Jesus
the Son of God had demonstrated to His disciples (and all believers
who want to be His disciples) how to walk in the mighty power of God.
Jesus told us plainly that no one had seen God except Him. When one
sees Jesus one sees God. So His mission on earth was to show us how
God is like. God is Almighty. He walks in supreme power. Jesus also
walked in supreme majesty and power. Power came out of Him when
patients touched Him (His clothes) by faith and they became healed
immediately. Demons submitted themselves to Jesus voluntarily.
Jesus told
His disciples that all who believe will do the same things that He
did and even greater things. To Jesus being like Him (in word and
deed) is a natural thing. Those born of God's Spirit are spirit and
have been given all things pertaining to life and godliness. All that
God has given to Jesus He has given to those who believe in Jesus.
Like Father like Son (and sons). So why are we not seeing this
supernatural and transformational change in many of us? The distinct
manifestation of the Son of God in us?
Today's
message for the 5am class is: the key to living and walking in His
power. The key is in Jesus. Thus we are on the right track when we
continue to read the word of God revealing Jesus to us.
Jesus has
revealed two of His secrets to success:
Success
Key one: Walking in the Light.
He
announced that He was the true Light that gives light to every man in
the world. (John 1:9) He commanded His disciples to take heed that
the light which is in them is not darkness. (Luke
11:33-36) He warned them of the dark forces behind the hypocrites
-namely Pharisees, scribes and lawyers (symbol of religiosity in
appearances and not in truth and motives; in flesh and not in spirit)
of that generation which He called evil and perverse. (Luke 11:37-54;
Matt.15:1-20; 16:1-6)
What is the
spirit behind the hypocrites? The spirit of the world. They were
blinded and dull and hardened with worldly philosophy (which runs on
natural laws). They just could not see or understand the supernatural
laws that Jesus had demonstrated in reality. God is supernatural. No
man can possibly understand the matters of God without Jesus. But
their jealousies and covetousness (which is idolatry) had hardened
them further, even to the point they were willing to perish forever.
Jesus summed up
their depraved condition: “Men loved darkness rather than light
because their deeds were evil. But everyone practicing evil hates the
light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be
exposed.” (John 3:19-20)
Jesus Himself
was undeterred by such dark hatred and opposition. He continued to
walk and operate in the Light of God. He manifested God's Light.
“But
he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be
clearly seen, that they have been done in Go.” (John 3:21) Only
those who do the truth can come in the Light of God and the deeds are
done in God! Nothing can be more powerful than deeds done in God!
This is the success key of Jesus -doing everything in God's Light,
that is, in God. God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all.
(1 John 1:5)
What does this
mean to those who want to have this success key? The answer is in 1
John 1:6-10. (Read the whole passage and meditate and pray)
1 John 1:7 “But
if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship
with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us
from all sin.”
Success
Key two: Walking in understanding of the matters of God.
One thing
that Jesus repeatedly
told off His disciples
was their
not understanding what He told them about the matters of God, that
is, the Kingdom of God.
He
demonstrated how the Son of God has the power over natural matters:
walking on water, calming the wind and sea, multiplying (without
limit) food stuff out of the unseen resources in heaven, making
demons (evil spirits) tremble and submit to Him, commanding (by mere
words) physical things to happen (healing, deliverance, giving life
back to the dead etc.). Power was evident in Him. Even King Harod
admitted. Sick people touched the hem of His garment and were made
well.
Why did
the disciples not use this power when they were alone? They just
could not understand the supernatural matters, the matters of God's
Kingdom then. The key word is 'understanding'.
That is
why Jesus spent a lot of time teaching them and all who followed Him
at that time about the Kingdom of God and how it operates. Jesus was
very clear about the way it functions. He is from above and He has
seen how it operates in the supernatural realm. He knows it is real.
When
Jesus sent out his disciples two by two to preach the Gospel, calling
for repentance, healing the sick, casting out demons, saying the
Kingdom of God was near, He gave them the power of God through His
word. He instructed them by word and His word came to pass. They
merely obeyed and witnessed that indeed what Jesus had spoken came
true.
After
Jesus ascended into heaven the disciples continued to obey and waited
for the power from above, the Holy Spirit. Indeed the power came as
told. After they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit their
spiritual eyes were opened and they had spiritual understanding of
the whole Kingdom of God message. They were transformed from a bunch
of fearful humans to overcomers (as in Revelation 12:11).
Today,
how do believers receive such supernatural understanding of the
kingdom of God?
GUIDE ONE:
ASK! (Luke
11:9-13)
11:9 Ask,
seek, knock
11:13 how
much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who
ask Him!
GUIDE
TWO: PRAY! (Ephesians
1:17-23)
17 pray
for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God
18 the
eyes of your understanding being enlightened
19 know
the greatness of His power toward those who believe
20-23
know the power in Christ. He is our head. We are His body! We can be
filled with His fullness！
