A Fresh Encounter With the Real Jesus — Brian Long

Well, good morning, brothers and sisters. It's wonderful to be with you again. It's such a joy to see all of your faces and all the precious children this morning. It's wonderful to see so many children singing to Jesus.

And thank you so much, Jenny and Laura, for leading us in praise and song. What a precious, precious time. The Lord's presence is already here and He longs to meet with us. He is with us. He wants to do so much more.

But I just want to thank you for the privilege to come. And I thank you so much just for being so gracious to me and for the invitation to come back. We're going to turn this morning to Revelation chapter one.

John's Vision of the Glorified Christ

Revelation chapter one. There's also a great encouragement and confirmation to me because Paki, our brother, was teaching this morning from Revelation chapter four. And my heart was leaping back there because much of what he was sharing, some of what he was sharing, I should say, was just such a confirmation of what I believe God's given me to share with you this morning.

Revelation chapter one. We're going to read verses nine through 18. I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice as of a trumpet saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. And what you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.

Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. And in the midst of the seven lampstands, one like the son of man, clothed with the garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with the golden band.

His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes like a flame of fire. His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters. He had in his right hand seven stars, out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and his countenance was like the sun, shining in its strength.

And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying to me, Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last. I am He who lives and was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore.

Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of death. Now, Heavenly Father, we come before you, Lord, humbling our hearts before you. We thank you for your grace and for your willingness to manifest your presence to us this morning.

I thank you that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And we thank you, Lord, just as we've heard already. There are no great men in the kingdom of God. Only a great God who chooses to use feeble men.

Lord God, I cry out to you in this pulpit, and I ask you to help me. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit, that every eye would see only Jesus, that our ears would hear your voice, Lord, and our hearts would be captivated by your presence.

I know that you want to speak to us this morning. I know you want to do a work in each and every one of us, that you want to change us, that you want to give us a fresh encounter with you. And I pray that you would do that.

Make the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart to be pleasing and acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. In Jesus' name, amen. A fresh encounter with the real Jesus.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

That's the message the Lord has given me to share with you. John the Apostle, of course, is the one who's writing here as he's inspired by the Holy Spirit. He was exiled on the island of Patmos. He was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, when suddenly he received a revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ that was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

He had a fresh encounter with the Son of God. And he saw Jesus unlike he'd ever seen Him before. It was the same Jesus. The very same Jesus. The same Lord that he'd walked with for three and a half years.

This was the same One who had loved him and taught him. This is the same Jesus that John had ate with and laughed with and no doubt wept with. This is the Jesus that he watched perform miracles. The same Jesus he saw feed the five thousand.

The same Jesus that washed his feet. The same Jesus that he laid his head upon the chest of there at the Last Supper. The same Jesus that died on the cross for his sins. But John sees Jesus here in a way that he had never seen Him before.

It was unlike he had ever seen the Lord before, because now Christ has no human flesh to overshadow His glory. The veil is pulled back. That's really what the subject of this whole book is. Revelation 1, verse 1 says the revelation of Jesus Christ.

So many think that the book of the Revelation is only about end time events and things to come. Well, it does reveal. God does reveal what is to come. But it's more than that. Really the subject of this book as the entire Word of God is all about Jesus.

It's all about the Son of God. The revelation of Jesus Christ simply means that God is pulling back the veil. He's removing the veil and He's revealing His Son, His beloved Son. John sees the Lord. He sees Him in all of His glory, in all of His majesty.

The Empty Manger, the Empty Tomb, and the Occupied Throne

No longer is this the baby in Bethlehem in a manger. Thank God that He came as a baby born in Bethlehem of the Virgin Mary and laid in a manger. But the manger is empty. He's not the babe in the manger anymore.

No longer. John doesn't see a lamb led to the slaughter. Jesus did come. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. But He died for our sins once and for all. You see, brothers and sisters, the cross is now bare.

The tomb is empty. And the throne is occupied. And he sees Jesus in all of His glory, all of His majesty. He sees Him as He is today. He has a fresh encounter with the Christ as He is today, even as I'm now preaching.

