Glory Of The New Covenant

[0:00] I'd give you a quick report because you're praying people. And I thank God for your prayers.! I just came back from Nigeria and from Myanmar.

[0:12] ! And it is right here where one of the headquarters of Boko Haram.

[0:43] And God was bringing the gospel. It's already there, I mean, but he's just helping people who are already there doing a great work. And so that was what I was doing in Nigeria.

[0:56] Working with young people like Herbert on the left. And I can't even pronounce our other brother's name because it's Nigerian.

[1:07] And I always butcher it and get it wrong. But these young people are alive in Christ and wanting to take their country by storm. They're willing to go anywhere, at any time, at any cost.

[1:22] And so one of the places that we went while we were there was to this Bible college. Now that might not look like a Bible college to you, but that is their chapel.

[1:34] That's actually the best building on campus. And these young leaders standing in the door of the chapel are the reason that I go around the world.

[1:45] Every chance I have to work with young leaders, it's always an incredible joy. Because these are going to take the gospel where I could never go.

[1:59] Here's where I stayed. This was the accommodation. And, you know, you look at that and you say, Really, Lord? Is this what we're doing?

[2:09] But it is. And I've seen the Lord more clearly work in places that are most unexpected. And here are the facilities.

[2:22] The shower on the left and the toilet on the right. And both are just holes in the ground. But this is the place that God called. And these young leaders opened the door for us to go to some pretty difficult places.

[2:37] And the reason we go there is because God is bearing fruit in Africa. There's something happening in Nigeria even now. As this mango tree, they hang low.

[2:51] And that tree was almost touching the ground. And so I wanted to get a picture of the fruit. But it's only really a symbol of the spiritual fruit that God is bearing.

[3:03] Through leaders. These particular leaders are a part of what's called EMS. Evangelical Mission Society. They are in 19 countries.

[3:16] And God has called us to go train leaders. So that these will go. Even into very difficult places where we can't. The guy on the left in the hat is rather funny.

[3:28] But they always give me clothes. And say here are the clothes. And they want me to wear their clothes. And so it was an honor to be like them.

[3:40] In this one particular place, we expected at most 100 leaders. And 260 showed up. This is only a portion of the ones that we worked with.

[3:54] 260 begging for the word of God. And asking for training on how do we bring this gospel to places beyond.

[4:06] I left Nigeria and went to Burma. And in Burma or Myanmar, I spent some of my time here in Mandalay. But traveled over here in Shan State to Lasio.

[4:20] And you can see not far from the China border. This particular state, particularly here on the border of China, is where they're killing people.

[4:31] Right and left. They kill their own. The militia actually is in those areas that rise up locally. And they'll kill their own government. And so Myanmar, a place where the gospel came back in the 1800s.

[4:47] Right here from New England. From Adoniram Judson. Who left out of Boston and went to bring the gospel to Burma. The gospel is there. But it's still a very tortured and difficult place.

[5:01] But with these leaders. Again, young and old. God is going to do a great work. The young leader on the left is more diligent in the word than I have ever seen.

[5:12] Probably anywhere in the world. The man on the right. His name Moses. Is a leader that I work with. And I'll be back with him in October. As we go to even new areas in Myanmar.

[5:26] To bring training and the gospel. Our young leader that is diligent in the word. We dedicated to the Lord and commissioned him. That he would go out.

[5:37] And powerfully bring the gospel to Myanmar. And beyond. You know, sometimes when I go to places. There's 260 people.

[5:48] Sometimes there's only a handful. But in all of the situations. God is bringing together sovereignly. The leaders that he wants to impact. For his purposes.

[6:00] I left from Mandalay over to Lashio. As I mentioned. And this is just a group. Mostly of young people in their 20s. Here I am at the water festival.

[6:12] In Sean State. I'd never been to a water festival. Now I know what it's about. And I was drenched. Almost every day.

[6:22] They're throwing water in the car. It's an amazing journey. But it is really the Buddhist New Year. And the Christians gather. To make an impact.

