The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus, Part 2

Transcript

GR 404
6/7/1981
The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus Part 2
JOHN 17:6-19
Gil Rugh

Chapter 17 of John concludes this time of personal intimacy that Jesus had with His disciples immediately preceding His crucifixion. Chapters 13-17 of John are given over to that last evening where John goes into particular detail on what Jesus had to say to the disciples. You get some idea of how John has been directed by the Spirit to arrange his material. The first 12 chapters cover the first three years of Jesus’ ministry. Then chapters 13-17 are given over to just one evening of Jesus’ ministry with His disciples. We have to appreciate when John said that he sifted out the material and couldn’t have written enough books to contain all that Jesus did.

Chapter 17 is not directed to the disciples as far as teaching is concerned, but it is for their benefit as we will see. Chapter 17 records the prayer that Jesus offered on behalf of His disciples. So while it is not teaching directed toward them, it would be a ministry to them as they share in Jesus’ request offered to His Father on their behalf. It would be a teaching time for them, a learning time for them, an encouraging time for them. And one of the reasons Jesus has in praying to the Father as He does—He relates down in verse 13—is that their joy might be fulfilled. Their joy might be brought to completion or fulfillment.

The first five verses which we’ve already looked at together, Jesus focuses attention on Himself. But on Himself for the benefit of His disciples. He is praying that He be restored to the glory which He had with the Father before the world was. That restoration to the full display of His unveiled glory. The exercise of His attributes, the display of those attributes and powers that have been His for all eternity, which were veiled. He voluntarily chose not to use during His earthly ministry. A restoration to that glory—but for their benefit. The heart of this is that Christ be glorified so that they the Gospel of John. It refers not to the title of God, but to the wholeness of His character and His person. All that He is is conveyed in His name. His name is what He is. That is the revelation of Himself. He says, "I have revealed or manifested Your name," in other words, I have made You known to the men whom You gave Me, and we saw this in the first part of chapter 17 in the opening verses. That stress that these are those that You gave Me, the sovereignty of God here. These are a special, select group of people. Now in a sense, Christ made God known to the world. He revealed the Father to all the world. But that revelation, that knowledge, was made known in particular and especially to those that the Father had given Christ. To those who would believe in Him. To the vast majority of the world, the unbelievers, that revelation made no impact in a positive sense. So they did not come to know God because they rejected the revelation. But He revealed the Father to those who were believers, those that the Father had given Him.

He noted here—"...they were Yours, You gave them to Me." A process we looked at again in our last study. These are people that belong to the Father and have been given to Jesus Christ. The Father selected them out in eternity past to belong to Himself, and He gave them to the Son as gifts for Himself.
And the Son secured for these the redemption and personal relationship with God that results in eternal life.

"They have kept Your word." Another way of saying that is that they have come to believe. Back in John chapter 8, verse 51, Jesus uses the same expression. "Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word, He shall never see death." So to keep His word is to believe in Him, and thus never see death. To have eternal life.

So back in John 17:6 when He says, "They have kept Your word", they have believed. And so you see on the human side what has been emphasized on the divine side. These are those that belong to the Father, have been given to the might enter in to the realization of the glory that God has for them. Only through Jesus Christ going to the cross and subsequently being raised to glory in the Father’s presence could redemption be provided for fallen humanity. So even though He’s praying for Himself and the restoration to His former glory, it is for our benefit, because it is that glorification process that secures salvation and redemption for all who believe.

Now in verse 6, He begins to pray in particular for His disciples. And this prayer will go down through verse 19, this aspect of the prayer, where He is praying particularly for His eleven disciples. But again, in verse 20, as He makes note, He is expanding it to all who will believe. What He is saying is true of all of us, even though down through verse 19 it zeroes in on the eleven disciples. Then in verse 20, Christ will say He is praying also for those who will come to believe which would include you and I even today.

In this prayer, verses 6-19, Christ has three requests which He offers for the disciples. Just note those at the beginning and then we'll go back and pick up beginning with verse 6. In verse 11 He asks of the Father, "Keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are." The last part of verse 11, that they might be kept in the Father's name so that they might have the unity that the Father and the Son have. The first request that He presents to the Father on their behalf. The second is down in verse 15. "I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one." Keep them from the evil one—the second request He offers on their behalf. And the third request is in verse 17, "Sanctify them in them in the truth." So these three requests in particular, Christ presents to His Father. This section revolves around these ideas.

