welcome to call to freedom with barbara carmack this is jimmy lakey and i’m delighted that you are joining us for this half hour you can reach call to freedom at box 370-367 denver colorado 80237 or by going to the website at www.freedomstreet.org If you want to leave a message or order a Word Power Daily Reading Bible Guide or a Freedom Street Express newsletter, you can call us toll free at 1-877-917-7256 and leave your name and address, including your zip code. If you want to talk to Barbara right now, she is expecting your call. You may call that same toll-free number, 1-877-917-7256 to speak to her. And now, let’s join Barbara in the studio.
SPEAKER 02 :
Welcome to Calda Freedom. It’s never a question of whether or not God will bless you. Oh, he loves to bless you. It’s a matter of having your faith stretched out enough, trusting Jesus to receive the awesome measure of goodness God wants to pour into your life. Oh, he’s such a good God. Later in the program, we’re going to talk about what a wonderful, comforting God he really is. Oh, I depend solely on him, friend. I really do. I know. I get in my little vehicle and I drive to the studio and I don’t, you know, groceries and all that stuff. And you may think, well, you do a lot on your own. Maybe you think I do. But every day at time, I’m in the car or… going grocery shopping or doing things I need to do, picking up mailers or paper. I’m asking God, God, is this enough? God, do you want me to pick this up? Father God, is this okay for you? And we’re talking. We’re always in a conversation and I’m so grateful. Because he listens. I love that phrase Darren used so many times. God hears and answers my prayers. So it’s not a question of whether God will bless you or not. It’s just a matter of having your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. I mean stretched out to the fullest to receive God’s awesome goodness. Praise the Lord. Oh, you are blessed to dispense for in him you live and move and have your being. And I just mailed some power packs out to California and to Colorado Springs. And you can get a power pack by calling 1-877-917-7256. And ask for either the acrylic binding. Yeah, right before the holidays, I’m just going to mail out stuff free. I know, I know it sounds really, really corny, but I’m just going to be mailing out stuff. I enjoy doing that. So I enjoy standing in line at the post office. So if you would like a power pack or a couple power packs, call me at 1-877-917-7256. Oh, Darren used to do that. I would come back from seeing Kimberly in Broken Arrow, and he had told people on the air, we’re going to give you 10 CDs for nothing, for free. We’re just going to mail it out to you. Just call us. I’d get back home, and we’d have fun. 75 to 100 to mail out. Oh, wow. What a challenge. What a challenge it was. So this week, before Kimberly gets on the air, and then I’m going to shut up. Before Kimberly gets on the air, we want to go through Ephesians 2, 8 through 10. Ephesians 2, 8 through 10. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this. It is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done. So none of us can boast about it, for we are God’s masterpiece. Friend, you’re God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Oh, doesn’t that sound great, Kimberly?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes, it does. We do lean on him. We look to him as our salvation and our grace. So when we need more grace, we are looking to him, and he is the one who gives the gift of salvation and gives the gift of grace.
SPEAKER 02 :
And that is part of his glory. He is the gift. Jesus is the gift.
SPEAKER 03 :
He is the gift. Yes. That’s right. He is the gift. Yes. We were talking yesterday about his glory and about being a friend in high places to us. And the fact that Jesus was constantly following his heavenly father and in conversation with him all the time. I love how you said that at the top of the hour here, that everywhere you go. You’re constantly asking the Lord, did I get enough here? Do I need more there? And even which direction, which route should I take? I know you to be that kind of person that just constantly talking with him. And you also. Yes. I am so blessed. Yes, I love that conversation. And I don’t want to live without him. So we know that Jesus was not just being led by his own common sense when he was here, because we all have common sense and we’re all taught a certain way to do life. But it’s not common sense that moved Jesus to continually break the Sabbath law and incite the Pharisees against him. You know, that was not common sense.
SPEAKER 04 :
Mm hmm.
