"When You Look Ahead, Look Up"

Colo 2:12-13  Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with [him] through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

Colo 2:20-3:3  Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Colo 3:17  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Ephe 1:16-22  Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what [is] the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own right hand in the heavenly [places], Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all [things] under his feet, and gave him [to be] the head over all [things] to the church,

Ephe 2:5-6  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:

• There are things that will frighten us and things that will excite us in this coming year.
• Maybe the Lord will return in this year.
• But we must look ahead and at the same time look up.

• It sounds as though I am speaking of two sets of eyes.
• And I am.
• You have physical eyes and also EYES OF YOUR UNDERSTANDING.

• Christianity is not a set of rules.
• It is not do's and don't's, like touch not, taste not and handle not.
• If we are dead, why be subject to ordinances as though we are living in the world?
• We are supposed to be dead to this world.


Gala 6:14  But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

• We are above it!
• We Pentecostals have it down pretty good that we are dead, buried and risen with Christ.
• We shout the glory of the Gospel in His death, burial and resurrection.
• But these are past issues.
• There is one more point that is not past and that we do not often hear ourselves shout forth.

Rev. 12:11 says that we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony.

• Dead is a part of our testimony, since we are indeed dead with Christ.
• But Christ is not dead NOW.
• His death is a past testimony.
• Even His burial is a past thing, and not present.  He is not buried in a tomb today.
• And His resurrection is also past.  He is not walking around on this earth outside of the tomb.

1. I died -- past
2. I was buried with Him -- past
3. I resurrected with Him -- past

• And we speak much about our pasts
• We testify of our pasts in these three truths.
• But such a testimony is incomplete.
• Something else happened after Jesus, died, was buried and resurrected.
• He ascended!
• And He is right now seated above all principalities and powers, ascended, at the right hand of God.
• And since He is there presently, then our present testimonies say that we are ascended and seated with Him far above all things.

• The answer to that question is also the information that tells me where I am now.

• But if I look at the things ahead with my natural eyes, and open my eyes of understanding and look up where Christ is seated, then I will win every battle I confront!

• He and Elijah were at Jordan.
• Jordan is a demarcation point.
• Passing Jordan means the difference between those who win battles and those who lose.
• It was past Jordan that Elisha saw Elijah ascend!

Jesus truly said we have eyes but do not see, and ears but do not hear.

• These are the eyes and ears of understanding.
• You need to SEE something with eyes of understanding.
• If they are eyes of "understanding" then what Paul meant was that we need to understand something.
• What was it that Paul prayed the Ephesians see?
• See that Christ is ascended and see where He is presently.
• See that the power of God towards us is according to the power with which God raised Christ up above all powers and set Him at the right hand of power.
• See that we are therefore, because the power degree is the same as with Christ, seated above all powers.


John 14:12  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

• Paul told us that we need to see that Jesus is ascended.
• Jesus said that we would do greater things than He did because he ascends.
• Can we see that?

• God was only called the God of heaven when nobody was serving Him in faith in the earth.
• But when someone was living by faith in this world, He was the God of Heaven and Earth.
• God needs to be invited to work down here in this world of men and women.
• He does not impose Himself.
• And when Jacob began to walk after the Lord, he fell asleep and a gateway to heaven opened up.
• He saw angels coming and going from this world into heaven.
• God had an opening to get into this world through.
• Jacob said he was in the gateway to the heavens.  And Jacob called the place Bethel.
• Bethel means house of God.
• The house of God, the gathering of the saints who believe, is the gateway to heaven.

• So God's work was limited to those places.
• But today, multiplied thousands are born again and God can move through each of these people to work in this world.
• It has multiplied.
• Greater things are done.
• Everywhere on the earth there is someone filled with the Spirit allowing God to work.

• And if we're in Him and He is ascended, then we are ascended!!
• Where?
• To the right hand of power!
• We oneness people know what right hand of power means!
• If God is everywhere present and nowhere absent, you cannot get on his right hand.
• There is no physical right side to God.
• But right hand depicts POWER.
• We are in the place of power!

