Introduction
The world IS a place of darkness. We are not here currently to change that. This dispensation – the dispensation of the god of this age is coming to an end.
Jesus was absolutely clear about our mission for this dispensation when He spoke to the disciples.
John 12:31 – Now is the judgment of this world; (Jesus was about to take the judgment of this world on Himself) now the ruler of this world will be cast out (Why? Because he will have no longer have a right to lord it over world). And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.
John 14: 30-31 – I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. (Jesus was sinless so the ‘accuser’ had nothing to accuse Jesus of). But that the world may know that I love the Father and as the Father has given Me commandment, so I do (I will go to the cross and bear the judgment of this world so that mankind can be free from the accuser, the current ruler of this world.)
The disciples understood this:
2 Cor. 4:3-4 – But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this world has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
V5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus our Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus sake. For it is God who commanded light to shine out of the darkness (God’s Modus Operandi) who has shone in our hearts (why?) to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God (where do we see the glory of God?) in the face of Jesus Christ (the express image bearer of God – Heb. 1:2-3 and who is the Light – John 1:1-13.)
What is our role?
We are here to be the bondservants of Christ, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom with the help of the Holy Spirit so that mankind can get ‘born again’ and the end of this dispensation can come.
God has redeemed mankind from the rule of satan and wants to manifest Christ’s victory in all of creation, He does not want to fix a world that is still held captive by satan because they are blinded. First and foremost, they need to be born again.
John 16:8-11 – And when He (the Helper, the Holy Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they don’t believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
We are here to be the Light bearers in the darkness, allowing Christ to live through us, so that He can draw those who are trapped in darkness, to His glorious light. Then He can return to rule and reign here on this earth.
The Christ - resurrected in me
As I stood in the tomb of Jesus in the garden, I was completely alone, I wanted so much to sink down on the floor and just sit there in the stillness…
My eyes were glued to where He had lain and my soul sought to be back there, in that moment with Him, when suddenly, I heard Him say, “I lay My life down here, so that I could be resurrected in you…” He went on to say…”so that together you and I can finish what God the Father has called us to do.”
My spirit leapt within me as this revelation flooded my understanding…and I was energised with amazement, hope and purpose.
Your destiny and mine.
Of course we know…we have read and we have confessed the following truth found in:
Colossians 1:27 – To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
But what exactly does that mean to you? IT’S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT BECAUSE you and I will NEVER rise above the expectation that we have!!!
We cannot believe that we are not enough, we are not holy enough, we are not spiritual enough. God wouldn’t use me. The point is that it’s not about you.
The reason that the children of Israel never entered into the Promised Land was BECAUSE they did not believe God.
They believed IN God but they did not believe that He would do exactly what He said He would do!
The size of their enemy provoked fear to rise in their hearts and stripped them of courage and peace. The ultimate truth though, is that they were looking at themselves as their deliverers and not at God. They were comparing their enemy against themselves instead of comparing their enemy against the greatness of their God!
They had become self-conscious instead of God conscious
God said that they had rejected Him…why? Because their expectation was still in their own capabilities. In their limited understanding and the knowledge of their own frailty, they knew that they could not defeat the enemy. Their reaction proved that they were expecting to have to overcome the enemy in their own strength. They would have to be their own deliverers.
Numbers 14:11 – Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people reject Me?” And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?
What is your expectation? Are you self-conscious or God conscious? We in this church understand the reason God created us…our destiny…
It is your destiny and mine that we will be made into the image of God.
Gen. 1:26 – Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness”.
We know and understand and have an expectation that it is the job of the Holy Spirit to transform us into His image.
2 Cor. 3:18 – But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Trouble is, we have narrowed this scripture down to us reproducing only the character and nature of God. You know…being a holy priesthood?
But this revelation was more than that.
Yes, we are to be transformed so that His nature and His character can be recognised in us. We are to be the epistle that men can read and see God!!!
BUT it’s MORE than that!!! We must do the works that reveal His Majesty and His power as well!
Point No.1 – Jesus actually wants to be resurrected in you and I!
He wants to continue doing what He was doing on the earth, but not just that, MORE than that!
Point No. 2 – The works are important!
We understand that the miracles draw the attention of mankind and are therefore important.
Luke 7:11-17 – Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still, and He said, “Young man, I say to you arise.” So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He (Jesus) presented him to his mother.
What was the reaction of those who witnessed this miracle?
V16 Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and “God has visited His people”.
