Order, Glory, and Judgment

Pastor Keith Hassell

Foundation Scripture:   Genesis 1:1-2:2

I.          God has a divine pattern

            A.        Divine order

            B.         Divine glory

            C.        Divine blessing

            D.        Divine judgment

II.        God has a pattern for

            A.        Our individual lives (Jesus)

            B.         Marriage (pattern of Christ and His church)

C.        Children (pattern of God the father)

            D.        The church

                        1.         Worship:          The Temple of God

                        2.         Warfare:           The Army of God

                        3.         Work:              The Body of Christ

                        4.         Wedlock:         The Bride of Christ

III.       It has been this way from the beginning

A.        Disorder: “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.” (Genesis 1:2)

1.         “Form”:  Hebrew “tohuw”(Strongs #8414) means “to lie waste or empty; confusion.”

2.         “Void”: Hebrew “bohuw” (Strongs #922) means “void; undistinguishable ruin.”

3.         “Darkness”:  Hebrew “choshek” (Strongs #2820) means, “to restrain, hold back, punish, spare, withhold.”

B.         Divine order:  “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.  Then God said . . .”

1.         “God said” occurs 10 times in chapter one as the means of bringing about life and order.

2.         God’s Word expresses His divine order.

IV.       Divine order brings God’s glory

A.        The Garden of Eden (Genesis 1-2):  God spent six days bringing divine order to the earth.  Everything was good.

B.         The Tabernacle of Moses (Exodus 40:33-35; Hebrews 3:5):  Nine months to bring divine order to the tabernacle.

C.        The Temple of Solomon (1 Chronicles 22:14-16; 2 Chronicles 5:1, 13-14)

D.        Jesus finished the work and now awaited God’s glory (John 17:4-5).

E.         What is the “glory” of God?

1.         Moses requested of God:  “Please, show me Your glory.” (Exodus 33:18)

2.         Hebrew word for glory is “chabod” meaning “the weight of something, but only figuratively in a good sense.”

3.         God called His glory “My goodness”:  “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you.” (Exodus 33:19)

4.         God proclaims His goodness:  “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”

                        5.         The glory of God is everything that makes God who He is

            F.         If we are to experience God’s glory, we first must walk in His order

G.        God’s holiness is the expression of His divine order.  His divine order is what makes Him holy and what makes us holy.

V.        God’s glory brings His judgment

A.        Once God’s glory is established, God will quickly judge that which resists or rejects God’s order.

B.         Judgment of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3)

C.        Judgment of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1):  The priests walked freely around the work of the tabernacle overseeing its every detail to insure God’s order.  Then the glory of God filled the tabernacle.              Nadab and Abihu then chose to offer profane (irreverent, out of proper order) fire and were destroyed.

1.         Leviticus 10:3  “And Moses said to Aaron, ‘This is what the Lord spoke saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.’ So Aaron held his peace.”

D.        Judgment of Israel after Solomon (2 Chronicles 16:14-19)

E.         Judgment is not vindictiveness; it is reestablishing God’s divine order so that His glory and goodness may return.

F.         Judgment begins at the house of God (I Peter 4:17-19)

                        1.         Washing (Ephesians 5:25-27)

                        2.         Shaking (Hebrews 12:25-28)

3.         Fire (I Corinthians 3:9-17; Malachi 3:1-3)

            G.        Judgment comes to the wicked (Malachi 3:4-6)

VI.       Return to Me and I will return to you  (Malachi 3:7)

            A.        Do you want to see the glory of God?

            B.         Do you want to experience His blessing and favor?

C.        Then you must return to the Lord by returning to His divine order as revealed in His word