photo #3574731

John 17:6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.Notice the words of our text, "out of the world." At one time, if something was impressive, it was said to be "out of this world." Salvation is out of this world, praise God! It came from heaven! The Savior is out of this world. The scriptures are out of this world. The Bible is a heavenly Book, forever settled in heaven! And the saints have been called out of this world. Our thought for today is OUT OF THIS WORLD. There are a number of statements in this chapter in John that express the relationship of believers who are IN this world TO this world.First, WE ARE SAVED OUT OF THIS WORLD (Jn. 17:6). We are saved from the world's darkness (1 Pet. 2:9), its demands, and its destruction. This world and the works therein will be burned up someday, but we have eternal life!Second, WE ARE SEPARATED FROM THIS WORLD (Jn. 17:9,16). The Lord separates us by a spiritual birth, making us sons of God; by a spiritual baptism, making us part of the body of Christ; by a spiritual Book (Jn. 17:17); and by spiritual behavior (2 Cor. 6:14).Third, WE ARE STILL IN THIS WORLD (Jn. 17:11 "these are in the world"). We are only here for a time, but we are here for a task and for a testimony until the Lord calls us home to heaven.Fourth, WE STINK TO THIS WORLD (Jn. 17:14). The world dislikes us because of the Savior whom we praise, the salvation that we proclaim, and the scriptures that we preach.Next, WE ARE SHELTERED IN THIS WORLD (Jn. 17:15). The Lord shelters His own from deception (Jn. 16:13); from defeat (Phil. 4:13); and from discouragement (Rom. 8:28).Next, WE ARE SENT INTO THIS WORLD (Jn. 17:18). The Lord sends us into the world to warn, to witness, to work, and to wait for His soon return. That brings me to our last thought from John 17 ...WE ARE TO BE SNATCHED AWAY FROM THIS WORLD (Jn. 17:24). Whether through death or through the Rapture, we saved people will some day be removed from this world to a mountain, the Holy Mt. Zion; to a mansion (Jn. 14:1-6); and to our Master, when we shall see Him face to face (1 Cor. 13:12)!