Godly Joy

John 17:11-14

Have you ever considered what the church looked like after Jesus ascended into heaven?

In the book of Acts, we have a beautiful image of how the church exploded. All through the book, we see how unified and committed believers were to one another. In fact, I think if we could step back in time and experience fellowship with those early believers, we would quickly discern that this is a distinguished community. That there is a deeper care fore one another, there is a greater effort to be together, more focus on praising the Lord. In fact, I believe it may be so beautiful of an experience that we might not want to come back, even with all of our modern amenities.

But we might ask, what distinguished these early believers? Why were they uniquely committed to the Lord and unified with each other to such sacrificial degrees?

It may of began with putting first things first. Making sure that their sights were set on the Lord. Acts 2:42 “42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

They were committed to learning about Jesus. They desired a vibrant spiritual relationship with God. They also knew that it wasn’t just about them. While their personal salvation matters, their spiritual journey was never understood as “My walk with the Lord.” This was a communal society that would be far more inclined to consider “our walk with the Lord.”

So they devoted themselves to good biblical teaching

They devoted themselves to one another in both spiritual and physical maturation, meeting each others needs.

They were committed to the breaking of bread which has two aspects.

The first is eating together. They wanted to be intentional as a community to be present with one another in worship but also in life. Food has always played a relational role in the lives of people. There is something special about sitting around a table, passing food, conversing, and just being together.

Secondly, the breaking of bread was a common expression for taking communion. It is known that there were many house churches who were so devoted to teaching, each other, and taking communion that they would meet daily for their evening meal. There would be a teaching time and there would be a regular habit of calling on the name of Jesus.

The fourth way that the early church demonstrated focus on the Lord with one another was through prayer. We already considered last week how essential prayer is to the life of the believer. How valuable it is to be prayed for by others. The final piece of their rich, caring community was spending time in prayer together.

Did you know it took less than 30 years for Christianity to spread from Jerusalem to Rome. It’s a little under 1,500 miles. By the time it reached Rome, the apostle Paul and others had filled the distance between with committed believers and established churches.

We are in a series called “The heart of Jesus” and we are aiming to understand from Jesus’ very own prayer life, what were some of the longings of His heart. As He cried out to the Father, He made many specific requests that gave us a glance into the very desires of His heart. So we aim to seek Him, we long to know Him more, as our good and precious savior. What we will find today, is that many of Jesus’ longings in prayer were demonstrated in that 1st century church.

Lets pray.

John 17:11–14 “11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”

Last week we saw that Jesus longs:

To see the Father Glorified

To be Glorified with the Father - restoring their eternal communion

For us to intimately know Him.

In these few verses, Jesus expresses four more longings of His heart. The first is in those first words of verse 11:

“And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name.”

The first longing of Jesus in these verses is that we would spiritually thrive before God’s throne.

Up to this point, Jesus personally walked with the disciples. He spoke to them about the kingdom of heaven, He showed them signs and miracles. They watched Him minister to Israelites and gentiles. He taught them how to do ministry and point people towards God.

In every way, Jesus was spiritually nourishing their souls. He was helping them turn away from sinful wickedness and towards Godly living. As the rough edges continued to be shaved off, the disciples continued to blossom in reflecting the image of God.

He kept them spiritually like a gardener keeps a plant. He rooted out the dangers of weeds. He provided the appropriate nutrients. When Jesus speaks of keeping, He is speaking of nourishment that provides maturation. Jesus taught them all about God, about His kingdom, and challenged their faulty notions. So as He prepares to leave them, His prayer is that the Father would continue to keep them, continue to nourish them by building their faith and guiding them in new ways.

Friends, isn’t it good to celebrate and know that God has always had a plan? He was never going to leave us or remain distant from us. Instead, He sent Jesus, after Jesus ascended, He sent His Holy Spirit to Guide us into all truth as we seek Him.

Isn’t it also good to know that it is God’s power that keeps you?

Psalm 20:1 “1 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!”

Psalm 54:1 “1 O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might.”

