Lord, Take Me Deeper: Connection
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18 “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. 20 The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen. 21 This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.
Intro:
28 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.
As we begin the year with the prayer, [Lord, Take Me Deeper], the subject of my third message out of is, [Connection].
For the month of January, we are praying and fasting that God will take us Deeper in Him. As I have prayed, I keep telling God, there is so much you have available, I want to go deeper in You!
I still remember a clock hanging in our living room. It was oval shaped, made of wood, and it had the face of Jesus. I will be honest, I love Jesus, but I couldn’t stand that clock.
It was pretty scary to see in the middle of the night, for some reason the eyes followed us everywhere we went. But since my parents and grandparents spoke of God so much,
As long as God has us on this earth, He wants us to go to go deeper in Him. Therefore, we must not look at our Christian experience as a list of accomplishments.
If the doors were open, we were at church. However, they taught us that it is not just about going to church, we have to live for Jesus every day.
For some, getting saved
As a child, I always wanted to see God. I always wondered how He looked. We would sing about Him in our services, and I was always curious what it would be like to see God.
As a child, I always wanted to see God. I always wondered how He looked. We would sing about Him in our services, and I was always curious what it would be like to see God.
As a child, I always wanted to see God. I always wondered how He looked. We would sing about Him in our services, and I was always curious what it would be like to see God.
As I reflected on the word Deeper, I remembered my first summer in Salem, MO. I had some friends and we went swimming. The pool had two diving boards, a low-dive and a high-dive.
Quickly my dreams were stifled as I was informed that no one could see God and live. So, I realized that I couldn’t see God, but I thought maybe I can see Jesus. From my earliest memories in Sunday School, there was always some picture of Jesus in our lesson.
I recently told my sister I was proud that she was in church. She replied, well I’ve gone for a while now. I answered, you know what I mean, you frequented church, but you didn’t really get involved.
Salvation- It is not, I am saved, now I wait to go to heaven. When we repent, sin no longer separates us from God.
I jumped off the low-dive a couple time. I then decided to tackle the high dive. I watched children and teenagers jump off with ease. I climbed the steps to the top, it was probably 12-15’ in the air.
Holy Spirit Baptism- we are not finished with spiritual development when we speak in tongues. No, God sent the Holy Spirit to empower to do more for Him!
I walked to the end and looked down. Instead of jumping, I shook my head no and turned around. Looking up at me was a line of children.
She answered, well, you get out of church what you put in to church.
But it confused me because every picture of Jesus looked different. So I was still convinced that I hadn’t seen God. Until one day mom came home and told us that she received an email.
In the email was a picture, at first glance if was a big black inkblot that didn’t look like much of anything. But there were three dots in the center of the picture.
I went back, shook my head, and repeated the process a few times. By this time, people are beginning to laugh. To stop any future shaming, I plugged my nose and jumped!
If we looked at the three dots for thirty seconds, and looked away, we would be able to “see” Jesus. I tried and it really did work. It wasn’t a picture, but in front of me, I saw an image of Jesus.
To my surprise, I loved it, and it is something I love to do. It always takes time to build up the courage, but when I finally take the plunge and jump in the deep water, it is wonderful!
I was so excited, that I went to the bathroom and took the picture with me. I filled the bathtub up with six inches of water and I looked at the picture for thirty seconds. Once I saw the face of Jesus, I stepped in the bathtub fully expecting to walk on water.
I thought about this when I got to this part of . We’ve established that God wants to take us deeper in Him. The question I have wanted to answer is, how do we go deeper?
Guess what? I sunk. I am just glad it was six inches and not six feet of water!
It begins with confession. We announce our need for Jesus. When we do this, He takes residence in our hearts and lives. Peter did this when he declared, you are the Christ the Son of the Living God.
Once Peter and the other disciples confessed Jesus as Messiah, the Lord showed them what comes next. He informed them, confession is vital, but if you really want to follow me, take up your cross.
In our walk with God, there are two roads before us. One road is a life of seeming ease. It consists of casual church attendance, occasional prayer, limited bible ready, in other words inconsistency.
People who take the other road are fully commited to God. They pray every day, not just rushing through, but spending time with God in His presence.
Those traveling this road consecrate their schedule. They do not allow circumstances to determine their faithfulness to God’s house or time in God’s word.
I trust we have all made a confession of our faith in Christ. If not, today is a day to accept Him as Savior. Then we regularly confess our need for God’s help, power, and strength, living a consecrated life.
When we confess our
What benefits follow consecration?
When we live a consecrated life there is a connection with God that is otherwise unavailable. If we could see in the Spirit, something supernatural happens when we get serious about the Lord.
When we then consecrate our self, schedule, and shame, there is
There is the connection between God and us. There is a supernatural dimension we can enter. When we have this connection, we will come to church expecting God to meet with us.
When we have this connection, we will feel His presence in our services, because we’ve spent time with Him every day.
When we have this connection, there is a faith and confidence that rises in our heart that enables us to do all things through Christ.
When we have this connection, encounters with the God of heaven are not rare, but will happen often.
