DISMANTLE YOUR GLORY
The Burial of a man’s glory is the birth of God’s Glory:
We have lost the art of adoring the Lord. Our worship gets so cluttered with endless strings of shallow and insincere words that we do most of the time to take up space or put in prayer time with passionless monologue that even God must ignore.
Some of us come to Him clinging to such heavy burdens that we are too frustrated and distracted to see the Lord.
Too often we come to Him at the end of our day and worship Him with pre-manufactured mechanics and memorized words, then since we are totally absorbed with our needs/want and our temporally problems of each day, we lay back in His Presence just long enough to say our scripted words and we deliver our wish-list.
Then we jump up and continue our frustrated rat-race life.
Want He wants us to do is just look at Him, Yes, we can tell Him what we feel, We need to tell Him, But He is really wanting to receive our most INTIMATE WORSHIP AND ADORATION, the kind that transcends mere words or outward actions.
He said to us this year, that, He has set before you and I, an open door, but you will have to face Him, you can’t back your way into the door eternity, you have to walk into it.
It is dangerous for us to be led by our “NUMBER- CRUNCHING INTERLECT” because we can over analyze the cause and purposes of God, which will make us, be like the PHARISEES, SEDDUSEES and the SCRIBES of Jesus’ days, who miss their day of visitation.
Luke. 19:41-44 says…41And as He approached, He saw the city, and He wept [[i]audibly] over it, 42Exclaiming, Would that you had known personally, even at least in this your day, the things that make for peace (for] freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin and upon which your peace—your] security, safety, prosperity, and happiness--depends)! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43For a time is coming upon you when your enemies will throw up a [l]bank [with pointed stakes] about you and surround you and shut you in on every side. 44And they will dash you down to the ground, you [Jerusalem] and your children within you; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, [all] because you did not come progressively to recognize and know and understand [from observation and experience] the time of your visitation [that is, when God was visiting you, the time in which God showed Himself gracious toward you and offered you salvation through Christ].
I come to you and you didn’t know. You knew the word, but you didn’t know me.
John 1.11 says…11He came to that which belonged to Him [to His own--His domain, creation, things, world], and they who were His own did not receive Him and did not welcome Him.
He came to His own, His Own received Him not.
Paul said in 2 Tim 1.12B. Before he was converted to Christ, he understood the law, but after he was converted, he said, and I quote, “I KNOW WHO I HAVE BELIEVE.” It is one thing to know about Him, it’s quite profound to know Him.
God is calling you to a new level of intimacy. If you dare to answer His call, the Lord will reveal a Fresh part of His Character to you. He will pull you so close that you will be breathing the rarefied air of Heaven. The place David Call “SECRET PLACE”.
God is saying to us, I have set before you an open door, Rev 3.7. This is one of those seasons when God seems to be throwing open the Door of Heaven and saying Come In to a new place of Intimacy and Communion with me.
You don’t need to worry about the blessing, if you sit in the lap of the Blesser. Just tell Him that you love Him and every Blessing you ever imagined will come after you.
SEEK THE BLESSER, NOT THE BLESSING
SEEK THE REVIVER, NOT THE REVIVAL
SEEK HIS FACE, NOT HIS HANDS.
You see, something is happening in the church of God today, it has nothing the hype and manipulations of Man.
Aren’t you sick and tired of all that.
Aren’t you hungry for an encounter with God that is not contaminated by the vain promotions and manipulations of fleshly leaders?
Don’t you long to have God, just introduce Himself to you, You are not alone.
Turn with me to Luke 7.36-50… OPEN.
You only a few spiritual inches away from the encounter of a lifetime.
If you want to see the face of God, just follow Mary to the feet of Jesus, pull your alabaster box of precious sacrificial praise and worship Him. You’ve been holding your treasure back for too long, but is One who is worthy of it all, don’t hold anything back.
The Gospel of Matthew and Mark recorded this event and they said that Simon was or had been a lapel.
Matt 26.6 Says…6Now when Jesus came back to Bethany and was in the house of Simon the leper.
Mark 14.3a ….And while He was in Bethany, [a guest] in the house of Simon the leper
Simon the Pharisee was still a spiritual lapel because he was afflicted with disfiguring sin of “HYPOCRISY” you can always count on some hypocrite showing disdain as you rush in to best at the Lord feet, but who cares.
Who knows what problems will be lifted from your shoulders in that moment.
Who knows what worries, fear and anxiety will fade away when you hear Him say “I ACCEPT YOU?”
