Introduction
It was a favorite movie of mine when I was a kid. I can remember it being the first movie I cried during. The movie was E.T. If you have seen the movie (or even if you haven’t) there are some classic scenes that will be remembered.
Elliot cutting his finger and E.T. healing Elliot’s finger saying, “Ouch.”
Elliot and his friends riding their bicycles in the sky while the FBI tries to capture E.T.
E.T. building a communication device in the words saying, “E.T. phone home.”
If you remember the movie, the premise was simple. Disguise E.T. and misdirect attention from him long enough until he can get home again. I want you to keep the movie E.T. in mind as we wrap up this sermon series.
Over the last six weeks we have been discussing what the Christian phrase “Living in the world, but not of the world” really means. In the process we have been addressing some tough topics. We have been discussing some cultural criticisms leveled at Christ’s bride, the church. And we have talked over that time about ways we should respond as people separate from the world. We have been asking, “What does it mean to be in the world, but not of it?” When we discuss the phrase, we can feel like strangers; like aliens.
The impression we could get is that to be in the world is akin to being stuck in the world. We may even feel like our best strategy is to marshal our greatest strength to avoid being detected as part of the world; to be a kind of spiritual separatist movement that is simply waiting for the mothership to bring us home.
Is that what Jesus means by “in the world, but not of it”?
Today we are going to look at the words of Jesus himself as we conclude this series.
Text:
John 17:1-18
John 17 begins with this.
John 17:1
17 After Jesus said this,
What had Jesus said? The gospel writer is referring to what Jesus has said in chapters 13-16. In John 16, Jesus is talking to his disciples and he has told them “in a little while you won’t see me anymore. Then you will see me.” The disciples are confused by this talk and they express it to one another. “What does Jesus mean when he says he is going to disappear and then reappear?” Is Jesus talking about some spiritual magic act?
Jesus reads the confusion in their hearts and he explains to them in different terms what is about to take place. He reveals to them in plainer terms about his upcoming arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection. Jesus reveals to them that when he rises again, he will return to his Father.
The gospel tells us the disciples’ response (16:29-30)
His disciples say….
John 16:29-30
9…“Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”
They aren’t responding to the prediction (which they clearly still don’t understand.) They are responding to the fact that Jesus KNEW they were confused. In essence they say, “You can read or hearts Lord and that makes us believe that you came from God.”
Listen to Jesus response. This will be important as we discuss being in the world, but not of it.
John 16:31
31 “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. 32 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
It is clear that the follower of Jesus is going to experience trouble while IN the world. Our beliefs will conflict with culture. This is Jesus’ prediction for his own disciples. In this world you will have trouble. And we have seen over the last few weeks that this is true in today’s world as well. But Jesus tells his disciples to take heart, to have courage when trouble comes.
Why? Because HE has OVERCOME the world. When troubles come, we should remember that it is JESUS who overcomes the world!
When conflict with the culture of the world comes, it is easy to get discouraged. Sometimes it feels like the world is winning. I hear it all the time…I have people tell me “The world is an evil place….the world is messed up… it’s not like it used to be.” Despite our efforts, the world seems to be getting worse, not better.
And the temptation is to either give up, to throw our hands up and say, “I’m out. I’m done.” Or worse yet, to give in …to look like the world’s side; In essence we start to wear the world’s uniform; we begin looking like the world. We are like E.T. with a sheet over our heads hoping not to be discovered.
And we forget that Jesus has overcome the world. We forget that He has already defeated sin. We skip the fact that he has gained control of the world as his own.
Church, if you or I feel defeated, we can take courage. If we feel like our culture is winning the battle, we can take courage. Jesus has overcome the world.
This is an important core truth as we move into Jesus’ prayer in John 17. In John 17, Jesus will address his disciples’ relationship to the world as he prays.
John 17:1-3
17 After Jesus said (all) this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
In our engagement of the world, Jesus sets the mission parameters in his prayer. The parameters are simple.
1. That the world may know and glorify God.
2. That the world may know that Jesus was sent by God.
3. That the world may know that Jesus has the authority to grant eternal life.
These are our marching orders.
Jesus goes on then to say…
John 17:4-5
4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
Don’t miss the claim here. Jesus has prayed to God, “I shared glory with you before the world began.” This is a pre creation statement. Jesus was before creation. Jesus joined God in the creative process. Jesus is claiming God status. He was God in the flesh sent to accomplish a mission.
John 17:6-8
6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.
Jesus is talking about his disciples. He is praying and speaking about their discussion in John 16. They believe I came from you and they believe you sent me. So Jesus says
John 17:9-11a
9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. (They belong to God as Jesus does – addition mine) 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you…
Jesus’ role is just about finished. His redeeming work on the cross is quickly approaching. In a few hours he will be crucified. In three days, he will rise from the dead. 6 weeks later he will ascend into Heaven to be with the Father. Jesus work on Earth will complete. But his disciples will still be IN the world. So Jesus prayer is first for their protection.
John 17:11b
…Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.
The protection isn’t from bad things or difficult circumstances. Jesus doesn’t pray that God remove them from the troubles of the world. Instead, Jesus wants their unity protected. Jesus is praying for perfect unity. Protect them so that they may be one as the Father and Son are one.
We live in a world where there is conflict all the time. In the United States we should look no further than politics. But there is conflict everywhere in the world. There’s national conflict, there’s ethnic conflict, there’s marital conflict, there’s family conflict. The world is a fractured mess full of trouble. And Jesus prays for his disciples in this fractured world. And he is asking that his followers be different. He is praying that in a world of disunity, that his followers be marked by their remarkable unity.
