Transcript
Well, good afternoon, everyone. I’m scanning the room to see who has the biggest smile on their face because I understand there’s a wedding this weekend. I think I’ve identified the culprits as I look over here. As it was said earlier, we are approaching the fall Holy Days. Those days are coming up on us very fast. We have the Day of Trumpets just ahead of us, obviously Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles. They’re just days ahead of us, as I said.
And we begin in these days leading up to the fall Holy Days to focus on God’s command to certainly fast, and what that means for us and then Feast, and to learn to fear him and rejoice before him. This is an exciting time. It’s very different in many ways to the spring Holy Days. But there’s something else that I think… and we’re going to talk about today that should be on the forefront of our minds. It should be motivating absolutely everything that I just mentioned, and it could be argued, our entire lives.
And we’ll see that prove itself throughout the message. And I mean absolutely everything. Certainly, what we learn today, it’s going to be in some ways like a Bible study. Is something we apply not just at the Feast or these coming Holy Days, but every aspect of our lives should be driven by this one singular thing. We don’t talk about it very often. Let’s turn to Psalm nineteen. Psalm nineteen to begin. We’re going to cover barely a fraction of the verses on this subject today, but we are going to try and cover as many as possible in the time allotted.
Now, the first several verses in this Psalm by King David are full of what we would call personifications. Now, personifications is a figure of speech where human qualities like the ability to speak and act are attributed to objects. An example or a few examples is the wind whispered through the trees, or also the sun smiled down on us. Now, the sun doesn’t smile, and the wind doesn’t whisper. It’s giving those elements of God’s creation an attribute that belongs to human beings.
For example, the leaves danced in the breeze. Very poetic and it brings emotion and depth to what’s being written. The city never sleeps is another one. These are all personifications, examples in literature of where an object is given this human quality. And Psalm nineteen is no exception to that. The first few verses. Let’s read. Verse one, “The heavens declare…” now, that’s an attribute. We know the heavens don’t speak, but it’s giving a human attribute. “...the glory of God; and the firmament shows…”
Another attribute. “...his handywork. Day unto day…” referring to the heavens and the firmament “...they utter speech…” utter, another personification “...and night onto night they show knowledge.” There is no speech or language. In other words, there’s not a place on the planet, on the planet Earth where their voice is not heard. Now, when you read this using personification certainly adds imagery and emotion to the psalm. In this case, the heavens and the firmament, the sky.
Space, outer space are described as declaring and showing. Also in uttering, again, all human actions. But king David, I think, had little idea how far-reaching and true these statements would be in today’s world. Think about the technology that we have. Anywhere that human life exists on the planet, whether it’s in the North Pole or the South Pole, or all around the world. The planets, the moons, anyone who can look up can see this, this repeated three hundred and seventy-one times in the Bible.
It’s a towering truth that’s hidden within those couple verses of personification. A word that is found in the Bible more times than love. And we know that God is love. How important could that be? More times than the word faith. And we know that it’s impossible to please God without faith. And hope, it’s mentioned more times in the Bible than hope is.
Now, of the many things that we’ve learned over these past nine years on this wonderful journey of learning about the kingdom, one thing that sticks in my mind is, if God repeats something, it’s time to pay attention. And if God inspired through millennia, various men to repeat something three hundred and seventy-one times in both the Old Testament and New Testament, I think it’d be worth studying. Wouldn’t you agree?
And God doesn’t just repeat it hundreds of times. He created and placed physical objects permanently to announce this, to make it apparent. Day after day people can look up and be aware of it and see it. Night after night, for all mankind to see. And brethren, that towering truth is the glory of God. Every time a person looks at the sky, the clouds, and sun, wherever we gaze at the night sky, the glory of God is made apparent. And that’s what king David revealed in this verse. And that’s going to be the subject we’re going to talk about. Psalm ninety-seven. Psalm ninety-seven. Right there.
And we’ll begin reading here in verse six. Just one verse. “The heavens...” which is, again, the subject of the sentence like we read in Psalm nineteen, it says, “…they also declare his righteousness…” but here it says a little differently than back there in Psalm nineteen, “…all the people see his glory.” All the people. Not just an exclusive small group of people, like you and me, and brethren around the world. Every human being on the planet that has the capability of looking up into the sky, the heavens are there for them to see his glory.
Now, he’s saying it very plainly here. He’s not using any poem or poetic way of stating what he wants to get across. Every single person, of every nation and tongue, were meant to see the glory of God, brethren. God wasn’t hiding it for an exclusive group of people. Now, before we go onto the next verse, I’d like to define that word for you because it’s critical that we understand what it means. And it’s going to build its meaning over time, and you’ll see why.
That word is kâbôd. kâbôd. K-A-W-B-O-D-E is the way it’s pronounced. And that word kâbôd, the glory of God, it means weight. Properly, that’s what it means, the weight. The weight of God. It means, also, splendor. It means abundance. Certainly, it means glorious, you’ll see it translated that way, but it also means honor. The honorable nature of God. And it’s found in Hebrew two hundred and three times. Of the three-seventy-one times, two hundred and three times in the Hebrew, it speaks of that.
