Imagine the possibilities
DO YOU KNOW GOD’S WILL FOR YOU? By: Street Evangelist
Pentecost was not a role reversal for us but a fortification and a revelation of Jesus’ Prayers.
John 17, is often referred to as the “Holy of Holies” of the New Testament. I call this “The Longest Prayer” for three reasons:
1. Statement of completion of a man on a Mission
2. Man that was driven with love God inside of Him
3. Man steadfast in his love for mankind.
What did Jesus pray for?
JOHN 17: Jesus Prays to Be Glorified
17 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: Pray with me as I say Jesus Words.
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
6 “I have revealed you[a] to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of[b] your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by[c] that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. 13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by[d] the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
Jesus Prays As One With God
25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you[e] known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
John 17:1-5
Our Lord prayed as a man, and as the Mediator of his people; yet he spoke with majesty and authority, as one with and equal to the Father. Eternal life could not be given to believers, unless Christ, their Surety, both glorified the Father, and was glorified of him. This is the sinner’s way to eternal life, and when this knowledge shall be made perfect, holiness and happiness will be fully enjoyed. The holiness and happiness of the redeemed, are especially that glory of Christ, and of his Father, which was the joy set before him, for which he endured the cross and despised the shame; this glory was the end of the sorrow of his soul, and in obtaining it he was fully satisfied. Thus we are taught that our glorifying God is needed as an evidence of our interest in Christ, through whom eternal life is God’s free gift.
John 17:6-10
Christ prays for those that are his. Thou gavest them me, as sheep to the shepherd, to be kept; as a patient to the physician, to be cured; as children to a tutor, to be taught: thus he will deliver up his charge. It is a great satisfaction to us, in our reliance upon Christ, that he, all he is and has, and all he said and did, all he is doing and will do, are of God. Christ offered this prayer for his people alone as believers; not for the world at large. Yet no one who desires to come to the Father, and is conscious that he is unworthy to come in his own name, need be discouraged by the Savior’s declaration, for he is both able and willing to save to the uttermost, all that come unto God by him. Earnest convictions and desires, are hopeful tokens of a work already wrought in a man; they begin to evidence that he has been chosen unto salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. They are thine; wilt thou not provide for thine own? Wilt thou not secure them? Observe the foundation on which this plea is grounded, All mine are thine, and thine are mine. This speaks the Father and Son to be one. All mine are thine. The Son owns none for his, that are not devoted to the service of the Father.
John 17:11-16
Christ does not pray that they might be rich and great in the world, but that they might be kept from sin, strengthened for their duty, and brought safe to heaven. The prosperity of the soul is the best prosperity. He pleaded with his holy Father, that he would keep them by his power and for his glory, that they might be united in affection and labours, even according to the union of the Father and the Son. He did not pray that his disciples should be removed out of the world, that they might escape the rage of men, for they had a great work to do for the glory of God, and the benefit of mankind. But he prayed that the Father would keep them from the evil, from being corrupted by the world, the remains of sin in their hearts, and from the power and craft of Satan. So that they might pass through the world as through an enemy’s country, as he had done. They are not left here to pursue the same objects as the men around them, but to glorify God, and to serve their generation. The Spirit of God in true Christians is opposed to the spirit of the world.
John 17:17-19
Christ next prayed for the disciples, that they might not only be kept from evil, but made good. It is the prayer of Jesus for all that are his, that they may be made holy. Even disciples must pray for sanctifying grace. The means of giving this grace is, “through thy truth, thy word is truth.” Sanctify them, set them apart for thyself and thy service. Own them in the office; let thy hand go with them. Jesus entirely devoted himself to his undertaking, and all the parts of it, especially the offering up himself without spot unto God, by the eternal Spirit. The real holiness of all true Christians is the fruit of Christ’s death, by which the gift of the Holy Ghost was purchased; he gave himself for his church, to sanctify it. If our views have not this effect on us, they are not Divine truth, or we do not receive them by a living and a working faith, but as mere notions.
