The Revelation of God's Spirit of Wisdom (Part III)

The Revelation of God's Spirit of Wisdom is Jesus Christ

To the body of Jesus Christ

To the Leadership in the Body of Jesus Christ

To the Prophets, Apostles, Pastors, Evangelists, and Teachers in the Body of Christ:

To all Believers in Jesus Christ:

 The book of 1^st Corinthians, first chapter, verses 21-24: 

"For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God; it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." 

Therefore, since Christ is the power and wisdom of God, this article will focus on the wisdom Jesus Christ taught His disciples concerning prayer while He was on earth as the God-man.

Following are versions of the prayer Jesus Christ taught His disciples when they said to Him, "Lord teach us how to pray."

"And it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, Lord teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. So He said to them, when you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven                                              

Hallowed be Your name,                                        

Your kingdom come.                                              

Your will be done                   

On earth as it is in heaven.          

Give us this day our daily bread.          

And forgive us our sins          

For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us,          

And do not lead us into temptation,          

But deliver us from the evil one." (Luke 11:1-4)

Jesus also said to His disciples in the book of Matthew, "in this manner, therefore pray":                              

                  

Our Father in heaven                                              

Hallowed be Your name,

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done 

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

And Yours is the kingdom and the

power and the glory forever. Amen." (Matthew 6:9-13)

It is interesting to note that right after He taught His disciples how to pray, He immediately said to them, 

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you of your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14-15)

Jesus Christ is teaching His disciples how to practice the wisdom of God by praying to Him in a particular manner. Now, let's take a closer look at each phase: what does it really mean and how can we believers apply it in our daily lives.

Our Father

Our God is the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit and these three personalities are one God. (1 John 5:7) Scriptures also say that Jesus Christ is the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)  Therefore, Jesus Christ cannot be separated from His Father. Both are equal in power and majesty. When we pray, we must say Father God, in the name of Jesus or in the name of Jesus I pray. 

Who art in Heaven

Jesus Christ said, "Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:50) Jesus also said as He was praying to His Father, "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the world was."  (John 17:5) 

Our Lord Jesus is telling us that He was equal with the Father before the world ever existed. When Jesus came down to earth to complete the mission of salvation, He temporarily gave up His glory. After His resurrection from the dead, He returned to His heavenly position with His Father. That is, Jesus Christ is equal with the Father and Holy Spirit in Power, Glory, Sovereignty and Majesty.

Hallowed be thy name

The Lord Jesus Christ said to the children of Israel in the Old Testament,

"For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy." (Leviticus 11:45) Our Lord tells them who He is and that they must be holy, because He is holy. The Living Word of God is Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 4:12) and (John 1:1) Please always remember that from Genesis to Revelation, the entire Bible is the Living Word of God, which is Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave proves that Jesus is the "Living Word of God."

Your kingdom come

The Holy Scripture says, "For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:17) By praying "Your kingdom come", we are asking our God to transform the hearts and minds of His people to live in all righteousness and peace and joy in the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Jesus Christ prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, 

"Father, if it is your will, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." (Luke 22:42) As believers, we are praying to reign with Christ Jesus in the New Jerusalem where there is no temple, because the Lord Almighty God and the Lamb are its temple. The city has no moon or sun, because the glory of God illuminates it, and the Lamb of God is its light. (Revelations 21:22,23)

Give us this day our daily bread

All believers must pray this Scripture on a daily basis. That is, "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I hope in Him! The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." (Lamentations 3:22-26)

And forgive us our sins For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us

The Holy Scriptures say, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you." (Ephesians 4:30-32)                      

As believers, we are to pray this Scripture daily and make it a permanent part of our prayers to God. Jesus also said, "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." 

(Mark 11:25-26)

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

Pray that our Lord Jesus Christ give you the wisdom, knowledge, strength, and understanding to escape the temptations of the evil one. The Holy Scriptures say "Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He, Himself does not tempt anyone." (James 1:13)

 

The story of Job is a good example of how God will boast on our behalf to Satan and sometimes He will allow us to go through some difficult challenges.  (Job 1:8) The good news is that God will always be with us every step of the way. Everything including Satan is created. Our God is the only Creator and Satan can only do to us what our Creator and God allows him to do.

And Yours is the kingdom

As God's Elect, we long to enter into our Lord and God Jesus Christ's eternal heavenly kingdom. As believers, we know that our citizenship is in heaven and that we are strangers here on the earth. (Philippians 3:20) Also, God has placed eternity in our hearts. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

And the Power and the Glory

Scripture tells us that Jesus Christ is the power and wisdom of God. 

(1 Corinthians 1:21-24) 

As believers, we pray to see and serve our Lord Jesus as He appeared in the Transfiguration. (Matthew 9:1-8)

All Christians should long for a glimpse into the unsearchable riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:1-10) in all His glory and splendor.

Forever

"Forever" must be a part of our daily prayers to our God, for God has placed eternity in our hearts. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Amen

As believers, when we say "Amen" we acknowledge that the Word of God is the truth and we believe it with all our heart. "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31-32)

Both prayers are in perfect unity with one another. I drew from both of them to capture the essence and divine instruction of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to His disciples on how to pray. 

Fervency in prayer, meditation on God's Word, praise and worship will join us to Our Father as we diligently seek Him. 

(Hebrews 11:6)

A combination of continued prayer, reading and meditating in the Word of God, weekly Bible study, fasting, and fellowshipping with other believers must be our practice. Small group fellowship in Bible study and prayer is the way that we, as believers will truly know Who our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ really is. 

He wants to live with us on a personal and intimate level.

I hope and pray that what is written here will be a blessing and encouragement 

to all those who receive it in Jesus' name. 

In His Awesome and Holy Presence,

St. Wisdom