, but that’s the feeling we get.  However, that’s sort of the catch-22 (if there is one) of this relationship that we have through Jesus Christ isn’t it?  We rejoice in the fact that we can relate to God so intimately (calling Him Father), but we run the risk of becoming nonchalant with God and not giving Him his proper glory.  We run the risk of being too casual in our relationship with Him.

A couple of year ago (three to be exact), before Amy’s sister got married, we threw them a party, a shrimp boil at my in-law’s house.  We all gathered together with a lot of their friends, a good number of them we didn’t know, and celebrated Beth and Aaron’s impending marriage.  After I was done cooking, I proceeded to take my place at the table with the shrimp, with no plans on moving until I was full.  After a lot of folks had their fill, they went away to sit down.  There were only a handful of us “bottomless-pit” types left standing, all of whom were groomsmen in the wedding except for me.  Now, as most shrimp boils of this variety do, this one had plenty of refreshments to go around.  And as some of the guys getting refreshments had a few too many, they started letting some things come out of their mouths that typically wouldn’t.  I didn’t condemn, I didn’t condone, but just listened.  Now, the funny part about all of this is that they all knew that I was Beth’s brother-in-law.  What they didn’t know, was that I was the minister who was going to be officiating the ceremony two months later.  There was a sense of casualness that they had with me when I was just family, as opposed to the pastor.  That same casualness wasn’t there the weekend of the wedding, only a few months later, and it wasn’t as if I changed in any way during that time.  Well, it’s sort of the opposite with God isn’t it?  We are anything but casual in the infancy of our relationship with Him, but over time, we grow more casual, and even too casual and flippant. 

That’s where the second part of Jesus’ prayer, discipleship, comes in.  When we looked at discipleship, we said that true discipleship ought to produce within us three things:  joy, holiness, and truth.  We are to see the joy that it is to be in a relationship with God, the holiness that exists within the triune God, the holiness that we are to strive for in our daily living, and the truth about God.  And I think that it’s this final aspect of discipleship that ought to help us keep ourselves in check when it comes to being too casual with God.  When we really learn the truth about who God is and what He has done for us, it ought to keep us from ever being too flippant in our relationship with Him.  If God is willing to allow all of His wrath to be poured out upon His own Son on the cross, then how could we ever feel completely comfortable in our sinfulness.  Yes, we take joy in the words of Scripture (as we should) that we find speaking of how Jesus Christ is the once for all complete sacrifice, the propitiation, for our sins, but should there ever be a point in time where we are just so comfortable that we stop treating God with the reverence and respect and awe that He is owed?

Now my dad, as I have said before, was my best friend in this life prior to Amy.  There has never been a time in my life that I ever doubted that he had my best interests in mind.  I knew, and still know, that everything that he does is with my mother and me (and now Amy and the kids) at the forefront of his mind.  There is nothing that he would ever do to hurt any of us, and we all know that.  However, I had a fear of my dad growing up.  Yes he was my best friend and I could go to him with anything, but he was also my father and the standard-setter in my life.  If there was ever a time that I got too casual or too flippant in that relationship, he was very quick to put things back in their proper alignment.  I was a college student, home for the weekend to play in a golf tournament with my dad.  I got mad at something that happened and threw a golf ball down a street that ran alongside the course.  My father, being none-too-pleased with this outburst, proceeded to calmly tell me to go get the ball.  After my protesting, he, not so subtly, reminded me who was the father and who was the son.  After running about a quarter mile there and back, I returned with not only my golf ball, but my attitude and framework properly adjusted.  Discipleship, in the Christian life, is the constant reminder of who God is, who we are, and how we relate to Him, that, if done right, will keep us from having to run that quarter mile and back after the golf ball.  It will keep us in a right relationship with God, and also help us to grow in that relationship.  Discipleship is how we go from eating only spiritual milk, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3 and Hebrews 5 (at least that’s my opinion), to solid food.  It is only through active discipleship that we will grow in our knowledge and understand of God.  Spiritual growth and maturity don’t happen unless we put in the time, effort, and work.

