Samuel Rodriguez - Glory To Glory
If you've been here for the past two weeks you understand what we're doing here. 1 Samuel chapter five we're just gon' continue right here, right here in this moment. This is, "The Philistines capture the ark of God, they took it from the battleground they carried the ark of God into the temple of Dagon, they placed it beside an idol of Dagon. The citizens of Ashdod went to see it the next morning. Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground in front of the ark of the Lord"! That phrase, "In front of the ark of the Lord". Is the same phrase from Psalm 97:7. It says, "The false Gods will bow down and worship in front. They will bow down and worship".
As you were worshipping, as you were praising, as you were lifting up Jesus. I need you to hear me as you were praising and worshipping and a matter fact in your worship, in your praise every lie of the devil has to fall. Every Dagon has to fall. The higher you lift Jesus up the lower Dagon will fall. Someone lift up Jesus right now. As you declare yours is the kingdom. Your's is the power. Every Dagon has to fall. Every addiction has to fall. Every toxic relationship has to fall. Every unhealthy atmosphere has to fall. He fell. He fell, he fell, he fell, and he fell in a posture of worship right before the ark of the Lord. I love this. It looked just like this. I love this.
The glory of God is here. And the false, the lie, the deception, the problem, the issue, the drama fell in the presence of... I promise you as you lift Jesus up not just today but every single day everything occupying your space has no other choice but to acknowledge the sovereignty of God in your life. I need you to shout, "It's coming down". Tell your neighbor "It's coming down". Prophecy to them. Tell them, "Not next year, not a month from now, not even a week from now". Matter of fact warn your neighbor, "I'm warning you. I'm about to open up my mouth and give God the best praise I've given him in the past"! Warn your neighbor, tell your neighbor, "I'mma about to open up my mouth and give God the best praise I've given him"! It's coming down! Somebody shout unto God. Go!
Every deceptive spirit, every lie, every construct, can we speak prophetically? Can we declare the promises of God? The false, the lie, the deception, the violence, the pain it's coming down. Every Dagon in your life is coming down. Every Dagon in your mind is coming down. Every Dagon in your heart is coming down. Every Dagon around you is coming down. These are the promises of God. Can we speak into our nation? The Dagon of strife and discord is coming down. The Dagon of bigotry and racism is coming down. The Dagon of taking the innocent in the womb is coming down. What happened in Texas this week, the Dagon of violence especially against our children that Dagon will come down! Dagon is coming down. This is what happened. There's the glory, there's the glory. And Dagon did what? He came down.
This really happened just like this. Watch this and the glory was still what? The glory was still what? Please look at your neighbor and tell 'em, "There's glory inside of me". No, no, tell 'em, tell 'em look at your other neighbor and tell 'em, 'there's glory inside of me. The Holy Spirit is glorious. He is inside of me. I am the temple of the Holy Spirit'. "The glory of God is not just inside of me". 1 Corinthians 3:16: "The glory of God is upon me". Romans 8:30. Therefore, you have glory on top of you, glory inside of you and glory around you. You carry glory. But the glory is still standing. Please tell your neighbor, "I'm still standing. In spite of all the hell I've been through I'm still standing. In spite of everything the devil has sent my way I'm still standing. I may have some battle scars but I'm still standing. I may walk with a limp but I'm still standing".
Is there anybody here grateful that you're still standing in spite of everything you've been through? How many have a testimony that you even know of people and things around you that look like that, and yet by the grace of God you're still standing? If that's your testimony. Jude 1:24: "God is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless". Not only does he keep you from falling, on that day he will say, "He has no faults". That's crazy. "He who is able to keep you from falling". I'm still standing. John 10: 28-29: "You are in the father's hands". Therefore, that's why you're still standing, you're here. You've been pressed down. You've been crushed but you're still standing. Here you are. And this really happened watch, the glory of God is here.
1 Samuel 5, I need a couple of guys to come in here. Two volunteers, quickly. I can't see anything. Quickly, Nathan and Elijah come here quickly. Pastor Nathan and pastor Elijah come up here quickly. Come up here. This really happened. Pick him up and put him next to me again. This is exactly the way it happened. They actually walked into the temple. Watch this guys, walk, these are the doors. They walked in and they saw the ark still standing. The people that put you there are about to bear with witness that you're still standing. Every detractor, every hater in your life they're gonna actually testify on your behalf and declare that you're still standing. They walked in and they saw this, they saw the ark still standing. The glory of God still standing. They saw him on the ground.
I want you to pick him and put him back up next to me, go ahead. They actually did this. Oh, we need reinforcements. Pick him up and put him back up here. Lift him up. Put him up here. Lift him up. Stand him up. He has to stand up. Over here Dagon. Just like this Dagon. This really happened. And they picked him up and they put him right next to the ark. First of all, guys do not have your own furniture moving business ever on, that's not your calling. Stay right there guys. Stay right there. This really happened, watch this. Really happened 1 Samuel 5, they put him back up. They left again. This is wild. It wasn't demons that picked him up. It wasn't devils that picked him up. It was the citizens of Ashdod. The Philistine connection that picked him up. There are people that like to pick up the stuff that God already knocked down in your life.
