[Transcript represents full sermon's text]

       John chapter 17, picking up in verse 15. We are in the midst of Jesus’ High Priestly prayer: “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (ESV).

       Arriving today at the pinnacle of Jesus’ personal prayer to the Father, there are a variety of themes going on, themes which are taking place. The beginning of the matter is the fact that Jesus’ specifically asks the Father not to take the disciples out of the world—not to take them out of the world. An interesting request, and one that seems to denote a foreshadow to the fact that one day, yes, one day, they will in fact be taken out of the world. We know of that event as The Rapture of the Church. That is a future event, which, we, as Evangelical Christians, believe is going to take place at some point in the future, where indeed the Lord Jesus Christ descends to the sky of the earth and all those who were in the graves, who have died, and even those who are alive, are going to be caught up to meet him in the air. That’s what we believe is going to happen, though, it’s safe to say that the majority of Christians don’t see it that way. In their view, those Rapture passages from the Apostle Paul are actually talking about The Second Coming, and that no Rapture exists. Nevertheless, in our view, the verse does seem to point to such an event where we will we taken from this world until it is made ready to inhabit again, which, we believe will be the Millennial Kingdom which is specifically for the Jewish people, the Nation of Israel.

       The other part of the verse, the second part, displays how Jesus prays for the disciples that they are kept from the evil one. Kept from the evil one. Let’s go ahead and dissect this particular request. It can easily be discerned that the evil one is Satan himself. Satan, the fallen angel, a created being, one who rebelled against God, and one who seeks to destroy the good things of the world, including the good people, the believers in Jesus. Invariably, “the evil one” would also include his forces, those angels who rebelled with him, the fallen angels. Now, some people think that demons, who are not specifically prevalent in John’s Gospel, some think that demons are the fallen angels. The other popular theory is that demons are actually spirits from a world which existed before Adam and Eve, a world that perhaps rebelled against God and one of which God therefore destroyed. In this latter theory, you would have Satan, fallen angels, and then demons. The evil demons would be an additional group to the fallen angels. That would explain, for instance, how Satan is able to accomplish so much evil in the world. Stop and consider. If one-third of the angels fell with Satan, and two-thirds remain with God, it would seem that there would be more good in the world than evil, just in a basic pondering of the circumstances. However, if Satan has in his arsenal one-third of the angelical beings, and then a multitude of demonic spirits on top of that, that would explain Satan’s great power, and how he is able to accomplish so much evil. It would explain the struggle, yes indeed, the struggle of God’s angels in warring against them, and why so many bad things happen that God doesn’t want to happen. That would be why Jesus prayed for the disciples.

       Let us consider the famous point, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” It’s a popular verse, and one that we seem to often think about. It’s one that whole groups of Christians have put at the pinnacle of their foundation—as foundational to their whole way of being. Specially, the Anabaptists immediately come to mind. “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” Indeed, no matter how we identify as a Christian, no matter which group or label we align ourselves with, we know that part of our definition as a Christian is that we really, at the end of the day, are not of this world. We do not truly belong to it as it’s own. Now, what does this mean exactly? How do we define “the world”? It would seem best to define “the world” as the current system that is affected by sin, and not the actual world itself. It’s not that we aren’t of the world in the sense of the blue sky, the land, the oceans, and all the animals. It’s that we are not of this current setup, this current flow, this current ‘vibe’ if you will, of the world. We aren’t persons seeking to live our lives without any input from the Creator of all things. We know this is the correct definition because, after all, after we die or are Raptured, after that takes place, one day we all are going to return to, yes, this actual world—though it will be renovated at that point. During the Millennial Kingdom, there won’t be any sin. Then, God is going to destroy this world and create a new one, and at that point we will be of that world. Of the new world.

