John 17:6-12
I have revealed You to those whom You gave me out of the world. They were Yours; You gave them to Me
Everyone who lives belongs to God, He is the Maker and Owner of everything. God the Father chooses who would come to Jesus (John 6:44) and draws them to Him.
and they have obeyed Your Word. Now they know that everything You have given Me comes from You. For I gave them Your Words and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me.
Those the Father draws to Jesus will come to Him and be able to believe what He says, to trust that all Jesus taught was Truth, and that He really is the Son of the Father in Heaven, sent to be Messiah and Savior.
I pray for them.
He doesn't just use His authority over all to cause everything to go well for us, He prays for us.
I am not praying for the World, but for those You have given Me, for they are Yours.
Jesus was not praying for all the other people who will not come to Him, or for the World System, either; but only for the certain people who have become His disciples and trust Him.
All I have is Yours, and all You have is Mine.
God, Father and Son and Spirit, is Creator and Maker of all Creation. So whatever, everything, that belongs to one belongs to all, to God.
And glory has come to Me through them.
This is another glory that He receives through the people who trust Him. So there is His eternal Glory that He shares with the Father, and there is the glory He receives through His followers.
I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to You.
Jesus says, "I'm leaving, but they're still here." He's concerned for us.
Holy Father, protect them by the power of Your Name, the Name You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are One. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that Name You gave Me.
Jesus is concerned that His Church would remain faithful to the Truth He taught them, as He is leaving, and He knows that the Enemy, the god of this world, will come in to "sift" them. He is asking the Father to watch over them.
God's "Name" is His character. All the "names of God" that we find in Scripture are descriptive of His character qualities, what He is like. This "Name" that the Father gave to the Son is the Personhood of Who God is. That's why He told Philip, "Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).
None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
This refers to Judas, who betrayed Him for the price of a slave. The Scripture said that, "Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me" (Psalm 41:9). Jesus knew every portion of Scripture, since He was the God Who inspired the writers what to write. And as a child, had studied all of the Old Testament. He knew that all the Scriptures pertaining to His first Coming were to be fulfilled, and He did fulfill them all, over 400 of them.
This prayer shows us Jesus' heart for men (and women). He is concerned that we will not be drawn astray from the Truth. Only the Truth is true, every other idea or belief is deceptive. He does not want us to be deceived, so He prays to the Father to protect us, since Jesus won't be here to guard us. Prayer was the weapon Jesus constantly used against the enemy His whole life here.
And if even Jesus needed to be in prayer regularly, how much more do I.
We will continue to study this prayer.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Jesus' Prayer As Our High Priest
John 17:1-5
This is known as Jesus' High Priestly Prayer. We will begin to study this prayer.
(v. 1) Father, the hour has come.
It's time.
Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You.
"Lift Me up and exalt Me, so that I will be able to lift You up and exalt You, Father."
(v. 2) For You granted Him (Me) authority over all people
"All people" means everybody, every person who has ever or will ever live. He has ownership authority over all of us, both by Creation and by purchase with His Blood on Calvary.
that He (I) might give eternal life to all those You have given Him (Me).
With the ownership authority Jesus has over us all, the Father can now give Him anyone He wants to give Him out of all people. So everyone God the Father chooses out of all people everywhere will come to Him, will seek Him out, will search for the Truth which is Jesus, and each one will realize and understand that He is their Savior, Who took their death on the Cross for them. And by this faith, this trusting in Him, they will receive that real life, the spiritual eternal life to live forever.
(v.3) Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom You have sent.
Jesus said that real life is spiritual (John 6:63) because life itself comes from God and He is Spirit. So to "know" God Himself is to believe and trust Him to be Who He says He is and to do what He says He has done and will do. The way we can learn about Him is through language, communication, words; and His Word is the body of Truth that He has communicated to us, the Bible.
(v.4) I have brought You glory on Earth by finishing the work You gave Me to do.
Jesus has given the Father all the credit for everything He said and did while He walked on this Earth: teaching people Who God is, and how God has designed this world to work. And proving that He spoke the Truth by doing all the miracles He did, demonstrating His authority over all Creation to manipulate matter and beings in ways that do not conform to the way things always normally work.
(V. 5) And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began.
Now that Jesus is going back to Heaven, He will again enjoy the state of Being that the Triune God had before He began to create. This is the original Glory with which God has been and will be eternally glorified.
