Jesus' identity and relationship to the world are explored through his high priestly prayer in John 17, where he states, "I am not of this world." He emphasizes that believers are also not of this world, having been given God's Word for guidance and protection from evil. This separation from the world's corruption is achieved through adherence to God's truth, enabling believers to live honorably and kindly, reflecting Christ's own character. The sermon concludes by urging listeners to believe in Christ's sacrifice and thank God for it.
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Thank you. Greetings, friends. The Gospel by John chapter seventeen verses fourteen, fifteen and sixteen. Here the Lord Jesus reveals another profound truth in connection with his own identity and his own person and his own relationship to the world and to the peoples of this world. In the Verse eleven, he said, But now I am no more in the world. He was no more in the world, because he was going to be crucified, and he would leave this world.
But now in verse fourteen, he says, And his great high priestly prayer to the Father, this great, great portion of Scripture, there is none like it, and there isn't any document like it in all the world. The Lord Jesus' great prayer, his high priestly prayer to the Father, he says, I have given them, that is, his followers, those believers in him, those who trusted him, those who were blessed by him, as is true of all those who have believed in him now to the saving of their soul.
They have accepted him as their Savior, that rest in him for salvation, entirely rest upon him. They have trusted themselves to him for eternity. He says of them now, I have given them thy word. Ah, yes, the Lord Jesus came into the world to give the world, especially the believers, his word. His word to the unsaved that they may... Trust the Savior and be saved. His word to the saved that they might be able to stand, that they may be able to serve, that they may be able to enjoy the blessings of his great salvation, so vast, so rich, so full, so free.
And that he may, that they may. in the blessing of God, indwell by the Holy Spirit of God, may be a blessing to their fellow men who have not yet trusted the Savior, that they may bear the tidings, the good tidings of great joy to them. And to equip them to do this, the Lord Jesus says, I have given them thy word. O my friends, the precious man, the value, the extreme value and necessity of you and I, being acquainted with the Word of God by our own access to the Word of God, our own reading and studying of the Word of God.
The Word by which we're born again, being born again not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever, writes Peter the Apostle. And so he says, I have given them thy word. Oh, everything that we get from the Lord has given to us. My friends, this is a remarkable, profound truth. Every last thing we have, we have from the Savior, and he gives it to us. Gives it all to us. Who pays the Lord Jesus for keeping your heart beating one day at a time?
No one ever thinks of it. Who pays the Lord for giving you a breath at a time? Nobody ever thinks of it. And oftentimes we forget to thank them for it. But all that we are and have everything we ever hope to be, we receive from the Lord Jesus by gift. For in him was not anything made that was made, and by him all things consist. That is, he keeps them where they are, and he enables them to go on in the way he intended them to go. I have given them thy word, and the world has hated them. Oh, they didn't get along.
They didn't do so well with the world. Those who didn't know the Savior, they cost aspersions on those who do know them. And they think they're fantastic that they say they know whom they have believed, as the Apostle Paul could say. Oh, yes, the man or woman who says, I know that my sins are forgiven and that I'm going to be in heaven. The others who know him not will most surely think it's very strange. How, what do they think they are so much better than someone else? And not at all, friends. We know that we are guilty sinners, and that's how we come to know that the Savior died for us.
We're willing to say, I'm a guilty sinner. I'm lost. I'm undone. I can't do anything to save myself. And so the word of God comes to us, and we know that he died on the cross for guilty sinners. Therefore, he died for me. Therefore, he died for you. Do you believe us? Have you rested upon us? Have you been blessed through doing it? Do you know the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior? Have you told others? This is the meat of the matter. Have you told others? Have you confessed them before others? If we confess them not now... before others. Then he said, I'll not confess you before my Father.
I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. The Lord Jesus said in verse eleven, I am no more in the world. He was going to leave it. But now he says something greater still. He says, I am not of the world. No. He was born in Bethlehem. He was born of the Virgin. He was not a part of this world. He came into this world. It was his by creation. Yep. And his by continuous causing it to consist, causing it to stand, causing it to hang on nothing.
Yep. But then the world cast them out. The world had nothing to do with them. He was in the world and the world knew him not, didn't even recognize him, didn't even give him the place of an ordinary prince. No, nobody at his birth, no great plans and lay out for his birth in a stable laid in a manger by his own mother. So he is not of the world, I am not of the world. And I pray that not that thou shalt take them, the believers, out of the world, no, but that thou shalt keep them from the evil in the world.
Oh, that's a wonderful thing, my friends, to be able to be kept by the word of God. That is, I read it, and I see what the mind of God is, and then I try to obey it. And I ask him to give me strength to keep his word. And if I do and I do keep His word, or you do and you keep His word, then, my friends, you'll not be contaminated with the evil that's in the world. You'll be kept aloof from it. Not that you can't talk with people, not that you can't work with people, not that you can't deal with people, oh, no. But just to be kept from the evil that's in the world. To be honest, to be above board, to be kind.
and kind to the ones who are unkind to you. That's the kind of kindness God gives. It's the kind of kindness that God requires. Kindness to those who are unkind to you. This is God-given kindness. I pray not that thou shalt take them out of the world, but that thou shalt keep them from the evil. The evil. The evil. And this is a reversible word. and to be able to live apart from evil, and EVIL, reverse as the L-I-V-E, live. And so we live by the power of God, and we live apart from the evil that's in this world, to the best of our human ability.
Failing we do, but we don't go into the depth of evil that others do. The righteous man falls seven times, yet he rises up again. He doesn't lie in it. He may make mistakes and fall into it, but he'll not lie there. The guilt, the simple pass on and are punished, yes. They revel it. They roll sin under their tongue as a sweet morsel. Yes, the evil. They enjoy it. It isn't anything for them to be kept from. They'd rather be in it. They'd rather enjoy it. But he says, they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Sanctify them. Set them apart. Keep them clean. Keep them pure. Through thy truth, thy word is true. Oh, the marvelous lessons here to be learned, friend. The true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, he is concerned. He is careful. He is desirous. of doing only what he, in this lifetime, what can be done to the honor and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. And if he does, then he'll be the greatest friend that you ever had. And he'll be the best neighbor you ever had. He'll be the best worker you ever had. Oh, yes, my friend, God makes us polished.
God makes us clean. His word is... able to instruct us and guide us, and keep us from falling into that which is evil. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? We read in the hundred and nineteenth psalm. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word, the word of God. The Word of God gives us counsel, gives us advice, tells us what will please the Father, and what will please the Father, friends, will be very good for our fellow man. It'll be the best for our fellow man. We'll be honorable. We'll be honest.
We'll be reliable. We'll be kind. We'll be gracious. Because we belong to the one who said, I am meek and lowly in heart. I am meek. and lowly in heart. That's our Savior. He says, I am not of this world. No, he was a stranger here. He was cast out here. Lover and friend forsook him here. He was left alone to die. To die for whom? For you, my friend. And to die for me, guilty sinners. Have you believed it? Have you received them? Have you thanked them for dying for you? We do thank the Blessed Father.
for the Lord Jesus our Savior, who died for us on Calvary's cross.