John 17:20-23
Our Lord especially prayed, that all believers might be as one body under one head, animated by one soul, by their union with Christ and the Father in him, through the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. The more they dispute about lesser things, the more they throw doubts upon Christianity.
Let us endeavor into to how we keep the unity of the Spirit through God’s bond of peace by praying that all believers may be more and more united in one mind and one judgment. Thus shall we convince the world of the truth and excellence of our religion, and find more sweet communion with God and his saints.
John 17:24-26
Christ, as one with the Father, claimed on behalf of all that had been given to him, and should in due time believe on him, that they should be brought to heaven; and that there the whole company of the redeemed might behold his glory as their beloved Friend and Brother, and therein find happiness. He had declared and would further declare the name or character of God, by his doctrine and his Spirit, that, being one with him, the love of the Father to him might abide with them also. Thus, being joined to Him by one Spirit, they might be filled with all the fullness of God, and enjoy a blessedness of which we can form no right idea in our present state.
These words were spoken before His Passion began in the Garden of Gethsemane. In Jesus mind, His sacrificial death was essentially done. He had completed everything up to the hour that would bring glory to his Father. The events that would lead to His geath had been put into motion. He was in full anticipation that he would have to drink from the cup of god’s wrath to do His will. He knew he would be abandoned by friends, family and that His death would come at the hands of the enemy…But through it all, he found time to pray and submit to God’s Will. Jesus trusted God with uncomplaining submission to the end. Jesus maintained a quiet dignity as he was lead off to His death. As Isaiah explains in Isaiah 53: “He was wounded for our transgression, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Even in a moment of human defeat, He declared it is finished…..It is finished…Paid in full. Jesus was declaring that His work of redemption Was finished. In other words, the goals and objective of God’s Business Plan was successful achieve and now all we need to do is learned to take our faith to the next level.
Jesus had a mission plan…..He had a clear understanding of God’s Will…This was reflected in what Jesus believed, taught and experienced in relation to God’s Will, but he didn’t stop there, He put God’s Will in action. He became the embodiment of God’s will…..
When considering how to live our lives, we often ask, “What would Jesus do” but perhaps we should be asking, “What did Jesus do.” This makes us focus on the lifestyle of Jesus, and the example that he left for all Christian to follow and strive for in our own lives.
Humility – Philippians 2:5-8 describes the extent of Jesus’ humility: “Our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” God blesses those who show humility!
Service – Matthew 20:28 says, “…The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus is the ultimate example of a man who desired to serve others. He did tasks that were generally left to the servants, like washing feet. John 13:5 describes an event where Jesus served His disciples: “After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” Is your life characterized by a servant’s heart?
Glorify God – Jesus said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.” Jesus came to earth to glorify His Father. Everything we do should be done to glorify the Father: 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
Prayer – What a prayer life Jesus experienced! He was in constant communion with His Father and often got up early in the morning to talk with God. Mark 1:35 says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Do you enjoy constant fellowship with God?
Sacrifice – Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice! He gave His life so that we (sinful beings) can spend an eternity in heaven with Him. He provided His life – the ultimate sacrifice of His life – as a free gift to all who will believe! 1 John 2:2 says, “He [Jesus] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” When was the last time you sacrificed something for someone else. I’m not talking about animal sacrifices here, but the act of giving up something for God, a friend, or a complete stranger. God wants your sacrifice. Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.” .
So I asked you what is your Mission Statement as a living breathing Christian? Do you know God’s will for you? God’s “will” do not have to be a mystery. The Bible has given us a clear guideline, so we can understand God’s Will for you.
Inorder to understand God’s Will for you, you must be willing to let someone tell you what to do. That right.. Not your Will but God’s Will.
Psalm 119:105 In God’s own words:
105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Most people are always searching about trying figure out What Am I? Why do I exist? Does my life have a purpose? Revelation 4:11
11 Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and dominion, for You created all things; by Your will they were [brought into being] and were created.
You learn we learn and exist because of the Will of God. We are not a random products of evolution cosmic accidents. God has especially created us, and those things living in heaven to Praise and Glorify Him.