In God’s eyes we are all lapels in the spirit realm, we need to be those who return to the One who delivered us to offer thanksgiving. You see, God acceptance means you can ignore all other voices that say “I REJECT YOU” when you have been healed and accepted by the king.
ARE YOU ON THE MIND OF GOD?
Jesus said that this woman who had broken her alabaster box to anoint Him for His burial would never be forgotten where ever the Gospel is preached. In order word, she would always be on God’s mind.
Do you want a visitation from God; you will have to make room for Him in your Life, no matter how crowded and cluttered it may be at this moment. Sometimes, it means your most treasured things may have to be broken to release the fragrance of God.
Your brokenness is a sweet smelling savor to God. He collects every tears that drips from your chin and flows from the corner of your eyes.
The Bible says, God has a bottle of memories to hold every tear you have shed. Psalms 56.8. You number and record my wanderings; put my tears into your bottle--are they not in your book?
Make no mistake; it took humility for Mary to wipe the Lords feet with her hair. The bible says a woman hair is her glory, so Mary used her glory to wipe the feet of Jesus. 1 Cor: 11.15.
Middle Eastern woman in Jesus days generally wore their hair up and it was often wrapped in Turban or veil when they left their homes for public places.
So Mary probably had to unwrap or dismantles her hair to wipe the Lords feet. It’s very important for us to understand what that really meant to Mary reputation.
You see people in the Bible days wear open sandals; it was the most common foot wear. Now it was customary for a guest to leave their sandals at the door when they entered the house.
You see the residue of the day’s journey, including the odors of the animal’s droppings was still deposited on the guest unprotected feet. For this reason the dirty job of washing guest feet was reserved for the most insignificant servant of the household. The one who doesn’t count the unimportant expendable slave and was openly treated with disdain.
What a picture of humble worship Mary provided. She dismantles her glory, her hair to wipe animal waste from His feet. The bible, Isaiah 64.6… says our righteousness and glory are nothing but filthy rags fit only to wipe His feet.
Jesus clearly stated to Simon, when he entered no one wash his feet,
Luke 7.44... 44Then turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, Do you see this woman? When I came into your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
Simon wanted Jesus at his house, but didn’t want to place honor on him. How often do we want God Presence in our services, but refuse or ignore to worship Him as we should.
For too long the church has asked God to be present, but never placed the presence of God in a position of Honor, that means, what was really wanted were His tricks, we wanted His divine healings, supernatural gifting, and the miraculous things He can do, but we really didn’t want to honor Him.
I wonder if, Mary broke open the alabaster box containing precious oil of spikenard, she noticed that, when her tears fell on Jesus feet, that, the tears made a streak of cleanliness, did it suddenly dawn on her, what a measure of disrespect had been shown toward Jesus. I believe her knowing that nobody washes the Lords feet, that it broke her heart; the grief seemed to up the velocity of her tears until they came like a floodgate had been opened.
So Mary tears dripping on Jesus feet were literally able to be use to wash the Lord’s feet.
But what could Mary use to wipe off the remaining residue from the lord’s feet, she had no honor or authority in that place, so she couldn’t ask for towel, having nothing else at hand, with no towel provided by the servant or the master of the house, Mary dismantle her hair and used her glory to wipe Jesus feet.
She took the disdain and public disrespect of that household away from the Lord Jesus and took upon herself. She removed every evidence of His public rejection with her beautiful hair and took it has her own.
“Can you imagined what that did for the heart of God”
Jesus gave us an insight into His feelings in that very moment when He openly rebuked His host. Luke 7.44. Simon, I came into your House, you gave me no water for my feet, and this woman wet my feet with her tears and dries them with her hair.
Mary dismantle her glory to minister to me, there were at least many people in that room that day including the disciples, not one of them attained the intimacy that she obtained that day.
They all missed it; even though they were good people, Peter James and John, hear me friends, you can be busy being a disciple and doing the work, but miss the worship. We try to help God, God doesn’t need our help, He is the creator who stepped out on the balcony of heaven and scooped out the seven seas with the palm of His hands. What He wants is your worship. Jesus told the woman at the well…
John 4.23 ‘True worshippers shall worship the Father in the spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.
Like countless numbers of Pastors, elders, minister and deacons in church today get nervous when faced with such raw hunger for God and were, somebody stop that woman.
But Jesus intervened and said No, finally somebody is doing the right thing, don’t you dare stop her. The church doesn’t make room for the Mary’s with alabaster boxes because they make all the rest of us nervous when the Mary’s dismantle their glory, there pride, and ego right in front of everyone to see.
The real problem is that our ego and self-centered glory stands out like a flashing beacon in the places of humility.
