Bible Text: John 19:31-42 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John | Use this index to follow along; full sermon notes are found below.

3.24.19 ~ John 19:31-42, Jesus is Laid in a Tomb

Read John 19:31-37… The Jews request Pilate expedite the death of the crucifixion victims, as it was not permissible to have dead bodies hanging after sundown, let alone on a Sabbath day, and especially on a high Sabbath day.
Deuteronomy 21:22-23, says a man guilty of a capitol crime must die, be hung on a tree, and buried on the same day.
Why break their legs? To expedite their death.
John 19:32 says the soldiers broke the legs of the two criminals, but not Jesus, as He was dead.
A spear was used to pierce the pericardium, thick blood came out first, and then the watery plasma, giving postmortem evidence that our Lord died of heart failure due to shock and constriction of the heart by fluid in the pericardium.
Jesus gave up His own life (John 10:17-18), after completing His work; the Jews repeatedly tried to kill Jesus (Matthew 2:16; Luke 4:28-30; John 5:16-18; 7:1; 8:37, 40, 59; 10:31; 11:53) but it was not yet His “hour” (John 17:1).
Not breaking Jesus’ legs (John 19:36) fulfilled Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12; Psalm 34:20 – the ultimate Passover Lamb, God’s Son.
John 19:37 partly fulfills Zechariah 12:10, the complete fulfillment will happen at Revelation 1:7.
Read John 19:38-40… Isaiah 53:9,“His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death.”
Joseph of Arimathea a secret follower of Jesus, was (Matthew 27:57) a rich man, (Mark 15:43a) a member of the Sanhedrin, (Mark 15:43b) waiting for God’s kingdom, (Luke 23:50-51) didn’t agree with the Sanhedrin’s condemnation of Jesus.
Joseph asks Pilate for Jesus’ body. Nicodemus helps remove and prepare Jesus’ body for burial: a mixture of myrrh and aloes (in powdered form) was used to prepare Jesus’ body.
We are told (Luke 23:55-56) that some of the women followers of Jesus went and got more spices and perfumes and brought them also to prepare Jesus’ body for burial.
It seems strange that these women, Joseph and Nicodemus, go to such trouble preparing Jesus’ for burial. It doesn’t seem like they believe He is going to come out of the tomb alive.
Read John 19:41-42… Jesus is laid to rest in a new tomb (Matthew 27:60) that belongs to Joseph of Arimathea, carved out of the rock, to be sealed with a large stone against its opening.
Preparation day almost over, Jesus’ body must be buried, for at sundown all work must cease.
There is a much more important reason that Jesus must be buried before she start of a new day (Matthew 12:40) Jesus said, “just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
Jews considered any part of a day as a whole day (cf 1Kings 12:5, 12; Ester 4:16; 5:1). Jesus would be in the tomb three days: part of Friday, all of Saturday, part of Sunday.
We see the sovereign hand of the Lord even in the events surrounding His death: none of His bones were broken, the Jews looked upon the One they had pierced, and although Jesus’ body should have buried in an unmarked grave among other criminals, He was buried in a rich man’s tomb.
Even in death, the Lord is still sovereign!

Bible Text: John 19:17-30 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John | Use this outline to help you follow along. The full sermon notes are below.

3.17.19 ~ John 19:17-30, Jesus is Crucified!

