THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NESS
! The three necessary steps were:‘re ceiving the Word, knowing the truth of that Word, and believing the Object of that Word. But, s u c h reception, knowledge; and belief of the truth were merely the starting point toward the final goal which He had in mind for them. ' They were to be sent ,into the world, even as He had■been sent, and they n e e d e d sanctification (separation), even as He. Certainly there wgs .•no need for Him to be sanctified from sin, since He is the Sinless One. But there was "need that He s h o u l d be sanctified, or set apart, to the holy ministry for which He had come to ' earth. There is grave danger of our becoming so engrossed with the nega tive aspect of sanctification from evil that we overlook the positive aspect to good. In every child of God, sepa ration from evil is good and necessary, but sanctification to good is the ob jective. That “good” is God’s will to which Jesus sanctified Himself in or der that His followers might be sancti fied also. Their sanctification would come through the Word. All disciples, to the end of the age, were included in Christ’s intercession. He prayed “that they may be one,” even as He and the Father were one. The purpose of such unity was that the world might believe the Father had sent His Son to be the Saviour of the world. III. T he P urpose of I ntercession (21-26) The ultimate purpose of Christ’s in tercession is the manifestation of His own glory in those for whom inter cession is offered. The Lord' J e s u s Christ would not be content in eternity unless those whom the Father gave Him should be with Him to behold His glory, and to experience the love wherewith the Father loved His Son before the foundation of the world. It should be noted that, in gelation to God, when Jesus speaks of Himself, He addresses His Father (v. 24); when speaking of the disciples, He addresses His Holy Father •(v. 11), and when s p e a k i n g ' o f the world, he says, "Righteous Father” (v. 25). The Fa ther’s righteousness will one day form the glory to be beheld by all disciples and be the sphere in which they all will move. The uttermost peak of that glory will be the love wherewith the Father loves His Son. It is the cul mination of the will of God, brought about through the Word of God, bring ing in the love of God—beyond which there can be nothing more glorious. Points and Problems 1. "Father, the hour is come” (John 17:1). There were many important hours in Christ’s life. Every hour of His blessed ministry on earth. was
freighted with tremendous signifi cance. But there was one hour above all other hours. It was the hour. All through His ministry, Christ looked forward to the cross (John 2:4; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23r 13:1). At the beginning of His ministry He had said, “Mine hour is not yet come” (John 2:4). There was the ministry of teaching, healing, revealing, and compassion to be per formed before that time. But now that the ministry is completed; Jesus sees the lengthening shadows of the cross and says, “The hour is come”— the hour of redemption, the hout fixed from before the foundation of the world. Only eternity will reveal the importance of that hour. 2. "I have glorified thee . . . I have finished the work" (John 17:4). This chapter is the true Lord’s Prayer. The prayer usually called by this name (Matt. 6) couid better be called the Disciples’ Prayer. But this was Christ’s own prayer, and remains for us the finest example of true prayer that we have. It concerns itself mainly with report and petition. Jesus- gives a report to the Father of His finished ministry, and then asks of Him cer tain petitions. Verse 4 gives the first two of ten “I have’s” to be found in the prayer.' A consideration of these ten statements of our Lord will give a re markable picture of His three years’ ministry upon earth. They set forth the perfection of that ministry, and provide In many respects a splendid goal for every servant of the Lord. 3. "I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified" (John 17:19). The Greek word for “sanctify” means to set apart.. The primary meaning is not to make holy as so many seem to think. Our Lord certainly did not need to be made holy. He was already perfectly holy. But for the salvation of sinners, He found it necessary to set Himself apart.for the atoning work of the cross that in turn those ior whom He died might forever be set apart from sin and ruin, unto God and heaven. 4. "Father, I will that they . . . be with me where I am" (John 17:24). The expression “I will” is a very strong statemeht. It means “I resolve, I de termine, I purpose” ; not simply I de sire or wish 'that this might be so. It is the uncompromising will of Christ which can never be broken. And what is that will? It isdhat every member of His true church shall be with Him at last and behold His glory. None are to be lost (John 10:27-29). In the majestic power of Christ’s will, there is safety for the believer, and assur ance for a blessed future. Golden Text Illustration J o h n . 17:11 J. Wilbur . Chapman once related this story oi one of his friends-who *
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EVENING SCHOOL Comes to You— in three outlying' communi ties an evening each week, m e e t i n g in Long Beach, Pasadena, and Santa Ana, as well as Los Angeles. — Spring Semester — February 1 to June 8, 1943 Three Evenings Offered Monday— Tuesday— Thursday One who is offering his Lord an untrained . best is not really giving his best. Will you be among those to make a good investment in time and effort to perfect your Christian service? ' Consecration Urges PREPARATION SEND FOR PROSPECTUS • No Tuition Charge • Registration Fee: Credit students—$2,.00 per semes ter per subject. Auditing students— No fee. THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ÁNGELES, INC.
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