Rabbi Schneider - What is God's Purpose for Me?
We're looking today in one of the most incredible portions in the entire Word of God. We're looking at the words of Jesus in John, chapter 17, in a section of Scripture that is often called the high priestly prayer. This is the great prayer that Yeshua prayed before going to the cross. So if you've got your Bible with you today, turn it with me to John, 17. I'm not gonna go through every single sentence here, only because I'm specifically focusing on, beloved, on some key concepts. Perhaps at a later date soon I'll go through this entire prayer line by line. Today and in the episode following today, I just want to pull out certain concepts here as we're looking into the heart of Jesus to understand his prayer life. And in so doing, beloved, we can enter into a new realm of knowing God, and walking with him, and moving his heart by aligning ourself with revealed understanding in God's Word of who Jesus is.
So let's begin, John, 17. I want to begin there in verse number 1. I'm gonna concentrate on the phrase where Jesus asks the Father to glorify him. Let's look at it together. John, chapter 17, verse 1: Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, Father, the hour has come; and then he said: glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. Listen once again. Jesus said: Glorify Your Son that Your Son may glorify You. I think that often times throughout our history, we have heard a Gospel preached that only makes us sin conscious. We've sung those songs for so many years, you know, Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. And you know, we focus on these types of, of songs especially in some of our previous generations where we thought of ourselves only as sinners that had been forgiven. But we didn't have a paradigm. We didn't have access into an understanding to realize that yes, we are sinners that are saved by grace, but the Lord no longer wants us to primarily identify with being sinners but with the fact, beloved ones, that we're new creations.
Paul said, behold, all thing, old things, Paul said, have passed away. Behold, he said, old things have passed away and all things have become new; that we are new creations, beloved, in the likeness of Jesus. The Bible says, as Jesus was in the world, so also now are we; and that our destiny, our clear destiny according to the Word of God is to be conformed to the image of Christ. And what this means is to be conformed to the image of Christ, this means that God is gonna glorify himself through us. In fact, in Romans, chapter 8, Paul tells us whom God foreknew he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. And whom he called, he justified. And whom he justified, get this now, speaking of you and me, he glorified. And so your destiny, beloved, is that Jesus is gonna be glorified through your life; that the Father would be glorified.
You see, Jesus's mission for you, his, his purpose for you, his destiny for you is that you would be like a light on a hill, according to his Word; that everybody would see that you'd be a sign and a wonder and people would see the supernatural nature of God through your life. And as a result, look to the Father and give him glory. And so I want you to be encouraged to ask God to glorify himself through your life. Don't just beat yourself up and say, I'm a worthless sinner. No, you're a sinner that's been forgiven by the grace of God. And God's purpose for you is that Jesus would be glorified through your life. And so Jesus begins his high priestly prayer by saying, Father, glorify Your Son that Your Son may glorify You. I want to encourage you right now. Would you join me? Let's ask the Father to wash us and cleanse us, and glorify himself through our lives just like Jesus prayed that he could be glorified through our lives.
Father God, we want to thank you that you called us to glory. Father, Paul said whom you foreknew you also did predestinate and call and justify and glorify. Father, that includes us right now. We're your children. And Father your purpose is to glorify yourself through our lives; that we would be like stars shining in the heaven to the praise of your glorious grace forever and ever. So Father God, we break off the shackles of religion. Father God, Paul said to stop laying again the same foundations of repentance from sin, even though we know, Father, this is primary and forever, but that Father God, you want us to look beyond to see where we're going; that you want to glorify yourself through our lives. So Father, we pray like your Son, glorify yourself through our life, we pray. Let us shine, Father, like the stars, according to your Word in the Book of Daniel, forever and ever. Jesus, you asked the Father to glorify you that he would be glorified through you. Jesus, we ask you to do the same thing for us.
You see, beloved one, you're gonna see as we continue in John, 17, that Jesus wants us to participate in his glory. Now don't misunderstand what I'm saying, beloved one. We're always gonna be repenting in a deeper and deeper level, but I want you to see the flip side of this, is that God wants to be glorified through your life. Let's continue on in John, chapter number 17 here. Jesus said in verse number 3, he said: This is eternal life, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. Jesus prays here, in John, 17:2-3, that he had come to give eternal life to all that the Father had given him. Look at verse number 2: Even as You have given Him authority over all flesh, get this now, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.