[6:33] By the way. Is Sean State where I was? Right in the heart of the demonic. The pastor who came. To plant the church. Here in Sean State.

[6:44] When he came. He would pray out loud. In the neighborhood. And people would throw stones at him. He actually told me. They call on demons. To actually kill people. In this area.

[6:55] And so there is a great darkness. But the gospel is shining. We worked with these 20 year olds. And asked them to dedicate their lives to Christ.

[7:07] Regardless of the cost. And they prayed for one another. And commissioned each other. To go. And to do the work of the Lord. And that brings us to our message.

[7:19] I said I'd keep my report short. So that we can get to this message of glory. You know when I walked in this morning. And I saw Dave. I said Dave.

[7:31] It's so great to be home. And so great to be back at Shoreline. Do you know why I'm excited about being here? And he says because you have a granddaughter. And a daughter here. I said yeah.

[7:42] That means a lot to me. But more than that is the partnership in the gospel. You see something thicker than blood. Is when we are going forward together for the gospel.

[7:56] And I want to thank you at Shoreline. Because through you the glory of God is being spread throughout the earth. And today we want to just focus on this one theme of the glory of God.

[8:12] And in it I'd like you to focus on two scriptures to begin with. The first one is a prayer. It's a prayer. It says of Solomon. Psalm 72.

[8:23] And it says praise be his glorious name forever. May the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen. And amen. That prayer has a prophetic word with it.

[8:38] And that's found in Habakkuk 2.14. For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

[8:51] You know some of us might say the glory of God is the most important theme in all the Bible. As a matter of fact it's the most important theme in all of life.

[9:02] Again when I said to Dave. Do you know why I'm here? And I guess the question is the same. Why are you here? Why are we alive? Why are we on earth? And the whole purpose is the glory of God.

[9:16] Everything is his glory. His own passion is for his own glory. And his desire is that his glory would cover the earth. Now in one sense it already does that.

[9:30] We're not even going to look today in Romans chapter 1. Where through creation the glory of God is already seen. We're not going to look in Psalm 19.

[9:43] Where if we look up into the heavens they announce the glory of God. We're not going to look at the natural creation. And the natural declaration of God's glory.

[9:58] When God says he wants his glory to fill the earth. He wants more than a general knowledge of a creator. Even as great as creation might be.

[10:12] And so we might start with a passage in Exodus 33. It's that prayer of Moses where he says to God. Please show me your glory. Now he had already seen God.

[10:26] He had already seen God in the fiery bush. And he was called to go back to Egypt. And to bring the people of Israel out. He had already seen God.

[10:38] He had already heard from God. Here's the miracles I'm going to do right in Egypt. And I'm going to free the people. He had already been on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights.

[10:49] Received the Ten Commandments. And the rest of the law. All of these things Moses had already experienced. And yet the passion of his heart.

[11:00] Even going through those experiences. Is one thing. One thing I ask of you. Show me your glory. Show me your glory. And to that the Lord answered.

[11:14] I will make my goodness pass before you. And will proclaim before you my name. The Lord. And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.

[11:27] And I will show mercy on whom I show mercy. And God says to Moses. This one prayer I'll answer every time. Show me your glory.

[11:39] And so the passion of Moses was the glory of God. But as Matt read to us in 2 Corinthians 3. That glory has even been surpassed in our day.

[11:50] By the work of the Holy Spirit. But as we think about the glory of God. Maybe it would be good if we defined it. It's such a massive topic.

[12:02] That it's almost hard to get our hands around it. Or to wrap our minds around it. So here is my best effort. At a simple definition. The glory of God.

[12:15] Is the revelation of God's true nature. Oh listen. People have a lot of thoughts about who God is. Many people when they describe him.

[12:25] It's like a great grandfather in the sky. A guy who loves to just put people on his knee. And pat them on the back. And he doesn't care about anything else. But sentimental value.

[12:37] That's how many people think of God. But when God shows up with glory. He reveals himself as he truly is. There are times that he shows up.

