 [Click here to go to Times Square Church Pulpit Series multilingual site]

                           Walking in The Glory!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Plain Text File + Related Bible Study + Home Page + Subscribe + Copyright +
                               Cover Letter
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

By David Wilkerson
March 8, 1999
__________

          I believe there is only one thing that can keep us
          going in the coming hard times and that is an
          understanding of God's glory. Now, this may sound like
          a high, lofty concept to you, one that's best left to
          theologians. But I'm convinced the subject of God's
          glory has very real, practical value for every true
          believer. By grasping it, we unlock the door to an
          overcoming life!

          I've already discovered two important truths in my
          study of this subject:

          1. The glory of God is a revelation of our Lord's
          nature and being.

          You may recall from the Old Testament that Moses got a
          literal glimpse of God's glory. Before then, the Lord
          had sent out Moses with no explanation of himself other
          than the words, "I AM." But Moses wanted to know
          something more of God. So he pleaded with him, "Lord,
          show me your glory."

          God responded by taking Moses aside and putting him in
          the cleft of a rock. Then, scripture says, he revealed
          himself to Moses in all his glory: "The Lord passed by
          before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God,
          merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in
          goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands,
          forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin " (Exodus
          34:6-7).

          I believe this passage is absolutely essential to our
          understanding of who our Lord is. Often when we think
          about the glory of God, we think of his majesty and
          splendor, his power and dominion, or some manifestation
          in his people, such as boisterous worship. All such
          things can be a result of seeing God's glory. But this
          isn't the glory he wants us to know him by.

          The way God wants us to know his glory is through the
          revelation of his great love toward humankind. And
          that's just what he revealed to Moses: " the Lord God,
          merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in
          goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands,
          forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin " (Exodus
          34:6-7).

          The Lord is forever waiting to show us his love to
          forgive us, shower us with his mercy and restore us to
          himself!

          2. The revelation of God's glory has powerful effects
          on those who receive it and pray for an understanding
          of it.

          Up to this point, Moses had viewed the Lord as a God of
          law and wrath. He trembled with terror in the Lord's
          presence petitioning him, crying out to him, pleading
          with him on behalf of Israel. This had been the basis
          of his face-to-face relationship with the Lord.

          Yet now, at the first sight of God's glory, Moses was
          no longer fearful of the Lord. Instead, he was moved to
          worship: "Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward
          the earth, and worshipped" (verse 8). He saw that God
          wasn't just the thunder, lightning and piercing trumpet
          that had made him shrivel in fear. On the contrary, God
          was love and his nature was one of kindness and tender
          mercy!

          Do you see the incredible truth scripture is showing us
          here? True worship arises from hearts that are overcome
          by a vision of God's unmerited love for us. It's based
          on the revelation that God gives us of himself, of his
          goodness, his mercy, his readiness to forgive. So, if
          we're to praise God both in spirit and in truth, our
          worship must be based on this awesome truth about him.

          Indeed, once we receive a revelation of God's glory,
          our worship can't help but change. Why? Seeing his
          glory changes the way we live! It affects our
          countenance and behavior changing us from "glory to
          glory," making us more like him. Each new revelation of
          his love and mercy brings supernatural change.

          I'm convinced this is the only way lasting change
          occurs. It comes not from attending how-to seminars, or
          hearing famous speakers, or absorbing self-improvement
          messages from books or tapes. No it comes from having a
          revelation of God, period! And God has already given us
          that revelation of himself, in Exodus 34.

          Seeing God's glory also changes our relationships with
          others. Paul tells the Ephesian church, "You've seen
          and tasted the glory of God. Now, be a reflection of
          that glory to others!" "Be ye kind to one another,
          tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for
          Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:32).

          Now let me speak to you about walking in the glory of
          God.

                      -------------------------------

                      1. The Revelation of God's Glory
                      to Us Has Everything To Do With
                          Our Communion With Him.

                      -------------------------------

          Many Christians talk about intimacy with the Lord
          walking with him, knowing him, having fellowship with
          him. But we can't have true communion with God unless
          we receive into our hearts the full revelation of his
          love, grace and mercy.

          Communion with God consists of two things:
          1. Receiving the love of the father, and
          2. loving him in return.

          You can spend hours each day in prayer, telling the
          Lord how much you love him but that isn't communion. If
          you haven't received his love, you haven't had
          communion with him. You simply can't share intimacy
          with the Lord unless you're secure in his love for you.

          The psalmist encourages us to "enter into (God's) gates
          with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise"
          (Psalm 100:4). What's the reason for such praise and
          thanksgiving? And why are we given such a bold
          invitation? It's because we're shown the kind of God
          we're to come to: "For the Lord is good; his mercy is
          everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations"
          (verse 5).

