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Transformed By His Presence | Pastor Darren Palmer | Faith Church · Faith Church Podcast

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2 Corinthians chapter 3, I read this passage
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in our seniors gathering, and we didn't mention
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seniors in our small groups because seniors'
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small group runs every week, not just for this
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six weeks, but we would love for as many of you
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to come if you've never been. We would love for
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you to come. God is doing a wonderful thing on
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Wednesdays at 1 o 'clock at the Cubettes' home.
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And any of you seniors are welcome to come to
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that. And if you're not a senior, but you consider
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yourself a senior for an hour or two, and you're
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free on Wednesday at one o 'clock, you can come
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too. Isn't that right? Oh, you said 55 and older?
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Well, I'm 53, so that might leave me out. Okay,
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50 plus, okay. But God is doing a unique thing
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in that group. And every time we gather, his
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presence is overwhelming and is touching people.
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And it is not just for us to experience the presence
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of the Lord, but for us to be used by God in
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intercession and prayer. And God is using our
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seniors in intercession and prayer in a unique
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way every Wednesday afternoon at one o 'clock.
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I read this passage there, and I'm going to read
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it again here as we walk through what the Lord
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has for us this morning. Verse 7. how will the
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ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?
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Well, this is phenomenal for Paul to write because
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before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus,
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Paul, who then went by his Hebrew name Saul,
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he later switched to his Roman name Paul. And
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Saul, on the road to Damascus, before he encountered
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Christ, was a master of the law. He was a Pharisee
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of Pharisees, as for zeal in his faith, persecuting
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the church, persecuting those walking in the
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new covenant, living in the old covenant himself.
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And now look what he called the ministry of the
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old covenant. Paul calls the ministry of the
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old covenant, the ministry of death. That's pretty
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strong, isn't it? For Saul, a master of all 640
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some laws of the Old Testament, a master of them
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to call it the ministry of death. He realized
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something. He realized that the ministry of the
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law would never save anybody. He realized that
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the ministry of the law could never transform
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anybody. That as much as people would conform
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their outward lives to try to follow the law,
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they never could. And they would end up needing
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another sacrifice and another sacrifice. and
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another sacrifice, and another sacrifice, and
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they would never get where they were going. And
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he called it a ministry of death. That's pretty
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strong, isn't it? Ministry of death. And he's
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saying this, the ministry of death came with
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glory. And that glory was pretty powerful. I
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won't take the time. to turn to all the scriptures
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that we walked through in the seniors meeting,
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but we looked at the life of Moses, and Moses'
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first encounter with glory was at the burning
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bush in Exodus chapter 3. And he saw this bush
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that was on fire but not being consumed. It just
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kept burning and burning and burning. And he
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walked up to it and God spoke to him out of that
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burning bush and said, Moses, take off your sandals
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for the place where you are standing is holy
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ground. How many of you would say that was glory?
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That was glory. Then later on, after the deliverance
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from Egypt, In Exodus chapter 24, the Bible says
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that Moses and the 70 elders and Aaron and Nadab
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and Abihu, they approached God and they saw the
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God of Israel and he looked like he had sapphire
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underneath him and God served them a meal and
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there before God, while they were looking at
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him, they ate and they drank. That's pretty powerful,
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isn't it? And then we read later in Exodus chapter
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34 that when Moses meets with God, something
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unique begins to happen. His face begins to glow.
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And why? Why did his face glow? Because he had
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been with the Lord so many times that his own
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countenance was taking on the same countenance
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of God. And the glory that he experienced when
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he was with the Lord rubbed off on him and he
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began to glow. His skin began to glow. It scared
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the Israelites. And so he would take a veil and
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he would put it on his face. And that veil that
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he put on his face would make it so the Israelites
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could approach him without trembling. And wondering,
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it sounds like something straight out of sci
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-fi, doesn't it? But it was the glory of God
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resting on Moses. And when he would go into the
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Lord, he would take the veil off to meet with
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God. And then when he would talk with the people,
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he would put the veil back on and cover his face.
