May We Be Kept From All That Would Separate Us From God.

Kept from evil. 

Joh 17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 

Let's read Jesus' entire prayer to the Father right before He left the upper room where He'd kept the Passover, and went to the Garden of Gethsemane. Now, remember as you read these words, they were the last prayer Jesus prayed in the presence of His Apostles as an entire group, before being taken away.  Jesus knew what was to come, His Apostles however were still of the belief that Jesus would reign, not be crucified. He was the promised Messiah! They didn't want to comprehend being without Him as He was with them right then and there.

Joh 17:1  These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 

Joh 17:2  As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 

Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 

Joh 17:4  I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 

Joh 17:5  And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 

Joh 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. 

Joh 17:7  Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 

Joh 17:8  For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 

Joh 17:9  I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 

Joh 17:10  And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 

Joh 17:11  And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 

Joh 17:12  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. 

Joh 17:13  And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 

Joh 17:14  I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 

Joh 17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 

Joh 17:16  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 

Joh 17:18  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 

Joh 17:19  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. 

Joh 17:20  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 

Joh 17:21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 

Joh 17:22  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 

Joh 17:23  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 

Joh 17:24  Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 

Joh 17:25  O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 

Joh 17:26  And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. 

Jesus asks the Father to--

Glorify thy Son.

Keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that thy may be one, as we are.

Thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth.

Jesus declares--

That the love wherewith thou loved me may be in them, and I in them.

We are to be kept by God the Father as those He has given to His declared, only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. We are to be kept from the evil.

Where does the evil exist?

In the world that we are not to be taken out of.

Read this--

Joh_13:27  And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

And this…

Joh 14:30  Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. 

The prince of this world was going to have his way, as we well know. Satan was allowed to work his evil through those that belong to him. Up until this point, Jesus, ministered to His apostles, His disciples, the people in general without Satan being allowed the upper hand. Satan was allowed to enter in Judas right after Jesus exposed him for what he was, where his heart was and it wasn't with Jesus. Satan entered into Judas and worked rousing all those belonging to him in order to subdue Jesus, to try and stop His ministry once and for all.

The prince of the world has many more disciples than Christ has, remember this--

Mat_7:13  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat

Mat 7:14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 

The many and the few.

The evil we are to be kept from fills the world. The evil has disguised itself in so many ways. The disguise evil uses is so perfected that many are going to be completely and utterly deceived. Many are going to truly believe they belong to Christ, when in fact they do not.

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 

Many are going to say those words.

We need to be kept from the evil of the world.

The truth will sanctify us.

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 

Joh 17:19  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Evil will destroy the truth in any way it can. Evil will blind the eyes of any who desire that deception so they may continue down evil's broad path, all the while believing they are on the narrow way. Our hearts are wicked and we need to pray--

Psa 139:23  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 

Psa 139:24  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

And when God searches us and knows our heart, and tries us knowing our thoughts, and He leads us away from the wickedness into His way everlasting, we have to live His truth revealed to us. If we shun His truth, we are shunning the way everlasting, we are condemning ourselves.  We are allowed access to His truth, may we seek only truth. May we be wholly and truly God's, kept from evil- all that would separate us from Him.

Please, Lord, help us! Save us! We believe, help our unbelief! Keep us in Your truth, keep us from evil! Lead us in the way everlasting!

We thank You, Father, we thank You!

All glory, honor and praise unto You now and forever.

All through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!!!!!!!