Transcribed by Beluga AI.
Let’s read John 17:14-18. I have given them your word and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. (John 17:14-15, ESV)
They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth. your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself.
And they also may be sanctified in truth.
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. (John 17:17-19, ESV)
Okay, let’s pray. Father, we have recorded for our edification the final prayer of Jesus, the high priestly prayer.
We want to understand even just a small portion of it. Today we pray that you would open up our eyes and ears and soften hearts. We pray for the Holy Spirit to be with us, to be our helper. Jesus, you’re our teacher. And so Lord, we are humbling ourselves in your presence. We want to hear from you directly. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
I should announce that starting next Sunday we are going to be meeting at 10 a.m. I hope that’s okay.
10 a.m. We are a small and flexible church, and so we are just responding to the wind of the Spirit blowing. And we, Canaan Church, have a new pastor. One of their sons will be here, and he doesn’t speak Korean too well. We want to meet that need. And so at 10 a.m., there’ll be Korean speakers meeting over there. Anyone, including the pastor’s son, that needs an English service will be here. I think Janet might also be here more often, which we for sure welcome. So, 10 a.m. starting next Sunday.
Okay, so last week we covered sincerity. It’s important to understand the why behind everything that we do in life. And so today, in a sense, is part two.
What is the main thing that causes us to become insincere followers of Jesus? Because we all want to be sincere followers of Jesus. But what causes us to become insincere?
Based on the verses that I read, any one word come to mind, what would cause a Christian unknowingly to become an insincere follower of Jesus? Yes. Pardon me. Corruption. Corruption. Corruption. Yes, corruption. Yes, that’s very, very true.
Corruption through. I’m looking for another word, Tim. Sin. Yes, yes, that’s all true. There’s a word in the verses from 14 to 18. Can anybody find the word and turn it into an answer?
Corruption. Sin. Anybody? Yes, the world. Worldliness.
Worldliness is the main reason why we become insincere followers of Jesus. So the first step, and this is just my conclusion, my concluding remarks from this message I’ll give at the outset. The first step is we repent of all worldliness. Next, we shut off our heart toward the world.
Instead of being drawn to the world, we shut that door of our heart off. And then instead, we open up our heart to Jesus. And then we give our lives to Jesus, and we live for him alone.
So Jesus’ final prayer presents this idea that you and I are in this world,
15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. (John 17:15, ESV)
but we’re not of this world. And did you ever wonder why, why he says it like this? What does it mean that you’re not of the world? Aren’t we all here? Are we all living in this world?
So how can it also be that we are? Yes, yes, Tim, we are not from this world. Yes, yes, true. God created us and not the world created us. Yes. The world didn’t create us. That’s great. That’s great. Yeah. We are. We are not from this world in the way that we might think.
And so I want to explain that a little bit. There’s a. Like a worldly Christian. It’s an oxymoron. It’s like jumbo shrimp. Are you jumbo? Are you small? It’s like you have. To the worldly Christian, these two words don’t mix.
It’s like water and oil. It just doesn’t mix. It’ll just clump together, but it’s going to be separate.
Worldliness and Christianity just simply don’t mix. And the reason for that is given in John 3:3.
And Tim was already alluding to it. Jesus answered him. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3, ESV)
And a better translation for born again is we’re born from above. We’re born from heaven. Jesus came from heaven. And the followers of Jesus also, when we met him, we were also born from above. We were born from heaven.
There is a second birth. That’s why it says born again. And that means literally, we are not of this world. From the moment you believed in Jesus, you came. In a sense, you were born from above, and you’re a heavenly citizen. you’re not of this world any longer. Like, I’m a Korean American, I’m born in America, but I’m also born of Korean immigrants.
And so there are things in me that I am drawn to certain foods. Like, I like kimchi. I love America. This is the greatest country in the world. But there are certain foods that really hit the spot, like a chigae, like a stew that you eat on a cold day. It’s just in my DNA. I’m born of that culture and of that DNA.
