Community Group Discussion Guide John 17 Weekend of June 30 & July 1, 2018 I. Starter Question: The time has come for me to depart. What has been the hardest goodbye for you in your life experiences? OR What going away gift have you received or given that still warms your heart? II. Discussion of Scripture: Context: Closing out Jesus time on earth with His disciples, He uses chapters 13-17 as the Upper Room Discourse to pour into the souls of His chosen disciples. He has washed His disciples feet, given them new commandments, foretold betrayal and denial, comforted their fear, promised them the Helper is coming and clearly stated that He is the only way, the only truth and the only life. They have to abide in Him to bear fruit, and in doing so they will be hated. Finally, Jesus reminds them that their labor is not in vain. This sorrow they are experiencing will turn to joy. Now, we turn to the High Priestly Prayer. John 17:1-26 (ESV) - When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. 6 I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 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. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
20 I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 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. Brief Explanation: Four components to Jesus High Priestly Prayer show the heart of intercession for us by Jesus Christ. Outlined: 1) Glorification (vv 1, 4, 5, 10 and 24) John 7:39 says His time has not yet come. Now that Judas is about his business, it is time to reveal His glory. The shekinah glory of God is significant throughout scripture. Where do you see it in the Old Testament? (Ex. 24:15-18; Isaiah 6:3; Psalm 24:7-8) The manifestation of the very presence of God is about to be on display for all of humanity through His suffering, His sacrifice, His death and resurrection, and through His ascension to Glory. He calls us in v. 10 to glorify God. In v. 24-25, the goal of a believer s salvation is future glorification which includes being with Jesus (cf. 14:3; Col. 3:4; 1 Thes. 4:17). Jesus last testament and will (I want, thelō) is that His disciples enter into (see) His glory (Heb. 2:10). This glory was what Jesus had from the Father and would again have (John 17:5). His testament was sealed by His death and resurrection. Since His will is identical to the Father s (4:34; 5:30; 6:38), it will certainly come to pass. Blum, E. A. (1985). John. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 334). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. 2) Preservation- In verse 11, Jesus intercedes with the Father that He will keep us in His Name. Why did Jesus pray for their preservation? It was to promote the unity of the believers, patterned after the unity of the Father and the Son: so that they may be one as We are One (cf. vv. 21 22). 3) Unification (v. 11, 21-22) That we may be one; Christ is calling the church to model the unity of the Father and the Son as we fight for unity in the church. As we are abiding in Christ, we have the power of the Holy Spirit living in us to love one another, as Christ has loved us. We can bear with one another, forgive one another, consider others as more important than ourselves. As we see in v. 21-22, this unity will produce fruit of salvation to a lost world so they may believe. Jesus was praying for a unity of love, a unity of obedience to God and His Word, and a united commitment to His will. There are great differences between uniformity, union, and unity. All believers belong to the one body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13) and their spiritual unity is to be manifest in the way they live. The unity Christ desires for His church is the same kind of unity the Son has with the Father: just as You are in Me and I am in You (cf. John 10:38; 17:11,
23). The Father did His works through the Son and the Son always did what pleased the Father (5:30; 8:29). This spiritual unity is to be patterned in the church. Sanctification (v. 17 and 19) 2 Cor. 3:10 and 18; Eph. 1:3-4 and 5:25-27; Phil. 1:6; 1 Thes. 5:23-24; 2 Thes. 2:13; Heb. 12:5-11; Growth into the likeness of Christ for the purpose of being set apart for special use. The means of this sanctifying work is God s truth. The truth is communicated in the Word, which is both personal and propositional. As the message about Jesus was heard, believed, and understood, the disciples hearts and minds were captured. This change in their thinking resulted in changes in their living. The same is true of believers today. As they appropriate God s Word to their lives, they are sanctified set apart for God and changed in their living in order to honor God (cf. 15:3). God s message set the apostles apart from the world so that they would do His will, not Satan s. For Discussion: Who is the focus of Jesus High Priestly Prayer? (v.1-5 For himself; v. 6-19 for the apostles; v. 20-26 for future believers) Glorifying How can we practice glorifying God in everything? (I Cor. 10:31) How is it possible for the church to manifest this glory of God? This week, whom have you glorified in the way you lived? Persevering What are some areas of our lives where it is hard to persevere in living out the Gospel in relationships? In discipline and obedience? Going back to John 15:1-5, can we do this in our own will power? He who started this work in us will carry it on to completion! Unifying How important to you is unity with other believers? How could you experience a deeper level of unity with others in the body of Christ? What kind of unity exists between God the Father and God the Son that we could learn as it relates to submitting to the will of God, I and the Father are One, etc. Sanctifying What part does God play in the sanctification of your soul in the big picture of salvation? What part do you play? Both passively and actively. It may be good to have CG members draw their timeline of sanctification, from election before the foundation of the earth, to the season of giving their life to Christ, to the ups and downs of spiritual growth, to glorification in eternity. How can we apply Jesus prayer to our daily prayer life?
III. Responding in Prayer: 1. Pray for so many in our body as they are away for the Fourth of July. Pray for opportunities to reflect the light of Christ, revealing His glory to a dark and lost world. 2. Pray for our church that we would be led by the Spirit to fully embrace the mission of our church: Love God, Love People, and Make Disciples. As Christians, we were chosen for purpose the purpose of glorifying God, and we glorify God by loving him, loving people, and making disciples!
Our Mission: Love God. Love People. Make Disciples. Mission / Vision / Values of Henderson Hills Baptist Church Our Vision: Our vision is to become a diverse family of surrendered and transformed people who passionately love God and others. We endeavor to be a body that is overcome by the reality that this life is not about us, but all about the glory of God. We want to be transfixed by the gospel of Jesus Christ and compelled by His heart for our world. We strive to be seed-throwers and fire-starters, hope-announcers and gracegivers, risk-takers and constant-reformers, lifelong-learners and sold-out doers. We desire to be a people who gladly give our lives to free the captive, strengthen the weak, embrace the outcast, and seek out the lost. Because Scripture is our authority, we strive to be a family that serves together, studies the Word together, plays together, worships together, and lives life together. By God's grace our world will be changed because we are here. Our Values: 1. Glorifying God: We value the passionate pursuit of knowing God and walking with Him. 2. Submitting to the Authority of Scripture: We value the sufficiency of Scripture in every aspect of our lives. 3. Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ: We value sharing the Gospel and making disciples. 4. Serving with a Kingdom Perspective: We value living our lives focused upon what will matter most for eternity. 5. Cherishing the Local Church: We value the essential role of the church in the sanctification of the believer and salvation of the nations. 6. Doing Life Together in a Christ-Centered Community: We value that God uniquely uses personal relationships to sanctify and sharpen believers.