Read John 19:17-22… Jesus couldn’t carry His cross, so Simon (cf. Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26), carried it to Golgotha [Hebrew,“skull place” [Greek, Kranion; Latin, Calvaria] (cf. Numbers 15:35).
Galatians 3:13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written (cf Deuteronomy 21:23), ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’”.
It was about 9am, when Jesus was nailed to a cross, where he would endure a slow, agonizing death.
Read John 19:23-25a… Soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ tunic (verse 24), fulfilling Psalm 22:18.
Read John 19:25b-27… Luke and Matthew tell us:
Luke 23:35, the Jews were “sneering at Him, saying, ‘He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.’” Matthew 27:39-40, others “hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.’”
John records that he and four women were standing near the cross: Jesus’ mother (Mary), her sister (Salome, Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40), another woman named Mary (she is thought to be the “other Mary,” in Matthew 27:61; 28:1; Luke 24:10, who is the mother of James, son of Alphaeus, Luke 6:15; Acts 1:15) the wife of Clopas (a variant of Alphaeus, ), and lastly, Mary Magdalene.
In the midst of His own pain and suffering, Jesus entrusts His mother to His beloved disciple John.
Read John 19:28-30… Jesus, “knowing that all things had already been accomplished,” fulfills Psalm 69:21b. After receiving the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!”
Read Mark 15:33-37… At 12 noon, darkness covered the [Earth], lasting until about 3 pm, at which time Jesus cried out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me?”
2Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf.”
Romans 3:24-25, “being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith.”
Hebrews 9:22, “all things are cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness,” Hebrews 10:8-10, “…‘sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them (which are according to the Law)’, ‘He takes away the first in order to establish the second’ …‘we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.’”
Acts 2:21, “And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Acts 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
1Peter 3:18, “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
God the Father and God the Son are in heaven. God the Holy Spirit indwells all who repent and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, making them God’s children.
Romans 8:9, “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”
1Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that …the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
Romans 10:9-10, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” 13, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Is God speaking to your heart, don’t turn away: Admit you are a sinner. Believe Jesus died for your sins. Confess Jesus as Lord and Savior. Demonstrate new life in Christ: read His Word and obey what you understand, pray to Him, fellowship with His children by participating in a God-honoring church, and tell others about Him.
That is the Good News of the Crucifixion of Christ!

Bible Text: Matthew 25:1-13 | Pastor: Jim Shepherd | 03-10-2019 – The Parable of The Ten Virgins

no sermon notes

Speaker:  Jim Shepherd

Bible Text: John 18:39-19:12 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John | For the full sermon notes, click on “Notes”
This is the bulletin insert to help you follow along:

3.03.19 ~ John 18:39-19:12, Jesus before Pilate:Part 2 John 18:39-40

Ping – Pilate finds no guilt in Jesus
and sends Him to Herod (see Luke 23:4-6).
Pong – Herod sends Him back (see Luke 23:8-11).
Pilate (John 18:39) tries to release Jesus, the Jews want Barabbas set free. Mark 15:7; Luke 23:19-22; Acts 3:14-15 tell us Barabbas was a murderer.
Read John 19:1-7… Pilate had Jesus beaten, then allowed the soldiers to mocked Him (verses 2-3), after which (verse 4), Pilate said, “I find no guilt in Him.” But the Jews (verse 6), demand He be crucified!
The religious leaders have the upper hand, Pilate knows it and he doesn’t like it! The Jews are adamant that Jesus committed a capital offense (Leviticus 24:16), “the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death”
See Matthew 26:63-66…
John 19:8-12… Jesus might be a god or a son of a god
[Pilate’s wife sent him a message about Jesus]. Matthew 27:19, “While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, ‘Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.’”
In Acts 17:22-31, Paul mentions an altar in Athens, with this inscription: “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.”
In John 19:9, Pilate asks, “Where are you from?” Jesus doesn’t answer, that angers Pilate (verse 10), who thinks he actually has life or death authority over Jesus.
Jesus (verse 11) says God grants all authority, but God’s plan is for Jesus to die for our sins, nothing Pilate or the Jews can do will thwart that plan (Acts 2:23), “this Man delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.”
The word translated godless in Acts 2:23, literally means, “men without the Law, i.e., pagans, non-Jews, Gentiles, Romans were used to execute God’s Son.
John 19:11… The one who delivered Jesus to Pilate was the high priest of Israel, Caiaphas.
God used Judas’ betrayal, the religious leader’s hatred, and Pilate’s authority, to crucify Jesus; but in reality it was according to the plan & purpose of God (Acts 2:23). John 19:12… The Jews have the upper hand, not Pilate. John 19:13-16… Pilate has Jesus brought to the place where he will make his judgement.
On the morning of the day of preparation for Passover (Mark 15 tells us Jesus’ was taken to Annas, Caiaphas, Pilate, Herod, and then Pilate again, all between 6-9 am; Jesus is then crucified around 9 am; at 12 pm darkness covers the earth; and about 3 pm Jesus died).
Note: The northern Jews consider a day from sunrise to sunrise, celebrating Passover on Thursday; the southern Jews, consider a day from sunset to sunset, celebrating Passover on Friday.
Pilate says, “here is your King!” The Jews (verse 15), start yelling, “take Him away and crucify Him!” Pilate asks with disdain, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests don’t miss a step, “we have no king but Caesar.” These Jews hated Caesar; but, they hated Jesus more.
Jesus (verse 16) is turned over to be crucified, and the Jews finally get what they want: Jesus dead! from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, His death!
2Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
John 3:16, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
Romans 10:9-10, “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” 13, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Bible Text: John 18:28-38 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John | 02-24-2019 – Jesus Before Pilate: Part 1

