Sermon Tone Analysis

People praying for me

This prayer really can be divided into three parts.

For His glory.

Everything Jesus does is for His glory.

The first portion of the prayer, Jesus is praying for His glory and Himself as he goes to the cross.

For whom is Jesus praying?

The disciples of Christ, both presently- the eleven, and future- us.

The second portion of the prayer is really for the eleven.

The eleven disciples that has remained faithful to Jesus.

Jesus prays for them.

They would be the ones who would take the Gospel message to the world.

They are the reason you and I are holding this book in our hands today.

What is He praying for?

The third portion of the prayer is where we are now.

He is praying that he would be glorified and that we would be kept by the Father while in the world.

And in this portion, Jesus is praying for the Universal church.

The Universal church is all believers across every age.

It is those who by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone have been drawn and called to Christ.

Last week we mentioned that in this portion.

Jesus is praying for us.

That really should overwhelm us.

That, along with the fact that this is just beginning.

This prayer is the beginning of Jesus intercessory work for us.

He lives in heaven to make intercession for us.

But the question is:

What does He want for all His people?

What is the content of his intercession?

We hit these verse briefly last week, but lets start here again in verse 20.

John 17:

Again Jesus is praying the universal church, not just the disciples at this point.

For His glory.

Everything Jesus does is for His glory.

Jesus desire is that they all may be one!

First, oftentimes it is important to state what Jesus doesn’t say here.

For whom is Jesus praying?

Let me say from the get go what Jesus is saying and then we will talk about what he is not saying.

What Jesus is saying when he says that they may all be one.

Jesus’s desire here is for genuine believers in Christ to be united together in faithfulness to the pursuit of His glory according to His Word and because of His work in us.

Thats what he is saying.

Now, lets look at what he is not saying. .

First, oftentimes it is important to state what Jesus doesn’t say here.

Many people have taken this verse to mean that we should be tolerant of every kind of belief.

That Jesus desires we be one more so than he desires us to divide over anything.

That unity is more important than doctrine.Jesus isn’t asking us to sacrifice doctrine on the altar of unity.

There are some things worth dividing over.

That is why we have so many denominations.

Ecumenism wants to get rid rid of denominations as a whole, and while that sounds good and right.

Here is the problem.

Ecumenism would want to get rid of all denominations and all just be one church and just be accepting of EVERY type of belief.

Tolerance.

The problem with tolerance is that every one wants to be tolerated regardless of whether or not they are correct or not.

This is the belief known as ecumenism.

Jesus is not teaching that.

Jesus is not saying that.

Does Jesus want division in the church?

No, But he desires that our unity be founded upon truth and not lies.

They would say that we should be United regardless of doctrinal issues.

But this is not the type of unity Christ is after.

Jesus is not teaching that.

Jesus is not saying that.

Does Jesus want division in the church?

No, But he desires that our unity be founded upon truth and not lies.

Just think about it for a moment.

Did Jesus just unite with the Pharisees even though they had rejected him as truth?

No he divided them.

Called them Children of Satan.

The disciples of Christ, both presently- the eleven, and future- us.

When Jesus taught, he taught the truth and he made a clear distinction between that which was true and that which was false.

What is He praying for?

As a local church, we must be committed tot he truth.

Adrian Rogers once said, “It is better to be divided by truth, than united in error.”

He is praying that he would be glorified and that we would be kept by the Father while in the world.

Ecumenism is the belief that every one should just be all one church.

That there shouldn’t be all these separations and divisions in the church.

That we should be United regardless of doctrinal issues, but this is not the type of unity Christ is after.

in other words, We are not required to check our doctrine at the door for the sake of unity.

What is wrong theologically is wrong.

People over the years have divided, over doctrine.

What is true theologically is true.

Now there is some room for disagreement within the church on secondary and tertiary issues, but there are some things upon which our faith and religion hangs.

There are some things that are non negotiable.

if you don’t believe these, then you are are outside the realm of true Christian faith.

There should be common ground in believing and affirming the Trinity, the deity and humanity of Christ, His virgin birth, sinless life, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, present enthronement, His soon return, the final judgment, eternality of heaven and hell.

Justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone All for the glory of God alone..

And I believe this extends even to the doctrine of the inerrancy, authority, and perfection of Scripture.

I know I have taken some time on this today, but

Jesus’s desire here is not some kind of conglomeration of everyone ideas where there is a spirit of acceptance and toleration.

No, the early church excommunicated and labeled them heretics for believing people for.

This seems like a soap box.

Why are you telling me this pastor?

I tell you all of that to tell you this.

I am a Southern Baptist, but I am only that way if the SBC maintains its commitment to the authority of Scripture in ALL things.

That being said, God does not expect us to unite in error.

He expects us to unite in truth.

The United Methodist church just recently had a vote to uphold or not to uphold the Bible’s teaching on sexuality and marriage.

Thankfully it passed but it passed narrowly.

When we start debating basic biblical truths, I’m out.

I will not be unequally yoked with those who debate what God is clear on.

Now.....

So what does he want for our unity?