Discovering The Jewish Jesus

Rabbi K.A. Schneider: 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 worship you and we bless you. And I want to thank you, Father God, that as your word is preached, there's something supernatural that happens. Father, you said that you spoke the heavens and earth into existence and that your word is living and active and sharper than a two-edged sword. So, Father God, I want to thank you that as your word is proclaimed today, and as your spirit is at work upon our lives, that we are being changed into the likeness of your son. Father, come and have your way and conform us to the image of Jesus today we pray, for Yeshua's name and Yeshua's fame. And all God's people that are in agreement with this today spoke Hebrew with me and said, amen and amen, let it be. Praise the name of the Lord.

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 with me to John 17. 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.

In so doing, beloved, we can enter into a new realm of knowing God and walking with him and moving his heart by aligning ourselves with the revealed understanding in God's word of who Jesus is. So let's begin. John 17. I want to begin there in verse number one. I'm going to concentrate on the phrase where Jesus asks the Father to glorify him. Let's look at it together. John chapter 17, verse one. 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 oftentimes throughout our history, we have heard a gospel preached that only makes us sin-conscious. We sang those songs for so many years: amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. And we focused on these types 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 that we're new creations. Paul said, behold, all things have passed away and all things have become new. That we are new creations 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, to be conformed to the image of Christ, this means that God is going to glorify himself through us.

In fact, in Romans chapter eight, 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 is that Jesus is going to be glorified through your life, that the Father would be glorified. You see, Jesus's mission for you, 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.

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've 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'd 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 ones, you're going to see as we continue in John 17 that Jesus wants us to participate in his glory.

Now, don't misunderstand what I'm saying. We're always going to be repenting at 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 three, "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 two: "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 giving 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 three, he said, "This is eternal life, that they might know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent."

Notice Jesus is speaking to the Lord. We're looking at the prayer life of Jesus. We see 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, 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 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.

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 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.

Dustin Roberts: This is Discovering the Jewish Jesus, and Rabbi Schneider will be right back. But first, we have a free gift for you. If you're battling heaviness or patterns that you just can't shake, it may be spiritual oppression. Don't wait for others to deliver you. Rabbi's free self-deliverance bundle, it includes a step-by-step PDF with scripture and an MP3 guide to help you close every door to the enemy and live free in Jesus. Get yours at MyFreeGift.com/freedom.

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Rabbi K.A. Schneider: And then notice Jesus says here in verse number four, 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 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 going to say later on in this chapter, he's going to 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 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, because 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."

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 going to send them. I'm going to 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 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 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 going to move on.

The point being, we can't separate loving God from working for him. We can't just sit in our home all the time listening to teaching CDs, watching Christian television, and listening to worship music and not go out and help people and spread the gospel. 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 going to skip down now to verse number nine.

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 six. 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 nine, "I ask on their behalf." He said, "I do not ask on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom thou hast given me."

You've been chosen out of the world by Jesus, by the Father. Blessed be the God and Father, Ephesians chapter one, 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 six, Jesus said, "I have manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world." Now he says in verse nine, "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 how 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's the master of the universe and he's the beautiful one, the exalted one.

I mean, Jesus is everything and he lives in you. So because he lives in you, he's going to be glorified through your life and you're going to 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 prays to the Father for keeping us.

So look what Jesus says here. He says, "Father, keep them in your name." I want you to understand that there is a supernatural protection around you. That the Father is keeping you. There's a hedge of protection around your life. The Father is keeping you, 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, 10,000 at our right hand, but no evil 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 going to 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 Stephen wasn't protected, but in reality, he was protected.

And that same supernatural protection is around your life. Jesus prays for it here in John 17:11. "Father, keep them in your name." Amen. You are protected in Jesus' 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 now, Father God, guard them even as I guarded them while I was on earth, I want you to know you're going to be guarded all the days of your life. Jesus said, "I guarded them and not one of them perished." And now he entrusts this to the Father's care.

I want you to know that you're going to continue to be guarded, and not one of the Father's elect is going to be without his tender care. Not one of us is going to perish. I'm not saying we're not going to die. I'm not saying we're never going to 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 going to 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' 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 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. We're going to 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 going to be able to move mountains." We're receiving his words right now, and as we are, we're being strengthened by supernatural life.

Beloved, for approximately 20 years, I've been proclaiming that through Discovering the Jewish Jesus, we're reaching Israel and the world. And some might ask, are you really reaching Israel? Well, it's not easy to do, but we're inside Israel, reaching Jewish people with the message that Yeshua, that Jesus, is truly their Messiah. We're doing it in a cutting-edge way, and we're directly challenging the mindset of so many Jewish people that Jesus isn't for Jews.

Beloved, God has called us to challenge Jewish people with the messiahship of Jesus. We need your help to do it. So thank you for loving the Lord through offering up a sacrifice financially to him through this ministry. I want you to know we're really doing it. We're really out there bearing fruit, and we're doing it together, because without you, my holy brothers and sisters, we couldn't do what we're doing. Will you financially support us? Your help is making a difference in the land.

Dustin Roberts: Amen. And friends, if God is calling you to give to Discovering the Jewish Jesus, a gift of any amount, you can give generously at DiscoveringTheJewishJesus.com. And you know what Rabbi shared about reaching Jewish people with the gospel? It's at the heart of everything that we do here. Right now, this ministry has launched an Israel Awakening initiative, and it's our most ambitious outreach into the Holy Land that we've ever attempted.

Through billboards, digital advertising, and strategic media placement, we're bringing the message of Messiah King Jesus to millions of Jewish people in Israel and around the whole world. And here's why this matters. Scripture tells us that when Jewish people come to faith in him, and that they receive him as their Messiah, Jesus is going to return. So your partnership with this ministry and our Israel Awakening initiative, it isn't just about evangelism. It's a way to be a part of the end-times harvest of God.

Give today. Visit DiscoveringTheJewishJesus.com. Once again, that's DiscoveringTheJewishJesus.com. Call 800-777-7835, or just text the keyword GIVE to the phone number 88777. And now, here's Rabbi Schneider to speak God's sacred blessing over your life.

Rabbi K.A. Schneider: In the book of Numbers chapter six, we find a personal blessing from God our Father. This blessing should touch our hearts because it's so personal. Father God wants to intimately bless you. So receive his blessing into your life today with gladness and an open heart.

(Sings the Aaronic Blessing in Hebrew).

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift you up with his countenance and the Lord give you, beloved one, his peace. God bless you and shalom.

Dustin Roberts: This program is produced and sponsored by Discovering the Jewish Jesus. And I'm your host Dustin Roberts. Come back next week when Rabbi Schneider shows us how to stay joyful even in the hard seasons. That's Monday on Discovering the Jewish Jesus.