John 17:15-17
Sunday Morning Bible Study
January 19, 1997
Introduction
Jesus is on His last night with His beloved disciples.
He's given them plenty of instruction and warning about the times ahead as He leaves them.
He ends by praying for them.
:15-17 Sanctification
15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world
It's in the world, in this invisible system that tries to draw us away from God, that we have all our troubles.
Jesus doesn't promise to take your problems away.
He just promises to take you through your problems.
:15 but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
The King James comes closest to expressing the original language.
It's simply "keep them from the evil"
It could refer to an evil "thing"
It could refer to an evil "person"
That's why some of the translations (NIV, NAS) say "keep them from the evil one"
Jesus could be talking about the evil of sin, or the evil one (Satan), but I feel that Jesus is talking about the evil that's in the world.
That's the whole context of this passage:
Jesus has said that as He's given the disciples His Word, the world has turned up hating them.
Why? Because they're no longer like the world.
Even the verses after this sentence are still talking about not being "of the world".
Lesson:
Don't copy the world's evil.
Jesus is defining what it means to be "not of the world".
It means to not be a part of the evil that's in the world.
We may be physically located in the middle of an evil place, but we're not supposed to be a part of the evil.
Illustration:
Do you remember the Dr. Seuss book about the "Sneetches" on the beaches?
There was this whole group of Sneetches who had stars.
And they thought they were better than the Sneetches that didn't have stars.
So the Sneetches without stars got stars upon thars ...
Then the Sneetches that already had the stars thought they were no longer special, so they had their stars removed.
Then the others had to copy them ...
If we're not careful, we might find ourselves looking at non-Christians and thinking that certain things they have are the kinds of things we ought to have.
If we're not careful, we end up looking like the non-Christians.
Paul wrote:
(Rom 12:2 KJV)
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.Bible Illustration:
Look at Joseph.
He was brought into Egypt as a slave, and found himself in a place filled with temptation.
He was a young, good looking man who found the boss's wife flirting with him.
He was in the world, yet not of it:
(Gen 39:7-12 KJV)
And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. {8} But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; {9} There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? {10} And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. {11} And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within. {12} And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.The answer is not getting away from the world, but the evil of the world.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Jesus repeats what He said earlier in verse 14.
The idea here is that Jesus is praying that we ought to be kept from the evil of the world because we are not of the world.
When we are born again, we are born with a new nature, we are now people that have a new citizenship.
We are no longer citizens of earth, but citizens of heaven. (Phil.3:20)
17 Sanctify them
sanctifiy - hagiazo - to set apart; to take something ordinary or worldly and make it something that's especially for God's use.
It's based on the word for "holy" (hagios).
We get "sanctify" from the Latin word "sanctus" which means "holy".
You could look at it as "being made holy", or maybe to "holify".
God is holy.
He is different from everything in the world, being pure and sinless.
Those that want to have anything to do with God have to come to Him on His standards
There seem to be three aspects of "sanctification" in the New Testament:
1. Initial Sanctification
This is what happens when we first become saved, when we become "set apart" for God's special use.
Cleansing.
When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord, we receive His payment for all our sins, and we become cleansed and forgiven of our sin.
Ownership.
When we are born again, it's as if God puts a sign around our neck that says "Property of God, all others hands off!"
It's like those Sweatshirts that were the rage a few years back that said something like, "Property of Stanford Athletics Department".
It's as if God sews His name on the inside of your life, so just in case you get lost, you can always check the tag to see who you belong to.
Paul wrote:
(1 Cor 6:9-11 NASB) Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, {10} nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. {11} And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.
All this is what God does for us when we turn to Jesus Christ and ask Him to be our Saviour.
2. Ultimate Sanctification
We have a problem in that while we are living in these present bodies, we have this sin nature attached to us.
Illustration:
It's kind of like a shadow. Peter Pan was able to lose his shadow, but you aren't able to lose yours.
The only way you can make a shadow smaller is to get under the light.
After this earthly life, we will be so completely His, that we won't have any more worries about things like sin and backsliding.