SPEAKER 03 :
Because common sense would tell you, find a more peaceable way to do life. It was not common sense that led Jesus to create a whip and upset the whole system in the tabernacle, overturning the tables and driving animals out. That’s not common sense. Common sense would tell you, oh, don’t rock the boat.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes, it’s just like I heard when Jack Phillips was not baking a cake for same-sex marriages. And several people just emailed him and even came into the shop and said, Why don’t you just bake a cake? Just bake a cake. Yeah, it’s a peaceful ending. Does that make sense? Yeah, it makes sense, yes. And Jack says, no, I can’t. I can’t go against God. And it’s true, Kimberly. There are some things we just have to stand up against.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah. Well, when we are seeking the Lord, when we’re in conversation with him, we actually know when his heart is breaking. We know when there’s a line that’s been crossed and it breaks his heart. And when we have a best friend, or a mate that we’re just really close to, we don’t want to break their hearts. We don’t want to do that. Not on purpose. Sometimes we end up doing it, but hopefully it’s not purposeful. It’s not intentional. And so when we see that the Lord is guiding us a certain direction and we turn from Him and say, no, I don’t really like that idea. That’s heartbreaking.
SPEAKER 1 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 03 :
So we want to seek the Lord and his glory. And just looking into what exactly is his glory. I think we have associated his glory with something that’s tangible. That’s his power, miraculous abilities, but it’s not common sense. His glory is not common sense. It’s not any of our five human senses. That’s right. So, That’s where we want to really look and see, okay, how do I get to know you even better? And I’ve heard some define his glory as a tangible presence. There are some Jewish tradition and rabbinical texts that talk about Shekinah glory. They named it Shekinah because the root word is from Hebrew, Shekinah. which means to dwell or to reside. And this term, it highlights a permanent presence, a communion, a fellowship kind of presence with the Lord. And it’s not really written in our Bible, but the texts that describe God’s presence from Jewish tradition use that word Shekinah, Shekinah glory. So we hear about that kind of glory And maybe we would link it to the pillar of cloud by day, the fire by night that guided the Israelites through their exodus through the wilderness. And this divine manifestation is the direction that we want to follow. We want the glory of God to direct our steps and our movements and our decisions in our everyday life, just like you were talking about. Yes. But so if we’re talking about this tangible presence, then I do have some questions about Moses and his relationship with the Lord, because Moses was exposed to God’s presence on a daily basis. And talk about having a friend in high places that Moses had a friend in high places that he met with every day. Exodus 33, seven tells us that Moses used to take the tent and and pitch it outside the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And every time he would go out there, people would come to the door of their own tents and watch him go out because then they knew that the glory of God was going to come down. The cloud, the pillar of cloud that would guide them every day came to the tent when Moses entered the tent. It says that in verse nine of Exodus 33, whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent and the Lord would speak with Moses. Well, that sounds to me like Moses is seeing the glory of God every day. Yes. Well, the text goes on to describe this conversation that Moses is having with God. Right after this description of the pillar of cloud coming down, and they’re having this conversation, and Moses is asking God to remain with his people and lead them up out of this wilderness, out of this place that they’ve been camped at. And the Lord says that he will do this for Moses. They had to have this conversation because… The people had sinned, had created this golden idol and were worshiping the idol. And God had said, OK, this is it. I’ve had enough. These people are stubborn and I’m not I’m not going with them anymore. So Moses is having this conversation with God. They’re talking face to face. Face to face. What would that be like? Wow. Yeah. Yeah. And I don’t know how we will ever be able to define the glory of God in We’re in a really pivotal place, I think, politically in this country and this season. It is imperative that we seek the Lord and let him direct us during this time. Not common sense, not just old patterns, not just the way our families do it, but let God direct us. Second Chronicles 7, 14 says, This is a familiar passage. It’s so worth reading today. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven. I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. This promise from God was given to King Solomon in second chronicle seven here after he finished the temple he built for the lord what happened right before god gave this promise to solomon solomon was actually praying a prayer of dedication over this new sanctuary and his prayer is recorded in second chronicle six So this was part of God’s response to him in chapter seven. But in chapter six, let’s just listen to this transition. If we go to 2 Chronicles 6, 39, hear from heaven, this is Solomon praying to God, hear from heaven, from your dwelling place and forgive your people who have sinned against you. And verse 41, now, therefore, arise, O Lord God, to your resting place. Let your godly ones rejoice in what is good. O Lord God, do not turn away the face of your anointed. Remember your loving kindness. And that’s ending chapter six and we’re headed into chapter seven. Now, when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices and the glory of the Lord filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord because of the glory. The glory. And some describe that as the weight, the splendor. And it’s always in a good sense. It’s the glory of the Lord in goodness. The glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house and all the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the house. They bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground and they worshiped and gave praise to the Lord, saying, Truly, he is good. Yes. And that good is also defined as beautiful, best, bountiful, at ease, patient, gracious, kind, pleasant. This is what everybody witnessed when they saw the glory of the Lord fall. They witnessed his graciousness, his compassion, him being at ease, beautiful, pleasant, the best. And so they proclaimed it. They went to their faces and they said, truly, he is good. Truly, his loving kindness is everlasting.