Who wants a closer connection with God? The let’s take the jump and dive in deep to the Spirit.
What else accompanies this connection? Let’s study the story of the Mount of Transfiguration. I have three points, [A Supernatural Conversation], [A Supernatural Communication], and [A Supernatural Connection].
Let’s begin
1. A Supernatural Conversation
1. A Supernatural Conversation
28 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. 30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.
2
28 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. 30 And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
Eight days after Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah and Jesus told the disciples take up their cross and follow Him, Jesus went to a mountain to pray.
This was a common practice. Even though He was the Son of God, He was utterly dependent on time with the Father. He consecrated His schedule, making time for this spiritual connection.
Instead of going alone, Jesus took Peter, James, and John. Choosing them says as much about them as it does about Jesus.
I do not think Jesus chose them because He played favorites. It is more likely that they made more of an effort to draw near to Jesus. When we make time for Him, He will reward us!
As they get to the top of the mountain, Jesus begins to pray. I love the fact that Luke tells us the disciples fell asleep. Perhaps they were tired from the climb, or maybe they just liked naps.
As they slept, something happened in Jesus. The glory of God began to shine upon Him. The glory is different from the presence. We feel the presence of God, but the glory is the manifest presence. It is seen, felt, and easily recognized.
While He prayed, suddenly two more people join them on the mountain, Moses and Elijah. Luke tells us of their conversation.
Moses and Elijah spoke of Jesus’ decease, or as the {NIV translates, His departure}. {NLT, His exodus from the world}. In essence, they spoke of the fact that Jesus was going to go Jerusalem to suffer and die.
I imagine Moses and Elijah spoke about how everything in history lead to this moment. Think about it, Moses might have said, “Jesus, I still remember the feeling of crossing the Red Sea. I know how pivotal it was for the nation of Israel. Imagine what Your resurrection will do for all of humanity.”
I imagine Moses and Elijah spoke about how everything in history lead to this moment. Think about it, Moses might have said, “Jesus, I still remember the feeling of crossing the Red Sea. I know how pivotal it was for the nation of Israel. Imagine what Your resurrection will do for all of humanity.”
Elijah could have followed, “I remember when I left earth in a chariot of fire. I still recall the feeling of awe and amazement at the presence of God. I can’t wait to see what will happen when everyone is able to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit as I did. And more, what a day when You fulfill the plan to come again to earth! My rapture experience was rare, but I am excited for the day it becomes commonplace!”
That is only my imagination, but With the presence of Moses and Elijah, there is in essence, a seal of approval from the Law and the Prophets that it is the plan of God that Jesus is the Messiah.
At some point, Peter, James, and John woke from their nap. They saw Jesus in a new way. They knew it was Him, but the glory of God literally shined through Him.
Their closeness to Him, allowed them to know of this supernatural conversation.
2. A Supernatural Communication
2. A Supernatural Communication
33 Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”
As they stood on the mountain, Jesus took them deeper. They knew Jesus as friend, teacher, prophet, and now Messiah, but they had never seen Him in this manner.
But for the disciples, they we
Unsure of what was happening, Peter decided to speak. if his requests seems peculiar, it is because it is. He wants to know if they need to set up three tabernacles, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and the other for Elijah.
The more I study Peter the more I like him. His questions makes little sense. When Mark wrote his account of the story, he added:
6 because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.
1 And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.” 2 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4 And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—6 because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid. 7 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” 8 Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves. 9 Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant. 11 And they asked Him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 12 Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.” 14 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them. 15 Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him. 16 And He asked the scribes, “What are you discussing with them?” 17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. 18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.” 19 He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” 20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. 21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” 30 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. 31 For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.” 32 But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him. 33 Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. 35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.” 38 Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. 40 For he who is not against us is on our side. 41 For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward. 42 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—44 where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’ 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—46 where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’ 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire—48 where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’ 49 “For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”
Before Jesus could answer or Peter could finish, a voice from heaven began to speak. The voice, which belonged to the Father, declared, Jesus is my Son! I am pleased with Him!
Notice that a cloud surrounded the mountain as God began to speak. Why was that? God’s glory is so strong, our bodies are incapable experiencing it in its fullness.
Therefore, the cloud acted as a veil, shielding Peter, James, and John from the Father. They heard what He said, but they did not see Him. We will look more at this in a moment.
But think of how this radically changed the three disciples. As I mentioned, they trusted Jesus as Messiah, but they viewed Him as a political leader who was also prophetic and spiritual.
In their minds, the best thing that could happen to Israel was for Jesus to overthrown the Romans and establish Jerusalem as a major capital city.
They hearkened for the days of David, when Israel was the world superpower. This framed their questions, motives, and decision.
Peter typifies this thinking when he tried to silence Jesus with all the talk of the cross.
21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. 22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
Matthew
How could Jesus defeat the Romans if He himself would die at their hand?
James and John were no better. They volleyed for a position in Jesus’ “potential” cabinet.
37 They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.”
Clearly they were flawed in their thinking, but they wanted to go deeper in Jesus. Therefore, the Lord took them to a new level in Him. While there, they heard the voice of God speak, forever changing their lives.
