Theology

Praying for Glory, How Jesus Opened the Most Epic Prayer
Photo by Rodolfo Clix on Pexels.com

As Jesus prepared for His arrest and crucifixion, He lifted up His eyes to God and prayed the most epic prayer. Recorded in John 17, this is often referred to as “The High Priestly Prayer.” In it, Jesus prays for the glorification of God and Himself through the crucifixion, and He prays for His disciples that God would protect and maintain them in His absence.

It is really profound that our Lord, Who was God in flesh, lifted up such a prayer. It teaches us of the role prayer plays in our faith. It is an exercise of faith, and it is an alignment of our thoughts, desires and plans with God’s. To see Christ, Himself, do it is truly powerful.

Jesus opens this prayer in John 17:1 by saying, “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:”

He prays that the plan of salvation, our redemption through the cross, would truly be glorifying to God. And when you discuss the glory of God, truly you must discuss the cross, because it is in the cross that the full righteousness of God is on full display (Romans 1:16-17), and in the cross that God obtains final victory over Satan.

It is in the cross that our hope lies, for without the cross, we have nothing beyond this life to look forward to. Without the cross, we are left as enemies to God, living a life of frustrated divine conflict before a death leading to eternal punishment. However, with the cross, we are redeemed and reconciled to God, made friends of God, blessed to live life in His presence with His provision and guidance, before a death that leads to eternal blessings in His Kingdom.

The glory of the Lord is ubiquitous in scripture, and throughout all of human history. God was glorified in the creation. He was glorified in the creation of man. He was glorified in ejecting Satan from heaven following his revolution there. He was glorified in providing man a way of salvation after man joined Satan in that rebellion. He was glorified in raising up a nation after Himself, then using the enemies of that nation to refine them into the people He intended on them being. He was glorified in how He led them out of Egypt, and how He led them into the promised land.

God was glorified in the birth of Jesus Christ, the ministry of Jesus Christ, and the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His glory is such that, even non-believers have to acknowledge the incredible events that He performed, from the darkness on the earth when Jesus was on the cross, to the resurrection, to the impact Christ had on human history, even from a secular point of view.

And in the Gospel of John, we’ll see that glory come to it’s apex when Jesus pays for our sins on the cross. The glory of the Lord will come full circle when He returns and establishes His Kingdom on earth. This is deliverance for us, which should have us all praying for the glory of God. For it’s only in that glory that we have any hope.

How Jesus Opened the Sermon on the Mount

Seeing the multitudes gather for the miracles and teachings He provided, our Lord Jesus Christ withdrew to a mountain to prepare His disciples for the ministry they were about to begin. His preparation came in the form of a sermon, which included the basic fundamentals of the Christian life. This sermon, known as the Sermon on the Mount, demonstrated the Spirit-filled life by showing us how we should live, and how faith should manifest itself in our lives.

It’s important to understand the Sermon on the Mount in this context. Matthew 5 says that, seeing the multitudes, Jesus went up into a mountain, and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him, and He taught them. This sermon was directed at the disciples to prepare them for what He was about to call them to do.

If we understand the Sermon on the Mount in any other way, we make it a list of to-dos, and create a Pharisaical religious system to which no one can measure up.

In opening this epic message to His disciples, Jesus began with one word, “blessed.”

The word “blessed”, as we’ve discussed before, means to be happy, which means to be confident and secure.

The first thing Jesus does in speaking to His disciples is to remind them that they are blessed, that they are confident and secure. The “Beattitudes” that Jesus mentions in this passage are not a series of virtues to aspire to, but rather characteristics of life in Christ. The true Christian is humble, meek, merciful, desires righteousness, and often endures persecution.

Going through such times can often be discouraging, but Jesus sought to lift His disciples spirits by reminding them that they are blessed, that they are confident and secure. And the blessings that He promises are the blessings of the eternal Kingdom, where there will be no more sorrow or pain, where God will be our God and where He will care for us.

The blessings that He promises are that God will become tangible, our faith will be made sight, and we shall ever be with the Lord, and we will be rewarded for our service and sacrifice.

We truly are blessed, because we know that one day, Christ will return, receive us to Himself, and establish His Kingdom on earth, where we will enjoy the goodness He always intended for us.

Then, Jesus transitioned by reminding the disciples who they were. He told them, “Ye are the salt of the earth.”

Ye are the salt of the earth. Photo by Castorly Stock on Pexels.com

Much has been written about this verse over the years. From the preservative nature of salt, to the seasoning it adds, many commentators have discusses what it means for Christians to be the salt of the earth.

However, to properly interpret scripture, we have to learn to hear these words the way the disciples did. In that day, salt was a commodity. It was highly valuable due to its ability to preserve food. Known as “white gold,” it was often used to pay the salaries of the Roman soldiers, and was almost a universal currency. The point? Salt was very valuable.

When Jesus said. “Ye are the salt of the earth,” He was saying that, “in this world, you are what’s valuable.” When Jesus looks at the world, we are the treasure that He sees, and the treasure that He seeks.

This lines up with the Parable of the Treasure in the Field from Matthew 13:44, which says, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.”

Indeed, we are the treasure in the field, and Christ purchased the entire field, us included, with His blood on the cross.

Jesus wants you to know how precious you are to Him.

And finally, Jesus told His disciples that they are the light of the world. Our mission is to illuminate the world wherever we go. Just as a light bulb illuminates a dark room, we should let our lights shine through our good works, which will glorify God and lead others to a faith in the Gospel.

In the weeks ahead, we’ll continue to examine the Sermon on the Mount, using this context as our lens of interpretation. If you feel that you have anything to add, or any questions, feel free to post them to the comments.

