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Thesis:Jesus desires for us to hit critical mass in the spirit so we can correctly duplicate Him in the world.
John 17:6-12
6 “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. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
Jesus is the perfect representation of God.
Obedience to God’s word demonstrates love and opens up revelation to the follower of Christ. Without revelation knowledge the Church has lost connection with the voice and direction of God. Building will be hindered or things built won’t stand.
v. 6 Jesus revealed God to his disciples. Jesus is able to reveal God to people because He is the prefect representation of God.
Colossians 1:15
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Jesus in the Father and the Father in the Son
John 14:9-11
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.
John 10:30
I and the Father are one.
We, like the disciples and Jesus, are called to be in the world but not of the world. (John 17:14-16) v. 6 The disciples belonged to God, God gave them to Jesus and they obeyed God’s Word. These three steps caused everything to happen. Leave out any one of the three steps and the disciples are just ordinary people.
God can only be revealed to us if God chooses to reveal Himself to us.
John 6:44a
44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them,
God’s sovereignty / Our Choice
Jeremiah 29:13
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
If we obey
John 8:31,32
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 14:15
If you love me, keep my commands.
John 14:23,24
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
The word “now” in v. 7 indicates that because of this, now that. With prolonged obedience comes revelation knowledge.
Ephesians 1:17
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
Because God gave the disciples to Jesus and Jesus taught them the Word of God and they obeyed it, Jesus prayed that the disciples would know “that everything God had given Him comes from God.” This is important because of the foundational importance of having revelation knowledge regarding the identity of Jesus Christ.
Everything Hinges on Revelation
Matthew 16:17-19
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Many in the Church today have traded a pursuit of revelation for a pursuit of theology. Instead of wanting to know God many have decided to learn about God. Theological study has value however it shouldn’t be elevated above knowing God personally.
v. 8 in some ways mirrors v. 6 Jesus got the Word from the Father and delivered it perfectly to the disciples and they accepted it. The disciples knew with certainty that Jesus came from God the Father and they knew that Jesus was sent into the world by God.
v. 9 Jesus specifically mentions that he’s not praying for the World. Why not? He goes on to say that He’s praying for those God had given Him. Evidently God hadn’t given Jesus the world. However, I believe Jesus was believing that the disciples had hit critical mass in the spirit and would also continue to obey and thus perpetuate the ministry into the world.
What’s critical mass?
A size, number, or amount large enough to produce a particular result. What’s critical mass in the spirit? The disciples had enough revelation coupled with obedience to produce a good expression of God’s kingdom through their lives. They were ready to represent Jesus to the world.
I believe Jesus' deliberate strategy was to take over the entire planet with the Gospel. His plan was to have disciples mentoring others in the same way Jesus mentored His disciples. Jesus had His eyes on His disciples and them carrying on His ministry. (John 17:20) Jesus loved the world but realized that His disciples and their disciples etc. would have to be the ones to reach to the uttermost parts of the Earth.
v. 10 Jesus starts talking covenant talk here also between Himself and the Father. In the context of this covenant talk He brings up His disciples. He further mentions that the obedience of the disciples will bring glory to Him. I think of this in a similar way a well behaved or successful child brings honor/glory to the parent of that child.
v. 11 Jesus knows that He’s going to be leaving the world by His sacrificial death, burial and resurrection. He also knows that the disciples have more work to do so He asks God to protect them by the power of his name.
v. 11 (cont.) Jesus prays for the Church to be one. The unity is already given, it’s not achieved. The literal meaning is “that they continually be one”. The unity in the disciples is to resemble the unity between God the Father and Jesus the Son. It’s much more than unity of organization. I believe it’s God’s plan for Church individuals to be in covenant with other church individuals. Committed and deeply loving one another. Not back biting and flippant about their commitments.
The Church Universal
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