The Biblical Path of Life

Tag: Glorify

  • Jesus’ Prayer

    “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

    John 15:13

    We have heard all of our lives that God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to save us from our sin. But have you ever thought about how Jesus felt on the eve of that event? Consider Jesus’ prayer as He was about to give up His life – for us. As we read the prayer from His heart (see John 17), recognize how His heart was opened up and revealed for us to understand His heart’s desire as He prayed to His Father. If you take time to look back at Psalm 22, one can understand that Jesus knew of the suffering He was about to endure on the cross for our sins. This will help us understand more clearly the love Jesus had for us, His friends. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

    Understanding the suffering death He was about to endure, Jesus did just what we have learned that we should do – He took the issues of His heart to God. “The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD” (Proverbs 16:1). (Preparationsmeans “preparing for a particular purpose”.) Jesus’ heart was preparing for the task at hand. “1. 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. 4. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:1–4). Glorifymeans “to reveal the divine character and attributes of God”. (See John 2:11; John 11:40; John 12:23-35; John 13:31-32 of a few instances where Jesus glorified God.)

    Remember: “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18). Jesus understood this and mentioned it in His prayer. He understood that His life here on this earth was to reveal God to man. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The only way the world could be saved was to know God and what He did for mankind (sending His Son to be the propitiation for our sins). “9. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9–10). (Propitiation is “the means of putting away sin and establishing righteousness—only by Jesus presented as the righteous one, making payment for sin; once and for all”.) This was the work that God sent Jesus to do.

    Think about some of the finished work of Christ when He came. His miracles and messages, the training of His disciples for future work, and ultimately the required sacrifice. “11. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13. From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 14. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified… 17. And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 18. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin” (Hebrews 10:11-14, 17-18). (See also Hebrews 9:24-28.)

    Recognizing this, we must understand that because of this finished work, Believers can have the gift of eternal life. “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” (John 17:2-3).

    Something exciting to consider: Believers are the Father’s gift to His Son, Jesus (see John 17:2, 6, 9, 11-12, 24 and especially notice that Believers today are included in John 17:20). We remember God’s gift to us (see John 3:16). But it should be special to us that we are God’s gift to His Son, Jesus. The only work we can do to achieve this status is found in John 6:29: “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” We must believe on Jesus.

    Have you believed, receiving the gift of eternal life, becoming one that Jesus prayed for in the garden?

    Have you become a gift from God to Jesus?

    http://biblicalpath.com/index.php/how-to-be-saved/

  • A Warning

    “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
    1 Corinthians 6:20

    One cannot help but remember a very strange event that happened in the Old Testament. There was a man of God sent to King Jeroboam to warn him not to practice the false religion that he was establishing. King Jeroboam rejected the message and told his men to “lay hold on him.” When King Jeroboam stretched out his hand against the man of God, his hand dried up so that he could not pull it back to himself. He asked the man of God to pray for his hand to be restored. And it was. The king had rejected the message for we read that he continued to practice his false religion (see 1 Kings 14:9).

    After delivering the message and the healing of Jeroboam’s hand, the man of God prepared to return home. When the king invited the man of God to his home to refresh himself and give him a reward, the man of God declared that God had given him specific instructions: “For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest” (1 Kings 13:9). And this what the man of God chose to do. Obey God.

    While on his way home, “an old prophet in Bethel” heard what happened and invited the man of God to come home and eat with him. The man of God told the old prophet: “For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest” (1 Kings 13:17). Yet the old prophet answered, “… I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him” (1 Kings 13:18). Did you notice what happened? This old prophet stated that he had a “word of the Lord” declaring this man of God was to go home with him and eat. We read something that the man of God did not recognize. This old prophet “lied unto him.” The man of God listened to him, went to his house and ate with him. Then the man of God learned that he would die because of his disobedience to God. While on his way home, a lion met the man of God along the way and killed him. Then the lion stood by the dead man of God and his donkey as people walked by and saw.

    Why did this man of God die? He had previously obeyed God by delivering His message to King Jeroboam and even prayed for the healing of his hand. Yet one who claimed to have a “word” from God for him had deceived him. He then disobeyed God’s Word that had been directly given to him.

    Of all of the good the man of God had done, all saw when he had been deceived.

    There are so many things that a Christian should learn from this incident:

    • Satan wants to destroy Christians: see 1 Peter 5:8
    • If Satan cannot destroy, he wants to deceive: see 2 Corinthians 11:3-4
    • We are warned to not compromise, for our words become invalid: see Proverbs 25:26
    • A warning to not even eat with one called a brother if they live a sinful lifestyle: see 1 Corinthians 5:11-13
    • Be careful to whom you listen, watching out for false prophets: see 1 John 4:1
    • Be careful to not listen to “seducing spirits” (means one who is misleading or an imposter): see 1 Timothy 4:1
    • Understand false teachers are here and will try to deceive you: see 2 Peter 2:1-3

    In this recollection of the man of God who succumbed to the old prophet’s deception, recognize something important. This man of God did not compromise his message (for it was from God); however, he did compromise his conduct. The man of God paid for his disobedience with his life. Remember: “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20).

    It takes a commitment to live a life pleasing to God. Do not compromise or be deceived by a false teacher. 

    Have you committed to live a life pleasing to God in your word and conduct?