Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20040516.htm

ADAPTING TO BENEFIT FROM CHRIST'S PRAYER FOR US
Part I: Adapting To Benefit In The Spiritual Conflict We Face
(John 17:1-26 with 16:33)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Opposite efforts to the contrary, enjoying fellowship with every other Christian while fellowshipping with God seems to be an endless quest for many believers:

(1) On the one hand, sustained, fulfilling spiritual fellowship with God seems to be an endless and fruitless quest for many believers:

(a) Jill Brisco's book, A Little Pot of Oil: A Life Overflowing "shows you how to stay in touch with the fulness of God' so that you'll never be empty again . . ." to cite an ad on her book found in a nationwide Evangelical book catalogue.

(b) Bruce Wilkinson's work, Secrets of the Vine hints his first book that was so popular in Evangelical groups, The Prayer of Jabez, was lacking: the same nationwide Evangelical catalogue claims: "The Prayer of Jabez showed you how to ask for an abundant life. Now Wilkinson reveals how God works to answer that prayer!"

Thus, Bruce Wilkinson himself sees a vacuum for fulfillment with God STILL exists even among his many Evangelical readers!

(2) However, many of these SAME believers seek to fellowship with every other Christian in well-meaning Christian unity:

after I returned to Connecticut from our recent trip to ForthWorth, Texas, a Christian asked me to evaluate a group's web site advertising its ministry. In no uncertain terms, this group claimed: "We are a non-denominational fellowship associating with all who are in the body of Christ . . . We believe the only true basis of Christian Fellowship is agape love, which is greater than any differences we possess and without which we have no right to claim ourselves Christians (1 Cor. 13)." (emphases ours)

Representative of so many Evangelicals each of us has known, this group believes fellowship with God goes along with indiscriminate Church union with all groups that name the Name of Jesus Christ!



However, IF there exists a GREAT effort for Evangelical Christians to UNITE in Christian fellowship, HOW is it that SO MANY seem to be in an ENDLESSLY FRUITLESS QUEST for MEANINGFUL FELLOWSHIP with GOD? WHY is this SO, and WHAT is the SOLUTION?

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section for the answer . . . )

Need: "Many Christians want to commune with God and with every OTHER believer. Why, then, is there a VACUUM of DISCONTENT in so many of us believers today?! What is the SOLUTION?"
  1. When Jesus gave His great prayer in John 17, He did so RIGHT AFTER saying His disciples could have PEACE in HIM WHILE ALSO facing TRIBULATION in the "WORLD", John 16:33!
  2. Now, from John 18:19-23, we know Jesus meant MORE than JUST the SECULAR realm by the word, "world" -- He ALSO pictured RELIGIOUS realms that were OPPOSED to God's TRUTH!
  3. Thus, John 17 CLARIFIES WHY and HOW one gains PEACE in CHRIST while ALSO facing TROUBLE from the SECULAR AND ERRANT RELIGIOUS REALMS that OPPOSE God's TRUTH:
    1. First, Jesus wanted believers TODAY to know His words in John 17 were for us so WE could have His joy fulfilled in US, Jn. 17:13b, 20:
      1. Jesus wanted this prayer to be heard by His close disciples so that they might have His joy fulfilled in them, John 17:13b,c.
      2. Then, Jesus wanted us who would later trust in Him through the words of these His close disciples to be unified with them, John 17:20-21; thus, Jesus wants believers today to know and apply what He said in this prayer for His joy to be fulfilled in US!
    2. Thus, Jesus wanted us who trust Him today to know how MUCH He and His Father LOVE US, and hence KEEP us SAVED, Jn. 17:1-12:
      1. Christ wants us to know that, before He died, He knew His death would open the way of salvation for us, 17:1b; B.K.C., N. T., 331.
      2. As such, He asked the Father to exalt Himself after the cross in honor of God's wonderful plan of salvation for us, John 17:1b, 5.
      3. Christ also wants us to know that before the cross, He knew He would give eternal life to any who believed in Him, 17:2-4, 6-8.
      4. Thus, Jesus wanted us to know how highly He and His Father VALUE us who trust in Christ's Gospel, for by trusting in Jesus, we fulfill God's goal for the cross of Christ, John 17:9-10; 3:16!
      5. This VALUE would lead to God's keeping US SECURE in our SALVATION STATUS by His DIVINE power, John 17:11-12!
    3. Then, Jesus noted we would be HATED by the secular and errant religious realms as we heeded His Word, but that we would be richly blessed IF WE obeyed His Word in the PROCESS (as follows):
      1. Knowing He would leave us for heaven, Jesus said He wanted to sustain HIS godliness IN us as we faced secular and errant religious realms that were hostile to God, John 17:13a, 14a.
      2. Hence, He wants us to know that if we are hated by those in secular and errant religious realms, it is no fault of OURS: such hatred arises from these ungodly realms for our not being a part of them as we have trusted and held to Christ and His truth, Jn. 17:14b, 8!
      3. Then, instead of removing us from tensions with the secular and errant religious realms, Jesus wants to protect us from that world's evil while we stay in its geographical midst so that the world will continue to have us witness to God's truth, John 17:15, 16, 18.
      4. The means Jesus wants us to know He will use to separate us from contamination by evil as we are in the world will be by our exposure to and application of His Word, John 17:15 with 17:17.
      5. In light of this plan for our lives, Jesus wants us to give priority to heeding His Word that separates us from the world's evil; His death occurred to separate us from evil, so we should view such a ministry of separation from evil as a priority, 17:19, Ibid., p. 331.
      6. The goal of sustaining such a tension between the world's evil and the godly believer is a UNITY of God's holy people, a unity that testifies of God's truth, John 17:20-23.
      7. Then, Jesus wanted us to know our troubles from the world will not last forever: one day He will take us to heaven to behold His eternal glory as God to our great joy and blessing, John 17:24.
      8. In view of these facts, Jesus wants us to know the highest goal of His program on earth is that, in our realizing He loves us and preserves our salvation status, if we heed His Word and its leading for us to stand apart from the secular and errant religious world's evil and united with His truly godly people, we will be rewarded with fulfilling fellowship with Him in this life, Jn. 17:25-26, 13b.
Application: May we (a) trust in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior from sin to enjoy His salvation and its security, John 3:16. Then, may we (b) HEED His WORD at the PRICE of FELLOWSHIP with the WORLD and the ungodly who ADOPT its VIEWS, EVEN if this includes ERRANT BELIEVERS: we will thus enjoy FULFILLING INTIMACY with GOD and unity with those of His people who are HOLY just as GOD is HOLY!

