Hebrews 2:9-12 (KJV) But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. [10] For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. [11] For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, [12] Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
Hebrews chapter 2 quotes a LOT of songs from the Hebrew Hymnbook we call “Psalms”. For instance, in verse 6 there is two questions asked.
Hebrews 2:6 (KJV) …. What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
This question comes from the eighth song in the Hebrew Hymnal, which sings:
Psalm 8:3-4 … When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
That’s a good question that an arrogant person will never ask. The arrogant and prideful worship themselves and not God. They create idols. The Christian well aware of Grace and of our brokenness often asks God:
Father, Why Do YOU Love Me So?
God made the angels of starlight, way up high in the sky. Yet man is made of the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7). God took this pile of dirt, KISSED it, and gave us something the angels do not have.
God made us in His image and in His likeness!
God put us in charge of His creation.
Our hearts should sing with the Hebrew Hymnbook. We should praise Him and give glory to Him! Oh, what a wonderful God we serve.
Psalm 8:5-6 … For thou (O God) hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. 6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
God placed all of creation under man’s hands.
He did not give the world to the angels
But to us who are lower than the angels
We should be astonished that God loves us so. This should make us sing and praise His Holy Name. But then – given all things and blessed beyond measure – man fell. Adam sinned. You would think with that sin that God would wipe His hands of us. That’s what WE would do if we were betrayed. If we gave someone everything, and that someone turned on us, then our natural response would be to have nothing to do with them.
But God loves us so. That’s the impact of the focal text today. But we see Jesus. We failed God, but rather than abandoning us, God came to us.
We were crowned with glory and honor, and gave it all away. But we see Jesus – God Become Man.
Hebrews 2:9 (KJV) But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
Jesus – the eternal Word made flesh Who came to dwell among us (John 1:14), the One Who is Immanuel or God with us (Matthew 1:23) – was made lower than the angels so He could die for us. Jesus came to us to taste death for every man. He died for all. He died for you, and died for me.
But we see Jesus – Setting us apart as His Family!
Hebrews 2:11 (KJV) For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
When we receive Christ as Savior and Lord we are made one with Him. We are identified as sons and daughters of God because we have received Him. Jesus is not ashamed to call us “brethren” or “family”. By His Blood we have been bought.
But we see Jesus – SINGING!
Hebrews 2:12 (KJV) Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
Jesus Christ sings to the Father in the midst of His Church. He sings praises unto the Father because of God’s salvation. The reason there is a Hebrew Hymnbook called Psalms is because of Jesus. This text is a quotation from that Hebrew Hymnbook:
Psalms 22:22 (KJV) I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
The twenty-second song in the Hebrew Hymnbook – Psalm 22 – speaks of our Jesus. While Jesus hung on the Cross He quoted this song. Compare the two texts:
Matthew 27:46 (KJV) And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Psalms 22:1 (KJV) … My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
While Jesus hung on Calvary, the crowd mocked Him. Compare the song to Matthew’s account:
Matthew 27:42-43 (KJV) He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. 43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
Psalms 22:8 (KJV) He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
Jesus quoted from songs as He hung on the Cross. I do not know if He actually sang from the Cross, but I do know He sang before He went to the Cross. He sang with His disciples before He was betrayed.
But we see Jesus – Singing on the way to Calvary.
Mark 14:26-28 (KJV) And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. (see also Matthew 26:30)
Jesus sang. I believe Jesus sang a lot of His earthly life. Do you know why I believe this? Because Jesus quoted the Hebrew Hymnbook we call “Psalms” more than any other book in the Old Testament.
When called to verify His ministry He quoted Psalm 78:24
Calling Himself the Chief Cornerstone He quoted Psalm 118:22
Foretelling Jerusalem’s Destruction Jesus quoted Psalm 118:26
Talk of His betrayal Jesus quoted Psalm 41:9
Dying on the Cross He quoted Psalm 22:1
Committing His Spirit to the Father Jesus quoted Psalm 31:5
I could go on and on, but I’ll stop here. Before Jesus and His disciples left that first Lord’s Supper the commentaries said they probably sangthe great Hallal (the selection of songs found in Psalms 113-118).
But We See Jesus Singing To Glorify God.
His Work Would Destroy Satan’s Hold On Creation.
Hebrews 2:14-15 (KJV) Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; [15] And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Jesus sang because He knew that His work would free us from sin and Satan. Jesus sang because He knew that as our Great High Priest He would redeem us from hell, and keep us redeemed forever more.
Hebrews 2:17 (KJV) Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
Singing hymns and praying is what the family of God does. We sing because He sings. We look up to God and praise Him in song. The birds sing daily without having to be told to do so, because they were made by God. We too should sing and praise Him. Jesus sings in the midst of His Church, in the midst of His family.
Singing In The Heart To God
Is Evidence Of The Filling!
The Church is commanded to sing from the heart. The Lord says:
Ephesians 5:18-21 (KJV) And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; [19] Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; [20] Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; [21] Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Singing brings us into harmony with our God Who sings, and with our neighbor. We are in one accord when we sing. It is for this reason God calls us to sing.
Pray Until You Can Sing
Sing From A Christ Filled Heart
Praise God For All That You Have
You Have Every Reason To Sing, Dear Believer.
Sing with our Jesus!
Deuteronomy 11:18-21 (KJV) Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: 21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.
When I read or hear the word of man my heart is often discouraged. I read with shock and dismay how many are leaving the Church that Jesus built and are turning to Eastern Religions like Buddhism. One man who claims to be a pastor stated:
“I was surprised to learn how Buddha and Jesus were so similar in their settings. Their messages were so similar that, to a people who were in many ways stuck in oppression, there was a way to find hope or change.”
That is discouraging to me because God
specifically forbids idolatry in His Bible.
When we engage in idolatry we turn away from the Living God and magnify ourselves and our self made gods above Him Who made us and loves us.
In the very context of our Deuteronomy 11 passage we read of a time in Israel’s history when Korah (a Levite or minister of God) and Dathan and Abiram (from the tribe of Reuben) lead 250 men in revolt against Moses and Aaron. The story is told in detail in Numbers 16. God had Moses stand before the tents of Dathan and Abiram. He then called upon those who followed them to repent, to get away from the tents of these rebels. Those who refused to repent died in one of two ways. Those closest to Dathan and Abiram, the Bible says:
Numbers 16:31-33 (KJV) … that the ground clave asunder that was under them: 32 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. 33 They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.
What happened to the 250 rebels? The Bible says that:
Numbers 16:35 (KJV) … there came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men…
Though God’s people initially repented, the next day they returned to their idolatry. God sent a plague upon Israel, killing 14,700 people (Numbers 16:48-50). There would have been more dead but Moses sent Aaron to stand between the living and the dead; and the plague was stayed (Numbers 16:48). This is the picture of the believer who stands up for the Lord. This is also a picture of our Christ, Who protects us from the evil one.
The word of man and idolatry brought HELL upon the earth.
What does this have to do with our text?
Everything!
The word of man and vain religions the world follows brings DEATH.
The Word of God brings LIFE.
Proverbs 12:28 In way of righteousness (God’s Way) is LIFE; and in the pathway thereof there NO DEATH.
When I hear the word of man I am discouraged and bewildered and confused. But when I hear the Word of God my heart is lifted up. God says and promises such blessings for those who hear HIM and HIM ALONE. Did you notice what God promised? Oh, do not miss it! At the beginning of chapter 11 He warns of hell upon the earth. But in the last 8 words of the text we read today promises:
as the days of heaven upon the earth
God promises “days of Heaven upon the earth” to those who love Him and follow Him. There is no blessing in idolatry and in a self serving religion. There is blessing in hearing and obeying Him.
You may think there can be no Heaven on this earth, but you would be wrong. The first Heaven described to us in the Bible is the Heaven that was in the Garden of Eden. Every day was a perfect day. It was a perfect environment. The Bible says:
Genesis 2:5-7 (KJV) And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. 6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
It was with a kiss that God breathed life into man. There were no storm clouds in the sky. There was no sickness, death, nor pain. The Bible says:
Genesis 2:8-9 (KJV) … the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
God gave man absolute liberty.
God gave unlimited YES’s and only one NO.
Genesis 2:16-17 (KJV) … the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
God’s NO was for man’s benefit. “If you eat it, you will die that very day”.
God was not speaking of physical death – though that would eventually come. But God spoke of spiritual death.
To disobey God would bring confusion and an end to Paradise. To disobey God would cause us to lose the best thing we ever had. What was the best thing we ever had? It was companionship with God. To walk with God daily. This is what Heaven is all about. When people think of HEAVEN they think of the place.
Heaven is where there is no suffering.
Heaven is where there is peace.
Heaven is a Buddhistic Nirvana.
Heaven is where I get everything I want.
Heaven is a street of gold.
Heaven is my fellowship with my relatives once more.
Heaven is … you fill in the blank!
Are these things HEAVEN? No. Heaven is not an experience you will enjoy. Heaven is not absolute self gratification. Heaven is COMPANIONSHIP WITH GOD.
Heaven was on the earth in a place called Eden until man’s word took precedence over God’s Word. Heaven will one day be on the earth once more. When the Apostle John saw the end of evil in the new Heaven and new earth how did John describe Paradise reborn? He said:
Revelation 21:3-4 (KJV) And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Why is there no more suffering at end of time? It is not the environment, but it is the Person of God. Heaven is all about God. God is with men. There is no racism or hatred or evil, for God is with us. He dwells in the midst of His people. God Himself shall be with them and be their God. No one will be chasing after false gods, nor will anyone be elevating themselves to the status of god. God will be God, and we will be His Children. There will be no death, sorrow, crying, or pain because God will touch us. As He breathed life into Adam with a kiss, so will He breath into us eternal life and love. If you have received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and your only Savior, for He has said:
John 14:6 (KJV) … I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
You cannot come into the Presence of God the Creator and Father except through Christ.
Buddha will not get you there. Good works will not get you there. Lifestyle changes will not get you there. Unless you come to the Father through the Son you shall never inherit Heaven. Period. Jesus told those who not believe in Him:
John 5:37-40 (KJV) And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. 38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. 39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
There is life only in Christ, in repenting of the false gods and false ways, in cleaving to my Jesus. Too many of you who are “religious” have listened to the words of the thief, or thieves. That so called pastor is a “thief” who was ordained probably by “thieves”. Jesus said:
John 10:10 (KJV) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Christ came to give you and I abundant and eternal life. He came so that we can experience days of Heaven on the earth. The Bible tells us that it was written:
John 20:31 (KJV) But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
If you are a Christian you can remember “days of Heaven upon the earth”. The first time I experienced Heaven on earth was when God kissed my soul through His Gospel. I left home when I was 16 years old. I chased after things that I thought would bring me happiness. Alcohol, drugs, things I am now ashamed of. But one day someone invited me to a Church service. I went to Church that day expecting to go through the same old boring routine I grew up suffering under. The mindless catechisms we had to learn. The rituals we did. The songs that we drearily sang. But I went because it was a friend who had encountered a day of Heaven upon the earth, and wanted to share this with me. I went that day, and actually heard the Gospel preached. And I had a day of Heaven upon the earth. Jesus reached out to me. He saw my sin sick soul, and saw my aching heart filled with loneliness and need. Just as He did with Adam He put His nail scarred hand on this walking pile of dust – and He kissed me with Grace. Oh Beloved, the kiss of God is such Heaven!
