They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world (i) (Quality: Very good)

[0:00] With the Lord's help, I would raise your attention to the Gospel according to John, chapter 17, verses 16 and 17. The Gospel according to John, the 17th chapter, verses 16 and 17.

[0:18] They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

[0:32] Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth. In this chapter, speaking to us about the intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ unto his Father, is wonderful and attractive to an enlivened faith.

[1:03] There may be some who would feel little attraction to this chapter. I can remember the time, in my own experience, when this chapter was lost to me.

[1:23] But by the mercy and grace of God, it has become one of the most valuable chapters in the whole of the Scripture.

[1:36] What a blessing it is to feel that we have an interest in the prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we have not an interest in this prayer, and in the prayers of our Lord Jesus Christ, then what prospect of heaven can we really have?

[2:02] All our best designs and devotions, without an interest in Christ, and Christ having an interest in us, will leave us where it finds us.

[2:14] We shall never rise above the earth. And if we never rise above the earth, when we come to the end of our journey, then the ultimate can only be a sinking into hell.

[2:30] But this word, if we are interested in these words of our Lord Jesus Christ, if these words have been made precious by the Holy Ghost, if we have felt a longing and an anxiety to be included amongst these people for whom Christ prays, then may we not say to you that your hope is a good one.

[2:57] You will only seek to have a concern, and to be in the mind of Christ in this chapter, as and when you have nothing of yourselves.

[3:11] As long as we can present, according to our own minds, some good or goodness of our own, bring before him the things that we have done, as recommendations for our acceptance with God, we shall never be attracted to this chapter.

[3:33] But if we come, as Top Lady expresses it, his great need of Jesus Christ, of the Rock of Ages, and of his necessity of being washed, or as Charles Wesley has it in very similar terms, nothing in my hand I bring.

[4:03] Though expressing themselves in different ways, yet they come to the same conclusion, a total and entire dependence upon what Christ has done for their souls.

[4:21] Now the words of our text are quite distinctive. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

[4:38] One would hardly think that anyone would question that the Lord Jesus Christ was not of this world. And in consequence, neither was his kingdom of this world.

[4:57] That is, in so far that it was manifested and exerted a power as an alternative nation.

[5:09] They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Now, the two points, the points referring to they and I must also be found to be identifiable.

[5:32] the Lord Jesus was not of the world because he was the Father's first elect. And he came into this world for a clear and special purpose.

[5:50] He was devoted to that work that his Father gave him to do. All the the offers that this world could make, all the arguments that Satan could present in order to get him to worship the devil were all in vain.

[6:18] he stood there immaculate in his holiness. We are told in some detail of the Lord's temptation in the wilderness, all of which things were particular and specific in regard to the temptations that the children of God also are confronted with from time to time.

[6:53] But the Lord found and manifested by the words that he spoke that the things of this world had no place in his life.

[7:09] He came to do the will of him that had sent him and he did it because he was the elect of the Father. In their turn the people of God are the elect of the Father and in that way they are not of this world they are chosen out of this world.

[7:37] And whatever feelings they may have are because of the indwelling power of sin and the workings of the carnal mind yet nevertheless the spirit that dwelleth in them once they are born of God is not of this world.

[8:01] Now you may have a job sometimes to sort that one out because you may feel that there is so much in you which seems to be of this world and is attracted to the things of this world but the time will certainly come when there will be a manifestation that you are not of the world.

[8:32] That which is born of God is not of the world and therefore that which is born of God seeks after heavenly things. That which is born of God will understand some of the desires of the psalmist which he mentions in various places.

[8:52] Perhaps we might particularly notice as the heart panteth after the water brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God my soul thirsteth for God for the living God when should I come and appear before God now such desires felt in your soul will be an undeniable proof that you are not of the world there is that in you which is not of the world there is that in you which is not of man there is that in you which is born of God there is that in you which can only be satisfied by finding God by having Christ revealed to your soul that will bring to you your happiest moment or the happiest moment in your life then without any presumption or hypocrisy you will be able to say

[9:54] I could from all things pardon me but never never Lord from thee it is by this means that you are determined by God in a manifestation of the truth that you are not of this world even as I am not of this world the result of divine choice the Lord Jesus the Father's first elect and his people as those that are chosen in him if you have desires to praise God to worship God to long for God then it can be said of you that you are included in these words they are not of the world even as I am not of the world and then we can look at the

