John 17

“Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.”  ‭‭John‬ ‭17:11,15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Let this prayer from Jesus bring you comfort and confidence as you live your life in this world where evil abounds.  Jesus specifically prayed for all of us to be protected from the evil one.  Satan is “…the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Ephesians 2:2).  In addition, he is able to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10), but only if we let him.  As long as we remain connected to God through faith, prayer, and following His Word, Satan has no power over us: “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them” (1 John 5:18).  These scriptures give us the boldness we need as followers of Christ to live life without fear of what Satan or other people can do to us.  While it is true that Satan has dominion over the Earth, he cannot hurt us unless we give him control by doing something that is against God’s will.  We should all remember this the next time we are tempted to be angry, selfish, jealous, unfaithful, prideful or impatient.  Instead, turn to God for help and see how quickly the temptation will flee from you.  God promises to protect you, if given the chance. Hallelujah!

“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.”  ‭‭John‬ ‭17:17-19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬. In this passage, Jesus prays for us to be sanctified, and then explains that we have been sanctified through Him.  Sanctified means set apart, holy, pure, and free from sin.  Since being sanctified only comes through Jesus, we have to realize that it is not something that we can earn by our words or actions.  Sanctification truly is a free gift from Jesus that resulted from His suffering on the cross for us:  “…we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).  There are three important things to know about sanctification:

1. Sanctification begins at the moment of salvation.  When we put our faith in Jesus, we become a group of people who are with God, instead of being separate from Him.  “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).  This is an intricate part of our eternal salvation, forever linking us with God.

2. Sanctification is an ongoing, daily process.  There is a progression in our thoughts, attitudes, words, and actions towards becoming more holy as we continue to live our lives for Jesus and strive to grow in our faith.  “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).  Our behavior should reflect the fact that although we used to be standing in the world, separate from God, we now are standing with God, separate from the world.

3. Complete sanctification for us will not occur until we reach Heaven.  “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). Our ultimate and final separation from sin will not occur until Christ returns.  So immediate perfection is not expected for anyone.  Whew!

Now that we know that we are set apart, let’s remember why we are set apart.  God chose us to be His representatives on this earth, in this place, and in this time.  We are to use this life to be holy examples of the Almighty God and what He can do.  Anyone is invited to come to God wherever they are at in life, and no matter what they have done.  Once Christ is accepted, the Holy Spirit will start the process of sanctification in the heart of that person.  This life transformation will look different for every individual.  Why does everyone have to change?  Because God loves us too much to let us stay the same.

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”  ‭‭John‬ ‭17:20-26‬ ‭NKJV‬‬. How amazing are these words of Jesus?  Over 2000 years ago, Jesus prayed specifically for each one of us!  In His prayer He asked God to make sure that we stayed unified through our belief in Him.  We are all branches off of the same vine (Jesus), and are meant to remain attached to Him in order to produce the same kind of fruit (love, peace, patience, kindness, etc. See Galatians 5:22-23).  Psalm 133:1 says, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”  Yet there are thousands of Christian denominations throughout the world, which was not God’s original design.  Often, one can trace church splits back to pride and selfish ambition, which ironically go directly against the teachings of the Bible.  God meant for there to be one unified church, brought together by faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  He knew how damaging separation and discord would be for his body of believers, and how much power would be brought through unification.  Jesus understood and taught about the power of unity and agreement in the church, as He said “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or three gather in My name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:19-20).  Ephesians 4:2 has great advice to follow, which would completely change the way disagreements are handled in life: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”  How would this look practically?  Instead of insisting on your demands being met in a dispute, you would stop, humble yourself, and ask God to assess whether you are acting in love.  Time would be spent in prayer and seeking godly advice rather than lashing out with emotion.  Imagine if all of the 2 billion people who call themselves Christians in the world agreed on and acted out this one simple concept: God’s way is always the best way!  Think about all of the “good works” that could be done for God’s glory.  Think about the awesome message this would send to the world, especially to non-believers.  Think of how much momentum would be generated for spreading the gospel.  So what can you do to promote unity?  It has to start with you: “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27).  Make sure not to let disagreements get out of control, and apply Ephesians 4:2 to your interactions with everyone you come into contact with.  If you happen to have a strained relationship with anyone, make sure to reach out to him/her and try to make amends.  

Ultimately, we need to extend the same grace, mercy, forgiveness and compassion that was given to us through Christ’s death on the cross.  A group of people who reflect His amazing love above all else will truly become the unified church God envisioned.