Part 29: FULL. Part 2 - Transferring the Glory

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1 Part 29: FULL Part 2 - Transferring the Glory Texts: Haggai 2:6-9 (NKJV) - For thus says the LORD of hosts: Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; [7] and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,' says the LORD of hosts. [8] 'The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,' says the LORD of hosts. [9] The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, says the LORD of hosts. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (NKJV) - Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. [18] But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. A. Our church is about to experience a dream come true! 1. I m more excited than I can possibly tell you! After today, only six Sundays remain until we move into our Promised Land. 2. Some of you will remember the groundbreaking for our new building on October 4, 2009, thinking we would begin building right away. But shortly afterward, the economy tanked. To be wise stewards, I felt that our building project should be put on hold. People were losing their jobs, homes were being foreclosed, and

2 cars repossessed. It didn t seem right to create a greater burden on our people who were already struggling. The future seemed so uncertain and shaky, many churches were facing foreclosure and prominent ministries were forced to lay off many on their staff. 3. But we re not the only ones who have experienced a delay because of a downturn in the economy. After 70 years of Babylonian captivity, by the order of King Cyrus of Persia, a remnant of Jews returned to Jerusalem and began constructing Zerubbabel s Temple. It took two years just to clear the rubble and lay the foundation. All the while, Israel s enemies, especially Sanballat and Tobiah, were mocking their efforts and seeking to make the project fail. Soon after the foundation was laid, the king of Persia withdrew his funding because of the lies he had been told. For 17 years, the foundation lay dormant while God s people waited and prayed and the enemy did his best to prevent them from rebuilding the Temple. But when God intervened, the King gave orders for them to continuing building after a 17 year delay. 4. From our initial postponement in 2010, we ve only had to wait about 7½ years to begin construction. And now, our building is almost ready for occupancy. To God be the glory! 5. Much like the building of Zerubbabel s Temple, God s plans and promises can also be delayed. But remember: DELAY IS NOT DENIAL! The enemy may slow us down, but if we ll pray and keep believing, God will ALWAYS come through! 6. There is more to our story. On a Sunday morning several years ago, I had come to preach for Steve and Mary Miller who were pastors of a church in Long Beach, California. Unannounced, the door of Steve s office suddenly opened and in walked a prophet of

3 God from Houston, whom I had known for many years but hadn t seen in 15 or more years. He walked straight to me and said, The Lord sent me here to say that He is pleased that you didn t allow your ego to get in the way and were willing to stop your building program rather than create a difficult burden for God s people to carry. Because missions has been a priority of your church and you were willing to wait, God is going to supernaturally provide a way for your building to be completed. What a powerful message! And it was true that several people had made it their personal mission to criticize and say some ugly things, but I ve learned not to pay attention to those reports. In our broken world, those who have been betrayed by one they trusted will begin to distrust everyone. So I just kept smiling and worshiping, because God is GOOD all the time! 7. When good things happen to those who love our church, it can be very helpful to go to our Facebook page and like us, or give us a great Yelp review. You can also go to the Amazon Books page and write a good review for my books. Every cent of income from those books goes to our building fund. 8. Believe me when I say that in today s digital world, those things can help. Of course, it s only for those who really love their church! Likewise, if you notice something you don t like, we want to know about that also. If there s a problem, your input is important and highly valued. 9. As the prophet from Houston declared, after waiting all this time, our church is now poised to enter our Promised Land. 10. Last week, I began a new series: Transferring the Glory. One concern of those who have questioned moving away from this

4 familiar, anointed building that we all love plus changing our name to Inspire Church is this: will we suffer any loss? Will we cease to be members of a congregation that has long enjoyed God s favor and blessing or will we be even more blessed at our new location? The Blessing of a Greater Glory B. Because we re committed to making this transition all about God and not ourselves, a better question may be, is it possible that we will actually experience an even greater measure of God s glory and favor at our new church on the Beltway? 1. You see, I m convinced that our greatest days are just ahead! Isn t that how our God works? He always saves the best wine for the last! 2. I m also convinced that the next generation of our church family will be even greater than the present one, just as our generation has surpassed the one before us. Our parents expectations for their children to excel is the same as ours. The truth is, God has always planned an incredible future for the heritage of His people! C. An excellent truism about life is that you can pretty much determine your future by evaluating your past! 1. You can choose a better life than what you have now. Things don t have to remain the same. Examine and then change a few things you re doing so you won t make the same mistakes over and over. Whether it involves your personal history, our nation s history or world history, evaluation always has its special benefits.