I breathed out human evil and human ways,
And inhaled life from the Son of God!
I went home that day and lay in a lonely bed where I used to weep. Now I wept with joy. I looked upward, and over and over praised the God Who died for me and rose again to lead me upward. This was a day of Heaven upon the earth. The prodigal son had come home!
I have not forgotten our Deuteronomy text. This text is a formula for finding “Days of Heaven upon the earth”. What does God command of us? How can we experience His presence in our lives?
Deuteronomy 11:18 (KJV) Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
The ancient Jew – probably inspired by those who had no genuine relationship with Him as Father – took these verses quite literally. They created the phylacteries or tefillin which were small square leather boxes that were worn in pairs during weekday morning prayers. The word phylactery comes from a Greek word that means “safeguard, protection, or amulet”. The phylactery was strapped to the arm (shel yad) and the other to the forehead (shel rosh). Inside the phylacteries were verses from the Bible (usually Exodus 13:1–10, 11–16; Deuteronomy 6:4–9; 11:13–21). Jesus chastised the Pharisees for wearing phylacteries:
Matthew 23:5 (KJV) But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
God did not call Adam to ritual worship, nor does He call His children to the same thing today. Counting beads, genuflecting, or wearing religious symbols without loving God is worthless. What does God want of us? He tells us:
Deuteronomy 11:13 (KJV) … ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
God wants us to love Him as He is, to honor Him as God. He wants us to store His Word in our hearts, so much so that our worldview is God’s view. God wants us seeing the world through His eyes and His Word. He wants our hands to do the things He said do because we love Him. We are to obey Him. Our God is the “Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind”. He sees where your heart is pointed. And where your heart is, that is your God. If God is yours and you are God’s then:
Your eyes will behold Him
Your feet will follow after Him
Your hands will serve Him
Your lips will praise Him
Your ears will listen for Him
Your heart will rejoice in Him
Jesus said in:
John 14:21-24 (KJV) He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
God does not manifest Himself to the world, nor to the worldly. He manifests Himself to those who love Him and follow Him. Jesus said “If you love Me, you will keep – do – My commandments. And if you DO what I have said then both I and the Father will come and live with you.” Beloved, this is the days of Heaven upon the earth, to know that God is with you and loves you.
Deuteronomy 11:19 (KJV) And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
If God’s Word is in your life, then you will share His Word with your children and with those of your household. You will dwell on His Word not just occasionally, but all the time. When at home (when thou sittest in thine house), when at work or the market (when thou walkest by the way). You will heed God’s Word at the end of your day (when thou liest down) and at the daybreak (when thou risest up).
Deuteronomy 11:20 (KJV) And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:
People who know you will be able to see that you are God’s Child whether at home (the door posts of thine house) or at work (and upon thy gates).
Deuteronomy 11:21 (KJV) That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.
It is Heaven upon earth to follow the Lord. Will you join me? Will you repent, and turn to Jesus Christ believing? Will you seek the Father through His Son? Will you hear His Word and believe that He loves you? If so, you will have days of Heaven upon the earth.
1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 (KJV) See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. [16] Rejoice evermore. [17] Pray without ceasing. [18] In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Colossians 4:2 (KJV) Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
In the news today I read how the FDA just announced approval for a new severe depression drug. The article went on to note that over 16 million Americans suffer from depression. That amazes me. I do not want to be patronizing, but as a retired Airman I have travelled to many of the countries around the world. I’ve been in Japan, Germany, Korea, Egypt, the Phillipines, Thailand, and England to name a few. In America we have unprecedented freedoms, freedoms that other countries dream of having. Though it is expensive we have access to the finest medical care in the world. We have absolute freedom to worship where ever we want to worship. In Egypt we had to post guards around our tents during our Sunday Chaplain services lest a local Muslim find out we were worshiping the Lord and attack us. Yes, that’s the truth. I have noticed poverty in other countries, and poverty in the United States. Yet in the United States even our poor are many times overweight. That’s not the case in other countries. I’m sure you’ve all seen pictures of children in other countries with skeletal arms and legs and puffed up, worm filled bellies. I have yet to see ANYONE in America in that condition. Not even the sojourning homeless we see periodically at the entrance to the mall and the Walmart.
We are blessed in this country. We are blessed beyond measure by God, though many barely acknowledge His awesome Presence!
It is certain that depression can be attributed to a chemical imbalance in the brain, but much more comes from ingratitude. When the human appetite is filled to overflowing and we neglect that the bounty came from a gracious and faithful Creator, then any perceived lack becomes an opportunity for depression and murmuring. Scott Hubbard of Desiring God Ministries wrote:
“When Paul says that God “richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17), he really means enjoy. God’s ocean of gifts is meant for swimming. … But the simple pleasures of earth are never completely safe in the hands of sinners — even redeemed ones. Without care, we feast on the abundance of God’s house and forget that it is his house. We eat and eat, and gradually neglect the host. Eyes lower from heaven to earth. Spiritual senses dull. “Desires for other things” begin to choke the word (Mark 4:19). In moments like these, it is one of God’s severe mercies to deal with us as he dealt with Israel, and to send us into the wilderness.”
The Father Gave The Son Many Wilderness Experiences
It is significant that before Jesus began His ministry of Grace and healing
that He was “Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness
to be tempted of the devil” (Matthew 4:1).
Jesus’ Life Did Not Begin With Blessing,
But With Things That Looked Like Cursing.
Jesus was born in a stable, and laid as a baby in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7). Jesus spent His first few years on this earth as a fugitive. Before Jesus ever began ministering – while He was still in diapers – King Herod wanted to kill Him. The Angel of God told Joseph “take the young Child and His mother and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him” (Matthew 2:13). Many people suffer depression because of the suffering of their childhood. I understand. I’ve been there. But if any should be depressed, it should have been Jesus. When His ministry began He was constantly hounded by Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes. Jesus was sought out and pursued by the sick and diseased once it was discovered that He has the power to heal. Jesus was sent to this earth to preach the Gospel. The Gospel has the power to bless! Jesus said:
Luke 4:18-19 (KJV) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because HE HATH JesusReadingScriptureANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, [19] To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
People Pursued Jesus For The Wrong Reasons. He Came To Preach The Gospel, But Humanity Focused On His Miracles.
It is God’s Gospel that lifts up the Poor, the broken hearted, the captives, and the blind. It is the Gospel that focuses us on the Coming of our Lord. It is the Gospel that is the most important thing in the world. The Gospel teaches that God loves us so much that He sacrificed the much for us. Yet throughout His ministry people chased after Jesus not for the eternal blessing of the Gospel, but for temporal healings. Often Jesus told people when He healed them:
Don’t tell anyone Who healed you! (see Matthew 8:4; Mark 7:36; Luke 5:14)
Why? Because humanity chased after Jesus for the wrong reason. After Jesus fed the five thousand plus people with five small loaves of bread and two fish (Matthew 14:17ff) the next day He was approached by a huge crowd looking for another free meal. Jesus refused to feed them, saying:
John 6:26-29 (KJV) … Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. [27] Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. [28] Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? [29] Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Jesus came preaching the Gospel, but many ignored the Gospel while seeking temporal blessings. If anyone should have been depressed it should have been Jesus. Yet Jesus was never depressed.
Jesus Was Always Thankful
As Jesus preached the Gospel and was ignored and even persecuted He maintained a thankful heart. We read:
Matthew 11:20-24 (KJV) Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, BECAUSE THEY REPENTED NOT: [21] Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. [22] But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. [23] And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. [24] But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
Many preachers – myself included – could become depressed at the wholesale faithlessness of the people around them. But Jesus was not depressed. At the end of upbraiding these cities for a failure to repent Jesus prayed:
Matthew 11:25-26 (KJV) … I THANK THEE, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. [26] Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
Jesus recognized the Sovereignty of God and praised the Father though it seemed like His ministry was fruitless. Jesus did what God tells us to do. Instead of worrying or feeling inadequate or threatened Jesus thanked the Father. He did as the Scripture commands:
1 Peter 5:6-7 (KJV) Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: [7] Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
He was confident of the love of God the Father, and confident of God’s power to handle whatever might come His way. Jesus prayed with a thankful heart. Jesus thanked God though rarely was He thanked.
Of The Thousands Of People That Jesus Healed During His Ministry, Very Few Ever Thanked Jesus For What He Did.
One day Jesus went to the home of a leper He had healed by the name of Simon. You’ll find the story in Luke 7:36-50. As Jesus sat there at Simon’s table a “woman of the city, which was a sinner” came into the house. She took an Alabaster Box of perfume. The Bible says that she:
Luke 7:38 (KJV) … stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
As Simon watched this spectacle he judged both Christ and the fallen woman. Jesus perceived what Simon was thinking. He told Simon:
Luke 7:44-48 (KJV) … Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. [45] Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. [46] My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. [47] Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. [48] And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
It is the thankful and repentant heart that is blessed by Christ. This woman went away from Simon’s house that day with the greatest gift of all. She was saved from her sins and adopted into the Family of God because she was thankful and repentant. The greatest gift God has given us is Himself and His Heaven.
The Thankful Heart Is The Whole Heart
In another of the very few times in Scripture where Christ was thanked is found in Luke 17. The Bible tells us that:
Luke 17:12-14 (KJV) And as {Jesus} entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: [13] And they lifted up their voices, and said, JESUS, MASTER, HAVE MERCY ON US. [14] And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
Now Jesus could have healed these ten men – miserable lepers – immediately if He wanted to do so. Yet God often requires our obedience for our blessing. In the Old Testament God established a Law for Lepers. If a Leper was ever to be considered “clean” then he had to be examined by the priest, who then would offer a sacrifice unto God (see Leviticus 14:2-3). Jesus told the lepers “Go and show yourselves unto the priests”. None were healed until they obeyed His command. So all ten go to the priests and sure enough, praise the Lord, their leprosy was healed.
Luke 17:15-16 (KJV) And ONE of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, [16] And fell down on his face at his feet, GIVING HIM THANKS: and he was a Samaritan.
Only ONE returned to Jesus. Only ONE humbled himself before the Lord and GAVE JESUS THANKS. No one else did. Ten were healed, but only ONE returned to Jesus and thanked Him. Notice what our Lord said:
Luke 17:17-19 (KJV) And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? [18] There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. [19] And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Ten were cleansed, BUT ONLY ONE WAS MADE WHOLE. Did you get that? Jesus told Him:
Arise, and go thy way: Thy FAITH has
made thee WHOLE
Wholeness is not found in healing of disease, but in reuniting the soul to God through Christ. This is what makes whole – the faith that humbles us and magnifies God by praise!
We should all be thankful to God for His abundant blessings. You may not have a huge bank account. You may have health problems. You may struggle physically. Regardless as to whatever limitations you have, if you have responded to the Gospel of Salvation and belong to the Lord because of Christ, then you should be thankful! God is your Portion, and a glorious eternity your destination. Praise God for His wonderful gifts! God tells those Who are His:
Psalms 50:14-15 (KJV) Offer unto God THANKSGIVING; and pay thy vows unto the most High: [15] And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
It brings glory to God when we thank Him for what He has done, and call upon Him as we belong to Him. God is my Portion, my Father, my Savior, my Rock. Yes there are times when we, like Jesus, are led into the wildernesses of life. Yet Good is faithful. I say again:
God is faithful!
The Lord thy God is faithful (Deuteronomy 7:9)
God is faithful with His Saints (Hosea 11:12)
God is faithful in our call (1 Cdorinthians 1:9)
God is faithful when we are tried (1 Corinthians 10:13)
Our God will never leave nor forsake us (Matthew 28:20)
When worry comes our way, and it will, let us turn that WORRY into PRAYER. Go to your Father in the Name of Christ. The Bible declares that we are to:
Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV) … {Do not worry} but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. [7] And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
God does not want us to be worried, to fret and be consumed of troubles. When the devil brings a worry your way, take it to the Cross. The Bible tells us FOR EVERYTHING:
by PRAYER
and SUPPLICATION (Humility)
with THANKSGIVING
…let your requests be made known unto God. The Apostle went on to say:
Philippians 4:8 (KJV) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
When we pray with thankful hearts we look UPWARD instead of DOWNWARD. We do as that old song said:
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God has done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, *Count your many blessings, see what God has done. Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly, And you will keep singing as the days go by.
Jesus appreciated all the things that His Father had provided. He tells us not to worry, that God is indeed faithful.
Matthew 6:31-33 (KJV) … {Do not worry} saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? [32] (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. [33] But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
We like Jesus need to occupy our minds not with worry, gloom and doom. We do not need to look at what we DON’T have but what we DO have. We have a faithful Father Who knows what we need even before we ask Him. If we focus on doing His Will by promoting His Kingdom Gospel then “all these things shall be added unto you”.
The Cure For Depression? A Thankful Heart
Are you depressed? Then do as God has directed.
Psalms 92:1-5 (KJV) … It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: [2] To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, [3] Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. [4] For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. [5] O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.
It is said that “misery loves company”. Do not focus on being miserable, or on your lack. Do as Jesus did and praise the Lord not just on the mountaintop but also in the valley. Jesus thanked the Father for hearing Him
John 11:41 … Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
Praise God that He does hear us. He hears the sinner’s prayer when that sinner repents and calls on the Name of the Lord Jesus. He hears the saint’s prayer when the child that He loves cries out.
Psalms 106:1 (KJV) Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
God’s patience endures. He waits, dear sinner, that you might come to Him by Christ. His mercy endureth. You have been given another day to seek Him and to rest in Him. Have you done so? Oh Beloved, come to Him Who is faithfully calling you.
Psalms 107:1-2 (KJV) O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. [2] Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
Jesus has conquered death, that great enemy of mankind. Jesus has conquered sin and the devil. He has destroyed the enemy. The Father does not ignore us, but listens to us who are His. He always has, and always will. Look upward! If you are not saved, look upward and know that Christ came for you, too. He loves you and gave Himself for you. If you are His Child by faith then look upward. You may be in a valley, but you are not alone.
2 Corinthians 9:15 (KJV) Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
The Shepherd’s Prayer (part 2) Jesus Prayed For The Unity Of His Church
John 17:11-23 (KJV) And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. [12] While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. [13] And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. [14] I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. [15] I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. [16] They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. [17] Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. [18] As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. [19] And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
[20] Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; [21] That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. [22] And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: [23] I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Last Wednesday we looked at the “Shepherd’s Prayer” in John 17. As Jesus was preparing for the Cross of Calvary He prayed not that He would avoid that trial, but that His Church would be in one accord. Jesus had already set His mind on the Cross. He no longer saw Himself as “in the world”. He said:
John 17:11 (KJV) And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
Jesus spoke as if the Cross had already happened, spoke as if He was already crucified, buried, resurrected, and on the right hand of God the Father. He spoke this way because His mind was not set on satisfying the world, nor those who are of the world. Jesus was focused 100 percent on doing what the Father told Him to do. He prayed that the disciples whom He was going to leave would be as committed to obeying and living by the Word and Will of God as He was.
Jesus Prayed That His Church Be One
With God – Not With The World
Jesus prayed to His Father and every Christian’s Father:
Holy Father, keep through thine own name
those whom thou hast given me
Let’s break this down. Our Father is the “Holy Father”. This term occurs only here in the Bible. The word “Father” emphasizes that every Christian is born into the Family of God. God is not merely “God” to us, but He is the “Father”, the Head of the Godhead, the One Whom we obey.
The Christian is a walking miracle.
We were born in this world, and this world was in our hearts. But Christ calls us out of the world and into an intimate relationship with the Father. Being “Born Again” is more than to be religious. A religious leader called Nicodemus came to see Jesus at night. Jesus told this Rabbi:
John 3:3 (KJV) … Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot SEE the kingdom of God.
No one can “see” (εἴδω eídō, pronounced i’-do) the Kingdom of God unless they are “born again”. The word “see” means “to perceive with the senses”.
Before a baby is born it knows nothing but darkness and warmth and the beat of its mother’s heart. But once the baby is born it leaves the darkness of the womb and enters into the world to see light. But that baby can only perceive the things of this world because of sin resident in it. We are born the first time as sinners. This is why the Bible says:
Romans 3:23 (KJV) For ALL have SINNED, and come short of the glory of God;
We are bound in darkness like that baby. We must be brought into the light. The person born into this world can only perceive that which is around them. They must be born again so that they can enter into the family of God. It is the Word of God that causes our new birth. The written Word tells us of Christ’s Gospel. That Word is planted in our hearts. When we believe that Word God through His Spirit causes us to be born into His Family.
1 Peter 1:22-23 (KJV) Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: [23] Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
Jesus prayed that the Father would “keep” (τηρέω tēréō, pronounced tay-reh’-o) those sheep saved by God’s Gospel. This word means “to post a guard over”. Jesus prayed that every believer be guarded by the Father so that they would stay the course of the faith. He wanted these born again “Sheep” to be protected from evil. Jesus guarded the disciples while He was with them on the earth. Jesus prayed:
John 17:12 (KJV) While I was with them in the world, I kept (τηρέω tēreō) them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept (φυλάσσω phylássō, foo-las’-so – to guard so as to keep safe), and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
He guarded the sheep that the Father gave Him before Calvary. Now Jesus asks that the Father guard these sheep. He also notes that one was not kept. Why was he not kept? Because Judas Iscariot was “the son of perdition”. “Perdition” is the word ἀπώλεια apṓleia, (pronounced ap-o’-li-a) which means “child of destruction”. It was prophesied that Judas Iscariot would betray Christ in:
Psalms 41:9 (KJV) Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.
Psalms 109:6-8 (KJV) Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand. [7] When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin. [8] Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
John 13:18 (KJV) I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.
The one who was lost was Judas Iscariot, but he was lost because he was never “found”. Though he ministered alongside the other eleven Apostles and was daily with Jesus outwardly, inwardly his heart was not God’s property. Jesus kept His disciples safe from the world, but Judas never left the world in his heart. He is the picture of the outwardly converted Church member who inwardly cares nothing for the Father not His Kingdom. The unbeliever disguised as a Christian will in time show their true colors. They do not stand with the Father nor the Son but with “Satan at their right hand”, ever willing to become part of the fallen world once more.
John 17:13-16 (KJV) And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. [14] I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. [15] I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. [16] They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Jesus prayed in the world – but not of the world. He prayed that the Christian would have the joy of Christ in themselves. How do we receive this joy? We maintain a separateness from the world. Jesus left His disciples in the world to make a difference, but we cannot make a difference while we are worldly. Jesus prayed not that we would be taken out of the world, but that the “evil” of this world would not mark us. We are called to be light in the midst of darkness. A.W. Pink noted:
“It was, therefore, protection from “the evil” (Gr. ek tou ponerou) in the world that they needed. This phrase could mean “evil,” generally, or it could be a reference to “the Evil One”: Satan. Other occurrences of the phrase, elsewhere, encourage us to interpret it as referring to “the devil” here (cf. Matt. 6:13; 1 John 2:13-14; 3:12; 5:18- 19). However, both ideas may have been in Jesus’ mind.”
The focus of every Christian is to be in one accord with the Word of God, and in one accord with one another.
The Apostle in another place equates oneness or friendship with the world as spiritual adultery. We read:
James 4:4 (KJV) Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
The Christian is called of Christ to have a demonstrated world view that is in harmony with God and His Word, and in disharmony with the darkness. The only way a candle can be part of the darkness is to have your fire blown out. Jesus was called a “friend of sinners” by the Pharisees, as He said:
Luke 7:34 (KJV) The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!
Jesus came to save the lost (Luke 19:10), but He did not come to justify lostness. Jesus came to save the sinner from sin, but He never winked at sin. Jesus befriended all who He met, but never justified the acts of darkness. What Jesus did He taught His disciples. What He did He teaches us. Jesus declared:
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Christian, you are IN the world but not OF the world. If you are a Christian you have been “translated” into God’s Kingdom:
Colossians 1:13-14 (KJV) Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: [14] In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Jesus Prayed That His Church Be Focused
On God’s Word Not On The Devil’s World
John 17:17 (KJV) Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
The word rendered “sanctify” is the Greek ἁγιάζω hagiázō, (pronounced hag-ee-ad’-zo) which means to separate, to cleanse, to consecrate or dedicate to God”. It can be rendered “to make holy”. God is holy. Jesus taught us to pray:
Matthew 6:9 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed (ἁγιάζω hagiázō) be thy name.
God is holy, apart from sin.
We who are His are to be holy, apart from sin.
Just as Jesus was sanctified by the Father (John 10:36) we who are sons of God are sanctified by the Father. We believe the Word of God. We form our worldview based on the teachings of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit of God sets us apart (Romans 15:16) to serve God. There is no salvation without sanctification. Let me say that a few more times.
There is no SALVATION without SANCTIFICATION.
Before God set us apart from the world we were OF the world. We followed the sin pattern of the world. But once we came to Christ through the preaching of the Gospel; once we received Christ as He is (for He IS Lord and Savior) then we changed. The Scripture declares clearly:
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (KJV) Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankindsodomites, [10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. [11] And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
At the point of salvation the once born sinner becomes born again. We are moved from worldliness to godliness. We are to live our lives having and demonstrating the Mind of God.