Proverbs 18:10 “10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”

Sometimes we forget just how powerful God is and we need to be reminded. These verses remind us that God is so powerful that His very name itself is sufficient to provide all that we need. Just as Jesus kept those who were given to Him we can know that we are kept by the Father through His Holy Spirit.

We are kept by the power of His name. It doesn’t matter what we are facing - if we are stressed, exhausted, grieving, or thriving - we know that all along the way, God will faithfully find ways to bring nourishment to our soul.

The Second Longing of Jesus That as His church we would be unified - not just among ourselves, but with all other believers.

John 17:11 “11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.”

It is a small line that we can easily miss. Yet, it is one that presents itself in different forms throughout the Bible. It has always been God’s desire that His people are unified before His throne.

I thought about trying to express this further on my own, but quiet honestly, I think God’s Word is clear enough. Read these passages with me.

Ephesians 4:1–6 “1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

We are one body before God and when we allow ourselves to be at odds with one another, we become self defeating Christians. We must always aim to be committed to each other as we pursue the Lord together.

Be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Colossians 3:12–14 “12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

Are you quick to forgive? Have you considered that if you are not quick to forgive it is reflective of your own selfish wickedness?

Are you quick to seek forgiveness? If you are willing to overlook your blunders and not come before those you have mistreated in humble, honest, apology, do you recognize it is reflective of a deeper selfish wickedness? And you are allowing it to have its way with you.

One of the major blunders of believers today is that we are not humble, honest, people who openly and readily confess. So many problems in the church at large would never exist if we could learn to embrace a readiness to honestly confess. I urge you to be part of the solution. How much better would our witness be to this community if we were known as people who offer humble confession wherever we have sinned or made a mistake.

Philippians 2:1–4 “1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Do you practice selfless living among God’s people?

Are you engaged in moving ministry forward? Are you in some way actively serving the Lord?

Are you committed to moving the gospel forward together?

Hebrews 10:24–25 “24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

When you come to church, whether it be an event, a bible study, or Sunday morning, do you come aiming to build up others in the faith?

Are you faithful in coming to worship God with the body? Or have you come to believe that it is less than essential?

I heard a quote a little while back and I don’t know the name of the man who said it. But what he said really grabbed hold of me.

“If you don’t treat church as essential, the next generation will think its optional.”

There is great danger in a person who cannot see the need to be vitally connected to God’s people for the sake of His worship. Whether you are a parent or not, the way you engage with your church will always communicate something to other people, particularly younger people.

Psalm 133:1 “1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”

Friends, this is the Word of God. Delivered to you and to me so that we can know what it means to walk in the fulness of God. How many of these qualities reflect you? Among the ones you are lacking, among which do you need to repent before the Lord? Which do you need to confess before others?

Living by your own intuition of what is acceptable to God is a vary dangerous place to live. In fact, that is the very place in the human heart that caused sin to enter this world.

Are you committed to worshiping the Lord together? As one body, geared to do the ministry of His kingdom.

To fall short of this biblical mandate is to walk in a form of wickedness before God.

Jesus prayed that we would be kept from wickedness. That the Father would protect us and spiritually nourish us. So that as His children, we can thrive together before His throne. What can you do today to help unify the body of Christ here?

The Third Longing of Jesus was that the Father would guard and protect us, so that we may continue to be unified as we spiritually thrive.

We have to read between the lines a little on this point, but the implication that Jesus makes between verses 11 and 12 are clear.

John 17:11–12 “11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.”

Jesus has guarded their souls, He has walked with them and helped them to grow spiritually in the sense of nourishment; but he has also guarded them. So as He prepares to leave them, His prayer is that the Father would continue to keep them, in the sense of nourishment as well as protection.

Jesus is very aware of evil that lurks. He has great clarity in His understanding of how even one person within the body can cause great heart ache for everyone else. He is aware of the need for protection.

He longs to see everyone continue to walk in right relationship with Himself. That they would not grow distracted by opportunity in life, but that they would be driven by opportunity to hold tight to Him within a community of believers that will continue stir them up in all that is right and good.