The same way for a Christian, when you’re born from above, the things that attract people in this world, you lose a taste for it.
You have a new set of tastes. You have a taste for godly things, heavenly things. The things that grip people in this world, it doesn’t grip you.
Like, maybe in the beginning of your Christian journey, you still stumbled with idolatry and things of that and corruption. You are drawn to corruption. You are drawn to sin. You are a slave of sin.
But as you grow into this new identity, into this new creation that is from above, your tastes change and you’re no longer chasing after the same things that you used to. Like, I’m. I was.
I was born and raised around the Philadelphia area. So I am a Phil Sports fanatic. I am a Sixers fan. So it’s a terrible season for me in the NBA, but I was a. I am an Eagles fan. And so it was a great, great year for me in terms of being an Eagles fan.
I saw somebody at the gym right after the Super Bowl win. They’re wearing an Eagles jersey, and we’re looking across a crowded gym, and we just kind of nod at each other, point at each other.
It’s because we understand. We are fans of Philly sports, and you’re in LA, I’m in LA, but we are fans of the Eagles.
And there could be pretenders among sports fans. Like, they might have never rooted for the Eagles, but just because the Eagles won, they went out and bought the jersey, and it’s a brand new jersey. If you look at my Eagles clothing, they’re like 10 years old, 20 years old. It’s people who’ve retired from the NFL, but it still got the Eagles there that way. You know, I’m a true fan.
I’m not a fair weather fan. I’m not a bandwagon fan. I don’t get the jersey only after they win. I am. I’m loyal to the Eagles through and through.
And so even Christians, we can put on a certain project, a certain image, but if there’s worldliness, then we’re just pretending.
John 17:1. It says, Father, the hour has come. Glorify your son, that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own glory with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. (John 17:1-5, ESV)
There’s a godly motivation for a Christian who is born from above, that you’re really interested in glorifying our Heavenly Father and glorifying his Son, Jesus Christ. And everything you do is for the glory of God.
If there’s worldliness mixed in, like you say, it’s for God. But deep down, when somebody praises you, you receive it, and you’re stealing glory from God. And you’re saying, yeah, I preach a good message. Yeah, I am a good minister.
Instead of saying, no, don’t thank me, don’t glorify me, you turn the attention quickly and say, let’s give God glory. He did it. I didn’t do it; He did it.
It’s very deliberate, us giving glory to God and glorifying His Son, Jesus. He died for me. He did everything for me.
I’m going to live for him. Everything good that comes out of my life is for the glory of God. It’s for me to glorify and lift up the Name of Jesus in and through my life.
That’s a godly motivation for a student to say, I am going to be a great student. Not because I’m trying to be famous or I’m trying to gain approval from parents or from the world. I’m doing it because I’m glorifying God. And this idea is explained in Ephesians 6:5.
Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ. Not by the way of eye service, as people pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to men.
Knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.
5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, 6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. (Ephesians 6:5-8, ESV)
And so literally, for a Christian, God is our boss. We’re doing it for the glory of Christ.
It is for Jesus, it is for our Heavenly Father. But if you have this worldliness, you say it’s for God, you say it’s for Christ. But deep down, your eyes are looking at people, your earthly boss. How are they receiving me, my friends? How are they receiving me, this world? How am I? How am I positioning myself in this world? Are people respecting me? Do people know my name?
All of this comes from a worldly understanding. And we are stealing glory from God. The why behind everything we do in life is so important.
If the motivation is wrong and you’re just doing it for yourself to hear something from the world, then you’re stealing glory from God.
John 17:8. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you. And they have believed that you sent me.
I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me.
For they are yours, all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.
8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. (John 17:8-10, ESV)
Jesus can tell if you glorify the Heavenly Father or not. Jesus can tell if you really glorify Jesus or not. Jesus says of his true disciples, I am glorified in them, and they are glorifying the Heavenly Father. The glory is all for God and for Jesus his Son. It is not for theirs to keep.
Jesus can tell if there is worldliness mixed in. There’s a good chance you’re stealing glory for yourself.
