The Gospel of John - God Provides in Salvation - Pt 3 - A great High Priest for Eternal life.

GREET EVERYONE-

Good Morning Loved Ones

If I have not had a chance to meet you; My name is Scott and I am a follower of Jesus and have the privilege of serving Him as the Lead Pastor among the people of Stonewater Fellowship.

INVITES

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Welcome Home - Jan 25th

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Open it to the Gospel of John and Chapter 16 as we continue in our current series “God provides in Salvation” which is ONE part of our walking through the Gospel of John together verse by verse.

PRAYER OVER SERIES

AS we walk through this series in the Gospel of John, I pray that no matter where we are on our journey of Faith - I pray that we would all come to know that What God provides in our salvation is God Himself -

That every single aspect of our salvation is about God providing himself -

Himself in the Person of the Holy Spirit

Himself in New Life and Joy

Himself as a High priest

Know this loved ones - that when we are saved by grace through faith - When God saved us or saved someone else - Everyone God saves becomes THE people - set aside given to God - And He gives Himself to to all of us in salvation.

In the over arching theological umbrella know that in salvation - People - Anyone and Everyone who is saved - We are saved by God, we are saved FROM God, we are saved For GOD and we are saved TO GOD

PRAYER OVER MESSAGE

My prayer over this mornings message is that we would come to know and love the fact that in our salvation we are given, as people who the bible would have categorized is as a people who were far away from God -

When God saves us - God provides in Himself through the person of Jesus Christ -

and when we get God in the person of Jesus - We get a high priest for eternal life.

And what we must understand is that we get a high priest that does the sacrificial work for eternal life.

and I know that we might think “oh yea of course we get that”

But from day to day the BIG thought of WE have a high priest for eternal life doesn't always resonate in the moments of difficulty and termoile.

And what we will hear from the text this morning is Jesus Praying -

PRAYING as the Hight Priest - Provided to the world - A high Priest that, AS GOD, joyfully did the work required BY God, in Obedience TO God all for the Glory OF God.

What I pray this morning happens to us is a dynamic shift in our perspectives of life where a prenominal peace can come over our lives as A saved people, that God has given Himself as our High Priest for eternal life

A dynamic shift of perspective - that and when difficulty comes - We would be at peace -

When self doubt comes - We would be at peace -

When Fear comes - Peace -

When Insecurity comes - Peace -

When uncertainty comes - Peace.

Peace - Because God - The creator of all things, in the person of Jesus Christ, is our High priest for Eternal life.

BACKGROUND

Priest -

An interesting word -

If we have a background in the liturgical side of the Church - That means - Catholic - Lutheran - Anglican - Episcopal - the pastors of those local congregation's are called “Priests”

Now; it is also very possible that you have never been to church before or have no church background with the word and your understanding is of what you might read in the media when something goes terribly wrong -

You also may have been in the evangelical side of the church forever and the idea of someone being a priest and others not being a priest is just something that doesn't sit all that well.

Here is another interesting thing about the word -

False religions through out all of history, including demonic worship have all used the word priest

No matter what our religious or earthly understanding is - If we take any of these into our relationship with Jesus - We will miss out on the fullness of work of God in the person of Jesus as our priest.

SO I want us to begin this morning with some background on the Idea of the word Priest.

In the history of humanity there seems to be this place in our cultures for this Idea of “Priests”

All the way back to 3-4 thousand years before Jesus - There were these people who were determined to have a “special relationship’ and “Special Responsibilities” in the framework of worshiping whoever and whatever people were worshiping.

and becasue they were considered to have special relationship and there for special responsibilities they were a separate people from normal everyday people.

This is where the Idea of HOLY comes from - This Separation of a set of people form the normal people. Holy means Separate.

This worship mostly revolved “Temples” - Special building where it was believed the deity or deities lived and where worshipers came to to encounter deities and to sacrifice to them.

One of the earliest reference to a “priest” actually comes from the Bible.

Early in the history of Humanity about 2000 before Jesus was born.

God calls a man named Abram - To go on a journey - This journey ment that Abram would leave the place where His ancestors lived for possibly hundreds of years -

The Scripture calls it the Land of Your forefathers-

Along the way - God Changes His name to Abraham - and some other cool stuff happens -

But before His names is changed -

And Along the way - Abram find Himself in a Battle with some local leaders and after the battle - A guy named Melchizedek shows up and HE Blesses Abraham and Abram returns to Melchizedek a 10th of everything Abram Owned -

What is interesting (among other things) is this guy named Melchisedek is referred to as “A priest of God most High”

God most High in the Original Language of the Old Testament is another Name for YWHY - which is the proper name for God used in the Old Testament -

This is about 2000 years before Jesus and this is the first time the word priest shows up in the History of God choosing a people for himself.

and there are some other interesting fact about Melchizedek and if we unfolded all of them what we would come to know is that God choses his priests - NOT man.