          I know when I come to my Lord, I'm not coming to a
          hard, fierce, demanding father. He doesn't wait for me
          with an angry countenance, anxious to put a rod to my
          back. He doesn't trail me, waiting for me to fail so he
          can say, "I caught you!"

          No I'm coming to a father who has revealed himself to
          me as pure, unconditional love. He's kind and
          tenderhearted, full of grace and mercy, anxious to lift
          all my cares and burdens. And I know he'll never turn
          me down when I call on him.

          That's why I'm to come into his courts with praise and
          thanksgiving because I'm thankful for who my God is. He
          cares about everything concerning me!

          Few believers, however, have laid hold of God's love
          for them by faith. They live in fear and despair, with
          little or no hope, always facing a storm. They can't
          understand why their lives aren't fulfilled, why
          they're full of such turmoil and confusion. They often
          think, "I pray daily, and I read my Bible. I constantly
          show God how much I love him. So why don't I have rest
          and peace?"

          It's because they've never grasped the truth that God
          loves them! They haven't comprehended that, in spite of
          all their weaknesses and failures, their heavenly
          father cares about everything they're going through!

                      -------------------------------

                   True Love Is Manifested in Two Things:
                            Rest and Rejoicing.

                      -------------------------------

          The prophet Zephaniah says something incredible about
          God's love for us. He writes, "The Lord thy God in the
          midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice
          over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will
          joy over thee with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17).

          This verse tells us two important things about how the
          Lord loves us:

          1. God rests in his love for his people.

          In Hebrew, the phrase "he will rest in his love" reads,
          "He shall be silent because of his love." God is
          saying, in essence, "I've found my true love, and I'm
          totally satisfied! I don't need to look elsewhere,
          because I have no complaint. I'm completely fulfilled
          in this relationship, and I won't take my love back. My
          love is a settled matter!"

          Zephaniah is telling us, "This is God's love for you!
          He wants you to know, I've found what I'm looking for
          and it's you! You bring great joy to me! "

          2. God gets great pleasure from his people.

          Zephaniah testifies, "He rejoices over you with
          singing" (see same verse). He's saying, in other words,
          "God's love for you is so great, it puts a song on his
          lips!"

          To "rejoice" means to have joy and delight. It's an
          outward expression of internal delight. It's also the
          highest expression of love. The Hebrew word Zephaniah
          uses for "rejoice" here is "tripudiare" meaning, "to
          leap, as one overcome with joyful ecstasy."

          Can you conceive of your heavenly father being so in
          love with you that he leaps with joy at the very
          thought of you? Can you receive his word that he loved
          you before the world was created, before humankind
          existed, before you were even born? Can you accept that
          he loved you even after you fell into Adam's sinful
          ways and became an enemy to him?

          That's right God foresaw all your sins and failures,
          yet he still loved you with the same tender love. In
          fact, he sent his Spirit to awaken you to your lost
          condition and your need for him. He drew you to
          himself, enfolding you in his arms. Then, when you came
          to the cross in repentance, you entered into his gift
          of love to you. He promised you, "I loved you then, I
          love you now, and I'll love you to the end!"

          If God so loved you when you were deep in sin caring
          enough to give his own son to die for you why would he
          remove his love whenever you stumble or fail? In such
          times, we're to remember who he says he is to us love,
          mercy, longsuffering. That is his glory and we're to
          return to his glory always!

                      -------------------------------

                         Why Don't More Christians
                         Commune With the Lord and
                          Have Intimacy With Him?

                      -------------------------------

          Multitudes of God's offspring know little or nothing of
          a life of communion with him. Why is this so?

          I believe such Christians have a sad, twisted concept
          of the heavenly father. I recall Jesus parable about
          the servant who hid his talent because he had a twisted
          image of his master. That servant said, " I knew thee
          that thou art an hard man " (Matthew 25:24).

          Likewise, many believers today think, "There's no way
          God could ever dance over me, rejoicing and singing in
          love. I've failed him so miserably at times, bringing
          reproach on his name. How could he possibly love me
          especially in the struggle I'm facing now?"

          I've known families in which the children cowered in
          the presence of a hard, mean father. They played
          happily before their dad came home. But when they saw
          him come through the door, they ran straight to their
          mother and clutched her apron. I never saw them go near
          their father, except when he demanded something of
          them. They never crawled into his lap or ask to be
          hugged. They dreaded being in his presence.

          I believe this is one powerful reason why so many
          Christians don't want to get close to their heavenly
          father. They dread drawing near to him because they
          sense they've failed him somehow. They have a nagging
          feeling they've neglected their duties, been lazy
          spiritually, done things wrong. All they can conceive
          of him is that he's full of consuming fire, ready to
          judge and condemn them.

