Before his sacrifice, in John 17, Jesus Christ prayed what is considered by many to be truly the Lord’s prayer. This is not the prayer he taught the disciples in Matthew 6 in his Sermon on the Mount. In that prayer, our Blessed Redeemer gave the disciples that were with him a prayer template for their own prayer lives as well as for those of us living today. This prayer in Matthew 6 contains our petition to Heavenly Father to forgive us for our sins. Jesus prayed this prayer as our mediator. However, we must be clear that our Master Jesus doesn’t need to pray for forgiveness of sins because he is perfect and there is no sin in him. The prayer in John 17 is so incredibly precious because it is at its core a family-prayer. It conveys the passion of Christ for those that walked with him during his time on earth.
The whole purpose of you and me getting saved is to bring glory to Jesus Christ. His desire is that we become one with the Father as HE is one with the Father. He wants us to become the unified body of believers that God created us to be. In John 17:17(NKJV), Jesus Christ prayed to Heavenly Father, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” This answers the question, “What does God use today to sanctify believers?” He uses His Word to purify our hearts and transform us into the image of Christ. His Word is true, and the truth is the very foundation of all we could ever hope to be in Christ.
God elevates His Word above His name, because every word that proceeds from His mouth is life to us. In Matthew 4, when Jesus Christ was tested by the devil in the wilderness, after he had fasted for forty days and nights, he responded to this temptation repeatedly by affirming, “IT IS WRITTEN…” In Matthew 4:4(NIV), he told satan, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” God’s Word is perfect and true, and He commands us to let this Word abide in our hearts and minds to such a degree, that we are transformed by it. This transformation begins by our decisions to believe what God says.
Romans 10:9-11(NLT) states, “9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” To be saved through Jesus Christ, we must confess that he is Lord! We must believe that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. In other words, we must believe in our Heavenly Father’s love and resurrection power. We must believe the truth in order to be saved from the curse of sin, death, and darkness. And we must believe the truth to live the more than abundant life that Jesus Christ made available to each of us.
Right believing is so absolutely key in our lives. What is right believing? Right believing is believing the truth, which is God’s Word. Proverbs 23:7(NKJV) states, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” As we think in our hearts, so are we. This verse so plainly reveals that our believing determines who we are, what we are, and what we do in life.
Believing is the foundation upon which we think, act, speak, and feel, and when we believe the truth, we think, act, speak, and feel in a way that pleases God and lifts us continually higher in His blessings.
When Mary was visited by the messenger angel and told that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and through His power, she would give birth to the Son of God, her response to the angel of God should be etched in our hearts forever. In Luke 1:37-38(NKJV), she said, “37 For with God nothing will be impossible.” 38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” She received the Word of God and her response was to believe, accept, and declare it so. This speaks to her faith in what God says.
Jesus Christ prayed that God would sanctify his disciples with His Word. To sanctify is to purify through cleansing. He prayed that God would wash them through and through, because Jesus Christ understood what this meant for them and what it means for us. He knew that purification through God’s Word meant that the disciples would hear God’s Word, they’d believe and act on it, and then God would release His power on their behalves. This was the way to fulfill their destinies. He passionately wanted this for them because it was the only way for them to live fully in him. He knew they would be washed, purified, and transformed by God’s truth. He wanted this for his disciples, and he wants this for all of us.
Jesus Christ wants closeness with us. We’re his brothers and sisters, and he loves us more than we could possibly fathom. The love he has for us is God’s love, and this love is expressed fully in the unity of faith. God longs to be close to us through Christ. Believing and trusting His Word cements this bond we have with the Father through Christ, and it keeps us growing each day in God’s love. In 2Timothy 2:15, He tells us to do our very best to present ourselves before Him in a way that meets with His approval. We are to be workers in His Word, studying and reading it as it consumes our thoughts and emotions with God’s goodness. This is the way we become the very image of Christ. It’s who we were created by God to be, and when we accept this truth in our hearts, we will be fulfilled, satisfied, and very truly blessed. ■
“Fulfilled, Satisfied, and Very Truly Blessed by God’s Word”, written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2022. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!