How is it possible to live in Heaven now? In this full sermon, Bill Johnson teaches on abiding in Christ, and what effect that has in our lives in relation to eternity. Learning to abide in God’s Presence increases our awareness of our eternal purpose, and the realization that we have access to Heaven here and now. The Apostle Paul talked about being “seated in Heavenly places”, which was never supposed to simply be a theology, but an invitation to an ongoing experience. As we lean into this truth, we will increasingly live from an eternal perspective, and tune our hearts to the dreams and plans in God’s heart, becoming one with Him.
Jesus lived an ascended lifestyle Paul
would later find language for it and he
would call it being seated in Heavenly
places in Christ
tragically it becomes a Doctrine not an
experience
it was never meant to be a point of
theology it was supposed to be an
invitation to help the journey the
ascended lifestyle this place of of of
living aware of him living aware of
Eternity living aware of Heaven itself
this place of abiding is the place of
absolute Triumph and Victory
hi
anyone twist their knee today yesterday
the last couple days to us when you did
yeah stand up it should be healed
anybody else
check
check it out check it out really good I
mean do what you couldn’t do
it it’s good
tell them it’s good
[Applause]
there’s uh there’s chill children I
think it’s I think it’s several children
that are just prone to ear infections
and they may not be here
you but you your children uh young kids
prone to ear infections they get them
over and over and over again and so it’s
a weakness in their system you you would
say or their doctor would say whatever
if that’s you and you’re the parent
stand up or if the parents aren’t here
the grandparent is you stand up because
we’re going to pray and declare
yeah quite a few yeah this is uh This
Ends Tonight All Right This Ends Tonight
extend a hand towards them and we just
declare in the name of the Lord Jesus
in the name of Jesus this cycle of ear
infections
Ends Tonight
thank you Lord Holy Spirit we ask that
you would uh just recreate that whole
the way the ear functions in in these
folks the the chemical system wherever
there’s the breakdown we just ask for
you to step in
and to make it okay thank you we declare
this in Jesus name Amen in Jesus why
don’t you declare that with me in Jesus
name
do you know what that means it basically
means that we’re doing what he would do
if he were here in the in the flesh in
his name we’re using we’re using his
authority his name
to do something
and I think I don’t know that any of us
have the right to say this verse is most
important or that verse but I’m going to
do it anyway
um I I think I think maybe the most
important verse let me put make it
personal the most important verse for me
in recent years concerning my faith my
walk with the Lord is John 15 verse 7.
if you abide in me my word abide in you
you ask whatever you want it’ll be done
if you abide in me
living with the the felt presence of God
is a benefit the benefit of a believer
it’s not I’m not talking about emotion
it affects emotions I’m not talking
about some you know emotional Buzz or
something I’m talking about the felt
realization of God he is actually
tangibly right here
and there’s Larry Randolph uh what used
to tell us he said if God is as big as
he says he is he shouldn’t be that hard
to find
and that’s that’s I think that’s that’s
quite wise so
we often look for
um well let me just say this
living with the realization of the
presence of God
or this far away from living with the
realization of Eternity
we’re this far away of living with a
really realization of Heaven itself
abiding in Christ is actually a
foretaste of
of Heaven
he is the person of Heaven
there’s nothing that exists in heaven
that isn’t that is separate from him
there’s nothing in that reality in that
realm that is actually separate from him
Ecclesiastes 3 verse 11 says that God
ordained us to have eternity in our
hearts
there are certain things that are like
like our DNA
our spiritual DNA has eternity is
written
in our hearts
it is
it is Who We Are
living
aware
of him is the great privilege in life
and the big uh the the big work of the
enemy is to do whatever he can through
manipulation through accusation
um these different tools that he uses
to to make us distracted
from what we have a gift
to live aware of
I don’t know if that maybe if I don’t
think I said that real well but work
with me
we have a we it’s written into our
design
to live conscious of him
it’s not something you have to work to
do it’s something you have to learn not
to do
you can you can worry yourself out of it
but you’ll have to work hard
he is the most predominant feature of
your life is him
his love for us is the most extreme
thing there is
before there was
sin
God had prepared a savior
to the son of his would take upon
himself everything that you and I
deserve
so that we would freely inherit all that
he deserved
it is so mind-boggling it’s easiest to
not think about it
because it hurts
it actually is beyond
it’s beyond our ability to wrap our head
around the fact that he actually became
sin and bore the Wrath of the father
in my place
so that I
through a faith he gave me
could receive that gift of Salvation and
literally step into what he deserved
eternity is written in my heart
and the great um
the great privilege that we have
is this
living aware of him is a continual feast
it’s a constant Feast there’s there’s no
downside
the presence of God doesn’t have a shelf
life
it doesn’t get old it doesn’t become
familiar
Christian routine becomes familiar songs
become familiar Expressions become
familiar but there’s nothing about the
presence that becomes overly familiar
those who are stuck in ruts have lost
sight of the presence and have reduced
their life to the routine
foreign
Chris read out of Ephesians 4 this
morning
a great word
and in this verse 11 I think it is he
says and that these gifts of Christ
fivefold Ministry have been given until
we attain to the unity of faith so there
was something set in motion
that he says this is where we’re going
this is where it ends up
there’s many verses that describe where
we’re going and where it ends up
um
