Okay, so today we're going into, well I should actually preface that by saying I did tell you we were going to go into the Sabbath teaching and the calendar teaching and we're not. Because I realized, hold on, I realized that these are now starting to get into issues that cause debate and argument and division. Because people argue about the calendar, and they argue about how to keep Shabbat, and they argue, these are some of the three or four or five things. There's not a lot of things we fight about, by the way.
As a body, we only fight about four or five different things. It's not much. So if you're in the ministry, you get the same arguments and questions all the time. But I thought it might be important, before we get into that, to talk about unity and division in the body, and what we are supposed to be looking like, and why we have issues. Because we need to deal with that understanding before we get into the things that actually cause division.
We should understand what underlies the issues that we fight about. Why do we allow division to come out of disagreeing about things like Shabbat and calendars and that kind of stuff? and so I wanted to first get into this idea and study on unity.
Now, we've done this teaching before. It was called Unity and Division in the Body of Messiah, and so it's a redo. We're going to take more than one part on this one, and I'm going to do it somewhat differently than I think I did the first time because I really want us to focus on... and understand what the desire of Yeshua is and the Father is in terms of unity, what we see scripturally, it talks about why we have disunity, why we have divisions, and then look at how we fix that problem before we actually get to the things that tend to be divisive.
Does that make sense? Okay? So I just want to make sure in introducing this subject is for us to understand that we are not unique at this time frame and this time period in terms of what we do. terms of the issues the body has.
The body has always had issues. The children of Israel as a nation always had issues that caused division, and the reasons for it and the underlying causes are no different now than they were then or then than they are now. And so what I want us to do is start off by looking at unity first, that that is the desire of Yeshua. We're going to read John chapter 17, a good chunk of that chapter here. And we're going to go through it slowly and in detail to kind of understand this is Yeshua's prayer right before his death, and this is what he wanted to make sure to get across as far as what his desire was for those that were his.
And actually what we're going to see is that those that were his were those that were the fathers that were given to him, so they were the fathers first. And so we're going to look at unity as it pertains to being the desire of Yeshua and how he sees things, and I think that's all we're going to get done today. Then we're going to look at the problem.
We're going to look at what is causing a problem with Yeshua's desire coming through. And I promise you, just go find a mirror, you'll find the problem. Okay, we're the problem. And we've got to understand why it's... it's us that's the problem.
What is it in us that causes these problems? And I think that without letting the cat out of the bag, it's a maturity thing. Okay? It's a maturity thing. And we're going to get into all of those details.
So let's begin in John chapter 17 and in verse 1. And we're going to, I actually have a long list of notes for a change where I break down each verse as to kind of the points I want to make sure we hit as we look and understand this prayer of Yeshua. So Yeshua said these words and lift up his eyes to the heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Esteem your son so that your son also might esteem you.
So this is when the hour has come. This is now he's about to say it is finished. Everything I've come here to do, I've done. So this is the last things he wanted to do before getting to it is finished.
And he wanted us to know this prayer that he prayed to his father regarding those that were in his care. So he says here, he says, esteem your son. Esteem, better in English, I think, would be to put honor.
Okay? Honor or esteem your son so also he may esteem you. So understanding this now as we go through this prayer, that esteem or honor from the Father is for the purpose of honoring him back. Okay?
So he gives you esteem and honor because you honor him and so that you will continue to honor him. So this is what Yeshua said. He says, esteem your son so that.
That's the key words there, so that. The reason for, the purpose of receiving honor and esteem is so that you might glorify and give honor back to the Father. Well, we're going to find out in all of this, the reason why unity is important and why we have the division issues is because we don't seem to fully grasp that all of this is about Him. Okay? Your life, the world you live in, everything that exists is in existence.
and exists for the purpose of his purposes. In other words, this is all about him. He wants people.
He wants human beings to live with and have a transforming conformant image of his son. He wanted there to be trees and life. He wanted there to be animals.
He wanted there to be weather and rain and wind and snow and sunshine. All of these things are because it's what he wants. Now, we could come from places where we start to think that somehow this is about us. That puts us right in the middle of the universe and that almost makes us God, you know, that everything is there to serve our purposes and to make our lives happy, but it's his desire to bring you joy because that makes him happy, making you filled with joy.
Makes him happy. You know this feeling if you have anyone that you love. I was going to say children or parents. I don't know who you love and who you don't.
But whoever you do love, it makes you happy when you make them happy. See, and they think you're making them happy because, you know, it's about them. No, it's about you.
It makes you happy to make them happy. And that's the same way your Father in the heavens feel, to bring joy. Okay, so honor that he gives and offers to. us is fully for the purpose of making sure that we receive it in order to then return that honor back to Him. Okay?
Verse 2. So He says, as you've given Him, the Son, authority over all flesh, that He should give everlasting life to all whom you have given Him. Okay? So first of all, notice there's a connection.
The Son has authority that He's going to give everlasting life to all that the Father gave to Him. Okay? Verse 3, and this is everlasting life, that they should know you, the only true Elohim, and Yeshua Messiah, whom you have sent. So everlasting life is now being defined.
Here's your definition. It's defined as knowing, I'll put quotes around that, knowing the Father and the Son. not informationally, not knowing about, but relationally. In other words, having a knowing, deep, abiding, intimate relationship with Father and Son, knowing what pleases them. We had verses in other teachings many, many times just talks about that we should be seeking what is well-pleasing in His sight.
It should be our desire to do what is right in His eyes. In other words, if you know me, you would keep my commandments. If you love me, you would keep my commandments. Well, how are you going to love what you don't know?
You're not going to love. You may like something you only know a little bit about, but to really love it, you've got to know it. Okay?
And so, he says, everlasting life now is defined as knowing the Father and the Son. He says, look, this is everlasting life, that they should know you, the only true Elohim and Yeshua Messiah whom you've sent. So, everlasting life comes through that relationship.
Because if you know them, then you'll understand the rest of the story. In other words, not just knowing about them doesn't teach you enough. Oh, I've heard of God. I've heard of the Father. I've heard of the Son.
I've heard of Messiah. I heard a few things about them. That doesn't do anything for you except get you started. You need that information. to start you down a path.
But as you really get to know them, then you'll understand the rest of the story, like follow me, be in same manner as, imitate me, be transformed into the image of the Son, obey, guard, keep, all these things that have to do with. Then you also know that the desire is to bless, keep safe. Okay, all of these things start in coming out of a knowing relationship. So he's saying that's where everlasting life comes from, not just from an altar call or believing that Messiah died, was buried, and was resurrected, and et cetera. These are important things that you need to know informationally.
But when you take that information and use it to develop a relationship, now we can do something. Now it has power to lead to and give, at some point, everlasting life. This is everlasting life, the knowing. See, the problem is that when people read that, they only think informationally. See, a lot of people out there are watching right now, think they know me, they don't know me.
They're seeing me, they watch me. Okay, but it takes time with someone to know them. What do they like?
What are they like? What don't they like? What is their personality like? What's pleasing to them? What, you know, whatever it is, you get to know somebody.
You know, some of you, when you were in the dating mode, you know, maybe were told by a friend, hey, I'd like to introduce you to somebody, and they told you about the person. So you didn't know them, but you knew a little bit about them. And then maybe you went and met that person and went on a few dates, and then as you got to know them, then you came to realize whether or not you actually wanted to be with them.
But you had to get to know them, not just know about them. Because I can tell you about somebody. If I was to try to be a matchmaker, I'd say, oh, look, I can tell you about this person, and I can tell that person about you.
It's not the same as actually spending time together and getting to know them and seeing how that relationship actually works. So it's the knowing that eventually can bring everlasting life. Because even John, now you can understand why in 1 John, John says, those who say they know him and do not keep and guard the commandments are liars.
You see, because if you know him in that relationship, you would understand how important it is. You'd know that he said, if you love me, keep the commandments. You would know all of these things about him. relationally.
It would be that intimacy. Continuing, so in verse 4, he says, I have esteemed you, I've given you honor on the earth, having accomplished the work you have given me that I should do. So, I want you to understand that doing and accomplishing the work the Father has given you to do gives Him honor, honors Him. Okay?
He says, I have esteemed you by doing what you sent me to do, by accomplishing something. So I want you to think about, and we haven't even gotten anywhere towards the words unity in this yet. We're going to get there in a few more verses, but I want you to think about if you want to honor your father, then you need to understand what is it he wants you to accomplish.
They didn't teach you that on Sunday, did they? That you actually have to accomplish something. See, Yeshua's saying here, I have esteemed you having accomplished the works. Oh, there's that horrible four-letter word. He did work.
I accomplished what you sent me to do, what you've given me that I should do. Abba has a plan of stuff that you, he wants you to accomplish, that you should do. And part of that is also things that he wants you not to do. He wants you to accomplish overcoming the temptation.
That's part of accomplishing the temptation to do that which you shouldn't do. Does that make sense? So you want to be praying as Yeshua is praying. Now, Yeshua is praying having already accomplished.
We should be praying a prayer like this, saying, Father, help me to understand what it is you want me to accomplish so that I can honor and esteem you. Because that's what verse 4 is talking about here. I have esteemed you, having accomplished the work you gave me that I should do.
I mean, I could just repeat. We could just end the sermon right there, and you'd have enough homework. Okay?
I mean, right there, that one verse, and understanding that it's what you do, whether or not it's in line with what He asked you or created you to accomplish, that honors Him. So you may want to say, Abba, what is it you want me to accomplish in my life? I'm just kind of really struggling through this life as it is, and I don't even know what I'm supposed to be doing.
Abba, what is it you want me to accomplish? See, you're here for a purpose. You were born where you were born for a purpose. You could have been born in another country at another time with different parents, the whole thing.
But you were born in your situation because he expected you to accomplish something. And by the way, when I say, accomplish. I don't mean huge, wonderful, big projects or something.
It may be just personal growth. He expects you to grow into the image of the Son, develop His character. He wants you to accomplish both internal things and external things.
I'll say that again. We're not just talking about physically going out there because somebody might think, oh, but I can't teach or I can't write or I can't do this or I can't minister. That's not necessarily the types of accomplishments. That's the way the world sees accomplishments.
What he gave Yeshua the... task to come, disciple a bunch of guys, start the process of recalling the lost tribes, getting that message out there, dying and being resurrected to overcome both sin and death, and to have that victory. He had his own thing to accomplish. You don't have to accomplish those things specifically.
That was his tasks. What does he want you to accomplish? I think the CC101 program is talking about those things. He wants you to continue on the journey when he disturbed your peace and go forward.
And what does he want you to do? Discover what's truth and walk in it. He wants you to understand you.
In a realistic way. In other words, we talked about that, like how we lie to ourselves and rationalize. We don't look at ourselves as we really are. See yourself as you are and then change whatever is not Yeshua-like into Yeshua-like to be looking like Yeshua.
So that accomplishment thing is very important. Continuing. Verse 5, and now esteem me with yourself, Father, with the esteem which I had with you before the world was. I have revealed your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world.
They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have guarded me. that you sent me. So Yeshua revealed the Father's name. Now we have the teaching called, what's it called? No other name? I forgot what I named the teaching.
