Gospel of John - One in Jesus

  

One In Jesus

John 17:20-26

To believe, to proclaim, to invoke the name of Jesus Christ are all a part of the prayer for those who have yet to believe through the Good News, the message of love, hope, truth, and salvation in Jesus. Jesus finished his prayer with his disciples, beseeching the Father for all of mankind, all who will believe in Jesus for salvation. Let’s begin with the first portion of the text, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Jesus just set the new parameters in his prayer, it is praying for all of mankind to believe in the One the Father has sent. Jesus knows that the message of salvation through his name must be proclaimed to every nation, tongue, and tribe of people in the world. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among people by which we must be saved [for God has provided the world no alternative for salvation].” (Acts 4:12 AMP) “After these things I looked, and this is what I saw: a vast multitude which no one could count, [gathered] from every nation and from all the tribes and peoples and languages [of the earth], standing before the throne and before the Lamb (Christ), dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands; and in a loud voice they cried out, saying, “Salvation [belongs] to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb [our salvation is the Trinity’s to give, and to God the Trinity we owe our deliverance].” (Rev. 7:9-10 AMP)

Jesus knows that not all the world will believe in him for salvation, nor as Lord of their lives. He desires that the message of Truth, the Good News, the Gospel will be heard in every corner of the world. Not only that but that they all would be one in the Father and the Son. Jesus desired intimate communion with the Father, and that all who will believe in him and abide in him will have the same intimate communion that he has with the Father. It truly is the being sanctified, set a part, in holy communion by living in the Son as he lives in the Father, and the Father in the Son.

Application: As I ponder the schisms disunifying the church and the world today, I’m brought back to Jesus’ prayer for all who will be believers. Jesus' heart for the church was for them to be one in love, fellowship, and unity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Though Jesus doesn’t mention the devastation sin has had on mankind, it is at the heart of not having unity and intimate relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Jesus gave a command, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (Jn. 13:34) It was this love, God the Father’s love as well as Jesus the Son’s, a love that fully covers and forgives, cleanses us from all unrighteousness and allows us to live in the oneness of the light. It comes through repentance of sins and abstinence to sinfulness that we can come in fellowship with the Father. John wrote in his first epistle “This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.” 1 Jn. 1:6-10 And Peter added “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Pet. 4:8)

The message of the Gospel is forgiveness of sin through the Son who was sent by the Father in order to have eternal life. The world and the church needs to know the love of the Father, that intimate communion with the Father and the Son that is for all who will believe, repent of their sins, and walk in the light of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is the essence of Oneness.

Next, Jesus gave his glory to his disciples, in order for them to be one and in complete unity. Let’s look at the next portion of the text, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”

Jesus desired the complete unity of Oneness in the Father, and he wants all believers to have the same oneness. For it is through this that the glory of God will be seen and experienced, for in the Father and Son is undivided unity, complete in the divine glory of heaven. This is the defining mission to the church, knowing the love the Father has for his Son and the world, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn. 3:16) Jesus knew the message to the world is to reveal God the Father’s love for them just as he has loved the Son and his disciples. This is the Gospel, that they believe in Jesus for salvation.

Jesus now asks the Father for all those who believe and will believe in him to be with him in his kingdom, the glorified kingdom of heaven. So they can also experience Jesus’ glory, the glory given by the Father to his beloved Son before the creation of the world.

Application: What will heaven be like, it will not be an extended time of just existing eternally. We will be united with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in fellowship, living life in intimate communion, partaking and sharing in the Light of the kingdom with one another. It is a gracious participation in the very life of God. We will experience the glory of all God’s kingdom and all Jesus has prepared for all who believed. But first, we must do the work of God given for us to do. The message of truth, love, hope, and salvation needs to be taken to all points of the world. The Bible speaks of a time when the fullness of the Gentile believers has been reached then the end will come in the world. “I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved…And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.”

(Rom. 11:25-26, Matt. 24:14)

Last, Jesus again reveals the Father, the righteous Father to his disciples. This revealing, making known the love of the Father for the Son is also for the disciples and for those who will believe the message. Let’s look at the last portion of the text, “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” 

Again, Jesus knew the world, they were unbelieving and didn't know the Father as he did. Jesus had revealed the Father to his disciples, but the world was clueless to who God the Father was, or to his love for them, demonstrated through the Son. The world had been blinded by the god of the age and separated from God the Father because of their sins. The Son had come into the world to reveal the Father through the message of the Gospel, the disciples were to continue to reveal it to the world so that it would believe in the Father and his Son, and the plan of salvation. They were to proclaim the message of Salvation, of Truth and Hope to the world in order that the love the Father has for the Son and for them is also the love the Father has for the world’s lost souls.

Jesus reiterates in the last part of the prayer the intimate communion he has with the Father. He has made the Father’s love known to the disciples. This love is not only for Jesus, but for all his disciples and to all who will believe. It is experienced in being one in Jesus and the Father.

Application: “Know the Father” is the closing words in Jesus’ prayer. Everything stems from knowing the Father’s love, heart, will, and purpose. He is a righteous God, he is always acting in a way that is consistent with his own character, doing what is right according to his attributes: love, truth, and holiness. God continually reveals himself through his creation so that no one is without excuse. “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith… For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Rom.1:17,20)

 Jesus came as the Light to the world revealing the Father and his will and purpose. He proclaimed the Father to all who would listen, and they saw the Father’s glory through the Son to whom the Father sent. The Good News came in the name of the Son. Those who invoked the name of Jesus, who appealed to the name of Jesus who has all authority, saw the miraculous signs and wonders, and received eternal life in the Son, the intimate relationship with the Father, and the forgiveness of their sins will not be remembered against them evermore. 

 I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation (JD Farag). Please, Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. He will answer you if you will truly believe. And he wants to empower you with the Holy Spirit. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis

I am developing a new webpage on Spiritual warfare. Please give it a look. I’m adding answers each week to questions that pertain to our time today.  Thank you

http://uss-warfare3.webnode.com