Bill Johnson - Aligning Ourselves with God
Well, we had a creative conference this week. We had a missions training intensive this week. We had a Heaven in Business event this week. If you were bored, it’s your fault. All I can say is there are more things going on, and most of it I don’t even know about. They just do it, and then I find out later. Actually, that’s only partially true. God promised men that good obedient wives would be found in all corners of the earth, and then He made the world round, and He laughed and He laughed. This one was apparently put in a church bulletin: today’s talk will be entitled «From Cannibalism to Christianity,» and then there was a note that it would be followed by finger foods. Someone should have caught that; that’s just not right.
This, I’ve done in the last year, but it’s still one of my favorites: the pastor had a dinner at the home of a couple in his church. After he left, the wife said to the husband, «I think he stole our spoon.» It bothered her for a whole year. A year later, the couple had the pastor for dinner again. Unable to resist, the wife asked, «Did you steal our spoon last year?» The pastor replied, «No, I put it inside your Bible.» I hear angels singing on that one; that’s just so good. I have one more here; let me see if I can find it. Vegetarians, you guys are the most forgiving group in this church because of what you endure from me and the rest of the team. I’m giving you another chance to be Christ-like. Vegetarians live up to nine years longer than meat eaters—nine horrible, worthless, baconless years.
Once one son I saw said, «Bacon.» They say each piece of bacon removes nine minutes from your life. If that were true, I should have died in 1775. Alright, enough of that. Once you open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 10, we’re going to start there. We’ll end up in John, and we’ve got a series on the life of a disciple, and this is week two. Chris Cruz did last week; if you weren’t here, I encourage you to get it online. Next week, we’ve got a real special surprise for you. The issue of discipleship: Jesus did not command us to make converts; He commanded us to make disciples. The word disciple means learner. I remember Winky Pratt used to tell us years ago, «When you stop learning, you stop being a disciple.» The whole issue of discipleship is that we learn by following. We’re actually following in the footsteps of another; it’s not mimicking a lifestyle or a code of ethics. It’s actually a relational journey of trust.
This relational journey of trust is maybe best illustrated by Jesus’s own crucifixion. He gave Himself to die; His life wasn’t taken from Him; He gave Himself to die. It’s my personal conviction that He didn’t raise Himself from the dead; the Holy Spirit of God raised Him from the dead. So if you think about this for a moment: when Jesus gave Himself to become sin, it’s the most bizarre thing. In heaven, we’ll understand it clearer, but the problem in all of creation was sin. I realize the devil is an issue, but the devil has never been an issue for God. There is not a conflict in the heavens between God and the devil. The devil is a created being; with a breath, he can be destroyed. That’s a subject for another time, but he is not the issue. Sin was the issue, and sin had only one possible solution: Jesus becoming the Lamb of God who lived a perfect life without sin could be an offering for us. The Bible said He became sin, so if you can picture now, the problem in the universe, in all of creation, is this one little thing called sin, and Jesus became that. When the Father poured out His wrath on sin, it actually took the life of His Son. So when Jesus offered Himself as an offering for our sin, it was the ultimate expression of trust because God would have to raise Him.
The life of a disciple is the same: a daily decision. The life of a disciple is to pick up your cross and follow me. It is the daily decision to deny what I could do for myself because I expect that at the right time, You will do it. We have part of the gospel that, throughout history, we’ve done fairly well with. We know what it is to seek first the kingdom, at least in part, and we love when we see and hear about people in the body of Christ who have put the king and His kingdom first. We know how to seek first the kingdom, but we’re not always happy with people for whom all things are added as a result of seeking the kingdom first. We love when people humble themselves under the mighty hand of God, but we’re not always as happy with them when He exalts them in due time.
We love knowing the stories of people who have given sacrificially in secret, but we’re not always as happy with them when they are rewarded in public. Part of the issue of our calling to the cross is to deal with the issues of jealousy and selfish ambition, because without that, there can be no reward of resurrection. Let me put it differently; because that seems to compromise the gospel a bit, let me illustrate it this way: my job is the cross; His job is the resurrection. My job is the cross. I have no responsibility to ensure I get rewarded for my choices; I don’t have a responsibility there. I only have responsibility for the «yes» to walk redemptively in relationship, monitoring this part of my life. My inner world is to make sure that jealousy doesn’t consume my life. If I see somebody promoted where I thought I should have been promoted, then I have an opportunity for the cross. Never turn down an opportunity to die. Never reject an opportunity to die because rejecting an opportunity to die is to reject your opportunity for resurrection and reward.