John 17:14. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
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.
14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.(John 17:14-16, ESV)
Remember I said that Jesus came from heaven, from above. And then when we met Jesus, we also were born again, born from above.
We have different tastes because now we’re growing in our heavenly citizenship, in an identity as a child of God, no longer a slave of this world.
And we’re in this world, we’re not of it.
And because we follow Jesus, we’re hated by this world. So a worldly Christian who wants to be famous in this world for Jesus, it just doesn’t make sense.
Actually, it says the world will hate you. So you, you should be very unpopular as a Christian in some sense.
Like the should CNN ever call me and say, ray, why don’t you come and let me interview you?
11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. (John 17:11, ESV)
Because we like you. Is that a good thing that CNN would ever call me? Or actually should CNN hate me because they are from the world and I am not of this world, so why would they invite me as a friend, except to maybe embarrass me, except to maybe mock me, except maybe to persecute me?
Obviously for those who are in Christ, who are here to glorify God, we will be hated by this world.
It comes with a territory. And so I just want to break down a little bit of this problem of worldliness. Like where does it come from? Why are we sometimes sincere and other times insincere? Like where this worldliness, which is the root problem, like what? Where does it come from? How does it express itself? How can we fix it?
To answer that, we have James 1:5. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting. For the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5-8, ESV)
This double mind is literally having two souls, two minds, split down the middle, split personality. One time you’re sincere, the next day you’re insincere. It’s a double mind, and it causes instability.
It’s someone who prays, and on one day they pray and they have faith. I’m asking for wisdom. Surely he’s going to give it to me.
And then next day, I’m not sure he’s going to give it to me. I waited 24 hours. I don’t think he’s going to give it to me. And then you start chasing after a worldly solution. You take matters into your own hands because you don’t really believe on day two that the wisdom alone comes from above and that he heard your prayers and he will answer you. Just give it time.
The one who is double minded, the one who is unstable, believes on one day, the next day he doesn’t believe. He doubts. you’re wavering from one end to the other. One day you believe, the next day you don’t believe.
One day you’re not worldly, you’ve forsaken the world. The next day you’re worldly, you’re unstable in all of your ways. And this word for double minded is explained a little bit more in James 4:4. You adulterous people, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?
Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4, ESV)
And this is something you just have to take before the Lord. Deep down, are you a friend of this world? Are you drawn by the world? Do you want praise from people who are worldly? Do you want to be famous in the eyes of this world? Even. Even as a church, even as a pastor? Do we want glory from this world or glory from the Christian community? Is that what’s driving us? Only you know and only God knows.
You have to bring your heart before the Lord and say, is there worldliness in me? If so, repent of it and shut the door of your heart to this worldliness.
I don’t want to be a friend of this world because as soon as I befriend the world,
23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” and he was called a friend of God. (James 2:23, ESV)
I become an enemy of God. Instead, I should be a friend of God. We sang that we want to be a friend of God. That means we are an enemy of this world. It’s two choices.
You got to make the choice, and you open up your heart to one, you become an enemy of the other. You open up your heart to Jesus. You close your heart to the world. you’re a friend of Jesus. You are an enemy of this world, and they will treat you as such. And they will hate you.
James 4:5. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says he yearns jealously over the Spirit that he has made to dwell in us?
5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? (James 4:5, ESV)
Through marriage, we understand this principle.
The day I married Jackie, I opened my heart to her and her alone. I closed my heart to every other woman for the rest of my life. I’m not opening a door a little bit and saying, well, if somebody else better comes along, then I’m going to jump ship. No, we understand jealousy, how it works. It is all in.
And so God is looking for somebody who is not one foot in the world and one foot in the kingdom of God. One friend of the world. Can’t I be friendly with the world?
Can’t the world be friendly with me? Can’t I also be a friend of the, of Jesus at the same time?
I have to choose. Of course you have to choose. Because the Spirit is yearning jealously over us. He wants total loyalty, total faithfulness, total fidelity. Jesus as the bridegroom doesn’t want to share you with the world. That’s why he says sin is adultery.