And the vast majority of times that you read that word in the Hebrew, it’s referring to the glory of God. There are some instances, it refers to other things, but it’s referring primarily to the glory of God. In Psalms, that word appears fifty-nine times. In the Book of wisdom, Proverbs, nineteen times. The Book of Isaiah, thirty-nine times, it speaks about the glory of God. Sixteen times in Ezekiel. The glory of God is spattered all throughout the New Testament and Old Testament, brethren.
Why? Why does God talk about it so much? Why should it be of importance to you and me, to mankind for that matter? Why learn about it now? The answer to those questions are going to be the focus of this message, so let’s begin with the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul understood the importance of knowing and understanding the glory of God, what it meant. In fact, he prayed about it. Let’s go to Ephesians chapter one. Much of the time we spend today we’ll be going to verses that the Apostle Paul wrote, but again, he even prayed about this.
He prayed for the brethren, the Ephesians, and listen to this prayer. Now, imagine the apostle is writing a book to a particular church, and he inserts the fact that, “Hey, by the way, I was praying about you.” He had a lot of things that he wanted to teach them, but he wanted to pause and make them take note that he was praying about them, and he wanted them to know specifically what he was praying about. We’ve said it to each other many at times. “I’ll be praying about you, about that matter.”
Well, this is what Paul was praying about, verse fifteen. “Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love to all the saints...” That really got them stirred up. The fact that these brothers were demonstrating these two qualities, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and love towards one another, towards all the saints. “Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation and the knowledge of him.” God, the Father of glory.
It’s not by coincidence that he used that title. You won’t find the Father of Glory in the Old Testament, and if there was anyone who understood the Old Testament and read it was the Apostle Paul, and he put that title there for a purpose. “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what the hope of his calling is…” of God’s calling in your life. I want your eyes to be enlightened to understand with great clarity the hope of your calling, “…and what the riches of the…” what? “…of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.”
Glory, the same equivalent over in the Old Testament. The hope of God’s calling. We’re going to come to see that God’s glory is what we hope for, and the riches of that glory. Psalm one hundred and two, and this is just the first of many reasons why it should be of great importance to us. We must understand it. An apostle prayed that we would understand it. It’s important that we do too. Psalm one hundred and two. Those few verses that we read back in Psalm nineteen and in Psalm ninety-seven revealed God uses objects for the purpose of proving his existence.
To show and declare an utter speech about his glory. To help mankind understand his splendor. Remember the definition, his abundance, his honorable nature. God put those things, those physical objects in place to communicate that to the world. Remember, God’s plan originally was for mankind to see him face to face. Psalm one hundred and two and verse one. Let’s start at the beginning. I like it because it kind of sets the tone. It’s a prayer from an individual who’s afflicted, who’s going through a trial of difficulty.
It says it literally there one, a prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the Lord. “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come to you.” Now, the Psalmist lays out many of the troubles he is facing, and we come to one that many of us who are getting older can identify with. Verse eleven, “My days are like a shadow that declines; and I am withered like grass, but you, O Lord, shall endure forever; and your remembrance unto all generations, you shall arise, and have mercy on Zion: for the time to favor her, yes, the set time, is come. For your servants take pleasure in her stones, and favor the dust thereof. So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth, they shall fear...”
And reverence, that’s what that word means. Fear what? “…your glory.” The kings of the earth will fear your glory. When will that happen? “When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.” That day is just on the horizon, not too far away. God’s plan for mankind has always been for them to see their creator, and it’s going to come to pass. And what does it say they will see? Not just God, but the full weight of his splendor, the full weight of his abundance. The full weight of his honor will be seen by all mankind.
And once God’s glory is seen by all of mankind, this is what Psalm one hundred four tells us about that glory, the glory of the Lord. Psalm one hundred four, just a page over. And again, we’ll read the first couple verses or few verses to set the tone of verse one. Here’s how the Psalm opens. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, O Lord my God, you are very great; and clothed with honor and majesty.” We can add majesty to the definition of glory. So, we have weight of splendor, of abundance, and honor. Let’s add majesty. Who would argue against that the glory of God does not include majesty?
“Who covers yourself with light as with a garment: who stretches out the heavens like a curtain: who lays the beams of his chambers in the waters: who makes the clouds his chariot: who walks upon the wings of the wind: who makes his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire.” Verse five, “Who laid the foundations of the earth, to show his glory, that it should not be removed forever.” Then the psalmist reflects on our humanity as we pick it up in verse twenty-eight. He now begins to talk about mankind.
Verse twenty-eight, “That what you give them…” the people “…they gather. You open your hand, they are filled with good. You hide your face, they are troubled: You take away their breath, they die, and return to their dusk.” The interaction between God and man is what he’s describing here. Verse thirty, “You send forth your spirit, they are created: and you renew the face of the earth.” And here it is after reflecting on all of this, this is what the psalmist concludes. Verse thirty-one, “The glory of the Lord shall endure forever.”
These few verses in Psalm one hundred two and one hundred-four reveal that God’s glory is eternal, and He wants it to be seen and known by all mankind. And everyone will have a chance to see that, and we’re just starting. God uses the heavens earth to declare his glory, and from Zion, he’ll make his glory appear to Kings, to all mankind. Here’s the point where we’re shifting to. God does not want to use just the heavens and earth to declare his glory. God will not just use Zion to show his glory.