But it is a relational journey of trust. I say no here because I believe the issue is settled with Him, and He’ll make sure in due time it’s taken care of. So the one who gives in secret is rewarded openly. Sometimes the people that are criticized the most in the body of Christ, because they are outwardly blessed, are actually people who bore a cross in a very difficult situation, and the Lord determined to reward them openly. Because we don’t always know the backstory, jealousy stirs up and masquerades as discernment. It masquerades as discernment, giving us illegitimate information. Jealousy and bitterness will always deal with concepts and proof, evidence that you’re right. Bitterness and jealousy are not the subjects today, but just give me a moment. They will always provide you with enough information to keep you in deception, and it will feel like reason. What the cross does in the life of a believer is go to the root of the issue so that it’s much easier to recognize: oh, that’s jealousy; that’s not discernment. That’s self-promotion; that’s not seeking first the kingdom. The clarity with which we see, and the clarity with which we think, is much better when doing the crosswalk than otherwise.
The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 10. Did I tell you where to turn? Matthew 10. Alright, the Gospel of Matthew chapter 10 is one of the more challenging chapters on the subject of discipleship. Jesus is just in our face, and I love these chapters. I love these chapters because I want my wrong thinking to be exposed. Don’t go very long without reading these verses, because otherwise, you’ll develop a form of Christianity that has nothing to do with the cross.
Now, let me just insert here: in actuality, the resurrection is the Christian life, not the cross, but you can’t get there without the cross. Clear as mud, right? Alright, well, we’ll just keep pressing. So, let’s just read a couple of verses here. Verse 37: «He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. He who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. He who does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.»
Let’s read all three of those verses again because you look so encouraged and then edified. Let’s go after this while we can. Alright, verse 37: «He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. He who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.» Can you imagine if Jesus were around today, and there was no Bible, and He made that statement? What social media would do with it? There would be posts all over the internet on how Jesus wants you to hate your parents and hate your children. It’s weird. I saw a sign once that said, «On the internet, you can be anything you want; why do so many people choose to be stupid?» I read it somewhere. It says, «It’s not the opinion of management.» Actually, it is.
Alright, verse 38: «He who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it; he who loses his life for my sake will find it.» I remember years ago, one of our leaders in Weaverville gave this illustration that I have used often. I think of it often: there’s this old man in a rocking chair, and he’s rocking back and forth, and there’s a cat next to him. With each rock, he strokes the cat; he’s petting the cat from the tail towards the head. Someone says, «You’re petting the cat wrong,» and he says, «Well then, let the cat turn around.» If there are things that Jesus says you don’t like, you’ll be the one that has to turn around. You have to adjust your position until what He says is the obvious expression of a good Father. Until that position is acquired, if you will, that posture of the heart, until that position is acquired, what Jesus says will constantly offend. He doesn’t mind. What He says never contradicts Scripture, we know that, but He doesn’t mind contradicting my understanding of Scripture. I think He delights in it, actually, just between you and me.
He doesn’t mind drawing or creating conflict within Scripture. In this chapter, He says, «Don’t think I came to bring peace; I came to bring a sword.» At His birth, it was announced, «Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.» Both are true. This book was written in such a way that it’s actually only understood in a relationship. You can get principles; you can discover a code of ethics for how to live an honest, successful life. You can get that without a relationship, but the mystery of Scripture is actually discerned in the relationship. The verses I quote often in this regard are out of Proverbs where He says, «Don’t speak to a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him.» The very next verse says, «Speak to a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.» Which one did you really mean? He doesn’t mind creating conflict because then the only thing I have to do is draw near to find out what He wants in this moment.
