April 18, 2022 SANCTIFIED IN TRUTH
John 17:17-22 “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth. As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me. And the glory that which Thou has given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as we are one.”
John 17 is often referred to as the ‘high priestly prayer of Jesus.’ Jesus saw the believers as being a gift to Him from His Father-and He loves the gift; in fact Jesus gave everything, even His life for those given to Him. Jesus knew He was about to return to the Father when He prayed this prayer; and this prayer came out of the heart of Jesus for the well-being of His followers-including you and I-after He returned to the Father. Even from a human standpoint, one can understand that Jesus certainly understood the dynamics of Him leaving the ones He loved here on earth-thus He prayed this priestly prayer for His followers. Jesus used the word ‘sanctify’ several times; it means to ‘set apart.’ We are to be sanctified in truth-and His word IS truth. We must know truth that is found only in the word of God if we are to live in the truth of who God is and who we are in Him; learning of Him and the truth of His word sets one apart for living according to the ways of God. Jesus often spoke about unity; Jesus and the Father were one; and He desires that we be one and be in Him and the Father as they are in us. Jesus is saying that when we are in the truth that comes from God, we have the blessing of being in unity with each other and with Jesus and the Father. This unity that Jesus is referring to is a super-natural unity; even though each of us are unique and have often have different perspectives, we can nonetheless be in unity; there no longer has to factions and divisions. I do not fully understand it, but the glory that God gave to Jesus, Jesus has given it to us. When the world sees this unity among believers and the unity they have with Jesus and the Father, they will know that God sent Jesus. So, the lives we live, the way conduct ourselves, and believing the truth is super important because our lives are a picture of the relationship we have with our Father and a picture of God at work in us. We have been sent into the world to be living, walking, talking pictures of what it looks like to live in Christ-in unity with each other and with our Father; and to live in the truth of God.
John 17:25-26 “O righteous Father, although the world hast not known Thee, yet I have known Thee, and these have known that Thou didst send Me; and I have made My name known to them, and will make it known; that the love wherewith Thou didst love Me may be in them, and I in them.”
Blessings.
Buddy
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