Title: Grace comes only when you are broken
Gospel of John (99) Grace comes only when you are broken (John 17:14-19)
<Do not exclude the world>
This text explains what holiness is when the Lord intercedes for the disciples. Look at verse 15 of the text. “I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from falling into evil.” People often misunderstand holiness and think of holiness as being “separated from the world.” However, holiness is not being separated from the world, but living in the world and not being stained by evil.
Believers should get along well with unbelievers. In Genesis 14, Abraham, the father of faith, made an alliance with the Amorites. However, “No! Do not get caught up in the vain pride and vain spirituality that says, “How can a believer allied himself with the people of the world when he only looks to God?” Abraham had good faith, but he also had good relations with the Gentiles. So later, Abimelech, the king of the Gentiles, even said, “Whatever you do, God is with you” (Genesis 21:22).
Saints must have faith, but they must also have faith. So the unbeliever said, “That man is a believer! Trustworthy!” should be audible. When you fight the world, don't try to fight alone, do spiritual outsourcing that leverages the people of the world. You cannot change the world on a deserted island. You can change the world only by entering the world. So, sometimes borrow the wisdom of the world, use it, and get the help of the people of the world.
In the end, Abraham and the Gentiles go to rescue Lot and defeat the combined forces of Chedorlaomer, the great ancient empire (Genesis 14:24). Likewise, be friendly with the people of the world. Do not be unconditionally excluded because you do not believe, open your heart and reach out to unbelievers. So show them the power of faith, miracles, holy lives and values. Only then will he have the resources to defeat the great power, and God will help him. Spirituality and holiness that do not elicit respect from the world are not true spirituality and holiness.
<Grace will come only when you are broken>
How do we receive the grace of true holiness? We must abide in Jesus, the source of holiness (verse 19). Jesus is not interested in making us amazing. But He comes into us and lives with us as He lived with His disciples in Galilee. It is a blessing beyond imagination that God is physically present in the saints. It is like sitting an ugly creature on the throne of God. Recognizing that fact creates a holy silence in your heart and moves you to act out of worship of God. From there comes a holy life.
What actually happens when the holy Lord is in us? There are many graces, but above all, an amazing miracle of breaking the shell of ‘self’ takes place. True faith is 'breaking the shell of self'. It is very difficult for a person to break himself, but if he can break himself with the Gospel and the Word, there is no such thing as such a blessing. Whether we are broken by the Word or through hardship, God's grace comes only when we have experienced our own brokenness.
Before graduating from college in 1984, I was like, “How should I live? What should I do?” I was pondering in a dark state. Because it was dark in front of me, I was completely shattered. Then, as the Lord came to me after my broken heart, I had a life goal called “the glory of the Lord.” When I had such a clear goal, I felt peace in my heart, joy came to me, I was happy even without it, I liked the church, and I loved the time of worship and listening to the Word.
At that time, from morning to evening, the hymns did not leave my mouth, I took my steps carefully, and my thoughts were always reverent and beautiful, and my tears did not stop during the morning worship service every day. Sometimes when I look back on my life at that time, I think that I want to live like that. If I think about it now, the struggle to be in the Lord at that time and to be in the Lord's will was the grace of holiness. If you are in the Lord like that, you may not be a perfect being, but you can be a holy being. Always be in the Lord and His will and experience the grace of holiness by giving yourself to Him.