What can King David reveal to us about how God wants and does show his glory in another way? Psalm one forty-five. Psalm one forty-five. These are all wonderful. I’ve seen pictures of... I think it’s called the Pillars of Creation, taken by, I think the Hubble Telescope. It’s awe-inspiring. The deep-space pictures that you can draw up online. Pictures from Apollo I think eighteen and eight and just amazing pictures of the earth rising off the moon, just amazing things. God uses all of these wonderful objects to communicate to mankind his glory.
But again, here’s how Psalm one forty-five opens. This is what King David has to tell us. David’s Psalm of Praise. “I will extol you, my God, O King; and I will bless your name forever and ever. Every day will I bless you; and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” Verse five, “I will speak of the glorious…” That word is kâbôd. “…of the glorious honor.” In other words, honor, honor. Your honorable honor, “…of your majesty…” there’s that word again, “…and wondrous works.”
We can add majesty and wondrous to the definition of God’s glory. And then we jump down to verse ten. “All your works shall praise you, O Lord; and your saints shall bless you. They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and talk of your power; to make known to the sons of men…” to mankind “…his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.” Remember that God is called the Father of glory, and a father naturally has children, and we are his children.
That means David was prophesying in a sense that we, the saints, God’s children, would talk about the kingdom and how his kingdom will show his glory. And what have we been doing, brethren, for the past nine years? David spoke of these days. When we not only grasp the kingdom like never before, we would talk about the glory of that coming kingdom. Understand it like no church era before us. Now, let’s look at the single most powerful way that God has declared, shown, and made known his glory. The single most powerful way.
Certainly, we are setting ourselves up to understand how we play a role in declaring God’s glory. Isaiah forty-two. But we’re going to look at the single most powerful way that God has revealed his glory. Isaiah forty-two and verse five. “Thus says God the Lord, he that created the heavens…” remember those objects that declare his glory “…and he stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth…” to declare his glory “…and that which comes out of it…” to declare his glory.
“And he that gives breath to the people upon it…” who are to see his glory “…and spirit to them that walk therein: And I the Lord have called you in righteousness...” Who’s you? Who is that you? “…I will hold your hand, keep you, give you for a covenant of the people as a light to the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to free prisoners and those in darkness.” Brethren, these words are nearly identical to the same Isaiah who prophesies in Chapter sixty-one, which Christ fulfilled as he said in the synagogue over in Luke four.
God called Christ in righteousness, but is there any connection between this and God’s glory? I don’t know if you’ve ever read this before or noticed it before. How important is God’s glory to himself, the Father? All we have to do is read one more verse. Verse eight. “I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, nor my praise to graven image.” How important is God’s glory to him? So much that he won’t share it, brethren. God will not share his glory with anyone. We prove that much.
Interestingly, Christ did not quote those words over in Luke four. But if I were a betting man, and I’m not, I guarantee he knew these words. He knew what his mission was. He didn’t have any doubt about his role. Clearly, Christ understood. He completely understood this verse that we just read. He fully understood his calling in righteousness on Earth. The question is, do we fully understand it? Let’s go to John chapter one. John chapter one. Verses that we’re very familiar with, but hopefully speak to us in a broader, maybe more powerful way today.
Now nothing or no one could have possibly shown God’s glory fully until Christ. Think back to Psalm nineteen. Talk about declaring the glory of God. Talk about considering God’s handywork. If the heavens declare the glory of God, if the firmament shows God’s handywork, day and night, night and day. If they show knowledge about this glory, his splendor, his abundance, his honor, his majesty, how much more did Christ? Then all of those combined. John one verse one, with that in mind, let’s read it.
“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God, all things were made by him; and without him was nothing, not anything made that was made.” Verse fourteen, “And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Brethren, Christ had his own glory. And even with his own glory, his mission was clear, to point everyone to the glory of the Father. And we’re going to see that. Very instructive for us as we go on.
Second Corinthians chapter four. The word was given a physical body. Second Corinthians chapter. And he had his own glory. Jesus Christ God in Flesh is the greatest perfect example of God revealing his glory through physical means. This next verse is the first of several that prove that point, that Jesus Christ came despite having his own glory to manifest the glory of God through both his words and deeds. Verse one. Second Corinthians four, verse one.
“Therefore, seeing we have this ministry...” talking Paul of God’s government, the apostle, and the ministry that supported him to serve the saints “…as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But if the gospel is hidden...” a very familiar verse.
“…it is hidden from those who are lost: In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, less the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image...” That word means likeness and resemblance of God “…should shine unto them.” Christ is the image of God. The heavens and the earth may declare God’s glory, but Christ was the very image of God’s glory in every single way. And that knowledge, those truths come via God’s government. The truth comes via the apostles.
In the ministry that supports these truths, here’s what the apostle says about us, the ministry. It says, to not preach ourselves. Read verse five, “For we preach not ourselves…” we’re not here to glorify ourselves or bring glory or notice or being noteworthy to you all. It says, “…but Christ Jesus the Lord...” and ourselves, in other words, he’s concluding himself, who am I? Who are any of the ministers, the true ministers of Jesus Christ? Who are they? “…your servants for Jesus’ sake,” it says. “For God...” verse six “…who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of knowledge...”
