Quote from Forum Archives on March 27, 2002, 12:51 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

In Monday's message, we discussed renewing our minds, and Neil
Anderson gave us some sound arguments on that topic. On Tuesday,
we discussed the importance of scripture, coupled with prayer, as
two of the methods God designed for us.

Today, as we approach the celebration of Jesus' great sacrifice
on our behalf, let's examine several examples of prayer from both
the Old Testament and New Testament, ending with Jesus'
passionate prayer.

Here are some of the prayers in scripture:

16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen
you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I
pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may
have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide
and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to
know this love that surpasses knowledge?that you may be
filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians
3:16-19 (the apostle Paul, writing to the church in
Ephesus).

1 O Lord , the God who saves me, day and night I cry out before
you. 2 May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry.
... 12 Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your
righteous deeds in the land of oblivion? (excerpts from Psalm 88,
a Psalm of anguish, when feeling lost and discouraged)

Thanksgiving and Prayer

15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the
Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not
stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious
Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that
you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your
heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to
which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance
in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who
believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead
and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far
above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title
that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the
one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and
appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which
is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every
way. (Ephesians 1:15-23, a prayer from the apostle Paul to the
church in Ephesus).

John 17

Jesus Prays for Himself

1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: 2
"Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may
glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that
he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now
this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory
on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now,
Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you
before the world began.

Jesus Prays for His Disciples

6 "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the
world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed
your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me
comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they
accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and
they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not
praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they
are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And
glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world
no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to
you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the
name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While
I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name
you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to
destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. 13 "I am coming
to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world,
so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.

14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for
they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My
prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you
protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world,
even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word
is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into
the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be
truly sanctified.

Jesus Prays for All Believers

20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who
will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may
be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they
also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent
me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they
may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be
brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me
and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 "Father, I want
those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my
glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before
the creation of the world. 25 "Righteous Father, though the world
does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent
me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make
you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them
and that I myself may be in them."

All of the passages in today's message are excerpts from the New
International Version of the Holy Bible, with the following:

@ Copyright 1973, 1987, 1984 by International Bible Society
All rights reserved.

The Edition I used comes from bible.gospelcom.net/.

Notice that Jesus, in his prayer, first prays for Himself. He
spoke the words directly to His Father, yet with the benefit that
His close disciples could hear them, record them in history
(which means "His Story") and share them with us.

Then Jesus prays for His disciples, and asks that they be
protected. as Jesus Himself protected them, not from the events
around them, but from the attitudes and thinking of the world
around them. Then Jesus asks that His disciples be sanctified,
that is, set apart by the Truth and for the Truth - the Truth
which is the Word of God.

Finally, Jesus prays for those who will hear, believe, and accept
His message, as shared by His disciples. Jesus asks for His love
to be in us, for His followers to find complete unity, not in
various doctrines, theologies, or worship styles, but IN HIM.
Jesus also asks His Father to both reveal His glory to those who
believe, and also to allow His believers to SHARE in His glory!

So you can see that there are desperate pleas in the prayers of
scripture, there are prayers of praise and joy, there are prayers
asking for the fulfillment of God's promises, and a request for a
glorious conclusion for all who will choose to believe AND
follow.

I hope that includes each one of you. Please ponder these words
and give your life completely in the service of our Lord Jesus
Christ!

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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