Lesson: All ERRANT SECULAR and ERRANT RELIGIOUS REALMS are OPPOSED to GOD; so, to have FELLOWSHIP with GOD, we must HEED SCRIPTURE TRUTH at the PRICE of alienation and persecution from ALL ERRANT SECULAR and ERRANT RELIGIOUS realms!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 As I was beginning to think about preparing this very message back on Tuesday, April 27th of last month before our Missions Conference, and that when I entered my office to begin my weekly studies, I found a phone message was waiting for m on my answering machine. It had come from a believer who called to ask if I could set a time so he or she could come to my office for some advice on a matter.

At the time, in view of the Missions Conference, I had only one sermon and a prayer meeting lesson to prepare for the week, so I did not then HAVE to work on this May 16th sermon, a sermon to be preached 19 days later; thus, I called to tell this believer I had the time so he or she could come in that April 27th to meet with me.

When this believer arrived, he or she had a question about making a decision that would alienate him or her from an errant Christian party. The believer who met with me was not sure that creating such an alienation was Biblically right. Yet, he or she did not know what else to do that was also RIGHT before God!

I immediately saw this believer's plight was reflected in the John 17 chapter I was getting ready to study to form this very message. The believer needed to know that heeding God's Word would tend to make him or her alienated from a Biblically errant Christian party, and that such an alienation was not sin on this one's part! Obeying God would produce alienation with the errant party, but it would also lead to joyful fellowship with GOD and other godly people!

Though this believer in my office did not know it, his or her sharing of this concern was VERY edifying to ME! You see, I had PREVIOUSLY taken a SIMILAR stand in my OWN PERSONAL relationship with the SAME errant PARTY, and this believer's SHARING only evidenced that I had been RIGHT in that initial STAND! The PEACE I enjoyed with GOD and the FELLOWSHIP I had with this BELIEVER in my office due to this meeting was a great relief and blessing at the time!

So, the path to spiritual intimacy with God is an "either/or" one: EITHER we enjoy fulfilling fellowship with God by heeding His Word OR we do what so many Christians today do -- we unite with those in darkness, be they unsaved or errant believers, and sustain an inner vacuum, being OUTSIDE God's fellowship! We must CHOOSE between OPPOSITE realms of FELLOWSHIP!