There are people that have an assignment, their assignment is to always bring up your past. Remind you of the offense they did against you. Try to put in your mind that you're a perpetual victim and you're never gonna overcome your past. No, in the name of Jesus let me declare prophetically God's gonna surround you with the kind of people that don't remind you of your past but the kind of people that push you towards your future. God's about to flip the script in your life in such a way. Do not crucify what God has resurrected and do not resurrect what God has crucified.
Oh man, this is it. They picked him up and they put him here, right next to him. But they should have read the shirt. They should have and they didn't. Because this time, if the glory of God woulda had a conversation, if the ark of God would have spoken to Dagon after they left, he would have said, "You shoulda stayed down. Because this time I'm gonna make it in such a way that you're never gonna be able to occupy my space again". Why does God permit certain seasons to come back to your life? Have you ever asked, "I thought that thing was over, why is it occupying my space again"? According to the Word of God it's something that you thought was over all of a sudden reemerges. It's not for God to punish you, or to test you. It's for that issue to come to permanent closure.
This is at least for five people in here right now. So, if something reemerged in your life that relationship, that thing, that season. God's not testing you, this is not you going, no. It's God saying, "This time, this time". Somebody say, "This time". Somebody shout, "This time". God is bringing it to permanent closure. I dare somebody here to shout: "Never again". Somebody shout: "Never again". When Jesus said, it was finished. He meant it was finished. Hebrews chapter seven he said, "Once and for all everything that God did on the cross through Christ was done once and for all. Never again to be repeated".
I'm prophesying to you now! It's about to come down in your life. But this time it will never occupy your space again. Dagon is coming down in such a way that it will never occupy your space again. Somebody shout, "Never again". Say, "Never again". That hell, that problem, that sin, that sickness, that temptation. Somebody shout, never again! Never again, never again, never again. So, you're about to come down. This time you have to break into pieces. This time the Bible say, "He fell". But it was different, the outcome was different. So, ready? I'm gonna count to three you're going down. You're going down and everything, we're everything that is out of alignment with the will of God in our lives is coming down. The glory of God is made manifest.
Dagon has to come down. Dagon will fall. And it will fall in this season in your life in a way that it's permanent closure. Somebody say, "Closure". I sense an anointing of closure. If you need some stuff to come to closure forever in your life, if you need some stuff to come to closure lift up your hands right now. Lift up your hands right now. If you need some stuff to go away and never comeback lift up your hands really high. I hear the word closure right now in the spirit. Never again. I hear the Spirit of God saying, "Never again, never again, never again, never again, never again. Never again". Matter of fact, I sense it so hard. This is what I'mma do a little bit outside the box, a little bit unorthodox something we don't do on Sundays. Are you ready?
On the count of three I want you to come down. When you come down if there's something in your life that you need to be permanently closed that somehow reemerged in your life, if you're in this auditorium, if you're streaming you do it online. If you're in this auditorium you're gonna, your discretion you don't have to. But if you're desperate you come outta your seat hit this stage and say, "Never again". Ready? Whatever it maybe that addiction, that problem, that issue in your family, that drama, that mental angst, it never again. Somebody say, "Never again". That infirmity, that sickness, that anxiety, that depression, that fear, never, I felt the Lord. Never again, that bondage, that chain never again. Are you ready? You're coming down. Ready? One, every Dagon in your generation, in your family lineage never again, never again. This is great. One, two, three go, go. Somebody say: never again.
If you believe God is able lift up your hands. If you believe when God says, "It is finished in your life". He means it, raise both hands. If you believe he is faithful to keep his promises. If you believe Hebrews 10:23 is legit and he is faithful to keep all of his promises. If you believe that lift up both hands. If you believe all of his promises. Here we go again, our yes and amen in Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:20: "Lift him up higher". He says, "Never", when God says, "Never again in your life". He means never again. That's everything you just said never again to. On the cross the finished work of Christ. I'm sorry for being so literal here but the Bible doesn't say he just fell. It says, "He fell but his head was cut off".
The trunk was left everything else was cut off and so, forgive me for being so crude. This is the head. The head was placed in the entry door, the threshold. You missed it. No, no. How did the head get all the way to the entrance? First of all, this is the ark of God, the glory of God. Dagon falls, the head is cut off, everything is cut off but the trunk. Everything is in the threshold, the entry door, the entrant pathway. So when the citizens of Ashdod the next morning walked in, from the moment they walked in they saw it they saw the evidence Dagon did not just fall. Dagon was permanently defeated. He was broken into pieces in such a way that he could not be repaired. I love this. This is so cool. Right there in the entry way, and this is the ark of God.
What did the ark of God do, throughout the course of this? I'm just gonna show you what the ark of God did. Take out your phones, this is worthy of recording. I can tell you the ark of God, I could tell you this thing supernaturally opened, the rod of Aaron came out and but it would be made up 'cause that's not what happened. I could tell you the Ten Commandments flew out and smacked him on both sides. Pow! Did not happen. This is all we know happened. I'm gonna show you what the ark of God did. Watch this. No, you missed you see. One more time this is what the ark of God did. You missed it again. What did the ark of God do? That is the number one thing that will bring your Dagon down.