God is saying to us, I will bring you close to me, if you dismantle your glory.
Mary had to get to the point where her passion made her say, I don’t care who sees me do this, and you may feel a tugging and drawing in your heart as you hear this word that are coming out of my mouth.
God wants you to openly and boldly let the world know how much you really love Him, even if you have to dismantle your glory in front of a room full of people.
Become a box breaker, break the box of your precious things and finalize it by a public show of a private passion.
God doesn’t need your Religious service, He wants your worship and the only worship He can accept is the worship that comes from humility.
You can really arrest the purposes and plans of God, if you are a worshiper.
Finally, did you notice God didn’t break Mary’s alabaster box; Mary had to break to break it. If you want to have that kind of encounter with God, then, you will have to break yourself.
The highest form of worship comes from brokenness and there are no short cuts or formula to help you reach the top.
The breakings of your heart arrest the ears and eyes of God, and it begins when your love for Him super cedes your fear of what others may think.
You can’t Seek His Face and Save your face.
The end of your glory is the beginning of His Glory.
Now let me tell you the good news beyond the alter of death and brokenness. While all flesh dies in His Glory. That part of your being that really wants to live can live forever. But something about your flesh has to dies. Let me put it this way. “Your flesh holds back the Glory of God”
We can seek for His blessing and play with his toys, or we can say, “No Father, we don’t just want the blessing; we want You. We want You to come close. Touch our eyes. Touch our hearts and ears. Change us, Lord, we are tired of the way we are. We understand that if we can change, then our city will change, our Nations will change...
The Gospel of Mark tells us that immediately after Jesus astounded His disciples by rebuking the sea and the wind during a great storm, they landed in the country of Gadarenes” Mark 4.35-5.1. Something happened that day that I pray will happen in our day.
When the sole of Jesus’ foot touched the sandy shore of Gadara, one half mile distant a man possessed of 5,000 demons suddenly was freed from their choking grasp for the first time. WHY? HOW Do You Know, Pastor Ben, Mark tells us that when the demonized man saw Jesus, he ran to worship Him. Up until that precise moment, the demon had told him where to go and what to do at every other instance. He had no control over his own actions, even when the demons commanded him to cut himself.
So what change all that? What happened in a moment that wrested that man and physical functions out of the control of 5,000 controlling demons spirits? I will tell you what happened
FATHER STEP IN THE HOUSE…
That is what we need today. We need to hear the footfall of God as the sole of His feet touches earth just one time, when that happens, we won’t have to worry about telling little demons to run. We won’t even have to scream Scriptures against their prince or practice pulling down strongholds.
The purpose of His manifest presence is to “set the captive free,” to fulfill Luke 4.18.
Lord we want to see you! We are tired of just talking about You like Sunday school children. When are You going to show up. Lord.
I pray that an Isaiah Chapter 6 Visitation will come to churches in the cities, because all it takes is one footstep of Almighty God in a city to break the chains of decades and centuries of demonic dominion. I pray that we can say with prophet Isaiah, “I HAVE SEEN THE LORD” I am praying for a corporate breakthrough in our churches, but first I pray that God gives each of you an individual breakthrough in your lives. Lord we are not just coming to You to get a blessing. We seek the Blesser.
We need a breakthrough
I must warn you that sometimes you need to be broken to get a breakthrough. It’s just the way it happens. I encourage you to linger and soak in the presence of the Lord at every opportunity.
When you draw near to Him, don’t hurry and rush. Realize that this is or should be at the top of your priority list.
Let God do a deep work in your heart and life. This is the way God create a “deep-bored” well in your life that will become an “ARTESIAN” well of power and glory in His presence. The purpose of His presence is to bring deliverance to the captives and victory to the children.
There is no shortcut t revival or the coming if His presence. God’s glory only comes when repentance and brokenness drives you to your knee, because His presence requires purity. Only dead men see God’s face.
Our churches are filled with career prodigal who loves their Father’s things more than their Father. We come to the family dinner table not to seek or ask for more of the Father, but to beg and persuade Him to give us all the things in His house that He promised are rightfully ours.
We open the book and lick our lips and say, “ I want all the gifts, I want the best portion, the full blessing; I want all that belongs to me,” Ironically” it was the father blessing that actually “financed” the prodigal son’s trip away from the Father’s face! And it was the son’s new revelation of his poverty of heart that propelled him back into his father’s arms.
Sometimes we use the very blessings that God gives us to finance our journey away from the centrality of Christ. It’s very important that we return back to ground zero, to the ultimate eternal goal of abiding with the father in intimate communion.