This is what all of heaven is seeing. Jesus Christ, risen, righteous, exalted, glorious, beautiful beyond description. Too marvelous for words. Too wonderful for comprehension like nothing you and I have ever seen or heard.

This is the fresh encounter that John had with Jesus. And that, my friends, is what we all need. A fresh encounter with the real Jesus is what we all need. It's what the church needs today. It's what all of Christendom needs today.

If you get a fresh encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ, you cannot be the same. It changes you. You're affected for life. A revelation of the real Jesus. Why do we need such a fresh encounter with the real Jesus?

Knowing the Real Jesus Amid Deception

First of all, brothers and sisters, because we are living in days of incredible deception. There's great deception, and the deception is becoming more and more. Jesus our Lord Himself said in Matthew 24, Take heed that no one deceive you.

For many shall come in My name saying, I am Christ. And they shall deceive many. For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders insomuch that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

The Apostle Paul also warned us of another Jesus that was being preached. Another gospel and people coming with a different spirit. We are living in these last days of incredible deception, and we better know the real Jesus.

We need an encounter with the real Jesus. The true Jesus so that we're not led astray and deceived by false prophets preaching another gospel and preaching another Christ. But why else do we need a fresh encounter with Jesus?

Recovering a Faded Vision of Christ

It's because so many of us have forgotten who He really is. We have forgotten who He really is in all of His glory and majesty and power and authority. We have forgotten that He lives. He is alive. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Brothers and sisters, when your eyes are dry, and your faith is old, and your heart is hard, and your prayers are ice cold, you need a fresh encounter with Jesus. When the thought of the cross no longer moves you to tears, when the Bible, God's holy word, seems dry to you, when the things of this world have so distracted you from the Lord Jesus Christ that the vision of Him seems to be growing strangely dim, you need a revelation of the real Jesus.

You need an encounter with Him, a fresh encounter. When your worship is just religious motion and your singing is stale, when you honor God with your lips but your heart is really far from Him, when the subject of your conversation for the most part is not about Christ but it's more about sports or the weather, you need a fresh encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ.

When it's been a long time since you witnessed anyone about Christ, when your joy is gone, when your faith is weak, when church seems to be stagnant or in a rut and it looks more like a valley of dry bones than it does an exceeding great army, it's because we need a revelation and an encounter with the real Jesus Christ.

That's exactly what the Apostle John had on the island of Patmos. And the one he encountered was far more awesome and far more glorious than he could ever conceive Him to be. And that's where the revelation begins.

The Incomparable Glory of Jesus

The revelation of the real Jesus, He's always revealed as far more awesome, far more glorious than you and I could ever even imagine Him to be. When we talk about the glory and majesty of Jesus Christ, when we talk about Him, period, we are talking about someone and something in whom we could never exaggerate.

Because it doesn't matter how great my thoughts or words are, how high and lofty and grand my thoughts about Christ are, they still fall way, way short. He is far more glorious than you can conceive Him to be.

And I want to tell you, there's far more of Him to know than what you know. And that what I know, there's far more of Christ to know and to see than we do. No artist can adequately paint Him. No singer can sufficiently sing of Him.

And no preacher can adequately proclaim Him. That's why I feel so poor and needy in the pulpit. I'm here called to proclaim to you the Christ. And I'm so aware that unless the Holy Spirit does it, my words will fall short, far, far short.

He is far more awesome and glorious than any of us can conceive Him to be or even imagine Him to be. Even the Apostle John could not find words adequate to describe Him. And that's why in the text that we read, he continues to use words such as like or as.

There's so much symbolism in Revelation because how do you describe the One who is indescribable? How do you proclaim the One who is beyond compare? The One who has no comparison. That's why we read these words like and as.

The Holiness and Searching Gaze of Christ

In verse 10, for example, when he says, I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice as of a trumpet. John didn't hear a trumpet. He heard a voice that was so powerful, all he could think to liken it to was a trumpet.