[11:01] Lord Jesus Christ in his life demonstrating why he was not of the world it was because he came to do the will of him that sent him he was not concerned even about his own will and this is remarkably emphasized when the Lord Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane and he said father if it be possible let not let this cut pass from me nevertheless not my will but thine be done he was ever seeking to do the will of God and as that will was unfolded to him in his human soul so by the fullness of the spirit granted to him he had no other desire and so we bring this to bear upon those that are associated with him identified with him in this same matter they are not of the world even as

[12:27] I am not of the world here again it may not be easy for you to come to a conclusion on this matter feeling the ambitions of your mind and the sights that are set for some preeminence in life and to be well thought of by men and to have a proud heart and to be able to look down upon others all things which are so much of the flesh and so much of this world I say these things may sometimes seem to be very much uppermost but they are not of the world when the spirit of God manifests that truth in them when they are quite content to forego everything that the name of

[13:27] Christ may be glorified it is very good when we are willing to submit to the will of God in all things now some people may make a mistake in coming to some result in their mind as to what the will of God is the will of God is not determined by our being in certain places or under certain conditions the will of God sometimes is that we are placed in certain conditions in order that the grace that is given to us might be tried and that grace will not fail no they are not of the world will be powerfully impressed upon your spirit

[14:34] I am not of the world when you feel that your very way of life is so distinct from the world when I say your very way of life I mean more particularly your thinking and the thinking of those that are not of the world is a thinking upon Christ it is mentioned in Malachi of those that thought upon his name now thinking upon his name is not just sitting down and trying to clothe ourselves with some halo of self righteousness and bringing our thoughts and our attentions to that name that revolves and revolves round in our minds without there being any real benefit thinking upon his name is an engagement which takes place in our everyday life thinking upon his name could surely be noted in the case of

[15:54] Nehemiah when being asked a question from the king he said I prayed unto the God of heaven and he was thinking upon his name now we all have our lives to live very very differently and we mix with people and are we thinking upon his name we may sit around the same table in the business world as I have done and are we thinking upon his name all the rest are putting forth their suggestions their ideas and so on but the saint of God is distinguishable that he is not of this world because he's thinking upon the name of God and he's looking up unto God she is looking up and the child is looking up and saying

[16:55] Lord help me give me guidance what do we do here what do we do there and at the parting lunch he was asked to attend he was asked to make a speech and as he made his speech all the people knew of his business acumen he had to give glory to

[18:19] God and he had to mention that there were those times when his decisions were reached in prayer to God now he may not have made any ostentation about his religion but there was a time when it had to be demonstrated they are not of the world even as I am not of the world there is a time to honor God and you may be worried sometimes some of you might because you fear that your light is hid under a bushel well it's a that was in accord with the father's will he was the absolute fullness of a holy life but did his light shine surely it did but was it seen was it seen how few there were that saw that this was the

[19:53] Christ the son of God we may have a thought upon those lines we may say well I don't think my light is seen at all is it a concern to you that it may be and maybe you know our light shines more than we think it does the spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord that is the light that shines oh that is the light that shines and the spirit of Jesus Christ was the light that shined before many people they saw his compassion they saw his kindness they saw his willingness to look on every case and to turn no case aside they saw that he was ever interested and one man had the amazing experience that when he cried out