Of what? “…of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” A core element of what we teach and what we live is the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. What about Christ’s work towards us in God’s glory? How does that... we make that connection? We know that Jesus Christ was undoubtedly sent to be our savior. Does that tie in any way to God’s glory? Let’s start here. Let’s go to Psalm seventy-nine. Let me give you a towering reason that salvation exists.
Now I’m sure you’re going to guess it because if there’s three hundred and seventy-one instances in the Bible, you’re probably going to guess one of the purposes of salvation to mankind is found in Psalm seventy-nine. I venture to guess if I asked for a show of hands, I’d get a hundred percent response on what it is. What’s the towering element? Verse eight related to salvation. “O remember not our former iniquities: let your tender mercies speedily prevent us or protect us: for we are brought very low”.
Think about your conversion when God began calling you and gave you the gift of repentance. Some of the very words that you’re reading here probably remind you of that time leading up to baptism. “Help us, help me, O God of our salvation….” and in that context, in the context of the God of our salvation “…for the glory of your name: save me for the glory of your name and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for your namesake.” For your glory. Christ knew that the heavens and earth were not the most powerful way to reveal God’s glory.
Christ was sent to show God’s glory. And Asaph, who wrote this Psalm, knew that salvation that only comes through Christ also shows God’s glory. Salvation is intended to show God’s glory. Hebrews chapter one. Hebrews chapter one. Powerful verse. Again, very familiar verses, but through the lens of understanding God’s glory and the importance it has in our lives. Verse one, “God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds”.
Verse three “who…” still referring to Christ “…being the brightness of God, his Father’s glory,” bringing the brightness of God’s glory. In other words, there are things that represent God’s glory. We named a few of them. We know we’re called to do that. We’re going to see that even more clearly, but Christ achieved the brightness of God’s glory. He is the shining example of how God’s glory is shown to all mankind. “And the express image of God’s person of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins.”
Remember back to Psalm seventy-nine? “Purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Remember we included the word majesty in God’s glory. Christ was the brightness of God’s glory. One could not come closer to showing the true glory of God than Jesus Christ, nothing. But again, salvation is achieved by and for God’s glory. Meaning, brethren, we have a great responsibility because God saved us. We have a powerful role to play in declaring and showing God’s glory.
Isaiah forty-three and verse one. We’ll jump down here in a minute, but let’s start at verse one, “But now says the Lord that created you, O Jacob, and he that formed you, O Israel, O Israel fear not…” word that resonates with us today. Luke twelve comes to mind. “…fear not: for I have redeemed you, I’ve saved you, called you by your name; you are mine.” Brethren, we don’t own ourselves. The price of salvation in many regards as we no longer own ourselves, we are owned by the God of glory. And this is the setup.
And after laying out his plan to gather his people, he says the following in verse seven, “Even everyone called by my name…” we are the true church of God, the Restored Church of God. We’ve proven it. “…everyone called by my name, I have created him or her, for what? My glory.” We were created, brought into the church for his glory. “I have formed him…” he says. “…yes, I have made him.” Now, if that doesn’t give chills up and down your spine, I don’t know what. From before the foundation of the earth, we were called. God formed us and made us to show his glory.
Just like Christ, we exist and our calling in life is for God’s glory, our lives, our words, our actions, our conduct. Everything we do and say, no matter where we are, is to reflect God’s weight, his splendor, his abundance, and honor. Add majesty and salvation to the list as well. We exist to glorify God, period. Or exclamation point, whichever you’d like to put down. That is the importance of God’s glory in our lives. And this will continue to become even clearer as we go on. It’s going to grow in magnitude.
Romans chapter three. Romans chapter three. I said we would be visiting the writings of the Apostle Paul quite a bit. The law and the prophets, we know if we’re told of a time when the faith of Jesus Christ would be given to Jews and Gentiles, you would break down the walls. Says so in verse nine. And he’s doing it for righteousness sake, a key element to God’s glory. Let’s say that right up front. But for what reason, to what end would God break down the barriers between Jew and Gentile?
These are all memory verses for us. Verse twenty-one, reading it in a way that you maybe didn’t consider before, “But now the righteousness of God without the law or outside the law is manifested, being witnessed or being told foretold by the law and the prophets.” In other words, the prophet announced what was coming. Verse twenty-two, “Even the righteousness of God…” the same God of glory “…which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all that belief: for there is no difference.”
Jew, Gentile, no matter the ethnicity or the race, and all of that, brethren, is a setup for one of the most well-known but poorly understood verses, “…for we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Now you have to let what we just read sink in because it ties back to my previous point about salvation. The point of salvation is to bring glory to God. This also familiar verse, I hope prepares us to grasp something maybe like never before. Yes, we exist to show God’s glory, but sin prevented us from declaring or showing God’s glory in our lives.
And here’s a piece of advice if you want to take it as such. Sin will also keep us from declaring or showing it if we fall into it. That’s why God hates sin. That’s why we should hate sin because sin prevents us from showing the glory of God in our lives. The Apostle Paul expands on this. And he increases an already immense scope of God’s glory. Let’s go to first Corinthians chapter eleven. Sin will prevent you from doing your mission, accomplishing your task.