we know that we have all been
predestined to be like Christ
there there is no plan B there’s only
Jesus and his desire for me is to look
like Jesus
so we have this we have this description
that these gifts were given until
we come to Unity of Faith we’re probably
at least a week or two away from that
three let’s go three weeks three weeks
later
Unity of Faith it’s an extraordinary
thing I can’t even comprehend what that
looks like
I mean I haven’t I haven’t heard enough
time being united in my own faith with
with me you know
there’s a lot of folks that can have a
church split even if they were the only
member
yep
so he says this is where we’re headed to
the unity Faith now you have to
understand
he can pull it off
we can
until we attain to the unity of faith to
the measure of the stature that belongs
to the fullness of Christ
you know it’s just easier to say that
stuff’s supposed to happen in heaven
I mentioned a few weeks to you actually
it was a Sunday Morning Show but I
mentioned a few weeks ago that uh
most Believers have greater faith in the
return of Christ than they do in the
power of the Gospel
and the concept behind that statement is
the fact that we know Jesus is coming
back and when he does he’ll fix
everything
instead of us believing that the power
of the Gospel that’s been given to us is
what fixes everything
instead of him returning to fix stuff
maybe he’s coming to
pick up what is fixed
[Applause]
so to the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ and then he
uses this phrase a mature man a perfect
man
I don’t this is mind-boggling this is uh
this is troubling
he actually has put us on a course that
says this is where you’re going to end
up you the people of God and the world
gets a bigger mess and the church gets
more divided and he still hasn’t changed
his plan
it still hasn’t said uh
too much work never mind I’ll just come
back and fix it myself he just didn’t do
that
it just didn’t do that
I’m fascinated by well by Everything
Jesus did but a story that stands out to
me in this moment
is the fact that Jesus
the disciples had come to him saying the
crowds
the crowd needs to go home we have no
food they’re starving send them away and
Jesus said you feed them
which is just a classic moment because
you got to mention the disciples are
waiting for him to laugh and hit him on
the shoulder and say just kidding you
know after after he gives this command
but he doesn’t he doesn’t he doesn’t
break into laughter he says you feed
them and and they’re nervously trying to
figure out how in the world can we do
that if we had the food we we couldn’t
do that
and so Jesus all he does
is he
he gives them
he gives them something to do
it says have the people sit down in
groups of 50 and 100.
okay
anybody have food here yeah there’s a
kid with lunch
all right
so Jesus could have created up nothing
but he usually creates with something
it’s fascinating that he he easily could
have just from nothing but these
Miracles that we see in scripture
actually started he had something to
work with
and so in John’s gospel when he talks
about this situation
it said when he broke the bread when he
gave thanks
he distributed to the disciples and it
it became more than enough
but when he gave thanks what did he give
thanks for
he gave thanks for not enough
he gave thanks when it was way
insufficient
see when you take what isn’t enough
and you baptize it in thankfulness
it becomes supernaturally positioned to
be more than enough
it’s the power of Thanksgiving
it’s the power of a thankful heart
an unthankful heart is is imprisoned by
numbers and limitations and restrictions
a thankful heart is positioned to see
increase
in John’s gospel it says there are 5 000
men besides women and children this
happened two different times
the multiplying of at least twice that
we know
and it says there are five thousand men
not counting women and children
where did the Loaves and Fishes come
from
a child
someone who didn’t count
[Music]
oh
you heard it in the video tonight with
the by the Global Response
where
the Ukrainian people are saying we we
thought the world forgot us we thought
even God forgot us and
he said the world maybe has but God
hasn’t forgotten
there’s there’s something there’s
something
profoundly significant by recognizing
the value of an individual
and hear Jesus
honors a child
I don’t know if there were other lunches
that were there wasn’t important
it was the one that was given to him was
from a child and Jesus Took
and he didn’t throw it in the air and go
Shazam
I mean let’s let’s face it crowd control
you know you don’t create a mountain of
food in front of thousands of hungry
people
instead what he did is he divided it
into 12 baskets
and the disciples distributed
how much was in a basket I don’t know
that much I don’t know
but 12 baskets is not enough to feed
five thousand men besides women and
children can we say fifteen thousand
people
12 baskets isn’t near enough
unless it multiplies as you’re giving it
out
so when Jesus said you feed them
he didn’t change his mind when they said
we have no food
he didn’t change his mind when they were
puzzled by The Challenge he didn’t
change his mind all he did was enable
them to do simple actions that he would
bless and cause food to multiply in
other words there’s a point of obedience
most Miracles are connected to a point
of obedience and we usually wait for
something to happen to us when
oftentimes we’re supposed to take Faith
and put it into an action
the blind man go wash in the pool of
Siloam that’s a cruel assignment for a
guy who’s blind
you’ve got to go to another geographical
location and wash in a specific pool
but there was something in his makeup
that needed confronting is too strong of
a word
it needed to be there’s something that
needed to be exercised in him
in his obedience
so many times we see actions we see
blind Bartimaeus take off his Beggar’s
robe there is a profound action
it’s what qualified him as a legal
beggar in that culture
people would see that garment to know he
was legitimately blind and needed help
so when he took that off the
extraordinary Act of Faith but actions
have to take place I I remember Through
The Years so often I would I would have
people do something
not you know if you’ve got a broken