When he said later on in the text that he saw someone like the Son of Man, he's saying he's like a man, but it's not like any other man you've seen. When he said that his head and his hair were white like wool as white as snow, he's not talking about white hair.

He's talking about the infinite purity and holiness of the Son of God that is far purer and far more holy than you and I could even imagine Him to be. No wonder those seraphim, as we're told later on in Revelation, he read it this morning, no wonder they go around the throne and they never stop day and night crying out, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.

He's far holier than you and I can imagine Him to be. When John said, I saw His eyes, they were like fire. He didn't see fire. He saw eyes that penetrated His very soul. He saw through the... Think of this.

He saw the eyes, He looked into the eyes of perfect love. He looked into the eyes of perfect justice. He looked into the eyes of perfect holiness. He looked into the eyes of the one who could see right through Him and in whom nothing is hid and everything is naked and laid bare.

You can't hide in the presence of Christ. He is light and in Him is no darkness at all. He's saying, I saw eyes and the only thing I can tell you that it's like, it was like fire. I saw a face, He said, that shone brighter than the noonday sun.

He couldn't describe it. And that's no wonder why Charles Wesley wrote that hymn, oh, for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise, the glory of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace.

Brother Packie read that earlier and my heart leaped. Oh, Jesus, that You would give me a thousand tongues to sing Your praise. Assist me to proclaim the honors of Thy name. That's what you feel like when you have an encounter with the real Jesus.

Falling Before the Lord of Glory

And how would you respond to see Christ this way? How did John the Apostle respond? Verse 17, He said, When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. He was awestruck. The one He saw took His breath away.

The only response was to just fall at His feet as a dead man. He wasn't dead as a dead man in worship. And Job responded the same way. I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes have seen Thee, for I have poured myself in dust and ashes.

Ezekiel, I fell as a dead man. Daniel, I saw Him, my knees grew weak, His breath was taken away. Isaiah, I saw the Lord high and lifted up, and I cried out, Woe is me, I'm undone. It shakes him to the very core of his being.

This is the Lord of glory. This is our Lord Jesus Christ, the only Jesus, the real Jesus. One sight of Him takes your breath away. Think of it, folks, throughout the book of Revelation, John saw visions of heaven and he saw visions of hell.

He saw, as we said earlier in Sunday School, multitudes and multitudes, myriads and myriads, 10 ,000 times 10 ,000 angels. And he heard all that worship and singing. How marvelous that must have been.

He saw the throne of God. He saw the river of God coming from the throne of God. He saw the seven lamps of fire burning before the throne of God. He saw seraphim in all of their glory and majesty. But none of that, as awesome as it was, caused him to fall on his face as a dead man.

But when he saw Jesus Christ, down on his face he would go. Unlike anything he'd ever seen, unlike anyone he'd ever seen, I want to say to you again, Jesus Christ is far more glorious and awesome than any of us can imagine Him to be.

I just preached a funeral two or three days ago of a dear, dear brother and friend who God saved about five years ago. He was the hardest sinner you can imagine. And the Lord saved him and changed him.

The last five years he was a new creation, unrecognizable to who he used to be. He went home to be with Jesus Monday morning early. That funeral was more like a revival meeting than it was a funeral. I can only imagine what my brother Leon is seeing right now in the presence of the Lord, the real Jesus.

Perfect love, perfect purity, perfect wisdom, perfect grace, perfect justice, perfect everything. He is Christ, far more glorious than what we can imagine Him to be. But that's not where the encounter stops.

Christ's Compassionate Touch

If the encounter stopped with the glory and majesty of Christ, John would have never gotten up and you and I would never get up. And all of us would stay there as a dead man. But there's more revelation to this real Jesus.

What happens? He says in verse 17, When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, Do not be afraid. This is incredible when you think of it. This is God who needs nothing.

This is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. John says, When I saw Him in all of His glory, He took my breath away. I was awestruck. I fell at His feet as dead. But He did something. He touched me.

He reached down with His right hand and He touched me. And unless Christ had touched him, He would have never gotten up. What do I see here? What do we see here? The Spirit of God says to me, Not only is Jesus Christ our Lord far more glorious than anything we can perceive Him to be, but He is the compassionate Savior.