John 18:28-38

Today we look at Jesus standing before Pilate, after His arrest. Although Jesus was born like all other humans, from a woman, He has come into this world from outside this world; in fact, He has come from His Father, having been named Jesus (Yeshua) meaning “God’s Salvation,” and called Immanuel meaning, “God with us”. Jesus is clearly from another realm, in fact, He is from heaven.
Jesus did not come to conquer people or nations, but “to testify to the truth,” i.e., to proclaim the truth about God, men, sin, salvation, eternal life in heaven, eternal punishment in hell, as Peter writes (2Peter 1:3), the truth being,
“everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.”

Bible Text: John 18:12-27 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John | This is the bulletin insert. Click on “notes” for the full sermon notes.

02-17-2019 – Priests Persecute, Peter Denies

John 18:12-27

Read John 18:12-14…
Mark 14:50, the eleven “left Him and fled.”
Jesus is taken to Annas, although Caiaphas, was high priest at this time. Luke 3:1-6; Acts 4:1-6; 1:15; 2:41
Caiaphas had told the Jews it was better for one man to die rather than the nation perish (cf John 11:47-53).
Read John 18:15-18… Peter and “another disciple” follow the arresting party. The phrase “other disciple,” is also used in John 20:2.
Who is the disciple that Jesus loved? See John 13:23-25; 21:20, 24.
Read John 18:19-24… Jesus suggests that Annas question those who have heard His teachings.
The religious leaders fear Jesus’ teaching (see Matthew 7:28-29; John 7:15-16, 32, 44-46).
Annas sends Jesus to Caiaphas, who can bring Jesus before Pilate, who alone can render the death penalty.
Read John 18:25-27… What John doesn’t tell us, the other writers do (see Mark 14:66-67; Luke 22:54-56).
Peter, for the third time, denies being a follower of Jesus, immediately a rooster crows. Although John doesn’t mention it, Peter goes out and weeps bitterly.
Luke gives us insight to Peter’s brokenness over denying Jesus as Lord and Savior (see Luke 22:57-62).
Peter, confronted by the eyes of the Lord, wept loudly expressing unconsolable grief; Peter wept bitterly, expressing his deep and painful regret.
When Jesus looked at him (Luke 22:61), “Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.”
During the Passover meal, Jesus told the eleven He was going to leave them, to which (John 13:36-38),
Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.”
Peter was much like us, one moment willing to take on an army of God’s enemies for the Lord’s honor; the next moment, we fearfully deny any relationship with our Lord.
It should not be that way!
Isaiah 41:10, “‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’”
Romans 8:38-39, “For… neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
1Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

Bible Text: John 18:1-12 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John | This is the outline put in the bulletin. For the full sermon, click “notes” below.

