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[ Silence ] [Music] Every Sunday the choir would march down the aisle, rocking from side to side.

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They were singing, "Step to Jesus, and everything is going to be all right." Oh, the Holy Ghost you could feel. And the sisters, they would shout for real,

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for they were just having-- Just having church. ♪ Praising, praising the Lord ♪ ♪ The deacons, they knew how to pray ♪

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♪ They knew how to call on the name of the Lord ♪ ♪ The congregation would all say amen ♪ ♪ And they were all on one accord ♪ ♪ Oh, the preacher, he knew how to preach ♪

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♪ A dying world, he was trying to reach ♪ ♪ For they were just having, having church ♪ ♪ Praising the Lord, praising Him ♪ ♪ We do have to praise Him ♪

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♪ Thanking Him ♪ ♪ Thanking Him every day ♪ ♪ We need to learn ♪ ♪ We need to learn to praise Him ♪

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♪ Praising Him ♪ ♪ He owns the world ♪ ♪ For they were just having, having church ♪ ♪ Praising the Lord ♪

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♪ Praising his name ♪ ♪ The saints knew how ♪ ♪ How to praise him, thanking him ♪ ♪ We need to learn ♪

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♪ How to praise him in old times ♪ ♪ For they were just having ♪ ♪ Church praises ♪ Now let us have little talk with Jesus.

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Let us tell him all about our trouble. He will hear our pain and sorrow. And he will answer by his power. Yes, he will answer by his power.

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They were just having church. Oh, they were just having, having church. Praise the Lord. Praise his name.

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Now let us have a little talk with Jesus I believe we can tell him this morning Our, our trouble He will hear

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Hear our praises cry I know he will Answer by and by Yes he will

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Answer by and by Oh, they were just having church Oh, they were just having Just having church

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Let's have a little Let's have a little ♪ Let's have a little church ♪ ♪ Let's have a little church ♪

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♪ We ought to have a little church ♪ ♪ Let's have a little church ♪ ♪ Because the Lord has been good ♪ ♪ I know the Lord has been good ♪

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♪ Has he ever made a way ♪ ♪ Has he made a way for you ♪ ♪ I know he's made a way for me ♪ ♪ Let's have a little church ♪

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♪ Let's have a little church ♪ ♪ Let's have a little church ♪ ♪ He woke me up early this morning ♪ ♪ Let's have a little church ♪

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♪ Started me on my way ♪ ♪ Oh, praise his name ♪ ♪ Let's have a little church ♪ ♪ Let's have a little church ♪

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♪ I just wanna thank him this morning ♪ ♪ Let's have a little church ♪ ♪ I just wanna praise his name ♪ ♪ Let's have a little church ♪

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♪ Let the Lord have his way ♪ ♪ Let's have a little church ♪ ♪ Let's have a little church ♪ ♪ Let's have a little ♪

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♪ Oh, but they were just having ♪ ♪ Just having ♪ ♪ Having church ♪ ♪ Praising the Lord ♪

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♪ Praising his ♪ ♪ Praising his ♪ ♪ Praising his holy, holy ♪ ♪ Holy name ♪

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(audience applauding) - Let's all say amen again. The focal passage for the morning message is recorded in the book of Ezekiel, Chapter Then did the cherubim lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory

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of God of Israel was over them. And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city. The subject, "The Glory of the Lord."

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This is a phrase that expresses the brightness that radiates from the presence of the eternal. And this world mention is made of the bright lights, speaking of earthly glory. The glory of the Lord is brightness that exceeds all other brightness. It is to be bathed in the sunlight of his presence, the Kabbad Yahweh.

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Early history of Israel reveals that when the temple was built, and prior to the building of the temple, there was the tabernacle, the tent. the tabernacle and the tent had the glory of the Lord to dwell in their midst over them. The glory of the Lord is not only that brightness that is characteristic of the eternal.

