EPIC: High-Impact Truths in the New Testament – Part 4

All right, well, as I said, we are continuing our series called Epic High Impact Truths in the New Testament, and we're having a lot of fun. We've already seen Matthew 5, 6, and 7. You remember the Sermon on the Mount, the killer sermon of Jesus? He's putting those nails in the coffin, showing people they can't do it. Pluck out your eye, cut off your hand, be perfect like God is perfect. We couldn't do it. And so we realized then we need an invitation to something better. Well, today we're going to look at that something better. Here we are in John 17, and this is that famous priestly prayer, if you will, the prayer of Jesus. Jesus is talking to His Father, and He's praying on behalf of us, on behalf of the disciples, but also on behalf of the church. So here we go in John 17, verse 13, He says, But now, Father, now I come to you, and these things I speak in the world, why? So that they may have my joy made full in themselves. So I want you to see that Jesus's prayer request is that you find a way to be excited, joy, that you find a way to be thrilled beyond measure, that you find a way to be excited about the gospel, that this word that is going to be preached, the reason Jesus wants it to get out is so that there would be a joy in you that would rise up and it would reach a fullness, a fullness of joy. So I guess I would ask you then, does your Christianity make you joyful? Does your Christianity get you excited? Or is your Christianity more like a headache, you know, you know you got to deal with it, you better not lose it, you got to keep it around, but it's an annoying, nagging headache of do more, be more, try harder, you know, rededicate, recommit, is that your Christianity? Or is your Christianity the product of Jesus's prayer request? Because Jesus's prayer request was that your Christianity be exciting, be liberating, be thrilling, be interesting and even fun. My yoke is easy, my burden is light, you'll find rest for your soul.

So apparently Christians are supposed to be the most relaxed people on the planet. Now would you say that's right? Does that seem to bear out? Are Christians the most relaxed people on the planet? Because remember the fruit of the Spirit is joy and peace and patience and kind, look at this, this is soft stuff, I mean kindness, gentleness, love, this is soft, relaxed stuff. I mean this fruit is born from a place of I'm okay and I know I'm okay because my Savior told me I'm okay, I'm okay because I'm in the family and I'm safe and I'm forgiven and I'm righteous and I'm holy and I'm blameless and I'm okay. And because I'm okay, yes, stress will come and problems will come but I have a core understanding that has changed the way that I deal with stuff as it comes at me. There's a place of rest inside of me and it's because I have figured out that God's agenda, God's agenda with me is that I reach a place of joy. Now you cannot reach a place of joy if you're worried about your sins. We have people emailing us, calling us all the time, they're worried about their sins, they're obsessed about their sins. We have turned Christianity into a sin management system. We talk about sin, we preach about sin, all we do is confront sin, your sin, my sin, there's a barrier, you're not right with God, get right with God, you got idols in your heart, you're out of fellowship, you're out of His will, we keep preaching sin instead of Savior. And then we fix our eyes on sin instead of Jesus. And there's only one focus that's going to lead to joy. Is your Christianity fun? I'm not talking about the world being fun, I'm not talking about loss and grief being fun, of course not. I'm not talking about the pain of this world being fun, it's not fun. But Jesus is not adding to your grief. Jesus is not adding to the pain. Jesus is not adding to the problems, He's the answer, He's the solution. And so imagine if it's the world plus Jesus.

The world stressing you out, and then your religion stressing you out. The world stressing you out, and then your Christian faith being yet another headache on top. Do you see that that's how many people see Christianity, but that's not how Jesus sees it. Jesus sees it as the solution to our stress, not the source of it. God is not the source of your stress. And when we realize we're on his team, that we're in his corner, that we're bonded and fused and one, and we're with him, and he's made us clean and close, it helps, it doesn't hurt. It helps. So the true Christianity that we are called to is a comfort and a joy, and it brings peace and rest, and that is real. But you start preaching a sin blockage and a sin barrier, and God up in heaven not hearing your prayers because of all your sin, that is a stress maker, not a stress reliever. And it's not the truth, it's a lie. His face is always toward you, and your sins are gone. Remembered no more. Removed as far as the east is from the west. So here we see in verse 14, he says, 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. So two big thoughts here. Oh, my goodness. First of all, do you realize that the world hates us sometimes, don't they? I mean, not everybody, but there's a general consensus that those Christians over there are kind of closed-minded. Those Christians over there are very exclusive. They've got their exclusive club. Those Christians over there, they're not very tolerant, and it's because we've got a Savior who happened to say, I'm the way, I'm the truth, I'm the life.

