The Holy Spirit

Prayer (cont.)

Study 4

This week we will look at John chapter 17 , and see how Jesus prayed.

1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,

In verse 1, we see Jesus praying that the Father to be glorified through the calling on His life.
Do we desire a calling on our lives so we can be glorified, or that God will be glorified?
Are you trying to draw attention to yourself or God?
Maybe we even think that God would recognize us if we did enough works?
Trying to earn our way into heaven.
Paul says

Eph 2:8-9 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

So pray and do so, that God will be glorified, and remember, Jesus paid the price, there is nothing more you can do to get into heaven.

Pray God will be glorified in your life.

2 "as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. 3 "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

What is eternal Life? Here as Jesus is praying to the Father, He’s acknowledging that it’s knowing God and Jesus.

Pray with a heart knowledge of God and Jesus.

4 "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

What an awesome thing to be able to say to God, “I have glorified You on the earth”
But just think about it, Jesus will say to us,”Well done good and faithful servant.”

Pray also that you can finish the work He has called you to do.

Here Jesus Prays for His Disciples.

6 "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.

As we saw before, God will supply all our needs to fulfill His calling on our lives. God gave Jesus the disciples to help in His ministry, and what God gave Jesus, He kept until the end of His ministry, and as we know even beyond.
Think of Moses, God called him to take the children of Israel home, and what did God give Moses to do this with, a stick (or rod) and the desire to do God’s will. (Although he was reluctant at first)

Pray that God will supply and we will use the thing He has given us, and not argue thinking we need more.

7 "Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. 8 "For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.

Here we see that Jesus taught them that all that He had, and all that He had been from God. Do we recognize that with what we have?
He also gave them the words that God gave Him, just as we should share the words of Jesus with others.
Remember, it’s not big shows, or great music, or flashy costumes, or even a big church that brings people to Jesus, no, it’s Jesus’ words!

Praying as an acknowledgment of God’s calling and supplying in our life.

9 "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.

Here Jesus prays for the disciples. It’s so important to pray for others, or to even to ask for prayers from others.
Here a few example of this:

Romans 15:30 Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me,

Eph 6:18-20 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-- 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

1 Thess 5:25 Brethren, pray for us.

2 Thess 3:1-2 1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, 2 and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.

Thanking God for provisions and pray for others.

10 "And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.

“All Mine are Yours”

not mine, mine, mine! Let go trusting God.

Giving everything to God in prayer.

11 "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are

Pray that we will all be as one, not just this Bible Study, or your own church, but that all believers will be as one.

Pray that all believers will be as one.

12 "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 "But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.

Do you anyone who is depressed or has no joy?
Pray that the joy of the Lord will be in them.
When we see paintings of Jesus, He always seems so solemn, but never full of joy. Jesus says here that He wants the joy that he had to be given to others, us too.

Pray for the joy of others.

14 "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

Jesus prayed that we would not be taken out of this world but that God would keep us.
I sometimes pray that Jesus would return and take us home. I so long to be with Jesus in heaven, but I’m thankful that He hasn’t, because there are so many more that need to be saved.
Jesus also said that we are not of this world just as He is not of this world. No He’s not an alien. That just means that he doesn’t partake of the things that the world does, just like we shouldn’t.
Some think it’s OK to smoke pot or party and get drunk, thinking that it’s OK because I am a Christian, I’m forgiven.
But that’s not true, as a Christian we don’t want to do the things that the world does, we see the consequences of these things, that’s why God says not to do them. Not because He’s trying to spoil our fun, but because he is protecting us out of Love for us.

Pray not to be removed from a trial, but that God would see you through.

Pray to be sanctified by the truth, which is God word.

17 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

We are purified by the word of God. It’s His word that changes are lives by showing us how to live.

Jesus has commissioned us to go into the world and spread the gospel.

Mark 16:15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Pray the lord of the harvest to send laborers to the harvest.