       To continue this theme of being separated from the world, Jesus then asks the Father, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” Sanctification already exists for us in that we are separate from the world. When we believed in God, we were washed clean, and we were sealed by his Spirit, and he came to indwell our flesh so that we are all belonging to God. Yet, at the same time, God’s truth, the Word of God, the Bible, sanctifies us as it tells us, as it instructs us, in how we should live as Christians. It keeps us on the straight and narrow. It keeps us pure when we follow what it has to say. It becomes the true test for all truth. Any truth we encounter in the outside world is only true if it aligns with the Word of God. Otherwise, it’s not true. It’s a falsehood. If we know our Bibles, if we know God’s Word, then we know how to distinguish truth from error. Error won’t have it’s way with us. And we are able to enjoy all truth at that point, no matter where it comes from. If we are listening to a lecture, no matter who the speaker is, no matter how they identify, we will be able to distinguish between what is true, and what is not true. We can therefore use what is true to our benefit, and it makes us better. It makes us more like Jesus.

       Verse 18: “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth” (ESV).

       Laid forth before the disciples is the plan that’s about to go into motion, and really, one of which has already been in motion. It’s the sending of the Eleven to spread the Gospel to the whole creation. Jesus first spoke of it in John chapter 4 and verse 38, when he said, “I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor” (ESV). Just as the Old Testament prophets did a lot of work, so now the disciples were going into that work, just as those after the disciples join in the work, all the way to us today. Later, here in John’s Gospel, he is going to speak of their mission again, when he says in chapter 20, and verse 21: “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (ESV). Jesus originally came to share God’s truth, while being obedient to the Words of the Father at the same time. It was both. And that, very simply, is what the disciple of Jesus does, what we all do in some way, shape, or form. We all shine our lights. We all share the truth in some way, and will share the truth verbally with persons. Some do this more than others, depending on their giftings and call from God. We aren’t all called to be public speakers before great crowds like Jesus was, but we all play our part. It’s safe to say that the Eleven disciples seemed to have a similar calling to Jesus, though we don’t know to what extent some of them spoke publicly. While we don’t have any speeches recorded by the Apostle John, for instance, we do have epistles, which basically are speeches.

       In contrast to everyone else, Jesus himself was consecrated while he was here on the earth. One way to look at it is that the his life was totally and entirely set apart for the Father. It would seem, if we stop and consider it, that once his earthly ministry began, and all the way to the end, that for that last three and a half years, there was nothing in Jesus’ life that was not for the Gospel’s sake—for the Father’s sake. Completely and entirely consecrated he was, set apart, for the Father. Really, none of us—even the most devoted Christian—seems to be entirely consecrated to the Father. All of us, no matter who we are, have personal interests, and in our context here in America, these personal interests seem to manifest themselves as hobbies, right? Hobbies are fun interests that we have which don’t really have anything to do with work for God, and yet we have fun with them. Then, most of us work careers that aren’t specifically in a ministry area. Again, the idea is the same. God wants it this way, however. He isn’t asking us to be entirely consecrated to him in that we have no other interest, none in the form of hobby or career, outside of him. In fact, sometimes in the personal experience, it seems the Father is displeased if not enough rest time is granted, if not enough rest time is taken in the form of hobbies or vacation or whatever. God doesn’t want us to be legalistic. Yet, for Christ, it was different. He was on a special mission that was set apart strictly for him.

       Verse 20: “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me” (ESV).

       Of course, Jesus is now praying for the believes in the future. He knows his disciples are going to share the truth, and he’s praying for those who are going to believe what they say. He specifically asks the Father for unity with these believers—that they will be one—just as the Father and the Son are One. Of course, we know that this verse is constantly fulfilled on the church level. A prevailing belief seems to be that it’s something that Jesus prayed for that didn’t come to pass—that failed to come to pass, that perhaps Satan and his forces stopped. Yet, actually, it has come to pass, first, on the local level. That’s the obvious one. It’s come to pass church by church because as churches exist, they demonstrate God’s love by their unity and the believer’s love for one another. Their oneness shines as a light to the world for all to see. Often individuals are won over to Christ by the unity of the local church. It’s also true, in the basic sense, that second, the unity has been fulfilled on the global level. All true churches have commonalities with each other—they are one in the basic sense. Whether we are considering the Eastern Orthodox, some Roman Catholic believers, Evangelicals, Anabaptists, some protestants, whatever, there is a oneness that exists. Even the media groups Christians together often as one. Now, we specially don’t recognize any body of believers are being true who blatantly practices sin—those ‘big’ sins which God has told us not to do. But most Christians don’t do that, they don’t behave in those ways. So, actually, the prayer of Jesus, “that they may all be one” has certainly been fulfilled on both levels.

