Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] We do have sermon notes that are available if you'd like that. You can use the Bible app. And I think there's a code or something that's coming up that you can get that. But week ago today, my wife and I were actually, we were on the. In the Dominican and we went to church. Even on vacation, we go to church and so. But we went on a cruise. It was our first one ever.
[00:00:26] And so I am back about five pounds heavier and a little more tan.
[00:00:33] But my wife and I are refreshed and it was wonderful. We celebrated my 40th birthday and that was a joy.
[00:00:41] As someone tell me earlier today, I can't believe you're that old.
[00:00:45] And I'm like, did you think I was older, like, or younger? I didn't know how to take that. But feels good. And you guys bless me. So many messages and cards and couple pies and it's awesome. So love you guys very much. Would you stand as we honor the reading of God's word? Acts chapter 5 and verse 12.
[00:01:07] Very excited to bring the word of God today.
[00:01:12] I was excited when I heard the message from this last Sunday.
[00:01:19] We're coming out of the Passion season, highlighting the death burial resurrection. Pastor last week shared about the ascension of Christ. And I want to build on that today. But I want to begin with this fascinating story. Acts, chapter 5, verses 12 through 16. And this is what it says. And through the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were done among the people.
[00:01:44] They were all with one accord.
[00:01:47] Homothumadon, we are familiar with this. They were in unity. They had the same passion, they had the same fire. And again, you always see that connected to signs and wonders and mighty working of God. They were with one accord. In Solomon's porch. None of the rest of them dared join them. There were observers who did not become disciples, but the people esteemed them highly. Look at verse 14. Believers were increasingly added to the Lord. Multitudes of both men and women, women.
[00:02:17] So they brought the sick out into the streets and they laid them on beds and couches that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.
[00:02:28] A multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, demon spirits. And they were all healed.
[00:02:43] In this Trinity church is God's word.
[00:02:48] Believe it to be true. You may be seated.
[00:02:51] This story fascinates me.
[00:02:54] I've always been intrigued by Peter's shadow having healing virtue, healing power.
[00:03:00] But I guess in light of really focusing on Jesus in this last Season.
[00:03:07] I was pretty shocked to really consider the fact that you watch these guys follow Jesus for three and a half years and they watch Jesus do very similar works to what we see with the apostle Peter and the apostles that we just read about a moment ago. Many signs and wonders done. That's Jesus stuff.
[00:03:29] Jesus. The multitudes would come to Jesus. And on multiple occasions, Luke 4, Matthew 15, there's a few occasions he says that he healed them all.
[00:03:41] There were a lot of disciples made at one time. We know there were up to 120. And then later in Acts it says there were up to 500 followers disciples of Jesus. But we also know that there were many who observed and did not join. Very similar to what Peter's experiencing.
[00:03:58] Matthew 4. 24 talks about how people with diseases and demons, if they would just come and touch the cloak of Jesus, they would be healed.
[00:04:09] Now the exciting part is really what we talked about last week.
[00:04:14] The ministry of Jesus transpires on the earth. But then he makes this shocking statement. He says, it's to your advantage that I leave.
[00:04:23] You wonder how in the world is that an advantage if he goes away, but he ascends to heaven, Holy Spirit comes.
[00:04:32] And by Acts, chapter 5, Peter, the apostles and many others. It doesn't just end with the apostles. We see people who are waiting on widows, we see deacons, we see other leaders and servants in the church also operating in the very same miracle power that Jesus did. Multitudes coming, disciples being made sick on the beds, demonized being brought out. And literally at the shadow of Peter, people were being restored.
[00:05:03] And so the question that comes into my heart, I don't know if you think this way, but I wonder what did the early church understand?
[00:05:15] What kind of ideas were they operating in that I feel like we may be missing today?
[00:05:23] I don't know the last time I saw a shadow heal somebody, I don't think ever I've watched people wrestle for hours over demon powers. And very often we've seen people set free, but never at the casting of a shadow have I seen someone liberated.
[00:05:40] And so to me, the question comes in like, what? What was this first generation of preachers and apostles? And you get some hints in Scripture. Do you realize that, that when you read the sermons of the apostles, they actually, this is, this is a shift, maybe for some of us, but they actually talked about the resurrection of Christ four times more than the death and the burial of Christ.
[00:06:08] I'm going to say that again. They talked about the resurrection of Jesus four times more than they talked about his death and his burial.