Full of compassion. He could have stood afar off and said, John, get up. He doesn't do that. He reaches down and touches Him. How many times does the Lord Jesus, it says in the New Testament in the Gospels, how many times when He healed the sick did He touch the sick?

How many times does it say when He saw the multitudes, they were like sheep without a shepherd, He was moved with compassion? Our Lord is not a hard taskmaster. Our Lord is not someone who can't sympathize with us, who has not felt our weaknesses, sympathize with our weaknesses and infirmities.

Our Lord God is one who is moved with compassion. Our Lord God is one who when we come into His presence, humble and broken and we tremble at His Word, He is the one who will reach down and touch us with love and compassion.

He is the one who will raise up the downtrodden. He is the one who will touch the leper. A leper is someone no one would touch. Filthy leprosy. The stench of leprosy. No one would get near a leper. Jesus touched the leper.

Moved with compassion, He touched the leper. He touched him. He touched the blind man and made him see. He touched the deaf man and made him hear. The woman of the issue of blood touched him. No doubt He touched her.

And the blood was dried up. He is a compassionate Savior. Listen to this, my friend. Isaiah 42 verse 3, prophesying of Jesus says this, A bruised reed He will not break, and smoldering wick He will not snuff out.

You know what that says to me? Our Lord Jesus, as glorious and awesome as He is, will not break the bruised reed. He is tender. He is compassionate. He is good. He is kind. He is merciful. That bruised reed that looks like it's all over, like there's no hope for that bruised reed, that's the one He touches and restores.

That smoldering wick looks like the fire's all gone. All you see is a little bit of smoke, maybe a little glowing ember, is the one He in compassion blows on and brings about a fire again. He is a compassionate Savior.

He is a compassionate Savior who touches. And I pray He will touch you this week. I pray He touches you today. And when He touches you, you'll never be the same. You'll never be the same. Not only though is He compassionate Savior, He is the Lord.

Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord

In verse 18, He says, I am He who lives and was dead, and behold, I'm alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades, of hell, and of death. The one who holds the keys has authority. And Jesus Christ has all authority in all of heaven and all of earth and all that's under the earth.

What He's saying here is, Jesus Christ is Lord of lords. He has the keys. He has conquered death. He has conquered the grave. He has conquered sin. He is Lord of all. That's the real Jesus. And you cannot know Him as Savior and separate knowing Him as Lord.

He is both Savior and Lord, and you cannot separate the two. Now the question I have for you this morning is Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? Is He the captain of your soul? Is He the king of your heart?

In other words, does He have all the keys to your heart? Every room in your heart, every corner of your heart, every part of your life, or is there something that you've yet to surrender to Him? Is there one key, one room in your heart that you're not willing for Him to go?

If there is, you've not surrendered to Him as Lord. He is either Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all. He holds the keys of hell and death. Does He hold the keys to your heart? Every part of your heart.

And before we answer, remember His words. Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and not do the things that I say? You cannot call me Lord, Lord, if you're not willing to obey. Obey. When Christ is Lord and He says, love your neighbor as yourself, I must obey.

When Christ is Lord and He says, love your enemies, you must obey. When He says forgive, just as you have been forgiven in Christ Jesus, you must obey. When He says go, we must go. Speak, we must speak.

Do, we must do. If He is Lord of all. Does He have all the keys to your heart? And one final revelation that comes from this fresh encounter that I want to share with you is what Christ says in verse 8 of chapter 1.

Christ as Alpha and Omega

And He says it many times. He said it in verse 18 as well. But look it with me, if you will, in verse 8 of chapter 1. Jesus says of Himself, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord, and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

Now, what does it mean that Christ is the Alpha and the Omega? As many already know, Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. And just as nothing, no words can exist outside of the alphabet.

There's nothing before A and there's nothing after Z. So Christ is saying, I am the beginning and I am the end. If He is the beginning, there's no one before Him. If He is the ending, He says there's no one after Him.

