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Going from Grave Clothes and Delayed Promises to Freedom in a Resurrected Life
Have you ever found yourself wrapped up in something or battling something, where you almost felt dead, immovable, and incapable of worship, freedom or maybe even living?
If not, maybe you have found yourself waiting, waiting and waiting on a promise that God has given you that seems like it will never happen. You know God is capable but you question why He delays…as you wait, you feel your hope, faith and trust is dying.
If so, then God has a word for you today. He wants to show you how you can go from Grave Clothes and Delayed Promises to Freedom in a Resurrected Life!!!
Today we are going to chat a little bit about a story in the Bible you have probably heard of.
It is my prayer today to open up the Word of God to you in such a way that you will embrace Christ and live in His FREEDOM!!!
Turn in your Bibles to John 11:1-44.
Instead of reading 44 scriptures to you today, let me just give you a brief synopsis of the story.
Story Summary:
v. 1 - Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha, were friends of Jesus.
v. 3 - When Lazarus fell ill, his sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."
v. 4 - When Jesus heard the news, he waited two more days before going to Lazarus' hometown of Bethany. Jesus knew that he would do a great miracle for God's glory and, therefore, he was not in a hurry.
v. 17 - When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had already been dead and in the tomb for four days.
v. 20 - When Martha discovered that Jesus was on his way, she went out to meet him.
v. 21 - "Lord," she said, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
v. 23 - Jesus told Martha, "Your brother will rise again."
v. 24 - But Martha thought he was talking about the final resurrection of the dead.
v. 25/26 - Then Jesus said these important words: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die."
v. 28 - Martha then went and told Mary that Jesus wanted to see her.
v. 30 - Jesus had not yet entered the village, most likely to avoid stirring up the crowd and calling attention to himself. The town of Bethany was not far from Jerusalem where the Jewish leaders were plotting against Jesus.
v. 32 - When Mary met Jesus she was grieving with strong emotion over her brother's death. The Jews with her were also weeping and mourning.
v. 35 - Deeply moved by their grief, Jesus wept with them.
v. 38 - Jesus then went to the tomb of Lazarus with Mary, Martha and the rest of the mourners. There he asked them to remove the stone that covered the hillside burial place.
v. 41-43 - Jesus looked up to heaven and prayed to his Father, closing with these words: "Lazarus, come out!"
v. 44 - When Lazarus came out of the tomb, Jesus told the people to remove his grave clothes.
There are three points in this story that I want to point out to you today that I feel each one of us relate to in some shape, form or fashion.
• Don’t you wish you could instantly solve all your personal problems?
• If you are a believer and still have problems, is something wrong?
• Are all of our ‘issues’ resolved instantly when we are saved or baptized?
• Are there issues that could be hanging on that we need to deal with after we have been born-again?
Read v.43 – 44 (NASB) – “43When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth." 44The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."
I. ‘Take off the grave clothes…’
A. When we are born-again and accept Jesus, we become clean in the Father’s sight. When the Father sees us, He sees Jesus!
B. However, all of us still have some grave clothes on.
1. There is still evidence that we once lived a ‘dead life’ – a life that was part of the world, rather than the kingdom of God.
2. What do you and I need to lay down?
3. What grave clothes do we continue to wear?
a. Religion, Failure, Depression, Debt, Fear, Low Self-Esteem, Regret, Sexual Sin, Disobedience, etc.
C. We wonder why we struggle at times, why we don’t worship freely, why we aren’t blessed and trust God without limit… How can I freely worship Him and love Him without limits, if I am bound and struggle to move?
1. We cannot share these spiritual privileges, if we retain the love of sin in our hearts and keep wearing our Grave Clothes.
D. It is time to rip off those Grave Clothes. Nothing from our dead lives is worth keeping us from living in our Resurrected Life!
Some of you may say – ‘Well, I’m not struggling in the bondage of my grave clothes’ but you dwell in disappointment because you have not received the promises that you’ve hoped for.