So, we praise God and we come to know God in a sense of growing in our understanding of Him and keeping ourselves in a proper relationship with Him, and that drives us to go out and proclaim His name.  The text that we read for our call to worship is part of a larger text in John 12 containing John’s account of the Triumphal Entry.  Had we read the entire section, we would have found these words, “His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.  The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness.  The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.”  Well, how do you think that they had heard of what Jesus had done?  All of the crowd that was gathered there along the road just trying to catch a glimpse of Jesus and cheer the coming Messiah (which many biblical historians have projected to be somewhere upwards of 2 million people) wasn’t there for all of Jesus’ miracles.  Many of them had never even seen Jesus before.  As that passage I read just a moment ago tells us, the people who had seen Jesus (and in particular his raising of Lazarus) had “continued to bear witness.”  In other words, folks were talking about Jesus and spreading the news that the Messiah had come and that his name was Jesus.  If we were to go back through the gospel accounts, we would see that earlier on in his earthly ministry, Jesus would tell folks not to spread the word about him because his hour hadn’t come yet.  However, in the accounts of Jesus’ latter miracles, we don’t see any such request to not make known the works and teachings of Jesus.

As a matter of fact, the longer Jesus’ ministry goes on, the more we start to see not only an absence of his admonition for people to remain silent about his identity, but we begin to see his encouragement for proclaiming his identity as the long-awaited Messiah.  Now, one of the things that we have to remember about our text and ourselves today is that we are on the opposite side of both the cross and the empty tomb.  Remember, this prayer was made the night before Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion.  If we look at Jesus’ words to his disciples during the time between his resurrection and his ascension, that’s where we find our marching orders for what going out is to look like on this side of the cross.  We see things like Jesus’ discourse with Peter in John 21 where Jesus tells him to “feed his sheep.”  We see the Great Commission in various renderings in Matthew and Mark’s gospel accounts where Jesus tells his disciples to “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” and “baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”  Also, lest we forget, there are those words recorded in the book of Acts that give us Jesus’ final words to his followers and are really the theme of the entire book, “and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 

Friends, God is to be praised and worshiped.  The Word of God is to be poured over and taught and instilled within our own hearts, the hearts of our children, our friends, and all those who have ears to hear.  And the good news of the gospel is to go out into the world.  It may feel at times like we’re not making any progress, but understand that it’s not your job to make progress, to change a heart.  It is your job to proclaim the gospel, to scatter the seed.  It is the work of the Holy Spirit that softens the heart, waters the seed of faith, and causes it to take root in the “good soil” of Matthew 13.

So, as Jesus has now shared this meal and instituted the Lord’s Supper; as he has spent this time teaching his disciples one last time; he looks upward to His Father in heaven and he asks for God to be glorified through the work of the Church.  He asks for the kingdom of God to be advanced on this earth through worship, discipleship, and a taking of the gospel out into the world.  Jesus knows that his followers are going to face hard times, he knows that they’re going to face struggles and persecutions.  We talked a few weeks ago about Jesus petitioning His Father right near the middle of the prayer to “keep them [his disciple] from the evil one.”  He prays that they would be given the strength to carry on the work that Jesus started.  Jesus initiated, he instituted the kingdom of God here upon this earth.  Think back to the words of John the Baptist as he spoke about Jesus in the beginning of Matthew’s gospel, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  He goes on to further say, “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees.  Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”  If we look at the words of Jesus at the beginning of his ministry as they are recorded in Mark’s gospel account we find him saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”  Jesus was praying here in John 17 for his disciples, and all those who were to follow them in worshipping God, would continue the task at hand. 

You know, in some regards we could even say that Jesus was praying that we would not become what we find in so many churches today.  He was praying that worship would be about God, and not the type of music or the air temperature or any of those other things that we focus so much upon.  He was praying that our times of discipleship would be about growing in our faith and not merely our being entertained.  He was praying that we would be more concerned with proclaiming the good news of the gospel than with creating for ourselves a more comfortable environment.  Jesus was praying that we would have the strength and the courage to continue on the course that the Church was on.  Now, obviously I’m not saying that every church is concerned with these things over God.  I’m not even saying that a majority of churches are more concerned with their church than they are God.  However, we all know that there are some churches and Christians who are more concerned with building the kingdom of self than the kingdom of God.

