What are the hardest words to say? Sorry, is one of them, but how about goodbye. Goodbyes aren't easy are they; see yeah later is ok, and some goodbyes are more like good-riddance. But real goodbyes when something life changing is happening, when someone is moving away - well they aren't easy. Real goodbyes are hard because the person is a close friend or we value their being around and we will miss them.

In John 17 we break into Jesus goodbye to his disciples, it is part of his farewell explanation of who he is, what is going to happen, both immediately and in the future, and why. And this is not a good riddance; this goodbye is a real concern, a real worry for those being left behind. Just look back to the start of the goodbye and chapter 14:1, the disciples are troubled because Jesus has just been telling them of his imminent death. Look at 16:22 "now is your time of grief"

This is not an easy goodbye; the disciples have left everything to follow Jesus. They have seen him heal the sick, cast out demons, miraculously feed thousands, walk on water, still the wind and waves, raise the dead, forgive sins and they have just said we (16:31) "believe that you came from God." They know who he is; this is God’s promised one, God made man, come to restore man to a right relationship with God. And he is about to leave them, and not just to move to Samaria, not just to move jobs, but he is going to die a death that makes them question everything they ever believed about him.

But here in ch 17 do you notice what Jesus does as he prepares to leave them? He prays for them. He is asking God, that is what the word in (9) "I pray for them" means, it is literally 'I ask for them'. And what Jesus prays for them he also prays for all who will believe in him after them (20). There are two things that Jesus prays for his disciples and for us as we focus on (13-19) this morning.

1. ‘not of the world’
Have you ever played ‘Where’s Wally’? Here’s your chance; have a quick look at this and tell me if you can spot Wally.

What makes finding Wally so difficult is that he doesn't really stand out - he looks just like everyone else, the only difference is his red and white stripped bobble hat.

Jesus as he prays for the disciples, asks his Father that the disciples would be different from those around them, not because they have a red and white stripped bobble hat on, but because they think differently and act differently. They are not to be of the world (14, 16) - in other words they are not to be the same as those around them. Followers of Jesus are to be different, they are to stand out.

(14)"I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world anymore than I am of the world." Jesus followers are to be different because they are to live just like Jesus, and it is God’s word that makes Christians different. God’s word - the Bible; tells us what God says and how he feels about things. It tells us that we naturally serve and love ourselves not God and that because of that we cannot have a relationship with God and we rightly face his judgement. It tells us that we need to have our relationship with God made new which only Jesus can do for us, and that those who have that new relationship by faith in him are called to live a new life.

(17) Uses another word to talk about the same idea, do you see it? Those who follow Jesus are "sanctified" by God’s word. Sanctified means ‘set apart’ or ‘dedicated’ to God and it is achieved by God’s word - the Bible. Where followers of Jesus, those in a relationship with God learn what God loves and what God hates. And the mark of Jesus and therefore of his followers is that they love what God loves and hate what God hates.

So take last week, Ephesians 5 showed us that God hates gossip, greed and idolatry. Maybe it was the first time we had ever realised or heard that God hates those things, or maybe it was a reminder. How is the disciple to act? Well they are to confess their failure to love what God loves and hate what God hates ask for forgiveness by faith and pray for help to live a life now hating those things.

It’s not when God puts his finger on these things and calls us to act that we need to worry, that is God through his spirit showing us how far we fall short and calling us to ask for forgiveness and making us ‘not of this world’ through his word. It is when we don't hear these things or don't act on them we should worry.

But do you notice the health warning that comes with living as a disciple? (14-15) it brings hatred. That is quite a statement after all we live in the age of tolerance, a multicultural, multi-belief, multi-faith society don't we?

But just think about it for a minute - Jesus prays that his followers would stand out, be set apart, and live loving what God loves, by God’s standard. That causes conflict.

It doesn't take much for the world’s hatred of Christianity to show. Right now up and down the country Christians Unions are facing expulsion from Students Unions. Why? Because Christian Unions insist that those leading them have faith in Jesus and believe the Bible, loving what God loves. That is viewed as being too exclusive, as being intolerant so CU’s are being kicked off campus.

On an everyday level try explaining to someone that you believe Jesus is the only way to know and have a relationship with God and hostility soon surfaces. And then there is the antagonism of authors like Richard Dawkins; "what makes my jaw drop is that people today should base their lives on such an appalling role model as Yahweh - and, even worse, that they should bossily try to force the same evil monster on the rest of us."

The Christian is not meant to be camouflaged, they are not meant to be as hard to spot as Wally. But to stand out by living a life loving what the Bible reveals God loves and they are to expect hostility.

2. ‘in the world but not of it’
Jesus is asking that God would protect his disciples as they live differently, as they stand out for loving what God loves and the world hates them as a result. But he goes on to pray (15) that they would be protected as they live in the world, because he doesn't want them to retreat from it. "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." That seems a bit much doesn't it? I pray that they'd live lives that are different and therefore provoke hatred but that you'd keep them in the world.

Clip: Saving Private Ryan. What is the task that Captain Miller and his men are given? They are to search all over occupied France for one man - Private Ryan. It is a seemingly impossible mission in hostile enemy territory, territory swarming with Germans, it will cost most of the 8 their lives.

That is the mission Jesus gives his disciples. Sometimes people say Christianity is a crutch for the weak, they've obviously never read John 17. It is not a crutch for the weak but a mission improbable for those who will risk for God. To remain in a hostile world living for God.

Disciples are to be in the world, that doesn't just mean living on the planet, it means engaged with the community, but not being like them. They are to be ‘grace in the community to the glory of God.’

In the workplace there is on average one Christian for every 70 employees, you are to live in the world, engaged with your work colleagues whilst not being like your work colleagues. In school, college, uni at the school gates you are to be engaged with your friends but not live like your friends.

Just as we draw to a close this morning I want to highlight a couple of ways we may have, or be in danger of getting this wrong:

a. not of the world but not in the world
I wonder if you've ever watched rabbits dashing from one burrow to another, all you see is their little white tails bobbing up and down. We can live in a Christian rabbit warren, too busy going from church meeting to church meeting so that the world only ever sees the whites of our tails. We may work alongside colleagues but that’s all we ever do, we never go to the pub with them at lunchtime, or go on the Christmas do. With the mums at the gate we stand with them for a couple of minutes at the gate but never have them back for coffee. We may play sport with people but we never go for a drink afterwards.

We are living on the planet but not engaging with our mission field, those God has put in our life to live the gospel in front of.

b. of the world and in the world
The opposite danger is being of the world and in the world. In other words no one would ever know you were a Christian. We have the same goals, use the same language, behave the same, have the same lifestyle. There is nothing to set us apart. We may be living in the world but there is nothing that marks us out as any different apart from church attendance on a Sunday.

The mission Jesus gives is not easy, but he prays for our protection; to be in the world but not of it. So why should we take it on? (19) "For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be sanctified." Jesus is not asking us to do something he has not done. He sets himself apart to go to the cross, to die in our place for our rebellion against God, to satisfy God’s justice so that we can know peace with God. We aren't saved by living like this we live like as a result of being saved.

Such grace, love and mercy compels us to live in the world but not of the world making that love known, "so that the world may believe that you have sent me."

1. What is the disciple's mission?
2. Am I in danger of being 'in the world and of it or being 'not in the world and not of the world?
3. If Christ dedicated himself to go to the cross for me am I prepared to dedicate myself to living in the world but not being of the world? What changes will that mean to my diary, attitudes and actions?

Vision and Values