Now, when was the last time, I would ask both the ladies and the gentlemen in here, you read these next verses? I ask again, how important should God’s glory be to us? We know the salvation is for God’s glory. We know that we all fell short of being capable of showing God’s glory because of sin. We repented. God gave us that salvation to be able to do just that. And here’s what it says in First Corinthians eleven verse two. “Now, I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the ordinances as I deliver them to you...” He’s going to be talking about some of the doctrine and order that he set in place with the Corinthians. “...but I would have you to know that the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is the man and the head of Christ is God.” We’ve read this many a times.
Now, what does this have to do with the weight, splendor, abundance, glory, honor, majesty, salvation of God? Everything. It has everything to do with it. Verse four talks about men and women praying and prophesying.
Then Paul inserts one of the most amazing pieces of truth to defend a rather simple doctrine. Here’s what he says in verse seven. “For a man indeed should not cover his head, for as much as he is the image and the glory of God.” He doesn’t say he appears to be. It says he is the image and glory of God. The exact same words to describe Christ elsewhere. But the woman is the glory of the man. Now, when I read this, it shocked me, and I’ve read this many times, but never quite understood it this way.
Now, we know that there is no male or female in Christ. Galatians three, twenty-six, we don’t have to go there. It’s a supporting point, but it says, we are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of us as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ, and there is Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus. Because we are in Christ, we can carry the same level of description that God gave Christ. We are in the image. We are the image of God.
We can be a manifestation of God’s glory, and doesn’t that make sense, brethren, when you think about the example that Christ left? Brethren, if we follow Christ’s example, our role, both men and women which is to be the image and show the glory of God, we are doing it for an earth that is completely devoid of the knowledge of this great God that we serve. That’s the only way that the world has any chance. We heard some of the letters that were written into to the church because of who we are.
The earth is devoid of the knowledge of God. They’re devoid of the knowledge of His splendor. They’re devoid of the knowledge of His abundance. They’re devoid of the knowledge of His honor, of His majesty, of the importance of salvation. Are we not told to put on Christ? Do we not read that in other places? Brethren, we must live up to that image. Are we not asked to have the mind of Christ? Yes. Recall Hebrews tells us that Christ is a brightness of God’s glory.
It makes all the sense in the world that we who are in Christ are God’s image and glory, but we can’t let that go to our heads. Second Corinthians chapter three. Second Corinthians chapter three. Because we have a ways to go. I think Paul said it. We all need to be delivered from these bodies of death. Second Corinthians chapter three verse seventeen. “Now, the Lord is that spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.” Verse eighteen. “But we all, with open face, beholding as in a glass...” What? “...the glory of God.” If you ever looked through a glass, it can be a little bit distorted. You can’t see it perfectly.
We are changed, but we all, with open face, beholding as in the glass, the glory of the Lord, are changed or are changing into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord. Brethren, that statement back in First Corinthians eleven is not a statement of completion. It is a statement of process. When you marry it with this verse, it makes absolute sense. We must live up to our role as children of God. We only reflect His image or likeness if we live right or if we live righteously. We only declare and show God’s glory when we obey God’s laws, when we adhere to the truth, and hold fast to the doctrines that we’ve been given and taught.
And I want you to read this carefully. Meditate on it. The more we behold God’s glory, the more we understand about it. Because I’m only going to cover maybe a couple dozen verses of the three hundred and seventy-one times it’s mentioned in the Bible. If we behold His glory, albeit through a glass, in other words, we don’t understand it entirely, but if we meditate on it and we’ll talk about some of the other elements of it, the more will change into the same image, because it’s a process of going from glory and glory. And the only way we can go from that is if we learn what’s in here, that shows us who God is, the example that Christ left, and we do it.
That’s the only hope we have to continue that process. I think elsewhere it says, till we all come in the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the son of God, that’s a process. Unto a perfect man, that’s a process. Unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that’s a process and it takes obedience, understanding and obedience. And meditating on the glory of God will drive you to that change. John chapter eleven. John chapter eleven. The scriptures, Christ Himself taught that this process that I’m talking about involves showing the world God’s glory by imitating Him.
Again, I’ll repeat it. Of course, He declared and perfectly showed God’s glory. Now we’re going to look at some examples and see how they might apply to us. John eleven verse one, an account that we’re very familiar with. It says, “Now a certain man was sick...” That would be Lazarus. “...of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.” It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped His feet with her hair whose brother Lazarus was sick.” Verse three. “Therefore, his sister sent for him...” Sent for Christ. “...saying, ‘Lord, behold, He whom you love is sick.’ When Jesus heard that, He said, ‘This sickness is not unto death,’” but for what? For the glory of God? Sickness for the glory of God? That doesn’t make sense.
“That the Son of God might be glorified thereby. Now, Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus,” that’s what verse five says. We read that Christ loved those siblings, the brother and two sisters. But Christ’s love, capture this point, did not interfere with His mission to display God’s glory. Nor did Christ’s decision to delay mean He loved Lazarus any less. Yes, even Lazarus sickness, because he hadn’t died yet, was for the glory of God. His death too, as we will read. Now, I want you, before we continue reading, to flip that on yourself, on us. Loving God and accepting how he shows His glory in and our lives are not mutually exclusive.
