Samuel Rodriguez - Wherever The Glory Is Present, The Enemy Can't Win
Before you're seated, you need to come in agreement with me that you and your family are about to step into through the greatest open door you have seen thus far in your life. I don't know if you heard that. I need you to put a smile on your face and a shout on your lip like you're about to... You're about to walk through the greatest open door. I need you to get ready. There's not a devil in hell or a demon on earth that can stop what God has already ordained with your name on it. High five your neighbor and tell 'em, "Open door". Your other neighbor, tell 'em, "Open door". High five the neighbor that's trying to blow you off and ignore you, tell 'em, "Open door".
Something amazing is coming your way. Whoo, wow. Okay, okay, okay. We got time. You may be seated. But you won't be seated for too long. Are there any questions? Good. Here we go. Here's this. Let me read you the narrative, and then we're gonna unpack it, and then, hmm-mmm, and then we'll hmm mm you. 1 Samuel 5. One of my favorite books in the Bible for whatever non apparent reason. The book of Samuel 5:1. There's even a conundrum, a theological angst embedded in the first verse. "After the Philistines captured the Ark of God," even that very sentence should provoke some sort of acid reflux. The fact that the Mucho Malo hombres can capture the glory of God in a box. "They took it from the battleground at Ebenezer to the town of Ashdod. They carried the Ark of God into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside an idol of Dagon".
This is the Netflix series by the way. I mean, visualize this. They capture the glory of God in a box. They take it to the temple of a false God Dagon. Verse three, "When the citizens of Ashdod went to see it the next morning, Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground in front of the ark of the Lord"! In front of. Somebody say, "In front of". Not behind, not to the side, but in front of, and we gon' break that down in a second. "So, they took Dagon," they, the people. "And put him back in his place again". Verse four, "But the next morning the same thing happened, Dagon had fallen face down before the ark of the Lord again. But this time", somebody say: this time! "This time his head and hands had broken off and they were lying in the doorway".
In the threshold, in the entry way. "Only the trunk of his body was left intact". I'm gon' share with you what the Holy Spirit has assigned me to share with you today. The title of the message is called "Timber". Somebody say, "Timber. It's coming down". When the prophetic stands next to the pathetic, the prophetic always wins. Look at your neighbor and tell 'em, "Timber. It's coming down". You're gonna understand what this means because let me just speak prophetically, not out of, this is not spaghetti on the wall.
By the time you get home, every lie of the enemy will be on the ground lying in front you. Everything the enemy has constructed to stop you, hinder, impede, deter, rob, kill, and destroy will be defeated on the ground in pieces. And let me even already declare, "It will never occupy your space again". Are you ready to see these things come down? How many believe that this is the year it's coming down? How many believe it so much not only in your life, but in your children, and your children's children. Somebody shout like you know it's about to come down. Somebody shout, "Timber. It's coming down".
Here it is. Here it is. Point one if you're taking any notes, and good luck with that. Point one, when hell declares victory, watch God show up. "After the Philistines captured the Ark of God, they took it from the battleground at", this is it. In the Old Testament. Just a little teaching here. The Ark of God. Y'all know this already, was God's treasure chest. It represented God's presence, power, and promise. The Ark of God served as the Old Testament facilitative platform for the manifest glory of God, the glory of God is the manifest presence of God. So, whatever heaven touched, the rod of Aaron, manna, commandments, the Bible describes these items as glorious. Every time God touches it, it is glorious. Hence, you are glorious.
So, here's the story, the Philistines were the archenemies of the Israelites. The Philistines would say, "Here we go. Here's a scenario. We have 10,000 troops, the Israelites have a thousand troops. Let's attack 'em, 10,000 men versus a thousand men". And they did. The Israelites won. The Philistines regrouped. "Let's multiply exponentially the number of troops". One hundred thousand Philistines versus a small army, a contingency of the Israeli army, the Israelites. Attack! The Israelites would win. The Philistines finally gathered. They gathered their executive committee, and they came to the inevitable conclusion, "These guys have a secret weapon". They found out what it was. It was the Ark of God.
Wherever the glory of God, the presence of God in the box was present, the Israelites would win. Wherever the glory is present, the enemies cannot win. I will repeat that for the hearing impaired. Wherever the glory of God is present, the enemy cannot win. I will do that one more time. Wherever the glory of God is present, the enemy cannot win. The glory of God is in your house. I said the glory of God is in your house. I'm not asking, I'm telling you. If you're here right now, this Wednesday evening, I'm not inquiring, I'm telling you, the glory of God, Jesus is the glory of God, and through his Holy Spirit, the glory of God is in your house.
So, the Philistines came to this conclusion, "Ah ha, all we have to do is capture the Ark of God. Take away the secret weapon". And they did. They captured the Ark of God. They believed that they took the glory of God hostage. They stood convinced that they took the power of God captive. They convinced themselves that they had placed a lid on the presence of God. And they were soon to discover the following, you can't incarcerate the glory. You cannot imprison the power of God.