The Church is a beautiful thing.  Jesus died for the Church.  The Church is referred to as the bride of Christ.  The Church universal and the local congregation are precious gifts that God has given to us.  He has given the Church to us, as we’ve said, as a means by which we may worship Him properly and grow soundly and faithfully in our relationship with Him.  He’s given us the Church so that we might have a mechanism that helps us to proclaim the love of Christ and the wondrous news of the gospel to the ends of the earth.  Doesn’t it give you great hope and great strength to know that during the moments prior to Christ’s greatest work, when he’s feeling his most vulnerable, gathered together with his disciples, that he’s praying for you?  John Knox, the Thundering Scot, who is really sort of the father of Presbyterianism in Scotland, famously had his wife read and reread this prayer to him while he was on his deathbed.  He told her that he wanted to hear Jesus prayer for him.  He wanted to hear Jesus’ prayer for the Church that Knox had literally given everything to during his lifetime.  The Church is precious.  She is so precious that Christ instituted her, loved her, died for her, and prayed that she would be strengthened as the end of the age drew near.  Shouldn’t we have the same love for the Church, for the kingdom of God?  If so, why wouldn’t we do everything we can to celebrate, to grow in our own knowledge, and to make known that love that we have and the blessing that we have in being the bride of Christ?

John 17:18-26 "The Church's Mission"

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Over the past few weeks, we’ve been blessed with the opportunity to sit and look at an intimate prayer between Jesus Christ the Son and God the Father.  We’ve been looking at Jesus’ prayer for his followers, for his church, and for himself, known as the High Priestly Prayer.  Today, as we turn our attention to the closing section of this prayer, I think back to a class that I had in seminary.  I think that it was a class on worship but I’m not quite sure (they all run together).  What sticks out to me isn’t the class but the assignment.  My professor, Dr. Derek Thomas, would have us write out prayers using certain models or for certain aspects of the Christian life.  For example, there was an ACTS model prayer, a pastoral prayer, a prayer of thanksgiving, etc.  Now, that wasn’t a big deal for a seminary student; we were used to praying.  The challenging part of it was that each prayer had to be one-page (a full one-page), single-spaced, size 10 Times New Roman font, and we couldn’t adjust the borders to make it look longer.  Now, to some of you that means nothing, but let me just tell you that if I were to pray a prayer of that length during the worship service, y’all might mistake it for the sermon.  The thing that I learned during constructing such prayers was that in order for the prayer to make any sense, there had to be a sense of direction and intentionality about it.  You don’t realize how often in prayer you repeat yourself and end up circling back a few times to the same point until you sit down and write out a prayer.  You never want to go into a prayer without knowing the things that you want to say and knowing the ultimate place where you are wanting to go.  I’m not saying to not let the Holy Spirit guide us.  What I’m saying is that when we pray for something or someone, we need to be intentional and specific.

So, as we’ve seen Jesus move through this prayer from worship and glorifying God to discipleship and growing in our knowledge and understanding of God, we come to the place of putting all of that into practice.  We come to the point in Jesus’ prayer that he’s been building to, what the Church is to do now that Christ’s time on earth is under 24 hours.  Remember, all of this is happening at night, and Jesus isn’t going to see another sunset in his life.  Scripture tells us that his death was around 3:00 pm the next day.  In those waning moments of Jesus’ time upon this earth, he prays for the mission of the Church, specifically in our taking the message that Jesus Christ is Lord (what Christ has been teaching his followers) out into the world.

One of the reasons why I backed our text up and started it with the last few verses from last Sunday is that the language here really drives home an important aspect of the mission or ministry of the Church.  In verse 18, in the middle of the call for his disciples to remain different from the world, Jesus speaks to the Father and says, “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”  As we read those words and hear those words, I want to remind you of the words that Jesus spoke to his disciples after his resurrection as they are recorded later on in this same gospel account.  John 20:21 records these words, “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.  As the Father sent me, even so I am sending you.’”  There is a central theme, obviously, of being sent as it pertains to the Christian faith.  The purpose, the mission of the Christian church isn’t simply to gather together in what are commonly called “holy huddles”, but to go out into the world.  We’re not supposed to be as Martin Luther called it “ivory tower Christians” who are completely closed off from the world around us.  We are to be active and vocal and engaged with the world around us.  We fail miserably at our mission if we hear this good news, rejoice in it, grow in it, but never share it with anyone outside of our own little Christian community, outside of what I like to call our comfort zone.