Nobody comes to the Father except through me. So we can try to fashion our Jesus into a tolerant, wide gate of diversified ways to reach God, Buddha, and Muhammad, and every other thing under the sun, and he's nice, and he's Santa Claus, and he's sweet, or we can recognize there's one primary gas that we need to breathe and live, and that's oxygen, and there's one primary person we need in our lives, and that's Jesus, and he causes us to be alive spiritually. And you can call it exclusive, you can call it closed-minded, but it's just a fact if he's the creator and he's God, then he belongs in you because you're the creation. And you ever wonder about unequally yoked and all that light and darkness and all that? It's because there's two kinds of people, those inhabited by the Spirit of God and those not yet inhabited by the Spirit of God. And it's not a mean thing, it's just, you know what? We need to be able to connect and share on the deepest level. So the bottom line is we are light, he made us light, he made us one, we're in him, and what does he say? You're an alien. Did you read that? That's the words on the page, basically. You're an alien like Jesus is an alien. So you're not of this world. How about verse 15, I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. All right, so we're not going anywhere, there's no eject button, you're not going to leave this world, right? But there's protection in this world. We've had people historically throughout the history of Christianity, there have been groups who've been trying to take themselves out of the world. They build a monastery across the lake and they go over there and they isolate. They build a wall, maybe even a compound, and they isolate. They have certain clothes, you see them in the airport, you recognize,

oh, oh, oh, they're different, oh, they're set apart. They're set apart by their robe, they're set apart by their collar, they're set apart by their geography, they're set apart by their actions. Instead, we are truly set apart by our faith in Christ. We're set apart by the one who set us apart, and it's not about linens or cloths or collars or fabrics, it's about being in Christ. So I want you to also notice that he says we're kept from the evil one. Now, how much time in church is spent trying to get away from the evil one, or get the evil one to go away? Have you noticed there are church services that sometimes are consumed with trying to get the enemy away? And so we have... People come down the center aisle, they end up on the floor flopping around like a fish or casting stuff out, and then next week we see them back up. They need a double dose, they need another chance at getting rid of the enemy. Now, what God is really saying is to get a bad man out, you gotta move a good man in. And when you move Jesus in, when Jesus takes up residence inside of you, he will not share you with a demon. And so all of these hours and all of these days and weeks and months and services that where we're doing pep rallies, how big the enemy is, we really need to be doing pep rallies about how big Jesus is.

Because he keeps us from the evil one. So you are protected and complete and you have everything you need for life and godliness. Do you see what I'm saying? I'm basically saying we're looking at Jesus's prayer request, and then we look at the whole New Testament to see how it was answered. You're looking at Jesus's prayer and he's summarizing the whole gospel for us. And then you look at Paul, Peter, James and John, and you see that they are unfolding how Jesus got a big yes to his prayer. The father answered this prayer with a big yes, and you are protected from the evil one forever. So verse 16, it says this, they are not of the world even as I am not of the world. So I mean, he said it twice now, okay? Apparently he wants us to look at it. You're not of this world. So the average view of Christianity is, well, you changed your beliefs. I respect your beliefs. You got nice beliefs. I got beliefs. You got beliefs. Your beliefs are good. My beliefs are good. Can we all just get along? We just got different viewpoints.

Christianity is just a worldview. Have you heard that? It's a worldview. That's what you got. I respect your worldview if you respect mine. Well, there's a problem because my worldview says that my heart got ripped out and replaced and that you need that too. My worldview says I was dead in my sins like all of society and that my heart got ripped out and replaced and that Jesus literally lives inside of me and you need that too. So suddenly the Christian worldview is more than a worldview. It is an agenda. It is a mission. It is a message. It is salvation. It is rescue. It is a big deal. And so it ruffles feathers. It flies in the face of what the world is saying. It divides families. Jesus said, I didn't come for peace. I came with a sword. What is he talking about? Not hurting people. He's talking about dividing families. Mother from daughter, father from son, husband from wife. The Jews confronted this.

You know, I mean, they were heavy into Judaism and temple practices. Mom had done it that way. So had dad and grandpa and great-grandpa. And suddenly here comes this ragtag group of disciples, fishermen and who knows what. They hardly have any education, some of them. And they're telling us those are dead works that mom and dad are doing. And that there's a new way, a better way. And it's this little home church. It's not real big. There's no big mega budget. It's not a temple. It doesn't have thousands of years of practices behind it. It's this little home group over in somebody's living room. And they're talking about Jesus. But by the way, they're right and everybody else is wrong. What? Yeah, they're right and everybody else is wrong. And then decades and centuries occur. And that little home group becomes two and five and 5,000 and 10,000. And it explodes across the globe just from this little group of untaught people who were happened, well, they happened to be taught by the best teacher of all. What I'm saying is you have more than a worldview. You have more than a faith. You have more than a set of beliefs.

