To Be Sanctified in Truth

Posted on May 12, 2024

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Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Psalm 1

1 John 5:9-13

John 17:6-19

I think that one of the biggest struggles that the world has with the Bible is that there really is not gray area in scripture. There is no in between ideas or both could be right or both could be wrong type of sides. The world wants to be able to created and believe in its own truth. However, the Bible stands in the way of such belief. Even at the end of our passage is 1 John we see a truth that is very black and white. Verse 12 says everything plainly, “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” It does not get more simple than that. Either you are a Christian or you are not. There is no in between. Either you are saved or you are not. There is no almost saved.

A few months ago, I watch a comedy show on Amazon Prime done by Kevin James who is most well known for his role as Doug Heffernan on the King of Queens. Kevin shared that he had gone to the doctor recently for his annual physical and his doctor tells him after all of his blood work that he had some serious news. Kevin was pre-diabetic. Kevin thought about it for a minute. “So do I have diabetes?” “No” the doctor said, “but you could get diabetes.” So, then Kevin asks the doctor, “Do you have diabetes?” “Well, no said the doctor.” “Could you get diabetes?” asked Kevin. “Well, yeah I suppose said the doctor.” “Then you’re pre-diabetic” Kevin told the doctor. The point was that Kevin was seeing it black and white. Either he has diabetes or he doesn’t. The point the doctor was trying to make I am sure is that if Kevin doesn’t make some changes, then he could end up becoming diabetic. But point of this story is that there is no gray area like pre anything. Either he has diabetes or he doesn’t. Either there is truth or there is the opposite of truth which is lies.

We have been reading through Jesus’ last days in the Gospel of John and this week we read about Jesus’ prayer for his disciples. Within Christianity there is this constant discussion and dilemma about separating itself from the world and what that actually means. As we see the world constantly turning towards evil things as defined in the Bible, one might suggest that the world is hopeless and we should just abandon it. However, Jesus’ prayer in our passage today would suggest otherwise. The disciples were part of the world until Jesus comes along and takes them from the world by giving them knowledge from the Word of God. They accepted that word and therefore were no longer a part of the world. Jesus’ prayer is that they be protected by the name in which was given to him by the Father. HE asks that they be one just as he and the Father are one. He notes that he is being taken out of the world but those who follow him and have been given to him by the father are not. The key thing next is that Jesus prays not that they be taken out of the world but that they be protected from the Evil one. The world hates us because of the name of Jesus Christ. But according to Jesus this does not mean that we are called to hide ourselves away from the world. No, we are called to still live in the world but not live as the world lives. Jesus prays that we would be protected from the devil who would bring the temptations of sin on us and would destroy the church by such. He is not even praying that we would be protected from persecution. He is asking that we be protected from Satan so that we would not fall astray and that we be one with each other and one with the Father as well.

The Church is not of this world as Jesus is not of this world either. Jesus’ final remarks is for the Church to the be sanctified by the truth. Jesus then defines what truth is. He says, “your word is truth.” The Word of God is truth. Now we are given a mission. Jesus was sent into the world by the Father and now he is sending us into the world as well. We are not called to be out of the world but to be in the world. Jesus says, “For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.” Jesus calls for us to be sanctified in the truth. He calls us to be in the world and yet set apart through the truth of His Word. This means that we live in the world but we do not live as the world lives. While the world focuses on the pleasures of the world and the pleasures of the material and the gratification of one’s desires. The Church is called to live among them but with the focus of what pleases the Lord and the Church finds more pleasure in pleasing the Lord then they find in pleasing themselves. This is what it means to be sanctified in the truth.

Our call to worship this morning in Psalm one explains this concept as well. “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stan in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night… For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.” We are called to not live as the wicked of the world lives but because we live differently the world will hate us. They will instead accuse us as being the haters and accuse us as being closed minded. However, the truth is that the world is open and accepting to all things with the exception of Jesus Christ. Jesus offends the world because his truth shines light onto the darkness that they are living in. We too are to live sanctified by that truth so that we also may be a light shining onto the darkness of the world. If we are to do that then we cannot be taken out of the world. We must remain in the world but live sanctified in truth.

Our passage in Acts this morning has always been a curious one to me. Peter speaks up and explains that they must choose someone to take the place of Judas who originally walked among them and then quotes the Psalms to explain why this is so. However, the way in which they decide is interesting to me because they did not take a vote. However, they did follow some sort of democratic process and they did define some prerequisites for the position. They needed someone who had been with them since the beginning from John’s baptism until up to the point that they were now. It could not be just any person in the world. It had to be someone sanctified in the truth of Jesus’ word. So, they nominated 2 who stood out but rather than putting it to a vote they prayed that the Lord would choose and then casted lots to see who the Lord would choose. To me this has always seem like voting by rolling the dice to see who wins. However, the truth is that they chose 2 qualified candidates and then left the rest up to the Lord’s control. They chose one to be sanctified in truth.

We are all called to be sanctified in the truth. We are called to be set apart from the world because we know a truth that the world does not understand. We are called to share that truth with the world so that some may believe and be taken from the world to be sanctified in that truth just as we once were. Not all in the world will choose to accept the truth. However, some will and it is for that reason that Jesus prayed that we would not be taken from the world but that we be protected from the evil one. Because Jesus prayed that prayer, we can be assured that the Father has listened and what he has asked shall be given. May all who hear this message be sanctified in the truth found in the Word of God by the power of the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.