No other name. Okay? And in that teaching, we understand that the word name represents things like authority, character, or the nature of something. So Yeshua said, I reveal to these the ones you gave me. He said, I have revealed to the men you gave me out of the world.
world your name. See, now the sacred namers will think he gave them the secret understanding of how to say Yahweh or Yehovah, whatever way you pronounce it. It had nothing to do with that.
He said, I reveal to them who you are, your character, your nature, your authority. In other words, what that name stands for. What it represents.
So if you're not familiar with that teaching, it's called No Other Name. You might want to go listen to that. So Yeshua revealed the Father's authority, nature, and character. How? Through the receiving and guarding the Father's words and belief.
Look at the rest of it. It says, because this happened, because, verse 8, the words which you gave to me, I gave to them. And they received.
See, there's an active participation here. People have been raised thinking Yeshua is going to do everything for you. No, he didn't just give words to them.
Guess what? Anybody remember verses where he gave words to lots of people and they didn't all follow? Or they followed for a little while and then they left?
These received. That's something you need to do. He's giving you his words, the Father's words. He said, the words you gave me, I gave them, and they received. So we need to receive, and then it says here, and they have guarded your word.
So once you receive it, you have to guard it. And a lot of us don't take that seriously enough. Okay, I would say all of us don't take that seriously enough, what it means to guard that word, okay?
And we're not going to get into that in much more detail today, but just understand that that's a big part of what's going on here. He's saying, look, I have revealed it to who? The man you gave me.
So remember, it says, none comes as the Father draws, right? So the Father is doing the drawing. We come to Yeshua.
We're led to Yeshua. Yeshua gives us the Father's words. We have to receive those words. And then guard them. Okay?
Now, continuing here now in verse 9. I pray for them. Now listen. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.
Now this is an interesting verse. What does this verse say about praying for those in the body versus praying for those in the world? Yeshua said, I pray for them. Now, I know on a Peshat level, he's saying this prayer right now is just for these guys. He's not saying I don't have feelings for and emotions for those that are in the world.
But until they come out of the world, he said, that's the Father's got to do with that. My prayers are those that he gave me. That's what he's saying.
So we should be praying that the Father will disturb their peace and bring them out. But understand that this prayer he's praying is said, these are for the ones who you gave to me, and I gave your word, and they received it, and they're guarding it. Okay?
So am I saying that we shouldn't pray for those in the world? No. But I'm just saying, realize that those in the world that we're praying for, we have to make sure that our prayers are about so that it leads them to Yahweh where he'll disturb their peace. Because if Yahweh just keeps intervening in their lives and they don't know that that's what's happening, then they're never going to come to him. See, sometimes we pray for our friends and family members that are not keeping Torah and not part of the body.
And we wonder why things are not working right in their lives and why the prayers are not being answered. Because they're supposed to suffer till they get it. I don't want to be so harsh. But we do this on a regular basis. We all have family members that we want to pray for when their situations in their lives are not going well.
And then we pray and Abba lets it get worse or doesn't intervene. And we wonder why. Because it's not that he's ignoring your desire. He's saying, I'm trying to get their attention. That's what he's saying.
And so don't feel like your prayers are not being answered. Remember, his answer may be no or not now. That's still an answer.
And so when you're praying for family members, whatever thing they're struggling with, whatever tragedies are going on in their life, it may be that Abba's allowing those things because he's trying to get their attention. So I would recommend you talk to your family members about how about starting to get in line with the Torah? with the living word, and maybe that will start fixing all your problems. Instead of us doing the heavy lifting and saying, okay, I'll go pray for you, you keep doing whatever you're doing.
And Abba's going to intervene because he loves me so much that you don't have to do anything. See, isn't that the same ridiculous thing that we hear in Christianity as like Yeshua did it all for you so you don't have to do anything? So whenever I pray for somebody outside of the body, my prayer is always that, Abba, that if you're going to do this, you do it in a way that brings you glory and honor and gets that person to know that's what happened. So that they will make the choice to go and seek after you, Father, and not continue just doing whatever they're doing.
Because here's Yeshua saying, listen, he's very blunt about it. I pray for them, the them being those that he shared the word with and who received it and are guarding it. He said, I don't pray for the world, but those whom you have given me, for they are yours.
He's only praying for the ones that are Abba's that he's called. I don't think there's another way to interpret that. He said, and all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I have been esteemed in them.
Now remember, he's only honored in them if we're doing what? Receiving the word and guarding the word. Otherwise, we are not honoring Him.
Yeshua said, yours are mine, mine are yours, because you gave them to me. And when you gave them to me, I honored them and took care of them as if they were yours, because they are. And they have honored me back because they have done what I've taught them to do, which you taught me to do.
And that's where the honoring comes from. So here in verse 10, when it says, I have been esteemed in them, my question to you is, how is Yeshua esteemed and honored in us? And the answer is, if we love Him, we guard His commandments.
In doing what He said, in imitating Him, following Him, that's what gives Him honor. If He says, follow me, and goes over this way, and you go and rather go over that way, does that honor Him? No. So let's be asking ourselves the question, we see a verse like verse 10, He says, yours are mine, and I have been esteemed in them. Ask yourself, well, what am I doing?
Is what I'm doing esteeming or honoring him? Verse 11, and I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to you, set apart, Father, guard them in your name, which you have given me, so that they might be one as we are one. Now we're going to get to the whole point. All of this preamble, all of this lead-in was getting to this verse, and the rest of this prayer is going to continue the theme of unity. Okay?
He says, Father, I am no more in the world, but these are. I come to you. Guard them in your authority that you gave me so that they may be one as we are. Now, so Yeshua asked the Father to guard those that are his so that they, which is us, we, might be one as or in the same type of relationship as, in like manner as he and the Father are one.