II. You ‘see’ Delayed Promises:
A. You have waited and waited for that new job, that son to come to Christ, healing, ministry opportunity or even a new church building…so you live in that prayer doubting stage – where you pray, but your mind is swarmed with ‘if onlys’.
1. If only I had gotten that job and not her, if only this would happen or that would happen now.
a. In verse 21 and 32 – Mary and Martha expressed their ‘if onlys’ – if only you were here Jesus, our brother wouldn’t have died.
2. It is interesting to read that in verse 5 & 6 it says that Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. SO when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.
B. Jesus responds to our ‘if onlys’ by saying that He’s glad (v. 15) it doesn’t always work out the way WE plan, because now He will be glorified in a greater way.
1. When you are believing God for His promises – you must believe that He can do what He says He can do.
2. Believe it or not, Jesus knows what lies ahead for you. He is not surprised by circumstances or your future.
a. v. 4 - Jesus knew that He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead.
b. Even though it may seem that God delays, that He isn’t listening or responding…trust that He IS and He knows the greater plan that He has for you.
3. It would have been a good miracle for Jesus to have come and healed Lazarus before He died…but He had a greater plan.
a. He would raise Him from the dead and show that He has ALL power over life and death.
4. Now, you choose – good or great?
a. WE could rush God (like Sarah and Abraham) and create a good plan or we can trust God and wait for His Great Plan.
5. v. 37 - Even when others are saying “could not have Christ answered you by now”…you need remember that what appears as a delay to us is the orchestration of God…for what seems dead to us, is ALIVE IN CHRIST!
V. 39 (NASB) – “Jesus said, "Remove the stone." Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days."
III. The church plays a role.
A. Jesus did not remove the stone. He asked the people around the tomb to remove the stone.
1. An important part of our spiritual life and as the church is helping non-believers remove the stone from their grave!
a. God calls us to pray for them and love them in ways that will remove the barriers between them and Jesus!
2. We can remove the stone for people but we cannot bring them to life!
a. Eph. 2:1, 4-5 (NLT) – “1Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 4But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)”
b. Jesus calls us to life through His grace.
c. According to 2 Cor. 5:17, this involves a ‘spiritual creation’ therefore can only be accomplished by the Creator!
B. John 11:44 (NASB) – “…Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."
1. Even when we have the grave clothes removed, we still need to be let go.
2. Sometimes there are things in our life that we need others to help us to be free.
a. Church, we need to be there to pray with them and help others to be let go from those past things that bind them.
3. I’m sure Lazarus did not smell too lovely…he had been dead for four days! Sometimes church, you are going to have to reach out and touch the stinky, get out of your comfort zone and be Jesus with skin on to others…help let them go!
Closing:
• When you have removed your Grave Clothes, when you have embraced God to see what is Alive in Him and not delayed…then you experience Freedom and Christ in such a way that not only do you tell your story but it is just simply known.
• The fact that Lazarus was alive spread all over and as a result of this incredible miracle, many people put their faith in Jesus.
Psalms 66:19 (NASB) – “But certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.”
• We should declare what He has done for our souls, and how He has heard and answered our prayers, inviting others to join us in prayer and praise.
• Christ alone raises us from our spiritual death and gives us life and life abundantly…which is why we must remove the grave clothes, believe in His promises and help others become ‘let go’.
• So, rip off those Grave Clothes, confirm in your heart that what may seem dead to us IS ALIVE in Christ! Live in FREEDOM in the Resurrected Life.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Going from Grave Clothes and Delayed Promises to Freedom in a Resurrected Life - Cheri Osberg
Sunday, November 18, 2007
His Name is - Cheri Osberg
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His Name Is
It really makes a difference when you know someone’s name. It is hard to feel that you have a relationship with someone if you don’t know there name. Have you ever been in a situation where you should know someone’s name, but for the life in you – you can’t remember it?