[12:48] And the glory of God is holiness. And in that nobody stands. Everyone falls to the ground. There are times that the glory of God.

[12:59] Is demonstrating his power. Like he did in Egypt. He said to Pharaoh. I have raised you up. To show my glory. And not because Pharaoh wanted it.

[13:12] I am going to show my glory over you. So there's times it's holiness. There's times that it's power. But whatever it is. When the glory of God shows up with the people.

[13:25] It's always revealing God. As he really is. And as we look at in this prayer and answer of Moses. In Exodus 33. We see two things about the glory of God.

[13:38] If he is wanting to reveal his true nature. Here's how he does it. The glory of God is revealed through. First of all. Manifestation.

[13:50] And that is why he said to Moses. I'm going to let my presence. Pass before you. Before I even talk about who I am. Before we delineate the character of God.

[14:02] He says I'm going to manifest myself. I am going to manifest. My glory. While I was studying this whole thing.

[14:13] Of the glory of God. The Hebrew word for glory is kavod. It comes from the root of heavy. Something so heavy.

[14:25] That it is palpable. It's heavy upon the heart. And as I studied it more closely. I was very thankful for some scholars.

[14:38] Who have given greater definition. Kavod stands for the unchanging beauty. Of the manifest God. The unchanging beauty of the manifest God.

[14:52] You see about 45 times in the Old Testament. This word actually relates to the visible manifestation of God. The bulk of the occurrences where God's glory is visible.

[15:08] Is with the tabernacle or the temple. But it tells us something about the very nature of God. When he manifests himself. These manifestations are directly related to God's self-disclosure.

[15:25] And his intention to dwell with people. Those are the two key things about the manifestation of God. That his great desire is his own self-disclosure.

[15:38] And then his passionate intent is to dwell with people. That's why we read and we'll look at it later. But in John 1.14.

[15:49] John says when we saw Jesus we beheld his glory. The glorious of the only begotten of the Father. Full of grace and truth. And in that same passage he said he came and he dwelt among us.

[16:03] This is the passion of God. Revealing his glory to any people. Anywhere. Any nation. Whether it be Israel. Or if it be Burma.

[16:14] Whether it be here in the United States. Or all the way in Nigeria. God wants to manifest his glory. And the manifestation is a self-disclosure.

[16:28] And a passion to dwell with people. This scholar Oswald that I'm reading from. And he says. And as such.

[16:39] There commonly. This whole idea of glory. Is often associated with the holiness of God. God wishes to dwell with men. To have his reality.

[16:51] And his splendor known to them. But this is only possible. When they take account. Of the stunning quality of his holiness.

[17:02] And set out in faith and obedience. To let that character. Be manifested in them. Listen. God's glory is here.

[17:13] He is everywhere present. But his manifest presence. Is where people are aware of it. And so God. In his passionate desire.

[17:25] Is to make his presence aware. Many people are not aware of God at all. Even though his glory is displayed. They're not aware. Many times in our lives.

[17:37] We're not aware. And so our prayer is. Lord. Show me your glory. Manifest. Who you are. Even to me.

[17:49] The second thing that we see. In this passage of Moses. Is that the glory of God. Is revealed through manifestation. But also proclamation. And that's why he said.

[17:59] I'm going to proclaim my name. And he says. I am the Lord. And then he reveals. At least four or five things. About himself. He begins to talk about his nature.

[18:10] This. Is. What God wants to do. So for us. To keep it simple. Probably the massive topic. Of all of life.

[18:21] In all the Bible. The glory of God. We will keep it this simple. The glory of God. Is the revelation. Of his true nature. And he does this. Through manifestation.

[18:31] And proclamation. That's our message today. So let's see. If we can unpack it. Just a little. If the glory of God.

[18:42] Is revealed. Through manifestation. We have to. Pick up. The most important thing. In scripture. Is that he is manifested. In Jesus. The passage.