You love other things. You love other people more than me. It’s adultery. You care about the praise of people more than the praise from the Heavenly Father.
And the praise I will give you on the last day. Well done. Isn’t that what drives you, that commendation? Or do you want to be praised for 50, 60, 70, 80 years of life and you received your reward?
And then in heaven God says, I don’t know you Jesus, I don’t know you because you didn’t live for my glory. And then he says in James 4:6, but he gives more grace therefore it says God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:6-8, ESV)
Same word, it only happens, occurs twice in Scripture. It’s in James 1 that we read and then James 4. This double-mindedness is friendship with the world. And Satan, he is tempting you. Go for the world. He’s mixing in Christianity. Yes, it’s good to be famous in this world because that’s how you’ll save more people.
By being famous in this world, by being friendly with this world. Isn’t it good because you’re going to save more people? Satan will deceive us like that. That says you can be a friend of this world and a friend of God at the same time. Done. He is deceiving us, and so we are not double-minded.
We have to shut our heart to the world, open up our heart wide to Jesus. And in James 4:9, be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:9-10, ESV)
All that we do as a Christian is we just stay, we just stay low. We just stay low. And if God chooses you, chooses to exalt you, it’s his choice.
We’re not driving ourselves to self-glory, even in the kingdom of God. We need to receive more glory in this life through ministry, through churches, through church planting, and doing a lot of big things for the kingdom. We don’t need to strive to be somebody and to seek self-glory, even in the kingdom of God.
Don’t you know many people, it seems like they are being driven for self-glory in the kingdom of God, and they’re doing it with their own efforts. God says, why don’t you just humble yourself? Why don’t you just stay low like Moses? Why don’t you just raise a family for 40 years?
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:10, ESV)
Why don’t you just stay quiet? Why don’t you just be faithful for a long stretch, and then when it’s time, I will exalt you. That’s freeing for me that I don’t have to strive to be somebody. I just stay low.
I’m trying not to be drawn into worldliness. And when I see this selfish ambition, this vain conceit rising in my heart, I just repent of that. I just say, that’s not the direction to go. I just stay low. And then when God sees that, and he sees me humble, surrendered, waiting on him, wouldn’t he pick me? Wouldn’t he pick you?
If you’re that kind of a person, that there’s an assignment that is bigger in scale, bigger in impact, and he will exalt you. But it’s not us trying to be that; we just humbly stay low. And then he exalts us.
We’re not doing it the way the world does it because that is a lot of effort. And that effort isn’t there a lot of self-glory instead of I give glory to God in my humility. I give glory to God in my humility. We lift up the Name of Jesus. We just stay low.
And then God, in His time, in His way, sees our humility, and then He raises us up. Isn’t that why He chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus? She was humble, and then God exalted her in a moment and says, out of all women, I choose you because you’re humble.
Another passage to just unpack worldliness a little bit more. 1 John 2:15. Do not love the world or the things 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 desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life[] is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.(1 John 2:15-17, ESV)
Do not love the world or the things in the world. And then he breaks it down into desires of the flesh, desires of the eyes, and the pride or the boasting of life and of possessions.
I just want to focus on this last one, pride of life. There’s something in us, and if we’re honest at times, there’s something in us that we just want to show off.
We want something, some reason to validate ourselves in the eyes of this world. And we want people to praise us because we have something, we’ve achieved something, we own something, and we just.
It’s really for an audience.
I remember growing up in a Korean church, and this is why it’s ironic that we’re here at Canaan Church, because I really did not like what I was hearing when I was a little kid growing up in a Korean church.
It’s like the children are the trophies. And it’s like, what college you got into matters so much. Oh, my kid got a 1600. My kid got into Harvard. And they’re saying this while driving into the church parking lot with their BMW, their Mercedes, like, all of it is just to boast.
It’s to love the world and the things in this world. And it’s before an audience of this world.
