Understanding the Glory
Part 2
By Iverna Tompkins
Transcribed by Jane Vaughn

In Part 1 of this message, we distinguished between what the glory (of God's Presence) is from our responses to Him.  In trying to understand just what the glory is, we noted that God said He put everyhting of Himself into His Son, Jesus - the glory that God gave was Himself!  Then, we turned to Psalm 24, beginning at verse 1.

So, when we read this: “The earth is the Lord’s” – as dirty and as messed up as it is – the whole thing belongs to Him!  And frankly, I’m ready to give it back to Him – I think I’ve seen enough! :-)  “For He hath founded it upon the seas and established it upon the floods.  Who shall ascend to the hill of the Lord?  Or stand in His holy place?  He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart, and hasn’t lifted up his soul into vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.  He [that person] shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and…”  What does it say?  “…righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Ps.24:2-5).  Matthew adds: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst…” – for what? – “…after righteousness.” (Mt.5:6).

And that’s where we are today, my Friends.  I want to see righteousness, don’t you?  I long for that!  I love to be with God’s people when you just can sense that.  Righteousness simply means “rightly related to God” or “in right standing with God.”  It doesn’t mean a person who is sinless.  We’re not sinless.  We just sin – less. :-)  “Oh, the Blood of Jesus – it washes white as snow.”  Hallelujah for that!

So, old carnal flesh rises up and we – do something – think something – say something – feel something – that we know isn’t Jesus.  When just a little thought comes to you, like: “I hope they get their dues!”  So quickly the Holy Spirit rises up inside – “Well, that was real Christlike!” :-)  And I come back to the truth of that song – “Oh, the Blood…”  You see, that’s the way we live!  We just sin!  (see Rom.7).

Forgive me if this is hard for you – I’m 76 – and I’ve never met anyone who didn’t have to constantly repent!  I never have!  There’s no one!  Not even me!   :-)  And the devil keeps trying to beat you down with that.  He’s quick!  He beats you down for what you don’t condemn in yourself!  We tend to do his work real well if he just lingers a little!  With self-condemnation.  But he constantly badgers at us – “See, you have…” done this or thought that: “Maybe you didn’t do it, but you wanted to!”  The best way to handle that is to say, “Oh, you’re so right on that!  I wanted to do it – but I didn’t!”  And then sing to him: “Oh the Blood of Jesus…”  Everything about the thirsting for righteousness – hear me – is satisfied upon confession: first of your sin and secondly about the Blood (see Rev.12:11; 1Jn.1:9,10).

It’s just time for the Church to get out of guilt.  “There is therefore now – no condemnation to them that walk in Christ Jesus” (Rom.8:1,paraphrased).  Why?  Because we’re being “changed – from glory to glory” (2Cor.3:18).  Oh! You’re getting this, aren’t you? 

The truth is, the more I repent, the more I’m being changed!  Some day, I’ll have a glorified body (Oh, glory to God! :-)).  In the meantime, it’s only in the Spirit. :-)  But it’s there – potentially.  And when I look back throughout my lifetime, I can see that I confess less about “that” particular area than I used to!  “Hal-le-lu-jah!  I’ve conquered that!  What glorious grace!”

Oh yeah, there’s still a bunch over “here” but we’re not going there right now. :-)  We just say, “Thank You!  Thank You, Lord because You’ve given me the victory!” – and that’s what overcomes the world! It’s the “word of our testimony” (Rev.12:11).  It is coming back to the written Word and making the truth of it an application to our lives – so that I don’t have to feel guilty!  We simply need to walk in the Light of the understanding we have (1Jn.1:5-7; Gal.5:16).

If you run into someone who knew you before you were saved, I can tell you what’ll happen!  The enemy – right like that! – will say to you, “They remember you when you used to hmmm – mmmm – mmmm!”  What you need to do with that is say, “Thanks, devil, for reminding me.  I need to witness to them!  I need to tell that person: ‘Remember how I used to be?  I want to tell you something – I met a man!  And He changed my life!’”  And you begin to talk to them, not in King James language, but in today’s language!  Hellooo.