[20:57] Jesus thou son of David have mercy upon me when the Lord came to the spot he stood still he stood still and called for the man to be brought unto him what an example doing the will of his father honoring his father by the spirit that was in Jesus Christ and this is in just the same way that it is proved evinced set forth they are not of the world there is much in religion that has to to that presents itself in a very different way and for the most part the world can see through the hypocrisy they can see that it's not genuine they can see there's no substance in it in so much of the profession of the professing world the religious world that but what is that which will unmistakably be seen in the people of god as something which we need to be deeply concerned about one of the apostles speaks of it in these terms likewise wise ye wives referring now to the church of god be in subjection to your own husbands that if any obey not the word they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear that is a tender reverence for god whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of the plaiting of the hair and the wearing of gold and the putting on of apparel but let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which in the sight of god is of great price now this had its application fully and powerfully in respect to the lord jesus and equally they are not of the world even as i am not of the world demonstrated by their chaste conversation and by their meek and quiet spirit now this is the work of god within and what god worked within will be eventually shown without god's people may often be deeply concerned because they fear that it is not with them as it should be they look at their own spirit they feel sometimes that they have another spirit which is so diverse from being quiet and meek but is that desire in your soul to have this quiet and meek spirit which is in the sight of god of great price they are not of the world even as i am not of the world the lord jesus was deeply concerned for the honour of his father and he honoured his father in this way that he said it is not my works but the works of my father which he worketh in me or words very similar to that now you see those that are not of the world will bear the same honouring testimony to god in the things that they do in the things that they speak in the manner of their actions their desire will ever be it is not ye that speak but the spirit of your father which dwelleth in you now this is a distinguishing feature of those that are not of the world they feel certainly at times that the things that they say the things that they do are the result of the internal working of the spirit of god and this is indeed a very important concern in preaching the word how can any word that is preached ever be blessed to anybody if it's merely a man's word but if it is the spirit of god then the words that he speaks we may hope will have an application of that of the truth of the soul now concerning our lord jesus christ when he was upon this earth he was filled with the spirit and he acknowledged the spirit speaking in him and the father speaking in him as well as the father speaking to him they are not of the world now what a distinctive point you have in your life that you are not of the world if you find from time to time and more frequent than it be that it is the spirit of god that speaks in you now are you concerned in all your conversations in all your actions that you might be moved by the spirit of god this will certainly be so when you have to deplore a spirit which is so contrary and so different and so dishonoring to god this will bring about another feature which will demonstrate that you are not of the world where you have secret confession confessing unto god sins which other people never think of confessing all the confession that can ever be made by the world the professing world in general is the confession of sins of transgression that is the breaking of certain laws that they adduce from the scriptures of truth that the children of god which are not of this world will have this secret religion whereby they have to confess the sins of iniquity that is that which proceeds from their depraved nature and that iniquity will sometimes find itself in thinking and sometimes find itself in speaking and sometimes find itself in some kind of action but then those that are not of this world will also find that when they confess their sins they are also concerned to invoke that whereby their sins may be removed it is not just a mere confessing of our sins it is not just a question of coming to god and saying i have sinned no the lord jesus christ on this earth was distinguishable because as a man he lived a life of faith and he looked to his father for continual help and they that are not of the world will be distinguished by living a life of faith the apostle says the life that i now live i live by the faith of the son of god who loved me and gave himself for me now you see if we are sinners then we shall have to live a life of faith on the son of god we shall have to live a life of faith looking to the blessings of calvary and if we confess our sins then living a life of faith will introduce this thought as to whether we have any prospect of those sins being dealt with being washed away well the life of faith will fix our attention upon the work of christ and in that sense they are not of the world the lord jesus if he confessed the sins of the whole church of god he also did it only and always looking to his own death and the father looked in the same place when that when by his death and the power of his resurrection the sins of the church were put away now if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness now you see that's an important word it's not just a cleansing us from our sins as we can note them down we have done this wrong we have done that wrong we have injured that person we shouldn't have said this to the other person but it's a question also of unrighteousness unrighteousness in our very being if we confess our sins is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness they are not of the world even as

[32:39] I am not of the world the whole ambition and desire of the soul of our Lord Jesus Christ was to fulfill that for which he came into the world and that is to answer and support the words of faith in the children of God to cleanse them from sin and all unrighteousness they are not of the world even as I am not of the world another feature must be considered in regard to the reason why this is it is because the church of God are blessed with the interwelling of the spirit of

[33:40] God and Christ is in their hearts the hope of glory we therefore come to the point that Christ is in them and they in him the Lord Jesus in the parable of the vineyard he says abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot be a fruit of itself except it abide in the vine no more can ye except ye abide in me and this is something which will be acknowledged in the people of God and by the people of God and will demonstrate the words of our text they are not of the world you see the world is destitute of this union but the children of

[34:41] God are blessed with this union the world can never obtain this union you would never obtain it apart from the supreme grace of God the sovereign mercy of God and the sovereign purposes of God nevertheless let us rejoice in this great truth they are not of the world even as I am not of the world it is a truth and let us hear what the Lord Jesus said on one occasion when he lifted up his eyes unto heaven and he said I thank thee oh father lord of heaven and earth that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent that is the wise and prudent in religious circles and has revealed them unto babes revealed them unto those that are dependent upon

[35:43] God for everything even so father for so it seemed good in thy sight those that are not of the world even as I am not of the world are dependent upon God for everything things temporal things spiritual now that will be something for us to think upon and to bless God for if we ever have it in our mind to think about God's wonderful provision when we look at our table I went to one house house and that the table I always remember the manner of the grace that was put up we thank thee Lord for a well spread table a well spread table and what can we say now this does not mean that a well spread table is necessarily one that absolutely groans because of the food that is upon it but a well spread table having food and raiment let us be there where content will be a well spread table the blessing of