[00:06:16] I grew up hearing a lot of preaching. Maybe you grew up in a similar way. That it's about the blood, it's about the cross, it's about repentance. And don't get me wrong for a moment, those are essential to come into the body of Christ. Hebrews makes it clear. Clear. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. I am eternally grateful for the shed blood of Jesus and what he has done to atone for our sins. Someone say thank you, Jesus.
[00:06:45] The problem, I guess the challenge is the ministry of Jesus does not stop there.
[00:06:53] There's a reason. They began to talk about the ascension. They talk about the resurrection and the ascension. And that's the beauty of the season that we're in right now. We're just coming out of Easter.
[00:07:05] And the beauty of what we get to live in right now is the very fact that Jesus is not dead.
[00:07:11] He is not still buried, but he is alive and he has ascended.
[00:07:18] And oh, this one ought to blow your mind.
[00:07:22] He has invited you and I to live in union with the ascended Christmas.
[00:07:31] And that's the title of my message today. Union with the ascended Christ.
[00:07:37] Union with the ascended Christ. Do you realize there's some verses that are going to come quickly? You might write these down. This will help you.
[00:07:46] In Christ, you and I already have everything we need to live a godly life.
[00:07:53] We have received. Second Peter 1:3, all of this the Bible says by coming to know Jesus, he has called us to himself. So in Christ you have all things. I want you to say that all things, you lack nothing.
[00:08:12] The next verse in 2nd Peter 1:4, it says that these are promises that enable us to share in God's divine nature. The new King James says that we are partakers. We are receivers and releasers of divine nature. Now, don't let big words frighten you. Divine means God.
[00:08:36] So as we are in union with the resurrected and ascended Christ, his nature, the God stuff, the substance of God literally flows into our life and through our lives. Amen.
[00:08:55] Have I gone too deep, too fast for us?
[00:09:00] I know we just dove in the deep end, but praise God.
[00:09:05] In First John, chapter three, it says that we are already God's children. I want you to say that I'm a child of God.
[00:09:13] If you've been born again, you're a child of God. That's already your position.
[00:09:17] And then it says that we do not know when Christ will appear, but we know we will be like him.
[00:09:25] You know that's your call, is to look like Jesus.
[00:09:32] Romans 8:20. I'm laying foundation in Scripture. Romans 8:29. God knew his people in advance, and he chose them. He chose you to become like his son, so that his son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
[00:09:48] You're called to do the Jesus stuff. Christ in you. Colossians 1:27. The hope of glory. Romans 8:11 says, the same spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead dwells in you.
[00:10:03] The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is in you.
[00:10:07] To be unaware of our godly inheritance can cut us off from all that God has called us to be and to do in the world.
[00:10:21] I can tell you that this is your position, that you have an inheritance, that you are a son, you are a daughter of the most high God. But if we don't have an awareness or an understanding of truly who God has called us to be and what he has called us to do, we're going to spend our lives living in the shallows of the river of God.
[00:10:43] One of the things that I enjoy doing. It was so refreshing to be able to see the ocean this last week.
[00:10:50] One of the things I enjoyed doing is diving.
[00:10:55] Do spear diving. I tried some deeper dives and whatnot, free diving, but I'm not real good at it. I remember when I was first starting this, I could dive down about, you know, 15 to 20ft. I could hold my breath for about a minute.
[00:11:13] But then I met an architect. That's right, an architect. This guy was in his 60s.
[00:11:19] And I somehow the topic of diving came up and he said, well, I'm a free diver. These free divers are crazy. These guys, on one breath, no oxygen, no tank, no weights, no nothing. One breath. They will dive down sometimes between 2 and and 600ft, straight down into the water, they're holding their breath. Three, four, five, six minutes long. Absolutely insane.
[00:11:47] So I'm talking to this guy and he asks me, oh, you're a diver? Yeah, a little bit. And he says, well, how long can you hold your breath?
[00:11:54] I say, about a minute.
[00:12:00] And he says, no, you. He's like, no, that's not true.
[00:12:04] He's like, you can hold your breath a lot longer than that. And I said, no, I've timed myself. I can hold my breath for about a minute. And he says, no. He's like, I bet you can hold your breath from two to three minutes, you just don't know how.
[00:12:18] So he taught me, this is how you breathe. This is how you lower your heart rate.
[00:12:25] This is how you settle your nerves. And then this is how you prepare. This is how much time you need before you go into the water.
[00:12:31] I tried what he instructed me to do, and the very first time that I tried it, I held my breath for over three minutes in the water.