Verse 6 begins, "I manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world. Yours they were, You gave them to Me, they have kept Your word." "I manifested Your name..." You remember that we've talked about the name in Son, and they have come to believe in the word that Christ has proclaimed. So from God’s side, they are the sovereign elect from eternity past. From the human side, they have come to believe as a result of the sovereign electing work of God. "They have kept Your word."

Verse 7, "Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You..." These are those because they have believed, have recognized, who I am. Have recognized that all I have is from You, that I have been revealing to them You, Your person, Your character. "...for the words which You gave Me I have given to them." You note the stress here on revelation. Again, this has been repeated through the Gospel of John where Jesus emphasizes that it is the message that I got from My Father that I have proclaimed to men. It’s "the words which You gave Me I have given to them." You note how precise it is. It’s the words which You gave Me, the very message and the words in which that message was conveyed was revealed from the Father through the Son to men. The message that we have recorded in our Scripture today. We study the Gospel of John, chapter 17. We are studying the words of God the Father, revealed through God the Son to you and I as human beings. It puts this message on a totally different level than any other book or any other message that has been given because they are the very words of God.

"They received them, and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You did send Me." Basically, He is saying the same thing in three different ways. They received the words. They understood the significance of the words, which was that Christ came from the Father. This was the heart of His teaching—I am the divine Son of God, sent from the presence of God to reveal God to you. They received the message that I proclaimed and understood its significance, and they believed that You did send Me. So a three-fold emphasis which is saying the same thing from different sides. They received My words, they understood My words, and they believed My words. These are those that are in the know, on the inside, committed to Me and the message I have made known concerning You, My heavenly Father.

"I ask on their behalf..." Now this is an important verse here. You ought to have it marked in some way because it is the heart of this prayer. Jesus is not praying for the unbeliever. He is not praying for the world in chapter 17. He is praying only for those who believe in Him, or those who will come to believe in Him. In verse 9, He emphasizes that He is praying for His own. Verse 20 will indicate that this includes not only those who have believed in Him, like the eleven disciples, but those who will come to believe in Him in the future. "I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them." "I ask only on behalf of those who belong to You" is what He is saying. I am praying only on behalf of the elect, those that are Yours that You have given to Me— that either have believed, or will come to believe. Those are the only ones I’m praying about right now, Father. On their behalf, not for the world, but for those who belong to us. And again, that emphasis on the joint relationship of the Father and the Son. At the end of verse 9, "they are Yours..." Now here you see something about the matter of prayer. We sometimes ask about prayer in light of the sovereignty of God. Here Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is praying to His Father about those who belong to the Father. Why does He have to pray for them if they belong to the Father if they are kept and secured by the Father as He is going to make note of very soon? Because that is in accord with the will of the Father. In effect, prayer is not telling God what He ought to do, not telling God what we think He should do, but it is speaking to God in light of what He intends to do. So in prayer, I’m not giving God new information, I'm not giving God new ideas. In effect, I’m praying according to the will of God. What does that mean? I am speaking to God about what He intends to do. That’s what it in effect comes to be. He is praying here for those who belong to the Father, who are kept secure by the Father, who will belong to the Father for eternity. And He speaks to the Father about them along those very lines. So prayer is simply talking to God about what God intends to do. Not new information to God, not new ideas as we sometimes joke in a sense, although sometimes we’re serious—good ideas for God. And in our prayers sometimes we’re spreading out ideas we think He might choose from and put to use. When we pray according to the will of God, we're simply verbalizing ourselves under the control of the Spirit what God intends to do. God does that as much for our benefit, not for His. He doesn't need me to tell Him what He had already determined to do in eternity past! But now He works in our prayer for our good or on our behalf and for our growth. Verse 10. "...all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine." Here’s a statement on the deity of Jesus Christ. Not so surprising that He would say 'All things that are Mine are Yours,' but for Him also to say "All things that are Yours are Mine." That's a statement of deity! Everything that God the Father has belongs to God the Son. They are of the same essence and nature. First Corinthians chapter 2 speaks about "who could know or understand the depths of God but the Spirit of God." That's the same kind of idea here. Who could enter in to all the totality of the fullness of the infinite God and say that it is all His except One who Himself was also infinite God? So Christ stresses in this, all that I have belongs to You and all that You have belongs to Me. Why? Because We with the Spirit form the triune God. Again here you see something of the amazing aspect of prayer. You see Christ, the One who knows that everything the Father has belongs to Him still speaking to the Father on behalf of these that belong to them both.