          Such Christians think, "God has forgiven me so many
          times before, I can't go to him now. He'll reject me.
          I've got to be past the point of being forgiven." No!
          God never rejects anyone who turns to him in
          repentance. That's not his nature! We can't judge our
          heavenly father by the measure of our human fathers.
          That's not who he is.

          The question for all of us today is, how can we not
          want to be near a father who writes love letters to us
          who tells us he yearns to be with us who's always ready
          to embrace us who says he has nothing but good thoughts
          about us, in spite of our foolishness who assures us,
          "Satan may tell you you're useless. But I say you're my
          joy!"

          It's our unwillingness to believe his word to accept
          and lay hold of the marvelous revelation of his glory
          that keeps us from communing with him!

                      -------------------------------

                   It's Not Possible to Have Communion or
                  Intimacy With the Lord Until We Believe
                   and Receive Him as Being Full of Love,
                    Tenderness and Kindness Toward Us!

                      -------------------------------

          At this point, you may be thinking, "Surely the Lord
          doesn't rejoice over someone who's still in sin. I
          can't expect him to love me if I continue my sinning
          ways. That sort of thinking borders on blasphemy."

          Yes, God does love his people but he doesn't love their
          sin. The Bible says he reproves every child who
          continues in iniquity, but he always does it with
          longsuffering. And after he reproves us, his Spirit
          fills us with a sense of his indignation over our sin.

          Through all of this, God's love for us remains
          unchanged. His word says, "I am the Lord, I change not"
          (Malachi 3:6). "the Father with whom is no
          variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17).
          "I am God, and not man" (Hosea 11:9).

          God forbid that his love for us should ebb and flow as
          ours does for him. Our love varies almost daily, going
          from hot and zealous to lukewarm or even cold. Like the
          disciples, we can be ready to die for Jesus one day and
          then forsake him and run the next. We can tell the Lord
          we trust him to supply all our needs and keep us from
          falling but that isn't true communion. The question is,
          do we fully trust his love to us? Have we seen his love
          revealed and laid hold of it? Is his love for us
          settled in our hearts?

          I must ask you are you able to say, "My heavenly father
          is in love with me! He says I'm sweet and lovely in his
          eyes and I believe him. I know no matter what I go
          through, or how tempted or tried I become, he'll rescue
          me. He'll hover over me through it all, never allowing
          me to be crushed. He'll always be kind and tender to
          me!"

          This is when true communion begins. We're to be
          convinced each day of God's unchanging love for us. And
          we're to show him we believe his revelation about
          himself. John writes, "We have known and believed the
          love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that
          dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him" (1
          John 4:16).

          This belief alone can heal your soul. It's your only
          weapon against the devil, who lies that you're too
          unworthy to pray or draw near to God. Convincing
          yourself of this truth is the only way to open yourself
          to true communion!

          If you've ever been in love with someone, you know what
          I'm talking about. Imagine a husband who's away on
          business much of the time, but who's utterly in love
          with his wife. He calls his beloved spouse every night
          he's away. And from time to time he calls home just to
          leave a message for her on their answering machine. His
          message to her goes something like this:

          "Hi, honey. I m calling to let you know that just the
          thought you're there, loving me, brings me strength.
          It's going to be the lift I need for the day. I know
          I'm going to have a tough time with work today. But
          I've just read the letter you wrote to me, and oh, what
          a joy! Just knowing you're thinking of me makes me
          overflow with ecstasy!"

          That's the love the heavenly father has for you. Trust
          in it!

                      -------------------------------

                       The Other Side of Communion Is
                           Our Loving God Back!

                      -------------------------------

          Walking in God's glory means not only that we receive
          the father's love, but that we love him back as well.
          It's about mutual affection, both giving and receiving
          love. The Bible tells us, " thou shalt love the Lord
          thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul,
          and with all thy might" (Deuteronomy 6:5).

          God says to us, "My son, give me thine heart "
          (Proverbs 23:26). His love demands that we reciprocate
          that we return to him a love that's total, undivided,
          requiring all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

          However, the Lord tells us in no uncertain terms, "You
          can't earn my love. The love I give to you is
          unmerited!" John writes, "Herein is love, not that we
          loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be
          the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10). "We love
          him, because he first loved us" (verse 19).

          We didn't wake up one day, decide to walk away from our
          sins, and turn to Jesus. No the Spirit of God reached
          down into the wilderness of our lives, showed us our
          lostness and made us miserable in our sin. He sent us
          his word to show us truth, sent his Spirit to convict
          us, and then came after us himself. He did it all for
          us.

          And now, just as God's love for us is marked by rest
          and rejoicing, so our love for him must have these same
          two elements:

            1. David expresses a rest in his love for God when he
               writes, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there
               is none upon earth that I desire beside thee"
               (Psalm 73:25). The heart that loves the Lord
               ceases completely from looking elsewhere for
               comfort. Rather, it finds full contentment in him.
               To such a lover, God's lovingkindness is better
               than life itself!