You have engaged in a heart surgery. You have engaged in a radical transformation at the core of your being. This is about biology. This is science. It is spiritual genetics and biology. Out with the old, in with the new. This is either right or wrong. I mean, you know, you can't run around, believe in this stuff unless it's right or you're crazy. I mean, that's the choice that Jesus gave us. I mean, we can't really say, well, I believe God spoke the world into existence. And then I believe Jesus died on a cross and then was buried and then he was raised from the dead and I also believe he floated up into heaven like there were people watching and he floated up into the clouds as they said bye-bye and I believe all that but then I'm not gonna believe the new heart part. I'm not gonna believe Jesus lives in me literally. I'm not gonna believe that I am new and not of this world. Like you already believe crazy stuff. You already believe crazy stuff. So why are you gonna stop short of the benefit? Don't stop short of the personal benefit where you are bonded and fused to Jesus 24-7 without interruption. Verse 17 Jesus is still praying he says sanctify them in the truth your word is truth. Now you know how we talk about sanctification today. Unfortunately we took sanctification and we made it into a synonym for growth. That's what we've done. In popular religion everybody when they think sanctification they're thinking of growth but that is not how the Bible uses sanctify. Sanctify means to set apart, to reserve for a purpose. So it is true that in the scriptures you got two kinds of setting apart. First you are set apart. You are. You're a child of God a hundred percent belong to him. You're a person that's not of this world. You're already set apart. You're reserved.

A hundred percent through and through. If Jesus breaks open the sky and comes back right now you are not 82% ready. You are a hundred percent set apart for him. Now the second way that the New Testament talks about sanctify is be sanctified in all of your behavior Peter says. Or be holy in all of your behavior. So we got me and then we got my behavior. Do you see that? Those are two different things. You can find half a dozen verses over here that say you have been sanctified. Past tense because that's you. But I'm living. I'm living in Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and my behavior is being set apart. But now let's have Jesus break open that sky again. Does he say oh Andrew I mean your behavior wasn't quite ready so you're not ready. Does he say that? No. You and your behavior are different things. Everybody's in a process of learning and growing sure. But you have been set apart. Why? Well Jesus reveals it because of the truth. You believed the truth. You received the truth. Jesus is the truth and he set you apart day one moment one. Your word is truth father. As you sent me into the world I also have sent them into the world. So you know we had somebody call in on the radio program. They say well why can't we just marry tradition to the Bible. You know the Orthodox Church does this. The Catholic Church does that. This church does. Why can't we just say it's the Bible plus tradition. Well Jesus is kind of giving us the answer here. He's saying I have sent these people. These people are sent by me. There will never be new epistles written up. There will never be a new gospel. There will never be a new word of God, a new Bible. There will never be a new message. In fact what do we read? We read at the end of Revelation a big warning. A big fat warning. Whoever adds or takes away from this deserves the plagues that are mentioned in this book. Ouch. No thanks. I'll pass. And so we stick with the gospel. So it's not Jesus plus how they used to do it. It's not Jesus plus my tradition or your tradition. Nothing wrong with tradition if it points to Christ in every way. But if it's Jesus plus traditions to get right and stay right then we got a problem. Paul warns in Colossians 2 about that. He warns about human traditions and self-made religion. You remember that warning. He says we got to hold fast to

the head which is Christ and not be distracted. So they've been sent and there's something particular and peculiar about these apostles. They've been equipped to deliver this gospel which is above their heads. I mean you talk about punching above your weight class. This was above them. Fishermen, even Paul, uttering words that were way deeper than he could ever be on his own. This was above their weight class, and they produced something that was inspired by the Holy Spirit that is unique and is not to be added to. It is not Jesus plus what the early Christians might have done. It's not Jesus plus the early church fathers and what they might have thought. Let me tell you what they might have thought. They might have thought that you get baptized on your deathbed to get right with God before you meet your maker. They might have thought that you obey Greek philosophies to be justified before Him. They might have thought all kinds of things that go against the Word of God. We do not fall at the feet of the church fathers. We fix our eyes on Jesus and His Word delivered by those whom He sent. Verse 19, For their sakes I sanctify myself, Jesus setting Himself apart for this purpose, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. Again, what sanctifies you is what you believe. Not what you wear, not where you live, not your actions and how good you are. You're sanctified by truth. Now, He says, if you were wondering, well, maybe this isn't about me. I mean, this prayer, it seems to be very disciple-focused. Look at what He says next. He says, I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word. Now, who is that? That's you. That's right. That's you. And that's you. And that's you.