Jesus prayed:
John 17:20-21 (KJV) Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; [21] That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
What we are told today by the “Modern Church Growth Experts” is that in order to reach the world we must become like the world. This is not what Jesus prayed nor said. Jesus said that the way to convince the world of the authenticity of out faith is that we become like the Trinity of God. Jesus Christ walked in perfect union with the Father. He said “if you have seen ME you have seen the FATHER” (John 14:9). Jesus prayed:
That they all may be ONE; as thou, Father, art in me,
and I in thee, that THEY ALSO MAY BE ONE IN US
Jesus as God the Son is “One” or in perfect union with the Father. God the Father is “One” or in perfect union with the Son. Jesus prayed that we who are saved would be in perfect union with the Godhead. Father, Son, nor Spirit ever suffered from disharmony BUT for that one moment that Christ bore our sins on Calvary (for He said in Matthew 27:46 “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”). At all other times the Godhead acts with ONE mind to fulfill the will of God. Jesus prayed that we would be equally unified. That we would “be one”:
John 17:22 (KJV) And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
When we walk in harmony with God’s Word and with one another then the world sees the Kingdom of God in us. It is not compromise that will reach the world, but commitment to Christ. Let us live our lives so as to fulfill our Great Shepherd’s prayer.
John 17:23 (KJV) I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
The Apostle Paul warned the Church that there would come a day when people would depart from the faith. Let’s read this text responsively:
1 Timothy 4:1-5 (KJV) Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; [2] Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; [3] Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. [4] For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: [5] For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
What causes people to depart from the faith? The Holy Spirit said that first people would heed seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, rejecting the Word of God for the word of the fallen world. Hypocrisy will abound, and the conscience will be hardened and de-synthesized. Then God given appetites would be ignored, Yes, God gave you your appetite.
He gave you the appetite for marital companionship.
He gave you the appetite for food.
These appetites are to be fulfilled as God directs!
What causes the “departure from the faith” but the rejection of God’s Word and the rejection of God’s design. God designed us with appetites. He made our bodies. He gives us food to eat, and companions to live with in a union called “marriage”. But the devil has twisted this, minimizing marriage and establishing taboos on food items. How shall we “contend for” what Jude (in Jude 3) called “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints”?
We need to emphasize PRAYER,
especially at our mealtimes.
(vvs 4-5) For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, IF IT BE RECEIVED WITH THANKSGIVING: [5] For it is SANCTIFIED by the WORD OF GOD and PRAYER.
It amazes me that so few Christians pray over their meals before eating them. There was a show on television I saw once called Kitchen Nightmares. In that show Chef Gordon Ramsay would go into failing restaurants and demonstrate “behind the scenes” why that restaurant was failing. In many cases customers were eating at restaurants that were selling bug infested or rotted and tainted foods. When I saw that show it impressed upon me when I ate “out” to insure that I prayed over the meal.
The Apostle told us as Christians to pray over our meals because this “sanctifies” or “sets it apart for God’s glory”. We need to pray and thank God for our meals prior to eating … especially when we are eating in someone else’s kitchen.
There are times when we are in a hurry and skip prayer so that we can rush to another appointment. When that happens we need to remember the example of the Apostle Paul. Imprisoned and traveling against his will to meet the Caesar the ship that he was on was caught in a bad storm. For fourteen days those on board ate nothing at all. Finally on the fifteenth day at sunrise:
Acts 27:33-36 (KJV) And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing. [34] Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you. [35] And WHEN HE HAD THUS SPOKEN, HE TOOK BREAD, AND GAVE THANKS TO GOD IN PRESENCE OF THEM ALL: and when he had broken it, he began to eat. [36] Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.
Though all were hungry (for they had not eaten in 14 days) the Apostle “gave thanks” (the Greek εὐχαριστέω eucharisteō). He thanked the Father for that which he and the others were about to eat. He “said grace”!
Our Lord Jesus Always “Said Grace”
Most of us in America have never truly experienced hunger nor scarcity of food. We as a nation have been blessed. Pastor Jon Bloom of Desiring God Ministries calls this “The Dark Side of Abundance”. He writes:
“Those of us who live in prosperous regions of the globe and have never known food scarcity perhaps don’t feel much awe in it. That is a sad thing: a lack of awe. It’s the dark side of abundance. We sinners tend to grow blind to glory when there’s a lot of it. God is kind not to give us heaven yet. We would not appreciate more than a fraction of it.”
In our country even the “poor” that I come in contact with are often overweight. The 21 poorest countries in the world are located on the continent of Africa. Other countries with great destitution are Afghanistan, Kiribati, the Solomon Islands, and Haiti. Much of the illegal immigration in our country comes over the border from Mexico.
Our Lord Jesus confronted hunger. The Bible tells us that people had flocked to Him to hear Him teach. Jesus, like John the Baptist, often preached away the Temple and in the desert. As time for the evening meal was upon them the disciples told Jesus:
Mark 6:35-36 (KJV) And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: [36] Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat.
Perhaps you think these men were heartless, but that wasn’t the case. They knew that they had an insufficient amount of food to feed five thousand men and an uncounted amount of women. So they did as we often do – they looked to the “practical” and not to faith. But Jesus had a better idea.
Jesus asked the disciples if they could find anything to eat, to give it to the people. The disciples found a child’s meal. “We have only five small loaves of bread, and two fishes” (verse 38). How could that many people be fed with no more than that? Jesus took the little meal and we read:
Mark 6:41-43 (KJV) And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, HE LOOKED UP TO HEAVEN, AND BLESSED, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all. [42] And they did all eat, and were filled. [43] And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.
Our Lord “blessed” (εὐλογέω eulogeō) the food. Earlier we saw that the Apostle Paul “gave thanks” (the Greek εὐχαριστέω eucharisteō) for what food they were about to eat. Now Jesus eulogeō or “praises God” for what He has, though it is but a small amount. Praising God for His provision released His power on the little until it became a lot!
God will feed His Children. The Psalmist said:
Psalms 37:25 (KJV) I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
and God told the Prophet Ezekiel 34:14-15 (KJV)I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.
God cares for His Children. When we have little this should not stop our prayer. We should look to Him Who loves us. He will provide.
Following another three day revival meeting in the wilderness Jesus called His disciples to Him and said:
Mark 8:2-5 (KJV) I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. … How many loaves have ye? …. And they said, Seven.
There were four thousand to be fed, but an insufficient amount of food. Again, Jesus did not complain.. What did He do?
Mark 8:6 (KJV) … He commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and He took the seven loaves, and GAVE THANKS, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.
The Bible uses the same word that the Apostle used on the storm tossed ship. Jesus εὐχαριστέω eucharisteō thanking God for what he had. The Father responded and gave an increase until all could be fed. Our God is in control of every situation that we encounter. When we come to the lean times we need to thank Him for that – and our Father will give us the increase!
Jesus taught us to rely not on the situation, but on the Father. Jesus praised God (EULOGEO) and thanked God (EUCHARISTO) for what God had given, and trusted the Father to supply that which was lacking.
Jesus Taught Prayer At The Lord’s Table
Just before our Lord was to go to the Cross Jesus celebrated the Passover Meal with His disciples (Luke 22:7-8). As the meal progressed Jesus told His disciples:
Luke 22:15 (KJV) … With desire I have desired to eat THIS PASSOVER with you before I suffer:
Jesus took the Cup of the Passover meal and gave it to His disciples. Notice the text:
Luke 22:17 (KJV) And he took the cup, and GAVE THANKS, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
Jesus εὐχαριστέω eucharisteō “said Grace” or thanked the Father for the Cup. But following this ending of the Passover Jesus once more takes Bread and uses the Bread to illustrate His sacrifice for us. We read:
Mark 14:22-24 (KJV) And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.
Jesus “blessed” the bread (εὐλογέω eulogeō) “praised God” for the bread which represented His Body. Then Jesus took the Cup once more and “gave thanks” (εὐχαριστέω eucharisteō) for the Bread which represented His poured out Blood. The Bible tells us that Jesus both PRAISED GOD and THANKED GOD for the Cross that was on the horizon. Jesus prayed over this simple meal. Every time we practice the Lord’s Supper we remind ourselves that Jesus said grace before every meal – even this one!
On The Road To Emmaus
Following His crucifixion and resurrection the Lord Jesus walked on the Road to Emmaus with the disciple Cleopas and his wife. As Jesus walked with these grieving disciples they lamented over the crucifixion of Jesus, not knowing that they were speaking with the resurrected Savior. Jesus rebuked their tears, saying:
Luke 24:25-27 (KJV) …. O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Still, Cleopas and his wife didn’t realize this was the resurrected Jesus. It was only as they came to their house in Emmaus that they invited Jesus to eat with them. Normally the master of the household said prayers over the meal. Yet we read that …
Luke 24:30-34 (KJV) And it came to pass, as {Jesus} sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it (εὐλογέω eulogeō), and brake, and gave to them. And THEIR EYES WERE OPENED, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
Just as Jesus praised God the Father for the Bread at the Lord’s Table, He praised God for the bread at this Emmaus household. This is what opened their eyes to see Jesus. Listen Beloved, if we were to pray and thank God for our meals at home our children would see Jesus. If we were to pray and thank God for our meals while eating out, others around us would see Jesus.
As Christians we are to have thankful hearts for what God our Father has blessed us with. The Bible says:
Colossians 3:17 (KJV) And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
IA little girl had eaten all of her meal but the turnips. She hated turnips! At the beginning of the meal she pushed them out of the way, and cleaned her plate except for those turnips. She sat there looking sadly at the now cold pile of vegetables. Her momma said, “Honey, you should have eaten those first. Now they are cold and the grease is congealed on top of them.” The little girl looked up and said, “I know momma. I guess I was just trying to delay the inedible.”
We may not always get exactly what we want in life. Let us nevertheless praise God for what He has given us – especially over our meals. It was prayer that turned the Roman Empire upside down, ushering in the faith of Christ. Adrian Rogers said:
“In ancient Rome Christians were taken into the Coliseum and put to death before laughing, mocking mobs. But underneath the Coliseum were catacombs—passageways where believers worshiped Jesus and prayed. … they ignited a spiritual revolution that turned the Empire upside down. Comparing coliseums and catacombs, I want to be in the catacomb crowd.”
The Christians of the catacomb overturned the citizen of the coliseum because those Christians cultivated praise and thankfulness to God. Mealtime is a wonderful time to do this. We can bring the light of Christ to a needy world by simply praying over our meals … especially at restaurants. This is one way that we can …
Romans 12:21 (KJV) … Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
God wants us to cultivate a praise filled and thankful heart before Him. We should thank God for our food, reminding ourselves that it was provided by the Lord Who loves us.
Praising and thanking God for our food reminds us and those around us that it is God Who has given us our blessings – even this meal. God told His Old Testament Church:
Deuteronomy 8:15-16 (KJV) Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; [16] Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end;
It is God Who provides that which we need. We are the beneficiaries of good things because God loves us. God has blessed us with the ABILITY as well as the RESOURCES we have.
Final Thoughts On Mealtime Prayer
Jesus said:
Mark 8:38 (KJV) Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Someone once said that praying before a meal would offend their non-believing friends. It probably will. So what? Let them be offended. Jesus said:
John 15:18-20 (KJV) If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Will you offend? Maybe. Maybe not. Who cares? Live for the smile of Christ our Lord, not for the applause of man.
