The Hour Never Left

Some seasons are short; some are longer; some last for generations.

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John 17:1 – These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

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Today I want to bring you to a point of forced thoughtfulness; forced consideration.  Read our Text for Today once more; read it slowly.  Now consider my words.  It is clearly stated that these are the words of Jesus, the Messiah.  He said, “Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee.”  Once again, let us give this close and accurate consideration.  Jesus, Who at the moment of His speaking, was the “only Begotten Son of God,” by His Own confession, was desirous to glorify the Father.  But to do so, something was necessary.  According to His Own words, Jesus also stated, that for the Son to glorify the Father, the Father FIRST had to glorify the Son.  Look at it again.  This is a powerful revelation that is certainly applicable to EVERY son of God, and that means EVERY member of the body of Christ.  One cannot put aside the reasoning in this passage.  IF Jesus, the only begotten Son, needed to first be glorified by the Father before He could glorify the Father, how much more would this apply to you and me?

Jesus said the “hour is come;” that means.  That means “the time has arrived” for something to take place.  My friend, just because the time has arrived in no way means the time has passed away.  For instance, in John 4:23, Jesus said, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”  On the day of Pentecost, that hour came, and it has not gone away.  We still live in that hour, and what a glorious hour it is.  Now return your thoughts to Jesus’ words in our Text for Today.  And again I ask, if Jesus needed to be glorified by Father so He could in turn glorify Father, would the same not apply to any son of God who is not only an heir of God, but a joint-heir with Christ?

My point is this, and I pray one that encourages you in this reading.  Are you a child of God?  If so, as a son of God, it is your responsibility to live, act, speak, and serve in such a way as to glorify Father.  That being true, here is the wonderful news you need to hear.  Before you can glorify Father, Father must glorify you; not as in a glorified body.  That will come later.  But as a joint-heir with Christ, doing the works of Jesus, fulfilling the divine commission of Mark 16.  This is the will of God for you; NOW!  The “hour” of which Jesus spoke has not gone away.  It is still in effect TODAY.  Go live it! 

Manna for Today – John 17; Matthew 5:13-16; John 15:8; Romans 15:6; 1 Peter 2:12; 1 Peter 4:16;          1 Corinthians 6:20; 2 Corinthians 9:13; John 17:22; Romans 8:17; John 14:12-14; Mark 16:15-20

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