A People Prepared for His Glory - Pt. #2
“A PEOPLE PREPARED FOR HIS GLORY” – Pt. #1.
James 4:4-10NLT 4…..Don’t you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can’t be a friend of God. 5What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, jealously longs for us to be faithful? 6He gives us more and more strength to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, “God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble.” 7So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites. 9Let there be tears for the wrong things you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.
It’s TIME – Church – It’s TIME!
I T I S T I M E………T O
· have an Encounter With God – That We Can’t Get Over!
· time – to attract the Attention of God – AND Ignore the Approval of Man!
· to forget our dignity – and remember His Deity!
· to revolutionize our priorities & agendas!
· to “lose friends” or “lose face” – in order to
· more fully see God’s face!
God wants us – Hungry – Desperate – and Jealous for His Presence!!
He is Jealous for us – AND – He Wants Us Jealous For Him!!!
· Ex 20:5 “…for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…”
· Deuteronomy 4:24 “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”
Do you want His Deity – More than your dignity?
God wants us – Hungry – Desperate – and Jealous for His Presence!!
Let Me Ask You - - Do you want God – No Matter How HE Shows Up?
A.W. Tozer said…“We are called to an everlasting preoccupation with God.”
He wants ME hungry – He wants YOU hungry.
SAY…He wants me hungry
If we can get hungry…..then He can make us holy!
· Then He can put the pieces of our broken lives back together….
· BUT…Our hunger is the key
· If we are truly hungry…….It is not hard to become holy.
Matt 5:6… “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.”
How hungry are you…..
· Are we just content – to comb the carpet for the crumbs OR
· are we going after the HOT LOAVES FROM the ovens of Heaven?
Luke 6:21… “Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled….”
Psalm 107: 9… “For He satisfies the longing soul…And fills the hungry soul with
goodness.”
We must release old mindsets – concerning how WE think His Spirit should move……
· God is God – and He can flow as He chooses.
· But our faith levels have much to do with His visitation.
Because of mindsets & judgments – we could easily miss our hour of visitation.
If a certain flow does not line up with our mindset –
we too quickly negate how God desires to minister!
Remember – they rejected Jesus because of their religious mindsets –
and many missed the hour of His divine visitation.
Let me ask you this question…..
“What would you do if you knew God was coming back in two days?”
What would you do? What would you do? What would you do?
Exodus 19:10-11 The Message 10God said to Moses, “Go to the people. For the next two days get these people ready to meet the Holy God. Have them scrub their clothes 11so that on the third day they’ll be fully prepared, because on the third day God will come down on Mount Sinai and make his presence known to all the people.
“What would you do if you knew God was coming back in two days?”
1. you would evaluate yourself [am I okay?]
2. you would evaluate your actions [should I do this]
3. evaluate where you went & what you did.
4. the questionable things in your life would not be so questionable!
5. You would make sure – that nothing would hinder you from going.
God told them – to Sanctify themselves and prepare to see God.
1. cast off all your worldly business – and begin to do spiritual business prayer, fasting, meditation on God
2. wandering thoughts had to be brought in – all impure affections abandoned
3. they became engaged in preparing for the Glor of God
God told them to Sanctify themselves – and wash their clothes!
1. as they washed their clothes – they thought about their sins!
2. We have to wash our souls of sin – so we can stand before God!
3. WE wash our hearts – in the blood of Jesus Christ – and they become white & clean.
1 John 1:9NKJV 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
God was tell them – to Prepare of His Presence!
And God is trying – to tell us the same thing!
We are Called To Be Holy…..
Leviticus 20:7-8KJV 7Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. 8And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.
Just like Israel – we have to do a sin check – or a holiness check!
· WE have become so accustomed to sin –
· we are like Lot who sat in the city gates of a vile city – that God destroyed!
· We allow things into our lives and invite things into our homes
· we indulge in things – and call them – “personal convictions”
>> A lot of people will say, “What is sin for you – may not be sin for me!”
>>> This maybe true – BUT – WHAT IS SIN TO GOD – IS SIN TO GOD!
>> We need to find out where our motives lie – before we soothe our conscious.
Times change – BUT GOD Doesn’t
Did you know - Not Paying Your Tithes – Is A Sin!
· It caused the whole army to be defeated – after Jericho
· It cause Achan and all his family death
· Most people who don’t tithe say – they can’t afford to pay tithes
· you are binding God’s hands – you are under a curse.
We must – Quit Defiling Ourselves and Sanctify
We are a holy people – who are set apart for holiness!
We need to quit defiling ourselves with the world!
The Bible says – whatsoever is just, pure, lovely, think on these things.
We are to be in the world – but not of the world…
How Do We Sanctify Ourselves?
Through the Word Through HIS Blood
· We are sanctified – by hearing, studying & applying the Word of God to our lives.
John 17:17NKJV 17Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
John 17:19NKJV 19And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.
Ephesians 5:26NKJV 26that He might sanctify and cleanse her [the church] with the washing of water by the word,
· We are sanctified – by continually claiming the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ!
Hebrews 13:12NKJV 12Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood…
Hebrews 10:10NKJV 10By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
God has called us to be sanctified….and He is able & willing to do so!
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24NKJV 23Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
Sanctify & Prepare for the Glory! Joshua said before crossing the Jordan
Joshua 3:5NKJV 5And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”
A Lot of Things – Can be said about Jacob
deceiver – liar – thief – he was dishonest
· Esau vowed to kill him for robbing his birthright.
· Jacob ran for fear of Esau
· Somewhere down through the years – Jacob found God
· Jacob wouldn’t let Him go.
Deuteronomy 4:29NKJV 29But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
· Jacob found God that nite – and he didn’t let go until he changed
· God touched him in the hip – and he walked with a limp from then on.
· Esau said – “he looks like my brother – but there’s something different
· He doesn’t walk the same – his countenance has changed
· who is this man?
I will put aside whatever I need to - I will not let You go….till I have changed.
Joshua 3:5NKJV 5And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”