How many of you parents remember deciding on the names of your children? Should they be named after a parent/family member, my favorite soap opera, baseball player; should there name be different or a popular name, just spelled weird, etc? You probably remember ready books of baby names…like these examples, ‘The Book of Names’ or ‘Name that Baby’…
I know in today’s society a name is just a name – but truly…names do mean something. They correspond directly to the one designated by that name
For example – let’s look up a few of your names:
Jamie means “Following After the Lord” or “Follower of Christ”
Eph. 5:1-2 = “Therefore be followers of God, ….walk in love, as Christ also hath loves us, and hath given himself for us.”
Justin means “One of Justice” or “One Who is Just and Fair”
Proverbs 21:3 = “To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”
Glenda means “A Quiet Spirit” or “Holy and good”
Psalm 23:2 = “He maketh me lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters”
Christopher or Chris means “Steadfast for Christ”
1 Cor. 15:58 = “Be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.”
Connie means “Loyal One” or “Constant; Steadfast”
Psalm 34:1 = “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Jason means “The Healing One” or “The Healer”
Isaiah 61:1 = “The Spirit of…God is upon me;…[and] hath anointed me to preach…to heal the brokenhearted.”
Knowing a person’s name adds closeness to the relationship, knowing what their name means…describes who they are.
We also give circumstances in our lives a name like – cancer, debt, betrayal, abuse, addictions, etc…but don’t we know there is a name more powerful than these? We ‘know about’ this name BUT do we KNOW this name?
Hello, His Name Is…
Read Exodus 3:1-12 (NASB)
The Israelites where in captivity and Moses was shepherding his father-in-law’s flock and when he say a burning bush and turned aside – God spoke to him. Moses knew God as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob…but when God told him what he wanted him to do…to go lead the Israelites out of captivity…Moses knew that he need to know more. He knew that for the people to believe him, follow him and trust him…he must know who was sending him…not about his name, but know him!!!
Read Exodus 3:13-14 (NASB)
1. “I AM” in this passage means, Yahweh / Jehovah – “The Lord’.
The Jewish scribes who copied the manuscripts of the Bible felt that Yahweh was such a holy name that they did not even pronounce it. They wrote it without the vowels because it was never spoken aloud (yhwh).
Church, we must get to know the ‘I AM’ – meaning the God who always has been and who always will be! In the Burning Bush, God said that He was the ‘I AM’ not the ‘I am supposed to be’ or ‘some people think I am’.
John 1:1-2 (NASB) – “1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God.”
Jesus Christ is Yahweh, the God who ‘is’ from endless time before and beyond all time to come.
Hebrews 13:8 (NASB) – “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Many people worship other gods today, living in a NOW society (microwave, TV, Internet, Fast Food mentality) – which is why some have trouble following an eternal God; and unchanging God; an everlasting covenant God, a lifelong commitment God. He is from Everlasting to everlasting (Ps. 90:2).
Know ‘His Name Is’…I AM, Yahweh / Jehovah….THE LORD!!!
Read Genesis 17:1-6 (NASB)
Here is a story where God makes a promise to Abraham, that he will be a father to many nations … you may think that’s not a big deal…but remember, Abraham and Sarah are barren, 90 and 99 years old and thinking that they would never have children.
2. This is where we learn another name of God – ‘His Name Is…El-Shaddai, The Almighty God’
Abraham needed to know God in this way because what He was promising seemed impossible.
El-Shaddai in the Hebrew, emphasizes God’s ability to handle any situation that confronts His people. God was saying here that there was no reason to feel discouraged and defeated, Abram just needed to remember that El-Shaddai would take care of him. The almighty God would not let his mission fail.
Another name to know the meaning of is Satan – it means ‘the Accuser’. Satan, the Accuser…is concerned with your mind. He knows that if he can defeat your thoughts, he’ll defeat your faith.
We learn from Abraham that if we concentrate on our weaknesses, rather than on the might of God, we set a limit on what God can do through us.
You are only as weak as you confess to me. The more you confess God’s power, the more He can do for you!
Gen. 17:1 – When God says, “Be thou blameless,” He means we should live a godly life before Him. We can’t simply choose to sin against God and try to excuse ourselves by saying, ‘I’m only human.’
