In our lesson this morning we see that the Glory had departed from Israel because of their lack of obedience to God and because they had become a superstitious and an idolatress nation.
I know that we do things in our lives, and we do things in our services to give God glory in what we do, but what I love about God is that he reciprocates and gives glory back to us more than what we could ever give to him. Because what we have to know and understand is that God has always intended for man to be in his presence and in his glory. From the beginning in the Garden of Eden, God visited man in the coolness of the day. But, because of sin, we have all fallen short of the Glory of God, and sin has caused the Glory to depart from man and depart from the Church because what we must realize is that the Glory of God is not going to dwell in the same place with sin abides.
When we look at the history of what was going on the children of Israel were at war with the Philistines. During the first encounter, the Philistines killed 4,000 Israelites, and they asked themselves “Why has the Lord allowed us to be defeated today?” Somebody came up with the idea that we need to bring the Ark of the Covenant into battle with us.
Let’s look at the Ark. Notice that the Ark of the Covenant was a beautiful symbol of God’s presence and his glory. Notice that the ark was made out of the hardest of wood that was made, Shittim wood and was overlaid with Gold. It was a typology of Christ or a symbol of Christ in the Old Testament.
Now the Ark of the Covenant was covered by the Mercy Seat, which emphasized the purpose of Christ.
If you were to notice the Mercy Seat, it was a plate of pure gold, it was not a piece of wood. And on the mercy seat is were two cherubim, that is two angels that would sit facing each other, so it was believed that the Mercy Seat was God’s throne.
The ark was so full of God’s glory, and it was so full that it could not be touched by human hands and when transported it had to be carried with poles. It is said that it was so powerful that in 2nd Samuel 6:7 when Uzzah touch the ark and died, because God could not be handle in just any kind of way.
Now inside the Ark of the Covenant there were three items.
1. The tablets of stone that were engraved with the Ten Commandments
2. A Golden Pot of Manna that fell from heaven.
3. Aaron’s Rod that budded which proves that Aaron was God’s chosen.
Unfortunately, two of the items that were in the ark were lost by the time of the dedication at Solomon’s Temple, and all that remained were the two tablets of stone.
Now the ark was placed in the innermost room of the temple, in the Holy of Holies. And only once a year, the high priest could enter beyond the veil, to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat for the atonement of sin, and that was good for them. But now because of the blood of Jesus we don’t have to rely on the priest to enter in to the Holy of Holies. As a matter of fact because of the blood of Jesus the veil was ripped and we can go beyond the veil into a place of true worship. In fact, it’s because of the blood that we no longer have to worship in the outer courts.
Now during this battle someone came up with the idea that we should bring the Ark of the Covenant into battle with us. First of all God did not tell them to bring the Ark into battle. What they really needed to know was that their safety was not in the Ark of the Lord, but it was in the Lord of the Ark.
This act only shows how, superstitious and paganistic they had become. And that’s the way we have become about some of our churches. Our safety in not in the house of the Lord but instead our safety is in the Lord of the house.
You see the ark is a symbol of God’s Glory and his presence, but my GOD can’t be put into a box that you can bring along like a good luck charm to fight and win your battles. And the problem is just as the children of Israel did back then, we are still trying to put God in a box.
The Children of Israel thought the success was in the box, they thought power was in the box, they thought the deliverance was in the box. Just as we do today, we try to carry God around and let him out of the bos when we want too. We shout when our favorite person sings, we say amen when our favorite preacher preach. We get happy only when we pray. We put all of our faith and trust in buildings and fancy pulpits but the power is not just in the buildings. The building is not the Church, the Church is right here.
The Church building represents God, but when the Glory of the Lord has left the building, then the Church is no longer a place of deliverance, healing, miracles and breakthroughs. It simply becomes a place to go for entertainment. When God has left the building, then the building becomes a place for social gathering.
It becomes a place of disobedience; it becomes a place to fight order. It becomes a social club where we pass out hugs and kisses. Going to Church becomes more of a religious activity, because some people don’t know anything else to do on Sunday Morning.
