JESUS IS THE ONE WHO INTERCEDES John 17:1-26
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INTRODUCTION Legendary challenge to write a six-word story. Ernest Hemingway: For sale: baby shoes, never worn. Others: Cursed with cancer. Blessed with friends. Not a good Christian, but trying.
INTRODUCTION Abraham: Left Ur. Had baby. Still laughing. Noah: Hated the rain, loved the rainbow. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: King was hot. Furnace was not. Esau: At least the stew was good. Esther: Eye candy. Mordecai handy. Israel dandy.
INTRODUCTION Prodigal Son: Bad. Sad. Dad glad. Brother mad. Good Samaritan: I came, I saw, I stopped. Zaccheaus: Climbed sycamore tree. Short, poorer, happier. Paul: Damascus. Blind. Suffer. Write. Change world. John 17: In world, not of the world.
INTRODUCTION Jesus is praying to the Father for Himself, for His disciples, and for those who have yet to believe. He is interceding and petitioning for protection for the children of god, for glorification for Himself so that the Father may be in turn glorified, and for more to come to know the truth of Christ. One of the ministries of Jesus in heaven right now is to pray for us. What does He pray?
RELATIONSHIP OF THE FATHER TO THE SON JOHN 17:1-5
FATHER - SON In this chapter, Jesus uses the words they, them, or those no fewer than 19 times. These usually refer to the disciples or to the world. (vs. 1) Here we see one of the only requests Jesus made for Himself (glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you). (vs. 2) The Father gave Him authority over all flesh (authority over all people).
FATHER - SON (vs. 3) Here Jesus once again explains what is eternal life - that we know (ginosko) the only true God - we have a personal experience with God. (vs. 4-5) This tells us the status of the earthly ministry of Jesus. He has accomplished the work that He was given to do by the Father. Contrast to pastors who leave a church or missionaries who leave before the work is done.
RELATIONSHIP OF THE SON TO BELIEVERS JOHN 17:6-12
SON - BELIEVERS (vs. 6-7) These verses begin with the proclamation - I have manifested your name to the people. God took human form to communicate to the world. (vs. 8) Jesus only speaks the words that the Father had given to Him. (vs. 9-10) Jesus also prays for intercession. He is praying for them and not for the world.
SON - BELIEVERS (vs. 11) The word world appears 18 times in this prayer. It is a strong testimony to the importance of the context of our life and ministry. (vs. 12) Here Jesus speaks of protection - the band of disciples was still intact with the exception of Judas. The keeping ministry of believers is the act of a Holy God in contrast to a sinful world.
RELATIONSHIP OF BELIEVERS TO THE WORLD JOHN 17:13-19
BELIEVERS - WORLD These verses answer the question about how believers should interact with the world. Monasticism (cloistering of people) is not God s design but a human invention. (vs. 13) Jesus says I speak which suggests that He was speaking this aloud in their presence. He also speaks of the reality of joy in their lives.
BELIEVERS - WORLD (vs. 14) Two times Jesus teaches that His disciples are not of this world. This illustrated the contrast between the Word of God and the world of humanity. Earlier (John 15:18-21) Jesus taught about the hatred of the world toward the disciples. He is reminding the Father (and them) of the antagonism disciples face in the world.
BELIEVERS - WORLD (vs. 15-17) Here are the important verses that create a tension for all of us. We are to be in the world but not of the world. The danger of being in the world is not just evil in the abstract but danger from the evil one. The world is in the ultimate control of the prince of the power of the air.
BELIEVERS - WORLD (vs. 18-19) We have been sent into the world. From the early days of Christianity, true believers have practiced separation by infiltration. They may be sanctified in truth - God will lead these disciples to an act of dedication as Jesus has dedicated Himself to the Father. We are to live our lives in the world the way Jesus led His life when He was on earth.
RELATIONSHIP OF BELIEVERS TO THE FATHER JOHN 17:20-26
BELIEVERS - FATHER (vs. 20-21) If we had any doubt that this prayer applies to us today, these verse erases that idea. Jesus teaches that the church should be different than any human institution - it should be characterized by unity - that they may all be one. (vs. 22) Christian unity is facilitated by glory which was first given to Jesus and then to the disciples.