Now, I’m sure that some of you are sitting and wondering whether it’s more important that we gather together to worship God and for times of discipleship or to go out into the world.  In essence, which of these three aspects of the church that we’ve looked at during this Lenten series is the most important?  The answer is, quite simply, that it’s all important.  There isn’t one aspect of the Christian life that is more important than any other aside from faith in Christ.  Also, remember that worship isn’t just the time that we spend together on Sunday mornings, nor is discipleship confined to Sunday School or formal Bible studies.  All of these aspects of the Christian life are to be present and prevalent in the life of the church as a whole and in the lives of those Christians that make up her body.  Worship ought to drive us to discipleship and going out, just as our going out ought to instill in us a desire to praise God and grow in our knowledge and understanding of Him.  As we grow in our knowledge of God, we ought to want to engage in acts of worship and evangelism.  All of these aspects of the Christian life and the life of the Church ought to spur us on to greater commitment to each of the other aspects.  You could almost say that it’s this never-ending motion that we find ourselves in the middle of as Christians.  The force that is the gospel propels us forward, and the only thing that can cause us to falter is ourselves and our striving for something else instead of moving forward, after God.  When we strive for something else instead of God, it’s no wonder that we might fall.

You know, one of the ways in which we go out is through the example of how we relate to one another.  I know that that sounds a bit odd, but follow me for just a moment.  Throughout the closing verses of this prayer, Jesus repeatedly calls for unity within the body of believers.  Jesus prays “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us.”    Later on, “the glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and love them even as you loved me.”  Jesus prays for a sense of unity, togetherness, and oneness amongst his followers.  And we see that played out in the life of the church don’t we?  If there is a church in any particular community that is constantly plagued with infighting and bickering, then it’s known about all throughout the community.  You don’t even have to have a connection to that particular church to know the stories about how they fight.  On the flip side of that, the opposite is true as well.  If a church is a place of unity and togetherness and everyone is striving for the same thing, then that’s known.  Someone may not be a part of your church, but when they hear the name of that church, they will comment that they have heard of the unity that exists there.  We see Paul comment to various churches about how their unity and love is known around the world.  We bear witness for the sake of the gospel by the way in which we relate to one another and worship and fellowship in unity with one another as a church.

The same is true on the macro level as well as the micro.  How we relate to other Christians is a testimony for the gospel.  However, the sad fact of the matter is that we read these words, and upon applying them to the Church (universal) as it exists today, many questions arise from both within and outside of the Church?  If there’s a call for unity, then why do we have so many different denominations?  Why isn’t there just one Church instead of Presbyterians, Baptists, Catholics, Methodists, Episcopalians, Pentecostals, and all the other groups that I’m overlooking this morning?  Well, the truth of the matter is that the different denominations exist not out of a sense of disunity, but for theological reasons.  For example, the protestant churches differ from Catholic churches greatly because of the differences of theological interpretations of the infallibility of man.  Now this is just one example, but whereas the Catholic church views the Pope to be infallible in his official teaching (ex cathedra), protestants view him to be just as fallen and fallible as anyone else.  As such, anything that he says, even during his time in his chair, isn’t holy simply because he says it.  Yes, it may be true in some cases and we know that he is a Godly and knowledgeable man, but he’s sinful too.  He’s fallen just like anyone else.  And each of the protestant denominations have various points at which there are serious theological issues that have caused divisions.  The truth of the matter is that the only time that there won’t be denominations is when we are united in heaven.  Under God, there are no divisions, but there is amongst man.  Now it should be and needs to be noted that most protestant denominations will consent that the differences that exists between them are not matters of salvation, but more matters of the application of biblical teachings.  So, there is still a sense of unity that does exist amongst protestant churches, even if it isn’t the most perfect of unions.  What matters most isn’t the denomination, but the faithfulness with which the gospel is proclaimed.  I’m of the mindset that all Christians, regardless of denomination, are to relate to one another using the words of Paul in Ephesians 4:  “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.”

So, all that being said, I can read some minds in here as you think , “Ok, even if there is a good reason for all the different denominations, why are churches filled with such infighting?”  The answer, honestly, is that churches are comprised completely of sinful, fallen, and imperfect people.  It’s no secret that most of the fighting that takes place within churches is because of things like the air being too hot or too cold, the carpet being a color that someone doesn’t like, or someone going with one contracting service over another.  I’ve even seen one member leave the church over the type of food that was served at a Wednesday night dinner.  We also hear of people leaving because of things like the worship service, the sermons, or the music.  Now, it’s not that there is anything wrong with them, but that people argue over how they are preached, the type of music there is, the volume of the music, or the time of the worship service.  I’ve seen someone leave because the pastor kept running over the “allotted” one hour for a worship service.  I’m telling you, I grew up in a pretty harsh church where I saw fighting, members leave, and pastors fired over all of these issues.  And the only explanation that I have been able to come up with after all of the study and theological training that I’ve received is that it’s because we’re fallen.  We’re a bunch of imperfect people seeking to worship a perfect God and live holy lives.  We see folks every day jumping around, searching for the perfect church.  I love what Charles Spurgeon had to say about the perfect church, “If I had never joined a church till I had found one that was perfect, I should never have joined one at all; and the moment I did join it, if I had found one, I should have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect church after I had become a member of it.  Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth to us.”

