This morning we continue our new series entitled, “The Year of Supernatural Manifestation.” In yesterday’s message I told you that our faith simply seeks to access and maintain the victory Jesus already obtained for us. I said, “We overcome, because He already overcame!” Today’s message will flow in this same vein.
Jesus was God in the flesh. Jesus was the incarnation of God. You and I are called to be just like Jesus in this world. We are called and commanded to live like He lived, to hear from the Father like He heard, to pursue our individual purpose like He did, and to become a conduit of the Father’s supernatural power like He was. In essence, we are the “Continuation of Jesus’ Incarnation”.
There are many passages I could use to emphasize the fact that we are supposed to live like Jesus lived in this world. For the sake of this lesson, I will share with you something Jesus said in John 14. In this chapter Jesus is preparing His disciples for His departure. He had been with them for over three years. They relied on Him for everything. Jesus knew the men closest to Him were not going to take His departure lightly, but He wanted them focused on the bigger picture. Jesus came to the planet for a reason and He was close to fulfilling His ultimate purpose.
Jesus said to His disciples: “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The things I have told you don’t come from me. The Father lives in me, and he is doing his own work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or believe because of the miracles I have done.” Jesus drove home the fact that He was ONE with the Father. He was in the Father and the Father was in Him. It was the Father, living in Him, who was giving Him the words and performing the work. The supernatural power did not come from Jesus’ humanity, it came from His divinity. That being the context, Jesus went on to say, “I can assure you that whoever believes in me will do the same things I have done. And they will do even greater things than I have done, because I am going to the Father.” (see John 14:10-12). When reading the things Jesus did in the earth, it is easy to say, “Well, I’m not Jesus. I’m not expected to live like He lived or to do what He did.” I hear many believers make statements like this and it is unfortunate. Statements like this are simply a cop-out. If you convince yourself that you don’t have to live like Jesus, then you will make excuses for yourself to justify the lack of the supernatural in your life. But if you read the Bible, you will see that you are called to live like Jesus lived and you are commanded to expect the Father to do IN, WITH and THROUGH you, things that exceed human ability.
God does not expect you to do what Jesus did on your own. He gave you His Spirit so you can be connected to Him Spirit-to-spirit, and so He can actually be the one doing the work through you. Later on in John 14 Jesus said, “If you love me, you will do what I command. I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever.” This helper is the Holy Spirit. Jesus went on to say, “The Helper is the Spirit of truth. The people of the world cannot accept him, because they don’t see him or know him. But you know him. He lives with you, and he will be in you.” The Holy Spirit was walking WITH them, as they accompanied Jesus. But Jesus made it clear that He would be IN them (see John 14:15-17). If you are Born-Again, God’s Spirit lives IN you!
So, what does this mean to you today? A few quick things.
- You are called and commanded to live like Jesus lived on this planet.
- The supernatural power God expects you to walk in does not come from You. If you are Born-Again, God’s Spirit has taken up residence inside of you. He will give you the words and He will perform the work.
- Jesus was God in the flesh. You are the continuation of His incarnation in this world.
- You are a human conduit of the divine. You are a carrier of God in this world. There is nothing God cannot do through you. But if you make excuses for why the supernatural is not happening in your life, or if you place too much emphasis on your humanity and not enough on God’s divinity, you will live a life that is completely human. Jesus did not die so you could live a life that you could have lived without Him. He died so you could be JUST LIKE HIM in this world.
Closing Confession: Father, this is a year of Great Victory for me. This year I believe I will see Supernatural Manifestation like never before. Not because I have supernatural power, ability or strength. In and of myself, I am just like the people of this world. Without You I am limited to human activity. However, You live IN me! You have taken up residence inside of me! Therefore, there is nothing You cannot do through me. I am called to live JUST LIKE JESUS in this world. I am the continuation of His incarnation! I am a carrier of God! The supernatural is natural to me, because I am born from above! This year I will experience You like never before! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and prosper!