Not of this world
The Follower will be marked by
I. The practice of perfect unity.
The same unity as Jesus has with the Father. What is their unity based on? It is based on one mind, one purpose, one heart. It’s based on the mission. 1. That the world may know and glorify God. 2. That the world may know that Jesus was sent by God. And 3. That the world may know that Jesus has the authority to grant eternal life.
Have you noticed that when this mission gets ignored, the first thing to disappear is unity? If followers of Christ cannot stand united, do you know the first place we should look for the cure. We should look for the cure in what their mission is.
Satan loved to mess with unity. Conflict messes with the image of the church. They will know we are Christians by our love. Satan detests a unified body. So he messes with it. His most effective tool in building conflict is making us adopt a different mission. In the end, he hopes to change our heart toward the mission because he doesn’t want to world to know about Jesus. So Jesus prays that the unity of his disciples will be protected.
Jesus goes on to pray in the next few verses
John 17:12
12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. 13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.
Jesus wants his disciples to have joy. Even in the midst of troubles, (Jesus says we will have troubles in this world) he prays for their joy. And Jesus doesn’t just pray for a little bit of joy for his disciples. He wants them to know the full measure of joy.
Not of this world
The Follower Will be Marked by
II. Our expression of the full measure of joy.
Can you picture the full measure? The needle on joys gas gage sitting on the F. It’s not like when the kids borrow the car and the needle is on empty. Instead, it’s full. Not a single drop more will fit into the tank. A full joy.
I see Satan cringing at this request too. One weapon he uses against the church is mess with unity. His other weapon against believers is fear. He wants to remove courage. A removal of courage is literally dis…couragement. In this request, Jesus is disarming Satan, the puppet ruler of this world.
Did you know that Satan hates a rejoicing Christian? I’m not talking about a happy Christian. I am talking about a rejoicing Christian. Happiness is based on current circumstances; joy is based on who Christ is. Do you want to know why Satan hates it when Christians rejoice? Because the joy is contagious.
Did you ever play smiling games when you were a kid? One kid will say, “Honey I love you, will you please smile.” The other one will try to respond back, “I love you too, but I just can’t smile.” It’s difficult not to smile. Try this on for size. I want those on the right side of the church to turn and look at those on the left. Give them your biggest smile. The ones on the left should try not to smile. It’s difficult not to smile.
Have you ever had a smile make your day? Have you ever had laughter start the healing? And if someone is laughing, aren’t you curious what it’s about? Joy is contagious.
The church that is not of this world is one where unity and joy are evident. But even more than that, I truly believe that a united church and rejoicing church are contagious. I pray like Jesus did for His disciples that we might know the full measure of joy.
It’s not always going to be easy.
Jesus says in verse 14
John 17:14-16
14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.
Stop and examine this a moment. “Not of the world” is the starting place; not the destination. Jesus says he is not of the world, and he begins by saying that his followers are not of the world either. But he doesn’t stop there. Listen.
John 17:17
17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
Sanctify means set apart, holy. Comes form a root word meaning “to stand in ‘Awe’ of something.” We are set apart by truth.
Not of this world
The Follower Will be Marked by
III. Our Trust in the Truth
We do accept an authority greater than ourselves. Let me apply this. If you want to see me get fired up try disagreeing with something that is clearly in Scripture by saying, “I don’t care what the Bible says.” To me that doesn’t fly. We have a standard of truth beyond ourselves. We don’t set the standards, God does. We are clearly set apart by the truth. In this way, we are not part of the world; but look at verse 18. It’s not where we stop.
John 17:18
18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
Jesus sends his disciples into the world. Jesus is not gathering his followers together to sing another round of hymns. He doesn’t gather them so that they can simply phone home and await the mothership. Instead he sends them into the world.
Can I borrow a football analogy? In football, the players huddle. It’s a unifying moment. But they don’t huddle so that can feel like a team or feel cool wearing the same uniform. They huddle so that they can run the next play and hopefully advance the ball down the field. In this world, we are called to run the play, to advance the mission. Which is? 1. To Glorify God 2. To proclaim that Jesus was sent by God into the world. And 3. To share the good news that Jesus has the authority to grant eternal life to those who believe.
We are separate, but sent. We are to be different, but we are still to be engaging the world with the message demonstrated through unity and joy.
If you have been a Christian very long you have probably heard the idea expressed as “Living in the world, but not of it.” I want to revise that. “Be not of the world, but sent into it.”
Rather than picturing E.T., picture being an ambassador. You and I are sent into a fractured world and a culture that is different than our own. The language is different, the food is different, the way we live is different. But we are still sent. We are sent into a region…the world…where conflict reigns, where trouble brews on a constant basis. And we are sent with an authoritative message from the one who was here before the world existed.
The message: God will be glorified, Jesus was sent by God, and Jesus has the authority to grant eternal life. We are sent to share the message that Jesus has overcome the world.
In the rest of this prayer, we see Jesus set himself apart for the mission. And we read how Jesus prays for us; that we too will advance the ball down the field; that we also will be marked by an undeniable love.
At F.C.C. I truly believe we have the “not in the world” part down pat. We know how to be separate from the world. So let me ask these questions. When a visitor comes, do they see us rejoicing in overcoming? When the community talks about F.C.C., do they talk about unity and our love? Does the world see our courage? Does the world know the culture of love expressed in Jesus?
Have we been ambassadors carrying a message from our King; or are we more like E.T.? We throw a sheet over our heads; we build a communication device not to share a message, but to phone home. Are we waiting for the mothership to pick us up: or do we rejoice, do we unify, and do we boldly proclaim that Jesus has overcome the world?
There’s no better time to share this message than Christmas. There’s no better time to declare that God will be glorified; that a baby born in a stable was sent by God, and that this baby named Jesus has the authority to grant eternal life to all who will believe on his name.
Decision Time:
