John 17 sermon preview
John 17:13-23 • Not of this World
As we’ve been studying Jesus words to His disciples in John chapters 14–17, I’m struck by the relevancy of His warning of persecution. Consider John 16:2 • They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.
As a Christian teenager, I remember some jokes and mocking about my faith, but never outright persecution and threats of harm. It seems that for as long as I can remember, Christians were respected. Perhaps non–believers would consider us kooky or foolish, but they would admire our willingness to live according to our moral convictions. And Jesus was still honored by non believers as a good moral teacher, and His followers were well regarded for living upstanding lives.
No longer—the “hour” Jesus warned of is certainly here. Persecuting Christians is now seen as doing a service unto the “modern” god of Self: self-pleasure, selfish-pride, self-identity, self–centeredness, etc. And their biggest enemy is Jesus, who taught self-less love for others.
In this new hour of persecution, churches are becoming a dangerous place to gather—so, gather we must! And gladly and boldly, we will take advantage of each opportunity God gives us to proclaim His name and His Gospel in our community.
My friends, now is not the time to shrink back. Surely we’ve been placed here “for such a time as this”!
As we’ve been studying Jesus words to His disciples in John chapters 14–17, I’m struck by the relevancy of His warning of persecution. Consider John 16:2 • They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.
As a Christian teenager, I remember some jokes and mocking about my faith, but never outright persecution and threats of harm. It seems that for as long as I can remember, Christians were respected. Perhaps non–believers would consider us kooky or foolish, but they would admire our willingness to live according to our moral convictions. And Jesus was still honored by non believers as a good moral teacher, and His followers were well regarded for living upstanding lives.
No longer—the “hour” Jesus warned of is certainly here. Persecuting Christians is now seen as doing a service unto the “modern” god of Self: self-pleasure, selfish-pride, self-identity, self–centeredness, etc. And their biggest enemy is Jesus, who taught self-less love for others.
In this new hour of persecution, churches are becoming a dangerous place to gather—so, gather we must! And gladly and boldly, we will take advantage of each opportunity God gives us to proclaim His name and His Gospel in our community.
My friends, now is not the time to shrink back. Surely we’ve been placed here “for such a time as this”!