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15, ESV)
And so people can say, wow, you’re impressive. Wow, I respect you. Wow. Can I be your friend? I want to invite you over to dinner because you have something I need. I want to learn from you. I want to pick your brain.
Is this? Should this happen at a church? And I grew so distasteful of the church, like, so hypocritical, like is. I thought, we’re not supposed to be worldly.
I thought we’re not a friend of this world. And so that’s why it’s like my heart was so closed off, because I saw the hypocrisy. These people say they love Jesus and love God, but that’s only a couple hours in a week.
And the rest of the week, they love this world. They chase after this world. And it just didn’t make sense to me. So I said, this Christianity thing is not for me. I’ll just attend. But I don’t believe this.
And Jesus talks about this praise of man which comes from this boasting of life.
What you have, what you’ve achieved. John 12:42. Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him. But for fear of the Pharisees, they did not confess it so that they would not be put out of the synagogue. For they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.
42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. (John 12:42-43, ESV)
And then John 5:41, I do not receive glory from people. And then verse 42. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you.
I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If anyone comes in his own name, you will receive them.
And how can you believe when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
41 I do not receive glory from people. 42 But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?(John 5:41-44, ESV)
This living before the audience of this world and wanting glory from people who are worldly people in this world.
Jesus says that shows you don’t have the love of the Father in you. And you’re so quick to glorify people like Moses in the Old Testament.
But Jesus is standing there and he doesn’t have the credentials. He’s just a carpenter. He doesn’t have any big synagogue. Actually, when people want to gather around him, he disappears. He has nothing that we should esteem him. And especially as he’s about to be crucified on a cross, everybody runs away from him because he’s so weak. And because these religious leaders have so much of the glory of man, the praise of man, they want that so badly. Of course they can’t understand who Jesus is. Of course they can’t receive him.
Of course, the love of the Father is not in him. They’re filled with, I need to please people. What people say of me matters so much. What my parents think of me, what my friends think of me, what my boss thinks of me, what society, a nameless crowd.
What people say of me on social media, how many followers I’ve had have. This matters so much. I need to look a certain way. Social media is so false, so false. Because you only project the good side. It’s not you. And you see people and they seem happy.
It’s not them. And they’re. They’re that they’re that way. One minute of the day when the camera is on, they’re not like that. They’re not happy, they’re not satisfied, they’re not at peace. And yet they have a smile on their face. They’re projecting a certain image to a nameless world.
How sad to be worldly. It is tragic that people are being lost to this world and the love of the Father is being squeezed out. That’s why Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, no one can serve two masters for either.
He will hate the one and love the other. He will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matthew 6:24, ESV)
Very practical, very practical. Only two main guides in this world. If you’re worldly, you love money. It just comes, it’s just, it’s just a partnership. You cannot love the world without loving money. Money gives you status in this world. Money gives you access in this world. Money gives you influence in this world.
Trump is president largely because he is a billionaire, because money buys you a lot of influence and access.
I got here in a 1999 4Runner with 400 some thousand miles on. Gets me from point A to point B. Occasionally. I’m not into cars, but occasionally I see a certain Porsche SUV on the road, I say, that’s a nice car. Maybe someday I’ll drive a car like that. Maybe one day I’ll have a helicopter. Maybe we’ll just fly around LA, avoid all the traffic.
These moments come in and then God just reminds me, I have a vehicle. I got here, I got here. But why do people want the helicopter?
Why do people want the Porsche SUV? So that people look at you differently. It is really about the praise of men. You want people to say, yeah, you must be somebody. Because who could afford that unless you’re smart, unless you’ve achieved something?
You can get good clothing at Goodwill, you can get good stuff at Costco. It’s durable. Hand-me-downs are okay. You don’t need designer. But if you want to be perceived a certain way by this world, then you chase after designer brands. The fancy car, the helicopter, the house.
It stems from a love of this world. John 17:17-18.