       If you stop and think about it, if that weren’t the case, that on the basic level that Christians believed the same kinds of foundational doctrines, then the world wouldn’t believe, would they? As Jesus asked the Father, the purpose behind it was so that “the world may believe that you have sent me.” We know even to this day that people are believing. They believe, again, because they see the difference in individuals who’s lives have changed because they have believed in Jesus. They believe since they see persons who have believed all of their lives living righteously. They believe as they want what the believers have. They want that relationship with God that we have. The opposite of all of this, is that if the church doesn’t demonstrate that right things, the unity, then people often don’t believe. And all of us, to some degree, can probably point to examples where that has happened, where people have been turned off from the faith due to disunity, or people living contrary lives, lives of hypocrisy. That does the opposite, and it damages persons. That’s why Satan loves it so much.

       Jesus also notes that he has given us the glory that the Father has given to him. Now to the disciples at the time, they likely didn’t understand what that meant. We, in the Church Age, actually have some elaboration from the Apostle Paul. In one instance, he said, “that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:16-19, ESV). What Paul describes was the character of Christ while he was on the earth. Grounded in love, first and foremost, he was. He had power, and now we have power. Just as God the Father dwelled in his heart, so we have God dwelling in our hearts. Of course, all this is made possible through the coming Helper, the One Jesus talked about in the last couple chapters, who will indwell the disciples in a short period of time, and who indwells each of us today.

       Verse 24: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them” (ESV).

       In the present time, we understand that what Jesus asked the Father is going to come to pass, that of which he desired. Really, it was already written of before in the Old Testament, and now, even in the New Testament, even after this scene, it is written again. We are aware that John himself is going to record the famous Book of the Revelation. In that book, the whole thing of the end of the world is going to be recorded, and exactly how it is going to go down. Christ’s disciples will be with him during his reign on the earth, the Millennial Kingdom, and they will be with him in the eternal state. Monuments for them will even be on the wall the surrounds the new city, the New Jerusalem. The record already bears these things. They are as sure as done. Jesus wants them to see how good the Father is, and the glory he is truly going to have. He wants them to see that which is in stark contrast to the current circumstances which are about to go down. With their own eyes they will see that he reigns, that he is God himself. No question will exist that God the Father has loved God the Son since before the foundation of the world. The disciples, like Jesus, know God the Father. And Jesus will continue to work through them, and even those after them, to make God the Father known to more and more people who will freely choose to believe. They will be full of love from the Father, just as God the Son was full of love from the Father. It’s the ultimate state, the ultimate place of being-ness. No greater state exists beyond that of being in the Father’s love. The fulfillment of all this lies there.

       John chapter 18, verse 1: “When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground” (ESV).

       Jesus goes to the familiar place where he and his disciples had apparently gone often, which is noted elsewhere in Scripture as the Garden of Gethsemane. There are other things which took place in and around this event; however, remember we are looking at John’s account, and so we are pretty much going to stick to his version of things. Judas, remember at this point indwelled by Satan, has sold out for the sake of money. He wanted money more than he wanted Jesus’ friendship. All along that had been where his heart was, where it was fixated—on money. And here Satan is going to confront Jesus, though, this won’t be the first time that he had been around him. We know he was around him when he tempted him way back at the beginning, right before the earthly ministry started. We understand he was close by when he was trying to use Peter to deceive him about the cross. We really don’t understand where Satan was going with all of that. It’s important for us to note at this point, and really, this is an important thing that needs to be stated, was that this is not God the Father and Satan working in cooperation with each other, as if they are against each other, but really secretly on the same side. Traditionally, that seems to be the portrait that’s often painted, and seems to have its roots in the first chapter of the Book of Job. Actually, Satan is in active rebellion against God, and in all likelihood, genuinely believes he’s about to prevent the Millennial Kingdom, and render God the Father a liar. In essence, this is an attempt to dethrone God. To usurp authority. To win after all this time. This is not like the story, to pull a somewhat random example, where Willy Wonka is working in cooperation with Slugworth, trying to see who’s faithful. Satan is not Slugworth.