"I have been glorified in them." And the fulfillment and realization of the purposes of God, the plans of God, is that the Son of God has been glorified
and exalted in them. Now, a change is about to come with His departure—His crucifixion and His leaving the earth. While He is on the earth, He ministers to them. He builds them up. He is glorified in them by His direct ministry on their behalf and in them.

But verse 11, "I am no more in the world..." Obviously He is still in the world as He prays this, and there are a few short hours left during His earthly ministry. But He realizes the climax of things. And for all intents and purposes, His earthly ministry is over on behalf of the disciples. Now He is going to die on their behalf, but as far as ministering to them, that aspect of His ministry has come to a conclusion, a close. "I am no more in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world." We come to the heart of His concern in this prayer. The disciples, those who believe in Him, will live their lives out in the world. They need to be secured and kept by the Father, for their life in the world and the ministry they will have. "They themselves are in the world, and I come to You, Holy Father..." This aspect of His holiness here, an unusual expression in the New Testament, to address God as Holy Father. He's stressing His holiness. This is going to come out because down in verse 17, we’re going to see the related word 'sanctify.' And the Holy Father is to bring about holiness in those who belong to Him and are given to the Son. "I come to You, Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one, even as We are one." So Christ is going to leave. He tells them, No longer am I carrying on a ministry in the world but they are left in the world. What provision is there to be for them in their life and ministry? "I come to You, Holy Father, keep them in Your name." Keep them in Your name—the idea of the security they have in His person, in His care. They belong to Him. He’s asking for their preservation. Now is there any question that the sovereign God who elected them to salvation and glory in His presence before the foundation of the world would keep them? Obviously not! Is there any question in the mind of the Son of God who was part of the counsel of the triune God who determined the election of those God would save regarding their security? Obviously not! Yet here we have the Son praying to the Father about that very issue. So again, we see that prayer is not that we could bring about a change in God, or that we need to alter God's plan. But it is simply a matter of God's plan being voiced through us as we express His will and thus our consent and agreement with His will as we come to Him in prayer. It has been the Father's determination from eternity past to keep those He has elected for eternal salvation. Here the Son of God as man in the garden, He prays on behalf of these men that would believe, that they would be kept in the Father's name. "It's the name which You have given Me..." And this refers to the fact this is the revelation which the Son made known. We saw this up earlier when He talks about having manifested God's name. Verse 6, "I manifested Your name." Now down in this verse, verse 11, "the name which You have given Me." It refers to the fact that that revelation of the person and character of God the Father that Christ has made. That's the name that they are to be kept in, the name of this Holy God, this God who is holy, this God who is righteous, this God who is sovereign. They are to be kept in Him. The stress in this verse is on His holiness, that aspect of His name. "Holy Father, keep them in Your name." In other words, preserve their holiness. It has to do not only with their positional holiness which is not adjustable, but in the life they will live in the world. What we would call practical holiness, the preservation and keeping of those who would believe in Him from the defilements of the world, the entanglements of the world. "Keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me."

Note the purpose—"that they may be one, even as We are." This prayer focuses on the preservation of believers in the world, and a particular emphasis in this preservation is on the unity that believers will have. Particular Greek expression used seven times here in this section, that expresses purpose and Christ uses it. Let me just note them for you. Verse 11, the last statement—"...in order that they may be one." There's a purpose here in His praying, that they may be one. Down in verse 19, "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that (there's that expression. In Greek it's two words, heno-osen, expressing purpose.) they themselves may be sanctified in truth." Down to verse 21, it's used twice. "That they may be one, even as Thou Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us;; that the world may believe..." Repeated emphasis on its purpose, in order that they may be. You see the stress on oneness here. One other time in verse 22, "And the glory which You have given Me I have given to them; in order that they may be one..." Seven times He uses this expression of purpose—four of them have to do with unity and oneness. That's the emphasis in verse 11. We're going to develop this unity and oneness when we get over later on in the chapter where it's repeated several times in close proximity.