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And then we went to Exodus chapter 40. When the
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tabernacle of Moses was being dedicated and the
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glory of God so filled the tabernacle that not
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even Moses could go into the tabernacle because
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the glory of God was so strong. Others mention
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different times in the Old Testament when the
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glory of God appeared. The dedication of Solomon's
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temple. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel
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in the lion's den. You can probably think of
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a dozen other times where the glory of God was
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displayed under the ministry of the Old Testament.
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So Paul is writing here, he's saying this is
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the ministry of death, written and engraved on
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stones. It was glorious. And how many of you
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would agree that those things that I just described
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are fantastically glorious? Hallelujah. But then
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in verse 8, Paul says something amazing. How?
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will the ministry of the Spirit be more glorious?
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And I want to tell you this morning, because
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we can get used to, those of you that have been
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coming to church week after week after week,
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we can get used to and numb to what is happening.
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But what is happening when God ministers by His
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Spirit is more glorious happening in this room
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right now than what Moses experienced. Some of
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you think, well, how could that be? It's the
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power of the new covenant. Because the new covenant
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is not like the old covenant. Because Jesus fulfilled.
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He was the only one that ever did. He fulfilled
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the law. And when he was crucified, that old
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covenant came to an end. You say, well, why did
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he have to die? Why did Jesus have to die? It's
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like a marriage. You are in covenant with your
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spouse until there is a death. And then you are
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freed from that covenant. Well, Jesus spent the...
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The three years that he was ministering, establishing
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the new covenant. And when he shed his blood
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and he said it is finished on the cross, the
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power of the old covenant was done. Hallelujah.
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And the new covenant was put into effect, hallelujah,
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by the blood of the lamb that Jesus, Jesus was
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that lamb, by his perfect blood, hallelujah,
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the new covenant was brought into effect. And
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guess what now, friends? Jesus, because he's
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a perfect sacrifice, does not have to die over
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and over and over and over again, hallelujah.
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Somebody give God praise this morning. Somebody
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give God praise. It is more glorious. Let's keep
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reading verse 9. For if the ministry of condemnation
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had glory. You're a failure. You're a failure.
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You're a failure. You're a failure. It came with
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glory. The ministry of righteousness. Because
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one thing that happened on that cross. My sin.
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My sin was placed on Jesus. And guess what was
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placed on me? His righteousness. A divine exchange.
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If the ministry of condemnation had glory, the
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ministry of righteousness exceeds much more.
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Everybody say much more in glory. Hallelujah.
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For even what was made glorious had no glory
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in this respect because of the glory that excels.
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For if what was passing away was glorious, what
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remains is much more glorious. Therefore, since
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we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech.
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Unlike Moses, Who put a veil over his face so
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that the children of Israel could not look steadily
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at what was passing away. Their minds were blinded.
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For until this day, the same veil remains unlifted
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in the reading of the Old Testament. Because
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the veil is taken away in Christ. Paul even talking
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about this. Because on the road to Damascus,
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he had an encounter with the glory of God. And
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what happened to him? The veil was taken away.
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Hallelujah. He had heard of Jesus. He was persecuting
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Christians for following Jesus. But he had a
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veil over his mind. And every time he read the
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Old Testament, it did not make sense to him.
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But he had an encounter with the risen Savior
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whose name is Jesus. And the veil was removed
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and he could see. Hallelujah. The veil is taken
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away in Christ. But even to this day when Moses
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is read, a veil lies on their heart. A veil lies
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on their heart. I wasn't planning on doing this,
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but I feel moved by the Holy Spirit right now
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to pray for the nation Israel. Will you join
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with me for a moment? Lord, there are many people
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of Israel, your chosen, that know you. They are
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Messianic Christians. And I thank you for that.
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But there are so many more that this is still
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true. There is a veil over their heart. And I
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ask in Jesus' name that you would remove the
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veil, that you would cause Israel to be saved.
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Lord, even as there is so much in the news about
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Israel, about... Benjamin Netanyahu's speech
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and what is happening on the Gaza Strip and opinions
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are so varied and all over the map. God, they
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are still your chosen people. And we are asking,
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Lord, for the peace of Jerusalem. We're asking
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God for the veil that is on Israel to be removed
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and lifted in the name of Jesus. Hallelujah.
