Study in John’s Gospel

Study in John’s Gospel Presentation 74

Jesus’ Own Chap 17v6-10 Presentation 74

Introduction William Gladstone, a former UK prime minister, said, "Selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race." The poet Robert Browning wrote, "Man seeks his own good at the whole world's cost." We need not think that Christians are free from selfishness. You may have heard of the man who prayed for his wife as follows; "Help my wife to get well, so she can start washing the dishes again". In sharp contrast Jesus is not selfish, and his prayers are not selfish. You will notice that the great proportion of this Gethsemane prayer focuses on others. Presentation 74

Christ’s Own When Jesus begins to pray for his disciples, he begins by making a number of theological statements about them. He defines them from a divine standpoint. He is concerned with who they are as a result of God's dealings with them. "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word" v6. This verse says four things about Christ's disciples. First, they were God's. Secondly, God gave them to Jesus. Thirdly, Jesus made God known to them. Fourthly, they kept that revelation. Presentation 74

Christ’s Own The importance of this sequence is that it is repeated and mirrored in the experience of every Christian: We are God's. We are given to Jesus. God is made known to us by Jesus by his Spirit. Finally, we receive this teaching. Notice that our response comes last in the sequence of events! Presentation 74

Christ’s Own Do we think of ourselves as God’s possession? It has important implications for how we view our lives. Look at the O.T. example of Cyrus, king of Babylon. He was responsible for sending the exiled Jews back to Israel. Isaiah calls Cyrus "God's anointed" 45v1, ‘God’s chosen one’! God says that he chose and used Cyrus to deliver his people. There is no indication that Cyrus was a believer or that he knew he was doing God’s will! But he was an instrument in God's hands and God used him to advance his purpose. There is no real independence in God's universe, except the independence that God himself possesses. Presentation 74

Christ’s Own Now in addition to this general possession by God of all things, there is also a more specific possession, that of a holy people, who are his in a very special way. A people chosen to be different. This choice is described in Rom.8 v29-30: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified”. Presentation 74

Christ’s Own It is this possession of his own by God about which Jesus is primarily speaking in his prayer, for he describes them as "those whom you gave me out of the world." This possession is of great importance, for it anchors our salvation, not in any slight whim of the moment (which we might have), or in any faltering ability on our part to choose or keep on choosing God (which we do not have), but rather in God's great purposes and possession, which alone are trustworthy. What an anchor? Presentation 74

Given To Jesus Have you ever filled out a home insurance application form and asked, “How can I possibly put a monetary value on something gifted to me by a loved one?” Jesus was aware of being gifted a precious possession. As a result of his ministry Jesus experienced intense hatred from the unbelieving world. He was about to be crucified. Those he had gathered about him would soon be scattered. But in the midst of that darkness shone this pinpoint of brightness. These disciples, and countless others who would follow them in faith, had been given to Jesus by the Father. If you are a believer then “You are a precious possession”. Presentation 74

Given To Jesus And because God had given them, they would most surely come to him and would be kept by him through the days of their earthly pilgrimage and eventually be united with him forever in glory. This knowledge was a comfort to Jesus as he faced the cross. At this point in his ministry there were the eleven disciples close at hand, plus a number of others who had been deeply influenced. They were not many. But these were God's gift to him, however few their number and that was important. Besides, there would soon be others. Jesus rejoiced in these people-gifts and thanked the Father for them. Presentation 74

The Names of God We must not think that salvation operates in a mechanical way, for while Jesus speaks of God's activity in giving us to him he also speaks of his own personal activity in time to make the Father known and of his people’s response to his teaching. In other words, faith is required. And before faith can operate it must know certain things about its object. This is why Jesus says, “I have revealed you”. Lit. “revealed your name”. Now "the name of God" is another way in Hebrew thought of speaking about God's attributes. To make the name known is to reveal the God who possesses those attributes. And just as an artist must unveil his work for it to enter the public domain, so Jesus had unveiled the Father! Presentation 74

The Names of God In addition to the O.T. names for God ‘Creator’, ‘Redeemer’ and so on… Jesus revealed one further unique name, "Father." Today we are familiar with this description of God, but this was not true in Jesus' day. Indeed, it would not have been thought ‘proper ‘to use such a description of God. Nowhere, in the O.T. or in any other ancient document written before Jesus day, does any Israelite address God as "my Father." But Jesus always called God "Father." This description so impressed itself upon the disciples that they preserved it in their records of Jesus’ speech and prayers. Presentation 74

The Names of God Jesus use of this title indicates his own awareness that he was the Son of God in a unique sense. But strikingly, he then revealed that it can also be used by those who become sons of God [in a lesser sense]. This happens as a result of their faith-union with him - they are adopted into the family of God. After his resurrection, Jesus both preserved the distinction of our respective sonships and affirmed the privileged relationship that his death had procured for his people. He said to Mary, "Go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" John 20v17 Presentation 74

The Names of God Is this important? Of course it is, for it means that while God is majestic, holy, eternal, self-sufficient, self-existent, and sovereign, he is also at the same time and in equal measure the Father of all who believe. So we come to him, in prayer not saying, O high, exalted and inscrutable God, far from us in your majesty, unreachable and unknowable..." Instead, we come personally and warmly saying, “Heavenly Father”. Is God your Father? If he is, then he will be a Father to you in his paternal care. Presentation 74

The Names of God Human laws recognise that a father is responsible for the care of his children. God accepts this responsibility also, so you need not fear that the great God of the universe, the One who owns and controls all things, will let you down, or disappoint you or turn his back on you. When Jesus’ disciples expressed anxiety for their welfare, Jesus reminded them that their Heavenly Father clothes the lilies of the field and asked, “will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” Matt.6v28-29. Is God your Father? If he is, he will preserve you to the end and will permit nothing to change your relationship to him. You may disgrace him. You may be unworthy of your high calling. But he will still be your Father. Presentation 74

Christ’s Word Kept There is one further point to be made. First, we have been told that those who are Christ's had previously belonged to the Father. Second, we are told that they have been given to Jesus. Third, Jesus has filled his responsibility to them by revealing the Father to them. Now we are also told that they have ‘received’ this word, or ‘obeyed’ it. The original Greek carries the idea of “standing guard over it.” Not allowing God’s word to be diluted, twisted out of all recognition and as a result spurned. Remember what happened to God’s original command it Eden. There was a failure to stand guard over God’s word which was then distorted by Satan, resulting in the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Presentation 74

Christ’s Word Kept It’s not enough to hear and understand God’s Word; it must make a difference in our behaviour. Some people have never heard God’s Word. That is why we have missionaries, Christian books, and other kinds of gospel communication. Some people have never understood God’s Word. That is why we stress the importance of praying over the communication of God’s Word of truth, that it might reach minds enlightened by the Holy Spirit. But, there must also be a receiving of Christ's words, which involves obedience, commitment and change. This was true Jesus’ disciples as he says. It must also be true of all who would follow Him. Not just ‘hearers but doers of the word’. Jas.1v22 Presentation 74

Christ’s Word Kept What will be the results of our obeying God’s Word? There are two results mentioned. On the one hand, those who have not obeyed Christ will hate those who do: "I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world." v14. But on the other hand, those who obey God’s Word will be instrumental in glorifying Jesus: "All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.” v10 Presentation 74

Conclusion It is staggering that God says of his people something like this: “You are a precious possession? And all that I have done through the sacrifice of my Son is intended to demonstrate that!” Have we grasped that? If so then what greater motivation do we need to listen to and obey his Word knowing that through our obedience we are equipped to bring not only glory to his name and also great delight to his heart. Presentation 74

Study in John’s Gospel