A few final points on mealtime prayers.
aPray, but don’t preach. Be brief and to the point. Thank God and praise Him for the food you are about to receive.
bBe sincere. Talk to the Lord conversationally like you would if He were standing in front of you (and He is, by the way). As much as I love the King James text, know that the Lord doesn’t require us to speak King James English when we pray!
cBe a witness, but don’t be a show off. When Jesus prayed He gave thanks or praised God. He never preached a sermon over a meal.
d If our waiter or waitress is near the table I ask if I can include them in the prayer. You would be surprised how many waitresses and waiters have been thankful to be included in those prayers. You would also be surprised how many waiters and waitresses will stay with us while we pray over the meal and for them. Many of the studies done by Lifeway on the Millennial Generation note that they are not unspiritual … they just don’t like hypocrisy. Be the Christian God made you to be. Tell your Father you are grateful for the food and for the person who made it and delivered it to your table.
eWhen you pray in a restaurantremember to leave a proper tip. It has been said that the smallest tips are left by people who professed to be Christians. Don’t be a positive witness through your prayers and then a negative witness through your tipping. And don’t use those fake tracts that look like money as tips. Leave a fair tip, honoring Christ and blessing your server.
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (KJV) And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, {13} To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?
I know many of you do not use so called “Social Media” such as Facebook or Twitter or Linked In. I do, and use the services to preach and hopefully reach others for Christ. Frequently I find things on my newsfeeds that I question. One of those things was a picture with a woman looking up with the caption:
Don’t Go To Church – Be The Church!
The reason I question this is because many today believe that they alone are the Church. That’s not true.
The Church – like God’s Old Testament Israel – is never one person.The Lord Jesus Christ ministered on this earth for 3 ½ years and He Himself never ministered alone.
After His baptism and His trial in the wilderness Jesus called twelve men to follow Him. Jesus then built those twelve into a network of people who believed that Jesus alone is …
Matthew 16:16 (KJV) … the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Every Christian should live for Christ whether in Church or out of Church. That is true. But the Church is never just one person – it is a group of people, however large or small, that work together for the glory of God. When we are in the Old Testament we see God reaching out and changing the world not through singular people but through Israel, His Old Testament Church. Now God has not cast away Israel (see Romans 11:1-5). Jesus entered humanity from eternity to reach out to Israel first (see Romans 1:16; John 1:11). Christ came for the Jew first, but also for the Gentile. Jesus Christ came unto His own people, but His own people would not receive Him. So Jesus formed a New Testament people governed by Him that He called the Church or literally (ἐκκλησία ekklēsia) “The Called Out Ones”. In the Church …
Galatians 3:28-29 (KJV) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. [29] And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Both Israel (Old Testament) or the Church (New Testament) are the people of God, a people with purpose. What is the purpose of God’s people?
What Does God Require Of The Believer Of Any Age?
God does not save a people to Himself and then ignore them. God saved the Jew and Israel from Egypt in the Old Testament, and saves the Christian and the Church from the world in the New Testament. What does God require of His people?
Deuteronomy 10:12 (KJV) … what doth the LORD thy God REQUIRE OF THEE, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul …
God requires His people do four things.
To FEAR the LORD thy God
To WALK in His ways
To LOVE Him And To SERVE Him
Let’s discuss these four basic requirements for the believer of every age.
Believers Are To FEAR The LORD
Deuteronomy 10:12 (KJV) … what doth the LORD thy God REQUIRE OF THEE, but to FEAR the LORD thy God
We do not hear much of “fearing the Lord our God” in modern pulpits. We hear a lot of the love of God – and God does love you. The Scripture speaks of this many times. But the Scripture also speaks of FEARING the LORD. For instance the phrase
“Fear The LORD” Is Found Nine Times
In Deuteronomy Alone.
It is found twice in this chapter – in the above verse and in:
Deuteronomy 10:20 (KJV) Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.
The word “fear” is the Hebrewיָרֵא yare’ (pronounced YAH-RRAY) which can mean to be in dread of or to make afraid. This phrase is found throughout the Old Testament. As well known place where it is found is in the final address that the great man of God Joshua made before stepping down as Israel’s leader. Joshua told the people:
Joshua 24:14-15 (KJV) Now therefore FEAR the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. [15] And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Decide which you will follow. Commit to follow the one True God of Scripture or follow the false. Make a choice, then be ALL IN in that choice. God does not like the lukewarm behavior of wishy-washy people. Jesus told the Church at Laodicea:
Revelation 3:15-16 (KJV) I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. [16] So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
The Lord does not care for lukewarm! Be all in. The Prophet Samuel told God’s Israel:
1 Samuel 12:14-15 (KJV) If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice … But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, THEN SHALL THE HAND OF THE LORD BE AGAINST YOU, as it was against your fathers.
When those who should be light become like the darkness God will not condone it. We are commanded to ..
Psalm 22:23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise him…
Psalm 34:9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for THERE IS NO WANT TO THEM THAT FEAR HIM.
Psalm 115:11 Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: HE IS THEIR HELP AND THEIR SHIELD.
In all of these texts the Bible uses the Hebrewיָרֵא yare’which can mean to be in dread of or to make afraid. The wisest man who ever lived – King Solomon – went even farther. He wrote:
Proverbs 9:10 (KJV) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Here the word “fear” in Proverbs is the Hebrew יראה yir’âh which is stronger than yare’. How can we describe fearing God?
The unbeliever should fear God because they have no personal relationship with Him. The unbeliever should fear the judgment of God and eternal separation from God. Our Lord Jesus said to whosoever would listen:
Luke 12:1, 3-5 (KJV) … Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy…. [3] Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. [4] And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. [5] But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: FEAR HIM, WHICH AFTER HE HATH KILLED HATH POWER TO CAST INTO HELL; YEA, I SAY UNTO YOU, FEAR HIM.
Jesus warned those who would listen to “fear Him” (φοβέω phobeō, to have a fear or phobia of) who has “power to kill, then to cast into hell”. There is a place of eternal punishment, a place where those without God in this life go to in the next life. Those who have no knowledge of God through Christ should fear God. And those who have knowledge of God but who are disrespectful and disobedient of Him should also fear Him. The Lord tells us in:
Hebrews 10:30-31 (KJV) For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. [31] It is a FEARFUL THING TO FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE LIVING GOD.
Believers in Christ should fear God in the sense that we respect Him, knowing that He will discipline the wayward believer. The Apostle told the Church at Corinth that they were mishandling the Lord’s Table. He told them:
1 Corinthians 11:21 (KJV) For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
1 Corinthians 11:29-30 (KJV) For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. [30] For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
God can shorten your life.
To the believer acting as an unbeliever we too should have respect for God. Too often we minimize sin and maximize a sickly sweet love of God. God is to be respected. We are to stand in awe of Him. We are not to minimize His commands, nor to to neutralize them so as to satisfy a sin sick world. God tells us that He shall judge His people. God tells us that:
Hebrews 12:5-8 (KJV) And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: [6] For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. [7] If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? [8] But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
The great theologian J.I. Packer noted “Some redefine the fear of God for believers to “respecting” Him. While respect is definitely included in the concept of fearing God, there is more to it than that. A biblical fear of God, for the believer, includes understanding how much God hates sin and fearing His judgment on sin — even in the life of a believer. Hebrews 12:5-11 describes God’s discipline of the believer. While it is done in love (Hebrews 12:6), it is still a fearful thing.”
God punishes His errant children. He scourges us when we are disobedient. We are not to make a truce with sin nor with sinners, but we are to rapidly and with dispatch confess our sins to God. We are not to regard His directives as suggestions, but commandments. God loves you, but He will not tolerate evil among His children. We are to respect and love Him.
God despises sin for what it has done to His creation. God despises sin for how it harms us and our families.
Look what God did to Jesus for us. He covered our sins with the Blood of the Cross. See Him, beaten and bruised. See Him with crown of thorns and throne of nails. See Him, bleeding and despised. We dare not make light of sin in the light of the Cross. If you have received the Son as Lord and Savior then you know better than to make light of sin. We are in His Kingdom because of His Cross.
Hebrews 12:28-29 (KJV) Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear (εὐλάβεια eulabeia): [29] For our God is a consuming fire.
Let us revere and respect our Lord and King. He will be respected!
Believers Are To Follow The Lord
Deuteronomy 10:12 (KJV) … what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways …
The Bible uses the term to walk to describe how a person lives their life. Before a person meets God in Christ they walk according to their own desires. To the unbeliever who has no fear of God, they walk in their own desires, following their own path.
One day a group of lost but religious people interrupted our Lord and cast a woman taken in adultery – in the very act before Him. They taunted Jesus:
John 8:5 (KJV) Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
Jesus ignored them for a bit. Then He said:
John 8:7 (KJV) … He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
The men left the square that day, leaving Jesus with His Bible class and this now disgraced woman. Jesus asked “Woman, where are your accusers”? She relied “No one condemns me, Lord”. Jesus tells her “Neither do I condemn thee – go, and SIN NO MORE”. Jesus forgave her upon her respectfully receiving Him as Lord. But then Jesus says something that many forget at the end of this episode. He says:
John 8:12 (KJV) … I am the light of the world:
he that followeth me shall NOT walk in darkness,
but shall have the light of life.
Those who belong to God are to follow God daily. You see, walking is your way of life. You walked into this Church house today. You will leave shortly, walk to your car, go home, and walk into your houses. You’ll get up tomorrow and walk to your car, go to work, and then you will walk. You walk in the marketplace. You walk! God uses walking to describe your mode of life. If you belong to the Lord, you walk in the light. You daily and hourly follow God. He is with you, always watching, always caring. You do not walk in darkness nor make light of sin. You follow Jesus. God said:
WALK in ALL his ways
God wants His Children to walk in ALL His ways. This phrase is repeated in Deuteronomy 5:33; 8:6; 11:22; 26:17; 30:16 – five times in this Book alone. If we are His and He is ours we are to imitate Him as we live our lives. We no longer belong to this world, but to the present and eternal Kingdom of God. The Child of God does not live as he did before salvation as he does after salvation.
The person who says “I am saved BUT I will follow my own path” should heed Christ’s Word.
John 11:9-10 (KJV) … If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. [10] But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.
A fish cannot live in two worlds,
and neither can the Christian.
Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God
Colossians 4:5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
Those born by the power of faith and by the operation of God’s Spirit are born to walk imitating God in Christ. We walk in the Spirit, in love, in truth, and in wisdom. We respond to Christ’s command and follow Him, children redeemed from the darkness!