[00:12:41] Now, it's not really worthy of an applause. If I taught you, you could hold your breath for three minutes, you've just never had anybody teach you.
[00:12:51] Part of the challenge, I feel like we have in the Kingdom of God, is there are depths in places in God that each and every one of us can find.
[00:13:01] There is a depth in the river of God. There are heights in the heavenlies that you and I can go to.
[00:13:07] But nobody's ever taught you how.
[00:13:10] Nobody's ever showed you. This is, this is actually how you seek the Lord. This is what you can do. And if I can be very transparent with you, I've spent a lot of years very frustrated as someone who's attended church. I'd go to these revival meetings. I'd hear some of the great preachers. I'd have prayers and impartation. And I would wonder why the miracles that I would see in a, in a, in a revival meeting weren't flowing through my hands.
[00:13:39] I wondered why I would preach in the glory of the Lord. Didn't show up like I had seen it in other occasions.
[00:13:46] And it caused me to question. I don't know. I don't know if you've ever done this, but it caused me to question, is this a hoax?
[00:13:53] Is this guy a fraud? Is, did miracle ministry end back then?
[00:13:59] At the very least, my conclusion was maybe I just don't have an anointing for that sort of thing. Maybe that's just for somebody else and it's just not for me.
[00:14:08] But when I began to have teaching and I began to understand my union with the ascended Christ.
[00:14:18] I want you to hear me on this. When I began to understand my union with the ascended Christ, I'm telling you, the first, first year that I came to understand some of these things, I saw more miracles in one year than I saw in the previous 15 combined.
[00:14:34] We saw terminal brain cancer removed in an instant. Not with cancer treatments on top of it, but at one prayer, cancer removed. That woman of God is still alive today.
[00:14:45] We'd see miracle provision like Pastor Jim was talking about. I'm not my own source. But we're taking steps of faith and we're being generous givers in the Lord of flow. Supernatural. We began to step into a supernatural flow.
[00:14:59] We'd have visitations from God sometimes In small services, sometimes in a classroom setting, sometimes in our home or in a hospital room. But we begin to pray. And I'm understanding my union with the ascended Christ.
[00:15:15] And all of a sudden the glory of the Lord comes in a way that I. I always believed that it could, but I never experienced.
[00:15:24] And I'm just here to tell you today that if God could use a guy like Peter or he could use these in the early church, he can use you and he can use me.
[00:15:38] You have been invited to walk in this place. In fact, I want you to write this down. You have been invited to live in union with the ascended Christ.
[00:15:52] Selah, I don't know what your picture of Jesus is.
[00:16:02] When you think Jesus, do you think baby Jesus or Jesus from the chosen or Baptist, Methodist, Catholic Jesus, crucifix Jesus, friend. Jesus is alive and he has ascended to the right hand of the Father. His enemies have been made his footstool. He's the overcomer of sin. He's the overcomer of hell. He has defeated the last enemy the Bible says, which is death.
[00:16:28] And you and I have been called to live in union with. Not carpenter Jesus, not Jewish Jesus, not good teacher or prophet Jesus, but this ascended risen King of kings and Lord of Lords.
[00:16:45] You understand union?
[00:16:48] This is a legal term. You know you're joined in holy matrimony. That's. That's union. It's a legal term. You can read about it. Part of what we do when we celebrate plunge party is we believe. Romans chapter 6. You can study it later. I won't read the verses. Romans 6:1 through 6 describes the union that happens when believers. This isn't just for ordained ministers or when you get the call into ministry. No, the moment you believe you are immersed into, you are plunged into and brought into union with Jesus Christ.
[00:17:24] And the book of Romans uses that word union on. On multiple occasions. I'll just reference him quickly. It says you are immersed Into Union, verse 3.
[00:17:33] With Jesus, you are immersed into union with his death. You are co. Buried with him, you are co. Resurrected with Him.
[00:17:41] Verse 5, you are permanently grafted into Jesus is you are. When you are co. Crucified with him, it dismantles the stronghold of sin.
[00:17:55] That's what's pictured when we're water baptized.
[00:17:59] If you've never been water baptized, I want you to. I would encourage you to sign up today.
[00:18:05] Maybe you're not even born again. Maybe you've not. Not ever done this. And what. Why. Why would I even want to do that? I prayed a prayer. I Believe in my heart. That's right. But it is a picture of being immersed into the body of Christ and being brought into union with his death, which destroys sin, his burial, which destroys guilt and shame, and his resurrection, which is a whole new ascend ascended life that you and I can live in.
