Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

Looking at the High Priestly Prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ

Spoken audibly so the disciples in the Upper Room could be encouraged by it
Prayer audibly so it could be ultimately recorded for us

Intended for all believers thought the ages
Given for our instruction and our encouragement

Normally Jesus prays in private conversation with God the Father

We can gain blessing from it

Called the High Priestly Prayer as Jesus is called our High Priest in Hebrews

The Lord Jesus Christ is praying for us
The Holy Spirit is praying for us

This prayer is audible – because Jesus wants us to know what He is praying for

They are the essential marks of a New Testament Christian Church
They are timeless things – applicable to all the Lord’s people
Looking at 6 things

Joy (v13)

The disciples are contemplating the death of Jesus Christ

They are sad and fearful

We are not to live in a vale of tears – with joy only to come

God intends us to be joyful on earth and in every circumstance
Joy should characterise Christian assembly

My joy / Jesus’ joy

Not a worldly joy but the joy of the Lord
What filled Jesus with joy? – examples
These sources of joy apply to us too:

Plan of salvation
Apart to play in bringing this plan into effect
To be obedient oth will of God
A clear conscience
Fellowship with God the Father

John 15:11, 16:24, 17:13

A joyless Christian should be a contra-indication in terms

We are commanded to be joyful
Have you ever confessed the sin of joylessness

Holiness (v14-19)

Sanctification – being made holy by the Holy Spirit

Justification – is an instant thing
Sanctification – generally thought of as a continual process, though it is also an instant thing

Jesus sets Himself apart
Set apart for holy use – instant
Made holy – process

We are in the world, but we must not be spiritually of the world

Otherwise we will be contaminated by the worlds godless character
Holiness characterises God – we must be holy

Hebrews

Holiness is not about a long list of commands but being led

We are new creations with a citizenship in heaven
We do not belong to the sinful world
We are aliens and pilgrims

The world is in direct opposition to Jesus

God will direct and strengthen our holiness
In the world, not of the world

Truth (v17)

A good/short memory verse

The Holy Spirit sanctifies in the environment of the Truth

This Truth is the word of God

The Bible is our utterly reliable ultimate authority
There is the written word – the Bible
There is the living Word – Jesus
The Holy Spirit directed the construction of the Bible

We must not divide the work of the Holy Spirit from the written word of God
Eph 5:25-26

The Holy Spirit cannot be divided from the word of God [and vice versa]

Depart from the word and we depart from the environment in which the Holy Spirit operates

Mission (v18)

Jesus sends us into the world

As He was sent
We are here to complete the work of the Lord Jesus Christ

John 20:21-22
Breathing on them is a foretaste of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came in power

We need the sanctifying Holy Spirit so we can complete the mission of Jesus Christ

To complete the work of building His Church

This is a command – we are to reach the world with the gospel

We are not taken to glory when we are converted
We remain …

… because He wants to build His Church through us

We are to reach as many people as possible

We are to be driven with the same thought of Christ – the salvation of many souls
We all have a part to play – though we may do different things and have different gifts
We need each other for the task of mission

We are sent by God Almighty to bring the Gospel to the world

Unity (v20-23)

There is unity within the Godhead

It is the strongest expression of unity
v21, 23 – we are to be united

We must be united for missions
If we are not united in Jesus Christ then our mission will be ineffective

Jesus is not speaking about a structural unity

History of early church into the middle church

Structural unity merely bought the dark ages

Christians are diverse

The thing that brings together … are supernatural

Our unity with each other stems from our unity with Christ

Different churches have different personalities
It stems from the Godhead

Love (v25-26)

To be filled with the love of God

This is the greatest hallmark
It gives meaning to the other marks

The Church of Ephesus had left its first love

John 13:1 – the Upper Room Discourse begins with love
John 13:34-35 – the commandment to love
John 17:25-26 – love both ‘tops and tails’ the time in the Upper Room

The preeminence of love is seen in the other marks

Joy without love is selfish pleasure seeking
Holiness without love is self-righteousness
Truth without love leads to bitter orthodoxy
Mission without love is religious imperialism
Unity without love causes the church to fall down

When love is removed, the other marks fall down

Where love is present, all the others marks are present
Love for Christ leads to joy and holiness
Love for the word of God leads to truth
Love for the world leads to mission
Love for our brothers and sisters leads to unity

May God’s love be in us

Closing Prayer