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Hallelujah. Lord, it was the Jewish people that
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brought forth our Messiah, Jesus, who is forever
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Jewish. And Lord, we bless the nation of Israel,
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not because they are perfect and everything they
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do is right, but because they are your people.
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And we bless the nation of Israel right now in
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Jesus' name. Hallelujah. Even to this day when
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Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Verse
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16, nevertheless, when one turns to the Lord,
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the veil is taken away. Now you might not have
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grown up knowing the law. You might have grown
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up in a very secular place. You might have grown
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up... in a place that didn't even care about
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religion, or didn't go to church, or maybe you
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went to church, but you went to a religious church
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that didn't talk about Jesus, didn't talk about
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having a relationship with him, and though you
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did not have the veil like Paul had it, or like
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the Jewish people had it, you still had a veil
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over your life because you were in the dark.
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But when you came to Christ, hallelujah, you
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became, 2 Corinthians 5, 17, a new creation,
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hallelujah. The old is past, and the new has
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come. When one turns to the Lord, the veil is
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taken away, hallelujah. The Lord is the Spirit,
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and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is
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liberty. Somebody give God praise this morning.
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Hallelujah. And then we get to my text. So that
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was my 20 -minute introduction. But we all, with
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unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory
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of the Lord, are being transformed into the same
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image from glory to glory just as by the Spirit
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of the Lord. Hallelujah. This is a verse. That
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as my wife has been saying lately, I have been
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chewing the cud on. I have been just living in
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it. Making it my aim to daily take time to behold
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Him. To behold Him. My goal for this message
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is to put salt on your tongue. To cause you to
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hunger and thirst for the living presence of
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God. For the glory of God. To learn the art of
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beholding Him. To learn the discipline of looking
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upon Him. The glory of God. We saw Moses go from
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glory to glory till the glory was so strong that
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he could not even enter in. Glory. The Old Testament
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word for glory is kabod. It means weightiness.
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The weight of God. It means that where his presence
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is, there his glory is. And I have to... differentiate
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between two different kinds of presence of the
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Lord. There is his omnipresence. God is everywhere.
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There is nowhere you can't go that God is not.
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He is there. He has the ability. He's the only
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one. Now, let me tell you something. Satan is
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not omnipresent. Satan can only be in one place
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at one time. God is omnipresent. He can be everywhere
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at the same time. But his manifest presence is
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not like that. His manifest presence is where
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he displays his glory. Hallelujah. Now, we read
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in the Old Testament about times where his glory
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came and there was a cloud and there was fire.
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And we see some of that in the New Testament.
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In Acts chapter 2, when they were baptized with
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the Holy Spirit, the fire of God came into the
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ceiling of the room, separated, and a tongue
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came to rest. A tongue of fire came to rest on
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each person. That is a physical manifestation
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of the glory of God. We saw that on the road
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to Damascus. There was a voice from heaven and
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it thundered and that's a physical manifestation
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of the glory of God. I have never personally
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seen a glory cloud, but I have heard of services
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where people are gathering and they are worshiping
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and the presence of God comes so strong that
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a mist appears in the room that everybody can
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see. Anybody ever heard any testimonies like
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that before? That's the glory of God. But can
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I tell you that God manifests his glory in other
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ways as well? In John chapter 2, in John chapter
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2, Jesus turns the water into wine. The Bible
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says, at the end of that story, I believe around
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verse 11, the book of John says this, and so
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Jesus manifested his glory. Now, there was no
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glory cloud. There was nothing that people could
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see, but it was a miracle. It was a miracle.
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And when Jesus performed the miracle, the Bible
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says he displayed his glory. Hallelujah. It doesn't
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just have to be a cloud or fire or something
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strange and mystical that can be seen with the
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eyes. But sometimes God manifests his glory in
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very small ways and also in very big ways. Can
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I tell you this? Answered prayer is a manifestation
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of the glory of God. When God shows up and does
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something in your life, that's a manifestation
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of the glory of God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
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Can I tell you one time I was at my office, and
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this was in Galesburg when I was assistant pastor,
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and the Lord gave me a scripture verse. Cammie
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and I had been praying about direction for our
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lives. And the Lord gave me a scripture verse
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out of the life of David. And I thought that
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when I went home, it was going to disappoint
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my wife because it was not the word that I wanted
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to hear in the moment for our family. And so
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I'm carrying this word and I go home and I am
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speaking to my wife. I say, the Lord spoke to
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me today. We've been asking for direction. And
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she said, that's interesting. She said, before
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you tell me what God spoke to you today, I want
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to tell you what God spoke to me today. And she
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opened up her Bible to the exact same verse.