            2. Such a heart also rejoices in its love for God. It
               sings and dances in joyous ecstasy over the Lord.
               When a child of God knows how much his father
               loves him, it puts a delight in his soul!

          The Bible also tells us that our love for the father
          must be conveyed through his son. Jesus says, " no man
          cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). It's by
          Christ alone that we're accepted by the father and have
          access to him.

          Moreover, God placed all his goodness, love, mercy and
          grace that is, his glory in his son. And he sent Jesus
          to manifest and reveal that glory to us. Thus, Christ
          comes to us as the express image of our loving father.
          "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you:
          continue ye in my love" (John 15:9).

          God loves us as we stand in Christ. And, in turn, we
          show love for God in our love for Jesus. As the head of
          the church, and as our high priest, Jesus carries our
          love to the father for us.

          Now let me give you one of the most powerful verses in
          all of scripture. Proverbs give us these prophetic
          words of Christ: "Then I was by him, as one brought up
          with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always
          before him; rejoicing in the habitable part of his
          earth; and my delights were with the sons of men"
          (Proverbs 8:30-31).

          Beloved, we're the sons being mentioned here! From the
          very foundations of the earth, God foresaw a body of
          believers joined to his son. And even then the father
          delighted and rejoiced in these sons. Jesus testifies,
          "I was my father's delight, the joy of his being. And
          now all who turn to me in faith are his delight as
          well!"

          So, how do we love Jesus in return? John answers, "This
          is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and
          his commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:3).

          And what are his commandments? Jesus says, in essence,
          there are two and "on these two commandments hang all
          the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:40). The first
          and most important commandment is to love the Lord with
          all our heart, soul and mind. We're to hold nothing
          back from him. And the second is that we love our
          neighbor as ourselves. These two simple, non-grievous
          commands sum up all of God's law.

          Jesus is saying here that we cannot be in communion
          with God; we can't walk in his glory if we bear a
          grudge against anyone. Therefore, loving God means
          loving every brother and sister in the same way we've
          been loved by the father.

          "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he
          is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he
          hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
          And this commandment have we from him, That he who
          loveth God love his brother also" (1 John 4:20-21). "He
          that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love"
          (verse 8).

          All communion and intimacy with the Lord is cut off if
          we have an unloving or unforgiving attitude toward
          another person. We can praise God with upraised arms,
          pray to him every day, spend hours studying his word
          but if we're bitter and unforgiving toward anyone, it's
          all in vain. John says, "Such a person is a liar. You
          don't truly love God, even though he loves you!"

          If you're in such a state, don't just say to God,
          "Lord, I'm sorry, forgive me." Rather, go to that
          person as God's word instructs, and be reconciled with
          him. " first be reconciled to thy brother, and then
          come and offer thy gift" (Matthew 5:24).

          Only then will you find true intimacy with the father.
          And you'll be able to walk in his glory, all the days
          of your life!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771, USA.

                 ------------------------------------------
Plain Text File + Related Bible Study + Home Page + Subscribe + Copyright +
                               Cover Letter
                 ------------------------------------------

         Times Square Church Information | New Reader Information

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

COPYRIGHT/REPRODUCTION LIMITATIONS:

This data file is the sole property of World Challenge. It may not be
altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for
circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data
file must contain the copyright notice [i.e., "Copyright  1999 by World
Challenge"]. This data file may not be used without the permission World
Challenge for resale or the enhancement of any other product sold. This
includes all of its content with the exception of a few brief quotations.
Please give the following source credit: Copyright  1999 by World
Challenge, Lindale, Texas, USA.

This material is solely for personal use and is not to be posted publicly
on other web pages. The Lorain County Free-Net Chapel holds exclusive
rights from World Challenge, Inc. to publicly post these messages on its
web page. You are free to download, copy, print and distribute this
material, so long as you do not post it on a different Internet site. You
may, however, link this site to reference these messages.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                       This web site is a service of
                          The Missing Link, Inc.
       Linking Troubled Youth and Adults with Life-Changing Programs
                       Web Site - http://misslink.org
               Chapel Site - http://misslink.org/chapel2.html
  Home of David Wilkerson's Times Square Church Pulpit Series Multilingual
                                  Web Site
                      http://www.tscpulpitseries.org

                                ------------

            Copyright  1999 - The Lorain County Free-Net Chapel
                         North Central Ohio, U.S.A.

                                TOP OF PAGE

           Our webmaster welcomes your comments and suggestions.
                This page was last updated March 19, 1999.

  Why Revival Tarries/ "Help!"/ What's Here/ Sponsor/ Statement of Faith/
   Bible Study/ Around the Piano/ Bulletin Board/ Library/ Pulpit Series