ankle I wouldn’t say stand up here on
the stage and jump off to test and see
if it’s healed
game night
I I wouldn’t do that unless he told me
to I wouldn’t do it out of the principle
of faith please listen to this carefully
I will not put anybody at risk of the
principle of faith
I had times I’ll have to put myself at
risk out of the principle of Faith
because I’m not getting a breakthrough
but I have no right to put you at risk
let me illustrate it
is it true
that the Widow gave her last meal to the
prophet
and that was the key to her economic
breakthrough for the next season
is it true
read your Bibles because it’s in there
and it’s a really good story
so it’s a it’s a it’s it’s a principle
of faith
she emptied her own resources and gave
to the prophet
I’m grieved at how often I hear people
in this position use that to tell people
that’s what they need to do you never
put somebody else at risk
unless he says so
and the most terrifying thing I think
for that Prophet was for him to bring a
word to a widow who was down to her last
meal and he’s got to tell her that the
kid her breakthrough is you feed me
first
some would automatically think that’s
arrogance I think it’s the absolute
greatest demonstration of humility
because it’s obeying to a point you make
yourself look foolish
I want you to look with me at uh John
chapter 3
and I I’ve talked about this so many
times I feel a little bit embarrassed
doing it again but I it just actually at
the end of worship I felt like
I felt like I should talk to you about
this
and I’ll try to
hurry through the parts I’ve done so
many times
[Music]
so when Jesus told his disciples you
feed them
and they were clueless as to what to do
they knew they didn’t have enough
he didn’t change the assignment
he just enabled them through simple
step-by-step instruction enabled them to
do what was actually impossible
when Jesus says to you and to me go into
all the world preach the gospel disciple
Nations
you may be like me going wait a minute
all we’ve got is a kid’s lunch
and if we’ll listen further he gives us
step by step
approach because he’s not changing his
plan
he’s not going to change his mind he’s
not going to say
all right it’s a little rough making you
like me I tell you what I’ll try to make
you like John
or Fred you know whoever
it doesn’t change his plan he’s got he’s
got an assignment for you and for me
and here’s the great thrill for me is
that we actually get to live first of
all we acknowledge in Scripture
Ecclesiastes 3 11.
eternity is already in my heart it is
already written in my spiritual DNA I am
a forever person
to die and to lose this tent
there it’s seamless between this moment
and Eternity it’s a seamless entrance
into that reality
because I have eternity in my heart
and
one of the things that happens
when you lose somebody that you love and
care for
family member dear friend
when a Believer dies
I’ve been with a number of family
members and Friends
uh is is down to a two-year-old child
I’ve been with him when they’ve died
and extremely sobering moments I’ve been
with a number of people when they have
gone from this world to the next
and it’s it’s it’s such a sobering thing
because you you have this privilege
to be with somebody that you care for
and walk them right to the edge of
Eternity
and to hand them off so to speak I mean
that’s what you’re doing you’re you’re
in this moment
where there is no other explanation for
this moment then
they have now been received into their
Eternal reward
that has to become more real
the more blessed you become in Earthly
in an Earthly sense
the more necessary it is to become more
aware of Eternity
people who are being persecuted it’s
easy for them to live with a greater
awareness of Eternity
because they’ve not fixed their Hope on
immediate blessing a breakthrough they
fix their Hope on eternity it’s much
easier for them to live conscious of
Eternal reward
but those who go through seasons of
great breakthrough great healing and
miracles uh Provisions promotions at
work all those things all those things
are supposed to be demonstrations of the
heart and nature of the Father which is
supposed to warm our heart for eternity
but when it’s not
when it’s appreciated on a surface level
it actually hardens us to Eternity
and makes us more in love with blessing
now
and I I believe that God would bless us
beyond what any of us would possibly
imagine in an Earthly sense
the challenge is to bless a people
but not bless them out of their
consciousness of Eternity
the problem isn’t the amount of blessing
the problems you and me the problem is
us and so these moments that I’ve had
through the years and I’m thankful for
every one of them uh some so
so painful
but they are all gifts they’re gifts
because they’re absolute reminders it’s
like you have something right here you
cannot get away from it you can pretend
it’s not there you can close your eyes
you can humans sing you know plug your
ears you can do whatever you want but
it’s right here and it’s not going
anywhere and that’s the fact that
somebody that you care for just stepped
into eternity
and you can either Savor the moment
and enter into a an actual
um
a promotion just in your own soul
of what feeds you what strengthens you
what excites you
you can either you can either become
healthier in your your inner world
because of that experience you can’t
control it you can’t explain it but it’s
there and it’s more real than the nose
on my face
it is this will all vanish that never
goes away
so if it is if it is in fact the
Ultimate Reality
then I owe it to myself
and I owe it to anyone under my
influence to live more and more
conscious
of him
but I’m going to push a little farther
conscious of him
conscious of Eternity
conscious of this reality called heaven
at several moments this morning in
worship and tonight uh
where I could just just in my heart of
hearts I could just catch glimpses of
the nation standing before Him worship
just
it just it just becomes so real it
becomes it becomes as real and maybe
more real
than us together in this room singing of
the greatness of God it just becomes it
becomes
predominant
and and I need that
you need that
so this verse that has uh defined a huge
part of my life in recent years
if you abide in me that’s living in the