• When you pass Jordan spiritually, you enter a new realm of faith.
• God is telling us the same message He is trying to give in the thought of the Jordan rending and the veil of the holiest in the temple rending.
• There are visions of glory past that barrier.

• Joshua crossed it and saw the power of God in a captain of the hosts of the angels of heaven.
• Josh. 5:15.
• And the angel told him to take his shoes off for he was standing on holy ground.
• Shoes are for walking.
• And the angel said don't walk any more.
• Sit down!

• Open your eyes of understanding, remove the blinders of the flesh depicted in the Jordan and the veil, and see a place of power.

• Death is the beginning.
• It is the entrance into this glorious Christ.
• At His death we are first put in Him by faith in that death for us.
• That is why baptism is a door.
• We are baptized into Him.
• In to His death.


Roma 6:3   Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

• Where is it now?
• It is seated above all powers.
• It is seated above.
• Look up.

"In the name of Jesus" means that we are one with jesus and His power.

• And we can wield that power of His.
• He entrusted us with His power when He gave us His name to be known by.

• She shares his name.
• They are one flesh.

• One body.
• We have his name and his power.

• We are just looking ahead at the enemy.

• We may not realize it, but we are acting in unbelief when we forget He is with us.

• Those who have not passed this barrier do not see the power they have.
• Keep your eyes on Christ and walk over the barrier, walk on water, Peter, and overcome.
• Elisha crossed Jordan and saw the key to his power.
• He saw his master ascend and that was how he got power.

"In Jesus name" means union with Him and right to wield His power.

David saw the giant and saw something else.

• Saul only saw the giant.
• That is why David rejected the fleshly armour of Saul, and went, rather, in the name of the Lord.
• Saul sat in a tent, while David ran to the enemy.

The word is eyesalve to enlighten your eyes that you might see.

Reve 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

In Romans 6 Paul says that it is not a matter of sinning so that grace may abound simply because grace abounds where sin abounds.

• No.

Roma 6:1-2  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

• What do you mean, "Continue in sin that grace may abound?!"
• Why should we put up with it and continue in it if we're dead to it!!
• Getting their attention, he proceeds to explain.
• We must start at the beginning if we are going to understand why we are dead to sin and do not have to live in it.
• So Paul starts out at death with Christ, our entrance into Him.


Roma 6:3   Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

• The journey does not end at death.
• Death is only the start.


Roma 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

• We are supposed to walk in newness of life.
• Life that is different than the world's way of life.
• Newness of life is a new way of living.
• Do we live differently than we once did?
• Or do we still struggle as much as we ever did in life?


Roma 6:5  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of [his] resurrection:

But there is a stipulation.

• We will not walk in newness of life, though we are rightful to do so...
• We will not enjoy this life of power, though it is ours to enjoy...
• We will only experience this if the following is true of us:


Roma 6:6-7  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.  For he that is dead is freed from sin.

• We must have the eyes of understanding enlightened.
• Paul said this walk is only true if we KNOW something.
• And what we need to know is that we were crucified with Christ for a purpose.
• We were crucified with Him so that we should not serve sin.
• Howso?
• Since we were buried with Him and He rose from the grave and ascended up on high above all powers, and since our burial united us with Him to go wherever He would go, we are therefore also ascended with him above all powers.

Roma 6:8  Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

• Once in Him, wherever He goes, we go.


Roma 6:9  Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

• So that is also true of us!!


Roma 6:10-12  For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

• But Look up and see that you are in Him, above all powers.

• Look up.
• With eyes of understanding, look up.
• And then we read that whatever we do  in word or deed, do all in Jesus name.
• In other words, look at that which is ahead and at the same time look up.
• Face everything knowing you are in Him above all powers.
• If you do it in Jesus name, in awareness that you are in HIm above all powers,  then you will give glory to God and defeat all enemies.

Face tomorrow, and at the same time, face Him!!!