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And she read to me the exact same verse. And
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she said, I don't know if you're going to like
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this, Darren, or not. But this is what God spoke
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to me about the direction for our family. Can
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I tell you something in that moment what I was
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experiencing? The glory of God who went before
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me, prepared my wife's heart. In fact, spoke
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to her the exact same thing that he had spoken
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to me that day. That's the glory of God. Can
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I tell you about another time? I was in Bible
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college, and I liked Bible college because my
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wife used to make cookies back then and mail
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them to me. And now she's learned how bad cookies
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are for you. And that just, that has nothing
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to do with my message. It's just a memory that
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came to my mind. When I first went to Bible college,
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I had a broken foot. I came to Bible college
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with a cast. on my foot. And I hobbled around
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on crutches for four weeks. And then I went to
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the doctor, and the doctor removed the cast.
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And I had had a stress fracture in my foot. And
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when the doctor removed the cast, he said, now
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listen, you need to take it easy for the next
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three to four weeks. And I went back to the school
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that night, and I took a basketball into the
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gym, and I ran up and down the gym floor for
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three hours playing basketball with my friends.
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And I would have played longer, except at the
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end of the third hour, I think I could hear it
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with my ears. My foot went snap. I had rebroken
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my foot. It swelled up. And I said, Darren, What
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an idiot you are. I was dreading calling my mom
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and dad who paid for the first cast. I could
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not think about even talking with them because
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I was going to have to go through another five
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weeks of a cast. And guess who was probably going
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to have to pay for it? And I didn't call them
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and I went to bed that night. And I was frustrated.
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I was feeling... condemnation and shame, perhaps
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rightly so. And about two in the morning, I woke
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up startled because God was in my room. And I
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woke up because my foot was on fire. And I went
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from a dead sleep to fully 100 % awake in about
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five seconds. And I realized immediately what
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was happening. God was in my room. God was healing
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my foot. And all I could do was get out of my
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bed and bow down before the Lord and worship
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him. His glory had come into my dorm room and
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my foot was fully 100 % healed. The swelling
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went down, and I have never had another issue
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with my foot since that day. It was the glory
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of God that visited me. I'm just talking freely
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about moments after we were married and had moved
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to Galesburg, and we had a family living above
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us in that house. a duplex upstairs, downstairs.
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And it was always noisy. And so I went down in
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the basement and I built, I actually built a
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kneeling altar down in the basement. And I used
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to go down there and I used to meet with God
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down there. And the glory of God would fill that
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basement, nasty basement, spider webs everywhere.
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But the glory of God would come. and meet with
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me. And I would just sit in that place, just
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worshiping. It became my spot. And I would go
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there daily, and I would experience the glory
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of God. The glory of God. The first thing that
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we see in this passage, in verse 18, it says,
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but we all. Those three words change everything.
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This is the entire difference between the old
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covenant and the new covenant. But we all. The
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old covenant was for the Moseses. It was for
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the Abrahams. It was for the Davids, the Elijahs.
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Really, the ones that God met with in the old
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covenant were the prophets, the priests, and
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the kings. Everybody else was left in the dark.
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They were on the outside looking in. But the
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new covenant changes everything. But we all,
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we all, there is nobody in this room that cannot
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experience the presence of God. He does not favor
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the pastor. over anybody else. And I do believe
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in the functions and the gifts of the Holy Spirit
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that make us different in function in the body.
