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1997-11-13 - Sharing the Spotlight
The Cross Series, Part 17
The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus
John 17:4-10 "I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work
which Thou hast given Me to do. 5 "And now, glorify Thou Me together with
Thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.
6 "I manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the world;
Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me, and they have kept Thy word.
7 "Now they have come to know that everything Thou hast given Me is from
Thee; 8 for the words which Thou gavest Me I have given to them; and they
received them, and truly understood that I came forth from Thee, and they
believed that Thou didst send Me. 9 "I ask on their behalf; I do not ask
on behalf of the world, but of those whom Thou hast given Me; for they are
Thine; 10 and all things that are Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and
I have been glorified in them.
What is it to glorify someone? Is it to praise or magnify someone with words
or deeds? That is a facet of it to be sure, but only a facet. To say that
was all of it would be like judging a fabulous gem based on one of its
magnificent cut faces. How did Jesus glorify the Father? Jesus did honor
the Father with public statements of faith and praise. Those would be "the
words which Thou gavest Me". But everything that Jesus did and everywhere
He went was with authority and purpose. The Lord knew the multitudes would
follow to hear His words. He knew they would stay until it was late and they
were all very hungry. He knew the little boy would graciously offer his small
meal to help feed the people. And Jesus purpose was to glorify His Father
with the miracle of the fish and the loaves. The people glorified God at
every turn. When someone honored Him, the praise was turned to the Father.
It was not until Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem that Jesus permitted
the crowd to praise Him.
Of all the men, women and children who have ever lived Jesus could have taken
the spotlight. He was very God! Light from Light, True God from True God.
He is the Creator of this world, He holds the title deed which we see in
the Revelation. If anyone had the authority and the right to ask or even
demand to be honored, it would be Jesus Christ. And yet, He chose to be born
in a stable, to be worshiped by shepherds who were considered low in
society. He blew the minds of the Doctors of the Law at age 12, and still
left quietly with His mother and step-father when they came and found Him.
He worked in Joseph's carpenter's shop learning quietly to hang a door straight
and honor His customers with a correct bill, respect and service.
He honored John the Baptist's observation:
Matt 3:14-15 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I have need to be
baptized by You, and do You come to me?" 15 But Jesus answering said to him,
"Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill
all righteousness." Then he permitted Him.
Jesus reply was gentle and understanding. Even when the Master derided the
Pharisees with the "Eight Woes" (Matthew 23; Luke 11:46-52) it was to protect
the people who would listen to these men who held their own interests far
more dearly than they interests of God. It was a wakeup call to the very
men he railed on that day. It was an attempt to rattle their cages and shake
them to their senses. Once again, to point them to the Father. Sadly, it
seems they did not hear.
And finally, as we will see in a few weeks, He suffered unspeakable indignities
and the hands of His own creation. The irony is that, as we beat and spit
on Him and nailed His hands and feet to the cross, He was loving us.
He was allowing His blood to be spilt as an eternally acceptable sacrifice.
The offering was not for Himself, but for us so He could open the way to
the Father for us. The way that had been closed since Adam and Eve had willfully
disobeyed God in the Garden.
Phil 2:5-11 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ
Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality
with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of
a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 And being found
in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point
of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore also God highly exalted Him,
and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name
of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth,
and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Lord Jesus, You showed us time and time again that it was Your intent
to turn the spotlight You where in, and even deserved, to the Father. You
did this willingly. It goes against our selfish, self-centered natures to
do this. Your life of humility and obedience is the model for us to follow.
And even though we can not attain it in our own strength, with Your help
we can catch glimpses and tastes of the essence of this life. To do something
simply out of love, expecting nothing in return, not returning the hostility
when reviled. It is very scary to consider emptying ourselves, even to fill
the void with love. You will have to provide us the courage to let go as
well as You do Your work in our hearts and lives. Guard our hearts and minds
from self, and teach us more and more of the things You have for us. Amen.
Grace & Peace,
Mike
jmhoskins@gmail.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org
All verses are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.
CFD | November 1997
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