We are simply not putting anything in to worship. If you don’t put anything in, you surely won’t get anything out. (No deposit, no return) when you don’t put anything in the service, there will be no manifestation without participation.
And some of us are spectators and not participators. Coming to Church is not enough. You say I come to every worship service, so what. I pay my tithes and offering so what, God is looking for more from you. He said that I am tired of your old sacrifices; he says in Romans 12:1 beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. God says, I want you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice. We have to get beyond just coming to church and learn how to get into the very presence of GOD. (Pause) What we have to learn is that (Glory) is an adjective and a verb at the same time. (Glory) as an adjective describes one of GOD’s attributes, meaning powerful, majestic, and greatness.
And (Glory) as a verb, is used to describe what we give God, We give God glory, we give God praises by shouting Glory to God in the highest. When I think about the goodness of Jesus, or when we think about his glory, our souls should cry out hallelujah.
The prophet Jeremiah said that we put more faith and trust in the temple of the Lord instead of the Lord of the temple. It’s sad to say but some churches have lost the Glory. And I think that I need to tell the Saints of God, that in these last days we need the Glory of the Lord more than anything.
The Glory of the Lord is needed in the church because when the Glory of the Lord has left the church.
People will come to church and don’t feel anything
When the glory has left the church, people will leave out the same way that they came in. how do you know pastor?
Because when they leave, they have the same attitude.
When they leave they have the same demeanor.
When they leave, they have the same plans line up, their lives are unspiritualize, and with no spiritual ties.
That’s why people can come to church today and nothing is happening.
People are coming to church and no one gets delivered.
People can come to church and no one is being healed.
No prayers are being answered
No cries are being heard
No tears are being wiped away
No healing was taking place
No deliverance was in action. And if you show me a church where you don’t see the Glory of the Lord in it, then I’ll show you is a church that does not give GOD the praises that he deserves.
I’ll show you a quiet church; that is a church where no one lifts up holy hands, no shouts of praise the Lord. I’ll show you a church where the Lord has left.
Yes, church members are coming in and leaving out the same way that they came in. But the devil made a mistake because today you are not going to leave out the same way you came.
LET ME GET TO THE MEAT OF THIS THING
I know that in today’s time we name our children after our relatives. When Phinehas’ wife learned that the grandfather Eli had died, she didn’t name the baby after him. When she found out that her brother in law and her husband had died, she didn’t name the child after either one of them. But when she heard that the ark of GOD was taken it seemed to be more painful and troubling to her then anything else, because the bible said that she travailed and named the child Ichabod which means that the Glory has departed.
It’s sad to say that many churches today have become Ichabod Jr. Sometimes many of us feel like Ichabod, and we will all have an Ichabod experience.
They have Ichabod Sunday School
They have Ichabod Bible Study
They have Ichabod Worship on Sunday Morning.
They are led by Ichabod people.
They have Ichabod Church choirs, think that they don’t have to rehearse, and that they can just show up on Sunday morning, and they wonder why there is no glory there, they wonder why there is no anointing, and no power. We have Ichabod ushers, Ichabod youth, Ichabod praisers, Ichabod prayers, we even had Ichabod pew members, and yes we have some Ichabod preachers.
The fact of the matter is that we should Praise God, we should give GOD the glory. As a matter of fact, we shouldn’t wait until we get to church to worship him, we should have given him the praise on your way to service. You should say to yourself, yes I might be going through, but it’s alright I’m going to praise him. I might have some problems right now, but it’s alright, I’m going to praise him. I may be facing the ism’s of live, racism, socialism, or even mentalism, it’s right, because I’m going to praise him.
Israel worshipped the box and not God himself. He said in the book of Acts 17:23, I have observed your altars and how you worship, and you are worshipping me without with knowing who I am. Because we are putting more faith in our rituals and our methods, in the crosses we hang around our necks and in our worldly possession.
In other words, GOD is saying that men honor me with their lips but their hearts are from me.