The goal is unity. Now note. Believers are going to live in the world. Christ wants them to be preserved in holiness in the Father's name, functioning in unity. As we're kept in His name, functioning in holiness, unity will characterize us. That spiritual harmony among believers will be true of us. That they may be one,
even as We are one." The idea of that perfect harmony that exists between the Father and the Son. Never any conflict between the purposes and plans of the Father and the purposes and plans of the Son. There is perfect, complete harmony, unity and oneness. That's what He's talking about for us as believers. Now you note here. In this climax of the earthly ministry of Christ, as He concludes that ministry with His disciples in prayer on their behalf, the key emphasis, repeated in this prayer, is that you and I might manifest unity and oneness and harmony in the body. Now that is a burden of the heart of God. It is central in the plan of God that believers manifest harmony and unity. Now it's verses like this that have been used by those in the ecumenical movement to speak on behalf of an ecumenical church. We're not talking about external unity here. External unity should be there as a by-product of spiritual unity and a spiritual oneness. Paul picks up on this in Philippians chapter 2 when he speaks of the harmony and oneness that is to be characteristic of those of us who have the mind of Christ. The tragedy in the church today is that there is so much bickering, back-biting, and arguing and dissensions among those that are to be one in a basic spiritual unity, spiritual harmony that would manifest itself in our conduct and relationship with one another. Something's wrong. The Father is not at odds with the Son. The Spirit is not at odds with the Son, so where does the distension come from. James puts his finger on it—it comes from within our own flesh. That's where dissensions is because when we are walking in the Spirit with the oneness that it is the intention of God the Father for us to manifest, it is the intention of God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, for us to manifest, there is no clash. So when believers that are at odds with one another, somebody's in the flesh because God's intention is unity, the same kind of unity. Perfect harmony as characterizes the Father and the Son. The same kind of oneness, Father that you and I have. Now we have that by virtue of our relationship with Jesus Christ through faith in Him, but then that oneness is to manifest itself in our walk and in our relationship. No wonder the impact is lost on the world as we teach the doctrine of the oneness of the body of Christ, but we proceed to hack away at one another. Gnaw them away, beat them to the bone. We're one in Jesus Christ, but at the same time we tear down one another with our words. Any wonder the world is confused. That's the strangest oneness I've ever seen! Our doctrine is not supported by our life and so our testimony falls flat. Jesus' testimony had impact because He always was in harmony with the Father.

He goes on. We'll pick up this theme again in our next study together. "While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me."
Note again that repeated stress. It comes up so many times it seems it’s redundant. But there is a purpose in it. He drives it home repeatedly that what Jesus Christ did was what the Father was doing. The revelation that Christ gave was a revelation of the Father. "I was keeping them in Your name, which You have given Me; I guarded them, and not one of them perished..." Note the security. Christ said, "While I was with them, I was their security. I watched over them. I kept them on the track. I led them in Your name consistent with Your character. None of them perished." Now what about the exception, Judas? One of the twelve did perish. But you note what Jesus Christ says here. "Not one of them perished, but the son of perdition," that one who is characterized by perdition or lostness. His destiny was perdition, destruction. But the character and quality of his life while he lived was lostness, perdition; and he was lost or perished "that the Scripture might be fulfilled." In other words, the purposes and plans of God were not thwarted with the apostasy of Judas. This was prophesied long ago in the Old Testament Scriptures, back in Psalm 41. That would be one key passage, verse 9, where it speaks of one who has eaten bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me. So Judas is not an exception to the security and safekeeping of the children of God because he never was a child of God. He is not an exception to those who are guarded by Jesus Christ because he never did belong to that group. We’ve looked at this earlier in our study. Judas never was a child of God. He never was a believer. Judas never did belong to the Father, never was given by the Father to God the Son. So Jesus mentions Judas here, but not because he is an exception to those who are kept safe but so that we recognize that he is not an exception. He is the one who is of perdition. He is characterized by lostness. He just happened to be one who was lost who lived among those who were the children of God. Just like in this body here this morning. There are those who are sons of perdition. They are characterized by lostness. They just happen to be among those who belong to God. Being in this room doesn’t make one a child of God or not a child of God. But it’s a personal relationship with the Father through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. What an awful thing to be described as one whose character of life is lostness. He is a son of perdition from beginning to end.