He creates conflict in thought as an invitation for me to pursue the One who holds all mystery. To walk away offended is to miss the point. The Scripture says that straight and narrow is the way into the kingdom, and then it describes Jesus as being the door—the only door through which there is entrance to the Father. Straight and narrow; Jesus is the door. There are not many ways to God; there are not many doors; there’s only one way; there’s only one door. If there are many roads that take you to God, then He was cruel in requiring Jesus to suffer and die the way He did. It was required because it was the only possible solution for the sin problem.
So we have this straight and narrow road. I remember in the early '70s, the Lord was just dealing with me. I was raised in church; I lived a decent life; I came to everything. But He knows the heart of hearts, and I remember Him dealing with me so deeply. I would show up anytime Mario Murillo was preaching because he would just draw a line in the sand and basically say, «You’re either in or you’re out.» I would, you know, week after week, month after month. I remember on a Saturday night being in my bedroom, knowing that the dealing of the Lord was on me, and He was wanting to know if I would come to the place where it would be all or nothing.
I’ll never forget that Saturday night; I went into the front bathroom in our house, and I remember just being there praying because I could tell that conviction, you know, that drawing of the Lord, that conviction was on me so strong. I couldn’t live with myself, and I finally came to that place where I said yes; it’s all or nothing. I remember it’s that door. This whole journey is a restricted journey; you don’t do what you want; you only do what He empowers, enables, and directs you to do. But something happened where I entered into a life that’s no longer a straight narrow road; it’s the craziest thing. I’m here walking a tightrope, and He says, «What do you want?» I go, «What do you mean what do I want? All I want is what You want.» He said, «No, that’s not the deal. The deal is I’m trying to shape your heart with my heart, and now I want to hear back from you what’s your dream?»
Well, all I want is to please You; it’s all I want. I just want Your will, and again He repeats, «I no longer call you servants; I call you friends.» What’s in your heart? Or just tell me what to do; I’m good. Just give me a list; I’m good at lists. Just tell me what to do; I’ll do one, two, and three, and I’ll please You that way. And it’s this relational journey of abandonment and trust that is so uncomfortable to the one who has given all. People who haven’t given all—oh yeah, ask me what I want; I’ll tell you exactly what I want; I’ve got a list of 400 things that I want. But when the cross comes, you know you’re not to be trusted. In that newness of life, He starts looking at you as a son and daughter, and He starts shaping things inside of you.
You find yourself dreaming of things you never dreamed of before. You find yourself trying things that never bothered you before. All of a sudden, you start praying these certain prayers that you’ve never prayed before in your life, and you don’t know where they come from, but they just kind of emanate from you. The Lord is just discipling and training us in His heart so that we become daily expressions of His heartbeat. So that unconsciously, I pray and cry out and do things that represent His heart well. It’s not because I’m a good servant—I want to be the servant—but what He’s wanting from me is to be the son. The son who gets behind the scenes and finds out why He thinks the way He thinks and what He dreams about, what He plans, what He desires.
It’s not just the list of qualifications; it’s the heart of a son. That’s really what a disciple is: a disciple embraces the cross because that’s the responsibility. The resurrection, the reward, is His job. So I seek first the kingdom; His job is to add all these things. The challenge of my life is to make the things that are added not my focus but my occasion to give thanks. The moment I turn my attention from seeking first the King and His kingdom to the rewards of my past choices, I lose both. I don’t mean I lose my salvation; I mean just that connection to purpose starts to diminish, that sharp edge of impact. I start living off of memories, and a tragedy is that people who are not in love end up doing ministry out of memory instead of imagination.
It’s tragic for us ever to be taught by people who are not in love. It’s a journey of romance; it’s a journey of surrender; it’s a journey of the cross. The cross—the most privileged opportunity I have is to die because it gives Him the occasion to bring resurrection, to bring reward, to bring honor. He says, «Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and He will exalt in proper time.» He will exalt. See, if I fight for self-promotion, I have to fight to keep my promotion. But when it’s His promotion, He fights to keep the promotion. Turn to John chapter 13.