Believers Are To Love And Serve The Lord
Deuteronomy 10:12 (KJV) … what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
Our God gave His all for us, and wants us to give our all to Him. He does not want us to serve Him because we MUST, but wants us to serve Him because we love Him. God told Israel:
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (KJV) “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: {5} And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.“
God wants our all, our full heart. Our Lord Jesus brought this command in the New Testament when He said:
Matthew 22:36-40 (KJV) … Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. {38} This is the first and great commandment. {39} And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. {40} On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
There is an inherent blessing in loving God with your all. When you love God with all you have He lifts you up. The Lord told Israel:
Deuteronomy 10:22 (KJV) Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the LORD thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.
When Israel entered Egypt there were only seventy people in that family. Now seventy is a pretty good sized family! But when Israel left Egypt there were an estimated 6 million people. The family of 70 became 6,000,000! That is tremendous growth, especially considering that Pharaoh instituted a policy of enforced murder on all male children. Yet God grew His people. Listen Beloved:
What has corrupted our nation?
It is the uncommitted Christian!
We must commit to love God with our all.
We are to put Him first in our day, first in our lives, first in our families. We are to share Him with our children. To turn off the television, and teach our children to love God. We are to read His Word daily, and speak to Him in prayer frequently. We are to commit to assembling together to worship Him frequently. A one day a week or one day a month Christian is of no more use than a light that is only turned on one day a week or one day a month. Oh, that our hearts would be fully focused on Him!
The most important thing in your spiritual life is to love God wholeheartedly. You may understand all the Bible Doctrine you want, but if you do not love Him Who loves you, of what use is it? The Scripture cannot be interpreted and applied apart from Love! You must love! You must love God absolutely, with all your heart …. and then God will compel you to love your neighbor as yourself.
Deuteronomy 10:17-20 (KJV) For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: [18] He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. [19] Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. [20] Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.
If you belong to Him, serve Him in your daily walk.
How do you serve God?
Love the stranger.
Do good toward others.
As you have received, so give to those around you.
Loving God is more than giving a tithe to the Church. It is to make others center stage. To do good. To let Christ shine through you.
If you do not belong to Him then He bids you come. Come to Christ. Come and find rest in Him. Be not half hearted, but fully sold out to the One Who loves you! And if you do belong to Him, let Him use you to show His love toward others.
May God the Holy Spirit speak to your hearts and move you this very day!
John 17:1-3 (KJV) These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: [2] As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. [3] And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
This section of Scripture is often called by the commentaries The High Priestly Prayer of Christ. Jesus Christ is indeed the High Priest of His Church. Yet I do not believe that calling this prayer a High Priestly Prayer of Christ is exactly accurate.
Jesus Did Not Become Our High Priest Until After He Offered Himself Up For Our Sins.
When you look at the Scripture of:
Romans 8:34 (KJV) Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also MAKETH INTERCESSION FOR US.
Hebrews 7:25-27 (KJV) Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. [26] For SUCH AN HIGH PRIEST became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; [27] Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
1 John 2:1 (KJV) My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an ADVOCATE with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
At this point in His ministry Christ is still the Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36; Romans 8:3; 1 Peter 1:18-21). His sacrifice was coming, but was not yet done. He has walked on the earth for over three years, being examined by all to see if there was any sin in Him. There wasn’t. Even Pilate, on condemning Christ to death, said:
John 19:4, 6 …. “I find no fault in him …”
None could find fault in Jesus. He is the Lamb of God without spot or blemish. He will offer up Himself for our sins, and following His resurrection Christ will be our High Priest.
As I look at John 17 I prefer to call it either “The Shepherd’s Prayer”. Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd:
John 10:11 (KJV) I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Jesus is soon to give His life as the Lamb of God for His Church. As He prepares for this moment, this hour for which He was born, Jesus has two things in mind.
(1) Jesus prays that He will meet His death in a God honoring way.
(2) Jesus prays for His people whom He will leave for three days.
Jesus’ Prays To The Father For Empowerment
John 17:1 (KJV) These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven …
The Oneness Pentecostals – a branch of Christianity – do not believe in the Trinity of God. They teach a form of doctrine called Modalistic Monarchianism which teaches there is but one God Who manifests Himself in three different ways – as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This doctrine was initially taught in the early Church by a man named Sabellius, who was a theologian and priest from the 3rd century. Sabellianism or Modalism is rejected by most Christians because of texts like Matthew 3:16-17:
Matthew 3:16-17 (KJV) And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: [17] And lo a VOICE FROM HEAVEN, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
At Jesus’ baptism you see three distinct Persons. Christ is being baptized, the Spirit comes to Him, and the Father speaks from Heaven. This is a Trinity.
The Trinity comes into play as the Shepherd Jesus prays. Christ looks toward Heaven, where the Father sits enthroned! Jesus taught His disciples – that’s us – to pray:
Matthew 6:9 … After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in Heaven …
John 17:1 (KJV) These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father …
Now Jesus prays looking toward Heaven, just as He has taught us to do. Though Jesus was just hours from excruciating pain and absolute humiliation His eyes and His heart was not focused on the coming crucifixion, but on His Father and the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Lamb of God was focused on the Father.
The Son of God was focused on doing what was required.
The Lamb, like Abraham’s son Isaac, was willing to die.
Abraham’s son was saved from death (Genesis 22:11). But the Lamb of God would not be.
John 17:1 (KJV) These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee
Jesus spoke. “The hour is come”. What is He speaking of? When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples they fell asleep rather than praying. Our Lord said:
Matthew 26:45 (KJV) … Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the HOUR is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
When Jesus spoke of the “hour” He spoke of the Cross. As He will hang on this Cross as the Lamb of God our Lord will be forsaken by both Father and Spirit. In the agony of our sins being poured out on Him He will cry out:
Matthew 27:46 (KJV) And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
quoting the prophetic Scripture of
Psalms 22:1 (KJV) … My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
The Lamb knows why He is forsaken. Our sins will be poured out on Him and judged. He Who is without sin shall be made sin for us, so that we who believe might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). The beatings Christ could endure without groaning. The nakedness Christ could endure without blushing. The nails Christ could endure without a whimper. But as our sins are placed on Him He must cry out.
As hornets burn the flesh with their sting and bite, so our sins torment the soul of the Perfect Redeemer.
We see a great truth here that we need to learn in prayer. Faced with a seemingly impossible burden Christ prays for strength to endure.
John 17:1 (KJV) … glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee
Father, let Me be strengthened in what is to come. Fill Me up with power so that I can do that which is undoable. Let Me glorify You as the Lamb of God! If Jesus prayed thus before His trials, should not we pray the more? If the Strong Man that is our Messiah looked to the Father for empowerment in the flesh, should not we who are weak look upward with confidence and pray?
Jesus Is The Source Of Life
John 17:2 (KJV) As thou hast given HIM power over all flesh, that HE should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given HIM.
What is interesting and often overlooked – I know I have not noticed it till now – is that Jesus prays in the third person at this point. He doesn’t says “as You have given ME power over all flesh” but instead prays outside of Himself, saying “as you have given HIM power over all flesh”. Jesus often did this in Scripture, and it has caused a lot of interesting statements in the various commentaries. In John 5 Jesus speaks of Himself :
(Third Person) John 5:19 (KJV) Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
(First Person) John 5:30 (KJV) I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
Personally I believe that Jesus Christ is unique. He is both God and Man. The God of Him could not fail – but I believe He prayed for strength in His humanity as He approached the Cross. I think this would explain the “third person references” that Jesus makes to Himself. Regardless as to whether you agree with me or not, Jesus prayed for strength as the Cross loomed on the horizon. The Giver of Eternal Life is facing death. Christ is the Source of all life. It is through Christ that the Godhead created humanity.
John 1:3-4 (KJV) All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. [4] In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
There is no eternal life apart from Christ. There is ETERNITY – an ETERNAL DEATH. But NO LIFE without Christ. You must embrace Him and Him alone if you expect to live into eternity.
John 17:3 (KJV) And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
The reason for ETERNAL LIFE is explained in this prayer. As Jesus prayed for strength He wants us to know that God gives Eternal Life to us – not just so we can live forever – but so that we can live forever in union with God. You are given salvation and with it LIFE so that you can know the only True God and Jesus Christ. Let’s break this down textually.
Word Study The word translated KNOW is the Greek γινώσκω ginōskō which means “to perceive or understand intimately”. The reason for Heaven is not that we live forever in uselessness (as many on this earth live). Heaven is not about self existence without end. We are given eternal life so that we can forever learn of the Infinite and Eternal God of the Bible. He is the only TRUE God. All other gods are mere figments of man’s imagination. Eternal life is to KNOW God. Jesus is the Bringer of the New Covenant.
Hebrews 8:10-11 (KJV) For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: [11] And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
God gives us life so that we may know Him.
Life NOT so we can reunite with loved ones
Though we WILL!
Life NOT so we can continue animate
Though we WILL!
Life NOT so we can occupy a mansion
Though we WILL!
We are given eternal life so we can EXPERIENCE GOD to the fullest!
This was God’s plan in Eden, a plan rejected by Adam but re-established by the Second Adam, Jesus Christ our Lord. Praise Him for His unspeakable Gift! We who are saved will spend all of eternity learning of God, the true God, the Triune God. We will sit at Jesus’ feet and learn of Him forever. This is what Heaven is meant to be. Listen Beloved. If you are YAWNING through this sermon, and are BORED with what God’s Word says NOW, why would you want Heaven THEN? You wouldn’t. And you probably aren’t where you need to be spiritually.
Now Jesus Prays In The First PERSON
John 17:4-6 (KJV) I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. [5] And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. [6] I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
The God-Man Jesus Christ now prays from His humanity, as the Great Shepherd of the Sheep. He is at the end of His earthly existence, and has “finished the work which thou gavest Me to do”. Jesus speaks of His work of representing the Godhead on the earth. From the age of twelve Jesus was focused on “doing My Father’s business” (Luke 2:49).
John 14:8-10 (KJV) Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. [9] Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? HE THAT HATH SEEN ME HATH SEEN THE FATHER; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? [10] Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Jesus lived to do the Father’s will, so much so that to see Him was to see the Father. Would that we who are Christians live our lives as imitators of God, as dear Children (Ephesians 5:1). Jesus lived to glorify God, and His road was at an end. Barclay noted in his commentary:
“There is only one way to glorify God, and that is to obey God.”
Jesus lived as we should live, representing the Father on this earth. As His work is finished He will soon die. Beloved, we live on this earth until we have finished the work that God has given to us. Once completed – or rejected – then God brings us to Himself. Christ ran a good race. He did as the Father commanded. Now His time was closing. So Jesus prays for His little flock that He must soon leave.
John 17:5-9 (KJV) And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. [6] I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. [7] Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. [8] For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. [9] I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
All souls belong to God. The Father gave these men to the Son, and Jesus was faithful to the stewardship He was given.
John 6:37-38 (KJV) All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. [38] For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
John 15:19 (KJV) If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
The Christian who is a Christian indeed is no longer OF this world. We belong to God. Jesus prayed for the men whom He taught, those called of God His disciples. He prayed that His disciples would remain strong as He moved toward the hour of the Cross. Jesus did not pray for the world. Jesus does not pray for the lost who reject Him as Lord and Savior. He prays for His own. He prays that they will be strengthened.