If we keep reading our Bibles we would come to know that After Abraham - Then Comes Issac - And After Issac come Jacob -

Jacob gets a name change - To Israel - Jacob had 12 sons - These Sons are the heads of the 12 tribes of Israel - This why they are called the 12 tribes - The 12 off spring of Israel - The 12 Patriarchs of the 12 Families who are descendants of Israel -

and to this day - If you are born Jewish - Part of Your blood line, your DNA, can be traced back to one of these 12 sons -

ONE of these sons was named Levi -

and the Family of Levi was determined by God to be priests -

They were not anymore special but they were separated out - Given Specific and separate responsibilities - and worked for God.

and you might think -

Worked for God how did that Work?

How did they get eat and live and all the practical stuff?

Well that is a different set of messages for a different time -

These Priests that God had chosen Has specific and special responsibilities.

In the story Line there then develops, about 4-5 hundred years after these 12 sons are born an Idea of a Leader Priest - God choose them too - came about from a guy that helped Moses out in His service to God and that Guy was Aaron -

This Leader Priest was called the High Priest -

and the high Priest has specific responsibilities and a very interesting qualification that are so very important for us to grasp in relationship to Jesus.

First off Only The first born could serve as High Priest -

The high priest wore special garments -

Tee Primary function was to deal with the sacrifices! In other words He would do all the sacrificing!

he would make the Sin offerings -

God behind the veil into the very presence of God on the Day of Atonement.

He was the one who went closest to GOD-

and over the History of the Jewish Priesthood - by the time we get to the time of Jesus.

The high Priests were more a a governmental ruling class chosen by men - rather than men who were responsible for the Sin's of God’s people.

They were more political than anything else.

And they had become corrupt -

And God from the very beginning Knew that a Human priesthood would eventually not do.

But the priesthood of the Hebrews was never ment to - In its early times it was simply ment to foreshadow Jesus, God in the flesh, working as our Great Hight Priest -

The First born among many brothers -

The Only begotten or “Brought about” of God.

Clothed with unique clothing - Power on High -

Administrating Himself the Atoning Sacrifice for the Sin of God's people -

The only one who eternally existed in a perfect harmonious unified relationship with the Father - Jesus was sent - God in the flesh - God to be our great high Priest forever.

And in John 17 we har of Jesus talking about Glory, finished work and eternal life.

All as God - The Great high Priest - God himself - Not someone who was appointed by God...

but God himself as our great High Priest for Eternal life-

 UNPACKING

Jesus begins to Pray -

This is a Prayer that is taking place as they are leaving the place where Jesus washed the feet of the disciples - Shared the Last Passover meal - and began to prepare them for what the rest of their lives would look like -

None of the realized that the rest of their lives was going to begin in just a few minutes from where we are int he time line of Jesus -

In Just a few moments they will arrive at a Garden - Where Jesus will pray again. and suffer betrayal and arrest all of which will ultimately lead to his execution, burial and resurrection.

This prayer is Before the Garden - This prayer happens while they are walking out of the house after dinner.

This prayer happens after all of the conversations Jesus has had -

VSS1

John 17:1 “When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,”

Glorify the Son so that the Son may glorify you -

Jesus begins His prayer - The Time has Come -

Reveal you Son - That is the simplest Way to understand Glorify - Reveal - When We Glorify God - We Reveal who He is -

Some people get that a little confused - There is a thought that to Glorify God is to speak of his attributes - and Loved ones hear me -

Speaking the Attributes of God is part of Reveling Him - The Other part is Obeying him Because of those Attributes-

Watch where Jesus goes with this -

Reveal you son so that He will reveal you - Jesus continues -

John 17:2 “since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.”

Here is what Jesus is praying for -

It is a reverse becasue -

Jesus is Praying - Because God has given AUTHORITY over all FLESH

Jesus - God in the Flesh - The Only Brought forth of the Father - Clothed in the Fullness of the Spirit - Has been given in eternity past - Authority over “ALL FLESH”

In the language of the New Testament - ALL means “without limitation” and Flesh is specifically referring to he muscular composition of Humans -

Jesus, from eternity past was Given authority over all human beings -

And you might say: Really - Authority over all flesh - Yes that is what the Scripture says here but watch loved ones - There is a purpose for this Authority -

This Authority is for a specific purpose.

“To Give ETERNAL LIFE”

This is the singular purpose that Jesus has Authority over all human beings - “To Give” something no human being can earn on their own -

“To Give Eternal Life”

BUT TO WHO?

To Everyone?

That is certainly not implied in this passage of text -

Watch where Jesus goes with this:

To ALL whom you have given HIM -

Loved ones -

What has happened from the beginning of time - When God Called Abram to leave the land of His forefathers - Renamed Him Abraham - Made a covenant with Him- (which means a one sided promise) - The Promise was the Gospel Preached in Advance - That All the nations would be blessed through Abraham -

What God has been doing is setting aside for Himself is a people -

Saving a People - By Himself, From Himself, To Himself and for Himself - Saving a people by Grace through Faith - Through Trusting Him -

This is why the Scripture says - Abraham Believed God (Abraham TRUSTED GOD) and it was Accredited to Him Righteousness -

Abraham Trusted God enough to Obey God becasue Abraham was given To Jesus to Give Eternal Life to!

and then Jesus Defines Eternal Life -

John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

There are s couple of words that we need to unpack to grasp the Depth of what jesus has just said -

That they know you -

the words there in the language of the new testament means:

to learn to know a person through direct personal experience, through a containing relationship - ‘to know and to become acquainted with, to be familiar with - This is not merely ‘to learn about.’ In the use of this word the emphasis MUST be understood in the context of a continual interpersonal relationship which is experienced in an ongoing way.