[00:18:36] You understand?
[00:18:39] When we're in union, another picture that's given in Romans literally means to be planted together or growing together.
[00:18:49] And the simple way I've referenced this, but I want to show you. You realize that who you spend time with, you begin to resemble.
[00:18:57] You can even see this in animals. You ever see people that look like they're pets?
[00:19:10] You see, you spend time around people, you begin to think like they do. You start to be able to finish each other's sentences.
[00:19:21] And studies have shown that your habits, your values, your mindsets are deeply impacted by the closest relationships to you because you begin to resemble who you surround yourself with.
[00:19:38] In fact, this is an interesting one.
[00:19:43] Can you listen and see this at the same time? Because there's a few more.
[00:19:49] There was an interesting study done in 2022 by Harvard, and they found that your salary would be within $10,000 of your 5 closest friends, $10,000 of your 5 closet relationships. And you've heard people in leadership seminars. Show me your friends. I'll show you your future.
[00:20:11] If you ever come into a circle of friends, you'll know that they've done some life together, they have understanding of references, they'll make jokes, they may say a number or random word, and you have no idea why. It's funny to everybody. But as they've done life together, they have the same humor, they have the same values, they have the same stories.
[00:20:29] Okay, that's enough of the pictures.
[00:20:35] Second Corinthians 3.
[00:20:37] There's a beautiful picture I want you to consider.
[00:20:41] Moses is in the presence of God.
[00:20:46] And the glory of the Lord comes down in this cloud, and he comes off of that mountain glowing.
[00:20:55] The fact that like people spending time with their pets or with their spouse, Moses spent time with the Lord. And he literally came down off of the mountain glowing with the same glory that he saw in the Lord.
[00:21:08] And that's a wild thought. If you consider it. It's like taking a. An iron and placing it in the fire. And if you leave it there long enough, you take that iron out of the fire and that that iron glowing, radiating, it'll carry the very same heat that it had been immersed in.
[00:21:26] And this is exactly what happened. Moses spends time in the glory and the radiance and the countenance of God, and he comes off of the mountain. Not just physically, not like we talk about a, you know, a pregnant woman. Oh, you're glowing. I understand what people are saying when they say, no. Like, he was glowing to a degree. That freaked people out. There's something wrong with your face.
[00:21:48] It's producing light. And they asked him to cover his face.
[00:21:53] But the idea that Second Corinthians presents is that you and I have access to God to look at him face to face, to become like him and to reflect his glory in a very similar sense that Moses did.
[00:22:11] And to make this very, very practical.
[00:22:13] This is like, simple application as I can make it.
[00:22:18] When you open the word of God, don't just read this to check off your daily reading, but open this as if it is a mirror reflecting the glory of God and saying, lord, I want you to show me some things. I want you to reveal yourself. I want to see my reflection in this, and I want to look in this long enough that I begin to see my. I want to see my reflection begin to resemble you.
[00:22:49] When we come into worship, when we're singing about the name of Jesus, there's something about your name I want you to consider. It's like a mirror looking into the face of God when you pray. It's like a mirror. I want you to look for. For Jesus when you pray.
[00:23:14] I'm not just looking for presence.
[00:23:19] I want the person of Jesus. I want to come boldly before his throne of grace. The goosebump, the fire, the falling on the ground, the weeping.
[00:23:31] That's what's going on with this baby right now, is the power of God weeping in the presence. I've been like that, and that's wonderful. It's wonderful.
[00:23:43] But it's like if I'm sitting and watching hockey, playoff hockey, watching the Dallas Stars get destroyed by the wild, my wife can show up, and I maybe don't even see her because I'm watching tv, but I can smell that she's wearing the perfume that I like. What's that one? Victoria's Secret. Super sensual. What's it called?
[00:24:16] I could be watching tv and I'm sitting on the chair and I smell her, and I'm aware of her presence. She's come into the room, it smells good, and, boy, her very presence is changing the atmosphere.
[00:24:33] I can feel her. I can know that she's there.
[00:24:36] Maybe I can hear a greeting from her.
[00:24:39] But if my focus stays on the losing stars and I miss the person that's walked into the room, what's the point of an atmosphere change or a visitation or a presence that's coming?
[00:24:55] I'm telling you, I feel like this is what we do. So often.
[00:24:59] I feel God's presence. Oh, that's his glory. I got a goosebump.
[00:25:03] I'm crying. I felt something.
