Be Closer Not Closed

Scripture Cited:

• John 17:24-26
• Philippians 3:20
• Matthew 18:23-35
• Matthew 6:15
• Luke 6:36
• Matthew 20:15
• Matthew 4:10
• Philippians 3:10
• Luke 24:47
• Psalms 75:1
• Psalms 91:14
• Acts 4:12
• 1 John 3:1

The following is the actual pastor’s sermon notes. Please keep in mind, actual presentation may not always follow the notes exactly.  This is provided as a pseudo-transcript of the audio/video

Be Closer not Closed

John 17:24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

NO SLIDE-ERV 24 “Father, I want these people you have given me to be with me in every place I am. I want them to see my glory—the glory you gave me because you loved me before the world was made. 25 Father, you are the one who always does what is right. The world does not know you, but I know you, and these followers of mine know that you sent me. 26 I showed them what you are like, and I will show them again. Then they will have the same love that you have for me, and I will live in them.”

New Beauty Bark

1. Be with Him

• be where I am
• 24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
• This word here is thelo- in the NKJV it says “I desire” in the KJV it says “I will”
• in the greek-this word here can be interpreted to say- that it WILL happen- but it is more than that-
• it is that it will happen, and Jesus will make it happen- and he will be happy about it
• Its interesting to note- Jesus was about his fathers business, but he was about the business of the disciples
• even in his last hour- his prayer for was for the disciples- his hope was that the disciples would be where he is
• Now- in some ways- you can read this to read in a literal sense- and you can
• if the disciples were where Jesus was literally- they would be on their way to the cross
• possible- we’re supposed to pick up our cross and follow Jesus
• But where else is Jesus?
• Fully submitted to the father, Following the Fathers Plan, Not thinking about himself, Serving other people, dying to self, performing miracles, telling the truth, loving on people
• This is the desire of Jesus for his disciples- a fully submitted life to the father-
• that they would “be where I am” and behold his glory- the way for the disciples to experience his glory is to go where he is-
• Jesus’ plan was always to get the disciples to follow him and to become like him- so that that when people saw the disciples, it would draw more people to God
• what does it mean to you-
• you must be with him-
• You must be with him in your purpose- any purpose in your life that isn’t of God- isn’t of God- you’re not with him
• Many people say they are ‘with him’ but the truth is- they aren’t with him at all–
• folks- there are people who claim to follow Jesus that do not follow Jesus- a claim is not enough- are you WITH him
• Because if you’re with him- you’re going to go with Him
• Go to the cross- Go to the people- Go to heaven
• Your heart is going to be in a place where your only desire is to trust him more, love him more, follow him more
• I talked to a lady once who said she stopped going to church because she was tired of always feeling like she wasn’t good enough- the truth is that you’re not good enough- only GOD is good enough
• anytime you feel like you’re not good enough- remind yourself- HE is good enough in ME I dont have to be good enough
• Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Pastor Matt Preaching

1. Know him

• 25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me
• Jesus prays to the father the reality of people not knowing God- but that the disciples knew him
• This is an interesting fact- seeing how Jesus was jewish, and that the people who lived in that area were jewish
• they weren’t unaware of God, or that he existed in some form- but Jesus says “The world has not known you”
• See, part of what Jesus came to do, was to dispel any ideas that people had about who God was and what he was really about
• people had begun to lose sight of who God was and what he wanted to do in people’s lives
• The Jews had lost sight of the nature of the father
• One of the best places to learn about the nature of the father is to read the parables that Jesus said about the Father
• Jesus tells us that the Father will act like the king in the parable of the unmerciful servant