He is A to Z. He is the beginning and the end. He is Alpha and Omega and everything in between. You see, He says who was and who is and who is to come. There's three tenses of time there. The past, the present, and the future.

But that's for us. That's not for God. God has no was. We have a was. God has no future to come. We have a future to come. God transcends time. He is above time. He is the beginning and the end. Why is that so important?

It's important because it should bring about a tremendous security to the believer to know whatever my future holds, Jesus is already there. Whatever is coming upon this earth and I tell you, my friends, there are some dark days ahead.

There is a shaking coming, but Jesus is already there. That brings me hope. That brings me security. He is my end. Not a means to anybody's end, but He is the end. He is the Lord. He is the Lord of all.

Christ Throughout the Whole Bible

And what it says to me that everything is about Him. In Him all things consist. Everything is about Jesus. This holy Bible is all about Jesus. And you'll find Him in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and everywhere in between.

He is the author of this book. He is the Word of God Himself. And when you read the Bible, if it's not to get a fresh encounter, a revelation of Jesus Christ, if it's just to get a bunch of head knowledge, then you read the Word of God wrongly.

Because this whole book points to Christ. He's there. In Genesis, the very first book of the Bible, when God says, let Us make man in Our image. Who is He talking to? Christ is there. Not let Me make man in My image, but let Us make man in Our image.

In Genesis 3 .15, when there's this prophecy of the seed of the woman that would crush the head of the serpent, who is He prophesying of? Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is there in Genesis as the seed of the woman.

He is there in Exodus as our Passover Lamb. He is there in Leviticus as our Great High Priest. He is there in Numbers in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. Jesus is there in Deuteronomy as our refuge and underneath are His everlasting arms.

He is there in Joshua as the captain of our salvation. In Judges, He is our judge and lawgiver. In Ruth, He's our kinsman, redeemer. First and second Samuel, He's the King that invites we who are Mephibosheth to continually eat at His table.

He is the King who makes His enemy His friend. In Kings and Chronicles, He is our King. In Ezra, He's the gracious, favorable hand of God. In Nehemiah, He's the one who rebuilds the broken down walls in our lives.

In Esther, He's our Mordecai. In Job, my ever-living Redeemer. In Psalms, He's the Lord my Shepherd. In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, He is the Lord our wisdom. And in the Song of Solomon, He's the lover and the bridegroom.

In Isaiah, He's called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father. That's our Jesus. That's the real Jesus. Jeremiah, He's a righteous branch. In Lamentations, His compassions, they fail not.

In Ezekiel, He's the Lord of radiant glory. In Daniel, He's the fourth man in the fiery furnace. In Hosea, He's the bridegroom married to the backslider. In Joel, He's the baptizer of the Holy Spirit and fire.

In Amos, He's our burden bearer. In Obadiah, our mighty Savior. In Jonah, the Lord of second chances. And in Micah, the messenger with the beautiful feet carrying the Gospel. Hallelujah. In Nahum, He's my avenger.

In Habakkuk, the Lord in His holy temple. In Zephaniah, He's our righteous judge. In Haggai, He's the great reviver to God's remnant people. And in Zechariah, He's the one they will look upon whom they have pierced.

In Malachi, He's the Son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings. Jesus is there in every single book of the Old Testament. From Genesis to Malachi. Hallelujah. In Matthew, He's there as the Messiah.

Jesus in Every New Testament Book

Mark says yes and He's Master. He's a miracle worker. Luke says He's the Son of Man. John says He's the Son of God. In Acts, He's risen, ascended Lord, who ascends into heaven and who sends the promise of His Holy Spirit.

Romans, He's our justifier. Corinthians, He's the head of the church and the giver of the gifts. In Galatians, He's the one who sets us free. In Ephesians, He's my strength, my shield, and my full armor of God.

In Philippians, He is peace that surpasses all understanding. In Colossians, He's the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form. In 1 and 2 Thessalonians, He is our soon coming King. In Timothy, He's the one and only mediator between God and man.

