Prepare your heart for the Sermon by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together hearing God's Word.

You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and prayerfully seeking wisdom to deepen your understanding of the passage to be preached this Sunday.

Carefully Think

• Read John 17:13-21. What is the larger context that these words fall in? Who is speaking? Who is he speaking to? What situation is he in?
• In v. 13, why does Jesus say he is praying these words in the hearing of the disciples? How does that shape how we understand the section as a whole?
• What is the disciples’ relationship to the world according to v. 14-16?
• What sets the disciples apart according to v. 17? Why are they sanctified in this way according to v. 18? Who is the supreme example of this according to v. 19?
• How do v. 20-21 pull us into this prayer? What is the reason Jesus asks these things for us according to v. 21?

Prayerfully Meditate

• What should we find our joy in according to this passage?
• What should our relationship to the world look like? What are some implications of the relationship between Jesus’ disciples and the world for the way we interact with the world today? What areas of life might be touched by this teaching? How?
• For what reason does Jesus ask for the Father to sanctify the disciples? What tool does he use in this sanctification? Why? How should this shape how we think about sanctification?