The Divine Presence - how to experience the Glory of God

[0:00] The Glory of God We're talking about the Divine Presence tonight, the Glory of God.

[0:14] ! What is it? It's His greatness, His power, His majesty, His might. Right through the Scriptures we see this theme, this concept, this truth of God's glory displayed. And the Glory of God is right through from page 1 of your Bible if you like, from Genesis 1.

[0:30] From the very first verse in the Bible where it says that in the beginning God created the heaven and earth. He said, let there be light and there was light.

[0:41] He created the heavens and the earth. It's profound isn't it? Glorious. Powerful. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the heavens declare the Glory of God.

[0:53] The vast expanse of the stars they shout it out, don't they? When you go outside on a starry night and you can just feel the awe of it. Glory to God. Glory be to God when you see the heavens declare the Glory of God.

[1:09] And the firmament showeth His handiwork. I was out in the front yard with my grandchildren not long ago and it was a starry night and we just laid back on the grass and I just showed them the stars.

[1:21] Wow. And it speaks of the Glory of God without saying it, doesn't it? It just goes without saying. The heavens declare the Glory of God. It shows His handiwork all around us.

[1:33] You go out there and see the stars. It's amazing. And God's revealed Himself right through in His glory. In many ways right through the pages of Scripture.

[1:44] We see back in Genesis and Exodus, we see how Moses said, show me thy glory in Exodus 33, 18. We see that the Lord led the people out of Egypt with the radiant cloud of fire and a pillar of fire by night, a cloud of light by day in Exodus 16, 10.

[2:05] We see the prophet Ezekiel, he saw the glory cloud, the glory of the Lord. It filled the temple and the court was full of the radiance of the glory of God.

[2:16] That was Ezekiel 10, verse 4. The glory of God. How do you paint a picture? How do you put that into human words? How do you define the glory of God? That outward brilliance of His presence, of His essence, of who He is.

[2:30] There was a woman who was a translator who sought to express this concept, this truth. To define this truth of the glory of God. She was working with a group of tribal people, trying to translate the Bible into their language.

[2:47] And she struggled through six pages of explanations about this concept, this truth of the glory. The doxa in the Greek, the glory.

[2:58] And how do you put that into this native tongue of these people she was with? And one day she just went out to ponder the problem. And as so she was walking, she saw the brilliant red sky of the sunset.

[3:11] And she saw that this was a perfect illustration. The setting sun was a perfect illustration of the glory of God. And she saw that shining, brilliant light in the sky.

[3:25] It was something beautiful and wonderful of glory. And this glorious sunset enabled her to then find the words in that language that expressed this truth of the glory in their own language.

[3:38] She learnt the right vocabulary because she was able to point to something. And as you see a sunset, it points to the glory of God, doesn't it? As you see a sky lit up in all its glory and wonder.

[3:50] And to give glory is something that we're called to do. To give Him glory. It means simply to honour Him, to praise Him, to worship Him as He deserves. Because there's no way really we can make God more glorious than He already is.

[4:05] Isn't it? You know, it's almost not possible. But what we can do is hold Him in high regard. Hold Him in honour and high regard. Give Him the praise that He alone is worthy to receive.

[4:19] And I want to help you as we together look at this to catch a glimpse of the glory. To catch a glimpse of the glory. To get some of that glory today, as it were.

[4:30] As we see the scriptures tell us in 2 Corinthians 4 from verse 6. We see 2 Corinthians 4 verse 6. It says, For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts.

[4:45] To give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.

[5:01] Notice here where the glory lodges. Where the glory finds its resting place. As God does that real heart deep work in human vessels, in human beings such as we.

[5:15] Where do we find the glory today? Not in a tabernacle or a temple, but in human vessels. Such as we. Ordinary human vessels.

[5:26] And this awesome discovery. This amazing discovery. This amazing discovery. Here is that the awesome glorious glory of God shines in you.

[5:37] And so, my first point of the glory of God is that you can know it in your heart. You can know the glory of God today. As much as we see it historically in the pillar of fire by night, the cloud by day.

[5:52] We see the glory as it was manifest in the tabernacle in the temple and in the transfiguration. The glory of God, we can know it today. You can know it in your heart.

[6:04] 2 Corinthians 4 verses 6 and 7 it says, For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts.

