Translate:
AS BELIEVERS IN CHRIST JESUS,,, WE FIND IN TODAYS READING,,, THAT JESUS PRAYED FOR HIS DISCIPLES,,, PRIOR TO HIS DEPARTURE INTO HEAVEN.
AND,,, HE IS NOW SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER,,, INTERCEDING FOR EACH ONE OF US.
HE HAS NEVER STOPPED PRAYING FOR US,,, THAT WE MIGHT LIVE OUR LIVES,,, TO THE GLORY OF GOD. BUT JESUS ALSO PRAYED FOR HIMSELF,,,,, WHY?
JESUS RAISED HIS EYES TO HEAVEN,,, AND ASKED THE FATHER TO GIVE GLORY,,, TO HIMSELF,,, SO HE COULD GIVE ETERNAL LIFE,,, TO ALL WHO THE FATHER GIVES TO HIM,,, AS BELIEVERS,,, HIS DISCIPLES.
JESUS,,, PRAYED FOR BELIEVERS,,, AS WELL AS FOR HIMSELF,,, AND SINCE WE ARE ONE BODY IN CHRIST,,, BY SPIRITUAL NEW BIRTH AND ADOPTION,,, OUT OF THE KINGDOM OF EVIL,,, WE ARE TO GIVE GLORY TO GOD THE FATHER!
JESUS DIDN’T PRAY FOR THE WORLD,,, BUT CONTINUES TO PRAY FOR THE ONES,,, THAT GOD THE FATHER GAVE TO HIM. BELIEVERS,,, WHO NOW BELONG,,, FULLY,,, TO GOD THE FATHER,,, AND,,, TO HIS SON,,, JESUS CHRIST!
WHEN JESUS PRAYED FOR HIMSELF,,, HE WASN’T BEING SELFISH. YOU SEE,,, A PRAYER FOR ONES SELF,,, IS NOT A SELFISH PRAYER AT ALL. DON’T FORGET,,, IT IS SUPPORTED BY OTHER SCRIPTURES THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE.
THAT IS WHY JESUS IS PRAYING FOR HIMSELF,,, AT THIS POINT. HE’S AWARE THAT HE IS NEAR THE END OF HIS EARTHLY MINISTRY AND HE WILL SOON BE RETURNING TO THE FATHER,,, SO HE PRAYS,,,
“NOW GLORIFY ME FATHER,,, WITH YOU,,, WITH THE GLORY THAT I HAD WITH YOU,,, BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN.”
JESUS IS ASKING THE FATHER TO RESTORE HIM WITH THE GLORY,,, AT THE FATHER’S SIDE,,, THAT HE HAD BEFORE THE WORLD WAS,,, WHICH JESUS HAD LAID ASIDE,,, TO TAKE ON HUMAN FLESH!
JESUS IS SAYING,,,
I HAVE GLORIFIED YOU FATHER,,, BY THE FINISHED WORK ON THE CROSS. NOW RESTORE ME,,, WITH THE GLORY WE SHARED TOGETHER,,, BEFORE THE WORLD WAS.
THE QUOTE; “FATHER,,, THE HOUR HAS COME” REMINDS US,,, OF THE MANY TIMES IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN,,, WHEN,,, “THE HOUR” IS MENTIONED.
WE NEED TO REMEMBER,,, THAT JESUS LIVED ON A DIVINE TIMETABLE FROM HEAVEN,,, BUT,,, WHILE HE WAS ON EARTH,,, DOING THE WILL OF THE FATHER,,, HE WAS NOT ON A HUMAN TIMETABLE!
HOW OFTEN,,, DO WE FORGET,,, THAT GOD’S TIMETABLE,,, IS NOT THE SAME AS OURS!
BROTHERS AND SISTERS,,, THE FOCUS OF TODAY’S GOSPEL,,, IS;
TO GIVE GLORY,,, TO CHRIST,,, AND TO THE FATHER!
IN THIS PASSAGE,,, THE WORDS; “GLORY” OR “GLORIFY”,,, ARE USED SIX TIMES. MORE THAN 1/3 OF THE NEW TESTAMENT USES THE VERB “GLORY” AND THEY OCCUR IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN.
JOHN HAD TREMENDOUS PASSION
FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.
WHEN YOU GIVE OF YOURSELF TO WORSHIP,,, IN THE LITURGY,,, USING ALL YOUR SENSES AND HEART,,, YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF ALMOST BREATHLESS,,, CAUGHT UP,,, IN THE MAJESTY,,, POWER AND WONDER OF THE GLORY OF GOD,,, ESPECIALLY AT
THE HOLY EUCHARIST!
YOU CAN LOOK AROUND,,, AND SEE OTHERS HAVE ALSO COME,,, WHO ARE THERE,,, IN THE WONDER OF THAT MOMENT,,, ALL JOINED TOGETHER,,, ON THIS JOURNEY,,, FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE GLORY OF GOD!
ISN’T THAT WHAT WE’RE HERE FOR? TO FEEL THAT PASSION,,, IN OUR HEARTS,,, JUST LIKE JOHN DID,,, WHILE GIVING WORSHIP,,, ADORATION AND GLORY TO GOD!
MY BELOVED,,, THE POINT IS:
THAT THE GLORY OF THE LORD,,, IS GOD’S PRESENCE,,, RIGHT HERE,,, IN THIS CHURCH.
