John 17:18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world
We work with a lot of young people in the summer at the Bill Rice Ranch as well as at West Branch in Williams, Arizona. A lot of times teenagers are going through an identity crisis. They are trying to figure out who they are, what they are, their abilities, and what kind of person they should be. Adults have the same thing at various stages of life. For instance, someone retires and thinks, “Who am I anymore?” If you ask many people, “What do you do?” that is a question that means partly, “What is your identity?” You might be a mail carrier, a police officer, or a business man. These are things you do, but in your mind, it is a thing that you are. So, when you retire or lose the abilities that made you feel useful, you wonder who you are.
As you look at John 15-17, you are reminded that if you are a believer in Christ, you belong to the Father, you follow the Son, you do so with the Spirit, and you are hated of the world. So, what is our relationship to be to the world if the world hates us and we belong to the Father, follow the Son, and live with the Holy Spirit? What is our identity? Those may be valid questions, but they are the wrong questions. You cannot get a good answer from a bad question. The question should be, “Where are you with Jesus Christ?”Knowing where you are with Jesus and who you are in Jesus clarifies everything.
There is a three-legged stool upon which we can rest this morning. First, we are not out of the world. In verse 15 Jesus says, “I pray not that thou the Father should take them [my followers] out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” So, you are not out of the world. We may feel as if we want to take the benedictine option and cloister ourselves, but the idea that we can cut ourselves out of the world and live in a monastery somewhere, maybe even in our own house, is not God’s plan.
Jesus said in John 16:33, “These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” So, you are not out of the world, but you are an overcomer. You have the right to peace. In John 17:15 Jesus prays that the Father would keep us from the evil one. So, we have safety. We are not out of the world. We have overcome. We have peace and safety with the Lord Jesus.
Second, you are not of the world. Verse 16 says, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” We are sanctified by truth. Do you think the world should like you better than it loved the Lord Jesus? “If the world hated Me, it will hate you,” Jesus said. So, don’t try to protect Jesus from Himself. Sometimes we feel a little embarrassed by Jesus and the truth He gives. We try to soften or change Him to make Him adaptable to our momentary culture. Jesus’ identity is a matter of clearest record. He is who He is, not who I wish Him to be, not who this society wishes Him to be. I am not out of the world, but I am not of the world.
My job is eternal, not entertainment. God bless any church who is trying to give the gospel, but don’t have a complex about being entertaining. You are never going to be as amusing as some millionaire in Beverly Hills who made his money entertaining. At some point in everyone’s life there are troubles. Your dog dies; you get a bad report from the doctor; you lose your job; life becomes real. At that point you don’t need to be entertained or stick your head in the sand or be amused. You need to know truth that will help you navigate this life and be settled for eternity. You are not of the world.
Finally, Jesus says you are sent into the world. Verse 18 says, “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.” He sends us into the world on a mission. In verse 20 He says, “Neither pray I for these alone; but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.” Jesus was not just praying for the disciples then on the planet, but for you and me who have believed in Christ through their witness. So, we are sent into the world on a mission and with a person.
Knowing where you are with Jesus and knowing who you are in Jesus clarifies everything. You are not out of the world, you are not of the world, you are sent into the world on a mission with a person. May God help us to take heart, courage, and comfort in those truths today.