felt realization of his presence
if you abide in me in my word abides in
you that’s that’s the intentional
embracing of what he has to say holding
it as a treasure in your soul
says Mary treasured these words in her
heart
she treasured what do you do with the
treasure you don’t you don’t take a
treasure and leave it on the coffee
table
if you’ve got something you know you
have a a a vase that is worth you know
two million dollars you know you just
don’t stick it out where the
two-year-olds play you know why because
because it will get destroyed
and there are things that God has spoken
to every person in this room
it needs to be marked in your soul
because it’s your history with God
it’s your history it’s these moments
where you were just you know maybe you
just came to Christ you began to read in
the Bible this verse just meant so much
to you the this is your history this is
your journey these are Milestones along
the way that that have marked your life
and you you write down I I I have marks
all through my Bible of of my journey my
history with God where he spoke to me I
can take you to a place in Weaverville
where I was in the woods weeping before
the Lord because I was so distraught
over things that that I was experiencing
and my ache for more and and and the
Lord spoke to me spoke to me out of a
out of a Ephesians chapter 4 he spoke to
me so deeply
and
out of context
but it healed my heart
it helped me it didn’t change my
situation it changed me
and what my situation needed was me
changed
[Music]
sometimes in the journey you know we
meet him and we want him to be the great
deliverer and healer and fixer of stuff
and he is that and all and more
but there are sometimes he wants to work
inside of me first
and in in that moment it’s my it’s my
history it’s my journey
abide in me my words abide in you and
here’s the crazy conclusion to that
verse you’ll ask anything you desire
I I talk about this all the time
I don’t want anyone to think I actually
understand it
I talk about it kind of because I’m
trying to learn to understand it
see God God
is it condoning self-centered
Christianity he’s not he’s not condoning
this egotistical thing where God is the
cosmic bellhop who attends to whatever
we wish and desire nothing could be
further from the truth nothing
and yet what is true is so strangely
close to that that a large part of the
church has abandoned it all together
four times in three chapters Jesus says
whatever you ask for will be done
here’s how some of us teach it
when we pray what Jesus tells us to pray
then he’ll answer our prayer
oh that’s true but it’s not what he said
actually this the context is this
immersion into a journey
where your heart beats consistent with
his and he can trust your dream
something happens in the journey where
my my thoughts my ambitions they’re not
there because he commanded them they’re
there because they’re The Offspring of a
relationship
the the result of a journey I’ve seen
his heart I’ve tasted I’ve tasted of his
words I have fed my soul on what he
dreams about and I’ve got stuff going on
inside of me and I don’t know if it’s
the will of God or not and Jesus says
just keep my word in you live in the in
the atmosphere of presence and I’ll
Trust you you can pray for anything you
want it’ll be done he’s looking for not
an individual but a generation
can you imagine this what would it be
like my goodness just this amount of
people in the room on the planet
that anything they asked for
when what he’s intending is the however
many hundreds of millions of Believers
there are actually in that position to
pray
and to see things shift because they
prayed
that’s that’s where you’re going you’re
headed towards this thing and becoming
like Christ what does that look like
anything you ask for
foreign
I don’t know about you there are times
in my life where I really don’t want him
to do that
I I want him just to tell me what to do
I’m I’m really good just give me the
details step one two three and four and
I’ll do exactly what you say and he
somehow for some reason actually wants
wants to interact with me in the journey
to find out what I want I don’t want to
want
I wouldn’t be told what to do
I’m I’m a real good doer doer you know
I’ll do whatever he says
and there are times where he’s just he’s
just silent he’s not it’s never silent
out of punishment
it’s not silence out of you know it’s
not giving you the silent treatment he’s
Sonic because he’s already spoken
that’s true all right I need to I need
to wrap this up but we haven’t even I
quoted scripture though so it is a legal
meeting but I should probably I should
probably read read something here
John chapter three are you still there
I’m going to take you through part of
this really quick so I can get to one
verse actually two verses all right
what’s what you’re well I have so much
time I do all right
I’m not taking a vote I’m not taking a
vote
can’t better talk fast read fast
you listen fast
agreed
all right verse 2
Nicodemus came to Jesus by night
and said to him Rabbi we know you’re a
teacher come from God
for no one can do these signs that you
do unless God is with him okay stop
right there
we know you’re a teacher come from God
because no one can do these signs that
you do
no one can do these signs that you do
God is with you
the teaching gift in the body of Christ
is not looked at as a miracle working
gift but it was for Jesus
the word is to set the stage for the
miracle
it doesn’t mean every time the Bible is
taught there should be signs and wonders
but it does mean there’s an occasion for
it and if you’re a teacher of the word
of God lean into it because your words
create opportunities
don’t be satisfied with the word only
the scripture says the kingdom is not
inward it is in power
it’s very diverse again it seemed to go
over so well I want to just kind of make
sure you see it
Rabbi we know that you’re a teacher come
from God for no one can do these signs
that you do unless God is with him Jesus
answered and said to him most assuredly
I say to you unless one is born again he
cannot see the kingdom of God stop right
there what is the kingdom
it’s the invisible reality of God’s
Dominion
it’s measured in the visible
but the kingdom itself is unseen