5 2. The word history is a combination of two words: his and story. Searching through the Bible allows us to see how God has worked with mankind throughout the ages. That s important, since His ways never change. If He acted in a particular way at a certain time in history, He won t do something different in the future. His-Story or history, helps us understand His divine nature and that we can always trust our faithful God. D. How God dealt with people and situations in the past increases our faith to believe in Him. 1. The story of the Ark of the Covenant provides some of the most fascinating insights about the history of God s relationship with mankind. 2. In the Old Testament, the Ark is referred to 185 times and several more in the New Testament. This means that God still places great significance on the Ark. Had it only applied to ancient Israel, it may not have appeared in scripture at all, or seldom mentioned. Instead, it is referred to multiple times. 3. A study of the Ark offers a spellbinding look at one of the greatest symbols of God s Manifest Presence on earth. It s always best to begin this study with the Tabernacle, but we ll only spend a few moments here. Shortly after the children of Israel left Egypt, God gave Moses a design for the Tabernacle where the Ark and other pieces of sacred furnishings would be housed. His instructions were to build it according to the pattern given at Mt. Sinai. God said, If you obey, I will come and dwell with you. a. Exodus 25:8-9 (NKJV) - And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. [9] According to

6 all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it. E. The Tabernacle represents God s relationship with mankind after it had been broken by Adam s sin. 1. God desired a continual, abiding relationship with mankind, even after it had been severed by the fall of man. 2. You may wonder why His earthly dwelling place with man included an Altar, a Brazen Laver, a Golden Candlestick, a Table of Bread, an Altar of Incense, and the Ark of the Covenant. It s because an abstraction that becomes tangible is more teachable! Intangibles are not easily communicated or understood. 3. Various concepts of redemption, such as: blood, sacrifice, worship, forgiveness, and the Presence of God are abstractions that are difficult to grasp. This is why God sent the Man, Jesus Christ, to dwell among us. He became the living embodiment of many concepts and a tangible God that could be seen and touched, rather than accepting it by faith alone. This is also the reason God instructed Moses to build certain objects that would speak to us with heavenly, eternal significance. 4. When an Israelite entered the Tabernacle courtyard, the first item they saw was the Brazen Altar; then the Brazen Laver. In the first room of the Tabernacle, known as the Holy Place, the Table of Shewbread was on the right, the Golden Candlestick on the left, and in the middle, the Altar of Incense which was near the veil that separated the Tabernacle into two rooms. Just beyond this veil that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was the Ark of the Covenant. Situated on the lid of the Ark was the Mercy Seat and

7 two Cherubim, one on either end with their wings touching one another in the middle. Each item was so genuinely prophetic, it provided insight for man to once again enter God s Presence. 5. (See picture of Tabernacle outline). At the Brazen Altar, the death of an animal sacrifice represented the consequences of sin and our need for repentance. The Brazen Laver filled with water represented baptism. The Table of Shewbread pointed to the Word of God. The Golden Candlestick was the Holy Spirit inspiration that enabled you to clearly find your way. The Altar of Incense speaks of worship and intercession. Finally, the Ark was the symbol of God s Divine Presence. The covering of the Mercy Seat above the Ark assures us of His acceptance and grace. Adam s fallen and sinful descendants, who have been separated from our Heavenly Father, must follow certain steps to be restored to Him. 6. In the reverse order, these same items represented God reaching out for us through Christ. Because we could not reach Him, He came down to us. Beginning at the Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place, His Presence and precious embrace were extended to us from the Ark. From behind Heaven s veil, He came to live a sinless life of pure fragrance and worship, represented by the Altar of Incense. The Golden Candlestick revealed Him as the light of the world; His plan of redemption and the Divine Law were represented in the Table of Shewbread. The Brazen Laver of water reminds us of Jesus baptism in the Jordan River. On the Brazen Altar, He became the Lamb that was sacrificed for the forgiveness of our sins. 7. Looking down on these items from above, you can see the formation of a cross, which portrayed Jesus journey to Calvary.

8 Since we humans could not approach or ascend to God, we must begin at the bottom and allow Him to come down to us. F. The Tabernacle was also built to house the Presence of God. 1. Exodus 25:8 (NKJV) - And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. 2. This is God s purpose for the Ark: a. Exodus 25:21-22 (NKJV) - You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. [V22] And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the Mercy Seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel. 3. The Ark itself was a box, 2½ cubits long, 1½ cubits wide, and 1½ cubits deep (or 52 in. long, 31 in. wide and 31 in. deep). Made of acacia wood and covered inside and outside with pure gold, the Ark was a very valuable piece of furniture. 4. To construct the Ark and other items in the Tabernacle, Israel was required to bring a valuable sacrificial offering to God. The Ark represented the most costly item in the whole world Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who would someday dwell among mortal men. It also foreshadowed the price Christ would pay for our redemption. 5. For God to have a relationship with mankind, He had to pay the ransom the enemy demanded. As Israel gave something of value in their worship, they were also ascribing worth to the Presence of God. True worship places great value on God and always costs us something!