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I do believe in them. But every single one of
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us can experience the glory and the presence
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of the living God. Hallelujah. We all, but we
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all, oh, glory to Jesus. And so Jesus became
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a rabbi when he turned 30. And he began to select
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his disciples. And all the other rabbis that
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were leaders in the nation of Israel, when they
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selected the people that they would call their
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disciples, they went to the education system
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and they selected the ones that were chosen for
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further education and further education. And
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they chose the cream of the crop to be their
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disciples. But I want you to hear what Jesus
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does when he chooses his disciples. And Jesus,
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walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers.
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Simon called Peter and Andrew, his brother, casting
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a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
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Jesus does not choose disciples like everybody
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else chooses disciples. These are men that only
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had the first level of education, and because
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they were not the cream of the crop, they could
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not move forward, and so they were assigned the
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profession of their father. Now, the world needs
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fishermen, and so it was not like they were people
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that were unproductive in society, but they were
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not the high people of society. And Jesus looks
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at them and says, follow me, I will make you
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fishers of men. And they immediately left their
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nets and followed him. And going on from there,
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he saw two other brothers, James, son of Zebedee,
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and John, his brother, in the boat with Zebedee,
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their father, mending their nets, two other fishermen.
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And he called them. And immediately they left
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the boat and their father and followed Jesus.
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But we all, the 12 that eventually established
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the church. And you think of Simon here, Andrew's
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brother, who was later called Peter. And how
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Peter in Acts chapter 5. Would walk down the
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road. And his shadow would touch the sick. And
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his shadow would raise the sick. Up off of their
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sick bed. Hallelujah. Why was that? Because of
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this. But we all. Hallelujah. This fisherman
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that left his nets was transformed over three
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years of time. He was transformed when he was
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baptized in the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 2.
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He was transformed from glory to glory to the
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point where he walked down the road and the sick
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were healed in the name of Jesus. Hallelujah.
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Can I tell you that was not the glory of Peter.
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That was the glory of God that was on Peter.
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And Peter reflecting that glory. And Moses, his
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face shown. But Peter, his shadow healed people.
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Hallelujah. It's the glory of God that got on
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him. Hallelujah. I'm believing for a church that
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will rise up with the glory of God on them. The
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glory of God on the house. Hallelujah. Jesus!
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I feel God in the place. And so these disciples,
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they were chosen. They were hanging out with
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Jesus. And Matthew 17 says, after six days, Jesus
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took Peter, James, and John, his brother, led
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them up on a mountain by themselves, and he was
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transfigured before them. Following John's journey
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for a moment, Jesus' face shone. like the sun.
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And his clothes became as white as the light.
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How many of you think that this is glory? This
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is the glory of God. Do you know the end of the
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book of Revelation when there is a new heavens
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and a new earth? That there will be no sun? That
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we will not have a sun that the new earth revolves
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around because The glory that is on the face
35:24
of Jesus will light up the whole world. It's
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the glory of God. And for a moment, Peter and
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James and John, as Jesus is transfigured, and
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Moses and Elijah meets them on the mountain,
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they experience the glory of Jesus. And then
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John. We could follow John. We could talk a lot
35:57
about John. But one more, John on the island
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of Patmos, in Revelation chapter 1, he heard
36:09
a voice. In verse 12 says, I turned to see the
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voice that spoke with me. And having turned,
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I saw seven golden lampstands in the midst of
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the seven lampstands, one like the Son of Man,
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clothed with the garment down to the feet, and
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girded about the chest with a golden band. His
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head and hair were white like wool, eyes like
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snow, his eyes like a flame of fire, his feet
36:35
were like fine brass as if refined in a furnace,
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and his voice as the sound of many waters. He
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had in his right hand seven stars, and out of
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his mouth went a sharp two -edged sword, and
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his countenance was like the sun shining in its
36:50
strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet
36:55
as though dead. From glory to glory. Ordinary
37:09
fishermen going from glory to glory. But we all,
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there are levels of the glory of God. That's
37:28
why we go from glory to glory. Did you know that
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your destiny, Is tied in with the glory of God.
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Your destiny. Because it is in the glory of God.
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Whether it is in the quietness of your own home.
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Where you are encountering Jesus. And maybe even
37:54
nothing dramatic happened. We're talking about
37:56
dramatic moments here. And I've had some dramatic
38:00
moments in my life. But it is the day in day
38:03
out pursuit of God. And wanting to be with him.
