I. SERMON NOTES​

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Facilitator's Note: Introduce the message naturally in your own words. A brief recap, a thoughtful question, or an everyday situation can help. The aim is to help the group engage the passage afresh, rather than simply repeat the sermon.

 

I. Introduction: The Gap Between Belief and Experience

• Hebrews 11:1: "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

 

• Confident faith in Jesus means trusting that God will fulfil His promises, even when we have not yet experienced their fullness.

 

• There is a gap between what we believe and what we now experience—in theological terms, the tension between the "already" and the "not yet".

 

• The Holy Spirit sustains our faith as we live in this tension between what God has promised and what we presently experience.  We can pray not only with words and understanding, but also through silence, simple breath prayers, and gentle breathing, trusting the Holy Spirit to help us in our weakness and intercede for us.

 

• Romans 8:26: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans."

 

• 1 Corinthians 14:15: "So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding."

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II. The Glory of Christ and Our Shared Glory (John 17:1–5)

• John 17:1: "After Jesus finished saying this, He looked up to heaven and said, 'Father, the hour has come. Give glory to Your Son, so that the Son may give glory to You.'"

 

• The “hour” of Christ's glory points to His death, resurrection, and return to the Father. It is an unusual glory, revealed through Jesus' suffering and self-giving love on the cross, through which the Son glorifies the Father.

 

• Does God want to share His glory with us?

 

• While Isaiah 48:11 states, "I will not yield my glory to another," Jesus explicitly says in John 17:22: "I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one."

 

• What does "Glory" mean?

 

• Honour (e.g., winning a race)

• Beauty (e.g., a glorious sunrise or sunset)

• Joy (e.g., wonderful fellowship and a joyful meal)

 

• We are created for His glory:

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• Our lives were meant to bring honour to God.

• God's beauty is reflected in your life.

• You bring joy to the heart of God; God takes great delight in you.

 

• Omnipresent vs. Glory: God is omnipresent—He is everywhere. His glory refers to the revelation of His presence, character, and majesty, sometimes experienced in extraordinary ways, as when God appeared to Moses at the burning bush. Yet God's presence is real even when we do not sense or feel it.

 

• 2 Corinthians 3:18: "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

 

• As the Holy Spirit transforms us into Christ's likeness, others may recognise something of God's goodness in our lives. When we receive praise or encouragement, we can: Accept it, Enjoy it, Share it, and Give it back to the Father.

 

• John 17:2–3: "For You gave Him authority over all people, so that He might give eternal life to all those You gave Him. And eternal life means to know You, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom You sent." Eternal life begins now and stretches into eternity.

 

• John 17:4: "I have shown Your glory on earth; I have finished the work You gave Me to do." Jesus had clarity for each phase of His life and ministry.

 

III. The Incarnation and Protection in the World (John 17:6–19)

• John 17:5–6: "Father! Give Me glory in your presence now, the same glory I had with You before the world was made. I have made You known to those You gave Me out of the world..."

 

• Christmas: At the incarnation, God became a human being.

 

• John 17:6–8: The disciples obeyed God's word and believed that Jesus came from the Father.

 

• John 17:9–12: Jesus prayed specifically for His disciples, asking the Holy Father to keep them safe by the power of His name so they may be one.

 

• Deliver us from evil: The evil one seeks to undermine our faith through temptation, accusation, and deception. We may also struggle with negative thoughts, fears, and doubts. We are invited to bring these before God, allowing His Word and Spirit to renew our minds.

 

• John 17:13–14: Jesus prayed that they might have His joy in their hearts in all its fullness, even though the world hated them because they do not belong to the world ("Joy in Suffering").

 

• John 17:15–17: "I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but I do ask You to keep them safe from the Evil One... Sanctify them to Yourself by means of the truth; Your word is truth."

 

• Sanctification is the Holy Spirit's ongoing work of transforming us into Christ's likeness. We are invited to respond to His grace, allowing Him to renew our thoughts, words, attitudes, and actions.

 

• John 17:18–19: Jesus sent them into the world just as the Father sent Him, sanctifying Himself so they too may be truly sanctified.

 

IV. Unity and the Mission to the World (John 17:20–26)

• John 17:20: Jesus prayed not only for the immediate disciples, but also for those who would believe in Him because of their message ("Make disciples of all nations").

 

• John 17:21–23: "I pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be in Us, just as You are in Me and I am in You..."

 

• To be one is to share in the love of the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit. This unity is expressed through humility, forgiveness, mutual care, and love for one another.

 

• Your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit.

 

• Complete oneness lets the world know that the Father sent Jesus and loves believers just as He loves the Son.

 

• John 17:24–26: Jesus expressed His desire for believers to be with Him where He is to see His glory, concluding with the desire that the Father's love for Jesus may be in them and Jesus in them.

 

V. The Unusual Glory of the Cross

• 1 Corinthians 1:18: "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

 

• Jesus embraced rejection, humiliation, and suffering:

 

• When insulted, He kept silent.

• He did not return evil for evil.

• He forgave His enemies.

 

• The "foolishness" of the cross:

 

• Deny yourself.

• Allow God’s Holy Spirit to gently expose our inner darkness.

• "I die daily" (1 Corinthians 15:31).

 

• Forgive, cleanse, and restore. The Holy Spirit shows us our weaknesses to restore us, not to condemn us.

 

• Luke 9:23: "Take up your cross daily."