Message at Valley During Church Campout

Valley – July 6, 2003 a.m.

 

CHRIST'S PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH IN THE UPPER ROOM

Sunday was the weekend of the church campout.  A good number of our people attended but we usually have a service at Valley for those who do not or cannot go.  This message is therefore a message independent of my ongoing series on the gospel and growth with a focus on the world system at this point.  I was led to preach on the last part of Christ's prayer from the Upper Room in John 17.  This revelation puts an exclamation mark on the events of the Upper Room and points directly to the Church.

 

The great revelation anticipating the cross work of Christ and the provisions applied on the day of Pentecost in John 13-16 is culminated in Christ's communication with the Father in chapter 17.  At the conclusion of the words of His communication with the Father, He immediately departs for Gethsemane.  His communication was not like any form of communication that the Church has.  He communicated with the Father as an equal (erotao).  This term is never used of grace communication in which a Christian addresses the Godhead.  Now we communicate with the Father as lesser to greater (aiteo) and this was predicted in the Upper Room (Jn. 14:13-14; 15:7, 16; 16:23-26). 

 

The title of this message is Christ's Prayer for the Church in the Upper Room.  Christ is with the eleven disciples.  Judas had departed (13:26-31) to accomplish his dirty work.  Jesus Christ addresses the Father in chapter 17 concerning the eleven.  The immediate focus is on these men.  In verse 8 Christ indicates that He had given them the words that the Father had given Him, and they received them, they experientially knew His divine origin from heaven and they believed that He was sent by the Father.  At verse 20 he expands beyond the eleven moving to the Church.  "But I am not asking you as an equal for these alone, but also concerning the ones who believe on me through their word."  There is a strong focus on the oneness that would be provided to the Church on the day of Pentecost.  The last two verses focus on the eleven again as is indicated the near demonstrative pronoun "these."

 

Verse 20 expands the group of persons for whom Christ communicates from the eleven disciples to the Church.  The near demonstrative pronoun "these" would normally be accompanied by a gesture toward those seated to His right and to His left.  He clearly adds those who will believe on Christ through their word.  This group is the group that becomes Christians through the Word of the disciples. 

 

There are three result clauses in verse 21.  The first result is that they may be one in Christ as the Father is in Christ, and Christ is one in the Father.  The indwelling of the Father is based on the indwelling of Christ in the Christian.  It is interesting that Christ uses the subjunctive mood so often in this section.  It is the mood of possibility – that is, it is possible but not realized yet.  The idea is that the Church manifests the oneness in Christ and the Father but in practice in the present dispensation there is more division than oneness.  At the Rapture the oneness will be an absolute reality.  The second result is that they be one in us.  This is a prediction of the position of believers in Christ and the position of believers in the Father (cf. 1 Th. 1:1; 2 Th. 1:1).  The third result is that the world may believe that the Father sent the Son.  It is significant that 25 passages in the New Testament describe the Father's sending of the Son in this manner.  The verb is apostello from which the word apostle is derived.  It has the idea of being sent on an official mission with credentials from the sender.  "Missionary" is a misnomer in that it is the Latin form of the Greek apostle, apostle in the modern church.  There are no apostles in the church on earth today.  I well remember the missionaries who came to our church in my youth who showed us a penny and said it was a missionary.  The illustration stuck.  They said what does it say?  It says "One Cent" – "One Sent" and therefore it is an apostle.  Christ Himself says that the Father sent the Son.  Notice that He focuses the sending on the title "Son."  The references to the Father's sending the Son include John 3:17; 10:36; 1 Jn. 4:9, 14.  Most of the time He is speaking of Himself and uses the first person personal pronoun.  In 17:3 the title used is Jesus Christ.  Paul encourages believers to "consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus (Heb. 1:3) emphasizing His being sent on a mission.  Another verb, pempo, is used of the sending of the Son 27 times.  It is a more general term describing one's being sent emphasizing the arrival.  The world of mankind generally refuses to recognize that God the Son came from the Father in heaven and so the subjunctive mood. 

 

Verse 22 describes the provision of the acquired glory of Jesus Christ for the Church.  The Father gave a kind of glory to the Son that had not been given before.  Christ in turn has given that glory to the "them" of verse 20, the Church.  There is a purpose for this.  It is "that they might be one as (similar to) we are one."  The same quality of acquired glory is available to the Church as was given to Christ.  Oneness is the focus of what Christ communicates in anticipation of the formation of the Church. 

 

Verse 23 deals with the two sides of "in" provided for the Church by the work of Christ and applied by the Holy Spirit.  "I in them and thou in me" describes the indwelling of both the Father and the Son.  Other passages clearly teach the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  On the basis of this indwelling there is a potential result:  "That they may be in a state of having been completed (or matured) ones into one."  This is the practical result of living in light of the oneness provided in Christ.  The projected result of this condition of maturity is that the world may experientially know that the Father sent the Son and that the Father loved the Church as He loved the Son.  

 

The last three verses express Christ's expectation to the Father as He concludes His communication.  In verse 24 He expresses His desire for Church saints to be with Him and to behold His acquired glory.  This is based on the fact that the Father loved Him before the foundation of the universe.  Verse 25 gives a nice three-point overview.  1. The world has not experientially known the Righteous Father.  2. The Son experientially knew the Father.  3. These (the eleven) experientially knew that the Father sent the Son Jesus Christ.  Verse 26 concludes His communication.  "And I have experientially made your name (character) known to them and will experientially make it known, in order that the love with which you loved me may continuously be in them and I in them."  There is an interesting change in tense as shown in my translation.