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The glory of the Lord has to do with weightiness, that which is heavy. We used to say when a speaker was very deep that he was heavy. There is no heaviness that is as heavy as God. So the glory of the Lord is about brightness, it's about weighty matters, weightiness, and

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then the glory of the Lord is about favor, God's special favor. In times of defeat, we have a deeper understanding of what may be called the darkness of God. It is when we embrace the holy with a certainty of faith. is not dead, no matter what may happen, how things may seem to go wrong. This is my Father's

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world. Oh, let me ne'er forget. Although the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. Remember, Ezekiel is speaking for God during a time of dense darkness. He says, "The glory of the Lord went up from the city, and stood on the mountain which is on the east side of the city.

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The glory of the Lord is revealed in the lives of those who trust him. In the prophetic writings of Ezekiel, he makes frequent mention of the glory of the Lord. The glory of the Lord is in what we see, it is in what we feel, it is in the presence of the eternal, and the glory of the Lord as revealed in scripture goes and comes.

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There are times when it is seemingly present, and there are times when it seems to be absent. The glory of the Lord is present in times of catastrophe, when things are shaken all around us. things that are shaken are shaken in order that we might more clearly recognize those

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things that cannot be shaken. So it's a time of crisis in the life of the nation. Things are not going well. The temple has been destroyed.

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have been battered down, darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the people. We talk about the glory of the Lord as being a manifestation of that divine brilliance, that brightness that characterizes God. of this world have their glory.

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Many times we identify war, success, in capturing one nation over against another as a sign of earthly glory. But in the darkness of Israel's experience, even though Israel has been captured by the Babylonians, there is a manifestation of the glory of the Lord.

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Ezekiel sees the glory of the Lord. It's a wonderful thing for us to recognize what the prophet is saying to us through his experience so that when we find ourselves in times of disappointment, discouragement, and defeat, and even death itself, that those may be times also when

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God manifests His glory in our lives. So he said I saw the glory with all of the destruction that was in our midst, I saw the glory of the Lord. To be able to look in your life and see these experiences that I've just enumerated and see them as indications of the presence of the glory of the Lord,

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That is what we are called upon to do as followers of the Lamb. Ezekiel said that he saw the cherubim lift their wings, and beside that he saw the glory of the Lord above the cherubim, Beyond the architectural beauty of the temple, the prophet sees the glory of the Lord.

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He sees the Spirit of God at work in history, and he sees the presence of God. Babylon may have destroyed these landmarks in the city, but God is present. The God who is above all, in all, and through all. The God who led the people to build the temple on Mount Zion, the God still is present.

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And the glory of the Lord descends upon the city. And he sees, he recognizes the glory of the Lord as he passes through the city. He sees it in the valley and he sees it on the mountain. So in the valley experiences of our lives, in the mountain experiences, it's good to

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recognize that the glory of the Lord is present in each situation. So often we think God is only present when we are succeeding, but that is not the case. When we are down and out, God is present to help us, to encourage us, to strengthen us, so that we might learn something of Him that we do not experience when we are so successful.

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We seem many times to think that that may be attributed to us and our efforts alone. And sometimes God has certain things or permits certain things to happen that we may recognize that He is God. That He has the power. So, Ezekiel here lifts up this thought about the glory of the Lord.

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It's a glory that cannot be forcibly seized. You can't take it. I had a professor in church history who spent a great deal of time talking about the glory of the Lord.

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And he pointed out time and time again that the glory of the Lord is revealed when we are willing to suffer foolishness in the name of the Lord that that is an expression of the dwelling of the glory of the Lord it's above earthly glory

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I remember when we went to Paris and went out to view the night life of Paris. The lights were all around. And I'd never seen anything with such a glittering light. Overwhelming! And with the brilliance and the light dazzling.

