Christ gives us His Word , Eternal Life and Prays for His Own John 17
John 17:1-11
All of us face suffering and difficulties and struggles in our lives. We come to God to ask for help and forgiveness if we need it. None of us are perfect. None of us have arrived. That does not happen until we see God face to face and His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord in heaven. We trust in His guidance and providence . We cannot always see the way forward but rely on His direction for each day. One thing we see in today's Gospel is that we have eternal life now on earth if we know the " true God and Jesus Christ, whom ( He) sent." 17:3
1. Eternal life begins now on earth. This is God's action on our behalf. We simply trust in His Son and believe He is who He said He was. He is Divine just as God. Christ ascended into heaven as we celebrated on Ascension Day, Thursday. As one of the confessions says, " Christ's exaltation consists in His rising again from the dead on the third day, in ascending up into heaven, in sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and in coming to judge the world at the last day." Shorter Catechism , 28.
What a great gift His Salvation is to us who deserve it not. Our failings and sins are many, but God justifies the ungodly as it says in the Epistle to the Romans because of the righteousness of Christ imputed to us by faith.
I saw a movie the other day this that reflected what the Soldiers and Armed Forces personnel suffered in war. Not only did they suffer wounds but mental wounds as well. This point is well made when Paul Newman is portraying a Captain in the Korean War who was tortured by being kept alone in a cell for several months. He had won a Silver Star in WW 2 actually, but He signs documents that say he does not believe in the US values , and is court martialed after the Korean war because of it. As I watched I thought of our salvation. None of us can live up to it. We do not deserve it, but He is gracious , loving and kind and justifies not because of faithfulness but because of His. God's mercies are ever new. As the Scripture and the hymn say, " Great is Thy Faithfulness".
On this Memorial Day Weekend take time to remember those who died for our nation and its continued existence. None of us can repay that debt of the Soldiers' sacrifice. How true of our eternal life as well. This too is a sacrifice, but one that gives us eternal life. Jesus said, " I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." 17: 4
2. We see Jesus gives us His Word. He keeps it. He gives us the Words from God here in the Scriptures that we may have His Word in our lives here and one day speak with Him face to face .As we heard from the letter from Peter to the believers who are scattered in places but according to God's foreknowledge sanctified through the Spirit and have been given new life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I Peter 1:1 We are told by Peter ," wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator." 4:19
Satan does test us . In Luke 22:31-32 Jesus says to Peter, " Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you , that he may sift you as wheat..."
We often put our heads down not in prayer but in defeat. We feel overwhelmed and are often tried by the sins of others and mostly our own sins and shortcomings. We fail to stop, drop and pray and sometimes just drop. But we are encouraged , " For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me." 17:8
3. The great news is that our Lord prays for His own. " I pray for them" 17:9 As we heard earlier in Luke 22, " Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you ....But I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not." A pastor wrote in " Banner of Truth", October 2001: "
What exactly did Jesus pray for? He did not pray that Peter would be kept from being tested. He did not pray that Peter would be kept from denying him. Jesus prayed concerning this man that his faith might not be...eclipsed. Peter fell, but because of our Saviour's intercession his faith did not fail."
VS 12, not in the reading struck me . " While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost...."
Our Lord has ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father where He is acclaimed Lord of Lords and King of Kings. There is no earthly power that can withstand His Word.
As many have failed they are not lost. No one is lost that trusts in Christ for eternal life. He cannot lose His sheep. He will go out and find the one that is lost. The 99 are kept and so is the one that is straying off the path.
We have eternal life through Christ. We have His Word that He will keep us, and prays for us through the Holy Spirit. Yes, it not may feel that all is well, but all is well in the eternal Hand of God. He loves us and does not lose us. No matter how many times we may have failed to do what we should have done, there is He to pick us up, and keep us in the balm of His love and Hands.
In the movie I saw about the prisoner that Paul Newman played there is a scene where Paul's father ( an Army COL) lets Him know that He loves him despite Paul not having felt it through his life. Even the straying of His children does not prevent God from bringing them all home.
