Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / John

John 17:6-12 08/13/06

Message: ‘The Power of a Name’                     Text: John 17:6-12

Introduction:

ILL: April 2, 2002 ABC News — My son is a fruit. My daughter's a tart. And if you think that's cheesy, tell it to my nephew, Gouda. Some parents are apparently naming their children after returning from the supermarket. Among the 200,000 who have signed up at Global Name Registry — the company in charge of handling registrations for the new Internet domain extension ".name" — are people with first names such as "Gouda," "Almond," "Cappuccino," "Veal," and "Bologna." It's tempting to think "Cappuccino" and other names are fabricated. However, the dot-name domain requires registrants prove their identities.

It’s interesting to look up the meanings of our names.

·       Robert = Bright Fame

·       Nancy = Gracious                 

·       Gary = Spear Carrier             

Americans often give their children names that sound good like Aubrey. Sometimes we name our children after a relative to honor them. Sometimes we reject a name simply because we once knew someone we didn’t like by that name. Then there is the practice of combining names to make one name like Billy Joe Bob. The new craze or craziness is just to spell familiar names in a new and different way. Like Dumb with the b silent.

Because of all this, names have lost their meaning. But in Biblical times your name was very important because it said something about who you were, what your God was like or how you were expected to live. Names were not always given to a child at birth, in fact it wasn’t unusual for a child to go for many years before given a permanent name.

Here are some actual Biblical names and it seems they were not much kinder than their modern counterparts.

·       Ichabod = The glory of Israel has departed

·       Esau = Hairy

·       Isaac = Laughter

·       Michael = who is like God?

Names have the power to say a lot about a person.

I was thinking how great it was to be in God’s house this morning with God’s people. The reason we’re here is to worship the One, True and Ever-living God in spirit and in truth.

We’ve come together to worship His majesty and sing praises to the King of Kings and we’ve done that this morning. He alone is worthy of our worship!

But we’ve also come to fellowship with one another, with those who share the grace of God. The Bible gives us the name ‘brethren’.

·       The name ‘brethren’ means to be ‘born of the same womb’. That’s what we are as believers. We have something in common, we’re ‘born from above’. And we’re all journeying together on the road of faith.

As ‘brethren’ we have come together, in this place, at this time, in the name of Jesus. And if you’re a Christian the name of Jesus is very special to you. Because in countless ways we have all experienced the power of Jesus’ name.

Transition: Open your Bibles to John 17:6 (pg. 826 in the Bibles under the chair in front of you.) Here we’ll see that there is great power in the name of God.

John 17:6-8                 Revelation and Response

Read: John 17:6-8

Verses 6-8 can be titled ‘Revelation and Response’. It’s a summary of what God has done through his son Jesus in the lives of his disciples and how the disciples have responded to what God has done. Understand that although this is specifically  about Jesus’ disciples, everything that’s said is also true for all those who are disciples of Jesus today.

Let’s look at what God did and what the disciples did

·       Jesus revealed the Father to the disciples

·       Even though the disciples belonged to God the Father, he gave them to Jesus

·       Jesus gave them God’s Word

·       The disciples accepted and obeyed God’s Word

·       The disciples knew that there was a direct connection between God the Father and God the Son.

·       The disciples believed that God the Father Sent Jesus, God the Son to be the Messiah.

A few things to examine here.

First. The ESV and NAS  translate the beginning of vs 6 differently than the NIV and although it may seem trivial, the difference is important.

·       I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Jn 17:6a (ESV)

·       I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the  world. Jn. 17:6a (NIV)

How did Jesus reveal the Father to the disciples? In many ways, but one specific way, one very important way, he revealed to them the name of God. Why is this important? Remember, while names don’t mean much today, they did in Jesus’ day. Knowing and understanding the name of God was a big deal.

Jesus is about to offer comfort to his disciples by asking the Father to protect them when Jesus leaves. He will ask the Father to protect them by the power of his name.

Verses 6-8 show that the disciples’ response was to the revelation of the Name of Almighty God…a name we’ll learn is shared by Jesus, the Son. A name disciples, then and now can find great comfort in because it’s a name that holds great and awesome power.

Second. Verses 6-8 define who Jesus will be praying for in the rest of his prayer. Jesus is praying for Christians. According to this text, what designates one as a Christian?