If you have asked Jesus Christ into your life to be your Lord and Savior, you’re a child of God the Almighty! You are in union with Jesus Christ!
Remind yourself that ‘His Name Is, El-Shaddai, God the Almighty’ – He can handle any problem that faces you today. Know Him and be ready for God to do some marvelous things in your life and in the lives of your children.
Let’s pick up on the story of Abraham, but now he has the promised son – but we see that God will test him.
Read Genesis 22:1-14
3. Here we have another name of God revealed – ‘His Name is…Jehovah-Jireh, The Lord Will Provide’
Can you imagine you and your dad walking up the mountain to make a sacrifice and all he is carrying is some rope, a knife and maybe some wood – I can just see Jay Butts and Hunter…
To do this, Abraham had to know that God is the Provider, Jehovah-Jireh … for He had promised to make him the father of many nations and now he is asking him to sacrifice his own son.
Think about Jacob, he asked his dad – “Dad, where is the sacrifice?” and Abraham said in v. 8 – that God would provide Himself the lamb.
I can imaging Jacob and Abraham, as Jacob allows his dad to bind him with the rope, as he crawls up on the altar and Abraham, as he raises up the knife --- I can almost hear their unison of worship… “Jehovah-Jireh, our Provider…Jehovah-Jireh, our Provider…The Lord who Provides!!!
God did provide and just as He did for Abraham and Jacob – God has done for you and me! He provided the Lamb of God, His Son to be the sacrifice for our sins! He is Jehovah-Jireh, our Provider.
Read 2 Cor. 9:8-11 (TM) – “God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you're ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it, He throws caution to the winds, giving to the needy in reckless abandon. His right-living, right-giving ways never run out, never wear out. This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.”
Jehovah-Jireh, The Lord Will Provide will make sure that:
A. You have a message to share
B. He Provides for your physical needs
C. He will bring fruit from the seed that you sow
D. He promises not only to multiply the fruit of your witnessing, but the fruit of your very way of living.
His Name Is, Jehovah-Jireh: The Lord will provide!
Read Exodus 15:20-26 (NASB)
Here we pick up on the story of Moses – just after he has lead the Israelites out of Egypt and Pharaoh’s army was cast in to the sea.
They begin their travel and come to a place where they need water. So, they forget who God was…that just three days ago He parted the Red Sea, gave them deliverance from their enemies and set them free from their bondage – but now they’re thirsty…is God big enough to take care of that need? Not only are they thirsty but from what God says, they are obviously worried about getting the plagues like the Egyptians and the water that they have is contaminated and not healthy to drink.
4. So, here we find out that ‘His Name is…Jehovah-Rophe, The Lord is My Healer’
See God showed the Israelites that He made their bodies, and He is able to heal them and keep them healthy but His promise came with a requirement, a condition that the Israelites had to meet if they wanted Him to heal them. (v. 25-26)
Always remember, God knows what He is doing. It may seem crazy to you at the time or like a test, but God is Jehovah-Rophe, The Lord our Healer!
In 2 Kings 5 – there is a captain (Naaman) of the army of the King of Aram who was a great warrior but was also a leper. So, they heard about the prophet of Israel, Elisha and King Aram sent a letter, some money and Naaman to the King of Israel hoping that he could be cured. The King of Israel doesn’t know what to do, so Elisha steps in.
Read 2 Kings 5:9-14 (NASB) – Naaman, obeyed the Man of God – even though it seemed silly – and He met Jehovah-Rophe there…The Lord our Healer
Another story:
Read John 9:1-7 (NASB) – The man born was born blind and Jesus spits on clay to make mud and puts it on the man's eyes. Tells him to wash it off – he allows Jesus to do this, he obeys and he is healed. Jehovah-Rophe.
Just like Paul in 2 Cor. 12:7-9 (NASB) – we may not fully understand what God is doing, how it could be to our benefit or how God can be glorified, but He is.