Friends, the unity of the Church, both individually as a congregation and universally with all other Christians is the testimony, the witness, of the Church.  It is an expression of the gospel itself.  Jesus is praying for us to be united.  He’s praying for the Church to be the “one body with many parts” that Paul talks about in Ephesians 4.  Jesus prays to the Father saying, “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”  We see that Jesus is not only speaking of what he has done, but what will continue to be done through the power, the work of the Holy Spirit.  I absolutely love what R.C. Sproul says of this verse.  “We are called to participate in the death of Christ, in the afflictions of Christ, in the humiliation of Christ, for if we do no, we will never share in His glory. But in order to be faithful disciples in this world, to fulfill the mission that He has given to His church, we need to be encouraged by the knowledge of His love that He has shed abroad in our hearts.  The knowledge of His everlasting love for us gives us the strength we need to fulfill the mission that He has given to us.”  Does the knowledge that God loves you so much that He sent His Son into the world to die for you give you the strength that you need to fulfill your mission?  Does the understanding that Jesus resisted all temptation in this life and endured complete humiliation all for your sake give you courage?  Does the knowledge that you have the Holy Spirit working in you and through you give you strength?  Does the sacrament that we are about to observe this morning, the elements on the table representing the shed blood and the sacrificed body of Jesus, give you the strength to proclaim the name of Christ with boldness and in unity?  Because if they don’t, then what will?  Jesus is all we need.  He is the only way in which we are included in this love that exists between the Father and the Son.  It is in Christ alone where we find the love of God the Father.  It is our mission to strive for that destination and to guide others along the same path.  It’s not always going to be easy.  As Jesus said during his Sermon on the Mount, “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”  It’s not easy, but it’s our mission.  May we boldly and faithfully accept the task that is before us.

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.

John 17:1-10 "The Glory of God"

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                For the remainder of this Lenten season, we will be looking at what is commonly known as the High Priestly Prayer.  It’s found in John 17 and is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus.  It comes immediately on the heels of Jesus’ time of sharing the Passover Meal with his disciples in the Upper Room (known as the Last Supper) and his final words of instruction for his disciples that we looked at a little bit last Sunday.  We said that Jesus spent a good bit of time teaching his disciples and preparing them for life without him.  At the conclusion of that teaching, we see Jesus immediately turn his attention to God.  “When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said…”  There’s no passage of time.  There’s no changing of locations.  There is this immediate prayer that comes at the end of Jesus’ teaching, seemingly akin to our pastoral prayer that we offer up after a sermon.  John Stott so eloquently states of Jesus’ immediate prayer that “he now waters the seeds of prayer which he has been sowing.”  And you know, this is sort of an odd thing to find in the gospel accounts.  Every other time that Jesus finished teaching or preaching or healing or some other work, he retreated into solitude for a time of intimate prayer with His Father.  However, here in John 17, we’re given a glimpse into the type of prayer life that Jesus had with the Father.  It’s often said that the faith of a man can many times be evaluated more by his prayer life than anything else.  It’s not necessarily what we say, but the emotions and the convictions and the faithfulness with which we say it.  Here in John 17, we see the real desire that Jesus has for himself, for the Father, and for all those who follow him.

                Now, before we really dive into the words of the prayer itself, I want to ask you a question and I want you to keep it at the forefront of your mind as we look at our text for today.  I want you to just sort of really quickly think about why you’re here.  Now, I don’t mean this physical place, although that is a good thing to ponder as well.  What I’m talking about is this:  why did God create you and make you the way that you are with all of your gifts and abilities and everything that makes you, you?  In other words, what is your reason for being?  Maybe your answer has something to do with work or family or helping others.  Well, just remember that and we’ll pull it back out later on this morning.