[6:17] What a glory that is. What an amazing truth that is. That truth, that reality that we can know personally that God's glory, it lightens up our once sin darkened soul.

[6:29] God shines in his awesome, divine, glorious light. And he shines it into human hearts such as yours and mine. That's amazing, isn't it? To consider that.

[6:40] That our heart, though deceitful and desperately wicked in its original state, has been purified by faith. Amen. And it's been made new.

[6:51] As we heard this morning, he gives us a new heart. So God makes our human heart into his holy dwelling place by faith. And God's very glory, his very glory is deposited here in your heart, in my heart, by faith that resides there within your heart.

[7:10] And the word tells us, for ye are bought without Christ. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. We're told to glorify him.

[7:22] Glorify him in your inner life. Glorify him in your bodies. God has designed us for this, to display his glory. And he intends that his glory shines in your works, in your daily life.

[7:36] As we read Matthew 5, 16, it says, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

[7:48] The glory of God is designed to shine in you, in me, in our hearts and through our works. The glory shines too, in even your suffering.

[8:00] 1 Peter 4, 16, it says, Yet, if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf.

[8:11] It sounds a paradox, doesn't it? It sounds unusual, yet even in our suffering, we can glorify God. We can give him glory. We can glorify God on this behalf.

[8:23] You know, as we read through the scriptures, it says, They rejoiced that they were counted worthy to shuffle shame for his name. That's right. They counted it as a badge of honour, of blessing.

[8:36] And the glory of God, it can fill your heart and mind by faith. The glory of God can fill your life. We read of a man called Johan Sebastian Bach.

[8:47] People might have heard of that name. Johan Sebastian Bach. I don't know him, but I've heard about him. He lived a long, long time ago. And he was committed to giving glory to God.

[9:00] Giving glory to God. And he claimed as he wrote his music, that the aim and final reason of all music should be none else but the glory of God and the recreation of the mind.

[9:14] The glory of God and the recreation of the mind. Bach became known for his remarkable musical talent. But he never ceased to credit his creator for the one, as the one who was responsible for his ability.

[9:29] He always gave the glory to God. He always gave the glory to God. Johan Sebastian Bach. And the pages of his musical compositions could well have been used to satisfy a personal pride as he could have put his name there appearing on them.

[9:44] But Bach rather was determined to give glory to his God in his work. He was determined to do that. So Johan Sebastian Bach, with his original compositions, he concluded them with the letters I-N-S.

[10:01] And these stood for Latin words which mean in the name of Christ. In the name of Christ. And at other times Bach began his score with the letters J-J meaning Jesus help.

[10:14] And then he ended his compositions with the letters S-D-G for the Latin Solo Dio Gloria. Which means to God be the glory. To God be the glory.

[10:25] That was what Bach did with his music. And he wanted to give the glory to God. I want us to catch a glimpse of the glory today.

[10:36] To catch a glimpse of the glory today. Notice here in our text where the glory is found. Where we see that the glory is found.

[10:48] We see it in his face. We see the glory of God in his face. The Saviour's face. It says that he has come to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

[11:02] And so if we're searching and seeking God's glory. Where do we look? We look to the face of Jesus Christ. We look to his face. The Saviour's face. Where we can sense the glory of God.

[11:14] We get that God consciousness. If we want to see the glory of God. All we have to do is look to Jesus. Look unto Jesus. In faith.

[11:25] Receiving his forgiveness for our sin. Look unto Jesus. The author and the finisher of our faith. As the angels gave glory to God. At his birth. There was something glorious there.

[11:37] About God sending his son. The Lord Jesus Christ into the world. The Bible says of Christ in Hebrews 1 verse 3. Who being the express image of his person.

[11:49] Who being the brightness of his glory. And the express image of his person. And upholding all things. By the word of his power. When he had by himself purged our sins.

[12:00] Cleansed us from our sins. Sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. Notice that. It says being the brightness of his glory. The brightness of his glory.

[12:12] Where do we see the glory of God. Fully expressed. It's in the express image. Of his person. In the person of Jesus Christ. The glory of God.

[12:24] In the face of Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus is. The very radiance of God's glory. Is the exact representation of his being. We see as we look at Jesus. Our Lord in the manger.

[12:36] God the very son. He became real human flesh. And blood. We join with the angels. In giving glory to God. In the highest. For the gift of his beloved son.

[12:47] Glory to God. In the highest. We look at Jesus on the cross. There on the cross. We see him. Offered as the perfect sacrifice for sin. In the place of sinners.

[12:59] We look upon Jesus on the throne. There he is. Ruling. From God's throne. The glory of God. We see it in Christ. The essence of all that God is. The brightness of his glory.

[13:11] The express image. Of his person. Everything about God. Is glorious. His love is glorious. It's glorious to be loved by God. To think that he would love.

[13:22] The unlovely. His forgiveness is glorious. To be washed clean. By the blood of Jesus Christ. His grace is glorious. While we were yet sinners. Christ died for us.

[13:33] Amen. His righteousness is glorious. Yes. His truth is glorious. His purity is glorious. Amen. His kindness is glorious. His universe is glorious. Amen. His heaven is glorious.

[13:44] His way is glorious. His creation is glorious. His word is glorious. True. And his face is glorious. Amen. Look upon his face tonight. Look into his face. It is in his face that we see God's glory reflected.

[13:58] True. We see God's glory perfected in his face. Amen. His face. We take a fresh look at his face tonight. Look at his face. Look into his face.

[14:09] See his face. See his eyes. See his smile. See his face aching in compassion as he stretches out his hand in reaching and touching the leper, the lost.

[14:23] Look upon his face. Look upon his face as you see him caring with his love as he reaches out to the wayward. As he heals the brokenhearted. As he brings forgiveness to the repentant. We see his face as it was there glowing on the mount of the transfiguration.

[14:38] And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered and his raiment was white and glistening. And they saw his glory in Luke 9, 29 and 32.

[14:52] We see his face, brothers and sisters. We see his face, his emotion, his intensity. As he beheld the city and he wept over it. We see his face.

[15:03] We see his face at the darkest hour of Gethsemane. Knowing that the cross was before him. Sweating as it were great drops of blood. Yet, he turned not away.

[15:15] And even on the way there, he turned not away. He steadfastly set his face to Jerusalem in Luke 9, 51. He set his face to go there for us. See his face tonight.

[15:27] See his face bearing the sinful man's hatred and bruising and mocking. As we see him in Matthew 26. Then they did spit in his face and buffeted him.

[15:40] And others smoked him with the palms of their hands. And Luke 22, 64. And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face.

[15:51] Say, prophesy, who is that that smoked thee? See his face wounded, smitten, injured by men, contorted with agony. As he lifted up.

[16:03] As he lifted up the weight of our shame, of our guilt on the cross. Behold him. Behold him. In whom we see the glory of God manifested.

[16:14] Oh come, let us adore him. See the softness of his face in the Bethlehem manger. And then later his face. His face had weathered like storms.

[16:25] As he's borne lost trials and tears with us, for us. As he was beaten. As he was spit upon. As he was disdorned with the crown of thorns. Into the taunt for us.

[16:36] Lift up your eyes and see his face tonight. Dripping with blood. More mud than any man. For you. See his blessed face.

[16:47] And we see his glory there, don't we? We see the glory of God there. In the face of Jesus Christ. In those holy eyes that saw, that wept. Those holy ears that heard.

[16:59] Those lips that spoke. Such that they said, never a man spake like this man. That face. In that face. We see the glory of God. Amen.

[17:10] But look again. Look upon the face of our Saviour now. Our Lord Jesus alive. Living. Victorious. Over death and hell.

[17:21] And sin. The grave. Standing in front of the open tomb. Smiling. Loving. Full of grace and truth. We see his face. The face of our risen Saviour and Master.

[17:34] Mary said, I've seen the Lord. In John 20 verse 18. In Luke. In John 20 verse 19. It says, the disciples were glad. When they saw the Lord.

[17:46] And Jesus said in John 20, 29. To Downing Thomas. He says, blessed are they. That have not seen yet. Have believed.

[17:57] And that's you and me brothers and sisters. We haven't yet seen. With this physical organ of our eyes. The eyes. We have not yet seen. With our eyesight.

[18:08] And he's departing from the earth. In Acts 1. It says, when they beheld he was taken up. And a cloud received him. For out of their sight.

[18:19] And the angel said. To the gathering. Yet this same Jesus. Which is taken up from you into heaven. Shall come. In like manner. As he has seen him go. Into heaven.

[18:30] That's Acts 1. 1, 9 and 11. So friends. Let's get ready. We shall see his face. Amen. You shall see his face. We shall see his face.

[18:42] And we know that. When he shall appear. We shall be like him. We shall be like him. For we shall see him. As he is. And we'll see him. Face to face. So at the close of days.

[18:54] There's a promise here. In black and white. In your word. That you hold in your hands. That's a promise from God's almighty hand. That we shall see him. Face to face. Amen.

[19:05] And at the close of the days. We shall see his face. Won't that be glory? Amen. Won't that be glory? Revelation 1 verse 14. Describes him there. At the end of the book.

[19:16] His hand and his hands were like. Lord. As white as snow. And his eyes were as a flame of fire. Amen. This is not Jesus meek and mild. This is Jesus mighty. And victorious.

[19:27] His white hair. His eyes as a flame of fire. Yes. Glory. Glory. Glory. The glory is found. In the face. Of our master.

[19:38] Of our Lord Jesus Christ. And it's in his face. That we can get. A glimpse of the glory tonight. Get a hold of the Lord Jesus. And who he is. We see. Right through the book.

[19:49] His presence is there. In different forms and fashions. Even in the book of Genesis. We see the Lord Jesus. Making his appearance. On the world stage. His presence was with them.

[20:00] With them. Right through. His holy presence. The presence of God. The glory. The glory of God. And seasons of refreshing still come. From the presence of the Lord.

[20:12] From his presence. In the face. In the face. Of Jesus Christ. In the face. Of Jesus Christ. The glory of God. Out of darkness. Hath shined.

[20:23] In our hearts. To give the light. Of the knowledge. Of the glory of God. In the face. Of Jesus Christ. To give the light. To give the light. To give the light. To give the light.

[20:34] To give the light. To give the light. To give the light. To give the light. To give the light. To give the light. To give the light. To give the light. To give the light.

[20:44] To give the light. His own people. You and me. Can we get a load of that? It's hard to grasp it, isn't it? It's hard to fathom that. That the glory, it speaks of us today.

[20:56] Of the purity of His church. And we capture that sense of the glory of God. As we exalt His name. As we know His perfect peace. As we see something sacred is going on when we get together.

[21:09] And we've seen the glory that resides in human hearts. Such as ours. We see the glory. It's expressed in our Saviour's face. That one day we will see.

[21:20] Won't that be glory? And here in His face we see the glory of God. And we can come to know Him. The glory of God. Know it in your heart. See it in your face.

[21:31] And thirdly we know that the purpose of it all is this. Show it in your life. Show the glory of God in your life.

[21:41] We're meant to be transmitters of the glory. Give Him the glory. Show it in your life. Verse 7 it says, But we have this treasure in earthen vessels.

[21:52] That the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. Amen. This tells us of an amazing great treasure that is carried about in humble vessels made of clay.

[22:05] Why? That the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. Friends, we can enter in as it were within the veil. There's no temple or tabernacle now.

[22:16] But yet we can enter in within the veil. Into the very presence. And that very presence of God is an indwelling presence within us. And the glory changes us in every dimension of who we are and of what we are to do.

[22:32] 1 Corinthians 10.31 it reads of the glory of God. That is our object for life. 1 Corinthians 10.31 it says, Whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.

[22:50] It's been wisely said that man's chief aim is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Forever. Determined to do just that.

[23:01] To glorify God. Make it that you do it on purpose. Actively. Because it's our ultimate purpose. To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Forever.

[23:12] Forever. Forever. In all things. So we have a responsibility to glorify God. And it's not just in the spiritual activities of our lives. Now some people try to compartmentalize their Christianity such that they switch it on and switch it off.

[23:28] But no, it's all the time. There was a man who was working amongst the Eskimo people. He was impressed by these Eskimo Christians that, he put it, there was a deep sense of the wholeness of life.

[23:42] With no break between their prayer and their work. Yeah. So their lives were lived in this atmosphere of prayerfulness, of a mindfulness of God's glory.

[23:54] And this man went. And this man went. Richard is his name. Went to Alaska on this mission trip of sorts. And he went to help in building the first high school above the Arctic Circle.

[24:06] So it was a cold place. It was a rough place. It was an adventurous time as he went on this mission trip. But it was hard. Often back-breaking work with the pickaxe.

[24:17] One day he was digging a trench for a sewer line. It was no easy task in the frozen tundra. You know. My granddad was a grave digger in England.

[24:28] He knows what it was like to dig that hard, stony, cold ground. That's what it was like in the tundra, the frozen tundra above the Arctic Circle.

[24:38] And here he was in Alaska. This Eskimo man came along. His face and his hands were leathery, tough, from many winters. And he came by and he watched him for a while.

[24:49] He was slogging there, trying to dig this channel, this trench, this sewer line. And after some time passed, the man spoke simply and profoundly, You are digging a ditch to the glory of God.

[25:01] You are digging a ditch to the glory of God. And these words struck, Richard, beyond his Eskimo friend. No human being would ever know or care that he dug this ditch, this place in the remote land.

[25:18] And in time this ditch would be covered up and forgotten. But it was because of this man's words that Richard says, I dug with all my might, for every shovel full of dirt was a prayer to God.

[25:30] Hallelujah. Richard made this great discovery that everything we do, whether we eat, we drink, or whatsoever we do, we do all to the glory of God. And whether great or small.

[25:42] So all of our lives belong to God. Every task we do, we don't divide it between sacred and secular. All of our life belongs to him. So let our whole life be governed by this ruling principle.

[25:58] All, all, all to the glory of God. Amen. All to the glory of God. Not just on Sunday or when we come to some church time, but day by day.

[26:12] In ordinary moments, whatever we do, let God be glorified in you. Don't switch it on or switch it off. Make it a deliberate intent, a purpose, the glory of God in your life.

[26:26] Don't switch it off. Keep it switched on, as it were. So we have the glory of this treasure in earthen vessels. And nothing can diminish that glory.

[26:40] Here's how someone put it. If your business fails, the glory is there. Even if friends forsake you, the glory is there. When you're all alone and feel you're in a vacuum, you are not alone.

[26:52] You are not in a vacuum. The glory is there. When the crises of life almost overwhelm you. When unexpected disappointments seem beyond explanation, the glory is there.

[27:04] Beyond reason, beyond circumstances, fear or pain, the glory is there. In abundance, the glory is there. In lack. Praise Him.

[27:16] God is changing us. And this glory, we don't switch it on and off. We should do all to His glory. And this glory changes us. We see in 2 Corinthians 3, verse 18.

[27:26] There's many more references we could give. These are just scratching the surface. But 2 Corinthians 3, verse 18, it says, But we all with open face beholding, as in a glass, as in a mirror, as in a reflection, the glory of the Lord.

[27:42] And we're changed into the same image from glory to glory. Even as by the Spirit of the Lord. It's God's Spirit's work. And it's working in us. He's working.

[27:53] He's never failing. And what does it say? This glory is changing us. God doesn't want us to be stuck in a rut. But to be growing and going and changing from glory to glory to glory.

[28:09] And so when people meet you, they will receive the glory, as it were. They'll notice the glory.

[28:20] That you can be a transmitter of the glory of God. That when people meet you, they meet the living Christ in you. The living Christ is in you. It says, You are the light of the world.

[28:33] A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do man light a candle and put it under a bushel. You don't light a light and then hide it. You display it. You put it on a candlestick.

[28:44] It gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. So we're meant to be a reflection of the glory of God.

[28:58] To be the light of the world. The glory of God revealed in us, through us. As we shine that light through our good works. Why? That the excellency of the power may be of God.

[29:11] And not of us. We're just reflectors really, aren't we? We're just reflectors of His glory. And we're filled with His glory. To do His works. To share that message. To live that life.

[29:23] To glorify our Father in heaven. And so the excellency of the power is of God. We give Him all the glory. And we change from glory to glory.

[29:34] There was a preacher, David Brainerd, a well-known missionary, who labored in challenging places in America, amongst the American Indians.

[29:44] And David Brainerd said this. He said, I do not go to heaven to be advanced, but to give honour to God. It's no matter where I shall be stationed in heaven, whether I have a high or low seat there, but to live and to please and to glorify God.

[30:01] My heaven is to please God. And glorify Him. And give to all, all to Him. And to be wholly devoted to His glory. So David Brainerd had the treasure in his earthen vessel.

[30:16] He said, Heaven's just a change of address. I've already got it here. My heaven is to please Him. My heaven is to please God. And glorify Him.

[30:27] And give all to Him. And to be wholly devoted to His glory. We read also in our text that we began with here of this treasure that we had in earthen vessels.

[30:40] Do we stop and consider this, this treasure? Now, I know where my dad keeps his safe now. He keeps all his treasure. He showed me where it is, so I know if I run short, I know where to go.

[30:50] But we don't worry about earthly treasures and earthly safes and earthly bank accounts and earthly poles of gold e-knots that you've got hidden under your bed.

[31:03] You know, our treasure is beyond compare. But we have this treasure in urban vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.

[31:14] And so we see that we have a treasure beyond compare. We have a pearl of great price. This amazing gift. In the Word it speaks of the riches of His glory.

[31:25] In Romans 9, 23. In Philippians 4, verse 19. Of riches in glory. Riches. Think of the value of the quality of the quantity of the riches that we have.

[31:41] Of our Lord's great treasures. Just our Lord, to know Him, His great value and pure riches. His riches. Think of how rich you are.

[31:52] Here's some things that you are rich in. You may not have reckoned this. It might not appear in your bank statement. But think about how rich you are in these qualities. That you are rich in love.

[32:03] Oh, how He loves you and me. Aren't we rich in love? Rich in beauty. He's the lily of the valley. Rich in truth.

[32:13] He's the way, the truth and the life. We're rich in grace. For by grace are you saved. That's riches, isn't it? We're rich in understanding.

[32:24] And He became flesh. He dwelt amongst us. We're rich in joy. He says that your joy may be full. We're rich in everything. But everything is made was good.

[32:36] And we're rich forever. Because He's the same yesterday, today and forever. Consider all of His great riches. And how rich you are. There's some billionaires here tonight.

[32:49] In glory. As it were. Because we have this treasure in earthen vessels. Now some of you have got a bit more treasure than I have. You know, you've got more riches.

[32:59] As it were. More riches in glory. In Christ Jesus. It says that we are made in God's image. In Genesis 1, 20, 70. He's prepared us for this. He's prepared us for this.

[33:10] He's designed us. That we be receptacles. That we be containers. For this treasure in these earthen vessels. That we temporarily walk around in. And it's as if when you meet some people.

[33:22] That they already have something of that glory. Glory. It's almost contagious, isn't it? That some Christians that you know. I know some lovely Christians in my life.

[33:34] Through here. And in other places. And some Christians. It's almost like you see the glory. Even before they've been glorified. Amen. You know. It's like the glory is already shining.

[33:45] The light of the knowledge. Of the glory of God. Is in their heart. It's on their face. And it's a joy to meet people like that. Isn't it? To know that we're truly living.

[33:56] Amongst living saints of God. Living saints of God. And you sense that God is with them. God is with them. Don't you love to spend time with people like that? To come and spend time with God's people.

[34:08] They are not in the world. For anything else. They are godly. Godly minded. They talk about the Lord. They think about the Lord. They love the Lord. The Lord is always on their lips.

[34:19] Because the glory. Is already shining out of them. They are not carnal. They are spiritually minded. And we can. Receive something from them. Learn from them.

[34:32] Do we want the glory of God. In our life. Do we want it. Let's not get stuck in the mire. Be defiled in our conscience. Our body. Our mind. Let's rather seek that glory.

[34:44] Seek that shining forth. In this critical hour. In this world of crisis. Of darkness. When there is an indifference to spiritual things. Now more than ever. We need a tenderness for truth.

[34:57] Now more than ever. We need a touch of his glory. We need to know that grace abounding. To the worst of sinners. That glory abounding. To know those floods on dry ground.

[35:08] To know those flood tides of glory. To know that divine tidal wave. The Holy Ghost from heaven. That refreshing rain. Of his very presence. And not to make it a spooky.

[35:20] Crazy thing. But a real Bible thing. The real presence of God. Not some presence that some man invents in some wafer. Not some presence that some.

[35:31] Some con artist conjures up. With the atmosphere. And the music. And the. Whatever it be. But the real deal.

[35:42] The real presence of God. That's what we seek. Don't we? To come to know that. To show that. To know that soul deep cleansing within. This is God's plan for his church.

[35:54] He's designed us for this. In Ephesians 3. 21. It says. Unto him. Be glory. In the church. By Christ Jesus. Throughout all ages.