Paul wrote:
(1 Th 5:23 KJV) And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This too is God's work, what God will do for us in heaven.
3. Ongoing Sanctification
It's what is to happen now, while we're still attached to our wicked sin natures.
It's a process where we become more and more like Jesus, and less and less like the sinful world around us.
It's not an option:
(1 Th 4:3-8 KJV)
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: {4} That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; {5} Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: {6} That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. {7} For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. {8} He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.God responds to our call to Him by putting His Holy Spirit into our lives (notice the title "Holy"?)
But it's up to us to respond to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives by turning away from sinful things, learning to walk more and more in holiness.
:17 through thy truth
One of the things that God uses to sanctify us is with truth.
The truth changes us.
Lesson:
I am changed by the truth.
It seems that the more time I spend listening to people tell me about their problems, one of my greatest concerns is about people not living in "reality".
It seems that there's something in us that just loves to be deceived.
In my limited experience, there are two problems of self-deception that I'm particularly concerned about:
1. The truth about our problems
Illustration:
If I can tell myself that I just haven't had any lucky breaks yet in my music, I don't feel so bad.
But perhaps I'm just not as great a musician as I think I am.
If I can go along in life telling myself that the problem in my marriage is my wife, and that it's not my fault, I don't have to feel so bad.
Yet very often I find that I have as much if not greater fault in my marriage problems.
Illustration:
A few weeks ago I was went to lunch with Craig Campbell, and after lunch we got into my car to drive him back to work. But the car didn't start. Finally a lady helped us out by letting us jump start my car with her car. When I got home, I found that my battery fluid was too low, so I put in some more water, and hoped the battery would be okay. A week or so later, I went to start my car, and it didn't start. I was kind of busy at the time, and just took Deb's car. When I got back to look at the battery, the car started. And I thought to myself, "Well, maybe it's not the battery!" But rather than do anything about it, I just let it go, hoping the problem would all go away. Then this week I took the kids to school in my wife's car, and got a page from my wife, saying that my car didn't start for her, and she was going to have to cancel her dentist appointment. It was all because I didn't want to face the truth about the battery, and just let it go. And my wife ended up suffering (is not going to the dentist suffering?) for it.
The Bible says that it's when we admit our problems that we find help and healing:
Pr 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
(1 John 1:9 KJV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
2. The truth about God's love for us.
You may be brutally honest with yourself about your problems, but until you wake up to the fact that God loves you inspite of your problems, then you might not be changing for the best.
God really loves you.
The Bible says:
(Rom 5:8 KJV) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
It's really true. God loves even you.
It's only changes motivated by love that are worthwhile.
I can be motivated by many things: Fear, greed, lust, and pride.
But it's only when my life is motivated by God's love for me that anything valuable can ever come out of it.
(1 Cor 13:1-3 KJV) Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. {2} And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. {3} And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
:17 thy word is truth.
The other means of sanctification is God's Word.
One of God's greatest tools in this life long process of becoming more holy, is His Word.
Lesson:
I am changed by the Word.
1. It cleanses us.
The Psalmist writes:
(Psa 119:9-11 KJV) Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. {10} With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. {11} Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Somehow, I always feel just a little more cleaner when I've spent fifteen minutes in God's Word.
That's not how I feel after spending fifteen minutes in front of the TV.
Illustration:
D.L. Moody wrote in the front of his Bible: "This book will keep you from sin, and sin will keep you from this book"
2. It's a light in the darkness.
(Psa 119:105 KJV) Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Illustration:
Last night I was making my way to the kitchen, and most of the lights were out.
As I walked out of the office and down the hall, suddenly I found myself in a room that was pretty dark.
And it's not a safe thing to walk in the dark in a house with small boys (and their toys!).
But as I stopped, my eyes gradually got used to the dark, and I realized that the small nightlight in the kitchen lit up the room enough so I could find the light switch.
The world we live in is a dark place.
The time we spend in the Word is like that little night light, lighting up the darkness.
But if we want, we can always increase the wattage, and spend more time in the Word.
Then maybe we won't bump around into so many things in the dark!