Bill Johnson - You Are Seated in Heavenly Places
This concept has been very real to me for probably close to 20 years, but I feel like I’ve just barely scratched the surface, and I ache for what Jesus taught—the ascended lifestyle, living in that place of fellowship with Him. He actually designed it so that I could live in the felt realization of His presence; I could host His Word in my soul as the greatest of treasures, and the end result would be that I could speak and things would happen. Verse 13 is the mysterious verse: «No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man.» My translation adds the phrase «who is in heaven.» No one has ascended to heaven except He who came down from heaven; that is the Son of Man who is in heaven. Alright, we’ll look at more in a moment. We know that Jesus, after His crucifixion, rose from the dead, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and was glorified.
So, resurrection, ascension, glorification—this is before all of that. This is early in the game, early in the three and a half years of His ministry. So, this is toward the beginning, and here He’s talking to His disciples. Can I say He’s revealing one of the absolute keys to His life of answers to prayer, of a hundred percent success in ministry, of bringing deliverance and healing to people? Everyone He ministered to was healed, even those who weren’t thankful. Remember the ten lepers? Only one returned to give thanks. The failure of nine to display character and honor Him was not an indictment on Jesus' ministry. People oftentimes look at the fruit of a ministry and see someone who’s not walking right and blame the person who ministered to them. If you didn’t do it to Jesus, don’t do it to your friend.
So, here Jesus says early in the game, «Now, no one has ascended to heaven.» He’s talking to everybody and says nobody’s ascended with one exception: the One who descended. Who is He talking about? Himself. Alright, so He’s got this thing going. He says, «Alright, nobody’s ascended to heaven except for one exception: the One who descended from heaven.» Remember, Jesus came from heaven, took on flesh, became a man, so He descended. No one has ascended except He who descended; that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. No one has ascended to heaven except Jesus, who lived an ascended lifestyle. Now, this is very awkward and strange. Paul would later find language for it, calling it being seated in heavenly places in Christ. Tragically, it becomes a doctrine, not an experience. It was never meant to be a point of theology; it was supposed to be an invitation to help the journey—the ascended lifestyle, this place of living aware of Him, living aware of eternity, living aware of heaven itself. This place of abiding is the place of absolute triumph and victory. It’s the place where the little foxes don’t have access; it’s living above the snake line.
So Jesus here says to Nicodemus, who’s already confused—which makes it so funny—Jesus emphasized it. You know, one of the gifted teachers of Israel is there bewildered at the slightest revelation of truth. Jesus says, «Nobody’s ascended to heaven except Me.» What is He saying? «I’ve been ascending to heaven.» That’s what He said. «I descended, but I’ve also been ascending.» «Oh brother, you’re just creating an opportunity for deception.» Maybe we’re already deceived—already deceived into thinking this is all there is. «No one has ascended to heaven except He who descended; that is the Son of Man.» This translation adds the phrase «who is in heaven.» Jesus is standing on planet Earth talking to a group of guys, and He’s saying, «I’m there now.»
Why do you think He taught them about abiding in Him, and His words abiding in them? Why do you think He emphasized these seemingly abstract approaches to a relationship with God, when in fact they are not abstract at all? They’re the most practical expression there is. It’s basic; it’s not like I have to work myself into some kind of frantic place where I imagine Him. It’s a relationship with the Person where I live conscious of the felt presence of God, and in that journey, I start seeing things from His eyes. My wife was very good at this way of praying. She was skilled when we faced a crisis. I remember when Haley, Brennan and Jen’s oldest daughter, was first born. It was interesting. I was back at the Sunday morning, by the back door, and she came in, very great with child, wanting to give birth to their first child. I laid hands on her and honestly, it only happened once, so if you’re pregnant, don’t come up to me. But she immediately started into labor.