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where most of the transformation in my life happens.
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But it is in the glory of God that transformation
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happens. Isn't that what the verse says? We behold
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as in a mirror the glory of the Lord and are
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transformed into His image. Transformed into
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His image. The glory of God, His presence, is
38:44
not given to you simply to make you feel better.
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Have you ever experienced goosebumps in the presence
38:52
of God? All the time, I feel, I sense His presence,
38:57
and I go, wow, and my body responds to that,
39:00
but it is not for the purpose of you feeling
39:04
something necessarily that God displays His presence.
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It is for you to be transformed Into his image.
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And that is your destiny. To become like Christ.
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Now this doesn't mean you don't retain your own
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individual personality. But God is working with
39:29
you as an individual to make you more and more
39:33
like Jesus. Amen? And Romans chapter 8 says,
39:40
verse 29. For whom God foreknew, he predestined
39:45
to be conformed to the image of his Son, that
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he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
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And so he has chosen you to become like Christ.
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Hallelujah. Just like he chose Peter and James
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and Andrew and Simon and John. Just like he chose
40:08
them, he's chosen you. To become like Christ.
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Hallelujah. Now there is. Something that happens
40:16
in the presence of the Lord, and one of the most
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dramatic illustrations is in Isaiah chapter 6.
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And Isaiah, I'm wanting to wind this down in
40:27
the next five minutes, and so I'm not going to
40:29
take the time to read it. But Isaiah, in Isaiah
40:32
6 verse 1, in the year that King Uzziah died,
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I saw the Lord high and lifted up, and the train
40:38
of his robe filled the temple. And Isaiah saw
40:43
the glory of God. And if you read down a few
40:46
verses, you'll find that something happens. That
40:49
Isaiah, when he's in the presence of God, he
40:53
makes a statement. He says, Woe is me, for I
40:58
am a man of unclean lips. I come from a people
41:02
of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King,
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the Lord Almighty. And God does something interesting
41:11
because he could have squashed Isaiah right then
41:14
and said, you're right. You're not worthy to
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be in my presence. But that's not what God does.
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What God does is he sends an angel to take a
41:22
tongue and dip it into the fire and get a coal
41:26
out of that fire. And you know what that represents?
41:29
That represents the blood of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah.
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And he touches Isaiah. He touches his lips and
41:37
burns his lips. God says, see, I have taken away
41:41
your sin. Glory to God. And so that's a dramatic
41:46
expression. And then God calls Isaiah and he
41:49
says, here am I, send me. And so it's an awesome,
41:53
awesome moment. Okay, but this is what happens
41:56
in the presence of the Lord. In the presence
41:58
of the Lord, when God shows up, you see two things.
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One, you see his greatness. And the other thing
42:06
you see, is your own frailty. It might be a sin
42:14
that God puts his finger on. God has been putting
42:18
his finger in my life on selfish ambition, doing
42:27
things to be seen by men. And I have been repenting
42:33
because it's a false motivation. It's a pharisaical
42:38
motivation to do things to be seen by men. Jesus
42:43
says, if that's your motivation, then you've
42:46
already received your reward. And I've been confessing
42:50
to God because it crops up. I want to be seen
42:55
by men. I want men to tell me how good I am at
42:58
this or that. And God says, you've already received
43:03
your reward. But you know what happens when I'm
43:05
in the presence of God? I see his beauty and
43:08
I see how he laid his life down for me. And then
43:11
I see my own sin. And it's there in his presence
43:16
that I confess that. And it's there in his presence
43:19
that he does not reject me. He did not reject
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Isaiah. He's not going to reject you. And he
43:28
cleanses you. And he takes that thing out of
43:32
your life so that you are more like Jesus. From
43:38
glory to glory, being transformed into his image.
43:45
And it seems like I go through seasons where
43:47
God deals with this area of my life. And then
43:50
He deals with this area of my life. And then
43:53
He deals with this area of my life. But He is
43:56
transforming me into the image of God. When I
44:00
am with Jesus, I become like Jesus. That's the
44:07
whole deal right there. I'm in His presence.
