Call to Worship: 1 Chronicles 16:8 “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. 9 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. 10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. 11 Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. 23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. 24 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. 25 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.”
Songs: All Things Are Possible - Shout To The Lord 2000
He Reigns with Awesome God - Travis Cottrell
Giants Fall - Francesca Battistelli
Scripture: Psalm 106
Song: Save Us Oh God - Kevin Prosch
Sermon: “Power Restored”
Closing Song: You Are / You Are Lord - Hillsong
Benediction: Revelation 11:15 “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign for ever and ever.” David said, 1 Chronicles 29:10 “David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. 13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.”
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Sermon: “Power Restored”
When the power goes out we expect it to be fixed as soon and as fast as possible. The fridge and freezer can a last awhile but the power needs to come back on soon or else things in the fridge and freezer will be wasted. Now add to that a shortage in fuel, water. To survive whether in your house or in the backwoods there has to be a source of power. The strange thing is the church has adapted to being powerless and doesn’t realize we have wasted away. The verses we just read describe this Psalm 106:43 “Many times he delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin.” Year after year people waste away, yet year after year people continue to do the same thing instead of pleading for the power to return. Revelation 16 describes the church today. “8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him. 10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.” This is why this verse is so important. 2 Chronicles 7:13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.”
Last week we talked about John 14 and the power that came with this verse. Like Chronicles this verse talks about the power of God. John 14:12 “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Hebrews 6 tells us that God cannot lie so we asked do you believe this and if you do you will wait for God’s plan to unfold. Psalm 106:13 “But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold.” Also Hebrews 6:15 states, “And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.” We also talked about why most don’t believe it and why we are not seeing this kind of power happen. If you don’t believe this verse you might as while find something else to worship. John 14:23 “Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching.” Scripture makes it clear that God wants to bless us abundantly by His presence and power but we must obey. He wants to dwell among us but not until we return to Him and by turning from our wicked ways, he will make his home among us once again. When we disobey and follow our own ways we loose the available power and the kingdom does not come near. We have had a massive power shortage. You can read abut a famine because of the enemy laying siege to the city in 2 Kings 6,7. Then Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.” 2 The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, “Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?” “You will see it with your own eyes,” answered Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it! 17 Now the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house. 18 It happened as the man of God had said to the king: “About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.” If we want the floodgates of heaven to open as we just read, we must humble ourselves before Him and believe.
Today I want to talk about the return of this amazing power. We have been given God’s own word that if we seek him He will return to us. Ezra 9 talks about a bondage because of our sin. The very same thing is happening to us today. Ezra 9:7 “Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.” When we follow other gospels, we are defeated and taken captive but the amazing part is that God has been watching for those who will repent and turn from their wicked ways. As Ezra said Ezra 9:8 “But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage. 9 Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.13 “What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins deserved and have given us a remnant like this.” This is absolutely amazing and because God gave his word to David, there is still a remnant to rise up in power once again. The church will be rebuilt. So once again we stand before God and plead for mercy. Ezra 9:15 “Lord, the God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence.” And we wait for power to be restored once again
So here we are as remnant before the Lord waiting for his plan to unfold before our very eyes. We have been raised in captivity and I will admit I did not realize just how vast the desolation was. I at one time thought we were free but there was so much more to learn about how far the church has fallen. 2 Kings 17:13 “The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: “Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets. 14 But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. 15 They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.” This is what we were raised with. When you start to see the devastation that surrounds us in the church, you will wait for God. If not, you will just keep going in the wrong direction where death and destruction await you. But because God is gracious this day, we are left as a remnant. Not only that, he has given us a firm place to stand. So as we wait we can stand firm. Psalm 33:11 “But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” Psalm 119:89 “Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” So yes it can be hard but as Jesus said, Mark 13:13 “Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Luke 21:19 “Stand firm, and you will win life.”