[00:25:07] The atmosphere changed.
[00:25:10] Church.
[00:25:12] When that happens, do you know what that means?
[00:25:16] It means he is in the room.
[00:25:20] It means he is near and everything changes. Hear me on the glory of is not the cloud. The glory is not the fire. The glory is in the cloud. The glory is in the fire. And when he shows up, this is when I begin to look around God, where are you and what are you doing and what are you saying? Are you just abiding? I'm going to sit at your feet and I'm going to look into your face and I'm going to hear your words.
[00:25:50] We talk about substance. It's one of our core values.
[00:25:55] Literally means to stand under.
[00:25:59] Under what?
[00:26:02] I feel his presence. That means God has entered the room. So I'm gonna find him and I'm gonna greet him and I'm gonna sit at his feet and I'm gonna behold the Lamb of God.
[00:26:17] Do you want to look like Jesus?
[00:26:20] Do you want to look like Jesus?
[00:26:24] Seek him, Find him.
[00:26:30] When you feel his presence, that doesn't mean you've accomplished what you've set out to do.
[00:26:36] The person of Jesus has stepped into the room.
[00:26:42] Now.
[00:26:43] Behold him, hear him, receive of him, abide in him.
[00:26:53] You see, John the Revelator.
[00:26:58] He spent time with Jesus, knew him very well, knew his heartbeat, knew his breath, knew his words.
[00:27:04] But when he saw the ascended Christ, it was so much more than the rabbi he had followed for several years.
[00:27:13] He was so overwhelmed as he beheld the fullness of God in ascended form.
[00:27:21] The Bible in Revelation 1 declares that he actually fell on the ground as though he were dead.
[00:27:27] The revelation so overwhelmed him, he thought he knew Jesus. But when he saw resurrected Jesus, there was so much more.
[00:27:36] Now, I got to be honest, the reason the ascension is so important.
[00:27:42] As most of us have grown up, we hear about Jesus, the nice teacher, the nice prophet, maybe the miracle worker. And I want to look like Jesus.
[00:27:51] And that's great.
[00:27:52] If that's your goal, if that's your pursuit, you're going to look pretty good if that's your desire in life.
[00:28:00] But can I remind you, he is a resurrected king who is seated at the right hand of the Father.
[00:28:10] His hair is white like wool.
[00:28:14] His eyes have become flames of fire.
[00:28:17] His words are a sword that pierces his feet are like burnished bronze. The Bible says that his countenance, his radiance is as glorious as the sun.
[00:28:30] Resurrected Jesus, ascended Jesus, who has invited you and I to live in union. Not with Rabbi Jesus, not just with crucified Jesus, but ascended, overcoming victorious Jesus.
[00:28:50] It's a big deal.
[00:28:54] Now, I want to illustrate this one way. And then we're going to pray.
[00:28:58] You might wonder, how does our root story have anything to do with what I've been sharing?
[00:29:05] Well, something happened to Peter.
[00:29:09] Peter, by the time we read this story, the one that we read at the beginning of our message in Acts chapter five, he's walking in a place of union with God where the Bible says that people were looking for his shadow to hit them. In fact, let's look at it again. Acts, chapter 5 and verse 15 said, he brought the sick into the streets. They laid them on beds and couches so that at least the shadows Peter passing by might fall on some of them.
[00:29:37] Here's the result. A multitude gather from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people, those who were tormented by unclean spirits. And they were all healed. Now everybody say shadow, that his shadow might fall on them.
[00:29:57] I don't want to highlight the word shadow. There's actually a phrase, you don't really see it in this text, but it says that passing by might fall on.
[00:30:06] You know, that word fall on is also translated to.
[00:30:11] To overshadow.
[00:30:14] They wanted the shadow of Peter to overshadow them.
[00:30:20] In the original language, it's the Greek word episcop episode.
[00:30:29] Somebody who's Greek can help me with this episode. It's not as easy as homothuma Don, but maybe we can learn this one too.
[00:30:37] And it means to cast shade upon, to envelop in a haze of brilliancy. Now watch this. To invest with supernatural influence.
[00:30:49] They were saying, I want what is on the inside of Peter. He has been investing with something super. You know what invest is, right? I'm gonna. I'm gonna invest in your life. I'm gonna invest in your business. I'm gonna invest in the bank or in the stocks. He had been invested with something supernatural. And they wanted the brilliancy of what was in Peter to overshadow them. And when it did, demons came out.
[00:31:17] Healing transpired.
