Jesus' Prayer - John 17

Jesus Prays for Himself

1.     Jesus spoke these words, lifted up HIS eyes to heaven, and said:

2.     “Father, the hour has come.

3.     Glorify YOUR Son, that YOUR Son also may glorify YOU,

4.     As YOU have given HIM authority over all flesh,

5.     That HE should give eternal life to as many as YOU have given HIM.

6.     And this is eternal life,

7.     That they may know YOU, the only true God,

8.     And Jesus Christ whom YOU have sent.

9.     I have glorified YOU on the earth.

10.  I have finished the work which YOU have given ME to do.

11.  And now, O Father, glorify ME together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with YOU before the world was.

Jesus Prays for HIS Disciples

12.  “I have manifested YOUR name to the men whom YOU have given ME out of the world.

13.  They were YOURS,

14.  YOU gave them to ME,

15.  And they have kept YOUR word.

16.  Now they have known that all things which YOU have given ME are from YOU.

17.  For I have given to them the words which YOU have given ME;

18.  And they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from YOU;

19.  And they have believed that YOU sent ME.

20.  “I pray for them.

21.  I do not pray for the world but for those whom YOU have given ME, for they are YOURS.

22.  And all MINE are YOURS, and YOURS are MINE, and I am glorified in them.

23.  Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to YOU.

24.  Holy Father, keep through YOUR name those whom YOU have given ME, that they may be one as We are.

25.  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in YOUR name.

26.  Those whom YOU gave ME I have kept;

27.  And none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

28.  But now I come to YOU,

29.  And these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.

30.  I have given them YOUR word;

31.  And the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

32.  I do not pray that YOU should take them out of the world,

33.  But that YOU should keep them from the evil one.

34.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

35.  Sanctify them by YOUR truth.

36.  YOUR word is truth.

37.  As YOU sent ME into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

38.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Jesus Prays for All Believers

39.  “I do not pray for these alone,

40.  But also for those who will believe in ME through their word;

41.  That they all may be one, as YOU, Father, are in ME, and I in YOU;

42.  That they also may be one in Us,

43.  That the world may believe that YOU sent ME.

44.  And the glory which YOU gave ME I have given them,

45.  That they may be one just as We are one:

46.  I in them, and YOU in ME;

47.  That they may be made perfect in one,

48.  And that the world may know that YOU have sent ME,

49.  And have loved them as YOU have loved ME.

50.  “Father, I desire that they also whom YOU gave ME may be with ME where I am,

51.  That they may behold My glory which YOU have given ME;

52.  For YOU loved ME before the foundation of the world.

53.  O righteous Father! The world has not known YOU,

54.  But I have known YOU;

55.  And these have known that YOU sent ME.

56.   And I have declared to them YOUR name, and will declare it,

57.   That the love with which YOU loved ME may be in them,

58.   And I in them.”

If you examine the core of this prayer, you’ll realize that although JESUS prayed for Himself, He was talking about HIS Father’s will to be done in Himself as a Son, so it could reflect The Father onto the world. First He reminds The Father the authority HE had given to HIM, to pass not only the knowledge of the True GOD, but also the eternal life. Then HE reminds HIM that the work that HE was sent to do, has been done, and looking forward to complete the assignment which until then, the hardest part hadn’t come in yet.  

When the prayer is for HIS disciples, again Jesus recognizes that those called disciples had been given by The Father with a purpose, and HE had taught them according to The Father’s will. Jesus is confident in what HE passed onto these men, and so specifically itemizes what He taught them.

These disciples recognized that JESUS came from The Father and all HE is and has comes from The Father as well. And at this point JESUS makes an interesting distinction, HE is not praying for the entire world but for The Father’s chosen, revealing to us that HE knows who HE is and what HE came to do. He also reminds The Father about that son who will betray Him to fulfill what has been written.  If you notice He also, mentions that HIS nature IS NOT like ours, because we are in the world while HE is not.  Is like He is thinking about that near future when HE will leave these disciples to go to be with The Father and He wants HIM to remember they need help, so Jesus is asking to keep them even after He is gone. Jesus is assuring us that we will be hated because we are in this world but we aren’t of it. This is not for The Father to get us out of here because HE knows that we still will have a work to do, which is representing HE who sent HIM.  But, in the opposite He’s requesting The Father to keep us from the evil one. Jesus requests The Father to make us holy because of HIS truth, and HE explains what is the truth, which is none other than The Father’s word, as well as the great commission passed onto those disciples.

The last prayer here is for all believers but if you carefully read and go over that fortieth point, you can realize He is not only talking about those are believers until that point but He includes the lost that will eventually believe. And HE request The Father that just as the disciples believed these that will eventually will believe also live recognizing HIM, and The Father who sent HIM. All for the glory of The Father. At the end, Jesus recognizing His Father’s righteousness, stating that He has and will continue to declare and to give the glory to The Father who sent HIM, zeroing that the same love HE received and gave those who accepted HIM, may remain with them.