Psalm 84:11, "The Lord God is our sun and our shield". He gives us grace and glory through the vicarious atoning work of Jesus on the cross and through the resurrection. Romans 8:17 tells us we are Carriers of the glory. Romans 8:30, he chose us. He called us. He gave his right standing and he placed upon you and I his glory for us to carry. This is why the prince of darkness hates your guts. Hell comes after you not because you're white, black, yellow, or brown, republican, democrat or independent, charismatic, or automatic, hell comes after you because you carry the glory of the living God. In other words, the enemy doesn't attack you because of the foolish things you did in your past, he attacks you because of the glorious things you're about to see in your future.
But if you watch CNN, MSNBC, FOX, or listen to certain influencers, right now in 2023, it looks like the Philistines of the 21st century have once again successfully captured the glory. I mean, it looks like it. It smells like it. Like, if the Mucho Malo hombres have captured the glory. At least in America, it looks like they captured the glory. But what if I tell you the very same thing that took place in Dagon's temple is about to take place in your family? Some of y'all got that. What if I tell you, I feel the glory. What if I tell you the same thing that took place in that temple is about to take place in your health, in your finances, in your neighborhood? What if I tell you the same thing... let me prophesy.
The same thing that took place in Dagon's temple is about to take place in Texas, in California, in America, in your generation, in my generation. If you believe it, shout, "Timber". It's about to take place. "What's about to take place, pastor Sam"? Four words: watch God show up. Just touch the one you like the most and tell 'em, "Watch God show up". "Oh, but we're coming out of a global pandemic". Watch God show up. "But look, even today in congress, they can't even elect, it's all divided. Republican, everybody's just fighting". Watch God show up. "What about the, like the war in Ukraine, and China, and Taiwan? What may be happening around... Stock market inflation, housing crisis, recession, cryptocurrency, marriages are falling apart... But my kids are rebellious... The medical report came in..."
Hey, everyone, I didn't come here to tell you that I think, I hope, or I feel, I know God's about to show up. Watch God show up. And you may be asking, "How do you know it's not wishful thinking"? How do I know? Luke 1:37, "The Word of God never fails". Hebrews 10:23, "God is faithful to keep his promise". And you may even argue, "But you're in denial. Don't you", and then, you have all these, you know, people that are so in tuned with eschatology that they will push back and say, "Stop going around the country and around the world telling people God's about to show up. Samuel Rodriguez, aren't you denying that we're living in the last days"? Glory to God. "Aren't you denying that we're living in the last days"? No, man, get over yourself.
I know we're living in the last days. I've read the very exhaustive list that the apostle Paul wrote to his protégé Timothy. I've read it. I've read the list of Matthew 24 and, I've read it. I know. I've read it. In the last days, men and women will become lovers of themselves. Call that Instagram. I've read the stuff. I get it. In the last days, men and women will leave their natural desires sexually. We call that the state of California. I've read the last days. So, I've read it. I've read it. In the last days, wars and rumors of wars. In the last days, it will abound in sound teaching and sound doctrine. In the last days, in the last days. I get it and I believe it, but there's a last day promise. And the last day promise that I love to embrace, and I just can't deny is so powerful it appears both in the old and in the new.
Joel 2:28, acts 2:17, whoo hoo. You wanna hear in the last days? I'll give you in the last days. "In the last days," God said, not, "I might", not "I may", not "I hope to", "I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh". Hey, get ready. We are about to see the glory of Jesus fill the earth like we have never seen before. We are about to see more people saved, delivered, and healed than ever before. If you believe it, shout like you know we're about to see it. We're about to see more people come to Jesus. We're about to see things blow up. We're about to see things, real quick note. I know you do this. Do your Google due diligences. Even in the past six months, post September, there have been more and more studies about the church recovering from COVID and the whole 38% now 30%, now, it's somewhere between 28 and 30%.
People never came back, never came back that used to go to church. They haven't come back to church since, I mean, they haven't come back to church. So, all these predictors and predictions of American Christianity is diminishing, and the church is getting smaller, y'all need to stop drinking the kool aid. God has the final word. I'm not kidding. Y'all need to get ready. We're about to see more people come to Jesus than ever before in American history. Numbers 14:21, "As I live, all of the earth will be filled to the glory of the Lord". Habakkuk 2:14, "The earth will be filled in the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea". Ephesians 4:10, "He who descended is himself he who ascended far above the heavens so he may fill everything". We're about to see God show up.