So Jesus understood his mission as getting eternal life to those whom the Father had given him. Jesus spoke about this in John, 10, where Jesus said, my Father has given me sheep. This is the ones he's speaking of here. Now notice in verse number 3, he said: This is eternal life that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou has sent. Now notice, Jesus is speaking to the Lord. We're looking at the prayer life of Jesus. We see into, into eternity as we look at Jesus's words here in this prayer. Jesus said the words that he spoke were spirit and life. Jesus here defines eternal life in terms of knowing God. In other words, beloved, the primary definition of eternal life in the Bible is to know God and know Jesus. Salvation is all about relationship. It's not first about going to heaven. It's about relationship with God. To everyone that believes, they receive eternal life. And eternal life, beloved, is the gift of knowing God.
So Father, we ask you right now to bring us fuller and fuller into the dimension of really knowing you. Father God, not having a form of religion where we know certain precepts, and certain teachings, and certain doctrines that we've got all this intellectual information in our head, but Father God, we want to know you. This is the only truth there is, is to know you. So Jesus, you prayed before you went to the cross that we would have eternal life. And you told us that eternal life was to know you, and to know the Father. Jesus, we ask you now to bring us into a deeper discernment, a deeper revelation, a deeper experience, a deeper understanding of eternal life. Jesus, we repent. We repent for not doing what we need to be doing to enter into eternal life in a deeper way. Right now, I repent. We repent. Jesus, we want to know you. Jesus, bring us deeper in to the dimension of eternal life, this gift that's ours in you.
And then notice Jesus says here in verse number 4, he says to the Father, I glorified You on earth; and then he said, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. The point I want to make here is Jesus is speaking to the Father, his last prayer, really his long prayer before going to the cross. Jesus said, I glorified You, Jesus said to the Father, having, get it now Church, having accomplished the work which you gave me to do. The point is, is that in this high priestly prayer Jesus is pouring out his love to the Father. And I want you to hear that Jesus does not separate loving God from working for God. You see, Jesus came to earth because he loved God, and because he loved God he accomplished the work that the Father gave him to do. This means that if we love God, we have to do the work that he gave us to do. Jesus is gonna say later on in this, in this, in this Scripture, in this, in this chapter, he's gonna say, Father, even as you sent me, I send them.
What are we sent to do? We're sent to preach the Gospel, lay our hands on the sick, beloved, take authority over wicked and demonic spirits in people's life. We're, we're called and sent to bring the kingdom, to extend territory of the kingdom. If we really love God, then we need to do the work of God, 'cause we can't love God without doing the work of God, because we love him, we'll do the work of God. And so Jesus says here, I have glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. And so, beloved ones, even as Jesus loved God by accomplishing the work that the Father gave him to do, so too, we need to show our love for God by working for him while on earth to extend the kingdom. We know the Great Commission, Jesus's last words at the end of Matthew, make disciples of all nations. His last words in the Book of Mark, go into all the world and preach the Gospel.
Jesus said in John, 17, as the Father sent me, so also now he's saying I'm gonna send them. I'm gonna send you. You see, Jesus said to Peter, Peter do you love me? Peter said, Lord, you know I love you. Jesus said, feed my sheep. Tend my lambs, Peter. Feed my sheep. Show your love for me by serving, by doing the work of the Father. So I want to express to you now, beloved one, let's kick up our love factor to the next level by getting activated and working for God. Let's become greater servants. Let's build the kingdom in a more strategic way. Let's witness more. Let's love more. Let's care for people more. Let's provide for people more. Let's do acts of service more. Let's, let's take care of the elderly. Let's take care of those that are sick. Let's share the Gospel with our neighbors. Let's invite people over to eat. Let's help the poor. Let's love God, beloved, by doing his work.
Jesus said, I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. Again, we're gonna move on. The point being, we can't separate loving from God from working for him. We can't just sit in our home all the time listening to teaching CD's, watching Christian television, and listening to worship music and not go out and help everybody or help people and spread the Gospel, if we're in a situation where we're healthy enough and young enough to do that, okay. So if you love God, let's do what Jesus said to Peter, go and take care of his people. Let's spread the Gospel, Amen.
Let's continue on. I'm gonna skip down now to verse number 9. Jesus is praying to the Father, and he says to the Father: I ask on their behalf. He's speaking to his own now. Look in verse number 6. Jesus says to the Father, I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me. So Jesus is saying to the Father now, of those whom you gave me, I manifested your name to them. And Jesus said in verse number 9: I ask on their behalf. He said: I do not ask on behalf of the world but on behalf of those whom Thou has given Me. You've been chosen out of the world by Jesus, by the Father. Blessed be the God and Father, Ephesians, chapter 1, of the Lord Jesus Christ who chose us in him, in Jesus, before the foundation of the world. You see, Jesus understood that he came to accomplish the salvation of those the Father had given him.