David understood this clearly Psalm 139:14
14 I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well.
So, What is the chief end of man?
The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. This does not mean for our personal satisfaction, success, or pleasure. If we are not careful we can forget the truth.
Ephesian I states three times that God’s work of salvation is according to His Will,,to the Praise of His Glory.
Here Paul writes…
Ephesians 1:5 says “to praise His Glory”
5 For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [[a]because it pleased Him and was His kind intent]—
Epehesian 1:6
6 [So that we might be] to the praise and the commendation of His glorious grace (favor and mercy), which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
Ephesian 12, 14.
12 So that we who first hoped in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him have been destined and appointed to] live for the praise of His glory!
13 In Him you also who have heard the Word of Truth, the glad tidings (Gospel) of your salvation, and have believed in and adhered to and relied on Him, were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit.
14 That [Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance [the firstfruits, the pledge and foretaste, the down payment on our heritage], in anticipation of its full redemption and our acquiring [complete] possession of it—to the praise of His glory.
Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:31 teaches these save Principles in terms of How we should live.
31 So then, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you may do, do all for the honor and glory of God.
If we search our heart and discover that our primary interest in God’s Will is self-centered, it may show that we really want is for God to bless our will and not His Will. For our Salvation, we much hold as our cornerstone that as Christian that learning and doing God’s Will is for His Glory not our gratification.
Paul in Ephesian points out we must live a Christian Life, our lives should take “worthy walks.”
Ephesians 4:17-19…
17 So this I say and solemnly testify in [the name of] the Lord [as in His presence], that you must no longer live as the heathen (the Gentiles) do in their perverseness [in the folly, vanity, and emptiness of their souls and the futility] of their minds.18 Their [a]moral understanding is darkened and their reasoning is beclouded. [They are] alienated (estranged, self-banished) from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the ignorance (the want of knowledge and perception, the willful blindness) that is [b]deep-seated in them, due to their hardness of heart [to the insensitiveness of their moral nature]. 19 In their spiritual apathy they have become callous and past feeling and reckless and have abandoned themselves [a prey] to unbridled sensuality, eager and greedy to indulge in every form of impurity [that their depraved desires may suggest and demand].
A worthy walk reveals an extreme makeover from an evil lifestyle to godly lifestyle after one becomes a Christian. In various Scriptures the Bible talks about a loving walk, an enlightened walk, careful walk and an empowered walk to demonstrate your new faith to set yourself apart.
Ephesians 5:1-2 5 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor.
A “Loving Walk” is similar to the king of love displayed by Christ when He gave himself for us. .
5:8-10
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
An “Enlightened walk” here refers to developing a new moral and spiritual standard of living that is acceptable to the God.
5:15-16
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
A Careful Walk is taking advantage of opportunities to serve Christ as evil doers erodes society’s openness to the gospel, people’s interest in Christ, even the diligence of believers.
5:18 …see also Galatian 5:25 carries the theme
5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit
Galatians 5:25
5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
An “Empowered “Walk” is the state of , being under the Holy spirit control as the source of strength to live this way…
We must understand God’s Will by learning, accepting and practicing the truth, Why because we are commanded to understand God’s Will.
In spite of our gifts, Job teaches us that life is not always easy.
Job 14:1 tells us, Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. And 5;7 “Man is born of trouble, as the sparks fly upward from a flame.
Unfortunately. We are all borne into a sin-cursed world and face lives of continual trouble. You might say that our problems are compared to an outdoor fire with burning sparks constantly rising in the hot air with a potential to created a barnfire.
Jesus understood this as we see in Matthew 9:36
36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were faint and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Jesus described man’s plight by saying the people of His day were prone to wander,” like sheep having no shepherd.
Christians who buy into Satan’s temptation to live selfishly get swindled, while those who live life as a “gift” to others are immersed in love and their Church community.
“And, we must say, with Satan the payback is rotten. He always rips us off, always!” The kind of selfish living that the devil promotes with the generous way of living Jesus exemplified.