 

The central focus of the conclusion of Christ's communication with the Father with His disciples was on the oneness that exists in Christ and the fact that saints would be in Christ and God the Father positionally and Christ and the Father would be in them.  This oneness is supremely important in that Paul emphasizes its importance a multitude of times (Gal. 3:16, 27; Eph. 2:15; Col. 3:15; Rom. 12:4; 1 Cor. 12:12, 18, 25).  Living positionally focuses on the oneness God provides in Christ.  This is not an oneness of agreement with a man or men but conformity to the clear revelation of Scripture.  As a pastor's son, I remember hearing those addressing the matter of oneness or unity on a number of occasions and many times since.  It is always interesting how often these appeals were merely for those to agree with their opinions or positions without Scriptural basis.  Those who made the appeal were most often those who were unwilling to relate to and rejoice in the oneness that is in Christ.  For this to work saints must have the information as intuitive knowledge.  They must understand the revelation and live it.  Then they can say that they experientially know this important truth that Christ Himself anticipated as He concluded His communication in the Upper Room.

 

Standing in awe in Christ,

 

DKS

CHRIST'S PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH IN THE UPPER ROOM

 

John 17:21-26

 

Proposition:  To look at the roots of the oneness that is in Christ and to demonstrate how it is the basis for the ongoing relationship of saints to the Godhead now.

 

      Introduction

         A.  The Inclusion of the Church in Christ's Prayer in the Upper Room

               1.  From the Eleven Disciples

               2.   To Those Who Believe Through Their Word

         B.   The Provision of a Unique Oneness

         C.  The Conclusion of His Communication with the Father in the Upper Room (cf. 18:1)

 

TRANS:  Jesus Christ's asking communication was an asking between equals (erotao). There is no question that whatever He asked for in this way would happen.

 

  I.  THE EXPANSION OF THE OBJECTS OF CHRIST'S COMMUNICATION FROM THE ELEVEN DISCIPLES TO THE CHURCH – John 17:20

      A.  The Asking Between Equals (evrota,w = erotao) [cf. 9, 15, 20]

      B.   The Antecedent of the Near Demonstrative Pronoun "These" = 11 Disciples

      C.  The Addition of Those That Believe Through Their Word

 

TRANS:  Christ expands the anticipation of the provisions of grace in the coming dispensation to the Church in addition to the 11 disciples.  The key to these provisions is the oneness that the believer has in Christ Jesus.

 

 II. THE PARTICIPATION AND POSITION IN THE ONENESS PROVIDED BY THE FATHER – John 17:21

      A.  Result #1:  That They May Be One

            1.   In Me = Christ

            2.   In Thee = Father

      B.   Result #2:  They May Be in Us

      C.  Result #3:  The World (Its People) May Believe [subjunctive]

            1.   That Thou = Father = 2nd masc. Sing. = emphatic

            2.   Sent Me [cf. 8, 18, 23, 25]

 

TRANS:  There is a direct connection to Christ's acquired glory and the provisions of grace revealed in His communication with the Father from the Upper Room. 

 

III. THE PROVISION OF THE ACQUIRED GLORY OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE CHURCH – John 17:22

      A.  The Giving of Glory by the Father to Jesus Christ

      B.   The Giving of the Glory to the Church by Jesus Christ

      C.  The Potential for Oneness

            1.   They May Be One [subjunctive]

            2.   Similar to/Like as We Are One

 

TRANS:  The potential for spiritual maturity had never existed before in the history of the human race.  The oneness is the basis for spiritual maturity for grace believers.

 

IV. THE MATURATION OF CHURCH BELIEVERS LIVING IN THE ONENESS – John 17:23

      A. The Indwelling of Christ Predicted

      B.   The Indwelling of the Father

      C.  The Potential for Maturity in the Oneness

      D.  Result #1:  That the World May Experientially Know [subjunctive]

            1.   That You Sent Me

            2.   That You Loved Them

            3.   Because You Loved Me from the Foundation of the Universe

 

TRANS:  The last three verses conclude Christ's communication with the Father from the Upper Room.  They focus on three realms that expose the glory of Jesus Christ.

 

  V.   THE EXPRESSION OF CHRIST'S EXPECTATION TO THE FATHER CONCLUDING HIS PRAYER IN THE UPPER ROOM – John 17:24-26

      A.  His Desire for Church Saints to Be Present with Him and to Behold His Glory – 17:24

      B.   His Declaration of the Character of the Father to the Apostles and to the Church – 17:25,

            26a

      C.  His Dwelling in the Believer as a Basis for the Father's Love – 17:26b

            1.   The Love That the Father Loved the Son

            2.   May Be in Them

            3.   And I in Them

 

TRANS:  The provisions of grace for the church are focused on the oneness that is in Christ and that links to the position of Christians in Christ and the Father and the indwelling of the Persons of the Godhead.

 

 

© by David K. Spurbeck

Valley Baptist Church

P. O. Box 99, Gaston, OR 97119