I need to show you, point number two, if you are taking notes. When the prophetic stands next to the pathetic, the prophetic always wins. I need to show you what happened here. So, they captured the ark. I Googled, "Are there any Philistines in the fort hood area in Texas"? Just by coincidence, I just Googled, "Are there any Philistines in this region"? I found two. So, Philistines, give it up for the best Philistines here. Philistines, come here. Sir, you random man, here. Random man, what I want you to do is come over here real quick. For illustrative purposes, you, random man, I want you to be Dagon for this message. So, you're the false God. You're the false, corrupt, perverse, disgusting, I'm kind of pushing it here, aren't i? Just, but you're Dagon, okay? So, you're a statue of a false God. And this is your temple, alright? So, stay there. You can't. GianCarlo esposito, stay right there, okay?
So, here's what you guys gonna do. This really happening. I'm not making this up. This is, it looks like, this really happened. I'm, for illustrative purposes with great humility, I'm the glory of God. If you say it with great humility, right, then, it kind of... Yeah. Okay, yeah. Sure, it does. So, what you're gonna do is, you're gonna carry me, this really happened, not making it up. They carried the Ark of God in a box, the glory of God in a box. You're gonna carry me up the staircase and you're gonna place me next to Dagon, okay? Okay, let's show... Don't drop the glory. Wow. Thank you, Philistines. Don't go around too far 'cause I'm gonna need you here in a second. But this, no joke, this really happened. Like, this is a movie. They put the Ark of God in a box, the glory of God in a box, right next to the statue of Dagon.
Isn't that wild? They placed... Oh, I'm sorry. I just, just a whole, you know, biblical, exegetical, extrapolation, right? They carried the Ark of God. Verse two, like, does it say they dragged it? You missed it. Okay. If the Ark of God was the secret weapon for the Israelites, why didn't they just open it up, take out the Ten Commandments, break the rod of Aaron, bam, manna, do away with it? Matter of fact, at least, why didn't they drag it like this, curse it? They, with great respect. I will prove to you scripturally, they carried the Ark of God with great due deference.
How can I prove it? Because the Bible says if you would carry it disrespectfully, you would what? None of them died. You missed it. The enemy respected the glory. I'm gon' sit here for 30 second 'til you get it. I said the enemy respects the glory. I said the enemy respects the glory. The enemy respects the glory. Show the enemy the glory and you will be respected. Somebody lift up your hands. Repeat after me, "In 2023 the glory of Jesus will shine in me, with me, for me, and through me, that i, me and my family will be respected".
If you believe that, shout like you understand. I don't know if you know what you're doing. Never again will you be disrespected. Never again will you be dragged. Never again will you be abused. The enemy respects, show me a church with the glory of God, I will show you a church that will be respected. Ah, yah, yah, yah, yah. We gotta finish. We gotta, the moment you convert your trauma into a testimony and your pain into praise, the glory of God will be respected. They took, and they place him right there and... This is the glory of God, the Ark of God, the most sacred physical entity on the planet in the ot, right next to... Two objects cannot occupy the same space. Your past and your future cannot occupy the same space. Your dream and your nightmare cannot occupy the same space. Complacency and conviction cannot occupy the same space. truth and lies cannot occupy the same space. Hatred and love, sin and holiness, forgiveness and unforgiveness, belief and doubt, faith and fear, cannot occupy... Somebody shout, "Something has to go".
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, there's a battle going on for your space. There is. And the number one battleground is right here. Before we confront the external Philistines, we must address the internal Dagons. There's a battle going on right now. The battle is not in America primarily between the donkey and the elephant, the battle is between the serpent and the lamb. The battle is between chaos and order. The battle is between deception and truth. The battle is between feelings and facts. Matter of a fact, the big battle is between your mind and your mantle.
The battle is between your memories and your imagination. The battle is between the thoughts that go through your head and the calling of God upon your life. There is a battle and it's here. This is where Dagon has to fall first. I have great news for you. Pastor quoted the scripture twice. 1 Corinthians 15:57. The great news is the victory, the battle, has already been won through Christ Jesus. I love the version, if you do the Greek exegy, you are perfectly victorious at all times in all circumstances over all things through Jesus Christ. Look at your neighbor and tell 'em, "The battle has already been won". And this is what happened.
Number three, when the glory stands firm, darkness will collapse. So, we're gonna illustrate this. This is gonna be a quick message. It's a wham, bam, thank you sam, and no pun intended. But this is prophetic. This is what see in the spirit so I'm gon' just share it with you. This is what's gonna happen here. This really happened. They left. Where are my Philistines at? Y'all stay right there at the bottom of the staircase. They left, the citizens of Ashdod. And they shut the door, and this is a movie, when they left that night, something happened. This guy ended up on the floor in front of...
Now, that's where the Hebrew exegy is important. The phraseology there is intentional. It's the same phrase that appears in Psalm 97:7. Every false idol, every false God will bow down in front of the living, true God. Not only did he fall, he didn't fall to the side, to the back, he fell in front of, in a posture of worship. So, what did I travel to California for to tell you? Every Dagon in your family, every Dagon in your home, every Dagon in your marriage, every Dagon in your mind, every Dagon in your health, every Dagon in your finances, before this service is over, not only is that Dagon coming down, it will never occupy your space again.