That they learn to know you through a direct personal experience through a relationship with you that continues and they know, are aquainted and familiar with you becasue of their ongoing and continual relationship with you.

The ONLY True God -

lets understand True:

Looked that one up and in the language of the New Testament: It means “Real” it is a word that is used in contrast to “Fake”

What Jesus has Jesu said is that there is no other God - God - The Father who Sent Jesus - The God of Abraham Issac and Jacob - The God of the 12 Tribes and moses and Aaron -

The God of the Bible is the ONLY God there is...

according to Jesus - There is no other -

Jesus through ADDS a Clause -

Eternal Life is when people know the God of the Bible through a personal experience in a continual relationship

AND - Here is the additional Clause -

Jesus Christ whom the father Has sent - Whom the God of the Bible has sent - Whom the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob and the 12 brother - That is the God who sent Jesus -

This is whom Jesus calls the Father -

Jesus then Changes the Focus of his prayer - and He now focuses on His work - His Special work - his priestly Work -

John 17:4 “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.”

It is interesting that Jesus seems not to be asking - It seem that Jesus is reminding the Father that Jesus does and has done for the father Glory.

Jesus says “I glorified you - I revealed you while I was on Earth”

Jesus then clarifies HOW Jesus revealed or Glorified the Father -

“having accomplished the work that you gave me to do”

In general overarching terms - Jesus glorifies the Father - Jesus reveals the Father - Through Obedience!

God Sent Jesus into this world and gave Him Work for Him to accomplish.

So we are then left with the question “What was the work that the Father send Jesus into the world to accomplish?”

Before I answer that question - Lets make an observation - Jesus seems to be speaking in terms of past - Like He has finished the work that the Father Gave him to accomplish -

Lets look back on verse one - To get a full understanding as to what kind of language or time frame Jesus is referring to.

In verse One - Jesus says “Father the Hour has come”

Now this no NOT jesus looking at His watch and saying “Ahh its 2:00 am” Its time -

No what Jesus is Saying is “in general time frame” - Almost like “it is the season - We are the time frame” not “we are at a specific time -

and with that When Jesus says: “Having accomplished the work that you gave me to do”

He is in the midst of accomplishing it all -

Now lets answer the question “What was Jesus given to do”?

I believe in both general and specific terms there are 12 things Jesus was sent to do.

Bear witness to the Truth.

2. Those who believe in Him will not remain in Darkness.

3. Give Life and Give it to the Full -

4. Sent to Judge

5. Sent to Keep, save and resurrect believers.

6. Sent that the world MIGHT be saved.

7. Sent to seek and to save the lost.

8. Sent to give His live and to Serve the Father

9. Sent to call sinners to repentance.

10. Sent to Divide -

11. Sent to live perfectly fulfilling the Law -

12. He was sent to die - Give His life as a ransom for many.

and this is the Good news of great Joy - the Gospel - that Jesus was sent to proclaim -

and in verse 5 Jesus then moves to His request -

Reveal me - Glorify me in your own presence - with the Glory - Now this word means “Splendor” a “Remarkable Appearance”

and Watch what Jesus says”

Jesus is going to make a reference to His being Eternal -

John 17:5 “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”

In other words what Jesus is asking the Father is to restore him to his previous splendor and remarkable appearance that Jesus has with the Father before the world existed.

THE GOSPEL CONNECTION - AS THE MUSIC TEAM COMES TO LEAS US INTO SINGING

Loves ones -

Here we have Jesus - Praying as our Hight priest for Eternal life -

Jesus our Hight priest -

The First born among many brothers -

The Only begotten or “Brought about” of God.

Clothed with unique clothing - Power on High -

Administrating the sacrifice - Himself - the Atoning Sacrifice for the Sin of God's people -

The only one who eternally existed in a perfect harmonious unified relationship with the Father - Jesus was sent - God in the flesh - God to be our great high Priest forever.

The Writer of Hebrews put it this way:

Hebrews 10 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Jesus does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by the second order will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God... For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 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.”

Loved ones -

Lets us allow this dynamic shift of perspective -

A shift that focuses on our great Hight Priest

that and when difficulty comes - We would be at peace -

When self doubt comes - We would be at peace -

When Fear comes - Peace -

When Insecurity comes - Peace -

When uncertainty comes - Peace.

Peace - Because God - The creator of all things, in the person of Jesus Christ, is our High priest for Eternal life ONCE and FOR ALL.

COMMUNION