Note the security here, though, of the believer. Kept by the Son, guarded by the Son, and now the Son says to the Father, ”I’m leaving, but I want them to continue to be kept.” And we've already seen the provision for them in chapter 16 with the Spirit of God who would come and indwell them. He has been mentioned earlier in this section as well. So now instead of the Son having that prime responsibility, the Son prays to the Father and the Spirit will be given to carry that on. So the Spirit comes to be the seal for the believer. So we are absolutely, completely secure. We are simply given to the care of God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit. All three are part of the triune God, so I am absolutely secure in the care of God. That's why I believe in the eternal security of the believer. That once you have come to trust Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you are saved for all eternity because your security depends upon the work of God. Jesus doesn't pray here that the disciples would by their own faithfulness keep themselves, protect themselves. No. He says, "While I was on earth, their security, their keeping, their guarding, depended on Me. Now, Father, I am leaving them and leaving them to your care.” Hm-m. (No wonder I've got so much time this morning, my watch stopped! Well, that's alright, I'll just continue to go by it and we'll all be comfortable! How about that, I really got a lot in this morning!)

Keep in mind that the loss of Judas was in accordance with the plan of God. Now it does not say here that the loss of Judas was God's responsibility or God's problem. Even John Calvin, whose name we associate with Calvinism, writes on this passage that he is not speaking that God determined the loss of Judas.
But simply that God used the wickedness of Judas, and it was part of His plan to do so.

"But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have My joy made full in themselves." Isn’t it amazing. Jesus says, "I’m speaking these things that My joy might be made full in them." The context of this whole discussion, we have seen the aspect of joy driven home. I want My joy to be made full in them, this is why I’m praying this way. For You to keep them, to guard them, that My joy might be made full. One of the outstanding characteristics of a believer is joy. I have a hard time believing that a sourpuss is really a believer. Now that puts many of us on shaky ground, and I realize your salvation does not depend on my evaluation. But you know, the fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY...and it is God's intention that we as believers be happy people. And so often we’re not characterized by the joy of Jesus Christ because we are mired down in the problems and difficulties of this life and this world, instead of rejoicing in the fact that we are kept and guarded by Him. What can affect my joy? I belong to Him, I am kept and preserved by the eternal God for the glory of His presence. Now everything else is an incidental. I plod along burdened down by the cares of this life. I am to have His joy made complete, made full, in my life. That ought to characterize us as believers, as a body of believers. People ought to look at this body of believers and say, 'You know, they’re characterized by love. They are a joyful people.’ We put some kind of premium on seriousness. I realize there are a lot of fun things that are light. That’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about the joy that flows from within. That basic joy that is ours. I realize there are a lot of things in this life and world that aren't fun. It is not fun to die. And those of us who can look at it and talk about it as though it was because we have yet to experience it. Death is an enemy. That's not fun. There
is sadness, there are tears. Jesus shed tears during His earthly ministry, but there is that basic unchanging joy, that inner happiness, that God Himself produces in a life of one who belongs to Him. And that inner joy ought to be radiating from us. Ever been with Christians you couldn't wait to get away from because they are so dag-blasted depressing! They can talk about what's wrong here, they can talk about what's wrong there. They can talk about this problem, they can talk about this difficulty. You feel like you want to go home and jump in the tub and get clean again! You get so depressed. There are Christians I'd walk two miles to avoid just because if I spend 5 minutes with them it takes me 25 minutes to get back on my feet again. Rather than the joy of the Lord radiating through us characterizing us. We are a privileged people. I should live with this joy at all times, even in sadness.

"I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them..." Isn't that interesting. One moment He says "I want My joy to be made full" and the next moment He says, "As a result of what I have done, they're hated." You see it's a seeming paradox. It's because of the spiritual reality and vitality God brings to a life. "I gave them Your word; and the world hated them." Why? Why should the world hate those who have been the recipients of the Word of God?
"Because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." You see a change has taken place. Remember earlier Jesus said "If you were of the world the world would love its own?" But Christ has taken us out of the world, therefore the world hates us. It can't stand the fact that we are different, so those who are clearly identified with Jesus Christ become the object of hatred by the world. But note verse 15.