If you are still. "Be still and know that I am God". All the devil wants you to do is freak out. In your most difficult hour your faith does not stand measure by what you do when heaven falls upon you. Your faith is measured how you react when hell stands next to you! I don't know if you got that. Your faith is not about what you do when you're here in church and when heaven is falling down. Your faith is how you react when hell is occupying your space! "Be still and know that I am God". Somebody say, "Be still... And know that I am God". That's Psalms 46:10. Watch this, the glory of God did this. Be still. The former glory and the latter glory. The Ark of the Covenant in Jesus on the cross. Could've easily have gotten off the cross and yet here he was. All the sin of humanity. "Be still and know that I am God".
Your peace, if you want that devil around you to come down all you have to do is trust God's promises. Don't freak out. Don't let the devil see you sweat. Praise, and you're saying, "Pastor Sam, should I be a hypocrite if I'm going through hell shouldn't I tell, shouldn't I tell people about it"? No, not everyone. What in the world are you doing posting about the hell you're going through? You better be covered for you to go on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter and TikTok and tell everybody. 'cause you're not announcing it just to your friends you're letting every devil, demon, legion and every hater out there know the hell you're going through. They're gonna exploit that. No, it's not that you could never be real. Sure, you come to church you're real. You have a small group you're real.
One of our ministries you're real. You're at home in your prayer closet, in your room you're real. But in the presence of the enemy walk like a boss, talk like a boss, praise like a boss. Are you with me right now? Don't let the devil see you sweat! You open up your mouth and you give God your best shout of praise like you are all over it! That's it. That's it, it's right here this is the moment. He was still, he was still. Guys, come in here again. Did he quit? So, you two here's what I want you to do, pastor Nate, come up here. No, no, he's dead, he's gone forever. Never again. Never again, never again, never again. This happened privately by the way. No one saw it. You missed that. Privately all of this happened. Then when the ark came out publicly the people saw the ark and they had to put gold and riches and rewards on the ark. In order to give back the ark more blessed than how they got it when they captured it. Oh, you missed it. Your private battle will yield a public reward.
Now I'm speaking to someone, somebody here has been fighting privately and you've been fighting privately. And you've been fighting privately, and God says, "I got you. I got you even when you thought you failed you weren't completely fallen 'cause I was always there. I got you, I got you! And now the private battle will yield a public reward"! Somebody shout like you're about to be rewarded! And this is what happened, ready? This is the ark, that's Dagon, that's his head. Here's what I want you to do, guys, I'm the ark, I'm the glory. The Bible says, "They picked up the glory, the ark. They carried him over the remains of the statue including that head".
So, I want you to carry me over. This is, matter of fact, I'mma put this I'm gonna make it easier for you. I'm not saying I don't trust you taking me down the stairs. I'm just saying I don't trust you to take me down the stairs. So, all three of you you gon' pick me up and the Bible says, "They carried him over". No, you missed it. Over. So y'all gon' carry me over. This is wild. They picked up the glory and they carried him over the very, you gotta pick up my legs. No, not that way. You gotta hold, is this your first rodeo? Here, boom and you got one leg here, you pick up one leg, big sean one leg there. Look at this, the sunshine club. Hold now take your time, baby, take your time.
Now, I want you to walk me over that thing. No, no hold on take, hashtag #bestdayever. God's gonna carry you over the very thing that stood in your way. I said, God's about to carry you over the very hell, God's about to carry you over the very thing! Go ahead, carry me over. Carry, step over, step over. God's about to carry you over the very hell that stood in your way. A breakthrough is when God elevates you over the very thing that attempted to break you. A breakthrough is when God elevates you over the very thing that attempted to break you. A breakthrough is when God elevates you over the very thing that attempted to break you.
Is there anybody here ready for the breakthrough? Is there anybody here ready to be lifted over? That's it. All because the glory of God manifest in every deceptive, every construct of the enemy came down. So, lift up your hands as you make room for the glory. How do you make room for the glory? Becoming more like Jesus. Let the Holy Spirit be who he is in your life. Stop trying to make yourself right, let him make you right. Technically speaking by the way the moment your saved your right. Horizontally you continue to become more and more right. Instantaneous sanctification, progressive sanctification is both and not either/or it's beautiful. But I'm here to tell you don't tolerate a Dagon occupying your space.
Here's what I discovered, when I used to preach this when I was a kid. I used to talk about Dagon being something here until the Holy Spirit said, "Hey Samuel, what if I show you that the Dagon in your life is the old version of you"? The biggest Dagon that has to fall down is the older version of you. Are you with me right now? Some of you are still operating your iPhone under an old operating system. It's still an iPhone but you have a bunch of glitches and things don't really work the right way because you have yet to update your OS your operating system. It's the old version of you that's causing all the problems in your life. But the moment you let the glory of God show up "The fullness of the finished work of Christ". 2 Corinthians 3:18. Every Dagon falls down and God elevates you over the very thing that occupied your space. If you receive this somebody shout, "Never again". Give God the best shout of praise you've given him this morning. One more time shout, "Never again".