Point 3 – Jesus has an expectation that we will do greater works!
Remember our theme scripture from last time?
John 14:12 – “He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”
On the earth, Jesus represented us completely, He was the Son of Man. He is the Last Adam. Yet, at the same time, Jesus was the perfect reflector of God – our example to follow as the Man who bore the image of God.
In Hebrews 1:1-3 We read that Jesus (who could do nothing of Himself) was the express image (the exact representation) of God upon the earth.
Jesus, the altogether perfect and Holy One said, John 5:19 “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do.”
By watching what His Father was showing Him, and doing what He saw, God the Father was working through Him.
John 5:15-17 – But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now and I have been working…
Jesus who could do nothing of Himself, healed the sick, raised the dead, walked on water, calmed the storm.
How did that happen? The Holy Spirit was the enabler for the works that God was manifesting through the life of Jesus.
Luke 4: 18-19 – The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, (Why?) Because He has anointed Me (What for?) To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
John 10:37-38 – If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.
BUT Why greater works, why will the works be greater? Jesus said, they’ll be greater because He goes to His Father.
Firstly, as we have already said, Jesus on the earth, represented us completely. He was the Son of Man. He is the Last Adam and as the Last Adam, He took back EVERYTHING that was lost by the 1st Adam and restored it ALL to us!
So the question we must ask ourselves is…What was lost in the fall that Jesus has restored?
- Intimate relationship with God.
- The privilege of being moulded into the image of God.
- Dominion on the earth.
- Abundant life.
- The opportunity to eat from the Tree of Life.
- The ability to fulfil our original purpose for being created.
We are a NEW CREATION!
Secondly, Jesus, Himself has been restored to His former glory! Everything that Jesus did – glorified the Father!
In John 17: 4-5 Jesus (who could do nothing of Himself) says, I have glorified You in the earth. I have finished the work which You gave Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
So now…you and I are to be the express image (the exact representation) of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But understand this…we are NOT talking about Jesus who was our obedient representative on the earth, Jesus, the one who could nothing of Himself…
No, we (who can do nothing of ourselves) are to be the express image of the Lord Jesus Christ who is seated on the throne, who has had all of His former glory restored to Him.
NOW, the greater things that the Holy Spirit will do through our lives, will glorify and testify, bear witness of the One who has all power and all authority, the Lord Jesus Christ here upon the earth! Therefore, the greater works than these…will be His testimony! Will glorify Him, will make His name known!
John 15:26 – But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send you from the /Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
Phil. 2:9-10 – Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!
We have a greater covenant, we have a defeated enemy and the works of the enemy have been destroyed! We are living in, walking in the victory that Jesus Christ died to give us! The mighty Holy Spirit has come to indwell every single one of us who believe!
Isaiah 60:1-3 – Arise and shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
Many in the church understand that the glory of the Lord will rise upon her but sometimes we struggle to fully understand how that glory will be revealed, who it is for and what our role is with regard to that glory.
2 Cor. 3:18 – But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror (remember, Jesus was watching His Father), the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
I’m not referring to merely understanding what your gift is, what your talent is or what your purpose is.
There is definitely an anointing connected to your gift, talent and purpose and it reveals itself through the things you are passionate about – passionate enough to make a difference. It is the thing that you are good at and the thing which you assume everybody else feels equally as passionate about.
In fact, when they don’t, you find it difficult to understand why they don’t get it! The truth is though that we have all been wired differently!
However, today we are not talking about your anointing, we are talking about the glory of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 12:17-18
If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?
But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.
Looking at Isaiah 60:1-3 we notice the following:
“Arise and shine; for your light has come!” John 1:4-5 – In Him, (Jesus the Word) was life, and the life was the light (revelation that brings development) of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
“And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you”. John 1:14 – And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus revealed the glory of God – not just His power and majesty…but in the demonstration of His power, Jesus revealed the nature and the character of God the Father. Love and mercy demonstrate His grace and the truth = God is good, all the time and His thoughts towards us are good!!
So in closing, we have the awesome privilege of revealing The Christ and His Majesty, His power, His character and His nature…how? By the Spirit of the Lord.
Luke 4:18-19 – The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
“I lay My life down here, so that I could be resurrected in you
so that together you and I can finish what God the Father has called us to do.”
The steps of the righteous are ordered of the Lord (Ps. 37:23) and every place on which your foot shall tread, He has given to you (Josh. 1:3).
Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go (Josh. 1:9).