"I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one." Important verse. "I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them." The easy way out for us as believers would be to go to heaven today, but unless God calls you either at the Rapture or through physical death today, it's His intention that you be in the world. In the world but not of the world. Christ says, "I don’t want You to take them out of the world. In spite of the hatred, in spite of the opposition, in spite of the difficulty, I don't ask You to remove them from the world but to preserve them. To keep them from the evil one.” I take it here He is talking about the devil as the one who is the prince of this world, the god of this age, that one with whom we do battle, because this world system is under the domination of the evil one. So we do battle, not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, even against spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies. Those spiritual forces that oppose us under the headship of Satan himself, we are to be kept from him. I think Christians recently especially have gotten interested in things pertaining to demons, the devil, demon possession. You note here, we are under the keeping power of God. I have a respect for the devil. I am told to resist him and he will flee by James. I am told to be on guard against him by Peter. But I am kept by God. I don't have any particular panic over the devil and the demons. I believe they're here today. They're here to oppose the preaching of His Word, to oppose the ministry of the Spirit of God in the lives of those who sit here listening. I also realize that we who believe are kept by the power of God from the evil one. So we are in the world, in a system, that is under the domination of the enemy of God—Satan— but we are kept by God. But you can be sure in this, there is going to be conflict, can't you? There is going to be battle.

Verse 16. "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world."
Note the contrast here. He asks not to take us out of the world, but we are not of the world. Now why are we left in the world, what provision? There is provision made for our holiness, our sanctification so that we can carry on the ministry God has for us in the world. Note verse 17. "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." We noted back in verse 11, "Holy Father." Same basic word for holiness as it is for sanctification in the Greek language.
So sanctify them has the idea of holiness, which the basic idea is ’set them apart.' "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." In other words, the provision God has made for us to maintain holiness in walk and character in our life in this defiled world is the Word of God. This continual provision for sanctification, for keeping us set apart, undefiled, is the Word of God. It’s His Word that is truth, and it is as we as believers are in the truth, in the Word, that we are preserved holy in conduct in our walk. So that's God's provision for us. Now we have all kinds of distortions. We have people who want to retire from the world. We shield ourselves from the world in a variety of ways. We have our own Christian monastery kind of life where we want to start out little and be protected on up to adults. And the epitome is to be born in a Christian family, go to Christian schools, go to a Christian college, get a job at a Christian place, go to a Christian church, and have as little to do as possible with this dirty, old world. That's not His intentions. If He wanted to keep us from any contact, He could have taken us to heaven. His goal for us is to stay in the world but not be of the world. But we also have the other kind of Christian who he becomes part of the world. He's not only in the world, he's so much like the world you have a hard time knowing the difference because the Word of God is not carrying out its continual cleansing purpose. That's why Satan delights in keeping us away from the Word. You stay out of the Word of God on a regular basis and you'll see your life deteriorate. And what happens? We become more and more like the world, because the cleansing, that sanctification, that keeps us separate, apart in the true spiritual sense occurs by the operation of the Word of God under the power of the Spirit of God. That's why you have so many churches where people come and sit and hear great sermons but nothing of the Word of God. You think Satan doesn't like great sermons? He's written some of the best! You could have heard some of them in this city today. (Oops! Shouldn't have said that!) You know what He doesn’t like? He doesn't like the Word of God. He doesn't care if I preach sermons. But he doesn't want me to preach the Word of God. He doesn't want you to be in the Word of God because that's God's provision for your sanctification, being set apart. I take it here He's talking about sanctification in the present aspect. We talk about a past, present and future sanctification, but I take it we're talking about present sanctification here. Already He's said He's praying for the believers, the disciples here. He doesn't have to pray for their past sanctification that occurred when they believed. He's concerned about their continual daily life now that He's leaving them in the world. So He's going to provide for them the Spirit who is going to take up residence within them. What other provision was made? The truth, the Word of God, for their sanctification. So we as believers have the Spirit of God and we have the Word of God. That's God's provision for our sanctification.