[00:31:19] Oh, my goodness.
[00:31:21] I don't know if this excites you, but it sure excites me.
[00:31:25] There's three occasions that you see this word overshadow in Scripture. In Luke, chapter one, in verse 35, an angel appears to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and says, the Holy Spirit will come on you and the power of the highest will overshadow you.
[00:31:45] The Holy One, who is to be born, will be called the Son of God.
[00:31:50] Overshadowing releases supernatural investment.
[00:31:56] Overshadowing releases supernatural investment. You see, Mary had an encounter.
[00:32:05] She came into the presence. She was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and she was invested with something supernatural.
[00:32:16] You say, is that real? It's so real she became pregnant.
[00:32:22] That overshadowing was so powerful, it produced a child in her womb. It's the very same picture of what was happening in Genesis 1. The Holy Spirit brooding, overshadowing over the deep.
[00:32:37] The picture is like of a mother hen brooding over her eggs. I know there's life and I know something is about to come forward here. This is what Holy Spirit is doing in anticipation over the creation. And when God shows up, there's moments that he overshadows.
[00:32:55] It's like he's brooding over us.
[00:32:57] I'm going to create some things, I'm going to release some things. I'm going to invest something supernatural. It just makes me wonder. It makes me wonder. Sitting in a worship time like we've been in today, sitting under the word of God, sitting under, under the prayers of the saints. It makes me wonder sometimes if God begins to come and overshadow us.
[00:33:19] And that solution you have been praying for, for the situation that is frustrating you. If God doesn't just supernaturally impart that, that miracle you've been believing for. And God, I, I, I would like to receive my healing. I would like to receive my miracle. And he's brooding over us. And in one moment he imparts something supernatural.
[00:33:41] You're like Mary believing for a child. And he imparts something supernatural.
[00:33:48] You're believing God, I'd like to believe for supernatural resource. I want to be the lender and not the borrower. I'm believing for something supernatural. And all of a sudden he releases an anointing in your life. He's overshadowing you.
[00:34:08] Everybody say overshadow.
[00:34:12] The second overshadowing we see, is this encouraging you?
[00:34:17] Oh, when I was reading this, I felt like I'd be floating at the table as I was writing. I'm just like, God, this is holy.
[00:34:28] The second overshadowing we see is at the Mount of Transfiguration.
[00:34:33] Now, I want to read this whole thing here. It's a powerful account in Luke chapter 9, Luke chapter 9 and verse 28.
[00:34:41] So after these things came to pass, about eight days after these, saying Jesus took Peter, James, and John. And went on a mountain to pray.
[00:34:49] Verse 29. As he prayed. Watch this. As he prayed. As he prayed, the appearance of his face was altered.
[00:34:58] His robe became white and glistening. When did that happen?
[00:35:03] When he prayed.
[00:35:05] Behold, two men came and talked with him who were Moses and Elijah. That's a trip. And they appeared in glory. And they spoke of his decease, which was about to. Which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep. Interesting how often people experience. Experience the manifest glory of God, and their instinct is to sleep.
[00:35:30] There's a message in there.
[00:35:31] It makes sense. Actually, as it happened, they were parting from him. Peter said to Jesus, master, it's good for us to be here. Let us make three tabernacles. We're going to build a couple shrines for you. One for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah.
[00:35:49] Not knowing what he said while he was saying this, Watch this. A cloud came and overshadowed them.
[00:35:57] They were fearful. As they entered the cloud, a voice came from heaven saying, this is my beloved Son. Hear him.
[00:36:09] When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. They kept quiet. Peter didn't have any more ideas after that.
[00:36:19] And they told no one in those days of the things that they had seen.
[00:36:24] Now watch the process. Here, Jesus prays.
[00:36:29] You know what he's doing?
[00:36:31] He is beholding the glory of his Father.
[00:36:36] He's in the presence, not in the cloud, but in prayer.
[00:36:41] He's observing intently the face of his Father.
[00:36:46] And as he does, the Bible says that he is transfigured before them, literally glowing, radiating, as in a mirror, transformed. The very same thing. The Bible says that. In fact, let's look at the verse. Second Corinthians 3:18 says that we can all draw near to God with a veil removed from our face. And with no veil, we become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured. It's the very same word in the Greek. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one level, one brighter level of glory to another. This glorious transformation comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit you get with God.
[00:37:36] This is what Jesus modeled. He was with his Father. And as he was beholding his Father, he began to radiate the glory of his Father.