[18:53] I referred to. Where. John says. And the word. Became flesh. And dwelt among us. And we have seen his glory. The glory. As of the only. Son. From the father.

[19:04] Full of grace. And truth. Of all of scripture. This idea. That if we want. The manifest glory. Of God. We must. Come to Jesus.

[19:15] And we must. Find. His glory. In him. Paul says. In 2nd Timothy. Chapter 1. He says to Timothy.

[19:26] Share. In suffering. For the gospel. By the power of God. Who saved us. And called us. To a holy calling. Not because of our works. But because of his own purpose.

[19:37] And grace. Which he gave us. In Christ Jesus. Before the ages began. And which now. Has been manifested. Through the appearing. Of our savior.

[19:48] Christ Jesus. Who abolished death. And brought life. And immortality. To light. Through the gospel. This passage. Tells us. That if we want. The manifest glory.

[19:59] Of God. In our own lives. Or to the world. It must be. About Jesus. Because he. Is the manifest glory.

[20:11] Peter would put it. This way. He was foreknown. Before the foundation. Of the world. And he's speaking. Of Christ. But was made. Manifest. In the last times.

[20:21] For the sake of you. Who through him. Are believers in God. Who raised him. From the dead. And gave him glory. So that your faith. And hope.

[20:32] Are in God. The passion of God. Is to reveal. His true nature. And he does that. Manifest. In Jesus.

[20:43] John would put it this way. That which was from the beginning. Which we have heard. And which we have seen. With our eyes. Which we looked at. And have touched. With our hands. Concerning the word of life.

[20:55] The life. Was made manifest. And we have seen it. And testified to it. And proclaimed to you. The eternal life. Which was with the father.

[21:06] And was made manifest. To us. He would repeat it. In chapter 4. In this. The love of God. Was made manifest.

[21:16] Among us. That God sent his. Only son. Into the world. So that we might live. Through him. Is it any wonder. That the book of Hebrews.

[21:28] Begins this way. Jesus is the radiance. Of the glory of God. And the exact imprint. Of his nature. You see.

[21:38] You all have friends. And so do I. You have family members. And we have a mission. To the world. And there is no way. In no way. Anyone can ever understand.

[21:50] The true nature of God. His glory. Except through Jesus. This is why we go. To areas like. Muslim areas. This is why we go.

[22:03] To Hinduism. This is why. We show up. In Southeast Asia. In the very heart. Myanmar. Of Buddhism. There is no other way.

[22:13] To know God. As he truly is. Unless we experience. And acknowledge. His glory. As found. In Jesus.

[22:25] But not only. Does God manifest. His glory. He proclaims it. And the glory of God. Is manifested. Excuse me. I'm getting ahead of myself.

[22:35] The manifestation. The manifestation. Of Jesus. To us. Is through the Holy Spirit. Matt read a passage. And here's the next verse.

[22:46] In 2nd Corinthians 3. This is the last verse. In chapter 3. And we. With unveiled faces. Beholding the glory. Of the Lord. Are being transformed.

[22:58] Into that same image. From one degree. Of glory. To another. For this comes from the Lord. Who is the Spirit. You see.

[23:08] God is in the business. Of manifesting his glory today. And he does that. By revealing. The glory. Of the Lord. Jesus. To us.

[23:19] Through the Holy Spirit. But far beyond that. The new covenant. Is that he would not only reveal it. But he would transform us. Into it. You see.

[23:30] The power of the Holy Spirit. In your life. If you're a believer. In Jesus. Is not only that you would know God. As he truly is. But you would put him on display. Through your own life.

[23:43] That this wonderful work. Of the Holy Spirit. Is to move us. From one degree of glory. To the next. Until we look like Jesus. And when we show up in a room.

[23:54] People say. Something different about that person. Now they may not be able to say. That must be Jesus. Because they don't even know who he is. They don't know the glory of God. But they know.

[24:05] That there's something. Different. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. In our lives. God is in the business. Of manifesting his glory.