And I know there is a recession going on, and people are losing their homes, their cars, their jobs but GOD is still saying whatever you do don’t lose the Glory. They can give you a pink slip, they can give you a lay off notice, they can foreclose on your house and they can repossess your car. But what they can’t do is foreclose on your worship and they can’t repossess your praise.
Don’t let nothing separate you from the Love of Christ and the Glory of GOD.
Paul asked the question, who shall separate us from the Love of Christ, shall tribulation, or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword. For I am persuaded that neither life, nor death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers. Not things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth.
In other words I am not going to let no recession, no depression, suppression, no man, no woman, no money, and no honey, I don’t care how crazy things might get, I shall not let nothing separate me from the Love of God, from the Glory of GOD which is in Christ Jesus. I know that it may be tough right now but hold on to the Glory
They may threaten your job but hold on to the glory of GOD.
The winds may blow but hold on to the Glory
Adversity may come but hold on to the Glory
Sickness may set in your body but hold on to the Glory
In the midst of your struggles don’t lose the Glory of GOD.
I have been around the country to large churches and cathedrals and beautiful edifices but no Glory, there is no anointing and there is no power.
Some churches are known by how many fish and chicken dinners that they sell.
Some churches are known by how many members they have.
Some churches are known by their choirs and how well they sing.
Some churches are known by their excellent praise dancers.
Some churches are known by how well they can raise money.
But I want to be a part of a church that is known by his glory.
I want to be a part of a church where the Glory of the Lord dwells.
I want to be where the praises are.
I want to be in a church where the Shekinah Glory of GOD is.
Well Pastor how can I hold on to the Glory
You can hold on by lifting your hands
You can hold on by shouting Glory Hallelujah
You can hold on when you shout holy, holy, holy is the Lord GOD all mighty.
And when you do that God will fill the room with smoke. And Ushers when the smoke fills the room there is no need to try to fan it off because it’s not that kind of smoke. There is no need to call the fire department because it’s not that kind of fire, but it will be just like Jeremiah said it’s like fire shut up in my bones.
I want to know how many people want the of fire of the Lord. Fire, fire, fire, fire. The reason that I asked is because God is not coming back for a lukewarm church but he is coming back for a church that is on fire, and let me tell somebody that God don’t need no matches, he’s fire by himself. He is a consuming fire.
Because when you are on fire you will get a bad case of the I can’t help it’s. And it will make you want to shout. Not just in the church house but sometimes you are just riding down the street and you think of his goodness and your eyes start tearing up and floods of joy come over your soul.
And My soul don’t have to look back and wonder how I got over because we will know that is was nobody but the Lord that brought me through.
Let me just tell you one more thing and that is when the Glory of God comes in.
I don’t have to wait for anyone to lay hands on me. I can lay hands on myself.
I don’t have to wait for anyone to encourage me, because David said that you can encourage yourself.
I don’t have to wait for anyone to speak a word into my life I can speak a word into my own life.
I don’t have to wait for anyone to prophesy over my life I can prophesy over my own life.
Because I heard that they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not get weary, they shall walk and not faint.
What I love about Jesus
Everywhere Jesus went he worked a miracle happen,
He ran into blind people and they got their eyesight back.
He ran into deaf folk and they go their hearing back.
He ran into dumb folk and they starting talking
He ran into dead folks and they got up walking
He took to an old rugged cross out on a hill called Calvary where he hung bled and died and gave up the ghost, he was placed in a borrowed tomb.
Early one Sunday morning the Glory of the Lord got up with all power of heaven and earth in his hand.
Somebody ought to shout Glory. We have to let the Glory of the Lord rise among us.
Let’s set the atmosphere for a blessing,
Let’s set the atmosphere for your deliverance.
Speak Lord,
Speak to my situation,
speak to my finances,
speak Lord till the yokes are destroyed,
speak lord until the captives have been set free.
You don’t have to stay in the same shape that you came in. The Bible says that if my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves, pray and seek my face then shall I hear from heaven and heal the land.
When the Glory of GOD is in the Church, everyone in the building, everyone on the live, and everyone that is on the conference call shall be blessed.
Because where the Glory of GOD of the Lord is there is liberty.