That's why he said in John, 10, to those that didn't believe, you believe not because you're not my sheep. He said, I know my sheep; my Father's given them to me. Jesus understood that his death on the cross, although sufficient to save the world, would accomplish the salvation of those the Father had given him. So he says in John, 17:9: I ask on their behalf, speaking of those whom the Father had given him. Remember verse 6, Jesus said: I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world. Now he says in verse 9: I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom You have given Me. And then Jesus said in verse number 10: I have been glorified in them.
So I wanted to stress this again. We've been talking about, God wants to glorify himself through you. You see, God has called you, beloved one, to be a winner. He's making you a winner because Jesus lives inside you and Jesus is the ultimate winner. He is the Master of the universe, and he is the Beautiful One, the Exalted One. I mean, Jesus is everything and he lives in you. So because he lives in you, he is gonna be glorified through your life and you're gonna become like him and shine with him. God bless you today. God loves you today. God wants you to take on the identity that he wants you to have as a son and daughter of his. That's why the Bible tells us that we become kings and priests in him. As we continue on in verse number 11, Jesus praises the Father for keeping us. So look what Jesus says here. He says: Father, keep them in Your name.
So I want you to understand that there is a supernatural protection around you; that the Father is keeping you. There's a, there's a hedge of protection around your life. The Father is keeping you, beloved. And Jesus is praying here in verse number 11 for the Father to keep you. You see, the Bible tells us in Psalm, 91, he that dwells under the shelter of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. There's a hedge of protection. A thousand may fall at our side, ten thousand at our right hand, but no evil will come near us or near our dwelling. I will say to the Lord, my Refuge and my Rock, my God in whom I trust. The Lord said, because he has called upon me I will answer him.
I want you to know, beloved, God is your refuge and he wants you to feel safe and secure in him. Even if something happens that looks tragic from the world's perspective, if you go through something that looks tragic from the world's point of view, I want you to know, when you go through it, you're gonna be protected in God, just like Stephen in the Book of Acts, when he was being stoned to death. From the people from the outside it looked like the most violent thing in the world that he was suffering. Yet while Stephen was taking all the stones that were hitting him on his head that killed him, Stephen looks up and he says, I see Jesus at the right hand of God and the glory of God was shining on him. So from the outer world it looked like, like, like Stephen wasn't protected, but in reality he was protected. And that same supernatural protection is around your life. Jesus prays for it here, beloved, in John, 17:11: Father, keep them in your name, Amen. You are protected, beloved one, in Jesus's name. I speak over you security to know that you're protected in the Shalom and the love of God.
Now as we continue in verse number 12, Jesus continues on this same theme and he says: I guarded them and not one of them perished. Notice Jesus says here to the Father, speaking in this same theme, he says, Father, I guarded them and not one of them perished, he said, except the son of perdition, which was part of the prophecy. So I want you to know, if not one perished when Jesus guarded them on earth, and Jesus prays to the Father, Father God, guard them, even as I guarded them while they're on earth, while, while, while I was on earth. I want you to know, you're gonna be guarded all the days of your life. Jesus said, I guarded them and not one of them perished. And now he entrusts us to the Father's care. I want you to know, that you're gonna continue to be guarded and not one of the Father's elect is gonna be without his tender care. Not one of us is gonna perish. I'm saying we're not gonna die. I'm not saying we're never gonna go through anything tragic. But I'm saying in the midst of it all, we're guarded and the grace of God in our life is the greatest and nearest reality of all. You're protected, my friend. You're protected, child of God. And you're guarded. And the Father wants you to know that. Take security in that.
Father, right now I just speak the Word over your people's life. You sanctify us by the truth. Father God, your Word says that we are supernaturally guarded and protected. Jesus, you prayed that God's children would be supernaturally guarded and protected right now in this present age, even as you supernaturally guarded your people and protected them while you were on the earth in the flesh. We declare right now, Jesus, that we are supernaturally protected by the love of the Father, and we thank you for it. Now Father, we declare that we're gonna be confident in this world that we are protected by you and guarded in you. Father, we know that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one, yet in the midst of this world, Father, we are still protected. Father, we want to thank you for this confidence and this surety in Jesus's name, Amen, and Amen, and Amen, and Amen.
You see, Jesus said that not one of those perished while he was on earth. I want you to know, that your life, beloved, has a supernatural protective barrier around it; that the Father is watching over you at all times; that he knows every single hair on your head. Now next week we're gonna continue in this high priestly prayer of Jesus. I've got a great word for you. Jesus said, if my words dwell in you, you're gonna be able to move mountains. We're receiving, beloved, his words right now. And as we are, we're being strengthened by supernatural life. God bless you, beloved. I want you to know this, as you're receiving this word, you're being transformed and you're being strengthened. Don't forget it. You're being supernaturally changed. I'll see you next week. I love you. This is Rabbi Schneider saying Shalom from Discovering the Jewish Jesus.