Humility was expressed in Jesus : Matthew 13:54-58… NKJV 54 & when He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished & said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? & His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? 56 & His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?" 57 So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country & in his own house." 58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
As unbelief, not trusting in God
causes us to not hear. Harboring anger, resentment, jealousy and un-forgiveness
causes the fruit to develop deafness or the hardness of our hearts. A
spirit of deafness, an insensitivity, is
one of hardness and refuses to comply to the Word of God. (from Preparing to Hear)
**The people of his hometown knew him so
well, being puzzled by His wisdom and His works done in God……they were going to
hold Him in their own eyes as they knew Him, the carpenter’s son and in….that
they rather cling to ignorance. The
people in which He knew as neighbors, had no real need for healing or anything
else. They did not recognize Who He was
& they held NO VALUE FOR HIM!
·
In
His wisdom: Jesus spoke in Matthew 7:24-29….24 "Therefore whoever hears
these sayings of Mine, & does them, I will liken him to a wise man who
built his house on the rock: 25 & the rain descended, the floods came,
& the winds blew & beat on that house; & it did not fall, for it
was founded on the rock. 26 Now
everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, & does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the
sand: 27 & the rain descended, the floods came, & the winds blew
& beat on that house; & it fell. & great was its fall." 28 & so it was, when Jesus
had ended these sayings, that the people
were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having
authority, & not as the scribes.
NKJV the scribes were echoing what
they had heard …possibly boring and without power, but Jesus spoke with
intensity, passion and power. He had authority in the situation
·
Christ’s
works (3913) John 10:25-30…… 25 Jesus answered them, "I
told you, & you do not believe. The
works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you
do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep
hear My voice, & I know them, & they follow Me. 28 & I give them
eternal life, & they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them
out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has
given them to Me, is greater than all; & no one is able to snatch them
out of My Father's hand. 30 I &
My Father are one." NKJV
Bearing witness of Me..Jesus was bearing a good report of the Father God…..
Jesus held not as an
echo but a TRUE VOICE!
James 3:9-18 Amplified Bible…………….9 With it
we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who were made in God’s
likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come forth blessing and cursing. These
things, my brethren, ought not to be so. 11 Does a fountain send forth [simultaneously]
from the same opening fresh water and bitter?
12 Can a fig tree, my brethren bear olives or
a grapevine figs? Neither can a salt spring furnish fresh water. 13 Who is
there among you who is wise & intelligent? Then let him by his noble living show forth his [good] works with the
[un-obstrusive] humility [which is the proper attribute] of true wisdom. 14
But if you have bitter jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry) selfish
ambition in your hearts, do
not pride yourselves on it & thus be in defiance of and false to the Truth.
A person with the heart intent of
envy, rivalry, that selfishness will be found in pride with lies. Everything he
touches will be the “FALSE”, THE PHONEY, THE FAKE... WILL NOT BE REAL.
15 This [superficial] wisdom is not such as
comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual (animal, even devilish
(demonical). 16 For wherever there is jealousy (envy) & contention (rivalry
& selfish ambition) there will also be confusion (unrest, disharmony,
rebellion) & all sorts of evil and vile practices. 17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure (undefiled) then it is
peace-loving, courteous (considerate, gentle). [It is willing to] yield to
reason, full of compassion & good fruits: it is wholehearted &
straightforward, impartial & unfeigned (free from doubts, wavering & insincerity).
It
is God’s Word that propels us into TRUTH…..
18 And the harvest of righteousness (of conformity to God’s will in
thought and deed) is [the fruit of the seed] sown in peace by those who work
for and make peace [in themselves and in others, that peace which means
concord, agreement and harmony between individuals with un-disturbedness in a
peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions & moral conflicts.
C - 1: εἰρηνικός James 3:17..is peace…without this peace….of
God you will have no wisdom of
God.
When Jesus prayed, and met with people, lives were
changing. In Jesus’ time and as in today’s culture, the world sees the “wise man”
as one who will live for the moment, always living by sight, and is devoted
to self. For Jesus, His own neighbors rejected Him. They
saw interruption in their lifestyle, in their own thinking, but chose to carry
on in their unbelief. The Sadducees’ did as did the Pharisees! Ego will kill
you! Some people just want to be right all the time. But we cannot be that way ….we
must have God guiding us with His eye. Certainly those who were astonished also
became those who were ready to kill Him. They wanted Jesus gone however they
had to do it. But truth ruled Jesus’ life. The truth of God carried Him to the
Cross and then to the right hand of God in Heaven.
In closing: His prayer time brought power, looked like grace, and caused reactions. In His teaching the EXTREME was heard, His prayer was for ADVANCEMENT OF THE KINGDOM!
Jesus’ Prayer: John 17:3….(3)& this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, & Jesus Christ whom You have sent. Advancement of the kingdom.
John 17:6 .(6) "I have manifested Your
name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were
Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
John 17:11…(11) Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, & I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.
John 17:26 ...(26) And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." NKJV
THE
IMPORTANCE in this prayer was that Jesus spoke what He spent His ministry
revealing to us about God His Father. It is in this, that He keeps us through
His name, both by our trusting in what it means & by the evidence revealed by living this life in obedience! This obedience to fellowship, communion, God’s
Word in teaching & prayer gives us VOICE!
In John 17 & verses 6 & 26….the
Greek word for Name is onoma. When Jesus spoke this: He was speaking
God’s authority, His character, His very majesty, & the power of His excellence
which belongs to God HIMSELF. Jesus was expanding & advancing
God’s name on the earth & in the earth.
When
we can see with our eyes & understand in our hearts that being united with
the Father presents to us the opportunity to participate with the Son as the
Son did with the Father, how much more should we expect to see the astonishment
in the faces of those God is touching by His presence in us? Before we go to
participate out there, we should have the intimate time to know our Father’s
heart.
Father, like Jesus spoke in John 17, I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Jesus through this word given. That they all may be one as You, Father are in Jesus & in me, that the world may believe You sent Jesus. The glory which You gave Jesus I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one.(John 17:20-23) Father, thank you for bringing health & healing revealed in Your peace & truth. Captives have been set free to pray. Thank You for salvation! For all Your goodness & prosperity You provide, may it be to YOU God a name of joy, praise & an honor before all nations of the earth who hear all the good that You do to them. May they fear & tremble before You in humility knowing that hypocrisy is far & away from You. May we be that voice to carry Your glory forward.
For
those who abide in You will have the voice of joy, & the voice of gladness,
the voice of the bridegroom & the voice of the Bride, the voice of those
who will say:"Praise the LORD of hosts, For the LORD is good, For His
mercy endures forever"- Oh holy Father, at this juncture of choosing to
pray, may we be truly be those who will not find excuse to put off prayer. For
those who EMBRACE the relationship with
YOU will know THE VOICE of truth. They will walk TOWARD HOLINESS finding power
in prayer! Oh it is in Jesus’ Name we prayer……………… Amen.
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