Verse 18. "So that as You did send Me into the world, I have also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth." Note here verse 18. "Just like You sent Me into the world, I sent them into the world." Just the opposite of pulling us out of the world, He is sending us into the world. "He said it's just like You sent Me, Father. So I send them." Jot down 10:36 (John), we won't turn there, Jesus talks about the Father sending Him into the world. Now what was Jesus sent into the world to do? Become part of the world, live like the world? Get absorbed into the world? Obviously not. He was sent into the world to make God known. He was sent into the world with a ministry. Now if that doesn't excite you, you're dead wood! That Christ says just like God the Father sent Me, I'm sending you! I'm sent into the world just like Jesus Christ was sent into the world. Now I realize there are differences. I'm not the divine Son of God. I'm not going to die on a cross for man's sin. But I am an appointed representative of Almighty God with a ministry to the world. The emphasis in my life is not to pull off and live in some monastery, but by the same token, the emphasis of my life in being in the world is not to go and be like the world. There are some Christians who have some friends who are unbelievers but those unbelievers are never made aware of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Those believers are in the world but they're not carrying on the ministry they have been given. Some Christians pride themselves, "I'm not a goody-goody. I go to parties with unbelievers. You know, we've got to have contact." And that's fine. I don't have any problem with having contact with unbelievers. But your contact with unbelievers ought to be like Jesus Christ's contact with unbelievers, and He had lots of contact with unbelievers. But what was the goal of His ministry in the world? To make these unbelievers aware of the truth of God. We as believers need to be aware of our desire to pull in, to cloister ourselves, and become so comfortable. We can only get together with believers and have Bible studies with just believers. We have some believers, even at Indian Hills, who get uncomfortable if they think there are going to be some unbelievers come to their Bible study. It will upset things. Well, that's the kind of thing that will probably be a good adjustment. I think maybe we ought to be looking for contacts with unbelievers, but you'd better not lose sight of what your purpose is. The danger is' that we get absorbed and become like the unbeliever, and there is no ministry left. The other danger is that we cloister together and have no ministry to give forth.
We must have a balance of the Word of God.

"Sent into the world with a ministry." "I send you as the Father sent Me." Now you think about that. How many places have you been in this city this week? How many people have you had contact with this week? How many places has Jesus Christ been made known this week? The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians and said he made Him known in every place. Every place he went he had contact with unbelievers. But for the goal of making them aware of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Have you been any place this week where there were unbelievers who were still unaware of who Jesus Christ is? Have we made Him known in every place? I think not, because we still have room. Not that everyone is going to want to come to Indian Hills, but you know when people get saved there is going to be growth and development. Your Bible study—is it overflowing? We get this cloistered idea, we talk about small groups. You know what happens with our Timothy Groups? The goal in starting them was so they would minister to people, other people would be brought in, and they would divide. You know the biggest problem we have right now? Those groups are becoming comfortable. You say, Oh I don’t want to divide. I like it here. We’re a fun group. We enjoy each other. To divide would be inconvenient. You see what we want to do? We want to settle down and become comfortable. What did God call us to do? To minister to those people out there. Who's going to reach this city if we don’t? We've got thousands of people to bear testimony to Jesus Christ in every place in this city to every age group. If we can't do it, it’s not because we can’t. It’s because we won’t. But I don’t want to miss out on that privilege. Jesus said He sent me into the city of Lincoln just like God sent Him into the world at Palestine, to make Him known. Whatever else I do, whatever jobs I carry out, I want to be sure that I carry out that ministry that He has given me—that in every place I've been Jesus Christ has been made known. To this end, "For their sakes I sanctify Myself.” He set Himself apart for the ministry God gave Him including the cross "that themselves also may be sanctified in truth.” The same kind of commitment that characterized Jesus Christ ought to characterize me I'm not going to die for the sins of the world, but He totally set Himself apart to be used to accomplish God's purposes. And He said His purposes in doing that being set apart even to the cross, was so that you and I could be set apart in truth. This ought to characterize us in every way as believers.

What a privilege to be in on the prayer that Jesus Christ is offering on our behalf. So we can see something of God's intended purposes for you and I, and my they are far more exalted that I would have ever dreamed. That He would take you and I, this motley collection, and say "They are My messengers, My instruments to reach that city, that state, that country, that world with the message concerning My Son, Jesus Christ." No matter what you do this week, no matter where you go, you ought to have written on the inside of your forehead who you are. You are one sent into the world just like Jesus Christ was with the ministry of making Him known wherever you go. Let's pray together.

Father, we praise you for such a Savior. Father, for His total commitment to the ministry that was given to Him, without reservation. Father, what a glorious privilege for us to be able to look into the prayer that He offered on our behalf. To see something of Your purposes for us, to know that we are secure, we are guarded, we are kept by You. Father, that very fact ought to give us boldness, that whatever comes or whatever happens, we are secure in Your care. To recognize the tremendous ministry that has been committed to us, Lord, sent forth into the world to make You known. Lord, I pray that we as a body of believers might take hold of the ministry You have given us. Lord, shake us from being comfortable, from settling in, from cloistering ourselves from the world. Lord, cause us to see the world as You see it, a world that needs the message that we have been entrusted with. We'll praise you for it all in Jesus' name