[37:17] God is on it and just a slice of bread and a cup of cold water to the saints of God will certainly be a well spread table and if you feel like that then that's not of the world the world won't even thank God when they've got a well spread table when everything absolutely groans with the food which is upon it but the people of God will take a very different view and they will have the witness when they take a very different view they are not of the world even as I am not of the world oh look at the occasions when the Lord Jesus Christ was here upon the earth and there were a number to be fed how differently did he deal with the situation from the manner in which we would have dealt with it he he said cause them to sit down cause them to sit down

[38:22] God will make the provision and so the loaves and the fishes were multiplied on more than one occasion to satisfy the needs of the multitudes are we not persuaded we are if we have the mind that is in the text they are not of the world even as I am not of the world I say are we not persuaded that a little with God's pronouncement of blessing upon it will be far more than anything that the world calls good and great and then they are not of the world even as I am not of the world may be said to refer to the hope which the people of God have we find a prophetic scripture in the

[39:23] Psalms where it is said I have hoped from my mother's breasts now you see the Lord Jesus Christ was blessed with the spirit of God from the moment he was born and he hoped he hoped in the same things that we hope in hope in the word that is written hope in the working out of the Father's will hope in the covenant of grace and also we hope in the Lord Jesus Christ who is our only prospect of eternity they are not of the world even as I am not of the world another important point which we may well be concerned about is that the

[40:25] Lord Jesus was content content foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests but the son of man hath not where to lay his head and he was content do not find him making a shindy about it you do not find him speaking in the voice of the world of the unkindness of his God do you not find him setting forth an argument God is love where's the proof of it the Lord Jesus Christ he was well satisfied that God his father was nothing else but love even when he confessed that the foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests but the son of man hath not where to lay his head but I am content I'm content he was content because during that night time period he had continual exchanges and prayer unto his father they are not of the world now you may find and be deeply concerned because you have another spirit yes that's true but what makes you know that you have another spirit you look at the world they will not complain and see the rottenness and ungraciousness of their spirits but you will mourn over your spirit and if you should sometimes speak unadvisedly with your lips sometimes have wrong thoughts rising up in your hearts you're not of the world if you have to come and confess those things secretly to God no wonder

[42:41] Paul says oh wretched man that I am who should deliver me from the body of this death the good that I would I do not and the evil that I would not that I do and how I could perform that that I would I find not how much teaching there was in that but how distinctive was his life and the teaching of the spirit in that life from the world in general and the world will not understand you or me if we say that we have no control over ourselves now we must be clear on this point this does not mean to say that we shall lack in discipline I believe it can be well said that those who by the grace of God are the most disciplined and the most deeply concerned for the honor of

[43:44] God will also be those who will see so many deficiencies and see so much need for God's correction they are not of the world even as I am not of the world now lastly on this point but perhaps the most important that which distinguished the Lord Jesus Christ in the world was his love his love that love and we have already mentioned this was traduced in his compassion in his pity in his condescension in his tenderness in his gentleness his love now you see it has been well said that we have to live with a person to know them but it is also observed that if we live with a person that person will have an effect upon us or we will have an effect upon them now to be with

[45:11] Jesus Christ and to have union to Jesus Christ can only have one effect in a way it can be a one sided effect because to be in the presence of Christ will affect our lives affect our souls with the love that is in his heart you know if the Lord is continually showing you his love then what must it do but to affect your line of thought manner of feeling and so on the poet has this verse which we referred to on Friday evening why should I complain of want or distress temptation or pain he told me no less the heirs of salvation

[46:12] I know from his word through much tribulation must follow their Lord how bitter that cup no man can conceive which he drank quite up that sinners might live his way was much rougher and darker than mine did Christ my Lord suffer and shall I repine now a revelation of these truths will be a revelation of the love of Christ because his sufferings were great and his sufferings were not just sufferings as we might call bodily sufferings but they were the sufferings of his mind they were the sufferings that he had to endure from the jibes of the ungodly that is the scribes and the Pharisees who had no love for him at all and they had no love for his father either now the love of Christ will affect your soul and will distinguish you in this way they are not of the world even as I am not of the world could we bear from one another what he daily bears from us and in consequence if we have that grace of the love of

[47:46] God shed abroad in our hearts you know we should be able to endure hard speeches heart piercing actions distressing signs here and there because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost love to heaven will bring about love and patience to others they are not of the world even as I am not of the world we will leave the subject for this morning will to