Sermon Tone Analysis

11~/17~/02

John 17:1-5

 

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A Biblical Philosophy of Ministry

 

The First Business of God’s People

No moment in the history of the saints could be more laden with reality than that time when, as a consummation of His redemptive mission—foreseen from all eternity and itself the determining factor in the character of all ages to come—, the Lord Jesus Christ reviewed in prayer to the Father that which He had achieved by His advent into this cosmos world.

He fully intended His own who are in this world to hear what He said in that incomparable prayer (John 17:13).

Devout minds will ponder eagerly every word spoken concerning themselves under such august and solemn circumstances.

John 17:1-5      

In these words,

 

Peter Drucker, management expert, consults with many churches and Christian organizations.

He says the first question he always asks them is this: “What are you trying to accomplish?”

And often he finds that they are in a crisis of objectives, not a crisis of organization.

They are doing the wrong things.

God’s promises and His objectives for His church are vast.

The church is equipped with the power to fulfill every objective God has for it.

Certainly its expectation should be to accomplish every goal carved out by God.

Spurgeon said to a young preacher, “Young man, you don’t really expect to see high and wonderful things happen in your life, do you?”

The fellow said, “Well, no….”

And Spurgeon almost /exploded,/ “Then you won’t see them happen, either!”

Genuine expectation is part of the key.

But for the church today perhaps a problem greater than low expectation is simply not clearly knowing what its goals should be.

!!             In John 17, Jesus prays this prayer and (in a sketch) lays out the priorities of His life and the priorities of the church.

!! Biblical Priorities

What should be a church’s biblical priorities?

What should its overall objectives include?

Unless these questions are asked, churches will aim at nothing and hit it every time!

A pilot announced to his passengers over his intercom system, “Ladies and gentlemen, I have good news and bad news.

The good news is that we have a tail wind, and we are making excellent time.

The bad news is that our compass is broken, and we have no idea where we are going.”

A similar situation is true of many churches.

Churches must have a philosophy of ministry, a direction, a sense of where they are going.

And, the more thought you give it, the more you will come to realize that our priorities must be: first to Jesus Christ, then to one another in Christ, and then to the world Christ died to save.

These three priorities must be kept in proper order.

A church must not let its ministry to the world—its evangelism and good works—become of first importance.

·“evangelistic centers.”

Most of what is done during the week and on Sunday mornings leads up to one exciting moment: the altar call.

That is the focus of the entire life of the church; and it is wonderful to see people walk the aisle to the altar and acknowledge a decision of some kind.

But that is not to be the primary focus of the church.

·“mission centers.”

These churches raise an extensive amount of money for missions, they have world maps in prominent places, and the people hear missionary reports from around the world.

It is wonderful that local churches can help spread the good news in far-off places.

But that is not to be the primary focus of the church.

·“information centers,” have as their main purpose the pouring out of biblical material.

The people eagerly fill their notebooks, and the one with the fullest notebook and the fullest head is often considered the most spiritual.

·“program centers.”

They present one extravaganza after another—gospel magicians, singing groups, ventriloquists

·“building centered,” Their distinctive is only in their buildings.

That is not to be the primary purpose of the church.

·“fellowship centers,” where the emphasis is on “body life,” relational theology, discipline, small groups, and the function of gifts.

Relationships are exciting and beneficial, but that is not to be the primary purpose of the church.

·the church is to be for the Lord.

He is the Head, and He must be the focus, the first priority.

Churches—and individual believers—are to be committed first to Christ, then to one another in Christ, and then to the world.

These three are not to be “done” chronologically, one at a time, but they are to be part of churches’ and believers’ lives all at the same time.

The Bible repeatedly spells out these three priorities, both generally and specifically.

In John 15 Jesus weaves these into His teaching on the vine and the branches.

Verses 1–11 {John 15} stress the admonition, *“Remain in me.” *That* *is the first priority.

Verses 12–15 {John 15} focus on the command, *“Love each other.”*

That is the second priority.

And verses 16–27 {John 15} say, in essence, *“Testify about me.”*

That pertains to the third priority.

In John 17 the prayer of the Lord Jesus to His Father reveals His own personal priorities.

In verses 1–5 {John 17}, *(Lordship of Christ)* the emphasis is on God the Father.

*“Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.”*

Then in verses 6–19 {John 17}, *(Body of Christ) *He prayed for “those whom you gave me out of the world” (John 17:6).

He prayed for their protection (vv.

11,15 {John 17}) and their joy (John 17:13).

And in verses 20–26 *(The World) *His praying extended to the world (“that the world may believe,” (John 17:21), “to let the world know” (John 17:23).

A mission organization ran an interesting advertisement in several Christian magazines.

It contained a picture of four people with hands clasped, bowed in prayer.

The caption read, “Before we can reach the world, we have to be committed to reaching God.” Below the picture was an amplifying sentence: “Worship is where our mission begins.”

The first priority of the Christian and of the local body of believers is to reach up to God.

Only then can they effectively attempt to reach out to the world.

Unless Christians maintain a close relationship to God Himself (priority one), they will not be able to provide much spiritual help to other believers (priority two) or to the world (priority three).

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The Biblical Call to God-Centeredness

 

The Christian’s relationship to God must envelop and color all that he is and does.

All of the believer’s other relationships are to be subservient to his primary relationship with God.

“Believers may not often realize it, but even as believers we are either centered on man, or centered on God.

There is no alternative.

Either God is the center of our universe and we have become rightly adjusted to Him, or we have made ourselves the center and are attempting to make all else orbit around us and for us.”

-Ray Ortlund

Absolute personal loyalty to God must take precedence over anything and everything else….

All one’s ultimate loyalties must converge at a single point….

Jesus demanded as an exclusive priority that a person center his life, loyalty, and valuations solely upon God….

every other concern [must flow out of, fall in behind, and witness to, this one.

Balance in one’s life comes from making sure that Christ is supreme.

This is equally true in the corporate lives of churches.

If a church is centered on anything, any person, any doctrine, any project, anything but Christ, it is off balance.

Such churches are prone to rush here and there after every new program or gimmick that comes along.

Eventually such patterns of behavior become deeply entrenched and the church focuses on activities rather than Christ.

The truth that Jesus Christ must be central may seem trite; but if it is taken seriously, its ramifications in a local church will be exciting, creative, and fresh.

I have learned that there is only one truth that can motivate man simply through life: Christ.

Before we can consider ourselves Christians we must have believed in Christ and accepted all the consequences of a radically altered life.

Without this first basic commitment, growth in Christ through any church structure is impossible.

A saint prayed so beautifully,

Be, Lord,

within me to strengthen me,

without me to guard me,

over me to shelter me,

beneath me to establish me,

before me to guide me,