You must be able to love God and accept how He wants to manifest His glory through your life in the good and the bad. It’s easy to say, “Oh, God, glorify Yourself through me” when we’re getting blessed. But when we’re going through a health trial or a sickness, or we see someone else going through it, what’s our thinking like then? Do we still have in the back of our minds what Christ said, “This situation is for the glory of God,” and certainly we can put ourselves in circumstances that could have been very well prevented. But I’m talking about true trials.
Not because you’ve sinned or done anything wrong. It’s just trials that have come into your life. How are you going to face them head-on, with what kind of attitude? One doesn’t preclude the other. Loving God is intrinsically linked to allowing God’s glory to be seen by others. Because remember, we’re not trying to bring glory to ourselves. We’re trying to bring glory to God, and people have to be watching us and hearing us to learn of that glory that’s being declared through our lives. Let’s go down to verse thirty-eight, verse thirty-eight. Remember, God still loves us when we go through trials.
We should not doubt that no matter what type of trial it is. That is not the question. What is also not in question is that God wants His glory to be known. They’re simultaneous. He wants us to recognize, unlike Martha, that our situations are opportunities for others to see His glory. Verse thirty-eight, “Jesus, therefore, again, groaning in Himself, came to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay on His entrance. And Jesus said, ‘Take the stone away.’ Martha said, ‘Lord, He stinks by now. He has been dead four days.” Jesus replied, “Did I not say to you?”
Now, I don’t recall Him saying that at any point. If you would believe, you should see what? The glory of God. Not Christ’s glory, the glory of God. But did you catch that? Christ had previously taught Martha at some point, and likely Lazareth and Mary about the glory of God. Because that reference, that comment up in four, that was made before Christ even arrived in Bethany. Christ taught them about the glory of God, because He reminded Martha in that moment of deep sorrow and sadness. She just lost her brother, whom Christ loved, and I’m sure she loved dearly.
We’ve lost loved ones, and sometimes in that deep sadness we can forget what’s important. Did I not tell you? And we’re talking about saints, that this is for the glory of God. Remember, our lives are made up of a series of opportunities, good and bad, for God’s glory to be shown in our lives. And if you can keep that perspective, let’s finish with two more verses. Verse forty-one, “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank you. You have heard me.’”
And it’s almost a side comment that He dropped His voice at that point. He says, “And I knew that you always hear me because of the people who stand by.” In other words, He wasn’t saying that prayer for Him because He knew God heard Him. He already prayed about it likely. He was just doing that for what, for the audience. For the audience that was there present. It goes on to say, “So that they might believe you send me,” and we could add that they may see your glory as He said to Martha. He wanted to communicate two things.
First, God sent me, number two, so that I could reflect the glory of God by what I’m about to do. And brethren, although we might get angry and maybe question God during a trial, we must trust in Him and rely on Him because of His glory. And some might say, “Well, that’s too simple, Mr. Houk, for the complex situations that we go through, the situations that we have to endure.
Is it really that complicated? If God said it, should we believe it at face value? We must challenge ourselves. Brethren, let’s go to First Peter four, First Peter four. Let’s expand on this a little bit more. The things we endure are for the glory of God. And here’s what the Apostle Peter said about the afflictions we endure as Christians. “Beloved...” Verse twelve. “...think it not strange, concerning the fiery trowel, which is to try...” and that is in the present progressive, it means trying, which is trying you, right now. Whatever you may be going through. “...as though some strange thing happened, or that also is happening to you...” In the present tense. Don’t be surprised by it. Don’t think it’s strange. “...but rejoice because you are partakers of Christ’s suffering.”
Sufferings? It can’t be talking about the glory of God, is it? “And when His glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy. If you be reproached...” Reproached for the name of Christ? “...happy are you for the spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”
Brethren, when you’re going through trials, when you’re being persecuted, ridiculed by family, by workers, whatever the case may be, call on this promise, call to mind this promise of God, that the spirit of glory rests on you, and you can get through it, and you can be happy. Happy? Suffering? Happy in the midst of trials? It’s what it says. Think it not strange, sufferings, reproach, illness.
You know what the Apostle Peter understood like the Apostle Paul? He understood the weight of glory that rested upon them. Remember, that’s the definition of it back in the Hebrew. The weight of glory rests upon you through His Spirit. Brethren, as we approach the Fall Holy Days, particularly the Feast of Tabernacles, and we think about coming together and seeing each other. Let’s go to another example of Christ talking about God’s glory and how we can show it at this time of year through our words and deeds.
John seven. One more example. I hope you find this as fascinating as I did. It’s all sometimes hidden in the definition of words. We read past words and, well, that’s a neat word until you uncover a jewel. Verse one, “After these things, Jesus walked in Galilee for He would not walk in Judea because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.” And after Jesus has in exchange with his brothers and He stays behind, in verse fourteen He goes up into the temple to teach in the middle of the Feast.