Jesus left this Glory for a time to come to this Earth as a Human Man, in order to accomplish the legal requirements on our behalf to enable us to spend eternity with Him. This was excruciatingly painful for Him (see especially Luke 22:41-44, saying the same prayer 3 specific times), but His love for us had Him do it anyway. That's how much He loves us.
We will continue to study through this chapter.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
This is known as Jesus' High Priestly Prayer. We will begin to study this prayer.
(v. 1) Father, the hour has come.
It's time.
Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You.
"Lift Me up and exalt Me, so that I will be able to lift You up and exalt You, Father."
(v. 2) For You granted Him (Me) authority over all people
"All people" means everybody, every person who has ever or will ever live. He has ownership authority over all of us, both by Creation and by purchase with His Blood on Calvary.
that He (I) might give eternal life to all those You have given Him (Me).
With the ownership authority Jesus has over us all, the Father can now give Him anyone He wants to give Him out of all people. So everyone God the Father chooses out of all people everywhere will come to Him, will seek Him out, will search for the Truth which is Jesus, and each one will realize and understand that He is their Savior, Who took their death on the Cross for them. And by this faith, this trusting in Him, they will receive that real life, the spiritual eternal life to live forever.
(v.3) Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom You have sent.
Jesus said that real life is spiritual (John 6:63) because life itself comes from God and He is Spirit. So to "know" God Himself is to believe and trust Him to be Who He says He is and to do what He says He has done and will do. The way we can learn about Him is through language, communication, words; and His Word is the body of Truth that He has communicated to us, the Bible.
(v.4) I have brought You glory on Earth by finishing the work You gave Me to do.
Jesus has given the Father all the credit for everything He said and did while He walked on this Earth: teaching people Who God is, and how God has designed this world to work. And proving that He spoke the Truth by doing all the miracles He did, demonstrating His authority over all Creation to manipulate matter and beings in ways that do not conform to the way things always normally work.
(V. 5) And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began.
Now that Jesus is going back to Heaven, He will again enjoy the state of Being that the Triune God had before He began to create. This is the original Glory with which God has been and will be eternally glorified.
Jesus left this Glory for a time to come to this Earth as a Human Man, in order to accomplish the legal requirements on our behalf to enable us to spend eternity with Him. This was excruciatingly painful for Him (see especially Luke 22:41-44, saying the same prayer 3 specific times), but His love for us had Him do it anyway. That's how much He loves us.
We will continue to study through this chapter.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Strange Signs
Luke 21:25-28
And there will be strange signs in the Sun, Moon and Stars. And here on the Earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the Earth, for the powers in the Heavens will be shaken. Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near.
I will be looking for the strange signs in the Sun, Moon and Stars; Nations are already noticing the environmental problems, and, not wanting to acknowledge God, are blaming Mankind. I wonder how they will be able to connect human responsibility to the celestial happenings?! Everything is coming together for the revealing of the Man of Sin (the anti-Christ) and the coming of the Lord our King.
May we all be ready.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
And there will be strange signs in the Sun, Moon and Stars. And here on the Earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the Earth, for the powers in the Heavens will be shaken. Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near.
I will be looking for the strange signs in the Sun, Moon and Stars; Nations are already noticing the environmental problems, and, not wanting to acknowledge God, are blaming Mankind. I wonder how they will be able to connect human responsibility to the celestial happenings?! Everything is coming together for the revealing of the Man of Sin (the anti-Christ) and the coming of the Lord our King.
May we all be ready.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, October 31, 2016
Dreams Come True
Proverbs 13: 19
It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them.
It is very foolish to hang on to a bad habit or an illicit relationship and still think that God will help you fulfill your dreams. We must--MUST--turn from our wicked and evil ways and turn toward God, embracing His righteous ways and attitudes, and abandoning all that is contrary to Him no matter how much we feel we must cling to them.
He will give us the power and ability to turn our lives around when we repent and walk away from whatever is keeping us away from Him. His plans for us are so much better than anything we can dream up for ourselves, and He wants to enable us to take hold of those good things He made us for.
Then we can ask Him for what He wants for us, and He will answer us!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them.
It is very foolish to hang on to a bad habit or an illicit relationship and still think that God will help you fulfill your dreams. We must--MUST--turn from our wicked and evil ways and turn toward God, embracing His righteous ways and attitudes, and abandoning all that is contrary to Him no matter how much we feel we must cling to them.
