Introduction:     The most precious thing to any nation, home, family, or church is the manifested presence of Almighty God! Some people and some churches apparently feel that they do not need the Holy Spirit to function, they don’t need God, He’s been gone a long time and they just keep doing what they have always done. It’s easy to get to the place in your life where you feel that you don’t need the manifested presence of God. God’s glory is His manifested presence. Notice 2 things about the glory of God.

I.          THE ARK OF GOD’S GLORY
What a stir it caused when the ark of God was captured. (Illus: Ill-conceived battle with the Philistines results in chaos and an attempt to use the Ark of the Covenant as a rabbit’s foot.) What is so special about this ark? It’s a box 30X30X50 .

A.                 It Pictures The Presence Of God

(Expound God’s presence & the Ark )

·        When the Ark went…God was gone.

They lost the Ark of the Covenant and the glory of God was gone and these people knew that without the glory of God they were sunk! Inside that Ark was the Word of God and any time a nation moves away from the Word of God that’s when that nation looses the glory of God.

·        It is no different with us today.

Right is always right and wrong is always wrong and the way we know the difference is found in the truth of the Word of God. Even believers are guilty of knowing the Word but not living the Word and if we do not embrace the Word and live by the Word, we are going to loose the manifested presence of God in our lives! (We do not loose our salvation, but the sense of His presence and blessing).

B.                 It Prophesies Of The Lord Jesus Christ

·        “Mercy seat” = (Rom 3:25 ) "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;"

·        (1 John 2:2)  "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

·        (1 John 4:10)  "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

God lived in a tabernacle; God lived in the temple; and today God lives in the believer! The God that dwelt between the cherubim lives in you in the Person of the Holy Spirit so, child of God don’t live beneath your privileges and don’t be satisfied with rut, rot, routine, but rise up and say, “I want to experience every day the manifested presence of your GLORY!” (Illus: I‘m talking about God showing up and showing off…expound).

II.         THE ABSENCE OF GOD’S GLORY
Why did these people lose the glory of God? The same way a nation or a church will lose the glory of God today. First because:

            A.        They Failed To Pray

·        Prayer brings us into the presence of God.

That seems so simple. There is no evidence in the early part of this chapter that they asked God before going to battle with the Philistines. Nor did they consult with God’s man, Samuel.

·        When you fail to pray…you lose the manifest presence of God!

Prayer is letting God know that I know that He is the only one who can meet my needs. I’m acknowledging my weakness and total dependence on Him and that He’s going to get all the praise and glory for all that He going to do in my life.

·        Prayer is discovering the will of God for my life.

We should pray about everything (job, date, marriage, etc.). Prayer is not bending God’s will to my want, but is says, “Lord, I want what you want for me. I’m a knuckle head and would you show me what it is)?

            B.         They Refused To Repent

·        They didn’t get God’s permission

·        They didn’t ask for His pardon.

They should have said, “We didn’t ask you about this before we went and now we deserve your judgment so we come to you God with repentant hearts saying we are sorry and wanting to let go of our sin. Beloved, that’s where God’s manifested presence falls – in a Christian; in a Church; in a Country that acknowledges, this is my sin…no defense I bring…I turn to you…oh, God have all of me! Then God descends in Holy revival power!

            C.        They Resorted To Superstition (v.3)

They trusted not on the God of Covenant but on the Ark (a piece of furniture) God’s people are not to resort to superstition we are to rely on God! So they lost the glory. Folks, when a nation loses the glory of God, immorality, broken homes, and sin will run rampit and the devil will have sway of that society. When the glory of God departs the church, people sit around looking like they have been sucking on lemons, baptized in pickle juice with faces so long they could suck marbles out of a gopher hole. Beloved, we need revival in America today! I believe we are in danger of losing the glory of God! I believe that God desires to return in revival power, but we must have repentance starting not at the White House, or the State House, but in the Church House where God can drive out all the deadness and unleash His revival power! When a church loses the glory of God it gets dead. I don’t want to be in a dead church! Do not take to glory of God for granted.

Conclusion:       In these last days we need churches filled with the Holy Spirit who with tremendous fervor stand against the world, the flesh, and the devil. And with the manifested glory of God hold forth the Word of Life and bring in the last end time harvest and then hand in hand we’ll move out to be with Jesus! Beloved, it is time for the saints of God to stop taking the presence of God for granted and to cry out loud, “God of Heaven, please BRING BACK THE GLORY!”