In a nutshell, we pray for the calling God had given us; for those who had answer the called we passed, and those who will eventually will answer that call. Because no matter how the world around you go, one thing remains, and the truth is The Father already has planned for the lost to be saved, despite the chaos around us. So let’s keep our eyes in the calling and the assignment God has given us, for HIS glory, and this is my prayer in JESUS name, AMEN!

Any given "Church Day" - Nehemia 8

"So on October 8 Ezra THE PRIEST brought THE BOOK of the LAW before THE ASSEMBLY which included the MEN and WOMEN and all the CHILDREN old enough to understand. ³ He faced the square just inside the Water Gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people listened closely to the Book of the Law. ⁴ Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform that had been made for the occasion….  ⁵ Ezra stood on the platform in full view of all the people. When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet.

⁶ Then Ezra PRAISED THE LORD, THE GREAT GOD, and all the people chanted, “AMEN! AMEN!” as they LIFTED THEIR HANDS. Then they BOWED DOWN and WORSHIPED THE LORD with their faces to the ground.

⁷ The Levites… then instructed the people in the Law while everyone remained in their places. ⁸ They READ from the Book of the LAW of GOD and CLEARLY EXPLAINED the MEANING of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage. ⁹ Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For TODAY IS A SACRED DAY before THE LORD your GOD.” For the people had all been WEEPING as they LISTENED to THE WORDS of THE LAW. ¹⁰ And Nehemiah continued, “GO and CELEBRATE with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, AND SHARE gifts of FOOD with people WHO HAVE NOTHING prepared. THIS IS A SACRED DAY before our LORD. Don’t be dejected and sad, for THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH!”

A few things come to mind here, because although this is found in The Bible since prior to my conversion almost eighteen years ago, I had no idea The Bible would give such details. But this is an example of what a given Sunday which is the day the majority of people here in America worships, should look like, during and after church service.

·       The priest, in our case, our Pastor, brings up the Word of God, before all men, women and children.

·       People listens CLOSELY.

·       The Pastor stands up in the pulpit.

·       As he opens THE BOOK – THE BIBLE, people STANDS UP in respect to THE WORD of GOD.

·       As the Pastor praises THE LORD, people RESPOND with AMEN’s, lifting their hands, and bowing down in worship to our Most High God (for some congregations this could be a bit “extravagant” worship)

·       Sunday school like teaching follows

·       Almost to an Alter call

·       At the closing everyone is encouraged to go on a family luncheon inviting those less fortunate with you

·       A final reminder to watch out what we do on this sacred day, for is not a time to be sad but a time to rejoice in THE LORD who had given it to us, and in HIM is our strength.

Great way to start my day! Thank YOU, LORD!!!

NO SUBSTITUTION NEEDED - 2 Kings 1

^"2 One day Israel’s new king, Ahaziah, FELL THROUGH the latticework of an upper room at his palace in Samaria AND WAS seriously INJURED. So he sent MESSENGERS to the temple of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron (a false god), TO ASK WHETHER HE WOULD RECOVER.

³ But THE ANGEL OF THE LORD told Elijah, who was from Tishbe, “Go and CONFRONT THE MESSENGERS of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is there no God in Israel? WHY ARE YOU GOING TO BAAL-ZEBUB, THE GOD OF EKRON, TO ASK WHETHER THE KING WILL RECOVER? 

⁴ Now, therefore, this is what the Lord says: You will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.’”…  ¹⁷ So Ahaziah died, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.”

When you REALLY believe that GOD is who HE say HE is, the God of the impossible, the One who calms the storm, who gives you the victory when you do not have even to fight for it, WHY SUBSTITUTING HIM FOR A FOREIGN “GOD” OR THING???THE LORD obviously got REALLY upset, and with all reason!!! 

Hear this morning that GOD doesn’t deserve substitution, and when we choose to substitute HIM, we are opening ourselves to have the same terrible consequences King Ahaziah had… for your own good, ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTION!!!

CHOOSE THE OMNIPRESENT, OMNIPOTENT, OMNISIENT, and THE ONLY ALMIGHTY GOD, Creator of the heavens and the earth, JEHOVA JIREH!!!

Worship & declare who GOD is in your life, HE IS your HEALER!!!  A great song to worship would be, "I believe You're my Healer" by Aaron & Amanda Crabb.

Compassion with a Purpose – 2 Kings 5

"The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the Lord had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy. … ⁴ So Naaman told the king what the young girl from Israel had said. ⁵ “Go and visit the prophet,” the king of Aram told him. “I will send a letter of introduction for you to take to the king of Israel.”… ⁶ The letter to the king of Israel said: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy.”… ⁸ But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes in dismay, he sent this message to him: “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.” ⁹ So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.”…. ¹⁴ So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed! ¹⁵ Then Naaman and his entire party went back to find the man of God. They stood before him, and Naaman said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel…. ^17c  From now on I will never again offer burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other god except the Lord.”

If GOD did this for Naaman in order for him to get saved, how much more he would do for one of HIS own children who will recognize HIS deeds and will testify to the world what HE’ve done?!

I believe afterwards, Naaman was singing something like this following song; a victory song, all thru God’s mercy, compassion… LOVE!  A song like, "Love Lifted Me" by Alan Jackson.

