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Book: John
 Print ( PC Only )
John 17:14
I. "I have given them Thy word, and the world hath hated them."
A. Don't expect the world to admire you, applaud you, or vote you
into their hall of fame.
1. Look what they did to your Lord.
2. The world still has the same animosity toward Jesus.
3. As you become a faithful representative of Him, they
will want to do the same to you.
B. You are not of this world.
1. All that is of the world, the lust of the flesh, the
lust of the eyes, the pride of life is not of the
Father, but of the world.
2. For our citizenship is in heaven from whence we look
for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
C. Jesus said that if the world hates you, it hated Him before it
hated you. If you were of this world the world would love its
own, but because you are not of this world for He has chosen
you out of this world the world hates you.
1. The hatred of the evil against the good was manifested
early in the history of the world. Cain killed his
brother Abel and why? Because his own works were evil
and his brother's righteous. I John 3:12
2. Proverbs tells us that he that is upright in his way is
an abomination to the wicked.
D. There was a time when you were of this world.
1. Eph.2 "Who in times past you walked according to the
course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience among whom we all had your
manner of living in times past according to the lust of
your flesh and the lust of your mind and were by nature
the children of wrath even as others."
2. Paul wrote to the Galatians concerning Jesus who gave
Himself for our sins that He might deliver us from this
present evil world.
3. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old
things are passed away, and behold all things become
new.
II. "I pray not that you would take them out of the world, but that you
would keep them from the evil." or evil one.
A. In the Lord's prayer He told the disciples to pray deliver us
from evil, or the evil one, it is exactly the same Greek word
as used in our text here.
B. It is interesting that there are three who asked God to take
them out of this world, Moses, Elijah, and Jonah. It is
interesting to note that God did not immediately answer their
prayers.
1. Sometimes we get weary with life in this hostile world,
and we would like to bail out.
2. It is appointed unto man once to die, and God sets that
appointment.
C. Keep them from the evil.
1. The pressures of evil are very strong. Satan keeps
constant pressure on us to do evil.
2. Evil seems to be the natural bent of man.
3. To do good is much more difficult than to do evil.
a. If someone driving recklessly on the freeway
and has endangered your life, by their
foolishness, it is much easier to honk your
horn and shake your fist, than to smile and
bless them.
b. If someone has lied about you and as the result
caused you a lot of grief, it is much
easier speak evil of them than to bless them.
c. When all is going wrong, it is easier to get
mad than to rejoice. To rejoice in tribulation
is unnatural.
d. To turn the other cheek is harder than striking
back.
4. I know that I must trust in the keeping power of God.
"The arm of flesh will fail you, you dare not trust
your own."
5. In Romans 7 Paul speaks of a perverse law he found
working in his nature.
ROM 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good
thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that
which is good I find not.
ROM 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would
not, that I do.
ROM 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin
that dwelleth in me.
ROM 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present
with me.
6. Paul ended up calling for a power beyond himself, "O
wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this
body of death?"
III. "They are not of this world, even as I am not of this world."
A. You need to say over and over, "I am not of this world."
1. I am not to live like the world, think like the world,
act like the world.
2. I am different for I am a child of God.
a. Others my do those things but I can't.
b. Others may respond like that but not me.
B. This is the second time He has said this, the first was in
context of the reason that the world hated us.
C. Here it is in context with keeping us from evil.
1. I have a different standing than those in the world.
a. My standing is in Christ.
b. Theirs is in Adam.
c. I have been accepted in the Beloved.
d. They are under condemnation.
2. I possess a different nature.
a. I have been born of the Spirit.
b. They have only been born of the flesh.
c. I am holy spotless and pure.
d. They are corrupt by the defilement of the
world.
3. We serve different masters.
a. I serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
b. They are of their father the devil and his will
do they do.
4. We have different goals.
a. Mine is to please the Lord,
b. Theirs is to please themselves.
5. We have different citizenship.
a. Our citizenship is in heaven.
b. They are of citizens of the world.
6. We have a different life.
a. I have a life in the Spirit.
b. They have a life in the flesh.
7. We think differently.
a. They that are of the spirit, do mind the things
of the Spirit.
b. They that are of the flesh do mind the things
of the flesh.
c. To be carnally minded is death, but the mind of
the Spirit is life, peace and happiness.
8. We have a different destiny.
a. Mine is to be with My Lord forever in the glory
of His kingdom.
b. Theirs is to be in the lake that burneth with
fire.
9. I take joy in the things of the Spirit, they take joy
in the things of the flesh.
D. Taking a long hard look at this world system with it's
corruption, deceit, violence, cheating, oppression, evil,
murder, I must say that I am glad that I am not of this world.
1. I would much rather keep company with Jesus Christ and
His people, than Satan and his crowd.
2. I would much rather live the life of pureness and love,
joy and peace in the Spirit, than the filth and
defilement of the flesh.
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