Verse fifteen, “And the Jews marveled saying, how does this man understand the line? He’s never learned it. How does He understand the letters?” I’ve never seen Him in one of our classes or college courses. “And Jesus answered and said, my doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me. If any man will do His will, he shall know the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of Myself.”
And here it is, verse eighteen. “He that speaks of himself seeks his own glory, but he that seeks the glory of who sent him, the same... that individual is true, try and true, and no unrighteousness is in him.” Again, I hope you find this fascinating. That word seek, it can mean seek, but in Hebrew, it means specifically to worship. Therefore, we could easily read it like this. He that speaks of himself worships, wants to bring attention to his own glory, but he that, and we could insert speaks of God, worships, wants to bring attention to God’s glory, and that person is true and no unrighteousness is in him. I can’t tell you how extraordinarily inspiring that was to read it so close to the feast. Because that changes my mind. It gives me an upgrade, in terms of my perspective about gathering once again at the Feast of Tabernacles with brethren.
Christ revealed this powerful truth during the Feast among enemies. We can do it among people that are far less antagonistic with us. Brethren, meditating on the significance of this gave me my perspective about the Feast truly an upgrade. Learning to fear God and rejoicing before Him is achieved when we show God’s glory through our conduct, through our conversations, and our actions. You tell me you fear God, you tell me you want to rejoice before God, let me hear what you say and let me see what you do. And if it’s to glorify God, to bring attention to His glory, good. If it’s to bring attention to yourself, not so good. And that’s what Christ was condemning there.
Galatians chapter five. Galatians five. “The apostle Paul cautioned the Galatians about a different kind of glory.” Again, similar to the one that Christ condemned here in midst of the Feast. When we get together at the Feast and see each other for the first time maybe in over a year, some people maybe you haven’t seen for a couple years, problems can arise. Frictions can occur. These types of problems can arise because of something we can all fall into, not only at the Feast, but in our daily lives, in our local congregations.
Verse twenty-six. “Let us not be desirous of vain glory, empty glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Seeking or desiring your own glory, promoting yourself, desiring empty, vain glory, that leads to provoking envy in one another. We have to be careful of it. And there’s an antidote to this. What will help us show God’s glory instead? What will help us avoid seeking our own glory, which is vain glory in and of itself? Anyone who seeks their own glory, it’s empty. I can assure you. Anyone who seeks the glory of the one who called us, that person is true, and no unrighteousness in them. You know what the antidote is?
Just look a few verses up. That’s the chapter of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Add those to the definition too, brethren, of the glory of God. If we do, the result will be no unrighteousness in us, brethren, with one another. Not just as services, but in the hotel rooms, at the pool, on the beach, at the restaurants. Think about the atmosphere we will create throughout the hotel and the impression that we’re going to leave in the minds of the individuals that are watching us, maybe who serve us at the luncheons, the family day activities, dinner dances, get-togethers.
Youth, you too, you’ve been called to show the glory of God in your life. That is a supreme purpose that very few privileged can understand. A simple prayer before the Feast, brethren, a very simple one, but a powerful one, and a prayer that you can say quickly every morning throughout the Feast, and these days leading up through trumpets and atonement, hopefully, remembering this message, asking God to help you to talk and act in a way that brings attention to Him. Who is this person? Why are they the way they are? There’s something about them.
Now, they may not be able to connect, but they’re going to see the glory of God when you act that way. And they’ll put it together one day when God comes. Ask Him to help you glorify God as Christ did. Ask Him to help you glorify God as others around you are. Follow the good examples. Pull people and lead people to that example. God’s splendor in abundance, honor, majesty, salvation, fruits of His spirit, the same spirit that rests on us, the weight of glory. You can ask a simple question against all of those, is what I am about to say or do going to fulfill my commitment to display God’s weight? Is what I’m doing displaying those attributes of God? Romans fifteen. Again, these are concept that must be applied in our daily lives, not just at the Feast, not just during the Holy Days.
Verse two, let every one of us, that’s everyone. There’s no exceptions here, I don’t see any parentheses, except for so and so, except for so and so. Nope. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification, for even Christ please not Himself. Verse four, “For whatever things were written before time were written for our learning.” And we’re learning about the glory of God. Again, we’ve maybe are going to cover a couple dozen of the hundreds of verses about it. That we might have hope through patience and comfort, add that to the glory of God. “Now, the God of patience and consolation...” There it is, add it. “...grant you to be like-minded, one toward another according to Christ Jesus...” Verse six. “...that you may be with one mind and mouth, unified, and the way we act and the way we talk, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, wherefore, receive you one another as Christ also received us to the glory of God.”
Everything we do, it’s to the glory of God. In this instance, it says, receive one another, that word receive means to take to oneself, proslambanō, to admit through words and actions friendship or hospitality. Admit your friendships openly. Receive each other as friends, be hospitable for the glory of God.
What a way of life that is, brethren, not just at the Feast every day, receiving one another, caring for one another, attending to one another, working side by side in the love of God, forgiving one another at the Feast. Think of now if you’re volunteering. Remember these words when things don’t go the way you think they should or how they should. When we receive one another in the broadest possible definition of this word because it must be broad. This is one of those definitions you want it to be liberal. We make known God’s weight of splendor, abundance, honor, majesty, salvation, faith, the fruits of God’s spirit, and now consolation.