“You mean you don’t do that anymore?  How’d you quit?”  “Thank you for asking.” :-)

Some people find real deliverance from some of their old habits – instantly! – while others do not.  I’ve watched it countless times.  I’ve seen people at the altar who were drinkers and others on drugs be set free – totally, instantly, miraculously!  I’ve seen people who smoked since they were just little kids finally awaken to realize that habit has nothing to do with God!  Cigarettes will not keep you out of Heaven.  You just have to leave your cigarettes outside the Gates. :-)  (Oh, ooops!  I hit every legalist that time! :-))  Smoking has to do with your body, Dumb-dumb.  Those things, those weeds, are going to kill you! :-) 

I watched this when I pastored, years ago.  I’ve seen people who finally come to that awareness – “I’ve got to quit doing ‘this’” – or “I’ve got to quit doing ‘that’” – and instantly!  I’ve seen them come up, lay certain things down on the altar (paraphernalia), and absolutely, instantaneously were delivered!  They never longed for it again.  I’ve seen that dozens of times – maybe hundreds.  I’ve seen people so drunk on alcohol they could barely walk – instantly made sober and accept Jesus Christ. 

But I’ve also seen it the other way – people who didn’t get rid of those things instantly – who desperately wanted to quit – desperately wanted not to desire the thing they knew God didn’t want for them – and it has been a constant battle for them.  Let me tell you something – they too are going from glory to glory!  Every time they win that battle!  Don’t you put them down by saying or even thinking, “You know if they were really saved, that whole thing wouldn’t…”  Not necessarily.  I don’t understand the whys of it, but sometimes God just lets desire remain and then it’s a climb.

“He shall receive the blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”  Then verse 6 (in case you’ve forgotten where we were in Psalm 24   :-)).  “This is the generation of them that seek Him, that seek Thy face, O Jacob.”

Now, if you look at many of our churches – if we took out all the visitors when there was a “named” speaker on a given Sunday – there would be far less people – fewer people in attendance.  You’d say about the “normal” congregation, “Well, look at this little church – just a little group of people that come together.  Doesn’t look to me like this is ‘the generation that seeks His face!’”  Yes it is.  It is a generation who longs to belong – to a family.

Let’s talk about family for a moment.  It used to be just “ours.”  Then it was “his” and “hers” and “theirs.”  Now, it’s “his” and “hers” and “God only knows!” :-)  The stories are wild: she doesn’t know who fathered this kid.  She put this one out and now that one’s gone.  And this one left after one wild night.  I mean, here are all these children!  Do you understand with me that it is the intention of God for those children to come into righteousness?  These children have the same thirst for righteousness that you and I do!  Their way of asking for it or seeking it is to want a “family.”  When they can’t find a family – when they go to church and don’t look good enough, or act good enough, or smell the way they ought to and are rejected there, they look to the GANGS – where they are received and it doesn’t matter how they look or smell or act.  And a “brother” says to them, “Hey, if you join this gang, we’ll protect you.”

Oh, Church.  Wake up!  Don’t you understand how we’ve missed our opportunities, trying to stay “clean?”  Trying to “look right?”  And our excuse is: “Oh, but they got involved in – this.”  Oh, did they?  “Yes, and I’ll tell you, never have we had anyone in our church (or, in our family) who did that!”  Well you do now. :-)  What are you going to do with them?  Do you think it’s a shock to God that they “happened” into your family? 

This is pretty hard.  Why am I doing this to you?  Why am I telling you these particular things?  I don’t even know you.  But I know this:  you – I – cannot grow in Him – we can’t grow from glory to glory to glory with prejudiced attitudes.  It simply can’t be done – not really.  We cannot come into the destiny God has for us and try to do it our own way.

Do you know how we’re generally handling this situation?  When the unlovely arrive at our doorsteps?  We’re handling it by appointing “those people” to certain churches who have more compassion for them than others.  “Oh, well, I know a church… in the city…  It’s a good church.  You’d really be content there.  You know, they minister to street people and homosexuals and drug addicts and the whatevers…” – whatever seems awful to “us.”  But listen, Church, what really seems awful to God – is listed in The Book: “…backbiters… disobedient to parents… covenant breakers… unmerciful (heartless!)…” (cf.Rom.1:29-32).  But we relegate “those people” to “that service” instead of opening our arms and understanding – “This is the generation that are seeking” – they’re seeking!  Can’t we help them find – Him?