John 17:10-11 (KJV) And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. [11] And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
Jesus prayed for His disciples as the Good Shepherd. Jesus prays for His disciples today as our High Priest. He prays to the Holy Father. This phrase is only found in Bible in this Scripture. That makes the phrase unique. God is our Father in that He loves us and provides for our needs. And yet, even though our Father He is holy. He is without sin.
If the Father is holy, then we who are born
into His family are to be holy.
Leviticus 19:2 (KJV) …Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.
1 Peter 1:14-16 (KJV) As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: [15] But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; [16] Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Amy Grant sang a song a few years ago called “My Father’s Eyes”:
I may not be every mother’s dream for her little girl
And my face may not grace the mind of everyone in the world
But that’s all right as long as I can have one wish I pray
When people look inside my life, I want to hear them say
She’s got her Father’s eyes, her Father’s eyes
Eyes that find the good in things
When good is not around
Eyes that find the source of help
When help just can’t be found
Eyes full of compassion, seeing every pain
Knowin’ what you’re going through, and feeling it the same
Just like my Father’s eyes
What she was speaking of was imitating God. As Jesus imitated the Father so perfectly that to see Him was to see the Father, we who are His are to imitate our Father.
We are to be like our Creator in behavior.
We are to reject sin.
We are to be like our Creator in unity.
Jesus prayed “That they may be ONE as we are”
God is glorified in this present world when His people – His Church – is united as the Trinity is united. As God is, so shall we one day be. Let us be in One Accord in all things holy, imitating God to His glory. The Church is not to be like the world, but like the Father. Let us band together to do so as He has called us to do. May God touch your hearts with his Word!
“Prayer is an act of faith. Just by praying to God, you are declaring our trust in someone other than yourself. Your faith is increased as you pray and watch how God answers your prayers. God says in Jeremiah 33:3, Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know. God is awesome in power and there is never a time when He is not beside you.”
Charles Stanley
“There is no promise God cannot keep, no prayer God will not answer, and no problem too hard for Him to solve.” Adrian Rogers
Our country is terribly divided today. Civil discourse has ceased. The two leading political parties – Democrats and Republicans – will not work together with a common goal. Even the Church in America seems to have lost its purpose. Beloved, we as Christians must pray.
True Prayer Begins In The Prayer Closet.
Our Lord Calls Every Christian To Pray Daily.
We Must Pray Often.
We Must Live Lives Of Prayer.
Let us stand together and read this promise from our Heavenly Father:
2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV) If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
How Does Christ Want His People To Pray?
E.M. Bounds“What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use – men of prayer, men mighty in prayer.”
The disciples often heard Jesus pray in public. They saw how passionate Jesus was about prayer.
When Jesus spoke to God He did so not as other Rabbis of that time did, but spoke to God as “Father”. Though God is called “Father” in the Old Testament Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology notes that:
“Throughout the Bible we find God portrayed as a Father. This portrayal, however, is surprisingly rare in the Old Testament. There God is specifically called the Father of the nation of Israel ( Deuteronomy 32:6 ; Isaiah 63:16 ; [twice] 64:8 ; Jeremiah 3:4; 3:19 ; 31:9 ; Malachi 1:6 ; 2:10 ) or the Father of certain individuals ( 2 Samuel 7:14 ; 1 Chronicles 17:13 ; 22:10 ; 28:6 ; Psalm 68:5 ; 89:26 ) ONLY FIFTEEN TIMES.” {emphasis mine}
The Jews had an almost superstitious fear of calling God “Father”. Yet when Jesus prayed His prayers were intimate. He frequently and lovingly called God “Father”. This happened so often in earshot of His disciples that one day we read:
Luke 11:1 (KJV) And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
John the Baptist taught those who followed him how to pray. Now the disciples were committed to Jesus, and asked Him to teach them how to pray.
Jesus Taught That Effective Prayer
As Well As Giving Begins In The Heart.
Luke records the request of the disciples, but Matthew gives further background to Jesus’ teaching on prayer. Jesus taught that both giving as well as prayer – to be effective – must begin in the private life of the believer.
Prayer And Giving Are Tied Together
Matthew 6:1-4 (KJV) Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. [2] Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. [3] But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: [4] That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
When we give, we are to give out of a generous heart to our God. We are not to be like the hypocrites are. Who were the hypocrites?
The word hypocrite is the Greek HUPOCRITES, which means “an actor under an assumed character, a stage-player, someone who is playing a part”. A HUPOCRITOS is someone who is pretending to be what they are not. Jesus used HUPOCRITOS for religious pretenders like the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes). They did not give out of a love for God, but out of a love for good PR – public relations. The HUPOCRITOS loved the pat on te back, the atta-boyz, the commendations and rewards. When they gave, they gave just enough to gain the praise of man. Our God looks on the heart:
1 Samuel 16:7 (KJV) … the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
Jesus taught His disciples how to GIVE before He taught them how to PRAY because God will not listen to the selfish or prideful person. We are told in Job 35:12 “there they cry, but none giveth answer because of the PRIDE of evil men.” James tells us (James 4:3) “Ye ask, and receive not, BECAUSE YE ASK AMISS, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
You Must Get Your GIVING Right
Before God Will Give You Anything!
If our giving comes from a heart that is perverse, then our praying will be perverse. We will find ourselves publicly praying like the Pharisee in the Temple who said:
Luke 18:11-12 (KJV) …. I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Proud at the offering plate, proud at the altar. Get right in your giving and you will be right in your praying!
Matthew 6:5 (KJV) And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
The hardest thing for me to do is to pray publicly. Why? Because many times the flesh rises up, and I begin to listen to the background noise of the congregation as I pray rather than to the Lord. Frequent and daily private prayer helps me to focus my attention on the Father and not on that which is going on around me. When we pray to be heard of man then you have your reward. You need not expect God to answer your prayer.
Matthew 6:6 (KJV) But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
The “closet” that Jesus speaks of is a TAMIEION, which is a dedicated place used for praying. It doesn’t mean a “closet” as in a “clothes closet”, but does speak of a sacred place where you meet with your Heavenly Father. Where can your “closet” be? It can be any place where there are no cell phones and no interruptions. It could be a favorite place in the woods or by a stream, in a park, or on a prayer walk. It is a place where you can speak to your Heavenly Father in secret, where no one else will hinder. A place where you can pour your heart out to God. Your prayer closet can even be in a crowd of people if you can focus yourself Godward. Before Jesus was crucified He went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. We read:
Luke 22:39-41 (KJV) {Jesus} came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. [40] And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. [41] And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
Prayer Is Not A Formula But A Conversation
It is surprising to me as to how many professed Christians are involved in Yoga today. The dictionary definition of Yoga is:
“a Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, a part of which, including breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures, is widely practiced for health and relaxation”
Yoga has no roots in Christian or Judaic faith. An integral part of Yoga is the mantra, a word that is repeated and focused on. This is not what Jesus taught His disciples to do. Jesus said:
Matthew 6:7-8 (KJV) But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
The “heathen” or unbelievers use vain repetitions. This is the Greek BATTOLOGEO, which means “stammering speech, stuttering, prating tediously”.
The purpose of prayer is communication with God. You do not communicate with God when you say ten “Hail Marys” and fifteen “Our Fathers”. You do not communicate with God when you rattle off the “Lord’s Prayer”. You do not communicate with God as your “Father” when you repeat “Om” or some other word.
The Elements Of Effective Prayer
Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV) After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
What are the elements of effective prayer?
aPrayer is made to the Father Who is in Heaven. He is to be exalted, for He is exalted!
b Before we ask anything of God, we pray that “His Name be hallowed”, that God be glorified. We pray that “Thy Kingdom come, and Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven”. God is to be praised and magnified first before we begin to seek the satisfaction of our needs.
c We ask that God “Give us this day our daily bread”. This request shows us that prayer
(1) is made in before the day has begun. It would make no sense to pray “give us this day our daily bread” at the end of the day, because you would have already received it.
(2) Further, we do not pray for more than our daily bread. Just as Israel was given manna for each day, we should not expect a treasure trove, but that our Father meet our daily needs.
d We also pray that God deliver us from the evil one, which is the literal translation of the text. By praying thus we remind ourselves that our preservation from evil and evil’s Master is in God’s hand – not in ours.
e We pray “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”. Every day we pray for forgiveness, and every day we forgive those who have offended us. Jesus added as He finished the model prayer:
Matthew 6:14-15 (KJV) For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: [15] But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
An unforgiving heart is an unforgiven heart!
The Christian is called to love our enemies. Jesus said:
Matthew 5:44-45 (KJV) But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
f We end our prayers with “Thine is the Kingdom”. We recognize that our existence is devoted to God’s Will and God’s Work, to build His Kingdom on this earth.
When Should I Pray?
Jesus made solitary prayer the first part of His day. The Scripture says:
Mark 1:35-37 (KJV) And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. 36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. 37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.
Prayer was not something that Jesus tacked on to the end of His day. It was something He did first. He found a solitary place, a place where He could be alone with His Father. Jesus didn’t apologize for this either. When the disciples came and said, “All men seek for You”, Jesus didn’t say “I’m sorry, I’ve been praying”. No, not at all! Jesus said, “Let’s go into the next towns, that I may preach there, for that’s what my duty is” (Mark 1:38).
Jesus made solitary prayer the last part of His day as well. Jesus prayed before He preached. Prayer did not stop Him from going, but prayer came first. Jesus prayed after He preached as well. We read:
Matthew 14:23 (KJV) And when {Jesus} had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
Prayer was a deliberate act for Jesus. He sent the crowds away. He literally said, “Go away – I’m busy. I’m going to talk with My Father.” Jesus walked away from the crowds. The Scripture says:
Luke 5:15-16 (KJV) But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. 16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.
Jesus had multitudes clamoring for Him. They all wanted to hear. They all wanted to be healed. Yet at the end of the day Jesus withdrew Himself into the wilderness and prayed. If we would be a blessing to others, we must go to our Heavenly Father in prayer. We must seek His guidance and His protection. He must guide us through the day, and give us perspective at the end of the day.
There were times when Jesus prayed all night long, forgoing physical rest so He could gain spiritual rest. The Bible tells us that just before He chose His disciples He prayed.
Luke 6:12-16 (KJV) And it came to pass in those days, that {Jesus} went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; 14 Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, 15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, 16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.
While we toss and turn, worrying about important decisions we are going to make, Jesus prayed until the Father told Him what to do.
Isn’t that the much better option? Wouldn’t it be better if we prayed over the important stuff of our lives until the Lord gave us clarity and direction? This is what the Scripture tells us:
Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. [7] And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
One day, a little girl is sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly notices that her mother has several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head. “Why are some of your hairs white, Mom?” she asks. Her mother replies, “Well, every time you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white.” The little girl thinks about this awhile, then asks, “So how come ALL of Grandma’s hairs are white?”
If we want to peace that is our inheritance, we need to do as God says. Don’t worry – pray!