I’ll end with this. Sanctify them in the truth. your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. (John 17:17-18, ESV)
All the verses that I read to you today have the potential of sanctifying you. If you heard these verses, you take these verses into your prayer closet and you wrestle with them and say, am I worldly? The truth that was spoken has a potential to sanctify you. If you say I’m not worldly, then you’re on your own.
Hopefully that’s the case and you’re not worldly. But if you are worldly, if you do want to receive praise from men, if you do want nice things and you do live to boast before an audience of this world, then the truth has an opportunity to sanctify you.
As you bring your heart before the Lord and say, that desire for the Porsche SUV shouldn’t be there, that desire for helicopters shouldn’t be there. It doesn’t mean God won’t give it to me. Maybe he will, but I don’t have to have it.
It’s okay if I don’t have it. I’m thankful with what I have because I got to church. I had enough money for the gas. I have insurance. And Jesus was sent into the world. And now he says, so have I sent them into the world.
18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. (John 17:18, ESV)
Why was Jesus sent into the world? To become somebody in the world, in the world’s eyes? If so, he wouldn’t have been born in a manger. He’d be born in a palace. He wouldn’t have been a carpenter. He would be well educated.
He’d have a big synagogue, a big following, and then launch into his ministry. Everything he did shows that he was sent into the world not to be somebody in this world.
Was he loved by this world? No, he was hated. Was he accepted by the religious people? No. He was crucified by them. Jesus was sent into the world. Why? To save the world. Why are we in this world? Why are we sent to this world although we’re not of this world?
So that we may join Jesus and be on a rescue mission to save as many people as we can from this world. You can only do this if you separate yourself from this world.
You sanctify yourself from all worldliness. You repent of all worldliness. Shut the door of your heart to the world. Open your heart to Jesus and give your life to Jesus and live for Jesus.
We’re here to give glory to our Heavenly Father. We’re not going to receive glory from this world. We’re here to lift up and glorify the Name of Jesus.
Even other Christians may not glorify us. That’s okay. We don’t need to be known to them. We don’t need to be famous to them. We’re living for the glory of God and for Jesus’ Name to be glorified.
We can just disappear into the background. We can just be the friend of the bridegroom, the best man. We’re just lifting up the Name of Jesus. We just disappear. We’re not doing it for ourselves, for our own glory, even in a Christian sense.
And so, as I read all of this, my final prayer request, the prayer that started rising from my spirit as I drove into this place was Jesus. May your prayer find its answer in us. May your prayer that you prayed 2,000 years ago, may that prayer find its answer in us.
May we be the answer to Jesus’ prayer. Because we’re not worldly, we don’t care about glory from this world. We’re not trying to steal glory from God for ourselves. We’re here to glorify God.
Praise God. Hallelujah. Praise Yahweh. Praise the Son.
Lift up the Name of Jesus, and we’re sent into this world to rescue people from this world.
Okay, let’s pray.
Father, forgive us for all our worldliness. Holy Spirit, please search our hearts. It might not be every day, but there are still moments in each day where this worldliness can rise up. Please uproot it as we repent of selfish ambition, vain conceit, people pleasing, boasting of achievements, boasting of possessions, boasting of a love for money, which causes our heart to despise you and the things of God.
Forgive us, Lord, for being a friend of this world. For caring how people, what people say of us, what people think of us. Who cares about the world? They will hate us. Of course. They will hate us. Because we are from above.
Search our hearts, Lord.
We want to once and for all shut our heart to this world and open up our heart to Jesus Christ, and to give our lives to Jesus and live for him. To join Jesus, who came to this world not to be a somebody, not to be glorified by the world, but to save the world and to be glorified by his followers.
We are such people. We’re here to glorify the Name of Jesus and to make your name known in this world, as we save people, as we are your hands and feet in this world.
We want to be sent, as you are sent into this world. All other agendas that come from this world, from our own flesh, from our own desires, we surrender them, Lord. They’re not important.
What’s important is living for you. Thank you Lord, for Your Body that was broken for us and Your Blood shed. We pray that you minister to us.
Meet us as we close out this service. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.