[24:17] And he does it through you and me. Who would ever think. That that. Would be. His means. Today. Today. Notice how Paul says.

[24:29] This revelation. And manifestation. Of the glory of God. Is so important. That it has caused. The greatest. Cosmic battle. The world has ever known. Far greater.

[24:41] Than. What people refer to. As the great war. World war one. Or. World war two. And I'm telling you. It's far greater than Armageddon. That's yet to come. The greatest battle.

[24:52] The world has ever known. Is over the glory of God. And that's what Paul would pick up. In second Corinthians four. He says. And even if our gospel is veiled.

[25:03] It is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case. The God of this world. Lowercase g. Has blinded the minds of the unbelievers.

[25:15] To keep them from seeing the light of the gospel. Of the glory of Christ. Who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves.

[25:26] But Jesus Christ is Lord. With ourselves as your servants. For Jesus sake. For God who said. Let light shine out of darkness. Has shown in our hearts.

[25:37] To give us the light. Of the knowledge. Of the glory of God. In the face of Jesus. We began with Habakkuk 2 14. May the knowledge of the glory of God.

[25:50] Fill the earth. Not just his glory. But the knowledge of the glory of God. And here we see the work of the Holy Spirit. Who calls darkness. Calls light out of darkness.

[26:01] And has allowed the glory of God. To shine in us. And it's the knowledge. Of Jesus. This is why we go on mission.

[26:12] This is why we're built up here. So that we can go. And manifest. This great glorious God. To others. The manifestation of God.

[26:25] In Jesus. Through us. In the power of the Holy Spirit. Is the work today. And God spreads this glory.

[26:37] Through proclamation. The glory of God. Is proclaimed. And that glory. Once again. Is Jesus. Here's what Paul would say.

[26:48] To them God chose. That's the Gentiles. To make known. How great among the Gentiles. Are the riches of the glory. Of this mystery. Which is Christ in you. The hope of glory.

[27:01] Him. We proclaim. Warning everyone. And teaching everyone. With all wisdom. That we may present. Everyone. Mature in Christ.

[27:11] For this I toil. Struggling with all his energy. That he powerfully works within me. Verses 28 and 29. Are my life verses. I chose those long ago.

[27:24] When I first decided to follow Christ. That he would be. My proclamation. And that the Holy Spirit. That the Holy Spirit. Would work with his energy. Within me.

[27:35] In order to do it. You see. When we proclaim Jesus. We proclaim the glory of God. People get to know. Who he really is.

[27:45] How much he loves them. And how holy he really is. The glory of God. Is proclaimed. In Jesus. Through the power.

[27:56] Of the Holy Spirit. Paul would say. To the Corinthians. You know. When I came to you. I didn't come. Proclaiming the testimony of God.

[28:07] With lofty speech. Or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you. Except Jesus Christ. And him crucified. And I was with you. In weakness. And in fear.

[28:18] And much trembling. And my speech. And my message. Were not in plausible words. Of wisdom. But in a demonstration. Of the spirit. And power. That your faith. Might not rest.

[28:28] In the wisdom of men. But in the power of God. You see friends. As we manifest. And proclaim Jesus. It doesn't matter. How smart you are. It doesn't matter.

[28:39] If you can speak. In front of people. It doesn't matter. If we're. The people. Who can. Hold everybody. In the palm of our hand. With. With.

[28:49] With some kind of conversation. None of that. It's lifting up Jesus. And proclaiming him. You know.

[29:00] When I am. Around the world. I find. Often. Before I preach. Or teach. I often feel. So lousy. To be honest with you.

[29:11] I don't even want to do it. Because I feel. So inadequate. I feel like. Who am I? To try to. Reach beyond.

[29:21] This culture. A language. I don't know. And I'm having to work. Through an interpreter. A customs. I don't know. People. I've never met. Who.

[29:31] Am I? And I often think. Well. God gave me degrees. I've got a master's degree. And a doctorate. And that's no comfort.