They not only want a family, this “generation of seekers” wants intimacy!  We come together in the congregation and say, “Hi.  How was the trip?” and vaguely respond “Oh, okay.”  Pretty shallow inquiry; equally shallow response.  And I say those are my close friends?  We’re so emotionless, as we drone on in a nasally monotone voice: “Hi, Pastor Jim.” or “Hi, Sis, so good to see you again.” Blah – blah.  But we don’t know what’s really going on in their lives because we’re not close enough to find out.  Oh, there’s always a little group here and there – cliques, maybe.  They eat together and talk about a few things.  But there’s no intimacy – not true intimacy.  We just don’t care that much – or enough. 

Intimacy costs something – like time and caring.  I have a pretty good intimacy with my daughter and son-in-law.  We’re working on more as we invest in one another.  But I have good intimacy with her already.  When we’re together, it only takes about five minutes for us to decide which one is the neediest that day. :-)  This is true. :-)  She knows I love her professional field and everything she does in it.  She’s a physician and has all sorts of stories to relate, and I love those stories.  But sometimes when she comes to visit with me, within about five minutes she realizes – “Mom is in a place!” :-)  And she takes the lead: “Tell me how you’re feeling, Mom…” and the whole thing – because she cares and discerns my predicaments.  Pretty soon, she says, “I’m sorry, Mom, I really have to go.”  Then after she leaves, I realize I didn’t ask anything about her!  But the next time we’re together, the whole thing is reversed.  Not legalistically or by arbitration, it just happens that way.  That’s intimacy.  We just sense one another.  Are you there? 

That’s what we ought to have in the family of God!  In fact, we need to have it.  We need to look at people – I mean, look at people.  We casually say, “God bless you.” :-)  But we need to look right at them! – in them – through them!  “Are you going through something, my Sister?”  “Oh, no, things are just fine.”  “Good.  Then would you pray for me?” :-)

They’re looking for a family.  They’re looking for intimacy.  And they’re looking for fellowship.  I am somewhat of an idealist.  My closer friends that would say, “Somewhat?” :-)  But I get angry in my spirit every time I watch a ballgame on TV and there are a lot of empty seats.  That just infuriates me!  Do you want to know why?  Well, I’m going to tell you. :-)  Because there are hundreds and hundreds of kids out on the streets who would give anything even to be in those upper deck seats.  Yet, no one gives a rip enough to go out, run a bus and say, “Free Tickets.”  We’d rather sit there and let those seats remain empty.  What a waste!  Now you’re going to be mad at that right along with me, aren’t you?  See how well I did that? :-)

I wonder if, in our churches, we’re not just as foolish as those money-hungry businessmen?  Think about it – there’s no money in ministering to children and youth, they basically don’t have any.  All they can do is “take.”  But, Church, that should be okay!  Is that too hard on you again?  Hard to hear – hard to swallow?  It’s the truth – and if you serve on a Church Board, you personally know the awful truth of this: too many decisions concerning outreach are made based purely on financial issues.  And I am not encouraging the Church to be irresponsible in financial matters.  We need to come up with a plan that works.  And we need to get hold of God’s ways concerning money – our money!

Hungry to belong to a family – for intimacy – for fellowship.  They’re also hungry for – success – and the satisfaction that it brings.  Now, it takes the maturity of parents to give our children things (resources), or provide activities or opportunities in which they can be successful, so they can have the satisfaction of achievement.

My children would tell you, to my shame – (“confess your faults one to another” :-) Jas.5:16a) that during their school years, or all through high school at least, they dreaded bringing home grades less than a “B.” Yet we all know that “C” is “average.”  Are you hearing me?  I made demands! :-(    “You’re my kid.  You can do better than this!”

Now, motivating our kids to stretch and reach and accomplish what they are able to do is good, but – I went too far.  Did they do it?  Did they perform?  Oh, yes they did.  They brought home A’s and B’s.  Did they enjoy school?  No – not very much. :-(   I hope you can see beyond my little examples.  You don’t have perfect kids, so leave them alone.  Teach them the things that matter: honesty, integrity, personal responsibility, and to love and serve God, but accept them as they are.  Don’t try to make them be something they’re not and never can be – and if they do arrive at “it” or achieve it, whatever “it” is you have determined to set before them as a target, they’ll not be happy in it.  We’re talking about the satisfaction of being successful in whatever it is we have put our hands to do.

And in the next part of this message, we'll see that there is a parallel to this in the Church.

Go to Part 3