Introduction: Do you seek glory? Are you what they call a “glory
hound?” When you watch a sports team, and one player seeks all of the
glory, do you think the team is unified? The way of the world is to
seek personal glory. But, you may be surprised to learn that being a
true Christian also brings you glory. Let’s dive into our study of
the Bible to learn more!
- Jesus’ Prayer for Himself
- Read John 17:1-2 and Matthew 6:5. Have you ever worried
that you might be doing good work mostly for your own
glory? For example, if you teach a Bible class, are you
teaching because you like to be up front, or because you
want others to know God better? Or, is it a mix of the
two? - Whose glory does Jesus first mention? (His own.)
- What is the context for this? (When Jesus says
“the time has come” He means the time for His
crucifixion. Thus, glory for Him means
salvation for all of us.) - Read John 17:3. How is knowledge of God related to eternal
life? (Eternal life is knowing God.) - What does this have to do with Jesus’ prayer about
glory and eternal life? (Jesus is about to give all
of us the opportunity for eternal life. This act of
giving up His life for us tells us volumes about God
– it gives us knowledge of the love of God.) - Read John 17:4-5. Notice that Jesus’ prayer starts out
with a discussion of His needs. Is that a pattern for us?
(It is more accurate to say that Jesus’ prayer starts out
with a discussion about glory, for the Son and the Father.
Jesus’ model prayer ( Matthew 6:9-13) also starts out with
giving glory to God.) - Jesus’ Prayer for His Disciples
- Read John 17:6-7. Who is the subject of this part of
Jesus’ prayer? (His disciples.) - What is Jesus’ goal in His dealings with the
disciples? (To reveal God to them.) - Is this also our goal in life? (Yes! How many people
reject a God that they do not know? They have a
terrible picture of God, and then reject this false
picture.) - Read John 17:8-9. Why does Jesus not pray for the world?
(We will discuss this later.) - Read John 17:10. Have you sung the song “All to Jesus I
Surrender?” Did you really mean it? - Look closely at what Jesus says. What did
surrendering all bring Jesus? (All that belongs to
God the Father.) - Consider this offer: you give up everything you own
to Bill Gates, and he gives to you everything he
owns. Is that a deal you would accept? - Read John 17:11. This “power of your name” is an odd
phrase outside of Christianity, and I have trouble
understanding it. When Jesus says, “protect them by the
power of your name – the name you gave me” what does He
mean? - Let’s work this out. When you hear a person’s name,
what comes to mind? (What they look like. How they
act. Whether you like them. Essentially, when we hear
a name we think about the nature of that person.) - When Jesus calls for protection through the
power of God’s name, and He says that He has
that same name, how does that relate to our
idea that a name reflects a person’s nature?
(God’s nature is His love and power. Jesus
showed us God’s love through His sacrifice, and
He showed us God’s power by His resurrection.) - How will this name protect the disciples?
- Look again at John 17:11, and focus on the last part. How
does the power of Jesus’ name push the disciples towards
unity? (Love is the ultimate unifying power. Since Jesus
is praying about protection from the world, coming within
the zone of protection, the zone of love, is unifying.) - Read John 17:12. How did Jesus keep the disciples “safe by
that name you [God] gave me [Jesus]?” (Recall that Jesus
originally said in His prayer that He had revealed God to
His disciples? Revealing God’s love, showing God’s love,
and showing the power of God (for example, through
miracles) kept the disciples safe. It would also be their
roadmap for the future.) - Read John 17:13. What does a full knowledge of the nature
of God give us? (Joy!) - Read John 17:14-15. We have discussed that Jesus gave His
disciples the “words” that revealed the love and power of
God. Why would the world hate them for having that
message? (We find a reference to “the evil one.” This is
the source of the hate for something that is wonderful.) - Read John 17:16-19. What separates us from the world? When
I was young, I could often spot members of my church by
the way they dressed – they looked plain, not fancy. Some
members of my family were officers in the Salvation Army.
They always drove plain cars, never fancy. Is that what
God has in mind? (Verse 17 tells us that we are sanctified
by the truth of God’s word. I think this refers more to
something that happens inside than happens outside. Of
course, what happens inside should affect the outside.) - Verse 18 tells us that the disciples were sent into
the world. Why, the world hates them? (The goal is to
convert the world, to save those in the world from
the influence of the evil one.) - Jesus’ Prayer for the World
- Read John 17:20. Is Jesus praying for the world here? (I
noted that we would later discuss Jesus’ prayer for the
world. His prayer is for those who come out of the world
by believing God’s message.) - Read John 17:21-23. What is the purpose of this unity?
(That the world will believe in Jesus.) - A couple of weeks ago we discussed God’s attack on
the unity of humans at the Tower of Babel. What is
the basis for Christian unity? (The glory of God and
love. Notice that Jesus started out praying about
glory. Verse 22 speaks about our glory. We all have
glory!) - What is this glory? Is it fancy or plain?
- What does it mean to give God glory? (It means to
make Him desirable. Your life should reflect
positively on your God. People should want to know
your God because your life shows the benefit of a
relationship with God.) - What does it mean for us to have glory? (If
someone wants to be you, or like you, they are
giving you glory. Do you see how this works?
God’s word, His truth, His love, will improve
your attitude and your life. People will want
that. When they realize that your glory comes
from a relationship with God, then you are
giving glory to God.) - How is unity part of this glory? (Normal people
do not admire quarreling. Division tends to
disprove a common truth and love.) - Read John 17:24-26. What is the goal of our life? (To make
God known to others.) - What is the ultimate way to know God? (Jesus prays
that we will be “where I am.” We see Jesus’ ultimate
glory in heaven!) - Unity Beyond Denominational Lines
- Read Mark 9:38-40. What does Jesus say about interfering
with the work of other “groups” who promote Jesus? (He
says “Don’t.”) - What standard does Jesus apply? (“Whoever is not
against us is for us.”) - What lesson do you draw from this when it comes to
working with other churches or other denominations? - Look again at Mark 9:39. What does miracle working mean?
(You will not immediately say something bad about Jesus.) - Read Matthew 7:22-23. How can these miracle workers
be lost? (God uses all types to advance His Kingdom.
But, the miracle by itself does not show the person
knows God.) - Friend, recall that when we began this study Jesus
reported that He made God known to His disciples. That is
our mission – knowing God and teaching others to know His
love. That brings glory to God and to us. That brings
unity among the believers. - Next week: The Key to Unity.
