Give Me The Real Thing

We live in a culture where a lot of things are fake…

Instagram filters…

Social media “likes”…

Selfies that took 70 redos…

We have products that are designed to be like the real thing, but not quite…

I can’t believe its not butter…

Imitation crab…

CHALLENGE- With everything that is fake in this life I have this desire to be as real as I can possibly be.

When I stand up and preach I want people who listen to relize and understand that this isn’t some sham… I don’t become someone else, “back stage”…

Jesus who is very real, came and change my life that was really broken, and now I am a new person, the change is real!!

There was a guy in the bible who learned how to get real when everyone else was fake… He started to hear the voice of God while everyone else was preoccupied living life how they wanted to live it…

(NLT) — 17 “What did the Lord say to you? Tell me everything. And may God strike you and even kill you if you hide anything from me!” 18 So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn’t hold anything back. “It is the Lord’s will,” Eli replied. “Let him do what he thinks best.” 19 As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. 20 And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 21 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle.

KEY POINT- God was raising up Samuel in the midst of a culture that was turning their backs on God.

The truth is here today we live in a culture that has turned their backs on the one real God to pursue things that are fake…

You have a choice today…

(NLT) — 13 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. 14 And do everything with love.

(NLT) — 1 And Samuel’s words went out to all the people of Israel. At that time Israel was at war with the Philistines. The Israelite army was camped near Ebenezer, and the Philistines were at Aphek. 2 The Philistines attacked and defeated the army of Israel, killing 4,000 men. 3 After the battle was over, the troops retreated to their camp, and the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord allow us to be defeated by the Philistines?” Then they said, “Let’s bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from Shiloh. If we carry it into battle with us, it will save us from our enemies.” 4 So they sent men to Shiloh to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, were also there with the Ark of the Covenant of God. 5 When all the Israelites saw the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord coming into the camp, their shout of joy was so loud it made the ground shake!

(NLT) — 10 So the Philistines fought desperately, and Israel was defeated again. The slaughter was great; 30,000 Israelite soldiers died that day. The survivors turned and fled to their tents.

(NLT) — 1 After the Philistines captured the Ark of God, they took it from the battleground at Ebenezer to the town of Ashdod. 2 They carried the Ark of God into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside an idol of Dagon. 3 But when the citizens of Ashdod went to see it the next morning, Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground in front of the Ark of the Lord! So they took Dagon and put him in his place again. 4 But the next morning the same thing happened—Dagon had fallen face down before the Ark of the Lord again. This time his head and hands had broken off and were lying in the doorway. Only the trunk of his body was left intact. 5 That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor anyone who enters the temple of Dagon in Ashdod will step on its threshold. 6 Then the Lord’s heavy hand struck the people of Ashdod and the nearby villages with a plague of tumors. 7 When the people realized what was happening, they cried out, “We can’t keep the Ark of the God of Israel here any longer! He is against us! We will all be destroyed along with Dagon, our god.” 8 So they called together the rulers of the Philistine towns and asked, “What should we do with the Ark of the God of Israel?” The rulers discussed it and replied, “Move it to the town of Gath.” So they moved the Ark of the God of Israel to Gath.

(NLT) — 1 The Ark of the Lord remained in Philistine territory seven months in all. 2 Then the Philistines called in their priests and diviners and asked them, “What should we do about the Ark of the Lord? Tell us how to return it to its own country.” 3 “Send the Ark of the God of Israel back with a gift,” they were told. “Send a guilt offering so the plague will stop. Then, if you are healed, you will know it was his hand that caused the plague.” 4 “What sort of guilt offering should we send?” they asked. And they were told, “Since the plague has struck both you and your five rulers, make five gold tumors and five gold rats, just like those that have ravaged your land. 5 Make these things to show honor to the God of Israel. Perhaps then he will stop afflicting you, your gods, and your land. 6 Don’t be stubborn and rebellious as Pharaoh and the Egyptians were. By the time God was finished with them, they were eager to let Israel go.

KEY POINT- God’s presence and glory is what we need in our lives, his presence and glory is what makes all the difference.

DEFINE- The actual Hebrew word for the word glory is this word “kabahd” which means weight, like a heavy blanket… One writer put it like this, Glory is the evidence of God’s presence.

I am praying that I’ll see a generation that wants to know the weighted presence of God!!!

That has a deep hunger for the word, that is ready to worship!!

POINT- The way to experience God’s glory is to pursue God’s presence.

When we worship.

(NLT) — 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.

When we get in the word.

(NLT) — 1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

When we pray.

(NLT) — 6 I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray.

When we seek after him.

