We’re
NOT OF THE WORLD
“The Disciple’s Relationship to the
WORLD”
John 17:14–23
INTRODUCTION:
The South Korea Crackdown & Our Calling
Last
Wednesday I was not in church so I watch Jack Hibbs out of Calvary Chapel Chino
Hills, in San Bernidino County California. The church he pastored did not shut
down during Covid but the South Korean Church where the pastor he prayed for
serves had a rope tied around it by the government.
The
timing on this for us in America is relevant because it illustrates the very
tension Jesus prays about in John 17.
According
to reporting from The Korea Herald and Yonhap News Agency, South
Korean authorities carried out raids and investigations into churches, claiming
the churches are having too much “political involvement.”
These
actions began on January 25, 2025, under the previous presidential administration
in South Korea.
But
that leader was later impeached and Even though South Korea later elected a new
president, Lee Jae‑myung, the video clip we saw earlier was of Pastor Son Hyun‑bo,
a pastor who was arrested this year.
His
arrest shows that pressure on churches continues, and that the tension between
faith and public life is not new.
These
events highlight a biblical reality:
When
the church attempts to influence its world with truth, the world often pushes
back.
This
is exactly what Jesus describes in John 17:
The
South Korean church’s experience reminds us that we must be:
So
we turn now to Jesus’ prayer, using the acrostic WORLD to understand our
relationship to the world.
W
; Witnesses Who Are NOT OF THE WORLD
John
17:14, 16, 18
Jesus
holds two truths together:
11 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. 12 While I was with them IN THE WORLD, I kept them
in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost
except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be
fulfilled. 13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak IN THE
WORLD, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 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 pray that You
should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil
one. 16 They are NOT OF THE WORLD, just as I am NOT OF THE
WORLD. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is
truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into
the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also
may be sanctified by the truth.
We
are witnesses; sent, visible, purposeful. But we are NOT OF THE WORLD; We are Wholy
holy, distinct, set apart.
This
is the tension of discipleship:
GracePointe
#1: We should be IN THE WORLD in a very real practical, spiritual, influential
and yes in a political sense as an influence for good.
Not
partisan; Not combative; Not worldly. But present; Faithful; Truthful.
We
engage our world, not to gain power, but to bear witness to Christ’s truth and
righteousness.
The
South Korean situation shows this clearly: When believers speak truth into
their society, they must be both distinct and present.
1.
Washington said religion and morality are essential to political prosperity
“Of
all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion
and morality are indispensable supports.”
2.
He warned against removing religious influence from public life
“Reason
and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in
exclusion of religious principle.”
In
the Movie this Friday, (SPOILER ALERT) Benjamin Franklin is accurately quoted
as saying the following,
“I
have often and often in the course of the session… looked at that sun behind
the President without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting. But
now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a
setting sun.”
O
- - Opposed by the World
John
17:14
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.
Jesus
said plainly that “The world has hated them…”
Opposition
is not a sign of failure; it is a sign of faithfulness. Why does the world
oppose disciples? Because we carry truth into a world that prefers lies. Because
we represent Christ in a world that rejected Him. Because light exposes
darkness.
GracePointe
#2: When the church influences its world, the world often resists.
R
- Reserved From the World’s Evil
John
17:15
15 I
do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should
keep them from the evil one.
Jesus
did not pray for escape, “I do not ask that You take them out of the world…”
He
prayed for protection, not from evil per se or bad circumstances or unhappiness
, but from the Evil ONE “…but that You
keep them from the evil one.”
We
are not promised comfort. We are promised keeping.
GracePointe
#3: God’s protection is not isolation; it is empowerment. He
guards us so we can stay IN THE WORLD and fulfill our mission.
L
--Loved Into Unity for the World’s Sake
Now
earlier Jesus said “I don not pray for the world , verse 9, but he does still
care and want the church to influence the world so that the world might be
saved. In fact, lets go back to John 3:16-19
John
17:21–23
20 “I
do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me
through their word; 21 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. 22 And the glory which
You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
Jesus
prayed: “…that they may all be one… so that the world may believe…”
GracePointe
#4 Unity is not sentimental; it is missional. The world
believes the message when it sees the miracle of unity. When churches face
pressure, unity becomes even more essential.
D
- - Declared to the World
23 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.
John 17:23
Jesus
prayed, “…that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them…”
This
is declaration. Not through political power. Not through cultural dominance.
But through the revelation of Christ in His people.
GracePointe
#5: We are not responsible for the world’s response. We are
responsible for the world’s opportunity to hear.
CONCLUSION:
The WORLD Jesus Sends Us Into
Jesus
does not pray for the world (v. 9), but He prays that the world will be reached
through His disciples.
And
now, church family, Jesus sends us into our world; Springtown, Azle, Parker
County; with the same calling:
Witnesses
who are NOT OF THE WORLD. Opposed but faithful. Reserved from evil. Loved into
unity. Declared to the world.
This
is the WORLD Jesus prayed for. This is the WORLD we are sent into. This is the
WORLD we must reach.