[29:42] At all. Doesn't comfort me. At all. Because it's not in those things. That the glory is manifest. Those things are not necessarily wrong.

[29:53] They can be part of one's training. But that isn't it. Paul said. When I came to you. You love to discuss all the latest ideas.

[30:04] And I have the latest and the greatest. The resurrection of Jesus. And his crucifixion. But he said. I didn't come to you. I came to you in weakness and in fear. One time I was in Kenya.

[30:17] This man came dressed to the nines. I mean. He's got a tie. A vest. A suit on. And everything. And there I am. A lot dressed down than what I am now. And here's what the guy said.

[30:28] In our training. He says. If we don't dress for success. Nobody will ever listen to us. If we don't dress for success. The gospel. Will not go to people.

[30:40] I said. Really? Fascinating. I said. Turn to 1 Corinthians 2. You know. And. Paul would go on to the Corinthians.

[30:51] And say. That they didn't like the way he looked. Or talked. They thought his preaching. Amounted to nothing. It is in none of those things. None of them.

[31:06] It's in the demonstration of power. Through the spirit. And this is why God wants us. To know. Who the Holy Spirit is. And what he does. So that he would be manifest.

[31:18] And proclaimed through us. Weak. People. I came to you in weakness. People who are fearful. People who tremble. You know.

[31:29] You go out. And you share Jesus with your family. You're probably trembling. I don't know how to say it. I don't want to preach to them. I don't know what to do.

[31:41] That's fear and trembling. I'm going to work. I want to manifest the glory of God. So people will know him. Through Jesus. But I don't know what to do. And I know I've got to do a job well.

[31:53] We know that is part of his glory. But. Is there something more? I don't know. And we're all. Just weak. And fear. And trembling. But somehow.

[32:04] In all of that weakness. And lack of sophistication. Jesus shows up. And people. Actually come to know him.

[32:16] You see. God wants to spread his glory. And I'm so glad. That you. Pray. And support. A very weak man. A very weak man.

[32:27] A very. Insignificant. Nobody. That's who I am. I haven't written a book. Nobody knows my name. You support.

[32:39] Someone. Who doesn't matter. Except to God. And he is doing something. Through all of us. It's this power of the spirit.

[32:53] The manifestation. And the proclamation. One of the early hymns. Of the church. Paul wrote out. In 1st Timothy 3.16. We don't know much. Of what they sang.

[33:03] Or spoke. But this is one hymn. And he says. Great indeed. We confess. Is the mystery of godliness. He was manifested. In the flesh. Vindicated by the spirit.

[33:15] Seen by angels. Proclaimed among the nations. Believed on in the world. And taken up. In glory. The manifestation.

[33:25] The manifestation. And the proclamation. It's all over the word of God. That God would be manifest in me. And then spoken through me. This is how the glory.

[33:36] Is spread. The glory of God. Is the revelation. Of his true nature. He is revealed. Through manifestation.

[33:46] And his glory. Is spread. By proclamation. I want to just simply look. At a moment. How Paul sees this.

[33:58] In his own life. And we can see it now. And here it is. The glory of God. Displayed in us. The glory of God. Is revealed. Through the manifestation.

[34:10] Of Christ. In us. Here's how Paul. Would follow up. The verses we've read. But we have this treasure. In jars of clay. To show that the surpassing power.

[34:23] Belongs to God. Not to us. We are afflicted. In every way. Always carrying in the body. The death of Jesus. So that the life of Jesus. May be manifested.

[34:34] In our bodies. For we who live. Are always being given over to death. For Jesus sake. So that the life of Jesus. Also may be manifested. In our mortal flesh.

[34:47] Paul. Picks up these two themes. Of the glory of God. And before he ever talks about proclamation. He talks about manifestation. And I want you to find good courage in this.

[35:01] We have this treasure in jars of clay. Again. Again. No one is going to be attracted to the clay. It's the treasure inside.

[35:11] That makes all the difference. And so what Paul would say. Is the reason he would suffer. For the gospel. The reason he would go to hard places. The reason he would give his life.