So we need to ask ourselves a question, what does that look like? Well, we have verses that talk about where Yeshua says, well, everything that the Father says, I do. And everything that I do is what He tells me to do. And everything, you know, all of these things where He's in such complete unity and alignment with His Father.
So much so that if you saw Him, you saw the Father. Because that's how alike they would look in behavior, character, and nature. That may be slightly different in personalities, but in the other things, very much the same.
Very much the same. know what this looks like. How many times have you seen a child of someone you know really well, and they're acting a certain way, you go, oh, you're just like your mother. Oh, you're just like your father.
Or in a good way going, hey, you know, your daughter's just like you. Oh, your son is just like you. And then it's a positive way. Either way, though, they're noticing that their behavior, nature, and character matches yours. It matches yours.
So here, he's saying, Yeshua's asking the Father to guard those that are His, so that we, which is, you know, we're hoping that we're part of that, right? So that we, being those people also, because we're going to read a verse where he says, I'm praying for others, not just these alone. He says that we might be in the same type of relationship with each other and with the Father and the Son as the Father and the Son are.
So that they might be one as we are. So they might be one as we are. You know, I was going to get into more detail about this whole thing of echad or one. You know, the first appearance of the word is in Genesis when it says, and it was evening and it was morning, day one, or one day.
You know, multiple things together made it something that was one. Okay? And so this echadness, this coming together, this understanding that something is one doesn't mean that it's actually singular, but it's multiple things together being and acting as if they are one, one inseparable unit. That's what the body is supposed to be.
Sadly, as I've said often, the body looks like it jumped on a landmine. It got exploded everywhere, right? So he says, now this is Yeshua's last big prayer before dying. I mean, this is huge.
And his last thing that he wanted to make sure it got out there was his desire for us. to be one in the same way that he and his father are one. So if you want to know what Yeshua really wants, that's what he really wants. He wants us to be one as he and his father are one. Verse 12 and 13. And now I come to you and I speak these words in the world.
Now I skipped over a little bit in verse 11 when he says, I am no more in the world. Because we're going to start talking about this being in the world and not of the world thing here in the next couple of verses. But he does say here, this idea about his joy being completed in us.
What in the world does that mean? Okay, what does it mean to have Yeshua's joy completed in us? He says, and I speak these words in the world so that they have my joy completed in them.
I'm going to guess, because he doesn't tell us specifically, so here's my guess. He wants us to have the fullness and completeness of the joy he experiences in that echad oneness with the Father. In other words, in that unity. He says, I gave them, I was guarding them in your name that they gave me, and I watched over them and all these things.
Why? And he says, and now I come to you and I speak these words so that they might understand this joy that I have. Also, so that my joy is apparent, so to speak, because he was like a parent to all of them.
He was sort of a father figure to all these men. He says, what would be more joyful than a parent being proud and pleased with the things that their children are doing? Or a teacher and his students. You tell your son or your daughter, you will make me so happy if you would do this or do that.
This would make me happy, fill me with joy. So he says, look, I want this so that they have my joy completed in them. So if they would complete what you have given them to accomplish, that would complete my joy. Then take the other level of it, which is, and if they would do those things, they would experience the joy that I experience. So now we have two levels of this.
I want my joy, them to feel it, but I also want they will make me so happy if they finish what I gave them to do, just like you were happy when I finished what you gave me to do. And by the way, when it says joy completed here, that's the same kind of wording as the phrase in I didn't come to destroy but to complete. So he's not desiring that there be no more joy. Just like Christians will tell you so when he completed it, there's no more Torah, there's no more law. No.
It's to be filled up to overflowing. He says, I didn't come to destroy, but to fill up to overflowing. Same thing here. He says, I want this so that my joy may be overflowing in them, may be filled up to capacity and overflowing. Verse 14. I have given them your word, and the world hated them, because they are not of the world, as I am not of the world.
Now notice that this is now following. Okay, he first identifies the nature of the relationship in the first ten or so verses. What brings honor? How you receive honor? What's expected of you?
Then he says, and all of that is because he wants us to be a chad, one, unity. He wants us to be together in unity. Now he's going to start telling you why that's a problem for us.
What happens to cause a problem? He says, look. He says, I have given them your word. So now he's reconnecting back to what brings everlasting life? Okay, we had that defined, right?
The definition with everlasting life, it says, was defined as knowing the Father and the Son. And the way we know it is because we get a relationship through knowing the Word, which tells us about and how to have that relationship. And he says, I have given them your Word. By the way, the word Word is also Yeshua himself.
It's the Torah. It's the truth. It's life. He says, so I've given myself to them.
I've given the Torah to them. I've given your Word to them, and the world hated them because they're not of the world. of the world, as I am not of the world.
So we're going to be hated by the world. So stop getting all upset and depressed and frustrated when the world doesn't love you. Because a lot of you will call us up and talk about how your sister, your brother, your mother, your boss, your coworkers, your friends, and all these people that used to be all wonderful with you are no longer so wonderful with you. Well, because you've made a choice.
He says the world, and we know this, hated him. We know that the world hated him. And so, why would we be surprised if the world hates us? And so when we are no longer looking like or participating in the world in its fullness, the world and those in it start to notice, and they're not happy about that, because now you stand out. And if you stand out, there's something in their spirit that says, if they're right, I'm wrong.
And if I'm wrong, I need to change, and I don't want to change. So therefore, they can't be right, and I've got to attack them for making me feel this way. And that's why they don't like you, because of the way you make them feel.
