Why The Great Manifestation Of Jesus Is God’s Promise

One topic Jesus discussed with His disciples in John 14 is the manifestation of Jesus in the life of a believer. Tony Evans shared a powerful illustration to explain this concept. He stated that when a woman becomes pregnant, it is a result of an intimate encounter in private. This encounter becomes evident in public months later. If nothing is seen in public, it indicates that nothing happened in private. God desires for new life in Him to be made visible. He wants the life of Jesus, which occurred thousands of years ago, to be experienced by believers. He wants the intimacy of one’s relationship with Christ to bring forth the power of His presence, regardless of their circumstances. He wants their joy to be complete as His presence becomes evident in their lives. How can one know when this life is manifested? Some pregnant women experience morning sickness, but it does not diminish the joy of the new life. Some struggle with sleep, but it does not take away from the joy of the new life. Some have difficulty walking, but it does not diminish the joy of their new life. When life is manifested, it surpasses any inconveniences they may have endured. Many Christians seek happiness. They desire a better home, a nicer car, or improved circumstances. There is nothing inherently wrong with these desires. However, when they do not attain these things, they lack joy. This is because life has not been made evident. ¹ Since life does not consist in the abundance of what one possesses, then we know ‘things’ can never be the primary source of joy. Your joy will be complete when you are filled with the manifestation of Jesus. Why the Manifestation of Jesus Is God’s Promise to you — that’s our focus on this week’s Light on Life.

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Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put it into operation.
This week’s call is:

The manifestation of Jesus is for believers — it is not for the world — just like the Holy Spirit. This manifestation is based on obedience — whoever loves me will keep my commandments.

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Testimony is vital to a believer’s life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11). Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony.
This week’s question is:

Question: Do you have a Jesus story where He manifested Himself to you? Please share your personal testimony in the comments section below.

Episode Resources:

If you would like to know more about growing in faith, see the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

We are currently teaching in the Gospel of John. You can click on the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 48 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. He and his wife Sharon of 43 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

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Prayer

Well again, welcome.
Let’s pray.

Father God, thank you for Jesus — for His being real in our everyday life’s. We thank you that we will hear from Jesus, — we thank you for His manifestation just as He promised us in John fourteen. We give you all the praise and glory for it in Jesus Name, Amen.

The Manifestation of Jesus Is for Believers

In a previous podcast, we looked at Jesus statement about the Holy Spirit.
He said that the world cannot receive Him because they neither see Him or know Him.
Those of the world, that slice of humanity that lives as if there is no God, have both a relationship problem and a vision problem.
That problem includes the Holy Spirit but includes Jesus as well.
Listen to this in John fourteen.

John 14:19–23 (ESV) — 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

The manifestation of Jesus is for believers — it is not for the world — just like the Holy Spirit whom we spoke of.
That manifestation is based on obedience — whoever loves me will keep my commandments.
Obedience is the evidence of love.
If you love God, you will listen to what He has to say — you will put into operation what He told you.
All those who are living together instead of getting married should pay attention here.
If you love God, and you love your spouse — get married.
Marriage is God’s idea.
This stuff that’s going on in the world — this let’s try out marriage before we actually commit to marriage is all a human invention.
This thinking did not come from heaven.
If you love God, obey Him.
If the Lord is dealing with you in an area of your life, you will prove you love Him by listening and adjusting according to His direction.

The Manifestation of Jesus: Plain Examples from the Word

God talks to His people.
He will manifest His Presence in such a way that you know that He is in the room.
That’s what Jesus said He will do.
He will love you and will manifest myself to you.
The Greek word ‘manifest’ is the one we want to look at and with that thought, here is the Definition of the Day.
The word ‘manifest’ means to cause to become visible – that is, to make appear, to cause to be seen, to show, to make appear.’
That means 1 sec before the manifestation from Jesus came to you, it was invisible, it was not seen, and it was not known.
The word manifest is akin to revelation.
Revelation is an uncovering.
Only believers get this kind of action from Jesus.
There are plain examples in the Word of God that show this kind of segregation between believers and unbelievers.
It’s been God’s MO way before Jesus ever spoke of these things.
Here is such an example from the Old Testament.