9 6. Gold speaks of Christ s deity and the wood of His humanity. Together, they represent the dual nature of Christ, who was fully God and fully man. Men could not understand that Jesus was Mary s Son (the wood), yet at the same, God in flesh (the gold). 7. The Ark was made from acacia, a thorn tree that grows in the Middle East and Africa. The sap of this tree is highly valued for its medicinal purposes and is used by pharmaceutical companies. Overlaying the acacia wood with gold represents what the Apostle Paul referred to as both the goodness and severity of God. It speaks of God s blessings, His sense of justice and holiness, and of Christ, who is both Healer and Judge of mankind. G. The Ark was a demonstration of how God s Presence can turn the worst circumstances and situations and even a curse, into genuine blessing and victory! 1. When God smiles upon you and gives you favor, He causes you to be blessed, even with no logical explanation for the blessing. There was no earthly reason for Israel to prosper in the middle of the Saudi Arabian Desert, one of the most harsh deserts on the planet with an average rainfall of less than one inch in ten years. 2. How can you explain why their clothes or shoes didn t wear out for 40 years? How did Moses feed 3½ million people in that same desert or find enough water for them to drink? That s an impossible task! But when God s Presence is with you, the impossible becomes possible and the unimaginable becomes reality! 3. As a church, we never want to exist without the Presence of God. As a pastor, I would never want to lead or serve this congregation unless His Presence guided our steps. His Presence can annihilate

10 the power of poverty and break that constant struggle to survive. Instead of need, God can cause us to abound with prosperity and favor. 4. The Genesis account of God s relationship with man in the Garden has always been fascinating to me. Even though Adam broke their relationship, the Book of Revelation again places man in a garden with a restored relationship. The reason? There was yet another garden sandwiched between the two. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the second Adam took upon Himself the penalty of our sin by drinking the bitter cup. 5. In the first garden, God told Adam to be fruitful (a term for prosperity not having children). Before the fall of man, Eden had a continual harvest season. But when Adam sinned, the ground and continual harvests were cursed. So, the curse affected not only his prosperity, but the fruitfulness of the ground. Instead of abundance, the earth brought forth thorns, which represents the curse of sin and the pain it brings in our lives. 6. Even though the earth was cursed and abundant harvests had ceased, as an accommodation of God s grace to fallen man, He allowed us to enjoy one harvest season each year. To this day, farmers toil all year long for one harvest season. However, at the end of the age, Revelation 22:2, the last chapter of the Bible, promises that the earth will be cleansed and sin banished when God establishes His Kingdom on earth. But that isn t all. The earth will again produce a continual harvest, all 12 months of the year! a. Revelation 22:2 (NKJV) - In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore

11 twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 7. The gold that overlaid the wood of the thorn tree, from which the Ark of the Covenant was made, is a prophetic picture of what grace can do in your life. God s Presence can cover the thorns with gold and restore blessings and harvests the enemy stole from us. The gold-covered thorn tree tells us that God s grace can remove failure and replace the curse of sin with a life filled with blessings! H. Three items of great significance were placed inside the Ark. 1. There were the Ten Commandments, or God s Divine Law written on tablets, Aaron s rod that budded, representing spiritual authority, and the golden pot filled with manna, representing God s supernatural provisions. 2. Together, these three items constituted God s divine message to His people throughout their generations. If His people will honor God s Word and abide by the laws written on those tablets, they will experience supernatural favor. Not only will there be unexplained miraculous blessings, they can also take authority over every attack of the enemy. 3. This is also why it was called the Ark of Testimony. A testimony literally means: you re a witness about something you know. These three items reminded Israel that they were witnesses of all God was doing. 4. Notice that test in also part of the word testimony. God was saying to Israel, When you put Me to the test in this wilderness, you will witness My faithfulness. I will never disappoint or let you down. And He never does!

12 5. The lid on the Ark, which is called Mercy Seat, had a Cherubim of gold on either side. God said that He would speak from between the Cherubim on the Mercy Seat. God always prefers to speak from a place of mercy rather than judgment! 6. God instructed Moses to place the Ark in the Holiest of Holies and the Cloud of God s Presence would remain directly above it. But when the Glory of God lifted from the Tabernacle and began to move, that was their signal to pack up the Tent. The priests would insert poles covered with gold into rings on the corners of the Ark and carry it on their shoulders before the nation. The Ark would lead the way as they followed the Presence of God in the Cloud. The people followed behind the Ark as they marched through the wilderness to a new camp. 7. The Ark gave Israel such invincible power against their enemies, the people would begin to shout the moment the priests carried the Ark to the battlefield. When God is in your life, you don t have to wait until the battle is won. You can shout for victory right now! 8. The Ark became Israel s visible source of inspiration. It was proof that God s favor was upon the nation. I believe that when people pass by our new church location and see the name Inspire Church, it will remind that when God breathes on you, your life will forever be changed! I. When the Ark came into the Promised Land after conquering the Canaanites, it first settled at Bethel the House Of God. 1. Then the Ark was moved to Shiloh, which means: serenity or tranquility. Those who honor and worship Him in the House of God will find serenity. You may have to struggle to arrive in your