“When a Christian begins to isolate himself, he also insulates his consciousness from the sense of community, from a sense of the Church, and from the love that Jesus gives us,”
“Instead, the Christian who gives his life, what Jesus calls ‘lost,’ finds it and finds it in its fullness,” the John 15.
Wanting to live just for oneself is like Judas, who “in the end loses” his life.
“If we really want to follow Jesus, we must live life as a gift to give to others, not as a treasure to be preserved.”
JUDAS WAS AN IDOLATER…
We must compared the path of Jesus to a path of love, while the way of Judas is one of selfishness.
“Jesus tells us ‘no one has a stronger love than laying down his life.’”
Judas, had the opposite attitude, and this is because he never understood the meaning the gift that Jesus had given Him. Judas was “off in his solitude” and that his “attitude of selfishness developed into the betrayal of Jesus.”
The person who loves Jesus gives his life as a gift, but the selfish person “grows in this selfishness and becomes a traitor, and is always alone.” “Those who give their life for love are never alone and are always in the community and in God’s Circle of Love and the family.
“On the other hand, he who isolates his conscience in selfishness, loses it in the end,” he stated.
Judas, was “an idolater, attached to money.”
“This idolatry led him to isolate himself from the community, this is the drama of isolated consciousness.”
We must invoke the Holy Spirit, asking for “a heart able to love with humility and meekness.”
Holy Spirit “free us always” from “the way of selfishness, which eventually ends badly.”
Judas story is so appropriate today as we live in a sinful world and many are still controlled by their sin-ful existence in present day idolaters, music, clothes, relationship, television, pornography, incest, adultery, premarital sex, crimes, violence,etc.
In most cases, sinners have no one to care for their souls or provide for their deepest needs. They have alienated themselves from God, and their lives are sinful.
Most people if they are honest will admit that they have felt like a sheep without a shepherd, and they have complicated their own lives by far too many bad decisions.
Fortunately, most of our challenges are all external….from outside us….and it come from our inherent desire to control our own lives. But God has warned us against ignoring Him when making our plans. We must be encouraged to Trust God’s guidance.
God who dispenses mercy and grace has put many promises in writing that have been tried and Proven….to encourage us to do His Will.
10 Scriptures About God’s Promises that have been Tried and Proven
2 Peter 1:4
And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and “escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for “good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Matthew 11:28-29
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and “I will give you rest.” Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am “gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Isaiah 40:29-31
He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.
Philippians 4:19
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:37-39
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Proverbs 1:33
But all who listen to me will live in peace,
untroubled by fear of harm.”
John 14:27
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Romans 10:9
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
The promises of God are powerful and awesome to grasp. I pray that these scriptures about God’s promises were helpful to you today.
Accountability come later….now is the time for you to establish your Mission Plan to Do God’s Will? Set-up your goals and how you will achieve them….BE mindful that their will be Shareholder meeting and Meeting with the CEO OF HEAVEN, THE LAMB AND THE REDEEMER.
The clock is ticking and God’s heart is longing for you. Let those who suffer according to the Will of God commit their souls to him in doing good as a faithful Christian
God goodness is available to you…He is all knowing, all powerful, always present, wiseloving, faithful and Righteous…
Sometime’s we have to push through pain and suffering to find our true purpose…..
Just remember we all have “Different Gift but the Same Spirit.”
“Different Forms of Service but Serve the same Lord.”
“Different Workings but the Same God.”
WE all have a covenant with God, but how do we plug into this power and seal our Salvation.
WE do it through disciple of Prayer..
WE are all Diamonds with many facets – it like looking at a Curtain half open and half close.. You never will know what behind it unless you refine it.
Jesus magnified a multi facet world of Prayer, Sacrifice, Tithes, Charity and Humility.
Learn to hear the spirit of Jesus to do God’s will.
Street Evangelist: Ida R. Muorie JD
© Do know you God’s will for you,Ida Muorie and Christianbibleandverses.wordpress.com, (2013). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Ida R. Muorie and Christianbibleandverses.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
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