Not because you're doing it on purpose. Your existence as a Torah-observant follower of Yeshua makes them uncomfortable. It's an internal thing in their spirit and man, connecting with the small voice that's disturbing their peace, and they don't like the way that feels.
So they're going to lash out at you because it's your fault. You are making them feel that way. That's just the way they feel about it. You're really not doing this, but they're going to blame you because before you made these changes in your life, they didn't feel this way. So now all of a sudden they're feeling this way because you're acting differently.
You're not participating in conversations the same way you used to. You're not eating the same way you used to. You're taking different days off now.
I mean, your behavior, they're seeing Yeshua in you. So it's not you they're hating. It's the Yeshua in you that they're hating. The more they see him, the more they don't like you.
I know it doesn't make sense, but that's not the way Christianity teaches the Jesus thing. The more they see Jesus in you, the more they're going to love you. That's because the Jesus that they're preaching doesn't require you to change your behavior hardly at all.
But if the more you become Yeshua-like, a Torah-observant, submissive child of the Father, Now you don't look like them anymore, and you're disturbing their peace, and they're not liking it. Listen. He says, verse 15, so the world hates us because we, like Yeshua, are not of the world. Now, of course, if the world is loving you, maybe you haven't changed enough yet.
Hey, listen, just meditate on that. You know, if the world loves you, and everybody's your friend, and everybody thinks you're wonderful, and you're now walking this walk, either you're only walking around with members of the body, but if you're still walking around with people in the world, and nothing has changed in those relationships, maybe it's because you haven't changed very much. I'm just saying.
Verse 15. I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the wicked ones. So he doesn't want us to be taken out of this crazy mess. But that while we're in it, because see, while we're in it is how we get to grow. That's where our character is developed, under pressure, under those fires, under adversity. That's where character gets developed.
He says, I don't want you to take them out of the petri dish of testing grounds, or whatever you want to call this, where they're going to grow, and they're going to be tested, and they're going to have their character developed, but I want you to help keep them from the wicked one. the father of lies. He says, they are not of the world as I am not of the world. Now, of course, Christianity will read that verse as a given fact. Well, they're not of the world, as I'm not of the world.
No, you're only not of the world if you're doing all the things that you were put here to accomplish. If you're doing worldly things, you're still of the world. And Paul talks about this quite a bit in his writings, to stop walking as you did before when you were a Gentile, in the futility of your mind. We've read verses with that all the time.
So you can't claim to be a follower of Yeshua, a Torah-observing follower of Yeshua, a child of the living Elohim, a child of Israel, and keep doing what you were doing before. Things have got to change. He says, verse 17, set them apart in your truth, your word is truth. So now, isn't that interesting that all of this is coming around? We get to verse 16 where he says, they're not of the world as I am not of the world.
So we should be asking ourselves if that's true for ourselves. And then to tie it back together where he was talking about the word earlier and bring it back to that, he says, look. He says, set them apart.
This is what sets you apart from the world. Remember, he said they're in the world, but they're not of the world. What makes the difference? This is what makes the difference, the truth. Okay, it's the truth.
Whose truth? It says your truth. Father, your truth is what sets them apart. Your truth, which is the Word.
He says, your Word is truth. What's the Word? Yeshua, the Torah, the Word. He says, your Word is truth.
So what is the separating, defining thing, the thing Christianity wants to do away with? The Word, the Torah, the commandments, the instructions that tell you how to be like them. Not the world, but like the Father and the Son. That's, you know, we talk about this all the time, all the time, all the time. What does the Torah do?
It blesses you. It keeps you safe. And then this is where it comes in. It's the thing that transforms you from what you are into what they are.
It's the transformative vehicle. So that's why he throws that verse in here. He's saying, look, they are not of the world as I am not of the world, only if what? If, Abba, you would set them apart, if they could be set apart by guarding your word.
Remember, we go back to the verse which says, look, they received and they have guarded. I revealed your name to them. They have received and they're guarding.
Interesting. Okay, so verse 17 is very important. This is what sets us apart, and again, this is also what gets us at odds with people that are still in the world. We're put at odds with them because we now are changing our thought processes, our behavior and lifestyle choices.
personalities, you know, change somewhat, I mean, we're becoming more Yeshua-like, okay? We make different decisions, different choices. Remember, we did the teaching called making decisions is the reason you exist. All right, let's continue.
In verse... So verse 17, the question I ask you is, are you set apart in the Father's truth and the Word? Are you actually setting yourself apart with that?
Verse 18, as you sent me into the world, I also sent them into the world. Okay? So we may want to think about what Yeshua was sent into the world to do.
And I'm not talking about the death, burial, and resurrection part. Let's talk about everything else that He did. What did He do?
He made disciples. He showed people the Father. He said, I've come here to show you the Father.
He showed people the Father and discipled them in the Word. What did he do? He says, I have given them your name. I taught them your name.
I've shown them your name. This is what he did. I revealed your authority, your character, your nature to them. This is what we are to do as well.
But the Father must draw them to you. You don't have to go knock on doors and start pestering all your friends and family members. But you need to be prepared because he sent you into the world at the very minimum to be a light so that what you do is seen.
And others may wonder, why do you do what you do? How come you don't do what you used to do? Trust me when I tell you that when I was in college and first started walking this walk in my early 20s, over 30 years ago, my friends wondered what in the world happened to me.
Because growing up in college age, you know, in my early 20s, you know, just after college in New York City, you know, every sentence had at least one curse word in it, I promise you. And that was just normal, not because we were, you know, the typical thing, oh, you're guys like truck drivers and dock workers. I don't know why they get all the bad reputation. I've met a million people doing lots of other jobs whose mouths are worse or just as bad as anybody else.