SPEAKER 04 :
Mm hmm.
SPEAKER 03 :
I think some of us think of the glory of God as being something powerful, intimidating, something to be feared. And I mean, in our most common definition of fear, not just awe and wonder. But the Lord himself defines his own glory. I love this because if we go back to the conversation that Moses was having with the Lord in Exodus 33, we get to see God Himself define His own glory. This is so fun. Well, it’s fun because I haven’t really seen it before now. In Exodus 33, Moses continues talking to the Lord about coming with his people. And the Lord says to Moses in verse 17, I will do this thing of which you’ve spoken for. I’ve found favor. You, you have found favor in my sight and I have known you by name is what the Lord says. And then in verse 18, look at what Moses says. In verse 18, he says, I pray thee, show me thy glory.
SPEAKER 1 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 03 :
Okay, that’s the part that I just went, huh? Hasn’t he just been talking with the glory of God? Hasn’t he been meeting with the glory in this tent every day? Right here in verse 18, why would Moses say, I pray thee, show me thy glory, when he has been talking face to face with God all this time?
SPEAKER 02 :
But at intervals, Kimberly, and I think he’s asking God, I want you to be here all the time, Lord. I want to feel the weight of your presence. I want to feel it all the time, Father God. Oh, I can see Moses saying that. I don’t want to be without you one minute of the day. Yeah.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yes. I’m so glad you said that because that really is my heart cry. You know, when I am praying and meeting with the Lord and especially when my life gets just overwhelmingly full, which it did this past week, it was so full and I started to feel this headache coming on and I realized, oh, I’m not resting. I’m not even getting the kind of sleep that I normally get And I need you, Lord, I need you. And yesterday I had more on my plate. And you know what? I just went, cancel that, cancel that. I didn’t even go to my choir rehearsal and worship that I normally I like to gather with my choir family and worship with them. And that’s usually rest for me. And yesterday I knew I just needed Jesus. Just he and I alone.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes. In the physical, I can identify with this because last weekend I took the summer quilt and blankets off my bed and I put the comforter, which is heavy. I put it on the bed with some winter blankets. And Kimberly, I love the weightiness of those things that make me feel absolutely taken care of. And, you know, it’s just a weightier thing in my bed. It’s weighty. It’s weighty. Yeah, it’s weighty. W-E-I-G-H-T-Y. It’s Wendy. And I just appreciate that so much. I don’t need the cotton sheets anymore. I need the flannel sheets to be around me so that I can feel good. And I’m sure that’s what Moses wanted to feel, the goodness of God at all times. And we just kind of, we kind of in America, turn off and turn on and turn off and turn on at our leisure. And God wants us to be continually with him. Yeah.
SPEAKER 03 :
That’s so good. Yes. And that is the glory of the Lord, is His goodness that is weighty. It’s full of weight. It’s full of splendor. It’s something so tangible. And when we tap into that glory of the Lord, we don’t want to leave His presence. So I like how you’re seeing Moses say, I pray thee, show me thy glory. Let me stay in thy glory. Let me be with you in your glory. And God responds to Moses in verse 19. And he said, I myself will make all my goodness pass before you. We really need to see this. Because Moses was asking to see his glory and God responds and says, I will make all my goodness pass before you. Goodness and glory, glory and goodness. They’re going hand in hand right here in this conversation. And so God’s not saying, I’m going to show you my power like I’ve never shown any human being. That’s not what he said to Moses. He said, I will make all my goodness pass before you. And I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. And I will show compassion on whom I will show compassion. Yes. That is how the Lord himself is describing his own glory. It is goodness, graciousness, and compassion.
SPEAKER 04 :
Hmm.