Blessed: What It Means

In His first major sermon to the multitudes, Jesus began with one word… “blessed.”

What followed was a list of people who could consider themselves blessed. “Blessed are the poor in spirit… blessed are they that mourn… blessed are the meek…” and so on. The essence of the opening words of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 was that those who know the Lord, who reflect His nature in their very lives, are blessed.

The word blessed is the state of being. Those disciples to whom Jesus preached were not aspiring to being blessed, they already were blessed. The implied promise is that those who know the Lord and live by His Spiritual leadership will be blessed, but what does it mean to be blessed?

The word translated into “blessed” in Matthew 5 means to be happy. That makes sense, until you start to wonder what it means to be happy.

What does it mean to be happy?

Sadly, so many people in our world today struggle because they pursue happiness, but fail to grasp what it really is.

For some, happiness is a state of joy, and to maintain happiness, one must maintain a continual state of joy. This is unsustainable and impossible, and almost always leads to bad choices, sacrificing long-term blessings for short-term pleasures, and warps one’s sense of values.

For some, happiness is a state of accomplishment. The problem with this approach is that the satisfaction of accomplishments is usually short-lived. Ask any Super Bowl winning quarterback, and they’ll tell you.

No, happiness is a state of being confident and secure. To be happy is to realize that all of your needs have been met. To be happy means to have the human needs of love and esteem met. To be happy means to know that you are going to be okay.

With happiness being the confident and secure state, one can experience happiness regardless of emotional state. You can be happy and joyful at the same time. You can also be happy and sad at the same time. You can grieve while feeling confident and secure in God’s grace, so while you are expressing emotions of sadness and angst, you are still happy.

The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America declares that God created man with certain unalienable rights, among which are the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We have the God-given right to pursue a state of confidence and security, but where shall we find it?

For some, it’s in the finances. So long as they can accumulate enough wealth to provide for their families indefinitely, they think they will find happiness, that is, confidence and security. The problem with this approach is that those who work, or invest, for money realize how fleeting it is. If your hope for happiness lies in money, you will always fear losing it, thus will never attain to confidence and security, and thus will never be happy.

For others, it’s in relationships. The problem with people is that we each bring our own hang-ups, baggage, traumas and triggers to the table, rendering us incapable of providing confidence and security to others. When others seek to find their happiness in us, they are almost always left disillusioned.

No, happiness can only be found in the Lord. By trusting the Lord, we learn that, not only is our eternal destiny secured, but God has also taken note of our needs in this life, and has committed Himself to providing for those needs. (See Matthew 6).

Therefore, it can be concluded that the more we trust the Lord, the happier we’ll be, even if the emotion of joy eludes us.

May you find God’s blessing today.

Unto us… hope!

In Isaiah 9, God is promising hope to a nation that had been walking in darkness. Their struggles would soon end and a new era of peace and prosperity would ensue.

This new era would be ushered in by the Christ, whom Isaiah 9:6 said would be born, and would rule and reign. Such news was welcome for a nation divided and degraded by sin and evil.

Unto us would be born a child, meaning the Christ would be human like the rest of us. But, He would also be the Son given, that is, the Son of God given for the redemption and deliverance of the nation. This verse speaks to the divinity and the humanity of Christ.

The humanity of Christ allows Him to relate to our struggles, and qualifies Him to take our punishment upon Himself, thus delivering us from condemnation. The divinity of Christ marks Him as sinless, perfect, and righteous. Further, the divinity of Christ gives Him the power and authority to endure the wrath of God before rising from the grave and conquering death.

Therefore, this verse taught Israel that all of their hope, that is, confident expectation of redemption, is completely accessed through Christ. And we know that 2,000 years ago, that Child was born, and God’s Son was given for our redemption.

It’s easy to forget this during our day to day lives, but the season of Advent gives us the opportunity to remember the hope we have in Jesus Christ, and to renew our faith in Him and recenter our lives on Him.

Like Israel during Isaiah’s day, our nation is deeply divided and has been degraded by sin and evil. However, we can experience national healing and revival if we remember our hope, our confident expectation is in Him. Therefore Advent reminds us not only that Christ came, but that He’s coming again. Therefore we should be eagerly looking forward to His return, knowing that His return brings the deliverance, peace and prosperity of His Kingdom, if we know Him as Savior. If we believe.

May the Lord give you peace this season as you remember Him and look forward to His return.

The People that Walked in Darkness Have Seen a Great Light

When Isaiah prophesied the words, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined,” Israel was in a state of continual decline morally, spiritually and nationally as a result of their idolatry and rebellion against God.

God’s people had turned their backs on God, and thus were walking in darkness. This darkness bred evil and cruelty, and the nation was suffering. However, Isaiah prophesied that the people who walked in darkness had seen a great light.

This light, bright and shining with a divine origin, would be the salvation of Israel. This Light is later identified in John 1:4-9 and John 8:12 as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (and Isaiah would go on to prophesy about Him in Isaiah 9:6-7).

Today, many Christians walk in darkness as they have turned away from God and look to their possessions, bank accounts, careers and families to bring them fulfillment. Many Christians have begun living for the best life in this world, and have discarded the idea of Heaven altogether.

This has led to many Christians unwittingly walking in darkness, and suffering as a result.

However, this situation can be remedied through simple repentance and faith in the Lord. If the Christian church will once again place Jesus at the center of its existence, and more importantly the Gospel at the center of its belief system, then we will not only see a revival, but we will also see our hope and peace restored as we look forward to the Lord’s Kingdom.

For more, check out Pastor Leland Acker’s message here: