Prayer changes things!  I believe God has planned a glorious refreshing of His Spirit for His Church.  There are good things God has planned for us which have not happened as yet!  As we pray, remember that Jesus prayed for us, too!  Listen to His words in John 17.

John 17

20 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;

21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:

23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

 24 "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

            Did you know Jesus prayed for you then, and continues to make intercession for you before the Father’s throne?  His prayer was that we might be one with Him and the Father so the world would believe in Jesus as the Son of God.  To accomplish this, in verse 22, Jesus said, “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them …” The glory!

            When we gave our heart to the Lord we acknowledged that Jesus came into our lives.  For some of us it seems that it has taken a long time for us to understand Who it is that lives in us.  Who is Jesus?  Is He not God?  Does He not dwell in us by the power of the Holy Spirit?  Do we not have the glory of God in our being?  The glory of God does live us!

            Let’s take a little time to examine the Scripture as it reveals the glory of God in the Old Testament and in the New Testament.  I want us to think about God’s glory living in us! 

            One of the first occasions for the mention of the glory of God is in Exodus as the Israelites are led through the desert by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  That cloud led them to a mountain in the desert …

Ex 24:17

17 The sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.

            The Jewish people saw a physical manifestation of the presence of God and His glory was like a consuming fire on the tope of the mountain!  The reaction of the Israelites was fear!  They told Moses they would like to retreat a little ways from the mountain and let Moses talk to God by himself!  The glory of God was awesome!

            The Hebrew word for glory is kabowd (kaw-bode') meaning weight, but only figuratively in a good sense, indicating splendor or copiousness, glory or honor.  The glory of God is a full expanse of splendor and power! 

            When Jesus said that He had given us His glory, was He talking about this enormous weight of fiery splendor?  We do need to understand the enormous power, the fire of righteousness, and the light of truth that is contained in the glory of God!  When Christ lives in us His glory leads us into experiencing the fire of His glory!  Through Christ in us we have been given authority in prayer!  Yes, we have the glory of God within us!

            After Moses had spent time on the mountain in the presence of God, he asked to see His Glory.

Exodus 33

18 And he said, "Please, show me Your glory."

19 Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

            In response to Moses’ request, God showed him His goodness, His grace, and His compassion!  To God, the revelation of glory was not as much in the fire or the smoke but in His attributes!  Goodness, grace, and love are the revelation of the Glory of God!

            We love to experience the power of God and the light of His glory, but the closer Moses came to God, the more he saw God’s goodness, grace, and love!  And I believe this is much of the eternal weight of glory that God has given to us!  In the context of John 17 Jesus is praying that we all might be one in Him, just as He and the Father are one.  The power and authority that the church expresses in the world today comes from goodness, grace, and love!  This is where the glory of the Lord is revealed to the world and to the church.

            There is a song we have sung, “see His glory, see His glory, see His glory come down …”  I want you to know that when the glory of the Lord is revealed on the earth … it is seen in the faces and in the deeds of the saints.  When we see the glory of the Lord come down I believe this means that we are observing people who are being transformed in life by the goodness, grace, and love of Christ.  We are called to live in the presence of His glory!

            The power of God’s glory is a tangible presence!  In the Old Testament the glory of the Lord was demonstrated as a tangible presence in the tabernacle of meeting:

Exodus 40

34 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

            The Hebrew word for glory indicates something of weight.
            When glory of the Lord came to the top of the mountain it was like a fire,         
             When God revealed His glory to Moses it was goodness, grace, and love. 

            And when the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle people were unable to stand or to enter into the presence of God’s glory.  There is a tangible presence that is the glory of God!

            Several years later, after the Jewish people became a nation, they no longer wanted to use the tabernacle as a place of worship so Solomon built a Temple in God’s honor.  When Solomon dedicated the Temple he also experienced the glory of God in a wonderful way!

2 Chronicles 7
1 When Solomon had 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 And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD's house.

            From Moses, to Joshua, through the age of the Judges; after King Saul and King David, the glory of God was revealed to Solomon and the nation of Israel!  God had not changed!  His glory was still present!  He was still awesome! 

            Some people would like to limit the power of God and what God will do in this present age.  But has God changed?  If the glory of God was the same from century to century at that time; isn’t the glory of God still the same?  The New Testament declares that Jesus is the same “yesterday, today, and forever!”  His glory in us is just as grand as it was when the presence of God was revealed in the Temple!  His glory is now in you!

            Is it possible to miss the glory of God?  If you miss the glory of God, can you discover it again?  God gave visions to Ezekiel about the sin of Israel and the effect of sin on the glory of God.  We can’t examine it in depth, but let’s track it through Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 10
4 Then the glory of the LORD went up … and paused over the threshold of the temple; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD's glory.

Ezekiel 10
18-19 Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple … and stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD's house,

Ezekiel 11
23 And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city.

            That was the end of that vision given to Ezekiel about the glory of the Lord.  The sinful nature of Israel was offensive to the glory of God and the glory began to depart!  First the glory lingered at the doorway, then in the courtyard, then over the eastern gate of the Temple, then the glory of the Lord moved away from the city and into the mountains.  The glory of the Lord had departed!

            From the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy until now the eastern gate of Jerusalem has remained sealed.  No one will enter that gate again until the glory of God returns to the Temple!

            The vision leaves us with an awful sense of loneliness and isolation!  Without goodness, grace, and love what is left?  Without the fire of holiness and the power of deliverance where is strength to go on?  Israel lived without God’s glory and found herself taken captive by Babylon!  Life’s struggles have a direct correlation to the glory of God within us!

            I’m glad that wasn’t all of Ezekiel’s visions about the glory of God!  God revealed the return of Jesus to Jerusalem at the second coming of Christ!  When Jesus returns to earth the eastern gate will be opened!  God had a plan!

Ezekiel 43
2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.

Ezekiel 43
4 And the glory of the LORD came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east.
5 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple.

Ezekiel 44
4 I looked, and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD; and I fell on my face.

           God’s plan is to fill the earth with His glory in giving His Son Jesus Christ to us as our Savior, our Lord, and our King!  The glory of God is the same in the future as it was in the past!  Only it is directly linked to the presence of Jesus! 

           We have been given the opportunity to open the gates of our hearts and let the King of glory come in!  David cried out:

Psalm 24

9 Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory.

            Jesus gave us His glory!

           The Hebrew word for glory indicates something of weight.

           When glory of the Lord came to the top of the mountain it was like a fire,         

            When God revealed His glory to Moses it was goodness, grace, and love. 

           There is a tangible presence that is the glory of God!

           
            We welcome the King of glory in our lives!