This supernatural communication shifted the way they viewed Jesus.
3. A Supernatural Connection
3. A Supernatural Connection
36 When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.
36 When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.
tells us when they heard the voice of the Father, they fell to the ground like dead men. The overwhelming presence of God was too much for them.
However, Jesus reached down and touched them. When they looked up, Moses and Elijah were gone. The cloud disappeared. Now, they looked and saw no one but Jesus.
8 When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
Matthew 16:
8 Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.
Let’s think about that for a moment. Seeing Jesus standing alone was preparation for what God would do through Him.
In the times of Moses- people were connected to God by following the law and making sacrifices.
For people like Elijah- he was one out of many who had close connection with God.
Before the resurrection, God was shrouded behind a veil or cloud of mystery. People knew about God, but they didn’t know Him personally.
But standing before Peter, James, and John was the only Person qualified to change that! Within six months, Jesus would hang on a cross, declare the final words IT IS FINISHED, and the veil in the Temple would tear in two.
With it, the entrance to the Holy of Holies would open and anyone who is relationship with Jesus can enter into the presence of God!
The deeper these three disciples went with Jesus, they closer their connection with Him. However, as they went down the mountain, Jesus told them to keep quiet about what they heard and saw. It was not until after Jesus resurrection did they recount what happened.
As they walked down, they had a deeper connection with Jesus. One that forever changed their lives.
Close:
Over the next six months, think of how Peter, James, and John felt. If they were like some people, they might have had trouble keeping the secret, but they did!
But a little at a time, it started to make sense. Let’s think of Peter for instance.
After hearing Jesus rose from the dead, he still hadn’t seen Him. Suddenly, Jesus enters the room. He didn’t open a door to enter or leave. I wonder if Peter started to think, I have seen this before.
For over forty days Jesus taught the disciples about the coming kingdom. When it was time to depart, He gathered His followers to the Mount of Olives. Suddenly, Jesus began to ascend to heaven, disappearing out of sight. Peter had a glimpse of what awaited Jesus, for he saw Him in His glory six months earlier.
Ten day later, after waiting in the Upper Room, something supernatural happened. A loud sound came, they looked and fire rested on each one’s head, when they opened their mouths they all spoke in tongues.
The crowd outside wondered what was happening. Peter was ready. He had a connection with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. He preached and 3000 were saved, filled with the Spirit, and baptized in water.
From their the church continued to grow and men women like Peter kept going deeper. They had a supernatural connection to the God of the Universe because of the Son.
At some point word got out of what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration. But it was not until Peter neared the end of his life, that he wrote about the supernatural experience.
16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
This letter was written nearly forty years after his encounter with Jesus. In this particular part of his letter, he addressed a problem the church faced.
As Peter nears the end of his life, he writes one final letter to the church. This letter was written nearly forty years after his encounter with Jesus. In this particular part of his letter, he addressed a problem the church faced.
There were false teachers who claimed that the Christian faith was a result of cunningly devised fables, meaning, it is all made up, it is a sweet sounding story, but it is too good to be true.
But Peter was in a position to debunk these theories, how? He had a supernatural connection with Jesus.
16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
Because he confessed Christ as the Messiah and lived as consecrated life, he had a supernatural connection. His connection helped him go deeper in God.
2 Peter
But his connection gives us hope. I keep saying it because it is true, but there is so much God has available, we have not even scratched the surface.
Because he was an eyewitness of His majesty when they were with Him on the holy mount.
Therefore, God is looking for men and women who will cry out to Him, LORD, TAKE ME DEEPER! When we do that and live in such a way that shows Him we want to go deeper, He will respond.
I pray this year that we will have supernatural conversations with Jesus. I know He will communication with us supernaturally. And this will deepen our supernatural connection with Him.
Our supernatural connection will keep us from the temptations and attacks of the enemy. I can promise, Satan will ask us questions to try and sway us. They can come internally or from other people.
Does God answer prayer?
Does God still heal?
Is this tongues thing real?
Doesn’t it look foolish to clap, raise your hands, shout, or even dance?
Doesn’t it look foolish to clap, raise your hands, shout, or even dance?
The questions can keep coming, but if we have this supernatural connection, we can overcome the lies and tactics of Satan.
The questions can keep coming, but if we have this supernatural connection, we can overcome the lies and tactics of Satan.
The questions can keep coming, but if we have this supernatural connection, we can overcome the lies and tactics of Satan.
And we can lean back and say, some may not believe Jesus answers prayer, but I was with Him when He came down and met my need.
Some may not believe Jesus still heals, but I remember when Jesus healed my ankle from a torn ligament, and one month later healed me of a blood clot.
There may be some who teach tongues are not for today, but I was with Him when I asked Him to fill me and immediately my english turned into a language I never learned!
So yes, there are times I get emotional, but deep within my heart is this connection with the God of the Universe. I do not have to go through a bunch of rituals or routines to meet Him, because He is as close as the mention of His name!
God wants us to go deeper in Him. Will we go there? Will we take the plunge into the depths of God’s Presence?