Sermon Notes + 9.22.2024
SERMON NOTES
September 22, 2024
Those Who Will Believe
John 17:20
Dr. Tony Chute, Lead Pastor
Overview: Jesus has prayed for the remaining eleven disciples up to this point but He now transitions to include those who will believe in Him. Although future believers will be partakers of the blessings and benefits Jesus has secured for the original disciples, this transition is a statement of faith that the gospel will go forth and be received by an untold number of new disciples. There is no indication that the original disciples will fail in their mission, nor is there any indication that future disciples will be at a disadvantage due to their distance from Jesus’ ministry. Rather, this passage conveys a confident trust that the gospel will go forth in power and those who believe will have every benefit and blessing promised to the original disciples. As such, we can take heart in knowing that Jesus prayed for us even as He prayed for those before us.
01. Jesus’ prayer for future believers demonstrates that God loved us before we loved Him.
02. Jesus’ prayer for future believers indicates that God opens hearts to believe the gospel.
03. Jesus’ prayer for future believers illustrates the confidence we have in God and the gospel.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION & DISCOVERY
1. Compare verse 9 with verse 20. What is similar about these verses? What is different? Why is it important for us to know who Jesus is praying for in each section? How specific are you in your intercessory prayers? How do focused prayers help us to recognize answered prayers?
2. What indicators in this chapter suggest that those who will believe have the same blessings and benefits as the original disciples? What does this equality among believers suggest about God’s grace to all who believe, regardless of when they believe? See Matthew 20:1-16 for further insight.
3. What advantages did the original disciples have as it pertains to believing in Jesus? Do you agree with the statement that future disciples are not at a disadvantage as it relates to believing in Jesus, even though it is by faith, not by sight? What does this suggest about the power of God’s Word to save? How would you respond to someone who says they cannot believe unless they can see what the first disciples saw?
4. Note the confidence in Jesus’ statement in verse 20. What is the source or the basis of His confidence? Did the disciples prove themselves to be trustworthy at this point? Did the Jewish leadership begin to show an openness to believing at this point? Did the Roman government do anything that would lead Him to believe Christianity would be welcome as a new religion in the Empire? Given that Jesus’ confidence was not in man but in God, how should we think about, pray about, and participate in evangelism and missions accordingly?
5. Who are you praying for to hear and believe the gospel? What countries around the world need the gospel? Are you praying for missionaries in our church or mission fields visited by those in our church? Pray that the gospel will continue to go forth and future believers will be brought into the kingdom.
For Further Reading: Gerald McDermott, A New History of Redemption: The Work of Jesus through the Millennia (Baker, 2024)