Morning Worship

THE VALUE OF MEN

-  John 17 -

Introduction :

þ The Chapter 17 of the book of John contains the prayer of Jesus Christ, when He was in the garden of Gethsemane before His execution in the cross of Calvary, for the believers. Before He died, He has shown He’s utmost concern and how valuable we are to Him by praying to the Father before He died.

þ There are people who do not give value to their lives because they are only basing it on material things. These things are accomplishments or achievements, wealth, influence, big salary or treasures. The fact is God’s standard about the value of men is very much different from the standards of the world.  For you to be lifted up or be known, in the concept of the world, you must exalt yourself by doing great things while in contrast God wants you to humble yourself for you to be exalted by Him.

þ A soul of a person is very valuable to the Lord for it is a permanent thing compared to the world that is only temporary. In Mark 8:36, the value of soul is said to be incomparable to the wealth or what the world could offer. For the souls of men, God even gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who died for us to save us from eternal punishment.

POINTERS :

1. VALUE OF GLORY- John 17:1-5, 10,22

þ God seeks His created beings or things-whether it be invisible or visible- to glorify Him. Glory which speaks of the Lord as the most high who created all the things in earth and in heavens. He wants to be glorified in all things. Jesus Christ himself demanded glory from the Father (John 17:1) which He gave also to Him in Hebrews 1:8, 9.

þ In our lives as a Christian, we must seek to glorify God in all the things that we are doing or will be doing (Colossians 3:17, 23). We are now different from the unbelievers who do things for their own glory. From the time that we got saved, we do not only receive Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, but also the Lord of our lives. Have we ever considered consulting God first in our decisions whether be it great or small in prayer? Or are we the kind of Christian who looks only to God as a giver of blessings not even given the thought to thank Him for everything?

2. VALUE OF THE WORD- John 17: 6, 8, 20

þ There is always a responsibility attached to it when we are hearing or have heard the word of God. We are responsible to trust and obey it but believers tend to neglect this very much important commandment of God. The Lord does not want us to be hearers only but also doers of His words (James 1:22).

þ We should always give value to the word of God for it has spirit and has life (John 6:63) like Mary who denied to do other things and gave much importance to God’s word by listening very well (rather than Martha who kept herself busy in earthly things-household chores)-Luke 10:38-42. In His words, we got saved. Years may past but God’s word will never be lost (Matthew 24:35) and it will also be the basis of our judgment (Revelation 20:11-13, Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14).

3. VALUE OF BEING ONE WITH CHRIST- John 17:21,22

Jesus Christ has said that when he returns we will be like Him in a manner not as God but will be possessing incorruptible bodies. We will be in the state of holiness (sinless) like God in His coming. Adam and Eve were able to experience the state of being holy, but due to sin they became separated from God. Since then, we are separated from God but because of the hope that is in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:35-39), God has given us a chance to be one in Him.

þ As children of God, we have His likeness. It should be seen in our lives, in the testimonies that we make, visible to the unbelievers. The Lord admonishes us to shine out our lives before men by doing good works (Matthew 5:16) and obedience to His words to glorify Him.

4. VALUE OF SENDING US TO THE LOST- John 17:18-21

þ Jesus Christ has also prayed for the unbelievers to be saved when He was in the garden of Gethsemane. The very reason He took the form of a man is to save mankind from the perils of hell. After His ascension to heaven, it is now our duty to share the salvation that is in Christ. God wants us to be an instrument in the fulfillment of Christ’s prayer.

5. VALUE OF PRAYER- John 17:9

þ All things should be asked of from God. In Proverbs 3:5-6, the word "acknowledge” pertains to prayer. We are encouraged by God to pray for He will direct our paths. But when God showed us the answer, we are required to take actions.

CONCLUSION:

The efficacy of Jesus Christ’s prayer is still ongoing and it will only end when He return. He wants us to give value to the things which are permanent rather than the temporary. These things are His’ glory, His’ words, us being one with Christ, sending us to the lost and prayer.