Shepherd's Lighthouse Church

John 17:1-5  Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.  And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.  And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

Just what exactly is Glory?

There is a lot said about GLORY, but it all comes down to this: 

It is the definitive statement about value or esteem - worthiness.

Worth-ship.

The OT word is KABOD      Pronounced: kaw-bode'  . weight; but only figurative in a good sense, splendor or copiousness:-glorious (-ly), glory, honour (-able)._

The sense of the word is value.

It appears 166 times in the OT. 

34 times referring directly to the Lord as in Glory of the Lord.

The rest of the time it refers in some way to God’s dealings with man as in 1 Kings 3:13 where it declares, And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.

Or referring to acknowledging God’s unique and infinite value as in 1 Chron 16:24 which says, Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations.

Glory, when applied to the human is subjective; that is, it is in the eye of the beholder (many today behold themselves to be quite glorious)

But Divine Glory is objective - that is, it is real in the actual sense (not dependent on any opinion). 

God alone is Glorious.

But He desires to share His Glory - not in its fullness of course (who would be able?) 

But even as the moon is a reflector of the light of the sun, God’s adopted can only reflect the radiance or Glory of God. 

It is His alone. 

So it comes from Him alone:

In Hebrews 1:2-3 God, “…has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His  person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high….”

Even as God’s hand is the one that shapes the believer like a precious gem carved and faceted by the artist’s chisel. 

By His design, and His alone, we reflect His radiance.

Even as He has provided righteousness through Jesus (we have none of our own), He also provides glory to His people.

All true value is only potential until it is placed into, or carved out of, a receptive vessel.

There are those who think that God only offers this Glory to some. 

But it is by His Holy Word that He denies that opinion. 

Adoption is a cooperative venture - it is in fact a partnership.

Through the Son, adoption, and the Glory which is Jesus, is offered to all who will respond to God’s call:

Remember that the Apostle Paul assures us in Romans 9:6 that, “… they are not all Israel who are of Israel.”

There is some mystery in the name “Israel” but as I look at the pictograms that make it I see a compound of “yasha” and "el”

Yod shin resh: Yasha   aleph lamed: El

Yashar: straight or right/prosperous  (or Sarah?)

El: strength or chief - used for God as the Mighty One.

Together I believe they present the function of being ruled by God.

So speaking of true Israel, Isaiah 62:3 proclaims, You shall also be a crown of glory In the hand of the LORD, And a royal diadem In the hand of your God.

What a glorious promise! 

That anybody who would put aside their substitutes and allow God to change their lives even as Jesus changed the water into wine at Canaan (Humility) can be in dwelt by God Himself : - John 2:1-10

Remember that the wedding at Canaan (the marriage that takes place at humility) was Christ’s very first miracle. 

As we look at the spiritual meaning of this event we see the common content of clay containers (water) is changed into the uncommon and valuable (finest wine).

2 Corinthians 4:7 “... we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”

As Jesus is the Word made flesh; we, His people are to become the flesh made Word.

This is the SHECHINAH GLORY - THE VALUE THAT IS KNOWN ONLY TO THOSE THAT GOD INHABITS.    

SHEKANJAH:

Shakan Yah. To reside or permanently stay (literal or figurative):-abide, continue, (cause to, make to) dwell (-er), have habitation, inhabit, lay, place, (cause to) remain, rest, set (up)._ with Yah: the self-existent One.

Lev 16:2 “and the LORD said to Moses: "Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercyseat.”

In Exodus 33:18-20 Moses asked God, "Please, show me Your glory."

Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live."

In Exodus 33:22-23 it continues, “So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

Moses, the Law, cannot reveal the face (the person) of God.

First comes the Law and then follows Grace.

It is only in the Lord Jesus that we see the face of God.

You cannot behold the beauty and majesty of Jesus and continue to live to self.

Jesus alone is the Fullness of the Godhead bodily –

But all born again believers are heirs with Him to that Glory which God imparts to every member of the Divine family.

Who deserves such favor? 

Nobody.

Why does God make such an offer? 

Because it is His nature.

How can we receive it? 

All who desire it above all else - as it is written in Deuteronomy 4:29 “... you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Who will settle for earthly glory when our Heavenly Father offers His own surpassing Glory in the Lord Jesus?

As you sit there I invite you to quietly acknowledge His Divine presence - the Shekanjah Glory in your life.

Ps 105:1-4

Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!   Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works!  Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!  Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!

 

Amen