Today we continue our series, “As Jesus Is”, under the banner of the overall series for the year, “Supernatural Manifestation.” We have spent over a month looking at 1 John 4:16,17. A few messages ago, I told you that we would add to this passage: John 14, John 17 and Philippians 2. We have been looking at John 14 for a few days now. Let’s go back to it and 1 John this morning.
The Apostle John said:
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
(1 John 4:16, 17 KJV)
Jesus said the following, in response to a question from Philip:
Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need.”
Jesus answered, “Philip, I have been with you for a long time. So you should know me. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father too. So why do you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 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.
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. And if you ask for anything in my name, I will do it for you. Then the Father’s glory will be shown through the Son.
(John 14:8-13 ERV)
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Jesus made it clear that it was the Father doing the work through Him.
a) Jesus took no credit for the supernatural. He claimed it was the Father, living IN Him, who gave Him the words and who performed the work.
b) Jesus was the only perfect human to ever walk the planet, but He did not perform out of His perfection. He allowed the Father to perform through Him. He did this to serve as an example for us. If Jesus had operated out of His perfect humanity, then He could not be an example for us, because we are not perfect. But since He was simply a human conduit of the divine, He becomes our example, because every Born-Again believer is a human conduit of the divine.
2. Jesus used the supernatural as proof that what He was doing was not human.
a) Jesus said to Philip, “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.” He was basically saying, “Philip, I am telling you that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. It is the Father living in me, giving me the words and performing the work. Now, if you don’t believe me when I speak these words, then at least believe me because of the miracles. You know the miracles cannot be performed by any human. This is proof that God lives in me!”
b) No human could do what Jesus did. The only way a human can usurp or supercede natural laws is if that human is possessed by God.
c) Jesus was saying, “No human can do what I have been doing. This should be proof enough that God Himself lives IN me!” Guess what? We are supposed to live with the same mindset.
3. Jesus expected us to do what He did — the supernatural should be proof that what we are doing is not human.
a) Jesus said that you would do what He did. Are you? Are you making a demand on the supernatural power you have been endued with?
b) Your life should be proof that there is a God. If it is not, then there is too much of YOU in the way. The more you die to self, the more God can live through you, for all the world to see!
c) You will never attempt to see the invisible or perform the impossible until you see yourself “As Jesus is, in this world!”
I have much more to say about this. I will stop here for today.
Closing Confession: Father, this is a year of Great Victory for me. I refuse to live my post-salvation life with a pre-salvation mindset. I am Born-Again. This means I am born from above! You live in me. The God of NO LIMITS is inside of me. Therefore I refuse to live my life as a mere human. I was born a man, but I was Born-Again a God-man! I am in God and God is in me! Father, my life is proof of Yours! My life is evidence that You exist. The supernatural is natural to me. By Your Spirit I am able to see the invisible and perform the impossible, because I see myself as ONE with You! As Jesus is, so am I, in this world! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
