Learning How To Pray Pt. 20 Living To Manifest God To The World

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We are learning how to pray by studying what Jesus taught about prayer. We have arrived at John 17, the longest recorded prayer of Jesus in the Bible.

John 17 contains Jesus' prayer as our Great high priest and our Lord is teaching us much about the circumstances and content of praying to our Father in heaven. 

In the first five verses, Jesus prayed for His own needs and for the Father to be glorified. In the verses that follow, Jesus begins praying for His disciples, and the believers in Christ would be included in His prayer. 

Pray that our lives will manifest the fullness of God in Christ to the world. 

John 17:6,7  I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7)  Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 

First, Jesus declared that He fully manifested the Father's name to all those whom the Father had given to His Son. The word "manifested" means to bring to light that which was previously unknown. It means that Jesus made the Father actual, visible and real to His disciples.

The Bible is a book of progressive revelation from God to mankind. People in ancient times knew some things about God through creation, through the flood and through the tower of Babel.

People began to learn more about God through the law of Moses, through the historical narratives, the Psalms, the proverbs and the prophets. 

But, the fullest and most complete revelation of God to man, is in the Person of Jesus Christ. 

Jesus did mighty works and wondrous miracles because He was God in the flesh. Jesus spoke eternal truth because He spoke as God. 

Pray that when people see us, they see Jesus Christ in us. 

John 14:7-10  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 8)  Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9)  Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 10)  Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. 

Jesus responded to Philip's request that He show them the Father. Notice this powerful reply of Jesus. "If you see me, you have seen the Father." 

How much clearer can the Son of God be than this? Jesus said I am in the Father and the Father is in me (John 10:10). 

Jesus did the works that the Father gave Him to do. Jesus spoke the words that the Father gave Him to speak. 

Jesus made it very clear that He is one with His Father (John 10:30). The mighty works that He did were in the Father's name (John 10:25).

The Spirit of God was in Christ without limitations.

John 3:34  For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

We learned that Jesus was given the Holy Spirit without measure, meaning that the Father, Son and Spirit are united in one glorious Godhead. The Father was in Christ and the Spirit was given to Jesus without restrictions. 

Pray that the Spirit of God fills us in order to love and serve our God. 

Ephesians 5:18,19  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19)  Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 

Christians are taught to pray that the Spirit of God would fill us and the Greek verb indicates this is an ongoing need for each one of us (Ephesians 5:18). 

We must learn to walk in the Spirit and be led by Him. We must depend upon Him for the proper exercise of our spiritual gifts. 

We must seek the transformation of our hearts and renewing of our minds as the Spirit of God ministers the Word of God in us.  

Jesus was enabled to complete all facets of His ministry with the power of the Spirit. When the Spirit of God fills us, it will come out in hearts that are changed and minds that are renewed. 

We will be filled with scripture truth, and our worship will be in spirit and in truth. Our mouths will sing joyous praises to God for our glorious Savior, Redeemer and King, Jesus Christ. 

The apostles also made this tremendous revelation about the oneness of Jesus Christ and His Father. We are told that it pleased the Father to have all the fulness of God dwell in Christ bodily (Colossians 1:19; 2:9).

Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh. 

1 Timothy 3:16  And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. 

Here is the great mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, in the Person of Jesus Christ. 

When Jesus declared that He manifested the Father's name to the world, all His words of truth, His compassion, love, longsuffering, zeal and miracles are what He meant. 

Not one person could read the gospel accounts of Jesus and come away thinking that Jesus is merely a good teacher. He is God manifest in the flesh. 

Jesus fully manifested God to man. 

John 17:6,7  I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7)  Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 

Like Christ's disciples, we can know these wonderful things because God was manifest in the flesh and because Jesus fully revealed the Father to the world.

We can know these things of God, because the Father freely reveals them to those who are in Christ, regenerated by God's Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:7-13). 

Thoughts to Ponder...

We learn more about how to pray from our Lord's prayer.

Jesus is our model and pattern for life. Like Jesus we should pray that we live in such a way that we manifest the Father's name to the world. 

This means we must be ready witnesses, eager to tell others what great things God has done for us (1 Peter 3:15).

This means that our mind must be renewed by thinking on those things of God that are beautiful and glorious (Philippians 4:8).

We must pray that our life is changed and transformed so that others see Jesus Christ living in us and through us (Galatians 2:20; Philippians 1:18-21).

We must pray for the Holy Spirit to fill us so that we can love and serve God and be conformed to the image of Christ. 

May we follow our Lord's example in praying, and may the Father find us pliable clay that He can mold into usable vessels.

Bob




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