Because you believed through their word. So now the prayer has exploded. It's wide open. It's for whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord. It's for anybody and everybody. It's for you. Now, let's be careful not to miss it. Because you may have prayed a lot of prayers in your life. I know I have. Lord, I pray that I, you know, forgive me for my sins. Cleanse me, Lord. Forgive me again on Tuesday. Cleanse me, Lord, on Wednesday. Forgive me on Friday, Lord. Church is coming. Oh, Lord, the Lord's Supper is coming down the aisle. Forgive me, Lord, for the 27 things I can remember and the 32 things I can't. Lord, forgive me, forgive me, forgive me. Make me clean and make me close. And, you know, I'm sorry I missed my Bible study on Tuesday and I missed my quiet time on Friday. But please, make me clean and make me close. I've prayed all those prayers. Now, he's flipping the script. He's turning the tables. Because he's praying for you. Now, watch what he prays. It's not about how you've been doing. It's not about whether you're halfway there yet or not. We're flipping the script. And Jesus is praying for you.

So, what I'm saying is this is not about you and your confidence in your prayer. This is about your confidence in Jesus' prayer. What kind of prayer is Jesus? And do his prayers get answered? Watch this. It's pretty awesome. So, here's a preview of coming attractions. If you've ever been like me, hoping to be filled with the Spirit, begging God to be clean and close, wondering if you could possibly have the privilege of enjoying intimacy with him, looking at others as the big prayer warriors who are just a little bit closer to God than you, and maybe if you feed them your request, it'll actually happen because they have a pipeline and you don't. Or if you've ever just felt that sort of general six out of ten with God kind of thing, watch this because Jesus is not praying you'll be a six. Jesus is praying off the charts stuff for you and me. Watch this. Verse 21, So, you see what Jesus is saying here? I mean, look, Father, you remember what we have? Father, you know what we have. I mean, me and you and you and me, vine and branch. I mean, you know what we have. We're in. We're the Trinity. We're one. We're in. We're together. There's a union. Well, I want them in. I want her in. I want him in.

I want them to be in us, he says. Now, this is one of those weird times when God has called us. You remember back in Genesis? Let us make man in our image, right? And now Jesus is bringing that back because the life lost in the garden, the us life, the us life, us in them, the life that was lost in the garden is restored in Christ. So, Father, you know what we have. I don't wake up and wonder if I'm clean or close. You know what we have. I want them in us. Do you hear that? So please hear me. Closeness with God was not your idea. Intimacy with Jesus was not your idea. And I know you may have heard 10,000 sermons that subtly say there's two ways or five ways or three steps or one way to get closer to God. And what you need to hear today is that closeness with God was Jesus's idea. And he got it done. And so you say, well, what does it feel like? Because that's where we go. What does it feel like to be close to God? And it feels like this right here. You feel it? Yeah. I don't either. And so it feels like you being you. There's no buzz. There's no electricity. If there was a buzz of electricity and there was this amazing feeling of the spirit coming

to be a part of your life, oh my goodness, I could just feel it. You could cut the spirit with a knife. No, you can't. No, you can't. The spirit lives in you and you live in the spirit 24-7 without interruption. Why do you expect it to feel like something different? If Jesus prayed, you'd always be one. You're always one. Well, what about when I sin? Yeah, you're one when you sin. That's why it feels weird. You want to feel something, go out and sin and you'll feel something. You'll feel a war all of a sudden inside of you. Why? Because you were always one with him. Ever since you received him, you were one with him and now you're trying to make sin work. It's like taking on a virus onto your laptop. Right? There's warnings. Get this thing out. It doesn't belong. You've got new hardware, new hardware, and the virus doesn't fit. Jesus with God was Jesus' idea. He prayed for it. The prayer was answered. You are complete. You are one with him. It's not a feeling. We need to hear this.