I remember some years ago walking through a pretty challenging situation relationally, and I just had this realization of how much pain it caused me on the inside, this breach in the relationship. When you have a conflict, the cool thing about arguing in your head is you win every argument. I am always right in this throne room right here; I am. In fact, I am so right. You get the point. I realized you only feel pain where you’re not dead. Alright, on that happy thought, let’s move on. So what I did is I just made very deliberate choices: alright, I am going to choose the cross. I’m going to honor this person that has dishonored me. I’m going to serve the person that wants nothing to do with me. I’m going to get in the secret place and pray for their blessing, even though they have labeled me such and such.
The point is, you can’t sit there and just feel pain; you must move into the glorious posture that we have before God of bringing about righteous fruit from our relationship. Yep, amen to all of that. Let’s read some more Bible. Alright, John 13:35: «By this, all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.» I don’t know how many of you have ever studied the «alls» of the Bible, but there are some of the greatest promises in the Bible: «and I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh.» Then I hear people say, «Well, that’s referring to a representation of every tribe and tongue.» Well, that’s fine; let Him figure that out. That’s not what He said; He said something that was to invite us into negotiations—not that we need to persuade Him, but that we need to learn how to partner with Him.
What does He say here? He says, «By this, all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.» Look at John 15; I love this verse in John 15 so much we’ll actually read verses 7 and 8: «If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be my disciples.» I know I hear people say a lot that bearing much fruit here is the fruit of the Spirit, and that’s dealt with elsewhere. The context here is answers to prayer; this fruit, the context in this passage, is that fruit is answers to prayer.
I got a greater response out of the drum because it says «truth» on the top of it, so that’s just messing with truth. «By this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit.» Benny and I, in the last year, bought a new home, and we’re remodeling it. We’re having so much fun because we just get to experiment and change our minds and all kinds of stuff; it’s just fun. Thank you, Jesus, for Joshua France and his team that is very patient. My sister, we planted an orchard; we’ve got close to 30 trees in this little orchard. I’ve wanted an orchard ever since we first got married, and we’ve never been able to do it. I finally got an orchard! I’ve got like 30 trees and may end up with a hundred, just because I can; who knows?
We have a little Polaris; we live about a quarter-mile or maybe a little more from the highway where they pick up the trash. So when we bought the place, I had to buy a Polaris with a little trailer to put the trash cans in to drive to the road. Will of God, will of God—just say it with me: «Will of God.» There’s no question. Will of God. So Benny and I will go on a little grandma and grandpa tour of our property. We have several acres, and so we drive down this little trail on the Polaris and drive around the trees. We bless the trees; I haven’t prophesied yet, but it’s coming. I can feel it coming: «You will bear abundantly.»
I’ve been around trees before, and I’ve never once heard them groan or travail. I claim fruit to come forth from me. I claim it; I declare it; I confess it; I proclaim it; I will be fruitful. That’s not the responsibility. The only responsibility the tree has is to absorb moisture and nutrients; it’s to stay connected to life. This chapter in John 15 is about a branch that stays connected to life. Its only job is to stay connected to life, and when it stays connected to life, fruit is automatic; fruit is automatic.
If the fruit truly is answers to prayer, think of it this way: this abiding relationship with God—let’s be specific—this abiding interaction with the heart and the face of God causes answers to prayer to happen as normally as breathing. Because our heartbeat is the heart of God, our cries are the cries of God. We partner with Him as co-laborers—the very thing He sought from the very beginning when He assigned Adam and Eve, specifically, «Be fruitful, multiply, subdue the earth.» Here’s your assignment: represent Me over a planet. This co-laboring role that we’ve all been invited into here is found in the life of the disciple.
When we stop learning, we stop being a disciple, and this issue of learning is the embrace. It just sounds morbid; I get it. It sounds morbid; it’s just the embracing of the cross. It’s the privilege to say no to what I would naturally do so that I can make an occasion for You to do what you would naturally do. Years ago, a friend in Weaverville had another friend that lived out of the area, and his name was Tom. Some of you Weaverville friends remember Tom. This guy loved to fish, and he was a good fisherman. He had a friend who lived in one of the bigger cities; I forget where; I think it might have been the Bay Area. She called Tom one day and said, «Hey Tom, would you take my husband fishing on such and such a date?»
