SERMON NOTES
O Righteous Father
John 17:25
Dr. Tony Chute, Lead Pastor
Overview: Jesus frequently refers to God as Father throughout His ministry, but near the end of the High Priestly Prayer, He refers to God as “Righteous Father.” By using this language, Jesus acknowledges God’s supremacy in all things as well as His fatherly love toward those who believe. God is supremely righteous in all that He does and all that He commands such that there is no higher standard than Himself. God is also very kind and gracious in His call upon our lives because we are His children, and He desires our good for His glory. Conversely, Jesus notes that the world does not know God, which underscores why the world is opposed to God, the commandments of God, and the people of God. Jesus then affirms that true knowledge of God comes through Him and is evidenced in the lives of His followers. If we are to answer this prayer of Jesus, we too must confess that God is the supreme standard of all that is right and good, even in the midst of a world that disbelieves.
01. Apart from Christ, our knowledge of God will find Him to be too strict or too permissive; it is only in Christ that God’s righteousness and fatherly love come perfectly together.
02. As we follow Christ, our knowledge of God will be challenged by a world that does not know Him; it is only in Christ that God’s Word and God’s ways can be understood together.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION & DISCOVERY
1. What is the significance of Jesus referring to God as His Father? How does the relationship between God the Father and God the Son demonstrate the loving relationship that we can have as followers of Jesus and children of God?
2. The word “righteous” has many connotations, including that which is just, right, accurate, and honest. In what ways is God righteous? How does His righteousness set Him apart from all created things? Is there anyone who is righteous apart from God?
3. How does God make the unrighteous righteous? Is God unfair in any way to declare sinners righteous when they have not merited their own righteousness, but depend solely upon Christ’s righteousness? How does Romans 3 describe the righteousness of God in making sinners righteous through Christ?
4. God is the source of all that is true and all that is good. How does the world, which does not know God, assess what is true and what is good? What struggles do you face as a follower of Christ when it comes to the things the world values and the things that God values? How are you helped by members and leaders at Northpoint to maintain a biblical mindset?
5. Consider Jesus’ statement: “The world does not know you, [but] I know you.” How would your non-Christian friends react to that statement? Would they agree or disagree that we can only truly know God through Jesus Christ? How would you respond to their objection?
For Further Reading: J. C. Ryle, Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties and Roots (Banner of Truth Trust, 2014; first published, 1877)