Christian Life Church
June 23, 2024 at 8:30am & 10:00am
The result of waiting in The Lord’s Presence: “Yet I will wait patiently for the Day of Calamity to come upon the Nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in The Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior. Habakkuk
Locations & Times
Christian Life Church Columbia
2700 Bush River Rd, Columbia, SC 29210, USA
Sunday 8:00 AM
Beholding The Face Of The Lord 6/23/2024
2 Corinthians 3:17- 4:1 ESV Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 4:1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.
I. This is a ministry that is available to all of us – not just “prayer warriors.”
A. “But we all” / “Since we have this ministry”
B. Understand “core” and “calling.”
C. This ministry (service) is described as “Beholding the Glory of The Lord.”
1. Spend time in His Presence.
2. Spiritually gaze upon The Face of Christ.
3. Look upon Him in focused worship.
The Result: Transformation
II. “Behold”
A. The idea of a fixed gaze
B. The idea is not a reflection but of transformation.
III. It is from this place of beholding the Glory of God that all have ministry and service is born.
And he appointed twelve (whom He also named apostles) so that they might be with Him and he might send them out to preach and to heal the sick and have authority to cast out demons. [Mark 3:14-15]
A. People would not be saved by any type of works.
“On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:22-23
B. The problem is thinking works are the “evidence.”
1. Samuel rebuked Saul for a legitimate sacrifice.
2. Cain’s offering was rejected.
3. The Rich Young Ruler was told he had missed the point.
IV. We learn more about “surrender” and less about “striving.”
A. There is a place of surrender.
B. There is a price of surrender.
C. There is a peace of surrender.
Striving yields to surrender: “Not my will, but Yours be done.”
V. We must remember that even this great treasure resides in earthen vessels.
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 4:6-10 ESV
A. It is His strength; not our own.
B. His strength is made perfect in our weakness.
C. His strength is what makes it possible to go through devastating trials and not be crushed.
VI. Whatever you are feeding on changes you inwardly.
A. “What you feed grows; what you starve dies.” V.C. Miller
B. “Whatever captivates your heart, whatever your eyes are fixed upon, the thing that you most yearn for, that will shape your character. That is what you will become.”
David Wilkerson
· What has been hidden will be seen clearly.
1. Without shame or without fear
2. Blinded – or eyes opened
Christian Life Lessons
1. All of us are called to Christ’s Presence.
2. There “remains a rest for the children of God.” “Surrender, not striving”
3. Don’t be overwhelmed when you experience “God-orchestrated failures.”
A. Elijah experienced the failure of previously held expectations and experiences. All in order to teach him about the “quiet, calm voice.”
B. Beholding the face of God will begin to look different to us.
Step One – Calming
Step Two – Worship and adoration
o Worship – who he is
o Praise – what he had done
o May be expressed as music or declaration or wonder
Step Three – Soaking
#1 Wiggling (the struggle to settle)
#2 Arguing (the things we want to express)
#3 Tweaking (gaining clarity, form and purpose – see Thorn in the Flesh by RT Kendall)
#4 Understanding (see/gain: perception, perspective, purpose)
#5 Cooperation (This is when we rest, and anointing is free to flow. Jesus: “Weary?” Take my yoke.)
Habakkuk’s Journey
1. How long?
2. You aren’t doing anything.
3. The Law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails.
4. The people you are using to judge us are far worse than we are.
The result of waiting in The Lord’s Presence: “Yet I will wait patiently for the Day of Calamity to come upon the Nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in The Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior. Habakkuk
2 Corinthians 3:17- 4:1 ESV Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 4:1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.
I. This is a ministry that is available to all of us – not just “prayer warriors.”
A. “But we all” / “Since we have this ministry”
B. Understand “core” and “calling.”
C. This ministry (service) is described as “Beholding the Glory of The Lord.”
1. Spend time in His Presence.
2. Spiritually gaze upon The Face of Christ.
3. Look upon Him in focused worship.
The Result: Transformation
II. “Behold”
A. The idea of a fixed gaze
B. The idea is not a reflection but of transformation.
III. It is from this place of beholding the Glory of God that all have ministry and service is born.
And he appointed twelve (whom He also named apostles) so that they might be with Him and he might send them out to preach and to heal the sick and have authority to cast out demons. [Mark 3:14-15]
A. People would not be saved by any type of works.
“On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:22-23
B. The problem is thinking works are the “evidence.”
1. Samuel rebuked Saul for a legitimate sacrifice.
2. Cain’s offering was rejected.
3. The Rich Young Ruler was told he had missed the point.
IV. We learn more about “surrender” and less about “striving.”
A. There is a place of surrender.
B. There is a price of surrender.
C. There is a peace of surrender.
Striving yields to surrender: “Not my will, but Yours be done.”
V. We must remember that even this great treasure resides in earthen vessels.
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 4:6-10 ESV
A. It is His strength; not our own.
B. His strength is made perfect in our weakness.
C. His strength is what makes it possible to go through devastating trials and not be crushed.
VI. Whatever you are feeding on changes you inwardly.
A. “What you feed grows; what you starve dies.” V.C. Miller
B. “Whatever captivates your heart, whatever your eyes are fixed upon, the thing that you most yearn for, that will shape your character. That is what you will become.”
David Wilkerson
· What has been hidden will be seen clearly.
1. Without shame or without fear
2. Blinded – or eyes opened
Christian Life Lessons
1. All of us are called to Christ’s Presence.
2. There “remains a rest for the children of God.” “Surrender, not striving”
3. Don’t be overwhelmed when you experience “God-orchestrated failures.”
A. Elijah experienced the failure of previously held expectations and experiences. All in order to teach him about the “quiet, calm voice.”
B. Beholding the face of God will begin to look different to us.
Step One – Calming
Step Two – Worship and adoration
o Worship – who he is
o Praise – what he had done
o May be expressed as music or declaration or wonder
Step Three – Soaking
#1 Wiggling (the struggle to settle)
#2 Arguing (the things we want to express)
#3 Tweaking (gaining clarity, form and purpose – see Thorn in the Flesh by RT Kendall)
#4 Understanding (see/gain: perception, perspective, purpose)
#5 Cooperation (This is when we rest, and anointing is free to flow. Jesus: “Weary?” Take my yoke.)
Habakkuk’s Journey
1. How long?
2. You aren’t doing anything.
3. The Law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails.
4. The people you are using to judge us are far worse than we are.
The result of waiting in The Lord’s Presence: “Yet I will wait patiently for the Day of Calamity to come upon the Nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in The Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior. Habakkuk