Dave preached from John 17:9-21 last night, looking at the High Priestly prayer of Jesus. He reminded us that we are all engaged in spiritual warfare and that we have an enemy who is like a roaring lion (1 Pet 5:8-9). Nonetheless, we should not be afraid, for God has given us everything we need to stand firm (Eph 6:13) and has provided everything we need for victory.
Christ in us is more powerful than the enemy (Christ is described as the Lion of Judah; the enemy is only like a roaring lion!). Jesus prayed for His disciples in John 17 and included us in that prayer (John 17:20). We remain in the world even after Jesus ascended to the Father, but we are not of the world. Jesus’s prayer for divine protection for His followers, no matter what difficulties they go through, should encourage and inspire us. He warns us that the world will hate us and we will suffer for His name’s sake, but we are left here on earth for a purpose: to do His work and to spread the good news of the gospel. We are Jesus to a corrupt and dying world: He has no other plan but that the church should act as His body and be the means by which people come to know Him. We should not fear the enemy, for Christ has given us His power (Matt 28:18-20) and has prayed that the Father will protect us from the evil one (John 17:15). We can, therefore, be confident that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ and can be sure that the victory is won. As Aaron Shust says, ‘There is no power strong enough to fear’ (‘Greater is He’). Christ has won the victory!