Transcript
Today, we are going to take a Posture of peace by seeing clearly.
Posture is a short, audible fist bump to remind you God is with you in everything. Together, we’re going to be emboldened to take a daily Posture of perfect peace.
I know we talked in the last couple episodes about not seeing or not going by what we see, but going by what God said. We’re continuing that conversation today ’cause there is some seeing that is gifted to us as sons of God. So that’s what we’re gonna be talking about. John 16, Jesus is having a conversation with the disciples and he says, a little while, and you will see me no longer, and again, a little while, and you will see me. So some of his disciples said to one another, what is this that he says to us, a little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me. And because I go to my father…
What does he mean by a little while? We do not know what he’s talking about. So Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him about this. So he said to them, is this what you’re asking yourselves? What I meant by saying a little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come. But when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish for the joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also, you will sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice and no one will take that joy from you. In that day, you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
And then we’re gonna bounce down into verse 33, a scripture many of us know very well here in the Posture community. “Jesus says, I have said these things to you, that in me, you may have peace, in the world, you will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world”. I love that scripture and promise. I love this conversation that Jesus has with his disciples. I’m actually captivated by it. And by that turning your sorrow into joy, peace, you know, there’s so much here, but Jesus is giving them a heads up about what is going to take place through his death. And he says, you won’t see me, and then you will see me. I’m sure you caught that ’cause it was said several times, but this is not just a matter of, you’re not gonna see me because I’m dying and then you will see me because I’m coming back. He’s actually telling them something much greater. Jesus is saying here, when I come back, you are going to really see me. You’re going to wake up to something. You are going to become aware of who I am, and what I have done. And you are going to know about. You’re going to experience our inseparable union. Jesus is saying, I am going to be to you who I have always been, but you’re gonna recognize me. And in recognizing me, you’re going to recognize yourself. You’re going to become aware that you are a new creation, that you are a son of God.
Now this redemptive power that Jesus demonstrates through his death and resurrection, this power that conquered the death, hell and the grave, this authority that turns sorrow into joy, it lives in you, and it lives in me, because he lives in us. Just as we talked about in last week’s episode in John 14, Jesus is setting a new expectation here through his finished work. He is modeling the new norm. As sons of God, the world does not happen to us, we happen to the world. Now in Romans 8, it speaks about this. It speaks about living the life as sons of God, living from the spirit. And I’m just gonna read a portion of this, but in verse 18, it says, I… This is Paul wrote this to the Romans, says, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us for the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God, that’s you and me. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage of decay, and brought into freedom and glory of the children of God”.
Creation, this world, is longing for the glory in us to be revealed. Through our circumstances, good, bad, or ugly, we are entering into every aspect of creation and being Jesus’s victory on display. This is the life of an overcomer. Remember Colossians 2:10 says we have been brought to fullness. So in every circumstance, fullness is your starting point. This is very key. You’re not starting from scratch. You’re not starting again. You’re not finishing what Jesus started, because what he did was a finished work. You can’t add or take away from what Jesus did. What we are doing as sons of God is we were saying yes to the invitation, to live a life rested in his finished work. And we’re living it out in every season and in every circumstance that we face. And we’re doing this by choosing what he said, not necessarily what we see, but when we choose what he said, we do see something. We see things differently. We see them accurately. We see who Jesus is. We see who God is, and we see who we are becoming in him.
Now, Paul prayed a very special prayer for the Ephesians, in Ephesians 1:18. And I want to pray this over you today. He prayed for new eyes for them. He says, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his in comparatively great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is a vote, not only in the present age, but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way”. You are full of Jesus today. And my prayer for you today is that as you choose what he said, you will see this truth clearly.