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But that does not compare with the glory of the Lord. There is a brightness in Him that overwhelms us, and whenever one encounters the glory of the Lord, one sees that there's nothing, nothing in all the world

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that can compare with the glory of the Lord. So the glory of the Lord is reflected in God's ability to do the impossible. Did you hear what I said? It's reflected in God's ability to do the impossible.

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Listen to what he says in his words. Every valley shall be exalted. That's impossible. every mountain and hill shall be made low

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the crooked shall be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed what is concealed now will be revealed

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when it's all said and done everything should be revealed and all flesh shall see it together that is God's glory and God gets glory out of that he gets glory out of exalting that which is low. He gets glory out of promoting the humble people of this world. He gets the glory. So in times of darkness, He causes the light to shine

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in the darkness when light shines in darkness and it is because the darkness cannot put it out and the fact that the darkness cannot put it out is a manifestation of the glory of the Lord. When the temple stands as an expression of God's presence and His power, and the temple is destroyed, and God still speaks to His people and lifts up their spirit,

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that is an expression of the presence of the glory of the Lord. And God shines through. One boy was asked, you know, what is the definition for a saint? And he could not answer it until a little later.

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he was looking at the church and there were beautifully stained glass windows and there were pictures on those windows and they were pictures of saints and he came back with the answer that he knows now what a saint is, is one through whose light the light shines. So when the light of God's goodness and his glory shines

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in us it's a marvelous manifestation of the glory of the Lord. So in exile when you're away from home when you're away from the dreams that you cherish And all of us in a sense are exiles. God speaks in that situation.

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He manifests His power. And it's a strange thing that God manifests His power in human weakness. Human weakness. That's when we can recognize and appreciate the glory of the Lord.

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says, "When I'm weak, I'm strong. When I'm strong, I'm weak." These expressions of the presence of the glory of the Lord. So there's no way, no way that can keep God from having His glory, no matter what happens. In the lives of His servants, when they're crushed and left to go it alone, God manifests His glory in it all. Glory of the Lord.

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And we recognize that when we sing, "Glory, glory, hallelujah!" When our burdens are heavy. When I was much younger, it was more of a mystery, and it's still a mystery how many times you can visit people on the sickbed,

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they're smiling and praising God. That's an expression of the presence and the manifestation of the glory of the Lord. So nature even proclaims the glory of the Lord. The psalmist says the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows forth his handiwork. Manifestation all around us when we get

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up this morning and the sun shining that's a manifestation of the glory of the Lord. Glory of the Lord. But the glory comes at times when we recognize the glory and at times when we do not recognize its presence.

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I said it is both times when we feel the presence of the eternal and there are times when we feel the absence of the eternal. Isaiah went to church, oh he'd been there many times before. He'd listened to the instruments, he'd listened to the voices, he'd listened to the priesthood,

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he participated in the service, but this time was different. Uzziah had died and Isaiah had placed a great deal of confidence in Uzziah and how he was going to secure the nation, but now he's dead and he gazes upon his lifeless form and then he goes to church and he goes to church and that worship service that day he said the

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heaven's open he said I saw the Lord high and lifted his train filled the temple he forgot about us I and he as he focuses attention on the glory of God and it's a difference friend of mine who's a preacher son had a serious accidental trembling and it was said that he may not ever walk again and the

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father went to see his son and the son told him you see you know daddy the Lord was in this place last night and he said he he was here I know I saw it you said well what did he say about your accident did he say you'd walk again he said you know daddy I clean forgot to ask him so great was the glory of the

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Lord when you're really focusing on God we find that difficult to do but that's why we have these experiences that have occurred in the course of time that we might experience in our own time in our own way the glory of the Lord so while worshipping something strange and wonderful happened and Isaiah said woe is me I'm undone

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I'm a sinner and he said one of the seraphims took a live coal from off the altar and touched him said I his lips thine iniquity is purged thy sins are forgiven and he said I heard a voice then whom should I sin who will go forth and he answered here am I send me it's the glory of the Lord that motivates us to divine action to do

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good in the presence of evil. Glory of the Lord. So we have the glory of the Lord in the old order and we have the glory of the Lord in the new order. It's God in particular about those to whom he manifests his glory. You know, we have a way of grading people.

