The Upper Room: A Seat at the Table – John 13-17
Knowing the time was fast approaching for Jesus to depart this world He spent His final hours with His closest friends gathered around a table in the upper room. This was more than a meal. It was a teaching moment of great importance to them…and to us.
As the disciples sat with Jesus, unaware of what would soon take place, Jesus served them, taught them, and prayed for them. We are going to pull up a seat at that table and let Jesus teach and disciple us as well.
Week 13: This is Eternal Life – John 17:1-5
In John 17, Jesus prays. First for himself, then for His disciples, and then for us. How did Jesus pray for Himself and what can we learn from His prayer?
That God would be glorified, that He would finish the work God gave him to do, and that would know God and experience eternal life.
LIVE OAK CONNECTION POINT: Easter is upon us! We will have 4 identical services with kids programming (Sat. April 19 at 5:00pm, Sun. April 20 at 8:15am, 9:45am, and 11:15am). Who will you invite?
DISCUSSION/REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
- What is something, just for the fun/thrill of it, that you would like to do or experience before you die? Big or small, what is on your bucket list?
- What is something in the future you are looking forward to?
- What is something in the future you are not looking forward to?
READ: John 17:1-5.
Spend some time SOAPing this passage. You can either spend time SOAPing individually and documenting for a several minutes and then spend time sharing with each -OR- SOAP in real time with each other. Either way make as many observations as you can.
- Observations: What are the things that stand out to you about this passage?
- How would you summarize this passage in one sentence?
- What does this passage tell me about who God is?
- How does Jesus define what eternal life is in John 17:3? What do you think that means?
- The word “glorify” is used by Jesus a lot in this prayer. What do you think it meant for Jesus to glorify and bring glory to God?
- What do you think it means for us to bring glory to God and glorify Him?
When Doug shared the observation that Jesus prayed for Himself to be glorified, it was not a selfish prayer, but rather so that God the Father would be glorified.
Read Romans 15:5-7. Is there an area in your life that might need attention so that God can be glorified?
READ: Philippians 2:5-11. What stands out to you from this passage?
- What does this passage tell me about Jesus’ mindset?
- What does this passage tell us about the mindset Paul tells us to have towards one another?
- What else stood out from this week’s sermon?
- Who can you invite to Easter services at Live Oak? Make a list and start praying for them.
- What are some ideas of how and ways we can invite others to Easter services?
APPLICATION: What is your big takeaway from this week’s sermon? Be specific.
NEXT STEPS:
Everyone has a next step to apply what we have learned. What is your next step?Be specific.
MEMORY VERSE: *Challenge yourself or your group to commit this verse to memory:
John 17:3 “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
PRAYER:
Spend some time praying for each other.
Read this verse as part of your prayer for your group:
Romans 15:5-6 “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Scripture References:
John 17:1-5; Genesis 2:8, 15; Genesis 1:31; Genesis 3:19; Revelation 21-22; John 20:15; Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 32-42; Luke 22:39-46; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Philippians 2:5-11; Romans 15:5-7