2 Kings 6:8–12 (ESV) — 8 Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.” 9 But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.” 10 And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice. 11 And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?” 12 And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”

Do you understand what’s happening here?
The King of Syria is trying to make war plans against Israel.
Everything is super hush — hush.
You know under the dome of silence.
This is top secret NSA stuff.
They want the element of surprise.
It’s not like what happened to President John F. Kennedy and with that thought, here is the Illustration of the Day.

Early one morning President Kennedy was in his bedroom when a special, top-secret telephone began to ring. A direct line between the president and the strategic air force bomber and missile commands, the phone was to be used only in the event of impending attack. Kennedy, expecting the worst, picked up the receiver. “This is the president,” he said. There was a pause. “I must have the wrong number,” came the startled voice at the other end. “I’m trying to reach a French laundry.” White House communications experts swarmed over the equipment for several weeks, but could never discover where the call had come from, or how it had wound up on that vital telephone line.²

You see Kennedy’s top-secret telephone line wasn’t so secret.
But, this wasn’t the case with the Syrians — they thought they had their battle plans locked down tight.
But, you can’t hide anything from God.
He knows it all and He shares it all at will.
The poor King of Syria didn’t know that God knows all.
So, here is a manifestation of God to a man of God.
The Lord God shares the Syrian kings battle plan.
This telling of the Kings words is one way the gifts of the Spirit work through the office of the prophet.
You know the Lord knows what’s happening in every room of your house.
Now, that ought to put the fear of God in you.
And with that thought, here is the Illustration of the Day.
One day, 30 some odd years ago, I was trying to put together a surprise gift for Sharon.
So I closed the door to a room in an apartment that Sharon and I lived in when we first moved to Oklahoma.
It was a surprise, you understand?
So you know what Sharon did?
She asked the Lord, ‘What’s he doing back there?’
And, you know what, He told her!
Ruined the surprise.
You know Psalm 115 is right.

Psalm 115:3 (ESV) — 3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.

Now, there’s more to the story of the Syrian King.

2 Kings 6:13a (ESV) — 13 And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.”

The King wants to arrest Elisha.
He thinks maybe he has some kind of satellite listening device or something.

2 Kings 6:13b – 14 (ESV) — It was told him, “Behold, he is in Dothan.” 14 So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city.

They came by night — so the King is still trying to operate by stealth.
He hasn’t learned yet.

2 Kings 6:15–16 (ESV) — 15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

So you see, Elisha saw the angels but his servant didn’t.
Elisha had the manifestation of Jesus but the Syrian troops did not.
Because if they did, they would have run for the hills.
Revelation can be exclusive.

2 Kings 6:17–18 (ESV) — 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

There’s a great lesson here.
Elisha had a manifestation of the Spirit — I’m saying it’s a manifestation of Jesus — the Godhead is all one.
Elisha’s servant did not have this manifestation at first but when someone prayed for his eyes to be opened — God did just that.
Pray for those of God’s people who don’t see.

Ephesians 1:16–18 (ESV) — 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of [revelation] in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know…

So in answer to prayer, Elisha’s servant has a manifestation of the Spirit and now he sees.
Jesus said if you love me, I will manifest myself to you.
Sometimes, it’s direct — one on one and sometimes it’s in answer to prayer.
So, we have Elisha and, we have Gehazi his servant — both have had Holy Spirit manifestations.
Both are in the know.
But, the Syrians, the world — they still don’t know and they still don’t see.

2 Kings 6:18 (ESV) — 18 And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.

So, Elisha prayed that one person would see and also prayed that another group who couldn’t see remained that way.
The Syrians never knew what hit them.
Now, can you understand what Jesus was saying when He answered the question, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?”
The Syrians didn’t know God — they were spiritually blind and after Elisha got through praying they were physically blind as well.

The Manifestation of Jesus: The Good News

So, here’s the good news for you.
You’re a Jesus lover.
You have demonstrated that by striving to be obedient to His Word.
Since that’s so, you are in line for a divine revelation from heaven.
So the Jesus follower ‘can see’ while the world cannot see.

Manifestation of Jesus – The Curious Case of Balaam

Now if there is any Biblical account that shows that the manifestation of Jesus is selective, it would be the account of Balaam.
You may know the story.
The Cliff Notes version of this story is that Balaam’s donkey saw an angel while Balaam himself saw nothing.
The donkey had the manifestation — the mad prophet saw nothing.
Here’s the account.