But all of a sudden, I stopped using that language. Confused all my friends. But they noticed very quickly. Okay? Behavior changes.
Because our choices change. And our thought processes change. So he says, look. He says, you sent me into the world. I also sent them into the world.
So you have a job in the world. old. It may not be discipling and teaching people per se.
It may not be, you know, whatever other lofty thing you may think. It may be as simple of living the life where people can see it and the fruit it bears. Okay?
We all have that role. But you have other roles. Some of you are really great listeners.
I'm fairly awful at that. So we appreciate those of you that are good at that. Because some of you actually genuinely care about what the other person is saying. A lot of us don't.
Not because we're selfish necessarily, just because we have other things we're focused on that we want to accomplish and sitting still and listening to you would take too long. That's reality. I'm not trying to be mean.
But there needs to be people that have nothing else to do, but they love to sit and listen to you. And you need those people. And some of you are great at that. Others of us, a lot of us are not, but that's not our job. Everybody's got a job and a role.
It's just like my job's not yours, yours is not mine. And so think about it and ask, Father, Father, what is it you sent me here to accomplish? What is my thing to accomplish?
Some of you, your job is to be the best listener and have the most empathy for people and sympathy because people need empathy. empathy and sympathy. And guess what?
If you're going to the leader type person, you're probably not going to get that as easily as you go to the person who's actually, that's their skill set. Do you think that people when they went to Moses got a lot of empathy and sympathy? Not the guy for that probably. Okay?
Because he had a leader role. But there were other people that were wonderful at that. And so just understand, he sent you into the world. He said, they've been sent, I've sent them just like you sent me. So there is a connection there, like as.
So in the same manner as he was sent, we were sent to accomplish something. Continuing. Let's see, verse 19. Verse 19, and by the way, if you were sent into the world to do discipling, let's get back to verse 18, make sure you've actually been discipled.
Okay, if you actually want to take this in a more literal sense, that like Yeshua was sent into the world to disciple, well, he was discipled by the Father, and then he discipled those that he sent. Remember, right now he's only talking to who? The 12. Or the 11. Okay?
He's talking to them. Okay, he says, I'm talking to those guys that I trained. So if you're going to take this literally as far as being sent out to disciple like he was sent out, you need to be discipled first.
That way he was able to say, Father, I'm going to teach them with the way you taught me. And what you taught me, I'm going to teach them. Same thing with you. Be taught and then teach. Verse 19, and for them I set myself apart so that they might be set apart in truth.
So the reason he does the things he does is so that we, or them in that case, but we'll see that in verse 20, this is also about us. He says, so that we might be set apart in truth. In other words, he did everything perfectly to set the example so that we would know what to do. That's why we have the teaching called, What Did Yeshua Do? You know, back in the days when they had the WWJD bracelets and all that stuff, what would Jesus do?
Well, you know what? Who qualified these people to guess what they thought Messiah would do? What I can tell you is what he did. Because that's been documented. So based on what he did, I can then surmise what I should do.
Because I'm supposed to do what he did. So he said, I did what I did. I set myself apart so that they might be set apart in truth.
In other words, so that they would know exactly what to do and how to do it. So they would know exactly what to do and how to do it. Now, by the way, I'm going to throw this out as a little nugget for later. When we do get to the Sabbath teaching.
Okay? Understand that in... Remember, He said, I gave it to them as an example so they know exactly what to do. You don't have to go back to creation to figure out how to keep the Sabbath.
You don't have to go back as far as what day it is or whether it starts at sundown or sunset or whatever. Yeshua kept it with the disciples. He kept it with the Jewish community exactly the way they did it. Never corrected them.
And unless you can show me that the Jews have changed in the last 2,000 years from when Yeshua did it with them, then whatever Yeshua did with them is still correct. Why I'm throwing this in now is because he said, Look, I set myself apart so that they might know exactly what to do in truth. Do what I do.
He wasn't just do what I say. We've got enough people to basically do what I say. As a matter of fact, that's when Matthew 23 attacked the Pharisees. He said, don't do what they do, do what they say, because they don't do what they say. He said, I do what I say.
I set myself apart and do, I walk the talk. A lot of people talk and don't walk. Okay?
Now, so he says, look, I set myself apart so that they might be set apart in truth. What do we know the truth is? John 14, verse 6, he says, I am truth. Psalm 119, verse 142 and 160, the word is truth.
Okay? John 116, the word put on flesh. Excuse me, John 114, the word put on flesh. Okay? There's your loop.
That's what truth is. He says, look, I do not pray for these alone, but also for those believing in me through their, these 12's word. Hmm. He says, I do not pray for these alone.
So Yeshua was praying for all those in the future who would believe because of the testimony and the example of the disciples. I'm waving at all of you. That's us. He's talking about us and everybody since then between them and us and everybody in the future if there's more future that would hear and read the word and understand and seek to please the Father through this. He's praying for those that are discipled by him, those that would receive, accomplish, and guard the word.
So if you're not doing all of that stuff, he's not praying about you. He's not talking about you. He's talking about those that would fit the verses that we just read in chapter 17 here.
If you match from verse 1 to this point, that's who he's talking about. If you don't match, he's not talking about you. I'm sorry. He's talking about those that fit the description. He just described exactly what that person looks like, who that person is.
He says, I'm not just praying for these. Which are the these? The these who I revealed your name to.
The these who received. The these that are guarding. The these. That's the these he's talking about here. So if we're going to be a part of that group, we've got to be doing the same things.
These. He said, I don't want to pray for these alone, but for those believing in me through what? Through all of the word, example, testimony of these guys. Very powerful stuff. Now, we're going to start bringing this back to the unity thing.