[35:24] Is that Jesus would be manifest in him. Some of you here today. Face difficulty. Your weakness. And your life is a jar of clay.

[35:37] And God is saying. I want to manifest through that. Not. Through. This life. That looks successful. I just want to manifest through you. The glory of God.

[35:50] Is manifest. When Christ. Is seen in us. And the glory of God. Is then spread. By the proclamation. Of Christ. Through us.

[36:01] Here are the next verses. Paul would pick up. In 2nd Corinthians 4. Since we have the same spirit of faith. According to what has been written. I believe. And so I spoke.

[36:13] We also believe. And so we also speak. There's proclamation. Knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus. Will raise us also with Jesus.

[36:24] And bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake. So that as grace extends. To more and more people. It may increase thanksgiving.

[36:35] To the glory of God. You see God has a work for us to do. He can't do it until he first does it in us.

[36:47] And then he does it through us. And his grace. Is extended. I want to jump to missions. Just for a moment. Get out of America. And look at the world.

[37:00] I want to give you some statistics. Where the glory of God is showing up. Far greater than often I see in America. Every month. 255 Christians are killed.

[37:14] Just like the suffering Paul talked about. Jesus is being manifest. I'll give you one quick story. In Nigeria. They're putting together stories.

[37:24] Of people. In the Fulani tribe. The Fulani herdsmen. Who are killing Christians. And how they came to know Jesus. Jesus was manifest to them.

[37:35] Often in dreams. And then someone brings the gospel. And they tie the two together. There are some incredible things. Happening in the Fulani people. But even where I have been.

[37:47] They burn entire villages. They kill women and children. But in the Fulani. They have looked. At those dying Christians. And said.

[37:58] They die differently. Than the other people we kill. The glory of God. Often is found. In the most persecuted places.

[38:11] 104 Christians. Every month. Are abducted. 180. Christian women. Raped. And harassed. Sexually.

[38:23] 66 churches. Are attacked. Every month. And 160. 60 Christians. Are detained. Without a trial. And in prison.

[38:34] This is the world. And this is the place. Where God. Has sent me. You've seen this before. Because I've showed it to you. But if you look at the red areas.

[38:46] In the map of the world. This is the 1040 window. Where Christ is needed the most. And this is why. Every time God sends me out. He sends me to the 1040 window.

[38:59] Six months out of a year. It's in the red area. Because it's in this area. That the glory of God. Needs to be manifest. So that the glory of God.

[39:09] In the return of Christ. Might come. And somebody's got to go. Somebody has got to reach them. But the more that I go there.

[39:20] The more I see. The manifestation. And the proclamation. Of God's glory. I told you in Nigeria. Where I was. I was right in the headquarters. Of Boko Haram.

[39:31] I'll never forget the first night. That I got to this area of Eola. I get there. And they put me in a hotel. And we're standing downstairs. My room. We're going to walk up some stairs.

[39:43] I have my bag. And the guy says to me. Tomorrow. You'll be going to a different place. To do training. Then we're going to put you. In another hotel. And so be.

[39:55] I'll come pick you up. Around 730 in the morning. I said okay. I'll be right here. And he goes. Oh no you won't. I'll have my bag packed.

[40:05] I'll be ready. I'll be here waiting for you. Right where we are. Oh no you won't. You do not open your door. Unless you see me. Really? Yeah. And we put an extra guard.

[40:17] At your hotel. To protect you. Now I say all that. Not so you'd be impressed. With a jar of clay. I never felt at harm. I was in perfect peace.

[40:29] My heart ached. For people who live in that. Every day. But he told me. He says. This is the heart. Of Boko Haram. They're the ones.

[40:41] That took these 300 girls. From school. They're the ones. That killed. And even while I was there. In Eola.

[40:52] Not only with the Boko Haram. Breathing down their neck. But one man. A leader stood up. And he said. I got word. Through an informant. That the Fulani.