[00:37:47] Then they were overshadowed.
[00:37:53] Then the glory of the Lord came and descended upon that mountaintop.
[00:37:59] And the Father speaks very similar words that he did at his baptism. This is my son, whom I love.
[00:38:08] Boys, they were impressed by Moses and Elijah. There's a picture of the doing away of the law and the prophets. Now we're looking to Jesus.
[00:38:17] This is my son.
[00:38:19] Hear him.
[00:38:22] All that you see in Moses and Elijah is fulfilled in Jesus.
[00:38:27] The cloud lifts. Moses and Elijah are gone. And watch this. This is what I want. Want you to write down the second idea. Second Overshadowing. Overshadowing affirms and heals identity.
[00:38:42] Overshadowing will heal and affirm identity.
[00:38:49] The Father's affirming the identity of Jesus. He didn't need healing. He had confidence in that.
[00:38:55] But many of us, as we come into the presence, as we behold the glory of the Lord, and we are overshadowed by his presence.
[00:39:03] I don't know if you need it. I need it.
[00:39:05] Healing that comes from his presence.
[00:39:08] I need to hear who God has called me to be and what he's called me to do.
[00:39:15] And when I feel unworthy or like broken goods or like I'm not good enough or I could never live up to that. These are the moments where, in the presence of the Father, he begins to minister and say, no. This is what I have called and created and predestined and ordained for you to walk in. You're an heir with an inheritance. You're my child, just like Jesus is my child.
[00:39:37] This is what happens. He begins to visit us, to be restored. You see what happened in the Fall? All of us need healing in this area because in the. In the fall, you have Adam, you have Eve, who were created in the image of God.
[00:39:52] But in the Fall, the image was marred and the likeness was forfeited. That nature of God was compromised. And we've been limping on, in a sense, ever since that moment.
[00:40:08] One thing you must understand about the Father, if you have any idea that I have about the Father that's not represented in Jesus is false.
[00:40:21] And you can look to the creation as an evidence of this. Any idea that I have about the Father that is not pictured represented in Jesus himself, it is false. God the Father is not the bad cop. And Jesus shows up and he's the good cop.
[00:40:35] Amen. God the Father is not an abusive father waiting to release his wrath upon the earth. He's a good Father who is patient and merciful and slow to anger and of great kindness. He relents. He resists doing harm and bringing judgment. His desire is to release a blessing and release favor.
[00:40:56] And we see this modeled in Jesus. Jesus, the Bible says Hebrews 1:3, is the express image of God. All that God is was expressed in Jesus.
[00:41:05] He is the fullness of God in a human body. Colossians 2, 9. Jesus said, if you have seen me, you have seen my father. John 14:9.
[00:41:16] The challenge is from the very beginning. You see it with Adam and Eve.
[00:41:21] They take of the fruit and all of a sudden the awareness.
[00:41:28] Their nakedness strikes the heart of Adam. They're hiding. But the Father shows up for his daily walk in the garden with Adam and Eve.
[00:41:40] Adam, where are you?
[00:41:42] He's hiding.
[00:41:44] Why are you hiding?
[00:41:46] I was ashamed because of my nakedness.
[00:41:51] And the Father responds to him, who told you you were naked?
[00:41:57] Something about his image had been disrupted. Something about his image had been distorted. What I find interesting is Adam isn't even embarrassed about his sin or about his failure. He's in. He's embarrassed by. His nakedness wasn't what he did, it's what he felt about himself.
[00:42:14] And God had no problem with it.
[00:42:17] Adam, I don't know if you realize this, but you and I have been taking naked walks a lot lately.
[00:42:24] Every day. He'd been shown every walk that they had had. He'd been naked. God created him that way and was never ashamed.
[00:42:33] But when the fall happened, when sin entered the world, all of a sudden this guilt and this shame overcomes Adam and Adam begins to project it. God must feel this way about me and the Father.
[00:42:48] Oh, who's patient and merciful and slow to anger and abounding in grace.
[00:42:58] He sheds the blood of an animal, the atonement for sin. And he covers Adam and Eve's nakedness.
[00:43:06] He gives them what they needed and prophesies.
[00:43:11] I know this is broken, and we live in this broken world.
[00:43:15] But there's one coming.
[00:43:17] One day. You feel the effects of sin. You feel the power of the devil. But one day there's going to be one who's going to come into this earth. He's going to come out of the lineage of you guys, out of you, Adam, and out of you, Eve. And he's going to crush the head of that serpent. He's going to make the enemies of God his footstool.