He said, «Oh yeah, I’d love to!» So they arranged it; secretly, she never told the husband. She called the husband’s boss for him to have those days off, packed his gear, packed his luggage, packed everything for him, picked him up at work one day, and said, «You’re going fishing with Tom.» The guy says, «I have to; I can’t do that. I work tomorrow.» «No, it’s already covered; I’ve already taken care of it.» «Yeah, but I’ve got to go home, and I’ve got to do this.» «No, it’s already covered. Look in the backseat; it’s all there.»
She actually fought for his blessing. What tastes better: when you fight for your own blessing, or do you taste someone else’s effort to fight for your blessing? What fishing trip will this guy remember for the rest of his life as a fisherman who fishes frequently? What’s the one trip he will never forget? It’s the one his wife fought for. See, this life of a disciple—amen, amen, Jay, you and me. Come on, I’ll fight for yours; you fight for mine; how’s that? Alright, we’re there. I forgot my point. No, that’s seeking first the kingdom.
I have chosen to represent the Lord well by dying to what I would naturally do. He steps in and says, «Let Me handle this one for you.» When that happens, the only things you have added to your life are the things that come because of the cross—because of His «yes» over your «yes.» When I complicate my life with my striving for promotion or whatever, it becomes more and more difficult to discern what He brought into my life and what I brought into my life. It affects devotion; it affects worship; it affects priorities; it affects discernment; all those parts of life become affected. They become infected because we don’t know what we fought for and what He fought for.
The life of the disciple is the life of the cross; it is saying «yes» to God. I’ll never forget that night. I started talking about it a minute ago; I had been immersed in Mario and some other folks' preaching—Mario, Marilyn—and I sat there in my room, finally in the bathroom, and His hand was so heavy upon me. I remember just saying, «Alright, I give it all.» I didn’t care; I love to hunt and fish; it honestly didn’t matter to me if I ever hunted or fished again. I didn’t care if I owned any clothes besides what was on my back. I mean, it was such an absolute yes that everything—every ambition, every goal I had for my life, everything—was put on that altar, everything.
In that yes, all that mattered to me was just doing what He said. I didn’t care; I just didn’t care. I didn’t care about anything but my yes. Then gradually, He began adding into my life, and it made me nervous. It made me nervous because Jesus said that to His disciples: «I’ll add a hundred times as much what you sacrificed back into your life.» That makes me nervous! It’s almost easier to not have the reward because you get accustomed to that yes, and now the Lord is saying, «Alright, that wilderness where you had nothing was to train you for a promised land where you could steward everything well for My glory.»
The Lord is looking to take you and me on a crosswalk where He can trust you with the kinds of resources, anointing, favor, insight, finances, and position—not because those things represent spirituality, but because those are positions in society that can be used to disciple nations. Without it, there will be no discipline of nations. There must be a way to handle well when somebody gets promoted, and in our heart of hearts, because we’ve dealt with jealousy, I clearly discern that Jesus has just exalted this man. Jesus has just promoted this woman, and it is foolish to not have favor on what God favors.
I’ve had people who, just personality-wise, have annoyed me to pieces. I’ve had to come to the realization—man, God’s favor is on them. If I don’t put my favor in with God’s favor, I am the fool. I am the fool. Cheers! Throughout my life, I’ll end with this—my absolute yes: the Lord would add into my life, and then I would start looking at what He was adding. I said, «God, I’ve got to keep that absolute yes at the core of who I am.»
So can I give this away? I want my priority of the kingdom to be so strong and stable that no reward will distract me. Can I give this away? I’ll see him at sea, man—that’s alright; it’s awesome. I want to invest here; I want to show this here, and then He adds, and He adds. I become so conscious of the need for the absolute yes. I just have to take this stuff and put it back on an altar and just say, «You brought this into my life; I never asked for it. I didn’t seek for it; it was never my priority. My priority was just knowing that You were pleased.» That’s all that mattered.
