From the Gutter to Glory

Last night went great at Joy Community Church! Here is the sermon in rough format for your free viewing pleasure!!!

Horizons Church
Tell the World


FROM THE GUTTER TO GLORY
7/23/08

INTRO
· How many want to see the Glory?
· Glory=manifested, tangible presence of God
· The road to Glory is not paved with good fortune, or the accolades of men
· It comes through sacrifice, hard work, blood, sweat, and tears.
· Ex: movie Replacements-keanue Reeves- quarterback, last few moments of the game and he is inspiring his team in the huddle…
Pain Heals, chics dig scars, but Glory lasts forever
· Glory can also represent moments of accomplishments, high moments, reward for your work and diligence, a job you have landed, or maybe one of your kids received certain honors
· When you have worked really hard at something and spent a lot of time and money invested into a project or organization it becomes very difficult to walk away from what you have committed yourself too.

Obj
· I want to help you identify the seasons that some of you may in, and encourage you to continue doing the right thing, even though it may be difficult
· No sacrifice is too great to have the Glory of God rest on you
· From the gutter to glory

Premise
When we begin to sacrifice our desires for the one who created our will, then God increases in our lives

Body
· Whenever you begin to talk about sacrifice and giving up in a church setting like this people immediately begin to think, ok what do I have to give up…
· I can’t pet the dog for a week, or listen to my favorite radio station, nothing to do with that
· We think we have to give up stuff…………….but it’s not about what you’re giving up but what you’re running too!
· *when the desire of the one your running too becomes greater than what you are leaving behind, than you know you are in hot pursuit.

Ex: when I come home from work the kids run up to me and want some love-they pursue what they want.
Ex: when I met Ashley I pursued her, I chased her until she caught me and put a rock on her finger,
The sacrifice was selling my mustang gt conv.

Many people sacrificed to get to Jesus
1. Paralyzed man had his 2 friends lower him down through roof in middle of service
2. zacceus climbed trees
3. woman pushed through crowds with issue of blood
4. others followed Jesus 3 days w/o food just to hear him

· there was always a ridiculous sacrifice made to have the glory of God
· even our own salvation experience is based on a great sacrifice

2 Sam 5:4-10 read
· From the Gutter to Glory
· Up the road lay 78 acres of high flat land that David wanted
· One road up and one road down, road was guarded and the gutter was not
· Who wants to guard a sewer anyway?
· The gutter back in David’s day was a sewage tunnel, it all flows down, later in king Hezekiah’s day it was cleaned up and became a water tunnel for clean pure water, which later became known as Warren’s Shaft
· At this point it was still sewage


· Jebusites thought they would mock David, thought they were so secure they had the blind and the lame keeping watch over the walls of the city and the one road leading in and out.
· How do blind people watch over anything?

· The first thing David did when he became King was go looking for a fight
· David was King over Hebron, but not King over all Israel yet.
· He could not celebrate by reigning in Hebron knowing that God had called him to rule all Israel
· David couldn’t celebrate knowing that the enemy was co-habiting the land with him. The place God called him to rule
· Some of you think that you are going to go up the road to Glory but that would be too easy. But not w/o challenge

· To the degree that you make yourself available to God He will begin to draw Himself closer to you.
· Don’t allow sacrifice to be a stumbling block to your purpose

· David was willing to do anything he could to reign over Israel
· Some of you been looking for a breakthrough, but want it on your own terms
· Get in the gutter, lay agenda’s down, plans down
· That insignificant thing may be the Token God uses to bless you
· God doesn’t put new wine into old wineskins, nor does He put a new patch on old clothes
· I’m saying God has a new way for you, it’s different than what you think
· From the Gutter to Glory
· you can’t get to the glory w/o the gutter
· It’s in the gutter or hard times when commitment, trust, character is developed

· Some of you want the glory and the blessing w/o paying the price for it
· If we went up our own way, the bright shiny yellow brick road we would die
· Jebusites guard that road, but God, if it had not been for the Lord
· How many been through some gutters in your life?
· Gutters can represent-marital problems, financial issues, instability with job, family conflicts etc.



· But how many know that the gutter was necessary to bring about the Glory that shall be revealed in us!
· Ex: God usually has a different way for us other than what we think, must sell your house Dan, move into your parents house, then have the house you wanted.
· Ex: driving to Houghton lake for years up 75N. I refused a different way for 2 years knowing that another way might be faster, but I was stubborn, finally did it and it was almost 45 min faster.

· You pay the price for what God has for you and you will have something way better than what you see here, stop competing with each other and pursue God yourself
· You pay the price of hard work
· Want a paycheck? Go to work!

· 2 sam 5:7 Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion in the face of the mockers
· David could not reign in Hebron knowing that the enemy was co-habiting Jerusalem with him
· vs 9 David dwelt in the stronghold and renamed it the city of David
· He brought the ark in to replace the seat of sin.
· vs 10 David went on and grew great and the Lord was with him.
· You grow when you allow God to sit on the throne of your heart where Satan used to rule.
· Lord is with you
· God is calling you to a higher place, His way

Conclusion
Took the stronghold
Dwelt in the stronghold
He grew because he was willing to sacrifice to have what God wanted him to have, control of Jerusalem and Hebron
God wants you to have dominion in places that are presently ruling you.
You will rule over areas that originally used to rule over you.