Numbers 22:1–3 (ESV) — 1 Then the people of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho. 2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel.

The story begins with Balak, King of Moab super concerned about Israel.
Everywhere Israel had gone in the Promised Land the Lord had given them the victory.
They had a warrior reputation.
Israel had already wiped out Sihon king of the Amorites and Og, king of Bashan.
Og was Repahim — he was a giant of a man.

Joshua 13:12 (ESV) — 12 all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei (he alone was left of the remnant of the Rephaim); these Moses had struck and driven out.

Og slept on a bed that measured thirteen foot long.
Israel wiped him out.
Balack is apprehensive of Israel being so close — scared even.
Moab is next on God’s hit list.
So, Balak looks for an edge.
Conventional methods are not enough to keep Israel at bay.
The hand of God fights with them and for them.
What can he do?
Balak turns to a man who had a reputation for successfully pronouncing curses on whole nations of people.

Numbers 22:4–6 (ESV) — 4 And Moab said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5 sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the people of Amaw, to call him, saying, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. 6 Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

But there’s a theological problem with this request.

Genesis 12:2–3 (ESV) — 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

So, do you see how the battle lines are being drawn?
God said I will curse those who curse you.
Balak wants Baalam to curse Israel, and he will pay big money to do it.
This is almost like another Bible encounter where God, and the prophet Elijah, took on the false prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18.
What we have here folks is a spiritual throw-down.
God against the combined forces of Balak and Balaam.
We’re still talking about the manifestation of Jesus.
Now, let’s just clarify God’s statement where he said to Abraham, “I will curse those who curse you.”
What does that mean, God is going to curse someone? — what is the curse?
A curse, from God’s standpoint, — is the absence of the blessing.
To be cursed is to not be blessed.

Proverbs 10:22 (ESV) — 22 The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.

So if a curse is the absence of God’s blessing, then nothing happens that would bring about riches, either spiritually, soul-icaly, or physically.
Without God’s blessing, men are left to rely on their own efforts to become rich,
Such efforts lead to sorrow.
The Hebrew word for ‘sorrow’ used here in Proverbs 10 means hurt, strenuous work or pain.
You can add the word ‘toil’ to this as well.
Toil is the emotional stress that goes with hard work.
So you put a good day’s work — you’re tired — you go to sleep — you rest well because the Lord sustains you in your sleep.
That’s a blessing — God’s involved.
But then, there is a kind of life — a kind of day where nothing goes right — where everything is a fight — and men claw their way — and have breakdowns along the way.
Soul-ical stress gets loaded on top of a day’s work like a cement truck unloading concrete.
This is the opposite of the blessing.
This person goes to sleep and wakes up tired.
He’s mentally fried because there is no refreshing that comes from the hand of God.
You know mental stress is so much of a greater load to carry than anything physical.
Now, while I am at it allow me to give you four scriptures, you can trust God for in the area of sleep.
Sharon and I quote these verses every night before we go to bed.
Here they are.

Sleep Scriptures:

Proverbs 3:24 (ESV) — 24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Psalm 3:5 (ESV) — 5 I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.

Psalm 4:8 (ESV) — 8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 127:2 (ESV) — 2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

Again, the blessing of the Lord makes rich and, He adds no sorrow — no toil — no distress with it.
The absence of God’s blessing is a curse.
So, it’s God’s curse against Balaam’s curse.
Who will win out?
Now, there’s big money involved in this for Balaam if he can prevail.

Numbers 22:7–8 (ESV) — So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam and gave him Balak’s message. 8 And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the Lord speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.

Now, Balaam talks like he knows God here.
Like him and God were best friends.
Balaam did not know the Lord.
He was just name dropping.
He was fortune-telling, witchcraft toting, spiritist.

Numbers 22:9 (ESV) — 9 And God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?”

God asks a leading question: don’t you think He knew who these men were?
Don’t you think He knew that these men had conspired with Balaam to bring down Israel?
What about the money?
Don’t you think the Lord knew about the financial incentive that was driving this curse-driven prophet?

Numbers 22:20–23 (ESV) — 20 And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; but only do what I tell you.” 21 So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. 22 But God’s anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him.