There are whole movements built on getting a feeling. Do you know that? It's great that you're saved. Now you need a feeling. It's great that you've had an initial feeling. Now you need a second feeling. There are whole denominations built on that. It's not a feeling. It is a finished fact. You are in Christ and Christ is in you and you have everything you need. All right, as we wrap up, we're going to see Jesus pray in a few more things. Look at this, the glory which you have given me, I have given to them that they may be one. How close? Just as we are one. So the guy scores the touchdown, right? He gets to the end zone, he scores the touchdown, he spikes the ball, he throws his finger up to heaven, he says, God, we give all glory to you. And God's like, yeah, I already got all the glory I need. Cool touchdown though. Love it. I got all the glory I need. And in fact, Jesus is revealing what? He gave his glory to you. Wow. So the polar opposite of us doing a bunch of stuff and then trying to shove the glory his way, God's like, hey, folks, I'm the creator here. I'm complete. I got everything I need. I've got fullness and completeness.

I'm the one trying to help you people. You keep trying to help me, I'm trying to help you, Texas. I'm trying to help you. And so the glory that Jesus has, he's given to you. Wow. Suddenly I got to be a taker. Man, I'm not come, religion says be a giver. And I got to be a taker. I got to be a receiver. That's backwards. That's going to take some humility actually, because I'm going to have to be a receiver. I want to be a producer. I want to exert effort and be a producer and cause an effect and be enough and work. And God is, you know what Jesus said to his disciples? He says, basically, you're going to have to let me serve you. Yeah. Uh, I didn't come to be served, but to serve what? And so. This is about letting Jesus's prayer be true in your life because it is true What if you were to walk away today and act as if now just play this out with me act as if You're as close to God as Jesus what if you were to act act as if you've never sinned a day in your life and act as if God treats you that way and Act as if there's no problem zero problem between you and God What if you were to walk out of here walk away from this and act as if everything is perfect with God See that's what we're supposed to do It's not as if it's as Act as because it is true So try that on and this is why the real thing leads to joy. Oh

We can have regret and remorse and we can be sorry and all that's healthy for five minutes or 50 minutes or whatever But at some point we got to get back to the gospel because oh, yeah another reminder that I'm not made for that and another Reminder that I'm forgiven for that. So when are we going to get back to the gospel and act as if We're perfect with God because we are I Am them and you and me that they may be perfected in unity So that the world may know that you sent me and loved them how much even as you have loved? Me verse 24 father. I want that they also look at what he says about you Whom you have given me you're a gift Jesus says you're a gift from the father father. Thank you for those that you've given me you say oh, no, but I've I've looked at pornography. Oh, no, but I I mean my marriage was a wreck and and I got a divorce Oh, oh, no. I mean, you know, I I spent a year in prison. I Cheated on my taxes or oh, no, I I you know, and you know what God says says I love you just as I love Jesus and We try to make it about us and he tries to make it about Jesus and we try to make it about us and he makes It about Jesus. It's not about you Wow what a gospel a Gospel that was shared by a murderer someone who run around killing Christians a message before that That was shared by a man named David who put a guy on the front lines of his army so that guy would die so that he could take that guy's wife a Message that was shared by Moses in five books of the Bible Moses killed an Egyptian in anger and rage What is God trying to tell us? It is not about your record. It is about Jesus The Bible written by murderers to show us how big are your sins again? Are you obsessed with the size of your sins instead of being obsessed with the size of your Savior? So that they may see my glory which you have given me for you loved me father You loved me before the foundation of the world. You loved me before those 30 years You loved me before those three years of ministry. You loved me before I ever healed anybody You loved me before I ever walked on water. You loved me before anything ever happened on this planet You loved me before I raised Lazarus from the dead and your power you loved me you loved me and

So you see that it's not about what we do now. We'll finish with this So righteous father, although the world has not known you yet I have known you and these have known that you sent me and I have made Your name known to them and we'll make it known. So that Final thought the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them All right. What two things do you have in you the love of God? poured into your heart and Christ given inside of you He took up residence the love of God in you and Christ himself in you Is this just some coincidence Peter Paul James John? They are unleashing and unfolding the answer to this prayer request It was answered with a resounding. Yes, and as a result, you don't have to play that religious game that try-harder Christianity that begging of God can come to a halt you can instead start thanking God That it is finished. Let's pray together father. We thank you That we are one with you forever that we're in the Trinity that We're clean, that we're close, that we're qualified, that it is finished. We thank you that it's not about us. It's all about Jesus. We are done with the begging, pleading, hoping, waiting for some kind of feeling. We're going to walk out of here acting as if we are perfect with you at perfect peace because we are. If we have received you, then we have received all the benefits. You did a perfect work on that cross and through that resurrection. We thank you in Jesus' name, amen.