       The scene in the Garden of Gethsemane involves “a band of soldiers and some officers.” The band of soldiers, it is estimated, would have likely been about at least 200 Roman soldiers. So the Chief Priests and the Pharisees were able to arrange for this with the Roman government. Then, in addition to those at least 200 men, were some from the Temple Guard. The Roman soldiers were likely present in case there was a revolt, in case Jesus’ disciples tried to fight back and a riot broke out. The Temple Guard was there because that’s where Jesus was going to escorted—to the Temple to see the High Priest. After all, at least initially, this was being treated as a ‘religious’ offense, and not as a criminal offense against the state—that is, what the Chief Priests and Pharisees where trying to charge Jesus with. Nevertheless, John records the supernatural event that occurs when Jesus replies, in which all the soldiers fell back and landed on the ground. It’s a demonstration, a least ditch effort reminder, that Jesus is the Son of God, the coming Messiah, the One whom God said he would send into the world. Perhaps God was giving Judas one last chance to change, to have second thoughts, but likely it was already too late.

       Verse 7: “So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

       We observe, in this scene, what we had suspected all along, and that’s where Peter’s heart was. A foreshadow, a warning, that there was a problem had already been presented in Matthew and Mark’s Gospels. Coming to mind is the scene where Peter was trying to tell the Lord that he wasn’t going to go to the cross (see Matthew 16 and Mark 8). For sure, Peter had his eyes fixed on the Millennial Kingdom, on ruling and reigning with Christ. Jesus was the Messiah, the One who had come to save Israel, and the King wasn’t going to be arrested. Thus, Peter, in his great ambition, attempts to murder a man, who John tells us was Malchus, the high priest’s servant. Of course, as the scene shows, Peter missed the guys head and hit him in the ear, cutting off his ear. Luke records that Jesus healed the man’s ear (see Luke 22:51). That might explain why Peter is not arrested himself, or perhaps it was dark, and the band of soldiers, in some kind of chaos, didn’t know who did what. Or, God could have supernaturally prevented Peter from being arrested. Whatever the case, it shows that Peter is not on the right page with Jesus. He wasn’t in the mindset that he himself discussed earlier, when he stated he would die for Jesus, and remember, all the other disciples said the same. That mindset was nowhere to be found when push came to shove. As an aside, notice that Jesus could heal a person who didn’t believe in him. Sometimes ministers say it was required that a person believe in Jesus to be healed. Not so. Anyway, Jesus was on mission to die for the sins of the world.

       What can also be taken into account from this scene is a picture into the practice of non-resistance, a practice, which, unfortunately, has become more and more foreign in the modern church era. The Eastern Orthodox believers and the Anabaptist believers practice non-resistance, but it’s not so much practiced within the Evangelical churches. Most Evangelicals take Peter’s approach, and they draw their swords. That’s where a lot of the time the Evangelical mind is. It is often a mind at war with the society around it, fighting for its own rights and liberties that are perceived to be theirs under the Constitution or whatever. It’s not being stated here that there would never to a time for a Christian or a group of believers to stand up for what is right, or for force to be used. That’s not what’s being stated to be clear. It’s simply that the attitude oftentimes doesn’t seem to be right. It seems Christians are too quick to draw the sword rather than to depend on God. Too quick to resist and fight. Some believers have the non-resistant vibe down good and well, and perhaps others need to take note of their model, and be more waiting and more depending on God before actually drawing their sword.

- Daniel Litton