Deuteronomy 8:1-3 (KJV) All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers. 2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. 3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
What is the most important thing in the world to you?
You might initially think it’s …
your job (if you have a good job)
or your spouse (if you love your spouse)
or your bank account (if you have money in the bank)
The beautiful person might believe the most important thing is their looks. The aging person might wish for youth once more. But in reality, the most important thing to all of us is
Life!
Our Lord Jesus asked:
Mark 8:36-37 (KJV) For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
The most important thing to each of us is life. I have never met anyone on their death bed who looked back over their life and wished for one more moment at work, or one more penny in a bank account. When we come to the end of our road – for we will all come there – we will look back on our lives and long for more life. Jesus came to give us life. The Master said
John 10:10 (KJV) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Jesus is the wellspring of life! As John tells us:
John 1:4 (KJV) In him {Jesus} was life; and the life was the light of men.
In Jesus there is life! We look to Him for life, both now and into eternity. There is no life apart from Christ. And if you are living your life WITHOUT Christ then you are living but a shadow of what God wants you to have.
John the Baptist told the Pharisees and Sadducees that they were “a generation of vipers” (Matthew 3:7). Was John just name calling? No. A viper is a deadly poisonous snake. What is in the viper’s mouth? Death. Not life, but death. What the Pharisees and Sadducees were teaching brought only death, not life. The Pharisees were representative of religion, the Sadducees representative of liberal politics. What they offered in their teaching was death, not life. They were the thieves and robbers Jesus spoke of later on in His ministry. John preached:
Matthew 3:10-12 (KJV) And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Jesus is the Giver of Life, not of death. Jesus will destroy death, destroy that which is not of God. He will erase evil, and magnify God’s good. After His baptism what happened to Jesus? The Bible says that after He was baptized by John that He was:
Matthew 4:1 (KJV) Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
Jesus would be put in a place where He would do battle with the devil. The devil is real. The devil is the thief and robber behind the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Bible says “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, and the rulers of the darkness”. We wrestle against the devil’s forces. So God the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to do battle with the evil one, to show us a battle between life and death. The King of the vipers will wrestle the King of Kings. Jesus fasts – goes without food – for forty days and nights. There is nothing to eat. The Bible says that at the end of this fast:
Matthew 4:2 (KJV) … when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
Jesus is hungry. He is God in spirit, but God become glorified Man. Man must eat. If Jesus doesn’t eat, He will die. Here comes the devil. The devil always comes to attack us at our weakest moment, and Jesus is at His weakest moment. His stomach hurts. He craves food. He must soon eat, or He will die. The devil, that thief and robber, says to Jesus:
Matthew 4:3 (KJV) …. If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
What is it the devil is saying to Jesus? He is saying “you have the power to make bread. You are able to alleviate this hunger. Command the stones. Turn them into warm, toasty loaves of bread. Eat! Fill your belly! Your life is more important than anything else.” How would you answer this challenge? We are weak, you and I. But Jesus is not weak.
Jesus is life, and life does not compromise with death
How does Jesus respond to the devil? His reply is taken from today’s text:
Matthew 4:4 (KJV) … It is written, {in Deuteronomy 8:3} Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 to defeat the devil, to defeat death himself. It is not BREAD that gives life, but GOD. It is not THINGS that give life, but GOD. There is life in God. There is life in Jesus. We must obey the Lord if we want to be blessed in life.
Obeying God’s Word Brings The GOOD Life
Deuteronomy 8:1 (KJV) All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye OBSERVE TO DO..
God knows what is best for His people. He is our Maker, and the Lover of our souls. He tells His people “You need to not just HEAR what I’m saying, but to DO it.” Why does God give us commandments? He says:
Deuteronomy 8:1 …. that ye may LIVE, and MULTIPLY, and GO IN and POSSESS the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers.
God wants us to really LIVE!
God wants us to MULTIPLY or INCREASE.
God wants us to GO IN or ACHIEVE.
God wants us to POSSESS and not be possessed by!
God offers all who will heed Him a great life. Not just EXISTENCE, but LIFE. To be blessed we must heed the Great Shepherd of our souls!
Psalms 100:3 (KJV) Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
The devil and the world tells us to disconnect from God and be blessed, to live life without God and His Word. He whispers in our ears …
Your life is the most precious thing.
YOU do what YOU can to make it better.
It is this type of thinking that has brought godless abortion to America today. I am told that several states now allow the killing of a baby all the way up to the time of delivery – and celebrate this death! What has brought us to this place of immorality?
It’s MY life and I’LL do what I want to with it.
Following this line of reasoning women have allowed themselves to be used by men to satisfy their sexual desires. The godless bedroom has caused an unwanted pregnancy. What to do? Well, let’s kill it. Yet the Bible tells us that life is most precious. God has a purpose for each person, even while that person is being formed in the womb. He said to Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 1:5 (KJV) Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
And David said:
Psalms 139:14-16 (KJV) I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
Life is precious. God gives us His Word and directs us to the best life. When Israel rejected God’s Word and refused to enter the Promised Land the Word of God caused them to wander for forty years. During that time though they wandered God blessed His people.
Deuteronomy 8:2 (KJV) And thou shalt REMEMBER all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
God led His people by humbling them.
Oh, how we need to be humbled!
In America today we are so arrogant.
We think we know all things, but we know nothing.
God makes us wander until we are humbled, realizing that he is God and we are not. God proves us by bring trials our way. He puts what seems to be more than we can bear on us. God does that when we are arrogant. The beginning of the good life comes through humility. What saith the Scripture?
1 Peter 5:5-7 (KJV) … Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
God cares for you. He wants you to have a good life. But in order for you to have a good life you must come to Him as God. He knows what is best. Praise Him! Magnify Him! Lift Him up!
Obeying God’s Word Brings CONTINUED Life
Deuteronomy 8:3 (KJV) And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
There are times when God will take away your bread, or allow affliction to come to you. Why does He do this? Because He is mad at you? No. Because He is cruel? Absolutely not. God allows us to hunger so that we will learn to love Him above all else. God is the Giver of life. We were made by Him to live with Him.
God did a very interesting thing with Israel that He did with no other nation. He allowed Israel to be hungry. When they became hungry they started to complain. They murmured against God (Exodus 16:8). God said to His people:
Exodus 16:12 (KJV) I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.
God hears when we complain. He hears when we praise Him. God said “I’ve heard your belly aching … so I’m going to give you meat and bread, and you’ll know that I am God!” The Bible says:
Exodus 16:13-15 (KJV) And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. 14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. 15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
Illustrate The Israelites knew what the quail was. It was meat. But when they saw the bread of God they called it מָן mân, (pronounced mawn), which means “What is it?” They had no clue what this bread of Heaven was, for it was something never before seen. So they called it “What is it?” or Manna. It was God’s provision given day by day. But God put a stipulation on the manna. He said “Gather no more than what a person can eat in a day – one OMER – (which is equivalent to about 2.3 liters according to the Jewish Study Bible). A bottle of soda is 2 liters. Considering this then the amount of manna that each person was allowed was about the size of 1 1/3 of a bottle of soda.
If they were greedy and gathered too much then “it bred worms and stank” (Exodus 16:19).
If they were lazy and didn’t gather it early in the morning, then it melted (Exodus 16:21).
They were allowed to gather two omers the day before the Sabbath (Exodus 16:22)
What was God showing His people and us? He was showing us that God is true to His Word. He provides enough blessing for us each and every day. When we heed His Word then we have a blessed life. When we do not heed His Word, if we are GREEDY life becomes WORMY. If we are LAZY then we lose His blessings. We are to HEAR and DO as God says if we will be blessed!
God loves you, and wants to bless you. But God tells Israel:
Deuteronomy 8:5-9 (KJV) Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee. 6 Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. 7 For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land …
We are to hear and obey our Lord if we are going to have a blessed life. Our God loves us. He wants us to be blessed!
Let Us Hear And Obey The Word For EVERLASTING Life
Deuteronomy 8:3 (KJV) {God} … FED THEE WITH MANNA, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
God sent manna from Heaven to feed His Old Testament people. What did this “Manna” represent? Someone asked Jesus one day:
John 6:28 (KJV) … What shall we do, that WE MIGHT WORK THE WORKS OF GOD?
That is a very good question. God wants us to both HEAR and DO His will. So what is the thing that God wants us to DO above all else? Jesus replied:
John 6:29 (KJV) …. This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Jesus Christ was sent of God the Father. He is the Eternal Son Who was SENT of the Father. Jesus said to the Father:
John 17:3 (KJV) And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Jesus is sent of the Father. In Him is life. Jesus told the Jews “God SENT Me so that you can BELIEVE on Me”. The Jews replied “Give us a sign that You are sent of God. God SENT us manna in the wilderness (John 6:31). Prove to us You are SENT, Jesus!” And Jesus replied:
John 6:32-39 (KJV) … Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35 And Jesus said unto them, I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. 37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
The manna that God sent in the Old Testament to Israel is a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Precious Bread of Heaven. The Israelite was to gather the manna daily and early to be blessed. They were to gather enough manna for one day. Jesus is God’s manna from Heaven. He came to give us eternal life. Jesus is enough! He is all we need to live.
Oh, how life is empty until you discover that Manna that is Christ. Oh, how wasted life is that is not lived in Christ. But how rich life is in Him, God’s Manna from Heaven!
I love the story Chuck Swindoll tells of the time he was in service as a Marine many years ago. These are Chuck’s words (from God’s Word – It Never Returns Void”):
“When I served overseas in the Marines many years ago, I had a bunk mate named Eddie. When he found out I was a Christian, he told me in no uncertain terms: “Hey, I want to tell you something, Swindle. I didn’t come over here to Okinawa to be evangelized. So just back off, okay?”
“Sure, that’s no problem,” I answered. So, I’d lie up on my top bunk and I’d try to figure out how I could get Eddie interested in the Lord Jesus. One day I said, “Hey Eddie, can you help me with some of these words?” I dropped down about forty of my verse cards, and I said, “Let’s see if I can do these.” They were verses like John 3:16 and other verses on salvation. So I began: “For God, uh . . .”
“SO,” Eddie added impatiently.
“Oh, okay,” I’d reply, “For God so . . . uh . . .”
“LOVED!”
“Yes, yes, that’s it. For God so loved the world.” We went through dozens of verses just like that. Fast-forward thirty years . . . and the phone rings one day in my study. “Hey, Swindle!” I said, “This can only be a guy named Eddie.”
“Yeah,” Eddie answered, “Hey, you know that trick you played on me in Okinawa? Well, it worked! I’m loving Jesus now.”
Chuck ended with …. “Isn’t God good? The power of the Word of God never fails to amaze me.”
God’s Word has power. His spoken Word created the universe and all that is in it. His written Word promises us life. And if we receive His Sent Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, and live by Him daily, then we have not only a blessed life but ETERNAL life. Oh praise God for His unspeakable and wonderful Gift! May you find Jesus, the Eternal Word of God. May you both HEAR and DO His Word to be blessed!
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bibleteacher.org 