The Glory!

 THE GLORY! By Pastor B D Stanford II Chronicles 5:11-14 11 “And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course: 12 Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:) 13 It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord; 14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God.” Anything is possible when the Glory of God comes into a place. People start to think different they start to speak different and act different and nothing remains the same. Note in verse 11 “the priests were come out of the holy place” and they were sanctified. The priests were set apart or sanctified for a specific task. The priests had been designated by King Solomon to be placed into groups to minister around the clock, but on this day all the priests were called on to be in this place and minister together. This was a very special day that the ark of the covenant of the Lord along with all the holy instruments and vessels was consecrated. The Levites which were the singers and all their brethren were arrayed in white linen. There were musicians playing their instruments along with trumpeters and they were all in unity. As everyone was praising and thanking the Lord, the house was filled with a cloud and the priests could not stand to minister because of the Glory of the Lord! What is the Glory of God? Can you describe it? It is almost impossible to define or describe the Glory. It is better to experience the Glory than to explain or describe it. When the glory falls in a church most are in awe and their response is: That’s it! That’s it! That’s it! Can you see the Glory? Possibly! Can you feel it? Maybe! Can you sense it? Sometimes! The Glory of the Lord is God’s Divine Presence, but so much more! The word “glory” means brightness or splendor. In Exodus 24:16 says, “And the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.” God, Himself, was alive in the cloud on the mount as He called Moses. In verse 17 we see a description of the glory. “And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.” We must remember the accounts we have read are from the Old Testament. We now as the church of the Living God, live under a New Covenant with better promises. We can pray and believe for this same Glory that filled the tabernacle and that covered the mount like “devouring fire” to fill our churches today! We must change our thinking and our believing and desire this Glory! We must come into unity with one another and love one another. We must be totally convinced in our hearts that God wants to reveal His Glory to us collectively and as individuals. He is much more willing to share Himself with us than we are to surrender all to Him for His Glory! We must not be concerned with our glory but with His Glory and cry out to Him for His Glory to fall! The prophet Isaiah experienced the Glory as it is recorded in the 6th chapter verse 1 of the book of Isaiah as we read: “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Verse 2 says, “Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.” Verse 3 says, “And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” Note the Word of God says, “The whole earth is full of his glory.” It does not say the whole earth is full of his holiness! It is almost impossible to separate God’s Holiness from God’s Glory! God’s Holiness is definitely revealed when His Glory is manifested. God’s Glory is the divine revelation of God’s person, His presence, His Character, His Excellence or His power to the physical world or to man’s senses, his mind, his soul or his spirit. There is not enough words in any language to adequately describe God’s Glory! To attempt to describe God’s Glory is like explaining God’s Love. You fill in the blank God’s Love is ________. God’s glory is _________. God is ________. A person can talk about these but to explain them it is impossible! You just have to experience these! Many that have experienced the Gory of God in our time could not explain the Glory. The response from some has been, “The only thing I can say is you should’ve been there!” In churches where the Glory fell, there was so much excitement no one wanted to miss a single service and no one wanted to leave. Everyone is caught up in the Glory! Jesus is the very image of the Glory of God! The Apostle Peter was one of three disciples that saw the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. In II Peter chapter 1 verse 16 Peter wrote, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye witnesses of his majesty.” In verse 17 he says, “For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Note: Jesus received this Glory from the “excellent glory.” Can you imagine what is contained in the “excellent glory” from the Father? Wow! We can never receive all of God’s abundance from “the excellent glory.” This “excellent glory” changes everything and everyone! The “excellent glory” changes the course of an individual, a church, a city, and even an entire nation! The Glory of God came to this country when the first Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. The Glory of God was here in America when America was founded. When George Whitefield came here to this country in the 1700’s and preached the gospel he saw thousands of people come to Jesus Christ. The Great Awakening was begun and the Glory fell and Whitefield along with others preached that men should be given the freedom. The message of freedom to live and worship their God attracted men and woman from all over the world. This is exactly what God’s Glory brings to us freedom, liberty and the very life of God! Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” The word declare means to make formally known, officially, or explicitly, to pronounce, proclaim, publish, broadcast, blazon, an ostentatious display, or make a full statement. It can be said that the heavens shout the glory of God! God has so many ways to express His Glory! Have you seen an absolutely gorgeous sunset and just know that God is asking, “Have you ever seen anything like this?” Thank God for His Glory in all of creation! He wants to share His Love, His Life, His Mercy, His Grace, and especially His Glory! In the book of Hebrews, we see an awesome display of God’s Glory in Jesus Christ! Hebrews 1:1-2 says, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;” God chose to speak to His people Israel by His prophets who were moved and inspired by the Holy Ghost. But now, God has chosen to speak to His people by the Lord Jesus Christ, the Living Word! Christians must know His written Word so they can be led by the Holy Spirit today. I have seen many believers led around by others spirits they mistook for the Holy Spirit simply because they did not know what the Word says! The Holy Spirit will never contradict God’s written Word. I have heard them say, “The Lord told me to do this,” or “the Lord said I should go there,” or “I heard the Holy Spirit tell me to say that.” The Word of God is anointed and the Holy Spirit will lead us in total agreement with His Word, always! We must be obedient to the Word as the Apostle John wrote, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” I John 4:1 If you hear a voice, see if what is said lines up with the Word of God! If not, don’t follow that spirit! We as Christians, must measure what is being said and what is being done by the Word! This should always be our litmus test! Hebrews 1:3 says, “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 had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;” Jesus is the beaming forth of God’s Glory! Jesus is the exact expression of the Glory of God. Let there be no mistake in your mind or in your heart, Jesus Christ is God! He speaks to us today out of His Glory through and in His Word! You want to know what to do and what to say and how to act, read and study His Word and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you His Truth! You will be as Psalm 1verse 3, “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Be a follower of Jesus Christ and allow Him to be your glory in your life. Seek to bring Him Glory in all that you do and say. Seek to be like Jesus when He said, “whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.” John 12:50 If we would follow this, we would be speaking a great deal less foolishness and more of God’s Mind and Wisdom. What we say will be of greater influence and help to others we come in contact. We should be speaking His Word that brings life and Glory to others! In Acts 7:55, we read of the account of Stephen seeing the Glory of God! “He he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.” Many have said, “I want to see God’s glory!” Then, get full of the Holy Ghost, like Stephen. If you become so full of God and His Spirit, you will see and experience the Glory of God! The Bible says Stephen, “looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God.” The key here is to look “stedfastly” which means be firmly fixed in place, not subject to change, firm in belief, determination, or adherence, faithful, and true. This can also apply to our stand as a Christian in other areas of our life. We surely need to be fixed in place in our belief of the Word. We can’t be subject to change and as Ephesians 4:14 says, “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro,” or as James 1:6, “He that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” We must be resolute in our faith and take our stand and be determined to see God’s glory in our midst! Stephen saw Jesus and was changed and died a most glorious death at the first martyr of the young Christian Church. You must know that the Glory of God was manifested in the Gospel! Look at II Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 3 we read, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:” and in verse 4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” The Apostle Paul calls the gospel, “the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God,” The gospel contains the Light because it contains Jesus, the very Light of the world and also the power of God! The Apostle Paul said in Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” We should never be ashamed of the gospel! We must know that it has the power to change the most evil child of the devil into a true child of God full of Love and Glory! The gospel proclaims God’s Love and forgiveness to every person that hears it and believes it. When a sinner hears the gospel, many times their response is, “that is just too good to be true!” This gospel is true! God truly loves you and wants to share His Life and Glory with you. Every church and every preacher and every Christian should spend their life preaching the Glorious Gospel allowing it to shine forth in this dark and sinful world. We must make every effort and spend every dollar to spread this glorious gospel of Jesus Christ! We have a mandate from Almighty God, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15 We must believe the gospel, obey the gospel and become the true Light that will not compromise one word of this glorious gospel! Look at II Corinthians 3:15 as it reads, “But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.” The Apostle is speaking about the Israeli even today when they read the Old Testament Law of Moses. He says “the vail is upon their heart.” This