[00:43:38] And the Bible says in Romans 8 that you and I have been seated with him and that the enemies of God have been made. Your footstool. My footstool. The victory of Jesus is my victory.
[00:43:52] You see, when God begins to overshadow us, he affirms our identity and he heals our. We all battle that same guilt and shame, like Adam did. We all have those moments, those areas in our life that we're ashamed. But can I just tell you, God's not ashamed of you.
[00:44:08] He was not ashamed of Adam, and he's not ashamed of you. He knows your nakedness. He knows your weakness. He knows where you failed. He knows where you sin. And he's willing and able to show up and cover and heal and restore.
[00:44:34] Now, the third overshadowing that we see in worship Team, you come. I'm nearly done.
[00:44:40] The third overshadowing is what we just read with Peter.
[00:44:45] Divine power begins to flow out of him. The Bible, you know, this is the idea that what was on the inside of Peter began to tangibly flow out of him.
[00:45:04] It wasn't now just God who is overshadowing.
[00:45:09] But I believe that Peter had learned this beautiful place of union with the Lord to such a degree that that which was in him now began to radiate out of him.
[00:45:23] Jesus would say things like this, I am the light of the world.
[00:45:28] And then he would turn and say to his disciples, you are the light of the world.
[00:45:33] As you spend time with Jesus, you become like Jesus. Image is restored, likeness is being healed. And we are resembling Jesus more and more and more.
[00:45:47] Christ in us, the hope of glory.
[00:45:52] What was in Peter begin to tangibly radiate out of him.
[00:45:58] I believe that it wasn't even his shadow.
[00:46:02] I think they wanted his shadow.
[00:46:04] But what they got was the overshadowing.
[00:46:09] You don't need the shadow to touch you, but literally there is the glory and the power of God that is radiating from the man of God who has been in the presence of God.
[00:46:20] And it's literally coming out of him, Peter. I mean, all were healed and all who had demons were free.
[00:46:32] I just wonder if people didn't just walk into Jerusalem in this season and all of a sudden that growth that I had is no longer there.
[00:46:42] They walk into synagogue where Peter's teaching or preaching, or they show up in the prayer meeting that John's at or whatever.
[00:46:51] They go to hear Philip the evangelist preach.
[00:46:55] Man, this tormenting, anxiety, depression, weariness, this harassing voice that I've had in my head. The moment that I got under this. What is this? The overshadowing, it stopped.
[00:47:17] You believe God could do this through your life?
[00:47:22] Oh, did I give you the third point? Overshadowing imparts the virtue and the countenance of God.
[00:47:31] Overshadowing in parts the virtue and the countenance of God.
[00:47:37] Virtue is power.
[00:47:39] So Jesus felt. I felt virtue go out of me when the woman grabbed the hem of his garment.
[00:47:44] Felt power go out from me. Energy, countenance. Bible says his countenance is as radiant as the sun.
[00:47:55] You ever get around people and you just feel like, whoa, I feel your countenance, I feel your presence.
[00:48:04] This is why you get around unbelievers. And they, they'll say things they don't know how to. You know, I feel the glory of the Lord upon your life, brother. They don't know how to phrase it, but you'll get around like unbelievers and just like you just have a good vibe about you that's real.
[00:48:21] I just like your aura.
[00:48:25] I don't know about that one, but.
[00:48:28] But you understand what they're trying to say.
[00:48:31] There's a countenance, there's a radiating presence that you and I carry that we walk in. We've all heard about ask Jesus into your heart, but friend, we've been invited to live in him.
[00:48:44] In union with the ascended Christ.
[00:48:49] God do this through your life and just makes me imagine your students walk into your classroom.
[00:48:58] I just feel peace here.
[00:49:00] I have trouble at home, I have fear at home, but I have peace in this classroom.
[00:49:07] People walk over to your work cubicle and man my anxiety. It's just. I feel good when I'm.
[00:49:13] Could I sit with you at lunch today? I feel my anxiety leaves when I'm just around you.
[00:49:20] People visit your home.
[00:49:22] Dude, call me crazy. I had a growth before I came to dinner tonight, but it's gone.
[00:49:30] I don't know. I just believe that this kind of thing could happen.
[00:49:34] Glory of the Lord overshadows us riding in a car, tormenting spirit justly. This is the life of union with the ascended Christ that the Lord has called us to.
[00:49:47] It's beautiful.