Now standing firm just doesn’t mean for a little bit and then go your own way. The reason we only have a remnant left is because those who went before us did not adhere to the word of God. How many have been lost because the church has failed to stand firm on the word of the Lord. 2 Kings 22:13 describes those who have gone before us who did not stand firm on God’s word. “Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.” No one seems to care as everyone thinks they are doing it right, yet God says my people parish for lack of understanding. We know that going our own way always leads to disaster yet people flock through the wide gate by the millions. Going your own way, which is really the way everyone else is going, will lead to disaster. It can be described like this. You see people dress a certain way saying they want to be their own person yet they dress like the culture they associate with where there are many others dressing the exact same way. But this isn’t talking about your fashion choices; this is about your eternal life. If you go the wrong way you will be lost along with all those you are following. The problem is there is still no fear of God in the land. Exodus 20:8” When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” Because there is no fear of God people continue in their sin. Today people continue sinning thinking God does not see, so what difference does it make? Job 24:15 “The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’ and he keeps his face concealed. 16 In the dark, thieves break into houses, but by day they shut themselves in; they want nothing to do with the light. 17 For all of them, midnight is their morning; they make friends with the terrors of darkness. 22 But God drags away the mighty by his power; though they become established, they have no assurance of life. 23 He may let them rest in a feeling of security, but his eyes are on their ways. 24 For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain.” Psalm 10:4 “In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. 5 His ways are always prosperous; your laws are rejected by him; he sneers at all his enemies. 6 He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.” He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.” Psalm 94:4 “They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting. 5 They crush your people, Lord; they oppress your inheritance. 6 They slay the widow and the foreigner; they murder the fatherless. 7 They say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob takes no notice.”
So today our focus is on the return of God’s presence and power. I have to ask again; do you believe his power will return? The church started out in power but ended up powerless because we did not obey God’s word. When you look at Saul he started out powerful and filled with the Spirit, as did Solomon yet they did not adhere to the word to the Lord and lost the power. Look how Saul started. 1 Samuel 10:6 “The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. 7 Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you. 8 “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do. 9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. 10 When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying. 11 When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!” Saul started in power but failed to obey and wait.
Look how he finished. 1 Samuel 13:13 “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” Then we see that 1 Chronicles 10:13 “Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, 14 and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.” When he consulted the medium 1 Samuel 28:3 “Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land. 16 Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? 17 The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. 18 Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today. 19 The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.” Stay away from witchcraft, it is real in many cases.
Now we look to David. David was anointed by Samuel just as Saul was. 1 Samuel 16:13 “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.” In the course of time David became king. 2 Samuel 3:17 “Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, “For some time you have wanted to make David your king. 18 Now do it! For the Lord promised David, ‘By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.’” 2 Samuel 5:1 “All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. 2 In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler. 3 When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.” Later 1 Kings 3:6 “Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
Now this is what made David a great king; he had it in his heart to build a temple for the Lord. 1 Kings 8:17 “My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 18 But the Lord said to my father David, ‘You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name. 19 Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.” Then God gives David the plan. Don’t worry about how God’s plan will unfold, it will. 1 Chronicles 28:19 “All this,” David said, “I have in writing as a result of the Lord’s hand on me, and he enabled me to understand all the details of the plan.” This was the promise to David. 2 Samuel 7:8 “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘this is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. 10 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. “‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: 12 When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. 15 But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’” Agin God is gracious in leaving a remnant so that his promise to David will be fulfilled. This is the promise we are a part of.
So David sets out to bring the ark back to where it belonged. This represents God’s power and presence returning. Here is the description found in 1 Chronicles 13 to show us. (Read) God’s presence blessed the household of Obed-Edom. So there it remained but then it was time to bring the ark back and it had to be done right this time. 1 Chronicles 15:2 “Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before him forever. 13 It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.” 14 So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord.” This time like before they celebrated but this time it was done right. So what difference does it make if we do things right or wrong. The answer is this; Life or death.