He is the King, eternal, immortal, invisible. The only wise God. Hallelujah. In Titus, He's our blessed hope. In Philemon, the faithful friend. In Hebrews, our great high priest who offered up Himself once and for all for the forgiveness of our sins.

In James, our great physician. In Peter, our chief shepherd. In John, everlasting love. In Jude, the one who descends with 10 ,000 of His saints in His hands. And in Revelation, He is Alpha and Omega.

The beginning and the end. The King of kings and the Lord of lords. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Jesus is everywhere. From Genesis to Revelation, He is the Word of God. I challenge you, my friend, if you're not seeking to know Him when you open this book, then you open it wrongly.

Christ as the End of Sin and Thirst

If you're not seeking to know His heart, this deeper relationship with Him, to have a greater encounter with Him, He is the Alpha. He is the Omega. What does it mean that He's the end? Christ is the end of death.

Christ is the end to unrighteousness. Christ is the end to your sin. He is the end. How many of you have ever grieved over your sin? How many of you have ever groaned over your sin? How many of you have ever despaired over your sin?

How many of you have ever cried, my sin, when will it end? When will I be free? When will I overcome? When will this addiction ever end? Listen, my friend. Christ is the Omega. Christ is the end. Sin dies in His presence.

Unrighteousness dies in His presence. Pride dies in His presence. He's the end of the law to righteousness to everyone who believes. Jesus Christ is our everything. He's the end. He puts it all to an end.

Christ is the end to your sin. Meet with Him every day, every hour of the day, and the power of your sin will meet its end. Christ will put it to death. He's the end of the law. He's also the end to this unquenchable thirst.

How many are looking for love in all the wrong places? Looking for something outside of Christ to finally satisfy you. You will never find it. You will never find it. There's only one who has living water and who is living water.

And when you drink from Him, you will never thirst again. Jesus Christ is the end to my unquenchable thirst. He's the end to that. He satisfies. He's the Alpha and the Omega. And I want to leave you with an invitation from Him.

Christ's Invitation to the Thirsty

Revelation chapter 21. I want you to see this verse with me. Revelation chapter 21 and verse 6. And He said to me, It is done. It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.

He who overcomes shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be my son. I hear the Lord saying today, Are you thirsty? Are you really thirsty for His presence? It is to the thirsty that Christ invites to come.

And He says, I will be a fountain to you. You will be my son. That's what He's saying. He's inviting all to come to Him. Get rid of everything that stands in the way and get to Jesus. Those who seek Him and search for Him with all their heart will find Him.

Seeking and Worshiping the Worthy King

You say, what's the practical application of this message, brother Brian? Here's the practical application, folks. Seek the face of Jesus Christ, have an encounter with Him and worship Him and praise Him because He's worthy.

He is worthy of praise. He is worthy of all glory and honor. If He never answered another prayer for me, He would be worthy of all praise and all glory and all honor just because of who He is. But I say to you, He wants to reveal Himself to you and I in ways that you and I have never seen Him or known Him before.

And I want to challenge you from this first meeting to continue from these next few days we have together. Will you seek Him diligently with me? If there is anything that is doubtful in your life, will you get rid of it?

Will you repent of it? Will you come? We have these next few days together. Will you come with the heart that is thirsty for the presence of God and a heart that is thirsty to know Jesus Christ? Will you come humbly and admit there's more of Him to know than you know?

Would you lay down your pride at the feet of Jesus and seek Him these days together with me? Would you worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords with me? I'll tell you, He will meet with us when He finds a people hungry and thirsty just for Him.

Just for Him. Yes, He wants to do things for us, but we seek Him not just for what He can do for me, but because of who He is. Will you join me in that? That's how I'd like to begin. And I would like you to stand with me to your feet if you would.

And as we stand to our feet, Jenny, are you able to come? And Laura? I wondered, you may have another song and that would be good after this song, but I wondered if you could lead us again in We Will Glorify the King of Kings, just as we sang earlier.

And as we lift our voices and we lift our heads and we lift our eyes to fix them on the King of Kings, ask Him to strip away anything that stands before you in Him. Let's worship Him in spirit and in truth.