[36:05] World without end. What a wonder it is. That his glory. Would reside in you and me. As we gather together. As God's people. Young and old. That we can know his glory. We can know him personally.

[36:17] Christ in you. The hope of glory. We can personally know. Really and truly know. The glory of God at work in us. Within his church. The spirit of God. Working holiness in us.

[36:28] Some of us define holiness as this. The losing of self. And being clothed with the spirit. And likeness of Jesus. Being clothed. With the likeness.

[36:39] And spirit. Of Jesus. He has come. To make man holy. He has come to strengthen his people. Not a holiness that's about. Our works. But a holiness that's about. His work.

[36:50] Deep within us. His indwelling spirits. Sanctifying work. Deep within. The Holy Spirit of God. As we come. To know him. As we. Let go.

[37:02] And let God. And know and show. His great glory. We're living in a world. Where as the word tells us.

[37:13] That the enemy shall come in like a flood. But it says the spirit. Will raise up. A standard against. The evil one. Yes. And so we. Trust God. To work and move in his holy power.

[37:25] As God's glory. Once again. Fills his temple. His temples. You and me. This dimension of glory. It's not something way back. In the Old Testament.

[37:37] Or. Just in the New Testament. But it's for us too. Amen. That there's a dimension of glory. Of eternity. As we lay hold. On eternal life.

[37:47] In 1 Timothy 6.19. Laying a good foundation. Against the times to come. Lay hold. On eternal life. I'm urging you tonight. This is largely a message to believers.

[38:00] Amen. But if you're not a Christian. Have you laid hold on eternal life? Amen. Have you laid hold on him? Amen. Have you laid hold on Jesus Christ? Amen. Is he your saviour?

[38:11] Take him. Trust him. Hold him. Receive him. Amen. Jesus. Today. Today. Lay hold on eternal life.

[38:22] And so let us commit to this. That it changes us. If you know the saviour. He's commanded the light to shine out of darkness. And into human hearts.

[38:33] Let there be light. Amen. And there was light. And he's saying that to your heart. And mine. If your heart is darkened. The Bible speaks of some. His hearts are darkened.

[38:44] Their minds are darkened. Their minds are blinded. That they can't see. He wants to strike the blinkers off. And bring light to you. Let the light shine out of darkness.

[38:57] And so we commanded to be carriers of this light. John the Baptist was called a burning and shining light. He was a blazing firelighter for God.

[39:12] And we should be shining as John the Baptist shone. And changed us. God changes men and women through these pages. And he still does today.

[39:23] And can tonight. He changes us. From glory to glory. To glory. To glory. To glory. Glory.

[39:35] You can be a blazing, a burning and shining light. And you can be changed. Into his own image. From glory to glory. As God's glory is truly working.

[39:47] He will change us. And he'll help us to be such a people. That we won't hide that light under a bushel. We can't help but let it shine. Let it shine.

[39:58] Let it shine. And we'll receive those who need this light. We'll be sensitive to those that we want to communicate this light to. That God wants us to be transmitters of this glorious gospel to.

[40:12] This light for men's souls. That we'll receive those who are emotionally and spiritually wounded. We'll care for souls. Realising these are eternal creatures.

[40:24] Who will spend eternity somewhere. And so we'll care for them. And we'll let our light shine. So may men see your light shine this week ahead.

[40:35] As we see the glory of God. The divine presence. It's not something historical. Back in reformation times.

[40:47] Or revival times. Or bible times. And not now. It's for us now. It's for us here. It's for you. Me. Tonight. Tonight.

[40:58] The presence. The divine presence. The glory of God. And God wants you to be shining. Glowing. Radiant. Amen. Burning. Blazing. On fire.

[41:08] Amen. For God.

[41:20] God. God. In the face. Of Jesus Christ. One day you'll see his face. His glorious face. His face will bend.

[41:32] And shine. And you'll see the glory of God there. In his face. But for the meantime we have this treasure. You might have those gold ingots under the bed.

[41:45] Like I do. No, not really. You might have all that. The worldly, earthly treasures. Or all of the numbers on your bank account. It counts for nothing really, doesn't it?

[41:56] But we have this treasure. This treasure. This treasure. In earthen vessels. That the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.

[42:07] Glory to God. Glory to God. Unto him be glory in his church. Let's try that.