Be Glorified

The ultimate purpose for everything is to reveal God's glory.

My previous post in the Book of John study was about "Doing God's Will." It is clear from that study that God has a plan for our lives, a plan that will probably scare us, yet it is a plan that we still should be willing to follow. The plans that God has for my life and for everybody else is for his glory.

The normal focus of man is always to glorify himself, it is natural for us to make plans and keep busy doing things that will bring glory to ourselves, go to any school graduation and you will only hear people talking about making yourself great and making a name for yourself.

Man was made to rely on God and give him glory but we quickly got sidetracked. The rebellion in the garden was an attempt by the first two humans to become like God and seek to bring glory for himself. Just a little bit later on the population has grown and so has man's rebellion, their desire brought them together to build a great tower in an attempt to make a name for themselves. (Genesis 11:4)

God's glory was the focus of Jesus life, in this prayer we can see that Jesus received glory as a result of his work here on earth, he receives glory from his children and he receives glory as we accomplish the work that he has given us.

The Evidence Brings Glory To Jesus

John 16:6-8 "I have revealed You to the ones You gave Me from this world. They were always Yours. You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they know that everything I have is a gift from You, 8 for I have passed on to them the message You gave Me. They accepted it and know that I came from You, and they believe You sent Me.

The amount of evidence that proves that Jesus wasn't just another guy claiming to be the Messiah is overwhelming.

• Nobody else has ever in born in just the right circumstances that it caused him to fulfill hundreds of prophesies. 
• Nobody else has ever claimed to be God and shown such incredible control over nature. 
• Nobody else has ever shown us that he could take command of the spirit world and cause demons to run scared as they proclaim that Jesus is God.
• Nobody else has ever predicted that he would return from the grave and then make it happen.

Although most people did not believe in Jesus that isn't any reason to join them. The disciples spent their time weighing the evidence and they were convinced. Jesus work on earth made it clear that he was more than just a man. (John 14:11)

Jesus tells us in his prayer that he was sent from God with a message (John 17:8, 13). The question that we must face is what will you do with the message? Will you give God glory for revealing himself through Jesus ministry?

The People Bring Glory To Jesus

John 17:9-11, 15-18 "My prayer is not for the world, but for those You have given Me, because they belong to You. 10 All who are Mine belong to You, and You have given them to Me, so they bring Me glory. 11 Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to You. Holy Father, You have given Me Your name; now protect them by the power of Your name so that they will be united just as We are.

15 I'm not asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17 Make them holy by Your truth; teach them Your word, which is truth. 18 Just as You sent Me into the world, I am sending them into the world.

The next part of Jesus prayer is for his disciples, the elect that have been chosen to glorify God and make his glory seen in our lives. God's children can help this blind world to see his glory through us. Our lifestyle and our dependence on him should make his value know to the world.

Instead of taking us out of this world he leaves us here as a testimony to God's glorious work in our life. As he works in our lives his glory is displayed for the rest of the world to see.

Their Work Brings Glory To Jesus

John 17:21-23 I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are one--as You are in Me, Father, and I am in You. And may they be in Us so that the world will believe You sent Me. 22 "I have given them the glory You gave Me, so they may be one as We are one. 23 I am in them and You are in Me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent Me and that You love them as much as You love Me.

Unity of purpose in the body of Christ brings him glory and it gets the most accomplished for the kingdom. Jesus says that his followers are being sent into the world similar to the way that God sent him into the world. Our work for the kingdom will reveal God's glory as we set aside our agenda and live to pursue his work that he has entrusted to us., we need to be as aware and diligent about completing our work as Jesus was. (John 17:18, Matthew 28:18-20)

The Father and the Son have mutual agendas and interests and nobody is seeking to go their own way. That is the kind of unity that we should have in the body of Christ instead of the struggle that so many of us have to get things our way.

Our God is very relational and wants to be known, that is his purpose for creating, that is the reason he is still involved in what happens everyday in his creation. We will see his glory as we get to know him better.

When we live holy lives and display the fruit of the Spirit, when the world sees us trusting God for the unknown and when they see our contentment to live for him then Jesus receives glory.

When we testify about his goodness, when we use up our vacation time for mission trips, and when we do it all with great joy that could only come from Jesus, that's when he gets the glory.

I am thankful that I have seen the glory of Jesus through the scriptures and through the lives of his followers! I need to join the work of making God's glory know so that others will come to know and love him.

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