17th August 2025 – Church Unity – John 17

Church Unity – John 17

If you knew that in just a few short hours you would be arrested, tried, and executed, what would you do? That’s the position we find Jesus in in John 13-17.
He knew what Judas was about to do, and knew what the outcome of that betrayal would be. Of course, Jesus had always known where His mission would take Him.
He came to show us the Father, and to take our sins onto Himself to make us right with God.

Over the years that He had spent with His apprentices, Jesus had taught them all about God’s right-side-up kingdom, and had spoken about how he would die to rescue us.
But the time now was short. On the night of His betrayal, Jesus spent some time instructing His friends on who He really is and what it means to follow Him.
He promised the coming of the Holy Spirit, and reminded them of how God our Father loves us dearly because we love Jesus and believe that He came from God.

And Jesus prayed.

He spoke to His Father about what was happening, what He had done, and what He was asking for. He asked our Father to protect His apprentices; to keep them safe from the evil one.
While Jesus was with them in person, He had done exactly that. Now that He would soon be returning to the Father, He entrusted them to the Father’s care.

But Jesus didn’t just pray for His apprentices back then. He also prayed “for all who will ever believe in me through their message.”
That’s you and I! Jesus’ prayer: that we would be one, just like the Father and the Son are one. More than that: that we would be united with both each other and with God!

Why is our being united such a big deal? Because if we are one with each other and with God, then the world will believe that Jesus was sent by the Father!
Our unity is a sign to the world of who Jesus really is! It arises out of God’s glory; it is the witness of God’s love at work in us and through us.
What unites us is our knowing the Father – the Fathers love for the Son in us; Christ living in us.

Unity isn’t an optional extra for Christians; it’s key to our identity!