Matthew 12 28 Jesus said if I cast a
demon Out of You by the spirit of God
then the kingdom of God Came Upon you so
here’s a demonized individual Jesus
ministers to him and the demons leave so
Jesus then describes this is why the
demons left
because the Dominion of God that is
unseen Came Upon the demonized person
and drove the evil spirits out
so now the Dominion of God is
established in this life instead of the
demonic
unless you’re born again you cannot see
the unseen reality of God’s Dominion
what’s the implication if you’re born
again you can see
our conversion gave us a gift
a capacity
for most it goes undeveloped
because we get taught that certain
things aren’t for today or whatever
or they’re for another culture maybe a
missionary culture or something
but they’re actually it’s actually the
normal Christian Life
unless you’re born again you cannot see
if you’re born again you can see
what can you see the Unseen
verse 4 Nicodemus said how can a man be
born when he’s old can he enter a second
time into his mother’s womb and be born
Jesus answered most assuredly I say to
you unless one is born of water that’s
the natural birth and the spirit that’s
being born again he cannot enter the
kingdom of God
verse 6 that which is born of flesh is
flesh that’s natural birth that which is
born of the spirit is Spirit
do not Marvel that I said to you you
must be born again the wind blows where
it wishes you hear the sound of it but
cannot tell where it comes from where it
goes so is everyone who is born of the
spirit
you guys still like breathing and
everything you guys are still sucking
air and all that stuff all right
so he’s just given us two unusual
illustrations of conversion and the
Christian Life
conversion being born again the
Christian Life is the nature of wind
verse 9 Nicodemus answered said to him
how can these things be
and Jesus in his classic
so their response said are you a teacher
of Israel you don’t know these things
that’s funny
most assuredly I say to you we speak
what we know and testify what we have
seen you do not receive our witness who
is we
we speak what we know we testify what we
have seen
it’s not Jesus and the disciples
scratch that
it’s not even Jesus and the angels
father
son
Holy Spirit
now think about this read this verse in
that light again we speak
what we know
Jesus only said what he heard his father
say
so when he says we speak
he is saying the father
be the son
the spirit of God is upon me enabling me
to speak words of authority and Power
father son Holy Spirit
we speak what we know we testify to what
we have seen God has an interesting test
of testimony
God has an interesting testimony
now look what he says he said he says we
testify excuse me we speak what we know
we testify what we have seen you do not
receive our Witness
is it possible that Jesus is saying
nobody wants to listen to our story
nobody wants to hear our testimony
this chapter to me is an invitation to
everyone who’s born again to be restored
to the normal Christian Life
all right here’s the two verses I
actually wanted
that all everything else was hors
d’oeuvres that was the runway we’re now
we’re now about to take flight all right
verse 12. if I have told you Earthly
things and you do not believe how will
you believe if I tell you Heavenly
things
all right just stop right there well
I’ll read it again in a moment
when the Lord unveils gives
understanding of his kingdom
he starts
with what is the easiest for us to
understand
which specifically is natural natural
things
he starts with things like
um
sewing and reaping
you plant corn you harvest
corn
you plant an apple tree you harvest
apples
your soul Mercy you receive
Mercy see he starts with natural things
because it’s the easiest for us to grab
hold of
and so what he does is he sets natural
principle in place wherever the natural
world mirrors or reflects concepts of
the kingdom of God that which we can’t
see
he draws parallels so that we understand
the nature of what we can’t see
are you with me
so here in this verse he says if I teach
you Earthly things and you don’t believe
if I talked about Earthly things and you
don’t get it you don’t connect the dots
how can I talk to you about Heavenly
things
all right
when did he do that
he did it when he said you must be born
again
and the Christian Life is Like wind
stay with me he set the stage for them
to grab hold of an understanding of this
unseen reality called the Dominion of
God
and he was letting them taste of and
have glimpses of how that world
functioned
because if we’re going to honor the
nature of this unseen reality called
God’s Dominion his kingdom
the reality of his rule his lordship if
we’re going to live under that it helps
us to understand how that world
functions
and so In this passage he says if I talk
to you about Earthly things being born
wind
and you’re not connecting the dots
how can I talk to you about Heavenly
things what does he mean by that
how can I talk to you about the nature
of my world that has no earthly parallel
how can I talk to you about the nature
of my world that has no earthly Peril
there’s nothing to compare it to
you
foreign
if I’ve told you Earthly things and you
do not believe
you know these illustrations that Jesus
gives all through scripture Parables
other things that you and I learned just
through life what the Lord will speak to
us about something natural
um
those are all invitations to increase
faith
here let’s read it again so that you can
see it
if I’ve told you Earthly things and you
do not believe
so what was his intention of telling
them Earthly things
it’s that they would believe
his intended outcome as he invited them
into this dialogue into this experience
into this journey his intended outcome
was come
I want you to step into
Billy faith I want you to come into a
greater place of Faith so he invites
them but they miss it
and he says man if you’re not getting it
when I’m talking about the simple things
planting corn harvesting corn showing
Mercy reaping Mercy if you’re not making
that connection
then I can’t talk to you about my world
that has no earthly parallel what’s the
point he wants to
he wants to John 16 is is a is a
sobering portion of scripture for me
Jesus actually tells the his disciples
and the crowd he’s with I forget how