Just when I touched her, she began to labor, and it turned into a very urgent situation. She then gave birth. Haley was in very serious condition, and a whole bunch of us were up at the hospital. Our family does things together; we’re kind of like a cult. Really, that was a joke, but I know. So, a bunch of us—not a cult—were up there praying. Benny was there, and she just separated herself, going off to the side. Sometimes that’s what you need to do to get breakthrough. I’ll do it sometimes. When we bring a family member, you have to be careful dealing with people who really love and care. There are times I can feel the weightiness of family concern is inhibiting the miracle. So, what I’ve done before—I did it right here with a group of families was—I said, «I want you guys to stay right here and pray. With your permission, I would like to take your son, 12 years old if I recall right, over here and minister to him separately because there’s so much pull.» I can’t explain it tonight; I just opened the can of worms and left it there.
So, Benny separated herself, and she prayed this: «Father, what are we doing?» He gave her a very clear word. She did this, and within a very short period of time, Haley had completely turned around. Prayer is not supposed to be us begging God to invade a situation; it’s us joining the Father, seeing His heart, and making the decrees necessary to bring about His will on Earth. Why don’t you stand with me? I want to pray. I don’t know how to pray this. Honestly, while pondering this tonight during worship, my heart was exploring these verses. This concept has been very real to me for probably close to 20 years, but I feel like I’ve just barely scratched the surface. I ache—I ache for what Jesus taught. I ache for what He was talking about, the ascended lifestyle, living in that place of fellowship with Him.
Again, it’s not some ecstatic emotional place; it’s literally a part of the journey where He lets you see through His eyes. He lets you feel what He feels in His heart. If we become so one with Him that He can trust us to ask anything, I don’t have an ambition to have my way with God, where He does whatever I want Him to do. That’s terrifying. I’m not interested in that, but I am interested in being the fulfillment of His dream. He actually designed it so that I could live in the felt realization of His presence; I could host His Word in my soul as the greatest of treasures, and the end result would be that I could speak, and things would happen. I’m not looking for some self-gratification. My gratification is His delight over me, His pleasure; everything else pales in comparison.
You’re here on a Sunday night because, in some measure, you ache for this as much as I do. Yeah, we’re not here just trying to spend time. We don’t need any more meetings, but we’re looking for the reality of Christ; that which He has destined us for—to become a felt reality and an actualized part of our life. So, I want to pray for you. Maybe as important or more important is your own prayer for you. I’m going to ask you to do this: I’m going to pray over you, but I want everybody in the room to begin to pray over your own heart.
I want to ask you to do it out loud—not loud, but I want you to be able to hear your own voice. Timid prayers get timid answers; courageous prayers get courageous answers. I’m going to ask you to pray with some measure of courage as you ask the Lord, «Let me see what You see; I want to live with the felt realization of Your Presence.» Somehow take whatever stood out to you tonight, put it in your own words, and pray it out loud. Then I’m going to pray over you. Alright, so go ahead and do that right now—just begin to pray. Thank You, God! Thank You, yeah, keep going; you’re doing so good. There’s really an anointing on your prayers right now—very powerful. Keep praying.
Alright, let me pray over you. Father, we are hungry. We’re hungry to discover this thing of eternity in our hearts—this DNA that You’ve given us; that we have written into our code the fact that we are alive forever. We get to spend eternity with You. So, I’m asking that You would heighten our awareness of the presence of the Spirit of God.
Number one, make us more and more aware of the God who is with us—Emmanuel, the God who is with us—the abiding presence of the Spirit of God, the resting presence of the Spirit of God. Heighten that in us! Make everything about us—our physical senses, our intellectual capacity, our emotional perception—heightened to Your presence. I ask that You make us more aware now of heaven and the way heaven functions, and eternity— that we would live conscious of that. Then I ask for this ascended lifestyle. You who ascended and taught us from this place of perfect fellowship with the Father—let us know in the days, the weeks, the months—even the years ahead—what it is to live an ascended lifestyle—ascended to the right hand of the Father—all because of Jesus—all because of the blood of Jesus. Let us live conscious and aware of eternity, of Your presence, Your heart, Your mind. I pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.