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This one is in special education. This one has a discipline problem, and we put them over here. And we say this one has a bad socioeconomic background.

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So there's not much hope for him. We put them over here. But God in particular by the way He places His genius, He puts it in poor people, He puts it in some rich people, He's not particular.

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The glory of the Lord so that in every case no matter where He puts it, it's still His glory. The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. So when the glory of the Lord comes in the new order, it comes to some simple shepherds

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who are keeping watch over their flocks by night. And the scripture says, "The glory of the Lord shone round about them." was there was Herod's palace not far away with the glory of the Lord comes to humble shepherds insignificant workmen but the glory of the Lord shines upon them

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Heaven's home and angel an angel comes from heaven and and delivers the message the good news of the birth of the Savior, the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were so afraid, they'd never had an experience like that before

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they never expected church to come to them they'd been going to the temple, but the glory of the Lord came upon them it's a wonderful thing to have the glory of the Lord to come The glory of the Lord is the Word of God.

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The glory of the Lord is the presence of God. So He comes wherever we are. So, don't shut your eyes and become blind to the glory of the Lord. Because God has some strange ways of revealing his glory.

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Ever so often my mind goes back to when I was younger in the ministry. I was just getting started. I went to this church. I was preaching for a friend and he sent me there for the interim period before he could get there. And after I preached each Sunday, the deacon would get up and say, "Any of you who want to invite this young man home to dinner, you may do so."

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He said, "We have the money to pay for him going out to a restaurant or something, but if you'd like to invite him." Well, they had a hard time getting a place for me to eat. And I remember one Sunday, an elderly lady, she was possibly around 70 or 80 years old, and she had me for dinner. She didn't have very much, but I felt she stayed in a little humble home,

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those kind that you could go in the front door and keep on out to the back door. That was kind of how she had it. But I felt it when I sat there and she just had some chicken and rice. She didn't have a salad and all of that.

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But I felt in her presence that I was experiencing the manifestation of the glory of the Lord. In humble ways, in ways that you don't even expect that God manifests His glory. So just as it appeared to simple shepherds, it appears to those persons who may be in the palace, wherever it is.

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And all along the way, mine eyes have seen the glory. Good thing to talk about Isaiah and Jeremiah and all of those others, but it's more wonderful to be able to say mine eyes mine eyes have seen the glory

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of the coming of the Lord he is trapping out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored his truth is marching on glory, glory, hallelujah

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glory, glory, hallelujah glory hallelujah his truth is marching on we come now we call it the battle hymn of the Republic that song portrays the struggle in which we are engaged struggle is not over still got

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other battles to fight. As we sing, we extend the privilege of the church to accept Jesus Christ as Lord of your life. You may come. A letter by Christian experience on profession of faith. [ Music ]

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♪ My eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord ♪ ♪ He is trampling out the reap is where the grapes of wrath are stored ♪ ♪ He has moved away the lightning on His terrible sword ♪ ♪ Here is truth imparting now ♪

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Glory, glory, hallelujah. Glory, glory, hallelujah. Glory, glory, hallelujah. His truth is marching on.

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I have seen Him in the watch for John, and in the circling dance, And lay a view to Him that on the ring He may do the dance. I can read His words and sins, and I will hear Him where He stands, His day is marching on.

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Glory, glory, hallelujah. Glory, glory, hallelujah. Glory, glory, hallelujah. His truth is marching on.

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In the beauty of the living Christ was born a prophesy With the glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me As he died to save the holy land and make it free ♪ While God is marching on ♪

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♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪ ♪ His truth is marching on ♪

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- To keep you the Lord causes His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up the light of His countenance upon you and give you peace now and forevermore, amen.

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- Amen. [BLANK_AUDIO]