02-10-2019 – Jesus is Arrested at Gethsemane

John 18:1-12

John 12:23, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.,” (John 13:1), “Jesus knew His hour had come,” John 17:1, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You.”
Read John 18:1-4… The disciples were with Jesus all evening, then they left the upper room, Jesus as they headed across the Kidron valley to a garden (Matthew 26:36; Mark 14:32) called Gethsemane, where Jesus, He had taken the disciples many times.
But Jesus goes there now to fulfill His purpose (1Corinthians 15:3), “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.”
Jesus wasn’t a victim, He willfully gave Himself up (John 10:17-18), “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
The Jews tried many times to capture Him, but His hour had not yet come (John 7:30; 8:20), it was now that hour (John 18:1, 4), “He went forth.”
Judas fulfilled his treachery (John 13:18-30), when he earlier left the upper room, willfully allowing Satan to control him, he led the Jews and Romans to Christ.
Matthew 26:47 says, “Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people.” There were 200-600 soldiers and temple police.
Only Judas and Malchus are mentioned.
Read John 18:4-9… Judas points out Jesus with a kiss on the face (cf. Luke 22:48, “Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”).
Jesus repeatedly told His men He would be arrested, crucified, and buried, but on the third day He would rise from the grave (Matthew 20:17-19; Mark 8:31-33; 9:31; 10:33-34; Luke 9:22).
At the garden Jesus asks who they are looking for.
“Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus replies “I AM He!” This caused hundreds of men to fall like dominos. As they begin to get up, He asks again who they are seeking, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Again Jesus says, I AM He, so let these men go, it is Me that you want.
John inserts (verse 9), that this fulfills the Scripture, “Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.”
John 17:12, “While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition [Judas], so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.”
Read John 18:10-11… Peter pulls out his sword and takes a swing at the head of Malchus, cutting off his ear.
Jesus rebukes Peter here (verse 11). Matthew tells us (Matthew 26:52-54), Jesus says to Peter, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”
John doesn’t record the healing of Malchus, but Luke, records (Luke 22:51), Jesus commanded, “‘Stop! No more of this.’ And He touched [Malchus’] ear and healed him.”
In front of a large crowd of Jews and Romans, the Lord performs His last miracle before going to the cross, after which, He allows Himself to be taken captive (John 18:12), like a lamb being led to the slaughter.

Bible Text: John 17:20-26 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John | Here is the bulletin insert to help you follow along, but click on “notes” below to have the entire sermon.

02-03-2019 – Jesus Prays for All Who Will Believe in Him

John 17:20-26

Read John 17:20-21… Jesus prays for all who will be filled with God’s Spirit, being made as one, placed into the body of Christ (see 1Corinthians 12:13).
Read John 17:22-23… The Father and Son are in total unity; believers are to be unity (see Ephesians 4:4-6).
The Father in the Son, the Son in us, and we in Him (cf. 2Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20).
Jesus said (John 14:21), “he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him,” (verse 23), “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our [home] with him.”
Look again at John 17:23… The Father loves us as He loves His own Son. We are a gift to the Son, He is actually a gift to us (cf. Romans 5:8; 6:23).
Read John 17:24… In heaven we will see the Son of God unveiled in all His glory (Matthew 17:1-2), “Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.” 1Corinthians 13:12, “ For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.”
Our experience will be like the Apostle John’s (Revelation 5:11), “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing,” (verse 13), “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
Read John 17:25-26… Most in the world do not know the Father, because they do not know the Son.
John 3:18, “He who believes in [the Son] is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” 36, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
True believers of Jesus Christ are witnesses of to the world, as Jesus told them (Acts 1:8), “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Jesus made the Father known (see John 1:1-2). “Word” [Logos] means God fully expressed. Jesus is God’s revelation of Himself to the world.
John tells us the Word was in the beginning, the Word was with God [face to face], personal relationship with God the Father before anything was created.
John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made “His” dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth,” 18, “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”
John 14:6-7, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” 9, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”
Paul proclaims (Colossians 2:9), “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” Hebrews 1:3 declares, “[Christ] is the radiance of [God’s] glory and the exact representation of His nature.”
Do you belong to Christ? Saved from sin’s penalty? Christ lives in you, if your faith is indeed genuine
(2Corinthians 13:5), “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test.”
Luke 10:27, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and [love] your neighbor as yourself.”
See 1John 5:11-13; Mark 1:15, 17; 1Corinthians 15:1-4; Romans 10:9-10…
Hebrews 4:16, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in [our] time of need.”

Bible Text: John 17:11-19 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John | This is the outline inserted in the bulletin. Click on sermon notes for the full sermon.