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I become like him. Jesus said, how many of you
44:19
know John 3 .16? How many of you know the verses
44:24
after John 3 .16? After John 3 .16, the Bible
44:29
says that men love darkness rather than light.
44:34
And because their deeds were evil, they avoid
44:37
coming into the light. And there have been times
44:43
where there has been stuff in my life that I
44:47
have avoided. the presence of God because I want
44:53
to hang on to my stuff. When your deeds are evil,
44:59
you avoid the presence of God because it will
45:02
shine a light on it. But if you love the presence
45:09
of God, you will crave the light of his presence,
45:15
the glory of his presence. Hallelujah. How do
45:22
I know this is what I'm destined to be? I've
45:28
got a lot more to preach, but I'm going to wind
45:30
this down with this verse. 1 John 3 .2. This
45:36
is John writing his first letter. Beloved, now
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we are the children of God. It has not yet been
45:54
revealed what we shall be, but we know that when
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He is revealed, We shall be like him, for we
46:10
shall see him as he is. When the trumpet sounds,
46:19
and Jesus returns, and you are caught up in the
46:25
air together with him, and you see him, because
46:30
you see him. You behold him not as in a mirror
46:35
anymore. I didn't get to that part. We see now
46:37
dimly as in a mirror, but then we see face to
46:41
face. You see him face to face. Guess what's
46:44
going to happen? Your transformation. You've
46:46
been journeying this whole life, but your transformation
46:50
into the image of Christ will be complete. We
46:54
shall see him and we shall be like him. Glory
46:59
to God. I am looking forward to heaven for a
47:02
lot of reasons, but this struggle, this struggle
47:05
called discipleship, it will be over. I will
47:09
be like Christ. Remember raising children, and
47:19
when they had done something wrong, you know
47:26
what they didn't like doing? Looking me in the
47:31
eye, and I would say, look at me, and they didn't
47:46
like looking at me. What happened when they Finally,
47:54
locked eyes with me. And I could see into their
48:01
heart. And I would say, tell me. In that moment,
48:09
they would share the truth. That's oftentimes
48:19
why we avoid God. We hang out. We watch others
48:26
worship. We watch others enter in. Because our
48:36
own eyes can't lock with God. But God is saying
48:42
this morning. Look at me. Look at me. I want
48:48
you to experience my presence. It is in my presence
48:57
that transformation comes from glory to glory.
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His presence is a place of rest. His presence
49:11
is a place of trust. His presence is a place
49:14
of refuge. three of those things also serve to
49:19
bring transformation, not just conviction. How
49:24
many of you would join me and say, I want to
49:27
be like Christ? When we pray and we say, God,
49:31
give us more of your glory on this house. It
49:35
isn't just because we want the fantastical, like
49:39
we like reading some book that gives us chills.
49:44
It's because It's in His presence that the church
49:48
is transformed into what it is called to be.
49:52
It's in His presence that new believers come
49:55
in and they're touched by His presence. We're
49:59
not here entertaining people. We're here entertaining
50:03
God. That's it. And His glory and His presence
50:07
comes. And lives are changed because of His glory.
50:18
We go from glory to glory, being transformed
50:22
into the image of the same. Jesus, have your
50:30
way. Jesus, have your way. I went longer than
50:37
I intended to today. I've preached for 52 minutes.
50:42
But can we pause for a moment? And can we say,
50:47
God, give us more of your glory. Cause your presence
50:52
to be ours, our portion. Lord, we don't want
50:57
to stay stagnant. God, we don't want to just
51:06
drift through our Christianity. Jesus, we want
51:13
to move from glory to glory. God, I'm not expecting
51:19
a Moses -type encounter every time I pray. Lord,
51:25
I'm hungry for you. In that song that Brianna
51:30
taught this morning, God, we need a move of God.