(NLT) — 11 Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.

When we desire his holy spirit.

(NLT) — 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.

When you seek God’s glory you will find it, but you have to seek him with all your heart!

POINT- God’s glory is something that changes everything.

Israel knew God’s presence, they started off with the real thing.

Giants could not defeat them, enemies could not crush them, miracles went before them…

This was all because of God’s glory… The evidence of his presence…

KEY- At this time in our text the people had grown so accustomed to God’s presence and glory that they stopped noticing and paying attention to God, to the point where they even began to turn their backs on God and began to worship idols

KEY POINT- God lifted his presence from his people.

They fell so far away from God’s presence for so long that people forgot that they were not even living in God’s presence…

CHALLENGE- God help us when we get to a place where we are content living without his presence!!

Look at Israel’s strategies for living life without God’s presence…

1. They brought the ark of the covenant.

DEFINE- The ark of the covenant was a box that held the 10 commandments and other items. It was considered holy and sacred and only to be touched by the priest when they were told to.

KEY POINT- The Israelites thought if we bring out the ark of the covenant like we have done in the past we will get the victory. i.e. Jerhico

Main problem, they did not have God’s presence and glory!!

KEY- The ark of the covenant represented to Israel religious tradition that would bring victory.

Main problem, they did not have God’s presence and glory!!

KEY POINT- The Israelites had only the shell, only the imitation product…

We live in a world that when the battle happens, when things get difficult we want to get “religious” but we reject his desire for a relationship.

2. They shouted real loud.

KEY POINT- Many times before God would give the Israelites a victory the Israelites gave out a loud shout.

Key difference, God’s presence was not there!!

They shouted so loud the ground shook… Main problem, they did not have God’s presence and glory!!

They shouted so loud the ground shook… Main problem, they did not have God’s presence and glory!!

They shouted so loud the Philistines got a little nervous… Main problem, they did not have God’s presence and glory and 30,000 of them died!!

KEY- The loud shout symbolizes the goosebumps moment in church.

KEY- The loud shout symbolizes the goosebumps moment in church.

“I want to see us shouting in CrossFire because of God’s presence and glory. God help us if we start shouting over nothing….”

ILL- Chasing the rabbit.

We live in a generation that thinks you can just shout and get goosebumps and then live however you want to live.

We live in a generation that thinks you can just shout and get goosebumps and then live however you want to live.

We don’t just need more feel good messages, don’t just shout to shout, but shout because you know God’s presence, you know God’s glory!! Is anybody tired of saying one thing but living another… Is there a generation of young people that would say I want the real thing!! I don’t just want imitation church, I don’t just want to walk in raise my hands put em down and live in defeat and sin the rest of the time.

(NLT) — 16 Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.

3. They put experts on the battlefield.

(NLT) — 4 So they sent men to Shiloh to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, were also there with the Ark of the Covenant of God.

Eli was the high priest. He had a position but he had no power… He could have turned the whole nation…

Eli was the high priest. He had a position but he had no power… He could have turned the whole nation…

Their names were not even Isrilite names. He gave his own sons Egytptian names.

DEF- Hophni means professional fighter

DEF Phinehas means mouth of brass, the communicator, the professional communicator.

They had professionals but they did not have anointing, they had professionals but had no presence of God

(NLT) — 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

Conclusion…

(NLT) — 1 After the Philistines captured the Ark of God, they took it from the battleground at Ebenezer to the town of Ashdod. 2 They carried the Ark of God into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside an idol of Dagon. 3 But when the citizens of Ashdod went to see it the next morning, Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground in front of the Ark of the Lord! So they took Dagon and put hi

(NLT) — 1 After the Philistines captured the Ark of God, they took it from the battleground at Ebenezer to the town of Ashdod. 2 They carried the Ark of God into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside an idol of Dagon. 3 But when the citizens of Ashdod went to see it the next morning, Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground in front of the Ark of the Lord! So they took Dagon and put hi

m in his place again. 4 But the next morning the same thing happened—Dagon had fallen face down before the Ark of the Lord again. This time his head and hands had broken off and were lying in the doorway. Only the trunk of his body was left intact.

KEY POINT- God did not need the Israelites to be glorified!

See when you start messing with what is reserved for God things are going to happen…

(NLT) — 3 Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you are really serious about wanting to return to the Lord, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Determine to obey only the Lord; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the Lord.

“If you are really serious about experiencing God’s glory then put in the action…”

God ended up bringing victory to the Israelites, but a young man had to step up to bring a nation back to the presence of God.

(NLT) — 9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.

Understand the side effects of Gods glory...

Healing

Salvation

Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Peace

Joy