Scripture: Psalm 24:7–10

Key Thought: When the King of Glory shows up, everything must make room—and everything else must bow.

Introduction

In a transparent moment during worship, the question arose: What exactly is glory? As Psalm 24 unfolded, it became clear that many believers experience worship without fully understanding what is present when God’s glory enters. The enemy benefits from this lack of understanding—but revelation changes everything.

What Is Glory?

Glory is the visible, weighty, overwhelming expression of who God is.
It is God revealed, unveiled, and put on display.

• Hebrew word Kabod = weight, worth, substance, heavy importance
• Glory is the manifestation of God’s nature

When God’s glory shows up:

1. His Holiness becomes visible
2. His Power becomes undeniable
3. His Presence becomes tangible
4. His Authority becomes irresistible

Glory vs. Anointing

• Anointing: God working through you
• Glory: God revealing Himself

The anointing produces results, but the glory stops everything.
(2 Chronicles 5:14 — no one could stand in the glory.)

Glory is where God lives.
Where glory shows up, everything else bows—sickness, fear, demons, and confusion.

The Text Explained – Psalm 24

Verse 7 – Lift Up Your Heads
A command to ancient gates to open wide.
Today, the gates are our entry points: heart, mind, body, and soul.
The King requires room to enter.

Verse 8 – Who Is This King of Glory?
He is the Undefeated Champion—strong, mighty, and victorious in battle.

Verse 9 – Prepare for Divine Entry
This is a call to preparation. The King is not asking permission—He is arriving.

Verse 10 – The Lord of Hosts
He is the Commander of Heaven’s Army, reigning over every realm.
This is not a visiting King—He’s coming to take over.

Understanding Psalm 24

This is a processional Psalm, sung as the Ark of the Covenant returned to Jerusalem.
It reveals three truths:

• Authority: The earth belongs to the Lord—He owns it all
• Access: God requires clean hands (actions) and a pure heart (motives)
• Arrival: The King is ready—have we met the criteria?

Closing Reflection

The King of Glory is ready to enter.
The question is not who He is—the question is are we ready to receive Him?

Lift the gates. Make room. The King is coming in. Selah.

As we enter the final month of the year, God is calling His people to examine the wellness of their spiritual lives. The guiding question of today’s message is simple but urgent: Is the Holy Ghost in you alive and well?

Scripture: Luke 1:5–25, 57–67

Luke introduces us not to Paul, David, or John—but to Zachariah, a righteous priest from the line of Aaron. Before doubt ever crept in, Zachariah was spiritually healthy. He lived in God’s presence, handled holy things, and served faithfully even with unfulfilled personal dreams. He believed in miracles, but years of delay weakened his expectation. He had public faith, yet privately he was growing tired.

God didn’t choose Zachariah because he was perfect—He chose him because he was faithful. His story reminds us that you can be righteous and running low, faithful and needing a refill, holy and still needing a Holy Ghost check-up. Zachariah didn’t fall away; he drifted. Worship became familiar, service became routine, and expectation faded.

When the angel appeared with the promise of a son, Zachariah’s faith didn’t respond. This moment became his Holy Ghost check-up.

I. Your Vital Signs — Am I Still Alive in the Spirit?

Just like a doctor checks physical vitals, God checks spiritual ones:

1. Your Fire (Temperature)

Is your worship warm or cold?
Has routine replaced passion?

2. Your Breath (Breathing)

Is prayer still your oxygen, or have you stopped inhaling the presence of God?

3. Your Heart (Heartbeat)

Is your love for God steady, strong, and alive?

Zachariah’s vital signs were once strong, but when the angel spoke, his expectation was flat. The Holy Ghost was asking him, “Do you still believe Me?” Because a church can be full and still flatlined inside.

II. Check Your Reflexes

Doctors tap your knee to check nerve response.
God taps your heart.

Zachariah was slow to respond. But when you’re full of the Holy Ghost:

• When He speaks, you move.
• When He nudges, you obey.
• When He convicts, you shift.

Delayed obedience leads to spiritual numbness. Not sin—just slow reflexes that need revival.

III. Check Your Internal Health

Doctors draw blood to see what’s hidden, and spiritually, God does the same.

What’s going on that nobody sees?

• Internal infections
• Quiet discouragement
• Tiredness
• Disappointment
• Unbelief

Zachariah looked righteous on the outside, but inside he was worn down. God had to silence him before refilling him—because God will not allow inward emotions to sabotage outward results.

The Holy Ghost treats internal issues by restoring strength, reviving confidence, and healing unbelief.

Restoration After the Check-Up

After Elizabeth gave birth, Zachariah wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth opened, his voice returned, and he was filled with the Holy Ghost and prophesied. A Holy Ghost check-up does not expose you to shame—it restores:

• Your strength
• Your voice
• Your power

Sometimes doubt, discouragement, impatience, and trials try to take your voice. But God says, “Tell your neighbor: I got my voice back!”

In this message, we’re reminded to boldly declare: “Don’t count me out.” People may overlook you, underestimate your potential, or assume you don’t have what it takes—but God counts on what others counted out.

The backdrop of this sermon begins with Jesus grieving the death of His cousin, John the Baptist. Even Jesus experienced emotional overwhelm. Instead of pushing through while drained, He withdrew to be alone with the Father. This teaches us a vital lesson: when you are emotionally shaken, step away, sit still, and process with God. Moving out of season can cost more than you expect. Alignment requires quiet.

Scripture Focus: John 6:1–14

In the feeding of the 5,000, the disciples overlook a young boy with a small lunch. He doesn’t look like a solution—just like many of us who have been dismissed because we didn’t “look the part.” Yet Jesus calls the one everyone else counted out.

Key Illustration:
Picture the boy holding a tiny basket of bread and fish—his entire lunch. Jesus is standing nearby with a much larger basket on His back, saying, “If you trust Me, I’ll make an exchange. Give Me what you have, and I’ll give you what I’m carrying. But you won’t see what I have until you trust Me first.”

Sometimes God hides what He’s carrying because seeing it would make faith too easy. Trust must come before sight. When we stretch out what’s in our hands, He releases what only He can provide.

The boy was close enough for Jesus to make a handoff. Proximity matters. Stay close enough to God that He can place in your hands what He has prepared for your next season.

When the boy surrendered his lunch, Jesus multiplied it—not just for the crowd, but for the boy himself. God used the one who stood in the background… the one dismissed… the one overlooked.

Takeaways for Listeners

• Don’t count yourself out just because others did. God specializes in using overlooked people.
• Make space to process emotional overwhelm. Even Jesus stepped away to gather Himself.
• Trust before you see. God often hides the blessing until after your obedience.
• Your “little” becomes “much” in God’s hands.
• Stay close enough for the handoff. Proximity positions you for divine exchange.
• You belong in the room—even when others make you feel like you don’t.

God is getting ready to use what you thought disqualified you. The miracle did not start in the hands of Jesus—it started in the hands of the boy who dared to believe, “Don’t count me out.”