BELIEVERS - FATHER (vs. 23) We also learn in this passage that unity is a witness to the world. (vs. 24) Furthermore, body unity will be complete only in heaven. Jesus is looking forward to the time when they (and us) will join Him in heaven. (vs. 25-26) We again see the contrast between the righteous Father and the world that does not know God the Father.
THE CHALLENGE OF ISIS
INTRODUCTION ISIS was once known as al- Qaeda in Iraq. They now control territory as large as an entire nationstate.
ISIS The ISIS troops have slaughtered Jews, Christians, Yazidis, Alawites, and even Shiite Muslims. ISIS fighters mark the homes of Christians with an Arabic symbol that has come to mean Nazarene - a pejorative Middle Eastern term for Christians.
ISIS Their actions: They have sold women as sex slaves. They have beheaded men, women, and children. They have captured and burned alive captives. Their influence: They are more brutal than al-qaeda. They control more land than many countries in the Middle East. They control more firepower than any jihadist organization in history. They are the world s richest terrorist group.
ISIS In the ISIS Crisis, the authors connect four dots. - Dot One: The Mujahideen - Dot Two: The Taliban - Dot Three: Al-Qaeda in Iraq - Dot Four: ISIS
ISIS THEOLOGY Islam divides the world into two spheres: the house of Islam (dar-al-islam) and the house of war (dar-alharb). The house of Islam are nations under the control of Muslims where Sharia law is enforced. The house of war includes nation not under Muslim control and do not submit to Sharia.
ISIS THEOLOGY Under a jihadist interpretation of Islam, there will be a constant conflict between the house of Islam and the house of war until the house of war is transformed into the house of Islam. The conflict will not end until all land is conquered for Allah, and a global Islamic state, known as the Caliphate, is established. Sharia law will be enforced by the supreme leader, known as the caliph.
ISIS THEOLOGY The Sunnis had three caliphs before Ali (the son-inlaw of Muhammad) who was the fourth caliph. Shias believe that the caliph must come from the blood line of the Prophet, while Sunnis maintain that any Muslim believer could qualify for the office. The establishment of the Caliphate has been a longstanding goal of the Sunni Muslims. The Muslim Brotherhood was established for that purpose.
ISLAMIC THEOLOGY Sunni Shiite Successor Abu Bakr Ali Abi Talib Criterion Qualified Descendant Proponents Al-Qaeda, ISIS Iranian Groups Leaders Imams Ayatollahs Authority Wise, but fallible Infallible Followers 80% 15%
ABU BAKR AL- BAGHDADI
ISIS THEOLOGY July 4, 2014 - Abu Bakr al-baghdadi was proclaimed at the Mosque in Mosul as the Caliph Ibrahim and leader of the Islamic State. Fear Allah as he should be feared and do not die except as Muslims.... Go forth, O mujahidin in the path of Allah. Terrify the enemies of Allah and seek death... for the dunyā will come to an end, and the hereafter will last forever.
ISIS ISLAMIC? President Obama says, No religion condones the killing of innocents. And the vast majority of ISIL s victims have been Muslim. Former Governor Howard Dean says, I stopped calling these people Muslim terrorists. They re about as Muslim as I am. I mean, they have no respect for anybody else s life, that s not what the Koran says. Europe has an enormous radical problem. I think ISIS is a cult. Not an Islamic cult. I think it s a cult.
ISIS ISLAMIC? One section in the Qur an (Surah 16:126) provides the basis for qisas. This broad concept in Islamic law allows for killing as retribution for crimes. The Qur an also tells a story about Moses who was following a man who kills an innocent young boy. Later the man enlightens Moses by sharing his reason for killing the boy (Surah 18:74-81). This is the justification for honor killings.
ISIS ISLAMIC? Sheik Abu Muhammad al-adnani (ISIS spokesman) called on Muslims living in Western countries to find an infidel and smash his head with a rock, poison him or even destroy his crops. These are allusions to statements by Muhammed in the Qur an to Muslims living in infidel countries.
ISIS IN AMERICA? FBI Director James Comey told the National Association of Attorneys General that ISIS is a chaotic spider web that avidly uses social media to radicalize people across the United States. We have investigations of people in various stages of radicalizing in all 50 states.
ATTACK AMERICA? One terrorist group, known as al-shabab, called for local militants to launch attacks on malls in the United States, Great Britain and Canada. They specifically named the Mall of America as one of their targets. It is one of the largest malls in the county.
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