This takes a bit of explanation.
And, with that thought, here is the Question of the Day.

Here is the question: How come God told him to go and then got mad at him because He went?

The best answer I found so far to this is in a commentary series called Preaching the Word.
Here’s the quote.

The Lord was saying to Balaam, “If the summons of men and the glory (reward) that they offer is really so important to you that it outweighs the expressed command of God, then you may go with them.” Balaam had to make a decision whether to go with the men and follow his idolatry or stay home and follow the Lord.³

Numbers 22:21–23 (ESV) — 21 So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. 22 But God’s anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 And the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road.

So, understand the cast of characters here.
First, there’s Balaam, then there are two of his servants, of course the donkey and the angel of the Lord.
The angel is standing square in the middle of the road.
The servants don’t see him — no manifestation for them.
Balaam doesn’t see him either — no manifestation for him.
The donkey sees the angel — he has the manifestation.
That proves it — spiritual manifestations are from the Lord.
Jesus said I will come and manifest myself to you — you don’t earn that manifestation.
This is a donkey — a beast of burden yet God opens up his eyes.
This brings up an interesting concept about animals, specifically dogs.
We are talking about animals here — and we are taking a bit of a side journey here.
Here’s a question for you.

Can animals pickup on or sense bad people?

Balaam’s donkey picked up on this angel.
When we got our dog, I was told that his particular breed was sensitive to bad people.
So I asked Doctor Internet this question.
And it turns out that yes, dogs can sense bad people.

According to various studies and experts, dogs can detect changes in human behavior, body language, and even pheromones that indicate a person’s intentions or character. Here are some key findings:

Dogs can sense people’s energy and emotions, including fear, anger, and hostility. They can pick up on subtle cues, such as changes in tone of voice, body language, and scent, to determine if someone is a good or bad person.
Research also suggest that dogs can detect chemical changes in people’s pheromones that indicate they have bad intentions. This is because dogs have a highly developed sense of smell and can detect subtle changes in human chemistry.
Dogs can also sense when someone is acting aggressively or with bad intentions. They may exhibit signs of aggression, such as growling, barking, or showing their teeth, to protect themselves or their owners from perceived threats.
Some studies have shown that dogs can even sense psychopaths, who are individuals with a lack of empathy and conscience. However, this is not a foolproof method, as psychopaths may not exhibit typical emotional responses that dogs can detect.
While dogs are not infallible judges of character, they can indeed sense bad people through a combination of their keen senses, intuition, and emotional intelligence. If your dog is giving you bad vibes about someone, it’s worth paying attention to their cues and taking their concerns seriously.⁴

So, that’s the side journey — let’s get back to the mainline.
The manifestation of Jesus is as God wills and He chooses to manifest to the believer and not to the world.

Now Father God, thank you for these truths from your word. We look forward to the manfestation of Jesus in our everyday lifes. We give you all the praise and glory for it in Jesus Name, Amen.

Why The Great Manifestation Of Jesus Is God’s Promise.
You guys have a great God week and we will see you next time for another edition of Light on Life.

Reasons to Study Spiritual Manifestations

__________
References:

Tony Evan’s Book of Illustrations, 907 ↩
Life Magazine ↩
Preaching the Word – Numbers ↩
search.brave.com ↩

emeryhorvath.com

Equipping people to pursue God's glory

Why The Great Manifestation Of Jesus Is God’s Promise

Podcast: Light on Life Season Eleven Episode Twenty-Nine

by Emery Horvath

Listen to the Audio

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Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

Episode Resources:

If you would like to know more about growing in faith, see the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

We are currently teaching in the Gospel of John. You can click on the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Prayer

The Manifestation of Jesus Is for Believers

The Manifestation of Jesus: Plain Examples from the Word

The Manifestation of Jesus: The Good News

Manifestation of Jesus – The Curious Case of Balaam

Sleep Scriptures:

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download |Subscribe in PlayerFM

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

Episode Resources:

If you would like to know more about growing in faith, see the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

We are currently teaching in the Gospel of John. You can click on the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Prayer

The Manifestation of Jesus Is for Believers

The Manifestation of Jesus: Plain Examples from the Word

The Manifestation of Jesus: The Good News

Manifestation of Jesus – The Curious Case of Balaam

Sleep Scriptures:

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