Beholding the Glory of Christ II

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Desire of Jesus…His passion…what are they?

John 17—READ TEXT

1-5—Jesus prays for Himself

6-19—Jesus prays for His disciples

20-26—Jesus prays for everyone who believes through their message

Beholding the glory of Christ…Herein would I live…

How do we behold it and what does it look like?

Light of nature
Light of faith and Grace
Light of Glory

Redemptive history

The Shadow—Under the Law Heb. 10:1
The Perfect Image—Under the Gospel
In Glory—the Reality of His presence and the perfect enjoyment of His presence.

SAME QUESTION…How do we behold it and what does it look like?

The Gospels are like a telescope bringing Jesus Christ into view…the epistles tighten the focus and enable us to walk by faith.

The divine nature is revealed to us in the:

Mission
Person—the awe striking combination of contrasting attributes
Offices—Prophet, Priest, King

Compared with Jesus, all creation reveals little of God’s wisdom, love and will.

2 Corinthians 4:4-6 (ESV)
4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Colossians 1:15 (ESV)
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

Colossians 2:9 (ESV)
9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

David longed for a sight of this glory—Ps 63:1-2

Moses desired to see the glory of God—Ex 33:18

Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV)
13 You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart,

The great destroyer of Christian joy is a divided heart, cluttered heart, worrying heart, etc.

William Blake…this life’s dim windows of the soul distort the heavens from pole to pole…when you see with and not through the eye.

Hosea 14:1-9 (ESV)
1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. 2 Take with you words and return to the Lord; say to him, “Take away all iniquity; accept what is good, and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips. 3 Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy.”

4 I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. 5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; 6 his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. 7 They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. 8 O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress; from me comes your fruit. 9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

When we turn…return…this leads to abundant fruitfulness in holiness and obedience, in peace and love to a depth that had never been known.

1. All supplies of Grace are from Christ

Without Him we can do nothing…He is our head, life and source of all grace. He is our life and lives in us, so that all our strength for holiness and obedience comes from Him.

Galatians 2:20 (ESV)
20 It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Colossians 3:1-4 (ESV)
1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

2. Only way to receive supplies of Grace from Jesus is by faith

If we receive anything from Christ we must receive it by faith.

3. A steady view of Christ is what we need most

Therefore the one thing most needed in our recovery and revival is a steady view of the glory of Christ, in his person, grace, mission and offices.

The one that lives by faith in Christ shall, by his spiritual thriving and growth, declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

Scripture says, ‘They looked to him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed; (ps 34:5. ‘Look to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; (Isa. 45:22). On this look to Christ, on this view of his glory, depends all our salvation and Christian life. ‘Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation

Psalm 130