He will give us the power and ability to turn our lives around when we repent and walk away from whatever is keeping us away from Him. His plans for us are so much better than anything we can dream up for ourselves, and He wants to enable us to take hold of those good things He made us for.
Then we can ask Him for what He wants for us, and He will answer us!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, October 30, 2016
God's Faithfulness
Psalm 89: 30-33
But if [David's] descendants forsake My instructions and fail to obey My regulations, if they do not obey My decrees and fail to keep My commandments; then I will punish their sin with the rod, and their disobedience with beating. But I will never stop loving him nor fail to keep My promise to him.
Even though David's descendants today for the most part do not know God, God will never forget or negate His promise to David; He will one Day save "all Israel in a day," when Jesus returns.
Even when we are unfaithful, God is still faithful. His love endures and will never fail or diminish, for either us Christians or David's descendants. When we pull away and turn to the Right or to the Left away from His righteous plans for us, He will discipline us with the rod and beatings, but His love will still stay just as strong as it always was, and He will draw us back to Himself.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
But if [David's] descendants forsake My instructions and fail to obey My regulations, if they do not obey My decrees and fail to keep My commandments; then I will punish their sin with the rod, and their disobedience with beating. But I will never stop loving him nor fail to keep My promise to him.
Even though David's descendants today for the most part do not know God, God will never forget or negate His promise to David; He will one Day save "all Israel in a day," when Jesus returns.
Even when we are unfaithful, God is still faithful. His love endures and will never fail or diminish, for either us Christians or David's descendants. When we pull away and turn to the Right or to the Left away from His righteous plans for us, He will discipline us with the rod and beatings, but His love will still stay just as strong as it always was, and He will draw us back to Himself.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Glory, Faith And Love
John 17: 22, 23
"I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one, as We are. ... Then the world will know that You sent Me. ..."
Jesus has just prayed in verse 10 that those the Father has given Him are His glory, that we are His glory. Now He gives us the glory He received from the Father, to the intent that we be united as one in Him as He is in the Father.
When we are one in Him, that's when the world will understand that Jesus really did come in the flesh from the Father in heaven.
Oh, that we would be one in faith and love, to believe the Truth and display it in our lives by loving God and showing that love for God by loving our fellow man, our brothers and sisters and the world.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
"I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one, as We are. ... Then the world will know that You sent Me. ..."
Jesus has just prayed in verse 10 that those the Father has given Him are His glory, that we are His glory. Now He gives us the glory He received from the Father, to the intent that we be united as one in Him as He is in the Father.
When we are one in Him, that's when the world will understand that Jesus really did come in the flesh from the Father in heaven.
Oh, that we would be one in faith and love, to believe the Truth and display it in our lives by loving God and showing that love for God by loving our fellow man, our brothers and sisters and the world.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, October 28, 2016
Citizens Of Jerusalem
Psalm 87:4-6
I will count Egypt and Babylon among those who know Me--also Philistia and Tyre, and even distant Ethiopia. They have all become citizens of Jerusalem! Regarding Jerusalem it will be said, "Everyone enjoys the rights of citizenship there." And the Most High will personally bless this city. When the Lord registers the nations, He will say, "They have all become citizens of Jerusalem."
Yes, the day will come when all nations will know the Lord; when Jesus Himself reigns over all the world from Jerusalem, all nations will come to Him and bow before Him as King and Savior.
But not until then. Other nations today try to lay claim to Jerusalem, but without any faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So they have no Divine Right to any of that land, as the nation Israel has. So there will be turmoil in the Middle East until the Lord comes.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
I will count Egypt and Babylon among those who know Me--also Philistia and Tyre, and even distant Ethiopia. They have all become citizens of Jerusalem! Regarding Jerusalem it will be said, "Everyone enjoys the rights of citizenship there." And the Most High will personally bless this city. When the Lord registers the nations, He will say, "They have all become citizens of Jerusalem."
Yes, the day will come when all nations will know the Lord; when Jesus Himself reigns over all the world from Jerusalem, all nations will come to Him and bow before Him as King and Savior.
But not until then. Other nations today try to lay claim to Jerusalem, but without any faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So they have no Divine Right to any of that land, as the nation Israel has. So there will be turmoil in the Middle East until the Lord comes.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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