                Looking quickly at Jesus’ prayer, we notice two words or concepts that really seem to stick out in the first 10 verses.  The first is that we see Jesus refer to God almost exclusively as Father.  Our Women’s Bible Study group walked through a book on prayer a while back and the author of the book pointed out the beauty of being able to call out to God and refer to Him as Father, a title of intimacy.  I know as a father myself that there are no more precious words that anyone can say to me other than one of my kids calling me Dad or Daddy or some other variation of that title.  However, the author of this book that we looked at also pointed out the fact that some people haven’t had the best earthly fathers in their lives, so they struggle with relating to the notion of a loving father.  While that may be true, it’s important to know that God the Father isn’t like any earthly father that has ever been or ever will be.  God the Father is eternally good.  There is no sin within Him and there is nothing in Him that is not completely holy.  The title Father is not meant to be a deterrent in our relationship with God, but a blessing.  It is a special thing to call someone father.  I tell my kids all the time that they are the only three people in the world who can call me Dad.  Anybody can call me by my name, but only they can call me their father.  Jesus referring to God as Father shows the intimacy that exists between the Son and the Father.  It speaks to the special relationship that exists between Father and Son.  Prior to this, the concept of referring to God as Father would have been pretty foreign.  Don’t get me wrong, the fatherhood of God as it pertained to His people was well known, but praying to God and using the title Father was virtually unheard of.  It was a much more formal relationship that existed between God and His people.  Yes, He was in a relationship with them and yes there was a love that existed there.  However, it was not a relationship of intimacy like we see here between Jesus and the Father.  If you’ve ever heard anyone refer to their parents by their first names (at least in childhood), there usually isn’t much intimacy in the relationship.  Now that’s not always the case, but I feel more intimate with my kids when they call me Dad than if they were to call me Tommy.

                The second thing that we see repeated throughout this text is the concept of glory, in particular, the glory of God the Father.  In the first five verses alone there are numerous uses of the word itself.  “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you…I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.  And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”  Jesus was acknowledging the fact, during this intimate time of prayer, that all that he did during his life on earth was not for his own glory, but for the glory of God.  Now, ultimately, Jesus is glorified through his work because he is God.  We’ll come back to that thought in a moment.  However, when you or I do some good work, it is not ourselves that ought to be the recipients of any glory, but God.  R.C. Sproul, in his commentary on this passage, says that when we seek glory, we do so at the expense of God.  As I read that comment this week, I stopped and pondered on it for a while because I didn’t really know how to take that.  I was having trouble understanding how anything that I do to bring about glory or praise upon myself could inherently be an affront to God.  I mean, I can understand if I was going around and seeking for people to tell me how great and wonderful I am, then that could be a bad thing, but not something that I would consider an offense against God.  Then, I sort of started off on this whole rabbit-trail of studying the word glory, and what I found was that the word glory is kind of hard to really define.  I won’t take the time to play back everything that I found for you, but I’ll give the cliff notes version.  Glory is typically understood as meaning something along the lines of honor, renown, an especially divine quality, the unspoken manifestation of God, or splendor.  It has to do with a weightiness or heaviness.  Ultimately, it has to do with the majesty and beauty of God.  As I said, it’s really kind of one of those things that we know what it means, but we can’t really put it into words.  We just know that it is something of God and it’s something good (which is redundant).

                Then, as I was muddling through these linguistic waters my lifelong Presbyterianism kicked in and I remembered the Westminster Confession of Faith.  All of you in here who are familiar with WCF (which is hopefully everyone) can probably already guess where I’m going with this.  The first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks “what is man’s chief end (or primary purpose)?”  The answer is “to glorify God and enjoy him always.”  You see, I’m not here, we’re not here, to do anything but glorify God, which allows us to enjoy Him.  We’re not here to glorify ourselves.  The glory of God and the glory of man are opposing forces.  When we do things that bring about glory for ourselves, we are taking glory away from the Father.  It’s become cliché in our world for athletes, actors, or anyone who wins a contest to thank God and give Him the glory (saying, “I just give all the glory to God”), but in reality, that is exactly what we’re supposed to do.  We’re supposed to deflect from ourselves and say that it’s not because of us but because of the glory of God, Soli Deo Gloria (glory to God alone). 