• READ Matt. 18:23-35

• Was the king willing to forgive the debt? Verse 27. YES
• Why was this forgiveness taken away? Verses 28-35. Because HE didn’t forgive
• How did Jesus make the same point in the Sermon on the Mount?
• Matt. 6:15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
• Luke 6:36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful
• In the parable of the workers (Matt. 20:1-15 NO SLIDE),
• the Father is like the landowner who paid each worker a day’s wage, even if he worked only one hour.
• What does this tell us about God? Verse 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?
• In the parable of the tenants (Matt. 21:33-43; Luke 20:9-16 NO SLIDES),
• the Father is like a landowner who eventually sent his son to collect rent.
• What happened to the son? Luke 20:15. And what happened to the tenants? Verse 16.
• Son got beat- people who beat him got nothing
• In the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin (Luke 15:3-10 NO SLIDE), the Father is represented as a man or woman who seeks something that is lost
• . What is the point that Jesus made? GOD Goes after things that are his that are lost!
• In the parable of the prodigal son, the Father eagerly desires the return of his son
• These parables do not give a complete portrait of the Father, but they do sketch some important aspects.
• Here we see a Father who is generous, willing to forgive, eager to invite and eager for us to return.
• In fact, the Father is so eager for our salvation that he took the initiative to send his Son to seek for us, to invite us and to ensure that we can come.
• In the parables, we also see another aspect of God: a Father who makes requirements, who is critical of people who do not rejoice when sinners turn to God.
• Moreover, the Father is willing to judge and punish those who disobey. “Be afraid,” Jesus said, “of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).
• Matt. 4:10 “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only”
• Phil 3:10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
• we must share the knowledge of God
• the Nature of God is that he is multifaceted
• You can’t declare his love without declaring his holiness
• you can’t declare his judgment without declaring his mercy
• See- human nature is that we hold on to the good stuff in our head, because thats what we want to hear- but we minimize the bad stuff we dont want to hear
• People will get a new job- they always tell you about the benefits- how much they are getting paid, how much time off, the work conditions-
• rarely do they share the worst parts about the job- nor do you think about them once you get hired- you think about the benefits of it
• We must share this truth about God
• YES God is love- but that love is a love of truth and mercy and demands
• Luke 24: 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
• When did the definition of Love mean- you can do whatever you want for as long as you want and I’m just going to stand here loving you and watching you destroy yourself
• I’ve never heard a story, or met a person who had a person break into their house in the middle of the night say, I didnt defend myself, I didnt call the police- I just called out in the darkness- here I am- I love you!
• We must know the fullness of God so that we can share the fullness of God- its a well rounded truth of who God is
• You have Got to read your Bible if you are going to understand who God is-
• I argue with people all the time and It is clear that they don’t know God at all- not in the slightest- they haven’t read the book
• if you know it- you should share it- you can’t hold on to it

Communion Sunday

1. Love Him

declare and LOVE

26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

• The people of the Bible were very conscious of the meaning of names.
• They believed there was a vital connection between the name and the person it identified.
• A name  somehow represented the nature of the person.
• Moses in the burning bush—“I AM WHO I AM”—conveyed something of His character.
• The name of the Lord was virtually synonymous with His presence.
• (Ps 75:1). “For your wondrous works declared that your name is near”
• (Ps 91:14).  To know the name of God is thus to know God Himself
• A striking illustration of this is Acts 4:12: “For there is no other name under heaven…..by which we must be saved.”
• But interesting to note- when you know his NAME you know HIM
• Jesus hope was that the love that God had for the son would be in them
• Did you catch that? This is the type of love that Jesus wants us to have- the love that God the Father had for the son
• Wow- we are loving Jesus like God loved Jesus- and that love lives inside of us
• This is an all encompassing powerful life changing love that we can receive
• Again, if Jesus prayed this prayer- then it came true- we have this love inside of us if we are in Christ!
• This is why it always baffles me when people dont love their kids- so self centered
• Can’t even fix their kids a sandwich- dont know where they are or what they are doing- but I love my kids!
• Same thing for people who say that they have the Love of God in their hearts-
• well, you never read your Bible, you never get together with his family, you get upset when the word cuts you to your heart-
• Do you really love him? Is that type of love in you

• what does it mean to you?
• Fall in love with the father-
• 1 john 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him
• Read his word and see the promises that he has for you
• Worship him and thank him for his blessings
• fellowship with his people- experience the Love of the Father through the people
• Thats why its important that we get together- Gods love in us- through us- to the world- so that they can learn who and what God is!
• What a wonderful blessing to us!