Recommit your life to GOD today, to serve HIM and give the glory to HIM, and watch HIM take over your storm, and like Naaman give you VICTORY over what had you bounded. All for the glory of GOD!!!

The Father's Plan - 1st Chronicles 22

^"6 Then David sent for his son Solomon and instructed him to build a Temple for the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁷ “My son, I wanted to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord my God,” David told him. ⁸ “But the Lord said to me, ‘You have killed many men in the battles you have fought. And since you have shed so much blood in my sight, you will not be the one to build a Temple to honor my name. ⁹ But you will have a son who will be a man of peace. I will give him peace with his enemies in all the surrounding lands. His name will be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign. ¹⁰ He is the one who will build a Temple to honor my name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will secure the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’ ¹¹ “Now, my son (Solomon), may the Lord be with you and give you success as you follow His directions in building the Temple of the Lord your God. ¹² And may the Lord give you wisdom and understanding, that you may obey the Law of the Lord your God as you rule over Israel.¹³ For you will be successful IF you carefully obey the decrees and regulations that the Lord gave to Israel through Moses. Be strong and courageous; DO NOT be afraid or lose heart! ¹⁴ “I have worked hard to provide materials for building the Temple of the Lord—nearly 4,000 tons of gold, 40,000 tons of silver,^[b] and so much iron and bronze that it cannot be weighed. I have also gathered timber and stone for the walls, though you may need to add more. ¹⁵ You have a large number of skilled stonemasons and carpenters and craftsmen of every kind. ¹⁶ You have expert goldsmiths and silversmiths and workers of bronze and iron. Now begin the work, and may the Lord be with you!”

What a great commendation!

Here we have an elderly father that after working all his life with a purpose for the Lord now he understand is time to share the details about what God had planned for the son’s future. I’m not sure if the son ever questioned the father about the large amounts of materials but even if he didn’t, now it’s all being explained.

Can you imagine your father saying to you: “Surprise, surprise!!! You know all the materials we’ve been accumulating for some time out there, the mounts of iron, bronze, the innumerable cedar logs, you know what’s all that for? That’s all for you, son! You will build a temple for the Lord!”

Well, this is what happened! I’m sure due to the greatness and the difficulty of the task to come, God didn’t want to scare anyone, so He decided not to reveal exactly all the details to the individual chosen for that task but instead decided to prepare a forerunner to train and path the way for such individual.  Which reminds me about Joseph and his brothers; Joseph had a dream, but God didn’t reveal all the things he was going to have to go thru for that dream to be fulfilled. Eventually as he was sold into slavery, this prepared him and took him to the place where God wanted him to be for the fulfillment of God’s plan.

I’m sure God had been working on Solomon’s life for this; but can you imagine if that would happen today: “But dad, I’ve got plans on my own.  I’m going away; I’m moving to college, I’m having a part-time job while I finish school so I can pay for my extras….. Sorry, you know I love you, but I can’t help you on this one; you’ll have to follow another “looser”, that who “has no life”, to help you on that. I’m gone!”  

Lord, merciful God help us!!!

Praise the Lord for HIS omniscience, for He KNOWS it all!!! And for this great task HE prepared the right person, which did such a great job that even today so many thousand years later we can still found some physical evidence of where it used to stand.

The HEALER is closer than what you think!

Jesus Heals in Response to Faith – Mark 5

²⁵ A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. ²⁶ She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. ²⁷ She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. ²⁸ For SHE THOUGHT TO HERSELF, “If I CAN JUST TOUCH HIS ROBE, I will be healed.” ²⁹ Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.

³⁰ Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?”… ³³ Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, CAME and FELL TO HER KNEES in front of HIM and told HIM what she had done. ³⁴ And HE said to her, “Daughter, your FAITH has MADE you WELL. GO in PEACE. YOUR SUFFERING IS OVER.”

Three things:

1.     This woman was sick and tired, of being sick; of seeking wellness on the “available” and closed by options.

Are you, sick and tire of dealing with an issue for long time, and all the moving and doing had gotten you nowhere?

2.      Then she hears about this “miracle maker”, and in her need, and with a struggle she managed to get to HIM.

Have you heard about the REAL Miracle Maker, who still does miracles today? JESUS is HIS name.

3.      She acted upon her faith.

Are you convinced of HIS power, and desperate for healing? This woman was so convinced that it made her think that even if she just touched the hem of HIS robe, she could be healed, ARE YOU that convinced? And desperate?  Would you?

Would you do your outmost, to meet JESUS?!  I’m telling you, JESUS is the ANSWER to your situation!

Come and seek HIM with all your heart! HE IS waiting to hear you say: “Father, forgive me! Help me to live for YOU who sent JESUS to die for me, and my sins. I accept YOU as my Master & Savior, so help me God to live for YOU and to tell the world what YOU have done for me”

I believe HE will save you, and give you the touch you need. Remember to start reading HIS word, and talking to HIM (praying) – DAILY! Join a church were The Bible is studied, and fellowship with your new family in Christ.  I believe if you do this, your life will never be the same!!!

Talk to me if you have questions, if you want me to pray for you or help you find a closed by church.

Until next time, have a GREAT day in the Lord!!!

God bless you!