                So, when Jesus petitions in verse 5 for God to glorify him, is that a violation of this principle of glory to God alone.  Well, if you were paying attention a moment ago, you heard me say that when Jesus is glorified, so is God because Jesus is God.  Jesus is praying for the glory, for the relationship that he had with the Father “before the world existed.”  Now, y’all know that Amy and I deeply love our children.  However, we do on occasion look at each other and ask each other, do you remember what it was like before kids?  Don’t you just wish we could go back there?  Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to come home on a Friday and decide at the last minute to take a trip and be able to do it?  Wouldn’t it be nice to go out of town and not require an SUV and a suitcase containing only snacks and stuffed animals for sleeping?  It’s not that we don’t love our kids, but there are times when we think about how nice it would be to revisit those times.  Well, Jesus is in essence saying to the Father, don’t you remember when it was just us?  Don’t you remember the type of intimacy and relationship that we had at that point, back before humanity and the world ever was?  Wouldn’t it be great to go back there?  That doesn’t mean that Jesus doesn’t love us, the same way as it doesn’t mean that I don’t love my kids.  It’s simply an acknowledgment of a reality that used to exist.

                The truth of the matter is that Jesus has been working for the glory of God by fulfilling his mission.  He has been laboring at the task that the Father gave to him.  And the details of that task are revealed to us beginning in verse six.  “I have manifested your name to the people, whom you gave to me out of the world…For I have given them the words that you gave me…they have believed that you sent me.  I am praying for them.  I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.”  The work of Christ was to manifest, to make known, the name of God, particularly to those whom the Father had given to the Son.  This is the group that is referred to throughout the New Testament as the elect.  The Son has conveyed to them the words, the message that the Father has given him.  This is the same message that Christ then gives to his Church for us to proclaim this day.  Notice that Jesus isn’t saying that he’s told everyone and that everyone has benefited, but that the ones whom the Father chose have believed.

                The logical question naturally becomes, “how did Christ manifest the name of God to the people whom the Father had given to him?”  Well, he did so through teaching and preaching, as well as through miracles and healings.  If we were to look at the gospel accounts, studying all of the miracles and healings, we would find that in almost every instance there is recorded evidence of Jesus giving the glory to God.  “Don’t praise me,” Jesus says, “praise the one who sent me.”  Jesus’ miracles aren’t to show Jesus’ power, but the glory of God.  Jesus invites others to himself so that they may come to know him, and thereby come to know the Father.  His teachings aren’t about himself, but about his Father. 

                I know that we brought up Philippians 2 last Sunday in our look at John 13, but we’re going to bring it back up today.  And there’s a good chance that we’ll bring it back up every week between now and Easter; not just because it’s one of my favorite chapters in Scripture, but because it is such a beautiful summation of the work of Christ.  I’ll start reading it to you from v. 8, “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  So you see, when Jesus is glorified, God is glorified.  Jesus doesn’t detract from the glory of God because he is God.  When the Son is exalted so is the Father.

                The beautiful thing is that we can participate in the glorifying of God.  Make no mistake, God will be glorified in everything, but there are some specific things that we can do to bring about glory to God.  Several times in John’s gospel, Jesus tells those around him that we glorify God by believing in him whom He has sent (Jesus) and when we are obedient to His word.  So, we have faith in Christ and we adhere ourselves to the teachings of Christ, which as we said were about the Father.  In other words, we have to know Christ.  The Father is glorified by our having faith in the Son.  The difficult part is having true faith and obedience to the Son when our hearts are so inclined in the opposite direction.  That’s what makes the Church so indispensable.  That’s what makes corporate worship so vital in our lives.  It’s funny the different ways that some people view worship.  Some view it as a part of the weekly routine.  Some call it the best way to start the week.  Others view it as the spiritual “fill-up” that their souls require.  For some, it’s a time of encouragement in their standing with God.  While it is partly some of those things, it’s not any of those things.  I guess I’m odd in that I never want to feel good about myself leaving worship.  I know that sounds strange, but it’s true.  Don’t get me wrong, I want to be encouraged leaving worship, but encouraged about the one that I worship.  I don’t want to be encouraged about myself.  In fact, I know that I have actively and truly taken part in worship when I see my sinfulness with shame.  In worship, we are to see the fullness of our brokenness and the glory of God and respond with hymns and songs of praise.  We are to respond with prayers of thanksgiving and adoration in light the revelation of our fallenness.  It’s in worship where we learn to worship the Creator instead of the created.

                Paul, in his letter to the Romans, said, “Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!  ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?’  ‘Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?’  For from him and through him and to him are all things.  To him be glory forever.  Amen. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”  Your worship, your lives, are to do but one thing; they are to glorify God.  That’s why you’re here.  That’s why you’re who you are.  It’s not those other things that you thought of earlier, but your purpose is to glorify God.  And that is what you are called to do with this day, the next day, and all the days that God has given to you.