Intro
-God is infinite
-Infinitely big, massive.
-We could, therefore, discuss who he is for an infinitely long time.


Q: Who is God? What are some of his characteristics?
-All powerful
-Present Everywhere
-Exists outside of time
-All knowing
-Love
-Good
-Just
-Merciful
-etc.

-Instead, we're going to narrow it down to a short passage.
-Tells us a lot.

John 17:1-5
1 After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. 2 For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. 3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. 4 I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.

Context?
-Right before Jesus got arrested and was crucified.

What is the hour?
-The time that he has been waiting for, that he has been sent to earth for, has come.
-The crux of Christianity
-The hinge, the moment.

How did Jesus address God?
-As "father"
-Relationship


What is glory?
-Very great praise, worship, honor


What does it mean to glorify?
A: "To make much of"
-Make much of ourselves
-Things we like
-Things we are impressed by
-Athletes
-Singers, musicians
-Scenic views
-etc.

-We glorify things all the time.

What is eternal life?
-Life with Jesus (& God) in heaven
-Side note: There is eternal torment in hell, too.

What did Jesus give up to secure our eternal life?
-His glory with God, and the close relationship that they had.


Wrap Up
So what do we learn about God from this?
-Relational: Father & son sharing glory.
-Eternal: vs. 5
-Merciful: giving us eternal life.

-We can be in relationship with him, (because of his nature) as a result of what Jesus did for us. (Vs. 2)
-Only know him through grace and love.
-cf Last week

Works Cited
+McKay Caston for extensive help setting this up.
+Tim Keller's Gospel Christianity study.

6 responses to "Lesson Notes: John 17:1-5: "Who Is God?""

  1. Looks like a great plan---leave time for discussion! God bless.

  2. Thanks Clint!

  3. Thanks for the notes! We just used them for a family discussion.

  4. Hey Beth, thanks for letting me know! I'm really happy that they were useful to you!

  5. Very dialogue-based. Sounds like you have some great thoughts that I'm sure you expounded upon more in youth group. In this format, it's slightly hard to know what you have in mind for each point. Nevertheless, it is appreciable to study and ponder.

    Good stuff.

    AJ

  6. @AJ, yeah, these are definitely "Notes" and not the sum of everything that I said! It has been really cool to do some talks which are more of discussions. Our group size right now is about 15-20, so it is perfect for this kind of approach!

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