OR,,, DURING THESE DIFFICULT TIMES,,,
RIGHT THERE IN YOUR LIVING ROOM,,,
AND ALWAYS,,, FIRMLY IN YOUR HEARTS,,,
AND HOW WE ACT TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER.
THROUGH JESUS’ COMPLETE SACRAFICE ONTHE CROSS,,, JESUS HAS GIVEN US THE REVELATION OF HIS FATHER’S NAME.
THE OLD TESTAMENT JEWS,,, KNEW GOD AS “JEHOVAH” “THE GREAT I AM” AND JESUS TOOK THE SACRED NAME,,, I AM,,, AND MADE IT MEANINGFUL,,, TO HIS DISCIPLES,,, WHEN HE SAID:
I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE (JOHN 6:35),,,
I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD,,,(JOHN 8: 13),,, AND
I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD IN (JOHN 10: 11).
IN OTHER WORDS,,, JESUS REVEALED THE FATHER’S GRACIOUS NAME BY SHOWING HIS DISCIPLES,,, THAT
HE WAS EVERYTHING THEY NEEDED!
BUT THE FATHER’S NAME,,, INCLUDES SO MUCH MORE THAN THIS. BECAUSE JESUS ALSO TAUGHT HIS DISCIPLES,,, THAT GOD,,, THE GREAT I AM,,,
WAS THEIR “ABBA FATHER”!
IN HIS MESSAGE TO THE JEWS,,, JESUS MADE IT PERFECTLY CLEAR,,, THAT THE FATHER SENT HIM,,, THAT HE WAS ONE WITH THE FATHER AND THAT HIS WORD AND WORKS,,, CAME FROM THE FATHER.
IT WAS JESUS’ CLAIM,,, TO BEING GOD,,, BUT THEY REFUSED TO BELIEVE!
BUT THOSE WHO BELIEVE,,, AND WHO ACCEPT THE FINISHED WORK OF JESUS CHRIST,,, ARE;
THE FATHER’S GIFT TO HIS SON!
THE DISCIPLES WERE JEWS,,, AND BELONGED TO THE FATHER,,, UNDER THE OLD COVENANT,,, BUT NOW,,, THEY BELONGED TO THE SON,,, BY NEW BIRTH,,, BAPTISM,,, AND FAITH.
EACH OF US HAVE RECEIVED THESE SAME GIFTS AND WE ARE THE FATHER’S GIFT,,, TO JESUS,,, HIS SON.
HOW SPECIAL AND PRECIOUS ARE WE IN HIS SIGHT?
WHENEVER YOU FEEL AS THOUGH THE LORD HAS FORGOTTEN YOU,,, OR,,, THAT HIS LOVE SEEMS FAR AWAY,,, AS MANY OF US MAY HAVE,,, MAYBE EVEN
DURING THE PANDEMIC,,, REMEMBER THIS,,, FROM
(JOHN 3: 16)
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD,,, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON,,, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM,,, SHOULD NOT PERISH,,, BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
JESUS TOLD US,,, THAT IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT FOR US,,, TO LIVE IN THIS WORLD.
AND SO TODAY,,, WE HEARD JESUS PRAYING FOR US,,, PRIOR TO HIS DEPARTURE,,, WHEN HE SAID:
“I PRAY FOR THEM,,, I DO NOT PRAY FOR THE WORLD,,, BUT FOR THE ONES YOU HAVE GIVEN TO ME,,, BECAUSE THEY ARE YOURS,,, AND EVERYTHING OF MINE IS YOURS,,, AND EVERYTHING OF YOURS IS MINE,,, AND I HAVE BEEN GLORIFIED IN THEM.”
JESUS TELLS US THAT HE IS PRAYING FOR US,,, BUT,,, NOT FOR THE WORLD,,, SO WHY DO WE SPEND SO MUCH TIME TRYING TO GAIN SIMPLE MATERIAL POSSESSIONS?
WOULDN’T IT BE MUCH BETTER,,, IF WE SPENT MORE TIME GLORIFYING GOD?
REMEMBER,,, ALL OF THE TRINITY RESIDES WITHIN OUR HEARTS,,, NOT IN OUR POSSESSIONS!
GOD ALREADY OWNS EVERYTHING WE HAVE.
GOD CREATED EVERYTHING! ALL OUR POSSESSIONS ARE HIS,,, AND HE ONLY LOANS THEM TO US,,, TO USE,,, WHILE WE’RE HERE ON THE EARTH!
BROTHERS AND SISTERS,,, BECAUSE WE SHARE IN THE LIFE AND LIGHT OF JESUS CHRIST,,, BY OUR ADOPTION,,, WE SHOULD SHOW OUR LOVE OF GOD,,, IN OUR DAILY LIVES,,, BY THE WAY WE TREAT ONE ANOTHER,,, AND WE SHOULD REFLECT THE GLORY OF GOD,,, BY THE WAY THAT WE CARRY GOD IN OUR HEARTS.
LET US ALWAYS SHOW THE LOVE OF GOD TO OTHERS BY HOW WE LIVE OUR DAILY LIVES.
BY DOING THIS,,, WE WILL BE,,, GIVING AND GLORIFYING,,, GOD THE FATHER,,,GOD THE SON,,, AND GOD,,, THE HOLY SPIRIT!
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER,,, AND OF THE SON,,, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
+++
1162 Wds, 5 Pgs