One of my favorite quotes from the Movie – ‘Evan Almighty’ is where God is in the restaurant talking to the wife and he says:
“If someone prays for patience, God can give them an opportunity to be patient. If they pray for courage, God can give them an opportunity to be courageous. If they pray for a family to be close, should God give them warm, fuzzy feelings or give them an opportunity to love each other?”
God wants His people to be healthy – spiritually and physically. So sometimes He is healing (perfecting) our spiritual lives first. He wants His ailing people to be healed.
Isaiah 53:5 (NASB) – “But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.”
John 3:14-15 (NASB) – The Israelites were to look at the brass serpent and receive healing; we are to look unto Christ and receive healing. All of our healing – physical or spiritual – comes from the Lord.
His Name is…Jehovah- Rophe, The Lord Our Healer!
There are many more names of God and I have listed some of His names on a sheet at the information desk to help you learn more about His Name.
When you KNOW Him – you are intimate with Him and when situations comes…just like He did for Moses and Abraham – He is letting Himself be know.
He will be Yahweh, Jehovah the Lord – the great I AM…who was, who is and who is to come!
We have a choice…
• Either pain is your god, or God is your God, Jehovah- Rophe – The Lord Your Healer.
• Either circumstances are your god, or God is your God, Jehovah-Jireh – The Lord Will Provide.
• Is the Accuser in control or is God in Control, El- Shaddai – The Almighty God?
Which is it? You must decide!
His Name is…
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Does Your Shoulder Lean - Cheri Osberg
Does Your Shoulder Lean?
Ask your neighbor… “Does Your Shoulder Lean?”
I had this question asked to me when listening to a sermon by Chris Hill and I wasn’t sure how to answer it at first…but when we read 2 Samuel 6:1-14… since then my daily motivation is…”Does My Shoulder Lean?”
When Pastor asked me to teach tonight – this immediately came to my mind and I haven’t been able to shack it since.
To give you a little back story…
-Many Chapters ago in 1 Samuel – the Ark of God had been stolen by the Philistines.
-David has been anointed King and decided he wanted the Ark of God back.
Read: 2 Samuel 6:1 & 2 (NIV) – “1David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all. 2He and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark.”
To understand why it was so important to David to have the Ark of God back in Jerusalem…we have to understand what the Ark of God represented.
WHAT THE ARK MEANT TO GOD'S PEOPLE: (Show Picture of the Ark)
• The ark became the focus of God's presence among his people - God would regularly appear in a cloud of glory on the mercy seat of the ark.
Ex. 25:22 (NLT) - I will meet with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant. From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel.
• A person who came before the ark was entering into God's presence.
Lev. 16:2 (NLT) - The Lord said to Moses, “Warn your brother, Aaron, not to enter the Most Holy Place behind the inner curtain whenever he chooses; if he does, he will die. For the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—is there, and I myself am present in the cloud above the atonement cover.
• The imagery of the ark expressed the people's longing to feel safe in God's protecting arms: "... under his wings you will find refuge"
Ps. 91:4(NLT) - He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
• The ark provided evidence that the Holy God of Abraham was a protecting, forgiving presence in the lives of his people.
• The ark also gave assurance that the Lord was sovereign over all things.
• The people saw the box as God's footstool
1 Chron. 28:2(NLT) - David rose to his feet and said: “My brothers and my people! It was my desire to build a temple where the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, God’s footstool, could rest permanently. I made the necessary preparations for building it.
• What was there to fear when God was on his throne attended by the cherubim?
Ps. 99:1 (NLT) - The Lord is king! Let the nations tremble! He sits on his throne between the cherubim. Let the whole earth quake!
David was passionate about getting the Ark of God back to Jerusalem.
He knew the importance of being in God’s presence. There is nothing he long for more.
He was so hungry for the presence of God that he made 30,000 people hunger for God, also.
Read: 2 Samuel 6:1 & 2 (NIV) – “1David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all. 2He and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark.”