vail is similar to the one Moses wore when he returned from being in the presence of the Lord God. The glory of God was so intense and bright in the face of Moses, he wore a vail because the children of Israel could not look at him. He says, “their minds were blinded” and they could not see the end of the Law and the unvailing of the gospel. He also says “which vail is done away in Christ.” The only One that is able to remove “the vail upon their heart,” is Jesus Christ the Great Vail Remover! He goes on to say that when Israel turns to the Lord, the vail is taken away! Oh, that more Jews would turn to Jesus, their Messiah! The Apostle says in vers 17, “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” In Christ and in His Spirit there is true freedom and liberty to all that believe to the Jew and the Gentile! In verse 18, the Apostle Paul goes further and shows that every believer actually becomes a mirror reflecting the glory of God. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” Our countenance is changed by the glory of the Lord and is ever changing from glory to glory. It is like our spiritual growth in Christ as Peter instructs in his second letter chapter 3 verse 18, “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” This growth never ends and neither does the glory! We are constantly being change from glory to glory into His image! We must constantly be about growing in our knowledge of Jesus, it must be our quest! To increase in knowledge of Him is to increase in His Glory! Proverbs 20:27 says, “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” The Lord is the only one that can light this candle of man. When the Holy Ghost comes into a heart, every part of that man both soul and body and spirit is changed! So many try to light their candle and find their fulfillment with the things of this world and sooner or later find that to be a dead end street. Many Christians leave the Lord in search of a light, some kind of spark to light their candle. When a Christian leaves the Lord and falls away, their countenance, their light is dimmed and many times is almost put out by the lust of something other. Please allow me to give you advice that is totally free. Don’t leave the Lord! You will not find anything or anyone that can take the place of your “First Love” the Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t allow your mind or your heart be taken away by searching in the wrong places for satisfaction! Stop going down that dead end street! There is nothing but lies and sorrow and death! It is an avenue of destruction and sorrow and heart break! Come back to the Lord Jesus and never leave Him. He loves you and wants the very best for you! Get on fire for the Lord like you once were and see your countenance change! Everyone will notice the difference and so will you! Come back now before it is too late for you and your loved ones. Long for the Glory, pray for the Glory and seek Jesus Christ and you will see and experience the His Glory! Repent of the sin that you are living in! Whatever is keeping you from the Glory is not worth it! You must protect your mind and your emotions from the corruption and opinions, thoughts and feelings of this friendly fashionable world! The world has a way to sway! The world has a controlling power a converting power. If left unchecked in your life, the world will absolutely take you away from God and His Glory! We are changed into his image by a continual streaming of His Glory into our being! By meditating the glory of God in the Gospel, we can become insensitive to the world and its pleasures and become sensitive to the Holy Ghost and His blessings! The more we allow His Brilliance and Glory to penetrate our being, the more we reflect His image to the world. Soon others will take note that we are more like Jesus and a noticeable brilliance shines forth! When we become consumed with His Glory we forget about our glory. You cannot experience His Glory and remain the same. Ephesians 5:27 says, “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Many have taught about a pure holy church without spot or wrinkle and somehow they have forgotten about “a glorious church.” If we concentrate on the Glory in the church, the spot and wrinkle will take care of itself. Many Christians have a hard time with knowing what is right or wrong and what they should or should not do. If you will seek the Lord and listen to the still small voice inside your heart, you will know exactly what to do. Many spend a great deal of money on spot and wrinkle remedies, but the Glory of the Lord is the greatest spot and wrinkle beautifier in the world. The the Glory of the Lord is greatest spot and wrinkle remover. The Glory will make the church be the glorious church, holy and without blemish. The church, the Body of Christ has a destiny to become the church alive in all of His Glory! Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17:22 about His disciples, “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:” He goes on in verse 24 with these words, “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” God will fill His church with His glory because He loves us! God wants to share His Glory with us to the point that we are absolutely consumed with His Glory! In John 1:14 the Word says, “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.” God truly wants to pour out His Glory in the church and in each of our lives as Christians. The God, the Creator of heaven and earth wants to give to His Body His Glory! To the Church of the Living God, prepare to receive and experience His Glory! Copyright 2019 B D Stanford Ministries all rights reserved.