Study 21

John 17

"THEY ARE NOT OF THE WORLD, JUST AS I AM NOT OF THE WORLD" John 17:16

Jesus was very conscious that He was not of the world. He sought to teach His Disciples that they must understand that they too would come to this same conclusion- that they too were not of the world.

The prayer of Jesus was valid at the time when He prayed for His Disciples. His prayer is still valid today, perhaps even more so. How we need to be reminded again and again that we are not of the world!

John in his first general epistle elaborated on this thought that Jesus spoke to His Father in prayer. Let us consider what John understood Jesus to have meant when He said that true believers must know that they are not of the world.

AN EXPLANATION OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE NOT OF THE WORLD

John was most conscious of what Jesus meant when He prayed for His Disciples. He was one of the closest Disciples of the Lord Jesus. He saw how Jesus lived out His life. His mindset, and His lifestyle demonstrated that He was truly not of the world.

Let us take time to consider what John wrote in his first general epistle…

"Do not love the world
or the things that are in the world.
If anyone loves the world,
The love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world-
The lust of the flesh,
The lust of the eyes,
And the pride of life-
Is not of the Father but is of the world.
And the world is passing away and the lust of it…"
1 John 2:15-17

John correctly expounded what Jesus must have meant when He prayed and mentioned that His Disciples might be kept and distinguished from the world.

• The true disciple must not allow himself to be caught up by the things of the world.
• He must never learn to love the world, or the love of the Father would not be in him.
• He must reject the ways of the world… especially the things that the world lusts after!
• The world will soon fade away. The things of the world do not have any lasting value at all.

OUR FOCUS MUST BE JESUS HIMSELF AND HIS LIFESTYLE

As we pray that the Lord would keep us from becoming worldly, we must at the same time focus our attention on Jesus and all that He stood for. It is not enough to shun the world. We must make sure that we are emulating the exemplary lifestyle of our precious Saviour.

How wonderfully Jesus lived out His life on earth? Let us consider some of the outstanding things that marked His life. Let us remember that Jesus practised this consciousness, that He was not of the world diligently.

• He sought to do His Father's will
• He was always filled with the Spirit of God
  
• He was filled with compassion for the needs of others
  
• He was steeped on the knowledge of God's Word and walked in full obedience to the Scriptures
• He expounded.
  
• His Character was truly exemplary.

We could go on indefinitely to describe the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. But the short list suffices as an example of what it means to pray focusing on Jesus. He showed us that it is possible to live a life that is good and righteous.

Let us be deeply challenged to pray daily that we may have strength to resist the temptation to be like the world. Let us pray that we would be deeply challenged instead to walk worthy of our calling as Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us develop a deep consciousness that we are NOT of the world, even as Jesus was not of the world!

~ Pastor Charlie Tan ~

First released 23 September 2001 © Bethany Independent-Presbyterian Church, Singapore