All of this again, listen now in verse 21. All of this is so what? He said, I'm not praying just for these, but those in the future, so that they all, all these. guys right now and the ones in the future. In case the first time he mentioned it in verse 11 wasn't clear enough that it was just maybe talking about those guys.
He said, no, no, these guys and all those in the future, I say all of this so that they all might be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you so that they too might be one in us so that the world might believe that you have sent me. Now continue in verse 22 and 23 because it goes together. And the honor and esteem which you gave me I have given them so that they might be one as we are one. I in them and you in me so that they might be perfected into one so that the world knows that you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.
Hmm. Wow. Okay.
So this is Yeshua's heart. This is his desire that his desire. disciples, okay, he says his desire for his disciples is the result of them being that they are, that the world would know that the Father sent him.
That's the result he's looking for here. This is your heart desire for his disciples, with the result being that the world would know that the Father sent him. See, when you don't do all this, you're not showing the world that the Father sent his Son. Now, you're showing the world that maybe some counterfeit version that the world has manifested as the Son might be what they see.
But if they're going to really see the Son as he really is, this is what's expected. And that goes back to the teaching called Beware False Prophets. See, the world has received a false understanding of what Moshiach is and looks like because they didn't understand this chapter right here, these 23 verses that we just read. So the whole purpose of all of this in Yeshua's prayer is so that, listen now, that we might be one as they are one.
Hmm. Now notice the way he says it, so that they might too be one in us. And then he goes on, he goes, In verse 23, so that they might be perfected into one. Wow.
Now it's getting really, really serious. So that they might be perfected into one. Hold your place here.
It's not in my notes, but we're going to go there anyway. Let's go to, let me check first and see if it's where I want to go. Let's go to Ephesians chapter 4. I'm going to write that down in my notes here so I remember that's what I did.
Okay, how far do I want to go? I don't know. We're going to start in verse 11. Okay, Ephesians chapter 4. And he himself, this is Yeshua, gave some as emissaries and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as shepherds and teachers. for the perfecting of the set-apart ones to the work of service to a building up of the body Messiah. Now, this is the Ruach working.
I'm claiming that. If you don't like it, you don't agree with it, I'm sorry. I didn't think of this. verse, and so I saw the word perfect, and then in my, see, if you don't put it in, the rock can't pull it out, right? The rock does what?
Stirs to remembrance. So I know this verse in Ephesians, and I felt like the rock said, perfecting unity, Ephesians chapter 4, for the perfecting of the set-apart ones. Look at the connection, though.
Listen to the verse. He says, for the perfecting of the set apart ones, to the work of service, to the building up of the body of Messiah, until we all come to the unity of belief and of the knowledge of the Lord. the Son of Elohim, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the completeness of Messiah, so that we should no longer be children tossed and borne about by every wind of teaching, by the trickery of men and cleverness unto craftiness and leading astray, but maintaining the truth in love, we grow up in all respects into him who is the head, Messiah.
Did not Shaul understand what John was talking about? In John chapter 17. Paul understood it exactly. Did he get to read John 17?
No. It wasn't written. It wasn't available to him. But he understood exactly the same thing that Yeshua was saying in John.
That this is about us having leadership available to disciple and train us for the purpose to accomplish what? That we would come together into the unity of belief and of the knowledge of Elohim to a perfect man in the measure and stature of completeness of Messiah. That's what he means, I believe, in John 17. He says, so that they might be one as we are one. So what Paul's telling the Ephesians is, we need help getting there. And actually, that's what Yeshua did too.
Why did he train up those 12 guys? To go do exactly what Paul's talking about in Ephesians chapter 4. To go out there and be shepherds and teachers and apostles and evangelists and prophets. So that those guys can help raise up the body into unity.
So that's Paul saying, I think I understand how to fulfill Yeshua's prayer and what he meant. And I certainly agree with him. That that's what Yeshua meant in his prayer in John 17. That we are to be discipled so that we can understand how to be one, of one mind, one belief, one understanding, so that we can be in the fullness and completeness, which also brings us back to that my joy might be complete in them. See, you know what would make Yeshua happier than anything? If all of that happened exactly like we just read.
That would complete his joy. If we were in that unity that was like him and his father. Just throwing that out there. Let's go back to John 17. I've got a couple more verses here. I had a feeling we weren't going to get out of anywhere beyond John 17 for today, which is good.
That's exactly where I want it to be. 53 minutes in, we're good. All right, verse 24. We're back to verse 23. So remember, all of this, again, has nothing to do with the Bible.
not just about that they might be perfected into one. So what? So that the world knows that you sent me. So all of this, again, it's in 21 and 23, both verse 21 and 23. What we do in representing him is what tells the world that he was sent by the Father.
So when the enemy, I know the staples, that was easy button didn't exist back then, but when the enemy stirs us up and we are not unified and we're not in unity and we're fighting and striving and in division, it's like hitting that button going, boop, that was easy. Now the world doesn't know that the Father sent the Son because just like he said, they will know you're my students if you love one another, he says the world will know that the Father sent the Son when you do this. But when it says we'll know, it's not just there's no informationally that whatever claim of a Messiah is out there is actually the Messiah, but we'll know what the true Messiah truly is like, who he is, who he was, who he is, and who he's coming to be.
The world is not getting that example just from everybody that claims that Messiah is Messiah. That's like when he said, those who came, come to him and say, Master, Master. And he says, I didn't know you.
I didn't have a relationship with you. Because you were working lawlessness. You were doing sin. You weren't keeping the commandments.
You thought you knew me. We did all the stuff in your name. Well, yeah, you claimed it was in my authority, but I never gave that authority. And we see that all the time. Ezekiel 22, he says, those who are claiming that Yahweh said when Yahweh had not said.
