Sanctified By The Word Part 1

[et_pb_section bb_built="1"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.11"]In John 17, Jesus is speaking to the Father during a very heartfelt prayer before His death and resurrection.  Jesus' last thoughts are not focused on Himself but His apostles and those Christians coming into the light of the gospel, that they will have protection from the evil one.He was very specific in His prayer. Vs. 9, I pray for them, for they are yours and not for those in the world!What made these people that Jesus prayed for so special?  Vs. 6, says, I have revealed your name to those whom You gave Me out of the world.  These  were Yours and you gave them to me and they have obeyed Your Word.They knew with certainty that I came from you and they believed you sent me.John 1:1, In the Beginning was the Word and the Word was God…Jesus is the Living word and He came to fulfill the written word, which is the will of the Father.Vs. 11, I will remain in the world no longer, for I am coming to you, Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name - the name you gave me (Jesus) so that they may be one as we are one.Jesus was saying - while I was with them I could protect.  Now I ask not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them through the power that comes with using My Name, so they will be sanctified, protected and be set apart from others.Knowing Jesus, receiving Him as our Savior and Lord sets us apart from the rest of the world.  Our spirit man with in us is recreated at this time.  2 John 3:10, We are, as Jesus told Nicodemus "born again."  This time we are born, not of the flesh, but of the spirit.  God is spirit and He comes to live in our spirit-man.Our desires now change.  We no longer want to sin - but desire to live to please our Father.  We desire to become perfect; working towards holiness.  We do this by making Jesus our Lord.  We want to follow His direction and lead.We have an inheritance so great - our human minds cannot even begin to comprehend it!  But, as we begin to live by the spirit with the Holy Spirit' guidance, we put away the things of the flesh and it's lust.This sanctifies us even deeper, as we - as the Bible puts it - live in the world - but are no longer of the world.  Our desire now is to please the Father, not ourselves or others.John 17:14, I have given them your Word, and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world even as I am not of this world.  Vs. 17, Sanctify them by truth, Your Word Is Truth.  The word sanctify in the Greek is Hagiazo and means to 'make holy, purify mentally, consecrate, blameless, innocent, chaste and pure.Jesus desire stemmed from the love of the Father in Him.  You see God desired a family.John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son - so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.His desire for the Christians was to be protected from the evil one and to be sanctified, set apart from the world and drawn near the Father - to be one with Him.  When we have the love of the Father in us and we walk as one with Him then others will also be drawn to the Father and be drawn to Jesus Christ.Vs. 21, I have given them the glory so that they may be one as we are.  I in them and they in Me. May they be brought to complete unity (complete and perfect), so that they may know that you (the Father) loved them as you have Me.God is all about love and we can have that love in us when we receive Jesus and His love is shed abroad in our hearts.As believers, we must fully grasp the love of the Father towards us.  He has given us everything He owns and He owns the whole world, everything in it and on it. What we see, and what we do not see.John 16:5, Jesus said that He would not leave us alone.  He would send us the Holy Spirit.  In verse 13, we are told that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth.  He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is Mine and making it knows to you, for all that the Father has is Mine.Luke 11:13 The Holy Spirit comes to live in us when we ask the Father to fill us.  The Bible says that we have the same power in us that raised Jesus from the dead.  We have the Holy Spirit to teach, guide, counsel, convict and comfort us - the same Holy Spirit that led Jesus while He was on earth in a human body.  He was filled with the Holy Spirit and we can be also.We are truly set apart from the world when we are Spirit filled.  It's like the rest of the world is running away from good and the things of God and the believers are 'putting away' the things of the past and leading a whole new life.Too many people look at the Bible as a "holy" book - the book itself and not the words contained within.  They keep it around for 'show'.  They may even kiss it if it falls, even may read it from time to time, but they do not understand the power - the very life that is contained in the words!Proverbs 4:20 says, Keep My Word in your heart…Hosea 4:6 says, My people (believers - Christians) perish for lack of knowledge.What sanctifies a believer is not by reading the Word.  That is like a horse pulling a cart and the owner puts a carrot on a string just out of his reach to keep him going.  God wants us to have the carrot - Life - Fullness - Joy - Peace - Prosperity - Health and so on.[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]