From Glory to Greater Glory

Defining Glory

Romans 8:18–30 NIV

18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Romans 8:29–30 AMP

29 For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren. 30 And those whom He thus foreordained, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified (acquitted, made righteous, putting them into right standing with Himself). And those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity and condition or state of being].

Glory Defined

doxazo gk. - to render glorious, honor, magnify

Glory is the power, might, splendor, and radiant presence of an individual—ultimately, the manifestation of God’s perfection.

Glory in Creation

Psalm 19:1 ESV

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Every sunset, mountain peak, and starry night whispers God’s majesty.

These sunsets the past few weeks have been extraordinary!

<< images of sunsets >>

Psalm 24 ESV

A Psalm of David. 1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. 3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. [this the sanctification process] 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah 7 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle! 9 Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah

God is the King of Glory—His reign is unmatched.

hosts = military, army, heavenly entrouage

Glory at Mt. Sinai & the Tabernacle

Exodus 40 – The glory of God filled the tabernacle; His presence was tangible and visible.

Exodus 40:3 ESV

3 And you shall put in it the ark of the testimony, and you shall screen the ark with the veil.

We see Moses act in obedience…

Exodus 40:20–21 ESV

20 He took the testimony and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark and set the mercy seat above on the ark. 21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of the testimony, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Out of complete obedience…

Exodus 40:34–38 ESV

34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.

The Glory of God became tangibly visible to not only the people of Israel but any who would pass by.

The Glory of God provides, protects and guides, and satisfies.

Ezekiel 43 – God’s glory is unmissable when it appears.

Ezekiel 43:1–5 ESV

1 Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing east. 2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory. 3 And the vision I saw was just like the vision that I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and just like the vision that I had seen by the Chebar canal. And I fell on my face. 4 As the glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east, 5 the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

When the glory of God enters a place, it fills every corner. Nothing else is needed!

Abiding in God

Continuing in the theme of Abiding in God, when we are fully immersed in his presence (the glory), we have no need, we do not strive. We find ourselves content and at rest in him.

Here’s the thing about abiding.

You can abide in something that isn’t God.

Hell is an abiding place, but no resting place.

Thomas Watson

The difference in abiding in God is that you enter into His rest.

Matthew 11 & Hebrews 3 are some great passages to understanding the Rest of the Lord.

Glory at the Temple

1 Kings 8; 2 Chronicles 7 – God’s glory filled the temple after extravagant sacrifice.

1 Kings 8:5 ESV

5 And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.

1 Kings 8:10–11 ESV

10 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

2 Chronicles 7:1–3 ESV

1 As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Upon dedication & sacrifice, the glory of the Lord fell upon the house.

No one was able to stand, all were surrendered to the Lord!

The Nation was effected by the glory of God!

Isaiah 60:1–3 ESV

1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. 3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Glory at the Transfiguration

Mark 9; Matthew 17; Luke 9; 2 Peter 1:16–18 – Jesus’ heavenly glory revealed on earth.

We see a similar reaction as those before, they fall on their faces before the Almighty!

John 1:14 – “We beheld His glory…”

John, in his opening words tells his readers John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

grace = rejoicing, gladness, favor

truth = this is not relative truth, this is the standard by which the universe runs.

Hebrews 1:3 – Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of His nature.

Journey to Glory

2 Corinthians 3:18 – As we behold the Lord’s glory, we are being transformed into His image.

Humility First

John 3:30 ESV

30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Matthew 23:12 ESV

12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

James 4:10 ESV

10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Proverbs 29:23 ESV

23 One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

We decrease so He can increase.

John 17 – Jesus prays for the Father’s glory, knowing the Father will glorify Him.

Jesus mentions “glory” eight (8) times in his prayer to His father.

The formula was…

Father Glorified First

Son Glorified by the Father

Bride Glorified by the Son

Glorify God Now

So we follow that pattern and we glorify the Father and Son.

We don’t seek out our own glorification.

Obedience and Worship now will lead to future glorification.

Glimpses of Glory

1 Corinthians 13:12 ESV

12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

We have the privilege to be witnesses to the Glory of God is bursts here on Earth.

When the Glory of God enters the house:

bodies are healed

salvation is received

repentance breaks out

joy overflows

forgiveness is extended

freedom sweeps over the imprisoned

pride is shattered

ashes turn to beauty

a greater revelation of who Jesus is is revealed

While we experieince these glimpses, we look forward to the day when we are with

God Will Glorify You

Philippians 3:20–21 ESV

20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

1 John 3:2 ESV

2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

Revelation 21 - In eternity, God’s glory will light everything.

Revelation 21:22–27 ESV

22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Final Glory

Vision of Jesus in Glory

Revelation 1:12–16 – Jesus has Eyes like fire, face shining like the sun.

Isaiah 6:1–5 – The train of His robe fills the temple.

I’ve mentioned before and always love this little fact.

The train of a king was made up of the robes of conquered kings!

The Lord Almighty is the ultimate conqueror!

He is the King of Kings

He is the Lord of Lords

Ezekiel 1:26–28; Daniel 7:9–14 – Both see a Throne surrounded by thrones with fire, radiance, and everlasting dominion.

Closing Challenge

Glorification is not just a distant hope—it is our present transformation and our eternal destiny. God’s glory changes us now, sustains us through humility, and will one day completely renew us. Live now with your eyes on the King of Glory, so that when you see Him, you will be like Him.

Invite congregation to come and receive communion.

<< Song: Soon by Brooke Ligertwood >>

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

Revelation 19:6–10 ESV

6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” 10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

The Lamb receives glory; His bride is clothed in fine, pure linen.

Our glorification is the consummation of our heavenly marriage.

Holy Communion

Luke 22:14–30 ESV

14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 21 But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. 22 For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” 23 And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this. 24 A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves. 28 “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, 29 and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Jesus will not drink the cup again until the fullness of the Kingdom.

Communion is both remembrance and anticipation of the final glory.