REFORMED CHURCH BELLVILLE: SUNDAY SERMON 23 MAY 2004 MORNING SERVICE (HOLY COMMUNION)

REFORMED CHURCH BELLVILLE: SUNDAY SERMON 23 MAY 2004 MORNING SERVICE (HOLY COMMUNION)

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Beloved grace and peace be to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, through the mighty working of God the Holy Spirit.
Amen

Psalm of praise: 89:3
Confession of faith
Law
Psalm 40:4
Prayer
Hymn: 33:2
Scripture: John 17
Text: John 17:15+24

"15 My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. "

"24 Father, I want those You have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory You have given me because You loved me before the creation of the world."

About one hour earlier Holy Communion was instituted. At that table something striking and important had occurred: the Lord drew the attention of the disciples to their unity with Him and with one another.

He took bread and broke it and gave it to them to eat. He told them that it was His body which was to be broken for them.
Afterwards they had to drink from one cup to know their unity with His blood and with one another in this blood of the new covenant. (1 Corinthians 11:23-25)

With the aforegoing still fresh in their minds, the Lord prayed this prayer which we have just read. Exactly when the Lord prayed this prayer is unknown.

Perhaps it was still in the upper room while all the disciples were togther.
Or perhaps in the night as they walked to Gethsemane. Somewhere on the way before they crossed the Kidron Valley the Lord Jesus prayed this prayer.

In the first part of the prayer the Lord Jesus prays of Himself and His work. Thereafter He prays for the disciples and all people who by their preaching shall repent – which includes us.

It is important to note that the Lord prays again for the same unity between Him and us and between us as brothers in Christ which was revealed at the Last Supper.
The contents of the prayer is that the beatitude which the Lord Jesus brings will be part of our life now and in the hereafter.

The Lord Jesus excludes the world from His prayer for grace, glory and unity with Him.

He does not pray for the world.
He does say to the world that he much to say in judgment of them. (John 8:26)

This does not mean that He is not merciful. He is, but He only prays for grace for a select group of people. He calls them:

Those to whom the Word was given.
Those who believe that God sent Jesus.
Those You gave me.
Those that belong to You.
Those who are in the world but not of it.

The Lord prays the Father for particular things for these people: He prays:

That God does not take us out of the world.
But that, as long as we are here, we will be protected from the devil.
That we should know the truth and be sanctified in it.
That we may all be one.
That we may see His glory.
That we may be with Him.

The Lord Jesus reveals in His prayer that we who are in the world shall know great troubles. He prays especially for this:

To remain pure in the teaching of the Word.
To remain united in the flesh and in the faith without being divided by heresy or by discord.

We are now gathered around the Lord's supper – as were the disciples that evening at the Last Supper.

We shall sit together in the unity of salvation and the unity of our faith.
We shall sit together and eat in the knowledge that we know from the word of the Lord the same gospel of salvation.
We shall together receive from our Host, Jesus Christ, the bread and wine and know that He prays for us – that He keeps us in our unity as as His body and church of the Lord in His prayer and allmighty care until He comes on the clouds.

Come, sit at the table with a frank conscience. We confess our sins. But we also confess that our sins are atoned for with God by Jesus Christ because we were crucified with Christ in that we may live for God. (Galatians 2:19)

Thereafter we rise from the table with the fixed intention to strive for the things above where Christ is, where He sits at the right hand of God, because with Christ we are raised from death. (Colossians 3:1)

He has saved us, not because of anything we did for our redemption, but because of his own grace.

This He did through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit that gives new life. (Titus 3:5)
Hence we must each day live a life of repentance and must we live in a vibrant relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Amen

Prayer
Psalm: 33:2+11
Formulatory
Psalm 23:2+3
During communion Psalm 116+118
Closing Psalm 103:3

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Amen

Dr MJ du Plessis, Reformed Church Bellville.
23 May 2004
Scripture NIV