David’s passion for God and God’s presence was contagious. 30,000 people were willing to lay down their lives to get to the Presence of God that David longed for.
Who are you infecting?
• If we prioritize the presence of God in our lives, we will affect more than we will destroy and our family, friends, nation, generation will be changed.
• Prayer and Fasting helps me prioritize God in my life. I want God’s presences in my life more than anything, submitting my fleshly needs (or wants) to go help me focus on Him, check my motivation for the days design…
• It is easy for me to focus on myself, what I want, what I am doing…me, me, me…but in the Presence of God – all the “I”s in me diminish and I focus more on God and others. Does this passion for God I have infect anyone else?
Read: 2 Samuel 6:3-7 (NIV) – 3They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart 4with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. 5David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals.
6When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. 7The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God.
God had given the Israelites many rules concerning the Ark of the Covenant.
• It was to be kept in the Most Holy Place in the temple, hidden from view by a curtain
-Ex 26:33 (NLT) - Hang the inner curtain from clasps, and put the Ark of the Covenant in the room behind it. This curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.
• Only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and then only after he had undergone ceremonial cleansing, made sacrifices to atone for his sins and the nation's sins, and burned incense to conceal the atonement cover (Lev 16).
• When the ark was moved, it was covered with at least 3 layers of cloth by the priests to protect others from seeing it
-Num 4:5-6, 15, 18-20 (NLT) - 5When the camp moves, Aaron and his sons must enter the Tabernacle first to take down the inner curtain and cover the Ark of the Covenant with it. 6Then they must cover the inner curtain with fine goatskin leather and spread over that a single piece of blue cloth. 15The camp will be ready to move when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the sacred articles. The Kohathites will come and carry these things to the next destination. But they must not touch the sacred objects, or they will die. So these are the things from the Tabernacle that the Kohathites must carry. 18Do not let the Kohathite clans be destroyed from among the Levites! 19This is what you must do so they will live and not die when they approach the most sacred objects. Aaron and his sons must always go in with them and assign a specific duty or load to each person. 20The Kohathites must never enter the sanctuary to look at the sacred objects for even a moment, or they will die.”
• Finally, they must put the carrying poles of the Ark in place; the priests/Levites carried it and everyone else had to stay about a thousand yards away
-Ex 25:14-15 (NLT) - 14Insert the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it. 15These carrying poles must stay inside the rings; never remove them.
-Josh 3:4 (NLT) - Since you have never traveled this way before, they will guide you. Stay about a half mile behind them, keeping a clear distance between you and the Ark. Make sure you don’t come any closer.”
• These laws enforced the concept of God's holiness: sinful people couldn't be in his presence, not even the high priest.
Hence, when Uzzah touched the ark, he was profaning it and disobeying God; he should have grabbed the poles used for carrying the ark instead, for that was their purpose.
When Uzzah died David was mad and became afraid
Read: 2 Samuel 6:8-11 (NIV) - 8Then David was angry because the LORD's wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.
9David was afraid of the LORD that day and said, "How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?" 10He was not willing to take the ark of the LORD to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 11The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed him and his entire household.
In pursuit of the presence of God you will have to step over some dead things.
• Don’t be delayed by fear.
• David hears about the blessings on the house of Obed-Edom because of the Ark being there and he his passion for the presence of God was renewed. He wanted the blessing; he wanted the presence of God.
Read: 2 Samuel 6:12-14 (NIV) - 12 Now King David was told, "The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God." So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might.
David had to go back and carry the Ark of the Covenant the right way.
The ark shouldn't have been on a cart, but should have been carried on people's shoulders.
• 1 Chr 15:15 (NLT) - Then the Levites carried the Ark of God on their shoulders with its carrying poles, just as the Lord had instructed Moses.
God is looking for somebody who ways… “I will be the one who will carry the presence of God.”
• Will you be a carrier?
• Does your Shoulder lean?
Man was created to carry the ark – is there a weight on you – the weight of Glory that causes you to go in a certain way?
The presence of God that causes your shoulder to lean?
