Sermon Notes + 8.18.2024
SERMON NOTES
August 18, 2024
Your Word Is Truth
John 17:17
Dr. Tony Chute, Lead Pastor
Overview: As Jesus prepares to leave the world, He prays for the disciples to be sanctified by the truth, which He identifies as the Word of God. This prayer for their sanctification is fitting since Jesus has described the disciples as being “not of the world,” just as He is not of the world. Their separateness from the world will be evident through their understanding of, commitment to, and application of the Word of God. Jesus has already given God’s Word to the disciples through His teaching and has promised to send the Holy Spirit in order to empower the disciples to live according to God’s Word. Their adherence to God’s Word will elicit hatred from the world, but it is through the Word that the disciples will be truly sanctified as they live holy lives unto the Lord. We, too, are called to be sanctified, set apart from the world, and set apart for God by living according to God’s Word.
01. Sanctification is an integral part of our salvation; since Jesus prayed for it, we should pursue it.
02. God’s Word is an essential part of our sanctification; since Jesus provided it, we should apply it.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION & DISCOVERY
1. Sanctification can be defined as “God’s setting us apart from sin to Himself, producing holiness in us now, and perfecting us in holiness at Christ’s return.” In what ways is Jesus praying for each of these elements in His prayer throughout John 17?
2. How does the gospel message presuppose our original separation from God? How does the gospel message describe the way in which God separates us from the world to Himself? How does the gospel message ensure that we will become more like God and less like the world as we grow in God’s Word?
3. What is the significance of equating God’s Word with truth in this passage? What does this statement indicate about Jesus’ evaluation of God’s Word? Since the Bible had not been written in its entirety at the time of this prayer, how can we be sure that Jesus had the Bible in mind? Hint: Note how the teachings of Jesus are equated with God’s Word, and the promise of the Spirit leads to the inspiration and inscripturation of God’s Word. See also 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
4. Why does adherence to God’s Word separate God’s people from the world? In what ways does God’s Word help us to understand the world as we should? Why does adherence to God’s Word elicit hatred from the world? See Romans 1:18-32 for further insight.
5. What are some practical ways that you find guidance and instruction from God’s Word on a regular basis? What passages from God’s Word have you found helpful in revealing your sin and leading you to repentance? What passages from God’s Word have you found that bring comfort and strength?
For Further Reading: Steven Nichols, Welcome to the Story: Reading, Loving and Living God’s Word (Crossway, 2011)