01-27-2019 – Jesus Prays for His Disciples: Part Two

John 17:11-19

Read John 17:11… Jesus is leaving, the disciples will stay in a world hostile to them because of Christ (see John 15:18-19; 16:33). Jesus came to show us the Father (see John 1:18; 14:7).
Jesus prays for them to know God’s protection and power (see 1Peter 1:3-5; Romans 8:38-39)..
Read John 17:12-16… Jesus guarded the 11 from Satan; Judas willfully betrayed Him (see John 13:18, cf Psalm 41:9,“Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.”
Jesus prays for them to have His joy, eternal life made possible by the sacrifice of Himself on the cross.
Jesus spoke God’s Word, which they believed (John 17:8). The world rejected Christ, hating His disciples.
Jesus prays that they would know oneness with the Father and victory because of Christ.
1John 2:15, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
Christians are to proclaim the gospel of Christ (see Romans 10:13-14; 2Corinthians 5:18-20).
Satan seeks to destroy the work of God, to disable God’s people. Jesus prays for the Father to keep them from evil (verse 15).
Peter failed (see Matthew 26:34-35, 69-75), he repented, was restored, and proclaimed the message of Christ (see Acts 2:22-24, 32-33, 36-38).
John 17:16 (see verse 14) says Jesus’ disciples do not belong to this world, neither does He. The Father protects and loves them, as He did Christ (John 17:23).
Read John 17:17-19… Jesus prays for the disciples to be sanctified by God’s Word of Truth; set apart for righteousness (Romans 12:1-2).
The “Word” spoken of here is the whole Bible, Old and New Testaments, revealed to us by God.
The disciples would be used to complete God’s Word (see John 14:26; 15:26-27; 16:12-15).
Only sanctified believers will represent Christ in the world. Jesus provides a preview here of Acts 1:1-9 (cf. Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:45-49; John 20:21-23).
Jesus (cf John 17:18) was sent into the world by the Father, the disciples would be sent into the world by Him.
Jesus is the Truth of God, all those who believe in and follow Him will be sanctified through the Word of God, made righteous through Christ (2Corinthians 5:21), “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
These men, guarded by the Father, prayed for by the Son, indwelled by the Spirit, would proclaim the message of Christ (Acts 1:8), “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Next week we will study Jesus’ prayer for all who will come to believe in Him through these first Christians, as (John 17:20), “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word.”

Bible Text: John 17:6-10 | Pastor: Pastor Mike | Series: John | This is the bulletin insert. Please click on “Notes” for the full sermon.

01-20-2019 – Jesus Prays for His Disciples: Part 1

John 17:6-10

Read John 17:6-10… God adopts us (Ephesians 1:5) as His children, providing as eternal inheritance (1:11).
Without God we are dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1); with Him we have life eternal (Ephesians 2:4-5).
No one is righteous (Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8) until they are saved (1Timothy 2:3-4; Romans 10:9-10, 13).
Read John 17:6… Jesus prays for those who believe. Colossians 1:15, “He is the image of the invisible God.” Colossians 2:9, “In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells.”
Believers are not part of the godless world, for God (Colossians 1:13), “rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.”
The disciples obeyed God’s word (Ephesians 2:8-10), obedience = faith = love (cf John 14:15, 21, 24; 15:10).
Read John 17:7-8… The disciples are just beginning to understand the ministry Jesus Christ came to fulfill.
Jesus often prayed to His Father (Matthew 14:23; Mark 1;35; Luke 5:16; 6:12; 9:18, 28; 11:1-4).
The disciples believed Jesus spoke the true words of God (see John 6:68-69; 14:10, 24).
Read John 17:9-10… The eleven disciples were a gift to Jesus from the Father.
Jesus prays for unbelievers, from the cross (Luke 23:34), “Father forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing,” but here, He prays for His own, for those who will (Matthew 5:16) let the Light of Christ show in their lives, so that others might also glorify the Father.
2Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
1Peter 1:3-9, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”
We will glorify to God throughout all eternity.
Revelation 4:8-11; 5:11-14, …“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” …“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” …“‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.’ And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.’” …Amen
We honor and serve the Lord by feeding on, obeying, and proclaiming His Word; through which we have been granted eternal life, and His Spirit is in us, so we are able to demonstrate the presence, pleasure, and power of God, as we are conformed to Christ.
We need not fear anything, for there is nothing that will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (cf Romans 8:1, 38-39).