The church has been doing things wrong for so long now it appears right. Each generation follows the last into obscurity. We meet and then do it again the next week and call it church. Whoever can draw crowds gets the crowds. As long as the people are not offended they will stay but once offended they will find a place more suitable to worship the god of their understanding. There will always be a place to scratch their itching ears. We have been told what to do and we must humble ourselves and turn from our wicked ways. Unfortunately people think by going to church they have done that but in many cases they are worse off than they were before as they are now following false gospels. Turning from our wicked ways doesn’t mean we just go to church and get involved; it means to love the Lord God with all our heart, soul and mind. We were told in Deuteronomy 10:12 to fear the Lord. “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?” We must also ask for discernment to know the difference between following God and a false god; following the truth or following in vain. The problem is that because of false teaching most do not know what the bible really says; they only know what they have been taught at the church they have ended up with. Most Christians have no idea what it means to be a Christian, what the power of the Holy Spirit is or what it means to trust God with our lives. They do not know what the church looks like with power restored mostly because they don’t know their bibles. Week after week people attend church having no idea they have been deceived. For example when Absolom stole the kingdom from his father 2 Samuel 15:11 “Two hundred men from Jerusalem had accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and went quite innocently, knowing nothing about the matter. And so the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept on increasing.” Today the conspiracy is still increasing. Every week more and more people are being deceived. But as we read earlier, the remnant will rise up in power once again but we must wait for God’s timing. He said wait and be clothed with power yet most refused to wait. They have been deceived into thinking that going to church is power. They have been deceived into thinking there is power in the church and no need to repent. There is more power in the car you drove to church than there is in the whole church you attend and that horsepower will not defeat satan. In order to carry on the work Jesus started, God must dwell in us and we must be clothed with power. When that happens once again, like Pentecost we will go to the ends of the earth, Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
David was given an amazing promise and everyday we know that promise will continue because of the sun and the moon in their appropriate places. Solomon said 1 Kings 8:25 “Now Lord, the God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants are careful in all they do to walk before me faithfully as you have done.” Obviously scripture shows us there will be times where we have seen the enemy triumph as now but we also see that God’s promise will be fulfilled. 2 Chronicles 23:3 “Jehoiada said to them, “The king’s son shall reign, as the Lord promised concerning the descendants of David.” Even though Athaliah tried to kill the royal family and took over the throne, God’s promise to David stood firm. So hang on, God’s promise to David will prevail. The question I leave you with is this. If the demons knew who Jesus was, do you? Mark 1:23 “Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God! 27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” This is the authority that Jesus wants to give us just as he gave the disciples. Luke 9:1 “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Matthew 28:18 “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Remember Mark 16 says the same thing. 15 “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” 19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” If this isn’t the Jesus you know then turn and run because you have been deceived. Remember also that satan masquerades as an angle of light. Many will say because they have signs and wonders miracles, that the power of God is present but again I tell you to test the spirits. If you listen closely with the word of God guiding you, you can tell the truth from the false.
I will be honest with you that most will not wait for this. They base their faith only on what they can see but when it does happen all will know that God is God and there is no other. This journey we are on is not about standing firm on man’s belief system but standing on the word God has given. Joshua said Joshua 24:14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Moses said Deuteronomy 30:15 “See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
So we continue to say with David, 1 Chronicles 17:23 “And now, Lord, let the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised, 24 so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel’s God!’ And the house of your servant David will be established before you.” We saw this fulfilled when his son Solomon became king. 1 Kings 8:20 “The Lord has kept the promise he made: I have succeeded David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised, and I have built the temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 I have provided a place there for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.” “Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. 24 You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today.”
Just as he did for Solomon and for the many that followed, he will keep his promise to restore power if we follow wholeheartedly. Don’t expect to go your own way and hear the words well done my good and faithful servant. The power will return and God will dwell with us once again but we must obey. When we are clothed with his power the world will be turned upside down. The way the truth and the life will rise up once again and the world will be turned upside down once again. I leave you with this prayer from Jesus. John 17:15 “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. 20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
We once again pray that God’s glory will fall on us just as it did at the temple. When the word of the tabernacles was completed, Exodus 40:34 “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” Then when the work on the temple was finished the ark of the Lord’s covenant was brought into the temple. 2 Chronicles 5:13 “Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, 14 and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.” 2 Chronicles 7:1 “When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it.” Then Ezekial saw this vision. Ezekiel 43:3 “The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. 4 The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east. 5 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.” Then at Pentecost When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Acts 2:2 “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."
The only way we can defeat the enemy is by the power of God. Paul warned us this would happen when he talked about the man of lawlessness opposing and exalting himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. This has happened because we were powerless against the enemy, so now the power needs to be restored. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 So then, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. 16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”
