The Give and Take of God
Building up the Church • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Opening Prayer (Supplication and Confession)
6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
7 “Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You;
8 for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.
9 “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours;
10 and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.
Hear the expression of this text in a worship song released in 2007, by Steven Curtis Chapman:
“Its All Yours” by Steven Curtis Chapman (2007)
I walk the streets of London
And notice in the faces passing by
Something that makes me stop and listen
My heart grows heavy with the cry
Where is the hope for London?
You whisper and my heart begins to soar
As I'm reminded
Every street in London is Yours
I walk the dirt roads of Uganda
I see the scars that war has left behind
Hope like the sun is fading
They're waiting for a cure, no one can find
And I hear children's voices singing
Of a God who heals and rescues and restores
And I'm reminded
That every child in Africa is Yours
And it's all Yours, God, Yours, God
Everything is Yours
From the stars in the sky
To the depths of the ocean floor
And it's all Yours, God, Yours, God
Everything is Yours
You're the Maker and Keeper, Father and Ruler of everything
It's all Yours
Key Question: How does God’s ownership of all creation impact the way the Church grows?
God keeps His Word. (v. 6)
God keeps His Word. (v. 6)
Jesus Christ is the fullest and clearest expression of God’s law; His grace, mercy, and steadfast love.
The Father is the one who gives the disciples to the teacher, which is the harmony we see in the Godhead (a.k.a., the Trinity).
Because God is the one who gives eternal life, and the one who enables men to turn to Him, they keep the Word of the one who keeps them (Jesus Christ).
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
God’s people understand the order of things. (v. 7)
God’s people understand the order of things. (v. 7)
The Disciples are not, at this point in history, confidently aware of the eternal plan of redemption, as they expected Jesus to bring the Kingdom of God through mundane means.
The confidence that shows in the long-term outlook is the certainty that resulted from the resurrection. (Take a look at the book of Acts)
The Disciples are far more aware and familiar with Job’s declaration, which echoes this verse. There is a great deal of comfort in acknowledging God’s total sovereignty over all creation, and over the salvation of mankind.
21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. Yahweh gave, and Yahweh has taken away. Blessed be the name of Yahweh.”
If all belongs to God, and the Church is God’s, how should that impact the Church and her ministry?
God’s people understand that in Jesus God has given us all truth. (v. 8)
God’s people understand that in Jesus God has given us all truth. (v. 8)
The word of God is the gift for those who are given by the Father to the Son, as the words (teachings) confer truth and the light of eternal life.
The word of the Lord Jesus Christ transforms the new man/woman as it permeates the very soul of every disciple.
As the words of the Lord Jesus, and in our case the Scriptures, transforms the believer it is evident that faith is at work because it is from the Father, a work from eternity past leading to eternity future.
88 Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth.
89 Forever, O Yahweh, Your word stands firm in heaven.
The Church stands by Jesus’ intercession on her behalf. (v. 9)
The Church stands by Jesus’ intercession on her behalf. (v. 9)
The Lord Jesus again prays for the church, as to those who are called by the Holy Spirit, out of the world; given by the Father to the Son; and given back to the Father by the Son.
Jesus shows a glimpse of his ministry before the throne of God as the advocate that claims the righteousness of his life, instead of the wretchedness of our sinfulness, before the Father.
The verse highlights the total sovereignty of God as creator and sustainer of the universe, including the pure bride—His Church.
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,
21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Jesus underscores the Godhead’s work in Salvation. (v. 10)
Jesus underscores the Godhead’s work in Salvation. (v. 10)
The verse makes it clear that all that is Jesus’ belongs to the Father, and vice versa. (God is the beginning and creator of all things)
The Church should be encouraged by the totality of God’s ownership of the universe because nothing happens without Him knowing about it and already accounting for it and its implications. (God is eternally seated on His throne)
The Church, called by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, is centered on the person of her Savior to the glory o the Godhead.
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For in Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, And in Him all things hold together.
18 And He is the head of the body, the church; Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
19 For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
20 And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross—through Him—whether things on earth or things in heaven.
Remember the key question:
Key Question: How does God’s ownership of all creation impact the way the Church grows?
Application:
Application:
We are called to pray as intercessors, like Jesus.
We must rest on the total ownership and sovereignty of God.
We must stand on the truth of the Gospel.
We must be about glorifying God through it all.
We Must encourage ourselves with the words by Steven Curtis Chapman:
You're the Maker and Keeper, Father and Ruler of everything
It's all Yours
Invitation and Prayer of Surrender