Christ our Lord has ascended into heaven!
All of us face suffering and difficulties and struggles in our lives. We come to God to ask for help and forgiveness if we need it. None of us are perfect. None of us have arrived. That does not happen until we see God face to face and His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord in heaven. We trust in His guidance and providence . We cannot always see the way forward but rely on His direction for each day. One thing we see in today's Gospel is that we have eternal life now on earth if we know the " true God and Jesus Christ, whom ( He) sent." 17:3
1. Eternal life begins now on earth. This is God's action on our behalf. We simply trust in His Son and believe He is who He said He was. He is Divine just as God. Christ ascended into heaven as we celebrated on Ascension Day, Thursday. As one of the confessions says, " Christ's exaltation consists in His rising again from the dead on the third day, in ascending up into heaven, in sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and in coming to judge the world at the last day." Shorter Catechism , 28.
What a great gift His Salvation is to us who deserve it not. Our failings and sins are many, but God justifies the ungodly as it says in the Epistle to the Romans because of the righteousness of Christ imputed to us by faith.
I saw a movie the other day this that reflected what the Soldiers and Armed Forces personnel suffered in war. Not only did they suffer wounds but mental wounds as well. This point is well made when Paul Newman is portraying a Captain in the Korean War who was tortured by being kept alone in a cell for several months. He had won a Silver Star in WW 2 actually, but He signs documents that say he does not believe in the US values , and is court martialed after the Korean war because of it. As I watched I thought of our salvation. None of us can live up to it. We do not deserve it, but He is gracious , loving and kind and justifies not because of faithfulness but because of His. God's mercies are ever new. As the Scripture and the hymn say, " Great is Thy Faithfulness".
On this Memorial Day Weekend take time to remember those who died for our nation and its continued existence. None of us can repay that debt of the Soldiers' sacrifice. How true of our eternal life as well. This too is a sacrifice, but one that gives us eternal life. Jesus said, " I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." 17: 4
2. We see Jesus gives us His Word. He keeps it. He gives us the Words from God here in the Scriptures that we may have His Word in our lives here and one day speak with Him face to face .As we heard from the letter from Peter to the believers who are scattered in places but according to God's foreknowledge sanctified through the Spirit and have been given new life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I Peter 1:1 We are told by Peter ," wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator." 4:19
Satan does test us . In Luke 22:31-32 Jesus says to Peter, " Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you , that he may sift you as wheat..."
We often put our heads down not in prayer but in defeat. We feel overwhelmed and are often tried by the sins of others and mostly our own sins and shortcomings. We fail to stop, drop and pray and sometimes just drop. But we are encouraged , " For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me." 17:8
3. The great news is that our Lord prays for His own. " I pray for them" 17:9 As we heard earlier in Luke 22, " Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you ....But I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not." A pastor wrote in " Banner of Truth", October 2001: "
What exactly did Jesus pray for? He did not pray that Peter would be kept from being tested. He did not pray that Peter would be kept from denying him. Jesus prayed concerning this man that his faith might not be...eclipsed. Peter fell, but because of our Saviour's intercession his faith did not fail."
VS 12, not in the reading struck me . " While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost...."
Our Lord has ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father where He is acclaimed Lord of Lords and King of Kings. There is no earthly power that can withstand His Word.
As many have failed they are not lost. No one is lost that trusts in Christ for eternal life. He cannot lose His sheep. He will go out and find the one that is lost. The 99 are kept and so is the one that is straying off the path.
We have eternal life through Christ. We have His Word that He will keep us, and prays for us through the Holy Spirit. Yes, it not may feel that all is well, but all is well in the eternal Hand of God. He loves us and does not lose us. No matter how many times we may have failed to do what we should have done, there is He to pick us up, and keep us in the balm of His love and Hands.
In the movie I saw about the prisoner that Paul Newman played there is a scene where Paul's father ( an Army COL) lets Him know that He loves him despite Paul not having felt it through his life. Even the straying of His children does not prevent God from bringing them all home.
Christ our Lord has ascended into heaven!
Comments
Post a Comment