many were there but he tells this group
of people he says I have so many things
to tell you but you can’t bear it now
whenever Jesus speaks he creates
let me put it this way whenever he
speaks he releases the reality of
another world into the atmosphere
we know this is true in John 6 he said
my words to you are Spirit
and their life words become presence
so whenever Jesus spoke words became
presence
and so here he says I have so many
things to say to you but you can’t bear
them now you don’t have the weight
carrying capacity for what I would
release over you if I told you all that
was in my heart
so that tells me number one there’s a
responsibility to be able to host him
well but also to have the character the
the the the surrender the willingness to
do whatever he says to live in that
place where you can you can carry
increased measures I think it’s all
about this increased measures of his
glory
you say well he won’t share his glory
with another it’s true but you’re not
another
we are members of his body
and so he’s working to build us up in
strength and Purity and power to walk in
this in this dimension of of Christ’s
likeness
so that he can impart more so he says
I’ve got so much to say to you but you
can’t bear bear no it would it would
crush you
so here he says if I told you Earthly
things you don’t get it
how are you going to get it when I talk
to you
about reality of my world that’s within
reach that has no earthly parallel and
yet I’ve called you to broker it into
the Earth
I’ve got one more verse to read I’ll
take a few more minutes for it and then
we’ll we’ll pray
verse 13 is the mysterious verse
no one has ascended to heaven
but he who came down from heaven
that is the son of man my translation as
this phrase who is in heaven
no one has ascended to heaven
but he who came down from heaven
that is the son of man
who is in heaven all right we’ll look at
more in a moment
we know that Jesus
after his crucifixion
rose from the dead
ascended to the right hand of the father
and was glorified so Resurrection
Ascension glorification
this is before all of that this is early
in the game this is early in the three
and a half years of his ministry time so
this is towards the beginning
and here he’s talking to his disciples
can I say he’s revealing one of the
absolute keys to his his life
of answers to prayer of a hundred
percent success in Ministry of people
in bringing deliverance and healing
everyone he ministered to was healed
even those who weren’t thankful
remember the ten lepers
only one return to give thanks
the failure of nine
to display character and to give him
honor
was not an indictment on Jesus’s
Ministry
[Applause]
people oftentimes will look at the fruit
of a Ministry
and look at somebody who’s not walking
right
and blame the person who ministered to
get into it to Jesus don’t do it to your
friend
so here Jesus says early in the game now
no one has ascended to heaven
so he’s talking to everybody says
nobody’s ascended with one exception
the one who descended
who is he talking about
himself all right so he’s got this thing
going he says all right nobody’s
ascended have it it’s one exception the
one who descended from heaven
remember Jesus came from heaven took on
flesh became a man
so he descended
no one is ascended except he who
descended that is the son of man who is
in heaven
no one has ascended to heaven
except Jesus
who lived
an ascended lifestyle
now this is very awkward and strange
Paul would later find language for it
and he would call it being seated in
Heavenly places in Christ
tragically it becomes a Doctrine not an
experience
it was never meant to be a point of
theology
it was supposed to be an invitation to
help the journey
the ascended lifestyle this place of of
of
living aware of him living aware of
Eternity living aware of Heaven itself
this place of abiding is the place of
absolute Triumph and Victory
it’s the place for the the little foxes
don’t have access
it’s it’s living above the snake line
so Jesus here
says to Nicodemus who’s already confused
which makes it so funny Jesus emphasized
it you know one of the gifted teachers
of Israel is there bewildered at
at the slightest
revelation of Truth
Jesus says nobody’s ascended to Heaven
except me
what is he saying I’ve been ascending to
heaven
that’s what he’s saying I descended but
I’ve also been ascending
or brother you’re just creating an
opportunity for
deception
maybe we’re already deceived
already deceived into thinking this is
all there is
no one is ascended to Heaven except he
who descended that is the son of man in
this translation adds this phrase who is
in heaven Jesus is standing on planet
Earth talking to a group of guys
and he’s saying
I’m there now
awesome
I’m there now
why do you think he taught them about
abiding in him
in his words abiding in them
why do you think he emphasized these
seemingly abstract approaches to a
relationship with God when in fact they
aren’t abstract at all they’re the most
practical expression there is
the illustration it’s basic it’s not
like I have to work myself into some
kind of you know frantic place where I
imagine him but it’s not that it’s a
relationship with the person where I
live conscious of the felt presence of
God and in that journey I start seeing
things from his eyes my wife was so good
at that at this way of praying
she was so good when we would face a
crisis I remember when uh Haley of
Brennan Jen’s oldest daughter was first
born in fact it was kind of interesting
I was back at the Sunday morning back
the back door and she came she was
very great with child and uh just
wanting wanting to give birth to their
first child
and so I I laid hands on her
and honestly this only happened once so
if you’re pregnant don’t come up to me
but she immediately started into labor
just lit when I touched her she started
into labor
and come to final it was it was a very
urgent situation she went and gave birth
Haley was in very very serious condition
and a whole bunch of us were up at the
hospital our our family does things
we’re kind of like a cult really
[Music]
that was a joke but I know
I know
[Laughter]
[Music]
we didn’t do grave sucking or anything
in that moment
[Applause]
I thought of a way to oh no I better not
mention somebody please don’t do what