·       Accepting and obeying God’s Word

·       Knowing that there is a direct connection between God the Father and God the Son.

·       Believing that God the Father Sent Jesus, God the Son to be the Messiah (to save us from our sin)

If you are a Christian…Jesus is praying for you.

Third. Jesus is praying for those whom God has given to him.

Question: What are some of the gifts you have received over the years that you consider precious?

·       From Becky: Clay thing and pencil holder

·       From Kathy: Becky

Jesus says that you are his gift from God the Father. You are known intimately and loved deeply by Jesus. You are precious to him. That’s why he prays for you and not for the world in vs 9.

When you are worried, when you are frightened, when you feel worthless as a person, when your esteem is low remember this you hold a very special place in the heart of Jesus, you are a precious gift given to him by his Father.

Transition: It was important for the disciples to understand that Jesus had truly revealed the Name of God to them. That it was knowledge and acceptance of this Name that was the basis for their relationship with God the Father and Jesus the Son. Because they will have to trust in the name of the Lord if they were going to successfully and faithfully navigate the Christian life.

John 17:9-12  Jesus’ 1^st Prayer Request:                                         Protection

Read: John 17:9-12

Jesus’ first prayer is for his disciples…only, because they belonged to the Father. Why do they and not everyone belong to the Father? Because they have accepted and obeyed God’s Word and placed their faith in God’s Son, Jesus. The purpose of verses 6-8 to set the parameters for Jesus’ prayer.  

Remember, Jesus is praying for all those 

·       Who are in a right relationship with God

·       Who have their sins forgiven

·       Who are assured of eternity in heaven

·       Because they believed or placed their trust in Jesus as their Messiah, their Savior

What does Jesus pray, for those who belong to him? Protection.

Jesus states that while he was on the earth, he protected and watched over his disciples and he didn’t loose any of them.

·       Remember Judas was a disciple in his actions but not in his heart. He was permitted to remain for a time with the group to fulfill his purpose…to betray Jesus.

In the same way Jesus protected his disciples he is asking God the Father to protect his disciples when he is gone. How? By the power of his name.

Want further assurance?

Read: John 10:27-30

Do you remember all the times in the Gospel of John we read that the religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus …but no one laid a hand on him. He was protected by the Name of Almighty God…and so are you.

What a wonderful blessing of assurance once we place our trust…our life in Jesus’ hands. We may be in good hands with Allstate, but we are in eternal hands with God.

Disciples of Jesus, then and now, are protected by the Name of God…the name that God the Father and God the Son share. What is that name? It’s the personal name of God…the name Moses was to give to Pharaoh and the people of Israel…the name, I Am.

In the Book of John Jesus used this name to refer to himself.

·       I am the bread of life. Jn 6:48

·       I am the light of the world. Jn 8:12

·       I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Jn 10:11

·       Jesus said  “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, Jn 11:25

·       Jesus said  “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” Jn 8:58

Just as Jesus was protected from the religious leaders by the Great I Am, just as Jesus, the I Am protected his disciples while he was with them, the Great I Am, will protect all those who place their faith in Jesus. There is absolute power in the Name of the One True and Ever-living God. And while you can’t see him you can know that you

are protected by the power of the name of Almighty God.

Conclusion

ILL: The early Native Indians had a unique practice of training young men. On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, after learning hunting, scouting, and fishing skills, he was put to one final test. He was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then, he had never been away from the security of the family and the tribe. But on this night, he was blindfolded and taken several miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of a thick woods and he was terrified! Every time a twig snapped, he visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. After what seemed like an eternity, dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was his father. He had been there all night long. (Derek Menalson)
 

Jesus is leaving, God the Father can’t be seen.

·       How will the disciple know they are being guarded, protected when they can’t see who it is standing guard?

·       How do we know, how can we be sure that as we navigate the journey of faith, we will be protected by the Great I Am?

By placing our faith, by trusting in the glorious, eternal, all powerful Name of God, revealed to us in Jesus, God the Son.

We have an unconditional and irrevocable relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. The Great I AM promises to protect us by the power of his name…all the way to our heavenly home.

Read: Ps. 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Do you…trust in the name of the Lord your God?

I pray you do, for there is absolute power in His Name.