It's one of my scariest favorite parts of scriptures. Ezekiel, he's basically describing today just as much as he's describing back then. Those who are out there preaching and taking widows'mites and making paupers and just saying Yahweh said when Yahweh hadn't said. I believe that starts at around verse 25 or so in that section of Ezekiel.
The verse I'm looking for is probably 28 or 29 or something like that. Okay, understand. That that's what we're dealing with here is that this is how important it is that we do this.
His prayer is that, Father, that if they would do this, the world would know that you sent me. Think about what's hinging on what we do. To truly represent the Son in his true essence of who he is, who he was, and who he's coming to be is based on us. Because the world sees us. He's not here now.
We are. And he left us here to be that example. That's the minimum accomplishment we must do is to set that example so that the people would know that the Father sent his Son. Really important. Verse 24. Father, I desire that those whom you have given me might be with me where I am so that they see my honor, my esteem, which you have given me because you have loved me before the foundation of the world.
O righteous Father, indeed the world did not know you, but I knew you, and these knew that you have sent me. Now remember, that was part of what his whole point was when he was talking to the Jewish community was, I came to show you the Father because they knew about, but they didn't have a relationship with. He says, I knew you, but they didn't know you. But these, they know you now because I taught them. I showed you to them.
I introduce them to you as you are in fullness. He says, and I have made your name known to them and shall make it known so that the love with which you loved me might be in them and I in them. That's his desire.
This is his heart. This is his prayer. Because verse 18 says, and having said these words, Yeshua went out.
This was it. This was that big, big, and what's the, let's wrap the whole thing up into simplicity. Father, I came here to do something and I accomplished it. And I've given them stuff to do and they're accomplishing it.
And all I want is for them to know what it's like to feel what I feel, which is to be one with you. I want them to be one with each other and one with us. My desire is unity.
And I don't see that being a major focus within the body. Except that's not true. It is a major focus.
Each person wants everybody to be in unity with them individually. They're not seeking just unity with the Father and the Son. And they're not allowing for the Ephesians 4 ministry to have authority.
We still have that self-sovereignty issues and stuff. So this is really an introduction to this unity and division thing because I wanted us to first and foremost understand as we wrap up for today, the desire of Yeshua, the desire of the Father is to have us. have us be echad, to be one, to be in unity.
And so that's what we read in Ephesians, right? So that we would come together in the unity and in the completeness and in the likeness of Yeshua as a body, not as a denomination or a series of churches here and there or whatever individual groups and whatever. No, a body, okay?
We're not called the such-and-such whatever convention or the such-and-such conference or the such-and-such denomination. We're called the body of Messiah, okay? The body of Messiah doesn't have a board. The body of Messiah doesn't have organizations all over the place.
It's a body. It's an arm and a thumb and a leg. We're one thing functioning.
Now, the finger does something different than the nose does. But it's still part of the body. Okay, if my finger tried to leave, I'd have a problem, right? Or my nose or any other part of me.
And so you don't see that within the body right now. We've got different organizations forming. We formed one ourselves. But ours was formed with the idea of trying to promote unity.
Okay, MTOI's motto, our vision statement is to work together to serve the body more effectively in promoting a body. Okay? And that's what we're trying to do as a, let's call it a platform for that being done as opposed to it being about an organization.
Because this is the vision of Yeshua right here. His vision is that we... we be one in a way that only two beings have ever been.
Not a husband and wife, not a brother and sister, not a parent and a child, but only the Father and Mashiach have had this echadness. And he wants us all to know what that is. That's like.
And so that's going to end it for this week. And then next week in part two, we're going to start to look at where this thing goes off the rails. Okay?
What derails all of this? What is the problem? What's causing the problem?
So we can then figure out in the parts after we deal with the problem, well, how do we actually fix this? What's the solution to the problem? Amen? Father, we come before you and we have heard Yeshua's prayer.
And I don't think any of us having heard it. it and just read it, and we've all probably read it many times, can walk away from it unmoved. I think we're all very powerfully moved by His words, by His heart, and by His desire for His children, His disciples, those that you would put in His hand, those that you would draw to Him, that we would understand that the whole point is not just that we can individually claim, I'm right and I'm so smart and I'm doing what, but that we'd be one, that we'd be in unity, that we'd understand what it's like to be a man. to be echad, to be like you and your son are.
So Father, we come before you asking that you would show us ourselves in these verses, show us what we need to see so that we can understand where we are in unity and where we are causing the problem of disunity. Where am I individually? We should all ask the question, where am I in this mix? Am I seeking unity or am I causing division?
And you may not think of what you're doing as causing division. Most people that are doing it don't think they are. But Father, help us to see when we are.
So Father, we thank you for your word. We thank Yeshua for this prayer, for sharing this prayer and having it be written down for us. to see and to read so that we can really hear and know your heart for your children, for your body, for those that would follow. For those, he says, I do not pray for these alone, but all those believing in me through their word. And we are those.
We are those who believe in him. him because of their word. So Father, we thank you. We ask that you would do what he says here when he says, Father, I ask that you would guard them.
He said, I watch over them. Watch over us, Father, as we are still in the world, but not that we would not be of the world. Yeshua says that he would wish that you would guard us and protect us and watch over us. And please, Father, we ask that you would. So Father, we thank you.
Help us to see what you want us to accomplish. Help us to receive the word without. resistance and to then walk in it and accomplish the things you would have us to do, to guard over and watch over all that you would have us to do. And so, Father, we come before you now, seeking and asking and submitting ourselves in the authority of Yeshua our Messiah, and together we say, Amen.
Amen.