JESUS' PRAYER FOR US
JOHN 17:14-18 NKJV
14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
The bulk of this chapter contains Jesus' prayer for His disciples.
But it's not only for His disciples. The prayer is for those of us who believe in Him. Verse 20 gives us that assurance. Jesus declares that this prayer is for all those who would believe.
It's a good thing Jesus said those words. It would have been too easy for theologians to only confine this wonderful prayer to the eleven disciples.
The prayer contains some astounding truth. In verse 23, Jesus declares that God loves us just as God loved Him. I'm glad He said that. If I said it, the words would come across as unfathomable.
In our passage for today, Jesus again reveals why we can be at such odds with the world. The world being those outside of God's covenant and kingdom. His word, God's word, has come to us, and we are not of the world.
In the new birth, we are translated into the kingdom of God. We are now creations born from above, born again by the Spirit of God.
We are now united with, connected with, the Lord Jesus. And He repeats this truth in verse 16. We are not of the world as He is not of the world.
We are in the world but not of the world. We belong to God, and Jesus prayed that God would not remove us but rather protect us.
Jesus' prayer included the assignment of us being sent into the world just as He was sent into the world. His prayer contains life changing truth that applies to us.
APPLICATION:
We are not of this world. We are here, but we are passing through. The world will not understand us because we operate with His word as our basis for belief.
His word has set us apart, and we are now people with a mission. Our calling is to be a light in this dark world. With an assignment of that magnitude, it's easier to see why God wants us to live set apart from this world's system. To live not being conformed to a system filled with fear, darkness, and death.
But that's not us. Because of Jesus, we are different. A very good kind of different.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord thank You for the connection that I have with You. And thank you for my assignment to represent You in this dark world.