Luke 10:2 Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

Pray not only for laborers to be sent, but also pray that you will be a laborer in the harvest.
Where is your harvest? Maybe at work, or home, or the store, or even at the church you go to. It could be anywhere.

Here Jesus prays for us. Pray for the church and Jesus to be one.

Just think, 2000 years ago Jesus prayed for us.

20 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

Notice how much Jesus prayed for us to be one. If Jesus prayed this so much for us 2000 years ago, do you think He knew what a hard time the church has with it now?
Does the world know of Jesus because of the love in the church, or reject Him because of the fighting in the church?
Can you blame them if they don’t see love from us toward one another, but then we try to tell them that we love them?
If later after you’re in the church, you’re persecuted by the church or gossiped about, or looked down upon by the church, which is supposed to be your family. That’s one reason why people leave a church.
If Jesus is in you, then the same Jesus is in your brother or sister in the Lord. Don’t think you’re better then another church because yours has more people, or more services on Sunday, or even that the people dress better.
We should be as one in Jesus!

Pray that you will declare the name of Jesus.

24 "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 "O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26 "And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

Notice there are two thing Jesus did not say when He prayed,
The First is “Why”.
How many times have we asked God that?

Second is “just”
I remember my brother in-law mentioned this to me years ago. We always say “just” when we pray, like “Just do this or just do that or just help this person” but the word just is only mentioned 87 times in the bible, and it refers to righteous.
When you pray and say “just” is that all you want the Lord to do? Think about it, and listen next time you pray.

We are also instructed to prayer for certain things:

Psalms 122:6-7 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you. 7 Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces."

Matt 5:44 44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

Matt 9:38 "Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

1 Thess 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Moses loved the people and was willing to lose his salvation for them. We should all have that kind of love for others!

Ex 32:31-32 31 Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! 32 "Yet now, if You will forgive their sin--but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written."

Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies, and not that God would destroy them.

Matt 5:44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

Desire to have only what you need, not more or less.

Prov 30:7-9 7 Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): 8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches--Feed me with the food allotted to me; 9 Lest I be full and deny You, And say, "Who is the LORD? ' Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God.

What would you ask for?

1 Kings 3:5 & 9 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask! What shall I give you?"
9 "Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?"

Maybe this all new to you.
Maybe you never heard anyone say to pray for others and not yourself.
Maybe you didn’t know that the church was one with Jesus, and by becoming a believer that you also become one with Jesus.
Or you may have had a bad experience in a church you went to, so you stay away from church.
Don’t blame Jesus for what someone else has done to you, are even think that all churches are a like.
I’m sorry to say that there are bad churches out there that do hurt people, but not all churches are like that.
Give the Lord a chance, and He will lead you to a good church that you can be happy to say that this is my family.
You can be a part of the family of God.
It’s all about believing in Jesus and having a relationship with Him.

Here is a simple prayer you can pray right now to receive Jesus,

Dear Jesus, I need a family, and I want that family to be your family. I know that I am a sinner, and you are the only one who can cleans me of my sins. I believe that you died for my sins, and I accept you as my Lord and Savior, just as you accepted me when you died for me. Thank You Jesus for all that you have done for me.
I pray this in Your name Jesus, AMEN!

If you just prayed this prayer from your heart and believe that Jesus died for your sins, you now have a new family in Jesus Christ.
Write me and tell me about it, because I am now your brother in Jesus Christ!

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Who is the
Holy Spirit?

What the
Holy Spirit does
in our lives.

What the
Holy Spirit
does in
our lives
(part II)

Prayer

Prayer
(part II)

Intro to
the gifts of
the
Holy Spirit.

Intro to
the gifts
of the
Holy Spirit
(part II)

Intro to
the gifts
of the
Holy Spirit
(part III)

Intro to
the gifts
of the
Holy Spirit
(part IV)

Word of
Wisdom
& Word of
Knowledge.

Faith