SPEAKER 03 :
And when we’re tapping into His glory and seeing His glory, we want more of that in our own lives. We want to bear that image to other people and to our communities around us. And that is my prayer, that more and more of us would see the goodness of God and be so that it would be contagious, that we would be so moved by his goodness. We would want it flowing through us to others and that others would would experience and discover the goodness of God, the glory of God. Yes. God defines his glory as God. ultimate goodness that is so beautiful and bountiful and kind and gracious that we humans are left in total and complete awe and wonder yes oh praise god yes in exodus 34 verses 6 and 7 so this is this is only a few verses after this conversation in exodus 33. So Moses is meeting with the Lord and the Lord in verse five of Exodus 34, the Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him, with Moses, as he called upon the name of the Lord. And then the Lord passed by in front of him. and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness and truth, who keeps loving kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin. That is the Lord’s description of himself and his glory. Yes. That’s how he is described. actually giving Moses, answering Moses’ plea for, I pray, show me your glory. And this is how he answers. By telling him, I’m compassionate. I’m gracious. I’m slow to anger. I’m abounding in loving kindness. Loving kindness for thousands. Forgiving kindness. Sin, forgiving iniquity and transgression.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yes. And then in verse 9 of that same chapter, Exodus 34. And Moses made haste and he bowed down. And this is what he said. If now I have found favor in thy side, O Lord, I pray let the Lord go along in our midst. See, Moses knew that the people were obstinate, they were stubborn, they were complaining. He wanted God to just go along with them, just like Jesus is going along with us right now, along in our midst, even though the people are obstinate and pardon them.
SPEAKER 03 :
So, okay, I don’t want to skip in verse 7 because we didn’t finish verse 7. It’s it’s the Lord who’s saying that he will keep loving kindness for thousands who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin. Yet he will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations. I just didn’t want to skip that because God is not going to allow wickedness into his kingdom of heaven. And when we pray that he would have his will be done on earth as it is in heaven, that means that we will not have the wickedness, the transgression, the sin following us. Yeah. And he does not want that following us. He wants purity. He wants holiness. So this is where Moses made haste and bowed down to the earth and worshipped. And he said, if I found favor in thy sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though. We are so obstinate. And do, please do pardon our iniquity and our sin. Here’s Moses praying. I know that you cannot allow wickedness, but please pardon us. Please cover us and take us as thine own possession. And the Lord said, behold, I’m going to make a covenant with you and I will perform miracles which have not been produced in all the earth. nor among any of the nations.” This is actually going to be a continuation of what happens when he sends Jesus. because Jesus is truly the covenant keeper. The covenant that he first made with his people was a bunch of rules on tablets and those got shattered. And the shattering of those tablets was a prophetic sign that those rules will never be the way that we get to heaven. He sent his only son to die for us and pay the price and cover our iniquity and pardon us so that we would have a way. That’s right. We’re just going to have to talk more about that goodness because there’s a lot more to go with that.
SPEAKER 02 :
That’s right. And then Jesus said, I’m going away, but a comforter is going to come. That word for helper and comforter is coming alongside. So he was promising us today. that you will have one who is with you in your midst all the time. Recognize him. And I want to say to you who are listening, recognize Holy Spirit, because Jesus, who died for your sins and was resurrected, has promised that the Holy Spirit will live in you and be one with you. Praise God. That’s so good.
SPEAKER 03 :
If you got something good out of this today, make sure that you go to freedomstreet.org. and you can just listen to this radio program again under radio or if you would like to read through some of the blogs we also have a section on that website for donations and we do appreciate you listeners so much we’re getting so many prayer requests and we love to be in prayer with you in agreement with you knowing that the glory of god will fill your lives and bring you answers He is so good.
SPEAKER 02 :
He is. Well, my friends, take joy.
SPEAKER 01 :
Thank you for listening to Call to Freedom with Barbara Carmack. You may get in touch with Barbara at Call to Freedom, Box 370-367, Denver, Colorado, 80237. Or you may leave your message at 1-877-917-7256. Call to Freedom is a listener-supported radio ministry. Barbara and her power partners invite you to come on board with us and become a network of hands holding up Call to Freedom ministry. Power partners support Call to Freedom with prayer and monthly financial support. You will be blessed supernaturally. We invite you to visit Call to Freedom’s website, www.freedomstreet.org, where you can hear Barbara’s daily radio broadcast 24 hours a day or order materials. You may share your praise reports and heart cries by mailing them to Call to Freedom, Box 370-367, Denver, Colorado, 80237. Or you may email us at barbracarmack at freedomstreet.org. Until next time, remember, Jesus loves you, Barbara loves you, and take joy.
