Infiltrate and Insulate
Launch
John 17:13-18
Space, the final frontier, these are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. It’s mission
to seek out new life, to boldly go where no man has gone before. Those words struck a
chord in many men and women in the early 60’s and space exploration became a passion
for our nation and many individuals. There was a certain romance to the whole idea of
going into space and traveling to other planets and exploring what was out there. The
mystery of it all and the possibility of conquering this unknown frontier intrigued us.
Many of the things that Science fiction writers such as Gene Roddenberry wrote about
came to pass. But with all the technology and imagination that has been assigned to
space travel, there are still obstacles that had to be dealt with. How does man survive
in such a hostile environment? As vast as space is, as intriguing as space is, one fact
remains, it is an environment that man cannot survive without some type of external
resource.
The incalculable cold temperatures, the lack of oxygen, and lack of gravity, are constant
reminders that he was not created for that environment. While he can survive it, he will
need assistance. Thus the need for a space suit. By creating an Earth-like environment
within the suit itself, space suits allow humans to walk around in space in relative safety.
Without this suit the astronaut could not and would not survive the hostile environment
we know as space. Great! What has that got to do with me?
We have a different frontier to explore; a frontier in which our mission is to search for
those who have yet to receive life – eternal life. We have been called to boldly go into
the world and proclaim the message of Jesus Christ.
Just as the life of an astronaut was not meant to be confined to earth…so the life
of a believer was not meant to be lived out within the four walls of a church
building. Jesus is calling us out of the church. He is calling us to a rescue mission
here on planet earth. For most Christians that is a scary thought! Most of all we
have known in American Christianity takes place within the box!
When you think of church in a box…what thoughts come to your mind?
Why do you think most believers prefer doing church in the box?
Yet, we are called to do – to boldly go where few Christians have traveled before – “Out
into the World” Jesus in our text is praying to the Father concerning us. And he has
some interesting things to say about what he and God expect of us. There are basically
two things we need to understand about the mission God is calling us to fulfill.
Infiltrate (John 17:14-16)
Called to a Hostile Environment
The term for “World” refers to a system of:
false religion
errant philosophy
crime
immorality
materialism
Name some of the effects that the world system has on us as believers?
Read 2 Cor. 4:4, what does the Bible mean when it says that Satan is the
god of this world?
Called to Infiltration not Isolation or Saturation (Vs. 15,16)
This is undoubtedly the biggest challenge for us as believers
The Lord doesn’t want us “out of the world” (v. 15) but neither does He want us “of
the world” (v. 16).
The tendency is one of two extremes: Saturation or Isolation
Describe a believer who is saturated with the world?
Why is saturation with the world a hindrance to us as believers?
Describe a believer who is isolated?
Why would isolation be a bad thing for a believer?
When we know who we are in relation to God, we know who we are in relation to
the world.
What does the previous statement mean when applied to our being in the
world but not of the world?
Insulate (John 17:17)
How do Christians endure the pitfalls of this world? Like an astronaut we depend on
outside resources to survive. Because we live in a deceived and deceiving world, our
possession of the truth of God’s word is critical.
We must be set apart – Sanctify them…Before Going Out we must Suit Up
Being set apart means we look to God to fulfill our needs in life.
We get in trouble when we start looking to the world to meet our needs.
In what ways do we tend to look to the world to meet our needs?
In your opinion how can why do we tend to look to the world instead of God
for the meeting of our needs?
Being set apart means we no longer fill our lungs with the world’s standards.
We’re driven by our convictions, not the world’s opinions.
That doesn’t mean we’re perfect; we fight sin in ourselves
Sometimes I think we believe our mission is to stop the sin in the world
around us.
Our duty with regard to sin is not to try to purge all society’s ills, but to
apply ourselves to dealing with the sin in our own lives.
Based on the previous two statements answer the following questions:
Do you think that most believers feel our greatest mission is to eliminate
sinful behavior in others? Why or why not?
Why would not eliminating sinful behavior in others not be our mission in life?
Compare our mission to a rescue mission…are rescuers sent into a situation to
change the situation or to bring individuals out of the situation?
Which do you think Jesus wants us to do…change the entire world or bring
individuals out of a sinful world?
Being set apart is an appeal that we commit ourselves to biblical thinking, that
we see ourselves as God sees us, and that we deal honestly with our own sin.
God’s Word Accomplishes Insulation
The truth of God’s Word is the medium the Holy Spirit uses in our sanctification.
Everyday we are to load our mind with it. Fill our hearts with it.
Ponder it carefully and let it direct our walk. (Phil. 4:8)(Col. 3:16).
It protects us by separating us from the world
It does that by giving us an accurate perspective on sin and its consequences.
That’s what David meant in (Psalm 119:11).
The more you are in the Word of God, the more sensitive you become to
those things which can lead you astray.
Why do you think that statement is true?
Think about the world we live in – why would it be essential for you to be in
the word of God consistently?
What steps can you take this week that will make it possible for you to be in
the word consistently?