I’m about to suggest
it’s a joke
I thought we could build a new building
by just selling grave sucking straws
[Applause]
I was doing so good tonight too I was
just so good so I stepped right off the
edge of the Earth
fell into the abyss I don’t know
I don’t even know where I was going now
Haley thank you
so we we have a bunch of us not a cult
up there uh praying a bunch of us
together praying and Benny Benny’s there
and she just she just separates herself
goes off to the side which sometimes
that’s what you need to do to get
breakthrough
I’ll I’ll do it sometimes on a family
we’ll bring a family member
you’ve got to be really careful because
you’re you’re dealing with people who
really love and really care well
but there are times I can feel the
weightiness of family concern is it is
is inhibiting the miracle
and so what I’ve done before I did it
right here a group of families right
here and I said I want you guys to stay
right here and pray with your permission
I would like to take your son 12 years
old if I recall right over here and
minister to him separately
because there’s so much pull
I can’t explain it tonight I just opened
a can of worms just leave it there
so Benny separated herself and she just
prayed this she said father what are we
doing
and he gave her a very clear word
she did that within a very short period
of time Haley had completely turned
around
because prayer is not supposed to be us
begging God to invade a situation it’s
supposed to be us joining with the
father
seeing his heart
and making the decrees necessary to
bring about his will on Earth why don’t
you stand
[Music]
all right
you survived
I don’t know how long I talked but it’s
obviously been a while since I’ve talked
so
you uh
overdose tonight
actually this is how it used to always
be you know until we had multiple
services and then
you know sometimes the Lord just
restricts you
I mean he does he he
puts you in a situation where you have
multiple Services which I’m thankful for
thankful that we need him
and you have to finish by a certain time
or you create chaos
sometimes being forced to realize
that you can do some things quickly is
good for us
but I’m so glad tonight wasn’t one of
those
here’s what I wanted I want to pray I
don’t know how to pray this I you know
what I’ll be really honest with you in
my pondering this tonight during worship
is my heart I’m I’m exploring these
verses this this concept has been very
real to me for probably close to 20
years
but I feel like I’ve just barely
scratched the surface and I ache
I ache for what Jesus
taught I ache for what he was
talking about
the ascended Lifestyle the living in
that place of fellowship with him
again it’s not some ecstatic emotional
place it’s it’s literally a part of the
journey where he lets you see
through his eyes he lets you feel what
he feels in his heart if we become so so
one with him that he can trust us to ask
anything
I don’t have an ambition to have my way
with God where he does whatever I want
him to do I
that’s terrifying
I I don’t I don’t I’m not interested in
that but I am interested
in being the Fulfillment of his dream
he actually designed it
to where
I could live in the felt realization of
his presence
I could host his word in my soul as the
greatest of treasures
and the end result would be
I could speak and things would happen
I’m not looking for some
you know
some self-gratification I I I’m
my gratification is his Delight over me
his pleasure his Delight
everything else pales by comparison
everything
all right
and you’re here on a Sunday night
because in some measure you ache for
this
as much as I do
yeah we’re not here just trying to spend
time we’re not we don’t need any more
meetings
but we’re looking for the reality of
Christ that which is destined us for
to become a felt reality and actual
realized
part of our life
and so I want to pray I want to pray for
you maybe as important or more
importantly is your own prayer
for you
I’m going to ask you to do this I’m
going to pray over you but I’m going to
ask you to do this I want to ask
I want to ask everybody in the room to
begin to pray over your own heart
but I’m going to ask you to do it out
loud not loud
but I want you to be able to hear your
own voice
timid prayers get timid answers
courageous prayers
get courageous answers
and I’m going to ask you to pray with
some measure of Courage
as you as you ask the Lord let me see
what you see
I want to live with the felt realization
presence somehow take whatever stood out
to you tonight put it in your own words
and pray it out loud and then I’m going
to pray over you all right so go ahead
and do that right now just begin to pray
thank you God thank you
yeah keep going you’re doing so good I
it’s really an anointing on your prayers
right now
very powerful
keep praying
foreign
let me pray over you father we are
hungry we’re hungry
we’re hungry to discover this thing of
Eternity in our hearts this DNA that
you’ve given us
that we have written into our code
the fact that we are alive forever and
we get to spend eternity with you so I’m
asking that you would heighten our
awareness of the presence of the spirit
of God number one make us more and more
and more aware of the God who is with us
Emmanuel The God Who is with us
the abiding presence of the spirit of
God the resting presence of the spirit
of God
heighten that in US make everything
about us our physical sentence senses
our our intellectual capacity our
emotional perception everything about us
heightened to your presence
I ask that you would make us more aware
now of Heaven and the way Heaven
functions
and Eternity that we would live
conscious of that
and then I ask this ascended lifestyle
you who ascended
and you taught us from this place a
perfect fellowship with the father
let us know in the days the weeks the
months even the years ahead what it is
to live
an ascended lifestyle ascended to the
right hand of the father All Because of
Jesus all because of the blood of Jesus
let us live conscious and aware of
Eternity of your presence your heart
your mind I pray these things in Jesus
name
amen amen
now we’re gonna uh before I I have
somebody come up and and direct Ministry
time there are some folks here that uh
suffer with
um