Imagine for a moment a Feast where every person’s desire is to personally declare and show God’s glory in this way. Imagine it. I’ve seen it, but imagine it even on a greater scale. Imagine a glorious kingdom. Imagine a home not in the future now, imagine a workplace. Imagine a congregation that declares God’s glory this way, receiving one another. It starts with you, it starts with me. Understanding this from Christ, and the fact that He taught this in the middle of the Feast, again, was extraordinarily inspiring to me.
First Corinthians ten, First Corinthians ten. “All things are lawful for me, says the Apostle Paul, but not all are expedient. All things are lawful for me, but not all edify. Let no man seek his own...” There it is again. “...but every man, another’s wealth, another’s benefit.” Just repeating it in different eloquent ways. “Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, eat, asking no question for conscious sake, for the earth is the Lord’s...” Which is there to show His glory. “...and the fullness thereof.” Which is there to show His glory. “If any of them that believe not bid you to a Feast and you be disposed to go what service is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscious sake.
But if any man says to you, this is offered in sacrificed idols, well, eat not for his sake that showed it, because we’re trying to reflect the glory of God. And for conscious sake and for the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof...” Verse thirty. “...for if I am a partaker by grace, why am I evil spoken of for whom I give thanks, whether therefore you eat...” This is wherefore. “...you eat or drink or whatsoever you do.” I think I read that correctly. Was that accurate? I think that was accurate, I captured every single word, do all to the glory of God. Now, I could have started the sermon right there and closed my book and then let you run at it because I think it covers everything.
Eat, drink and everything I do, do all to the glory of God. Let me ask one more time, how important is the glory of God to your life, to our lives? The answer? Everything we do in life matters, it must point to it. I could wish there was wiggle room, but let me see here. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen words covers it all. I should have counted beforehand, but I didn’t, it just occurred to me to do that. One, two, three. I use my fingers too and my toes. What we eat, how we eat, even the manners at the table, the way we eat matters.
I get hungry and sometimes it’s not pretty, and I know some of you are laughing because you’re seeing yourself in a mirror right now, aren’t you? Some of you get hungry, but how we eat even, people are looking, everything we do, not just what we eat, how we eat, how much and how often we eat must be for the glory of God. Sorry. I take that back, I’m not sorry. If you’re falling short somehow and know that you’re not showing God’s glory because of it, figure it out. Do something about it. Get help. Be open to others holding you to account. Partner up, but don’t partner up with somebody who’s struggling with the same thing, it usually ends in failure.
Be mindful of the Feast again, of showing God’s glory while eating in front of others. Drinking maybe water. I got to tell you, I have a problem with drinking water, I don’t drink as much water. I grew up in a house that didn’t drink a lot of water, and I came to headquarters here and I get here, everybody drinks water, and they drink a lot of it. And so I’ve asked my wife to help me, she keeps an eye on me. “Hey, hey, hey, drink that,” because literally, it’ll sit there all day unless I just do this and do... wait, and do that, and then I go, “Oh, I’m thirsty. But if it’s inside the bottle, for some reason, it doesn’t click. It could be with water. Take care of yourself, stay hydrated.
Your body is mostly water. It could be as simple as that. Drink unto the glory of God. But it could be something more serious like drinking alcohol, life can be enjoyed without it. If you have an issue, do something about it. Students, elementary, high school, college, whatever the case may be, how are your grades? Because it says, whatsoever, do it unto the glory of God.
Are you putting every effort into your schoolwork, into your studies? There are a lot of questions I can ask, but you need to ask them, and the answers must be from you all, from God’s scriptures. If we place every aspect of our lives under a microscope to measure it against what the scriptures say about showing God’s glory, we can answer the simple question, is this area of my life fulfilling my commitment, my role in showing God’s glory?
Think back to Psalm nineteen one more time. Not just Christ, but we too are called, brethren, to declare the glory of God. Our lives must speak of and show knowledge of this invisible God that we serve. That is why we are told to receive one another as Christ also received us to the glory of God. That’s why we’re told whether to eat, drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Brethren, the creation was permanently put in place to declare, show, and make known God’s glory to everyone who can look up. Day in and day out, night after night, we exist to reveal even more astonishing knowledge about God. Brethren, Moses’ beseeched, begged to see God’s glory. It was in Exodus thirty-three. God obliged him. Wouldn’t we like to see what Moses did? I know I would.
Well, if we live our lives constantly declaring, like the heavens, God’s weight, splendor, abundance, honor, majesty, fruits of the Spirit that weighs on us, we’ll see much more than that. In fact, we will one day see ourselves as God knows us and we will have indescribable glory. One last verse, Isaiah sixty. It’s a verse that was read very recently by Mr. Pack, and it struck me. And with this, I’ll close. Isaiah sixty.
Less than a couple of dozen verses to touch upon a monumental subject like the glory of God, and I thought it might be appropriate to end with this one because this is what the future looks like. This is what now can look like. “Arise, shine...” Verse one. “...for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness to people, even if that happens, but the Lord shall arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you.”
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