All that mattered to me was that I could say yes, that delighted Your heart, and then You brought this into my life, and I’m so glad; I’m so thankful. But I don’t ever want to get to a place where the reward turns me from seeking first the kingdom to seeking what You could fill my life with. Oh, sorry about that; I’m over it now. I wish it were that easy. It’s the coolest thing in the world to know in your heart of hearts that you should do anything He says, that nothing is held closer to your heart than Him. When He said, «If you love your mom and dad or you love your kids more than you love Me, you’re not worthy of Me,» He wasn’t punishing us or putting us in a position to be irreverent or inconsiderate of our family. He was basically saying this: «If you put Me first, you’ll be much more qualified to love them well.»
The best thing you could do for your children is put Me first; your love for them will be life-altering. Why don’t you stand? If I could get everyone to just hold their place for a moment, that would help us out. Anytime we have this many folks in a room, I know there’s always a chance that the Lord has managed to bring people in that don’t have a personal relationship with Him. You don’t know what it is to be forgiven of sin; don’t know what it is to be born again, as the Biblical term refers to being transformed from the inside out. It’s not a list of rules you adhere to; it’s a transformation that comes from surrender.
If there’s anybody in the room that would say, «Bill, I don’t want to leave the building until I know that I’m at peace with God, that I know what it is to be forgiven and to be born again,» I invite you to put a hand up. By doing so, you’re acknowledging that you want to be a disciple of Jesus, and we will pray with you right over here. Beautiful. Anybody else? It’s the most important decision you’ll ever make.
Anybody else? Wave your hand at me; I want to make sure that I see if there’s anybody else. Most of the time, there’s another one here, right down to you. Thank you! Wonderful, bless you; yeah, you know the Lord’s going to lift that broken thing off you in such a beautiful way. It’s beautiful. Anyone else, real quickly? I know on Bethel TV, there are countless numbers of people, nations all over the world; we invite you to do the same thing. Make this personal response to the Lord Jesus Christ.
What I’m going to do is I’m going to ask our ministry team to come to the front. While we do this, the two that I saw, if there are others, make your way right down here to these friends of ours to my left; they have their hands up. We know and trust them. It’s not about becoming a member of Bethel; it’s about being in fellowship with God Himself. I want you to come down here, and they will pray for you, talk with you right over here, yeah, go right over here to my left, yeah.
Thank you, beautiful. I’m sorry, Tom, I told you to come up, and then I took the mic. There’s this great verse in Isaiah 50, and it makes this statement: «He awakens me morning by morning with the ear of a disciple.» Here’s what I want to do: I’m going to pray that God invades your night in such a way that tomorrow morning something takes place where you are awakened with the joy of saying yes to Him. Yes to Him so that He can say yes over that resurrection display over your life.
So, Father, we pray just that. I ask that in the night tonight and in our life now from this point on, You would help us to awaken every day with the ear of a disciple. I ask this in Jesus’s name, amen. Now pay attention to this guy; he’ll tell you what to do. Put your hand on your heart there just for a second. I know this might feel uncomfortable for some of you guys, but I want us to just, if you can, lift your voices and just pray in the spirit for just a minute. Just go for 30 seconds; just pray in the spirit. Just give God your yes; let’s just give Him our yes and just pray.
If you’re online right now, just pray to say yes, God. Yes, yes. Just tell Him yes; just tell Him yes. Yes, Lord, just put your hand on the neighbor next to you; just let it increase right now; let it increase; let rivers of living water begin to flow right now. Yes, God. Not enough to be a hearer of the word; we’ve got to be doers, amen? Lest we deceive our own selves and think we’re disciples. Yes, Lord, search us and know us, God; test our hearts, God. See where we’re at, Lord; just rip out jealousy. Come on, let’s repent right now. Take jealousy, Jesus; take self-promotion, Father. Thank You for revealing it in me, God. Even, Lord, we choose to die with you today, Lord. Come on, church shabbat!
Jesus, we declare you Lord of our lives. Thank you, Lord. Come on, it’s so hard to close these services sometimes because that’s when it turns into a prayer meeting. But hey, if you need ministry in this place, if you need healing in your body, you know what to do. We’ve got lots of people up here; they’re ready to pray for you. Every week, there are miracles that happen up here where we just come together in prayer, and we see Jesus get what He paid for, amen? So why don’t you go ahead and make your way forward if you need prayer? If not, God bless you; we’ll see you tonight.