migraines some of you have had them for
20 years or longer
and the Lord is I believe is healing
those tonight anybody who has any kind
of migraine issue uh right right down
here all right anybody else put your
hand up just put it up high yeah put it
up high I I want I want believing
Believers to gather around them and
pronounce over them this is what here’s
what I want you to say
I want you to lift that thing off their
head and I want you to announce to them
this ends tonight and then pray for the
fullness of the spirit of God upon their
bodies upon their minds go ahead and
pray pray right now we break that curse
of the enemy that would steal and
distract
we declare this an illegal assault of
the enemy
foreign
[Music]
okay keep praying is there anyone in the
room with cancer
put your hand to pipe if uh if you have
cancer right back over here there’s two
over here I need some folks together on
these two is there any any others way
back over here there’s another one I
need some folks keep praying if you’re
praying for the migraines because I want
us I want this thing to end tonight all
right I want to end tonight but we’ve
got some they’re able to join these
others anyone with cancer
uh there’s also an inner ear issue I
know I mentioned ear infections earlier
I’m not convinced that’s the problem
there’s somebody who has an issue at the
inner ear that the Lord is healing who
is that is that right here is there
anybody else that way way back there
issue with the inner ear oh goodness we
have a whole bunch right back there
all right there’s okay right back over
here
I think uh who is it the inner ear
I think I’m going to get this right the
problem in the ear inner ear actually
affects your teeth
way back uh way back by the by The Malt
the molars is that you here or the Lord
is healing you the teeth and the inner
ear
it is right there
all right now lay hands on these folks
and we’re going to contend for that
breakthrough for them right now
um there’s TMJ that is being healed
uh if if that’s you just uh grab
somebody next to you and grab their hand
and put it under your jaw or something I
don’t know but put a hand up high if you
see somebody else with their hand up
just lay hands on him
all right we declare that release of a
miracle over those uh with the migraines
and uh
go ahead and release them start laying
hands on some of these others we’ve got
to pray for more we’ve got TMJ right
down here uh right right in this out
yeah some of you gather around her
um
you know the Lord’s healing there’s
there’s also somebody here
I’m not positive on this so let me just
give it as I as I can feel it there’s
somebody who has a problem in the
muscles of your body
specifically on your right side
who is is that you back here
specifically on your right side there’s
a muscle issue here all right there’s
another one here right here I I believe
the Lord is releasing you right now
tonight lay hands on them and just
declare it’s a finished work it’s a
finished work of Christ we declare this
in Jesus name right here’s another one
is it a gentleman with his hand up right
here in the aisle some of you lay hands
on that right side of his body this
infirmity Ends Tonight in Jesus name
foreign
take just a moment longer to pray for
them
okay we’re about to wrap this up and
then go to the ministry team or or
however you guys want to do it
also is there is there somebody here you
have some sort of a disease in your
bones in the skeletal system itself
it’s it’s some I can I can actually is
that over here or right over here okay
oh there’s another one there all right
all right well lay hands on him and pray
uh just command that infirmity that
Affliction in the bones to depart now in
Jesus name
all right get it got about 30 seconds to
pray for them and then we’re gonna wrap
this up and I’m going to need all your
attention up here and uh
all right we declare the healing word of
Jesus over the bones the skeletal uh
system the muscular system specifically
that right side it must be connected to
nerves as well that must must go a thing
whatever it is we just declare the
wholeness of King Jesus over here in
Jesus name all right just give me your
attention up here for a moment if you
would
hmm
I realized some of the things that we
prayed for actually require need uh like
uh maybe an x-ray or doctor’s test but
I’ve also noticed there are times where
the Lord will give a tangible sign to
somebody in fact the Lord’s healing
bipolar tonight
bipolar
I’ve watched this for years the Lord
will give when when you know that you
need an x-ray or blood test whatever
he will oftentimes give a tangible sign
to somebody
in advance so they know what God has
done and then they go with confidence
and find out that there was actually a
miracle
I’ve seen it with this trauma to the
Head where there’s actually a lightness
almost like um
weird expression it’s almost
minty fresh
things are so clear
and thought and they weren’t 10 minutes
earlier
so I want everybody to received prayer
for anything tonight examine yourself
right now and that means trying to do
what you couldn’t do you see well
there’s nothing I couldn’t do well in
some way move just do something don’t
stand wait for something to happen put
faith into an activity
and yeah begin to move that arm around
that uh that check that right side of
your body now everyone who’s at least 80
percent better I want of anything we
prayed for tonight wave both hands over
your head like this would you just put
your hands over here like that way okay
look around the room we’ve got a lot of
folks a lot of folks Lord we thank you
for that
[Applause]
uh and the and the really cool thing is
is there’s a lot of people in the room
that don’t know they’re healed yet
but when you find out tomorrow morning
or whatever tell somebody would you just
tell somebody
all right why don’t we give a shot of
thanks and praise
[Music]
the Lord come on yeah I’m so glad that
you watched this video I do pray that
it’s a great great strength and
encouragement to you and I’ve got a
verse that it really is My Cry for all
of us and it’s Psalms 20 it’s verse 4.
may he grant you your heart’s desire and
fulfill all your plans
that’s my prayer that’s my prayers that
this would be the season of rich rich
fulfillment
thanks for joining us