13 Promised Land, but if you ll continue to follow Him, I promise that you will experience God s peace! 2. But then something terrible happened. Israel lost their devotion for God and took Him for granted. When they forgot what He had done for them, the enemy began to steal their territory. He always wants to steal your marriage, your kids, your health, finances, and anything he can take from you. That s what a thief does! 3. When Israel was at war with the Philistines and losing the battle, someone suggested that they bring the Ark to Ebenezer, thinking it would turn the tide in Israel s favor. But there was a problem: they had not served God for many years. Without any sign of repentance or remorse for their backslidden condition, they brought the Ark to the battlefield and began to shout, thinking God would destroy the enemy. It didn t work! They tried to play God in the Box and use the Ark as their lucky rabbit s foot. But they had lost their heart of worship. They failed to consider that a lucky rabbit s foot wasn t so lucky for the rabbit who had lost it! 4. God in the Box! That s all God meant to them. Victory only comes when we take the time to build a relationship with Him! The only way to experience breakthrough is to worship God, trust in Him, pray and fast, and honor the principles of His Word no matter how difficult that may be. 5. The people of Israel were no longer worshipers. They took it for granted that God would always be there to protect them, so they pulled out their secret weapon. But it didn t work. God will not allow people to use Him. That s why the wings of the two Cherubim stretch across the Mercy Seat. They keep the way open for those

14 who come to God for mercy. But they are also there to prevent us from taking advantage of God s mercy. J. How do I know that God will go with us to our new location? How do I know that His Glory will go before us? 1. God will always be with His people who worship and pray. a. Psalm 22:3 (NKJV) - You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel. 2. Enthroned in praises! Wow! He will never be enthroned in a building. It s not about brick and mortar, but those who praise Him! 3. Seven Hebrew words are used for praise. The word David used was tehillah, which means: to sing. This is what happens after we praise God in the other six ways; such as: clapping your hands, shouting to God, bowing before the Lord, or kneeling in His Presence. 4. Some think the word tehillah only includes singing to God. But it doesn t. Did you know that God can also sing? a. Zephaniah 3:17 (NKJV) - The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. 5. In Psalm 22:3, the word tehillah actually refers to what happens when we offer Him praise. His Presence shows up! It s the same word in the Song of Solomon that depicts the king and his beloved singing to each other. 6. In devotion, tehillah refers to that moment when you step beyond praise into worship and our Lord begins singing to you! It s where God is enthroned; where He dwells. If you want God s Presence in

15 your life, praise Him until you enter into worship. Then worship until His glory comes. When that happens, God will begin singing to you! Stay in His glory and see what He will do in your life! 7. He doesn t come to fight your battles just because you ve carried a box with a lid to the battle field; or because you showed up at church on Sunday. Neither will He consecrate a building just because we expect Him to do so. 8. Even though Israel shouted before the Ark, they lost the battle. Their shouts lacked the backing of true devotion. Since it wasn t true worship, the enemy captured the Ark. When Eli, the elderly priest heard the news, he fell over backwards, broke his neck, and died. God wrote Ichabod, or The Glory Has Departed over the nation of Israel. 9. That will not happen when we relocate, because our move is all about Him! His Glory is going with us! K. When the Ark was taken, it brought shame to Israel. 1. God doesn t want to be your talisman or lucky totem. He wants to be your God and to act on your behalf. He is looking for a relationship with His people, but not with those who use Him. Just because you ve once felt His Presence doesn t mean He will always be there. 2. On that day, Israel s hypocrisy was exposed. You can t live as though God doesn t exist and then pull Him out of the closet when you need help. That s why, as a church, worshiping and honoring God s Presence must always be what we do best. We can t afford to ever lose His favor and Presence. We love Him too much for that to happen!

16 3. I can promise that in this broken, fallen and uncertain world, you will definitely need Him someday. Whether it s a breakthrough in your finances, your marriage, or your health, you are sure to need His miraculous power. 4. We have now entered into seven weeks of breakthrough. For the remainder of this year, we re believing it will happen in every area of our lives! 5. For some, doors that you have knocked on for years are about to open. For others, doors that should have been closed long ago will finally shut! 6. Israel was defeated because of their hollow shout. It wasn t based upon a knowledge of who God is or their relationship with Him. They shouted because their good luck charm had come into the camp. 7. I want to know God. I want to be in a church that knows God not one that trusts in rituals or traditions but has no connections with Him. And that s not the church that you want. I want a church that can touch God for me. This community needs a church that s so absorbed with God s Presence, He can breathe on them. 8. Inspire Church has an incredible future: the church that has been b r e a t h e d o n