51:37
We're hungry for your presence. We're hungry
51:42
for your presence. Lord, have your way. Have
51:52
your way. Have your way. And I will make room
51:59
for you to do whatever you want to. Do whatever
52:10
you want to. And I will make room for you. To
52:22
do whatever you want to Do whatever you want
52:30
to One more time. I will make room for you To
52:39
do whatever you want to Do whatever you want
52:46
to Shake up the ground Of all my tradition. Break
52:54
down the walls. Of all my religion. Your way
52:59
is better. Your way is better. And I will make
53:07
room for you. To do whatever you want to. Do
53:17
whatever you want to. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
53:27
If you're here today and you just simply join
53:31
me in the prayer, the prayer that Moses prayed,
53:37
God, show me your glory. Jesus, make me more
53:44
like you. If that's your prayer, I just want
53:49
you to raise your hand or stand to your feet
53:51
or just make some kind of response right now
53:54
to the Lord and say, God, here I am. Here I am.
54:00
Here I am. Come on. Come on, just respond to
54:04
him. Because Lord, this is true, not just for
54:07
us as individuals, but for the church. Lord,
54:09
see your church hungry for you. See your church
54:14
hungry for you, God. Take us from glory to glory
54:18
in Jesus' name. And let's sing it together. We
54:24
will make room for you to do whatever you want
54:32
to. Do whatever you want to. And we will make
54:39
room for you to do whatever you want to. Do whatever
54:50
you want to. Hallelujah. We make room for you,
55:00
God, to have your way, to reveal your glory,
55:06
to show us your presence. Oh God, passion for
55:15
your presence is one of our pillars here. We
55:21
need you. We need you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
55:32
Hallelujah. Lord, I pray that you would cause
55:38
us to put action to our standing or lifting up
55:44
of our hands in the way that we pursue you, in
55:51
the way that we pray. Can we for a moment just
55:55
lift up your voice and say, God, let your glory
55:57
be on this house. Let your glory be on this church.
56:02
Can we all over this room just lead out in prayer
56:05
right now? Just lift up your voice right now.
56:08
Lift up your voice to the Lord. Father, we're
56:11
hungry for you. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid
56:14
of what people around you will think, but just
56:17
call on the name of the Lord. God, reveal your
56:20
glory in this place. I pray that this house would
56:24
be a house not where men get glory, but where
56:26
God reveals his glory, where God gets all the
56:30
glory. Hallelujah. It is the glory of Jesus resting
56:35
upon us. Hallelujah. Oh, we thank you, Father.
56:38
We thank you, Father. We ask, God, that you would
56:42
manifest your presence in this place every time
56:46
we gather, every time we gather. Every time we
56:50
gather in Jesus' name. I pray, Lord, that we
56:53
would be a people hungry for you. Hungry for
56:57
your presence in Jesus' name. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
57:01
Hallelujah. Oh, we give you glory, God. Oh, we
57:05
give you glory, God. Oh, we give you praise in
57:09
Jesus' mighty name. In Jesus' mighty name. If
57:13
you agree with that, just... say amen. Amen.
57:16
In Jesus' name. Give him praise. Yes, Lord. Yes,
57:21
Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. In Jesus' name. Thank
57:27
you, Father. Thank you, Father. Glory to God.
57:33
Glory to God. Hallelujah. The Lord has recently
57:38
spoken to my heart, and he has said, that he
57:43
just spoken to me and he said, Darren, will you
57:45
let me use you to rebuild altars? And it's just
57:51
been an interesting experience with the Lord.
57:54
I've been reading about altars being rebuilt
57:56
in the Old Testament. And one of the things that's
58:00
happening on Wednesday nights is there is a rebuilding
58:03
of the altar of prayer. And it is a unique thing.
58:10
I want to encourage as many of you ladies this
58:13
week as a ladies prayer meeting in here. Come.
58:17
The men are going to meet in the fellowship hall.
58:20
Come. Ladies in here, ladies, you have to eat
58:22
before you come. But the men are going to eat
58:26
in the fellowship hall. We do have ministry for
58:29
the children. And so all of us can come. I know
58:33
it might mean not laying down when you get home
58:37
on Wednesday night to rest. But it is going to
58:42
be good. And so we are rebuilding altars. And
58:48
I want to encourage you to come and help us rebuild
58:51
the altar. God bless you. Have a great rest of
58:54
your Monday. Or Sunday. It's Sunday. Your Sunday.
59:00
Amen.