We all long for this type of community. By the grace of God, we can have it with one another. But we have to be willing to engage, to remain committed, to always aim to serve one another rather than be served. When we lower ourselves in humility, we collectively begin to form strong guard rails that the Lord uses to protect us from all kinds of danger.

There are no words to express the value of God’s protection of His people.

The Fourth Longing of Jesus in this passage is that we would know the Joy of the Lord - even in times of tribulation.

John 17:13–14 “13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”

The Christian life is one of sacrifice and self denial. So many people walk into a relationship with Jesus not recognizing how much sin is in their lives. We always think of ourselves as better than what is accurate. Meaning that as we turn our lives towards Jesus, as we aim to submit to Him, to seek Him for all that He is worth, there is more growth and change than we could have ever imagined. The more we seek the Lord, the more He nourishes and transforms our soul.

Knowing that we can experience such a beautiful transformation, I have to ask, how have you been diligent in your pursuit of Jesus? Do you take time to:

Read His word,

be in prolonged prayer

Do you have a habit of fasting?

or meditating on His word?

There is a deep sense of joy that comes with personal transformation. But there is more joy to be found.

I remember the first time that I was in a room with thousands of believers. Thousands of people who love the Lord and who are eager to learn more about Him, eager to worship His name. I remember looking around the room and experiences a great sense of joy as I truly believed I was experiencing a taste of heaven.

When we will all be together, singing the praises of Jesus.

I think some of my most joyful moments in life have come from people who respond to spiritual investment. When I have poured time and energy into helping someone else grow spiritually and the Lord moves in their life. They are nourished and transformed.

What has brought even more joy is when I see them making spiritual investments and they demonstrate great joy as they see spiritual fruit in their investment.

Without question, there is great joy to be found in the christian life. The more time we spend in the Lord’s presence together, the greater joy we will find. The more joy we find, the less we feel compelled to buy into the distractions of life.

Life’s greatest joy is found in humbling of self in order to exalt Jesus.

Thank the Lord that we can experience such joy. Because this life is also filled with trials and in some cases persecution. Trials and persecution are incredibly hard. In fact, there are many times where I would describe them as unbearable.

Yet, God is faithful. God protects and keeps us. In fact, when we are truly walking in alignment with His will, we can experience joy in our suffering. Consider Acts 5:40–42:

“and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.”

When you are walking in step with the creator of all things and you are mistreated because of it, somehow, in God’s great mercy, we can experience a deeper sense of His joy that actually compels us to proclaim Jesus all the more.

May not have time:

There is a second element to this discussion around persecution. When we are persecuted for proclaiming the name of Jesus, we can feel wronged and powerless. We can come to recognize that we view justice differently than the world because we continue to learn true justice from looking at God. When we are persecuted and there is not sense of justice, we can grow weary and frustrated. We can start asking the Lord where He is at in all of this.

But our weakness, being reminded of our weakness is healthy. It is healthy to know it is not about my sense of justice, it is not about what I would do to change the situation. Rather, we can celebrate the Lord all the more because of our weakness. Paul says it this way,

2 Corinthians 12:9–10 “9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Truly living out the Christian life will cause us to recognize more and more, that we don’t have to be strong, we don’t need to be in control, we don’t need to be the best. Because the more I live in humble weakness before the Lord, the more I get to see His power put on display.

Closing

The Longings of Jesus in this passage prove to us, that Jesus’ love and commitment to us are demonstratively climaxed in the cross, but what happened there compels us to look forward. Because of the cross, we continue to anticipate the pouring out His love on us for all eternity.

[Slide] These four longings show the heart of Jesus for His people. If you seek spiritual nourishment, you will find the peace of knowing the Lord guards your very life. If you are committed to His church, you will find a unified community that is learning how to grow in these truths together, sharpening each other as we move towards the Lord. In all of this, we can receive a deep sense of joy that comes from Jesus Himself.