[41:04] Are going to attack tomorrow. And so we began praying. Just like in Acts 4. What do you do. When persecution. Is breathing down your neck. You ask God.

[41:16] To make you more bold. And that his glory. Would shine. But friends. I share this with you. So that your heart. And mine.

[41:27] Would be for the glory of God. For all people. Here. In this northern part of Africa. I'll be back there.

[41:38] In June. The entire month of June. This is the. Very difficult area. The Muslim. And then you come over. As you move over.

[41:51] In the 1040 window. Hinduism. Buddhism. More. Radical. Islamic.

[42:02] Churches bombed. The day I actually left. Indonesia. A few months ago. This is where God's calling us. And some of us are going to go. But all of us.

[42:13] Have got to pray. One particular man. Who's. Ignited prayer. For many of us. Let me see if I can find.

[42:25] Excuse me. One second. One second. One second. I can't seem to find it.

[42:41] This whole idea, Andrew Murray said, that the one who ignites the church to pray will have more impact on the world than any other.

[42:53] And so I share all of this with you because the glory of God is manifest and proclaimed when his people go.

[43:07] He wants to reveal his true nature. He does it in two ways, manifestation and proclamation. And according to the Apostle Paul, it's all the work of the Spirit.

[43:21] And so in concluding, I'd like you to bow your heads. Because you see, the manifest presence of God is often known where people are aware and want the Lord.

[43:39] With your head bowed, I'd just like to share with you a quote from A.W. Tozer in his book, The Pursuit of God. The presence of God and the manifestation of the presence are not the same.

[43:54] There can be the one without the other. God is here when we're wholly unaware of it. He is manifest only when and as we are aware of his presence.

[44:11] On our part, Tozer writes, there must be surrender to the Spirit of God. For the work, it is his, the Spirit, to show us the Father and the Son.

[44:28] If we cooperate with him in loving obedience, God will manifest himself to us. And that manifestation will be the difference between nominal Christian life and the life radiant with the light of his face.

[44:45] Holy Spirit, thank you. Thank you that you have come under the direction of Jesus who went to the Father. and that you came to reveal the glory of God.

[45:04] You came that people might see the glory of God in the face of Jesus. That's why you came. But wonder of wonders that you would also transform us into that glory.

[45:22] Who would have ever thought that not only God would be manifest to me, but now he would be manifest through me. What an amazing work.

[45:36] And Holy Spirit, we come before you today because the Father yearns for his true nature to be known.

[45:48] To clear up the confusion and to bring the very heart of God in Jesus. To reveal Jesus to people here in New London and in Joss, Nigeria and in Lachio, Myanmar.

[46:13] Lord, we pray that your glory would be manifest in us and through us and that you would ignite in our lips a word for Jesus.

[46:25] Not to preach to people and hound them, but to speak with grace and to let out the glory of God in Jesus. Oh Lord, your desire is that the glory of God and the knowledge of the glory would cover the earth.

[46:45] and you have said work with me to do that. I thank you for the manifestation of your glory in Jesus.

[46:59] Oh Lord Jesus, we give you praise. You're the exact radiance of the Father. You are the exact imprint of his nature. and thank you that the Holy Spirit works in us to call attention to you.

[47:19] Lord Jesus, we pray that you would manifest your glory. Manifest your glory through the work of the Spirit in our lives.

[47:31] and today, well, we just simply surrender. We don't try to work something up in our own power.

[47:44] We don't even try to work up an emotion about this. We simply surrender. And we pray that the light of your face would so shine on us and in us change us sometimes from just living a nominal life.

[48:08] We're Christian in name only. Have your way, Lord. So now, Lord, as we surrender, we just ask, how do you want to spread your glory through me?

[48:26] How do you want to manifest your glory and proclaim your glory through me? What is it you want to do?

[48:40] Would you direct us and empower us for that work? Show us your glory.

[48:51] Lord, your glory. Lord, most high. Show us your glory in Jesus.

[49:05] And empower us with your Holy Spirit in Jesus' name. Amen.