TEXT: John 17:12-16
12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
14 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.
15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
We are in a series of messages titled “Praying Through the Bible: A Series on Every Passage and Verse Regarding Prayer in the Bible.” The purpose of this series is to encourage and motivate you to pray to the God of the Bible. We highlighted each of these over 500 verses and passages in the Prayer Motivator Devotional Bible. So far, we have completed 193 messages in this series.
This is message #194 titled, The Profound Prayer that Jesus Prayed, Part 10
In our last message, we began looking at how Jesus expanded on His second major request for His disciples — that God would keep and preserve them in the world. Because the disciples had received God’s Word, had believed it, and had been transformed by it, they would find themselves at odds with the world’s values. The world was still under Satan’s influence; the disciples had been transformed by Jesus Christ. The two would not be compatible with each other.
With that in mind, Jesus prays, “the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.”
There are several reasons why Jesus wants us to remain in the world. First, as we saw last week, we must remain in the world in order to be a light to the world. If we sequestered ourselves into Christian-only communities, we would be of no benefit to the world which is engulfed in darkness.
Second, we must remain in the world because that is the only way we can witness to people about Jesus. If we are not in contact with unbelievers, we will be unable to win them to the Lord. Just before Jesus left this Earth, He tasked His disciples with preaching the Gospel to the ‘uttermost part of the world.’ Part of preaching the Gospel is living a life that reflects Gospel-based values. Our lifestyle is just as much a witness as our words. The world needs to see evidence of the life-transforming power of the Gospel. We are that evidence, and we must remain in the world to be a light to the people in the world.
Third, we must remain in the world in order to experience the full glory of God. If we, immediately upon salvation, are snatched away to Heaven, we will miss out on seeing God fully glorified on Earth. There are aspects of God’s nature and aspects of the work of salvation that can be better appreciated only by remaining in the world. Only by seeing the effects of sin can we fully appreciate that Jesus is the great Sin-Slayer. Only by experiencing the death of loved ones can we fully appreciate Jesus as the great Death-Defier. Only by seeing the devastating effects of Satan’s sway over the world can we fully appreciate Jesus as the great Satan-Conqueror.
We typically think that we will only know God and Jesus fully and freely once we are whisked away to Heaven, but God’s glory shines even on the Earth. By knowing Him better here, we will know Him better there.
Don’t despair because you and I have to remain in the world. Jesus prayed for us, that God would keep us and preserve us during our time on this Earth. He is still making this prayer request for us in Heaven right now. God has and will continue to answer the prayer of His dear Son.
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Now, if you are with us today, and you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, your first prayer needs to be what we call the Sinner’s Prayer. First, please understand that you are a sinner, just as I am, and that you have broken God’s laws. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now this is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! Congratulations on trusting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. You have done the most important thing in life. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door, by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.
Gospel Light House of Prayer International 