John #07 - We Beheld His Glory

That you may believe and have life

John #7

John 1:14

What do you do when someone looks up?

What do you do when someone says "LOOK"

How about "watch this" …

I've often said that the two words that guarantee a bad shot are the words "watch this" and the number of people who hear the words … make the shot exponentially worse. J

That is what I want you to do today is Look.

Look.

Our author, John, has painted us a beautiful picture of The Word, Jesus Christ.

He is eternal, equal with God, God in the flesh, living with man … Sound Familiar?

And then John, who wrote this gospel late in his life, seems to look off into space, go into a bit of a thoughtful trance as he says "we beheld his glory, the glory of the one and only"

It's as if he's remembering so many things he saw, experienced …

He looks off and says "and in Jesus, the Christ, we saw the GLORY of GOD" "we saw the unique thing that makes God, God, which makes Jesus like no other one, we saw, we marveled at, we stared at, we looked at, we beheld, his glory …"

Oh the Glory of God in Jesus Christ …

1. We Beheld

Greek word - Theaomai (theh - ah - om - ahee)

Def - to look upon, view attentively, contemplative, admiration, to meet with a person

Why do people NOT look at the glory of God in Christ Jesus?

A. Why not?

1. We do NOT look to the Glory of God because we are distracted by other things.

2. We do NOT contemplate the Glory of God because we are too busy contemplating Temporal things

3. We do NOT admire the Glory of God because our admiration or affections are set on the things of this world

4. We do NOT meet face to face with the Glory of God because our appointment book is full of other things and we don't have time to meet God in his Glory

So what gets in our way?

B. What hinders us from his seeing glory?

1. Pride keeps us from looking to the Glory of God

2. Schedules keep us from looking to the Glory of God

3. Ignorance keeps us from looking to the Glory of God - not stupidity, just lack of knowledge or understanding

But I came by here today to tell you to Look …

C. Look

Isaiah 51:1

"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness

and who seek the Lord:

Look to the rock from which you were cut

and to the quarry from which you were hewn;

?2? look to Abraham, your father,

and to Sarah, who gave you birth.

When I called him he was but one,

and I blessed him and made him many.

1. Look to the "rock from which you were hewn" and learn from it.

2. If you come from a long line of those who have believed, followed, looked to God and been blessed, then learn from them and look.

3. If you come from a long line of those who have gone there own way, look and recognize that THIS is NOT going to produce in you what you want in life and turn to Look at the Glory of Jesus Christ the Eternal Word of God

Proverbs 1:22-28 - READ

4. If you turn away long enough, you will get what you want, … that is, YOUR way and NOT God's way, and God will ignore you as you've ignored him

5. In Ezekiel 8:16-17 - God took Ezekiel "into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about 25 men. With their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east. 17 He said to me, 'have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the house of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing?'"

a. What was God talking about?

b. What was detestable?

c. They had turned their backs on God and were looking elsewhere for their help.

d. Look to the Glory of God in Christ Jesus

6. There are GREAT things in this world, wonderful, even things that appear to be glorious but don't be tempted to look to them, look to the Glory of God

Deuteronomy 4:19 - when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars - all the heavenly array - do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven"

7. Don't you see, we need to LOOK Away from the things that have stolen our hearts and our mind and Look to Christ for in him is what we seek, in him is what we need

I'm not asking you to study,

I'm not asking you to try,

I'm not asking you to believe right now,

I'm asking you to look and find the salvation you need

Isaiah 45:22 - "turn to me (look unto me) and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is NO other

What a wonderful thing could be wrought in our lives if we would look away from the other things that have our attention and Look to the Glory of Christ Jesus

Now, Look with me at the Glory of God

Look attentively at the Glory of God

Contemplate the Glory of Jesus Christ

Admire him,

meet with him face to face

Look at the Glory of Jesus Christ the Eternal Word of God

Look Out

There was a prudent man who brushed his teeth twice a day, wore rubbers boots in wet weather, did his daily dozen push-ups, slept with windows open, was careful with his diet, had a medical examination twice a year, never smoked, drank or indulged in any kind of excess. He was set to live to be one hundred years old.

But he died at a young age and was survived by eighteen specialists, four health institutes, six gymnasiums and numerous manufacturers of health food and antiseptics.

He forgot to look out for a train at a crossing.

-Robert G. Lee

You may get all of your ducks in a row, but if you don't look to the Glory of God it won't matter.

So what IS the Glory of God.

2. Glory

I told some people that studying to preach and teach on the Glory of God is like trying to get a handful of oil, and then put it into a ball and hand it to you so you can hold on to it.

It is like trying to get a handful of smoke and pass it on to you.

The Glory of God is the Radiance of Who He is.

It is not just light being produced.

It is not just praise for accomplishments.

The glory of God is the Radiance of who he is!

Have you ever seen someone who just lit up a room when they entered?

Their goodness or their Spirit just shines?

Have you ever had someone like that enter a room when you were sad and it brightened your day? Have you ever had that "good" person come in the room when you were angry or you had been "bad" and their very presence was too bright too handle?

"take that happiness out of here"

"tone down the goodness"

Well magnify that by 10 billion X 10 billion, magnify it to the infinite degree and you have the glory of God

What is it about God's Glory?

What is it about God that makes him Glorious?

Does Power make him glorious? No

Satan is powerful, not as much as God, but he is powerful, yet he is NOT glorious

So, what produces God's Glory?

There are different words for Glory in the Old and New Testament.

The word here in John 1:14 - we beheld or have seen his Glory is the Greek word - doxa - translated from the Hebrew word Kabod - which has the root idea of "heaviness" "weight" "worthiness" - it describes the reason by which honor is given that is splendor or reputation.

The glory of Israel was NOT her armies, but it was Yahweh - he was what set Israel apart.

So the word doxa - was a word used here to talk about the Glory of God, but if used in a secular sentence it meant "opinion" or "reputation"

God's GLORY is the Splendor of WHO he is.

It is the opinion of him

It is his reputation!

It is the NAME he has made for himself

What is his Glory?

What is the name he has made for himself?

What sets him apart as Glorious over all others

Do you understand God?

Do you know him well?

Who knows God's reputation the best?

GOD HIMSELF

Read Exodus 33:17-19; 22

So look to 34:5-8 see God proclaim his reputation, his GLORY

Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, The Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punished the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the 3rd and 4th generation.' Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped.

That is the Glory of God - his reputation

Martin Luther said of this passage - "

This sermon on the name of the Lord, disclosed to Moses the most hidden nature of Jehovah … all the words which the language contained to express the idea of grace in its varied manifestations to the sinner, are crowded together here, to reveal the fact that in His inmost being God is love"

We think that glory is just some vision of God. But the Glory of God is revealed in this two sentence sermon on his nature and his being.

God tells us very plainly his reputation, his glory

A. He is Lord - Yhwh - Yahweh - Jehovah God - The Covenant name of God in regards to Israel - The One and Only God of the Universe uniquely related to Israel, Ruler and Lord of all whether recognized or not

Behold the Glory of God

B. Compassionate and Gracious

1. compassionate means one who by nature exhibits mercy -

a. mercy is when I do NOT get what I rightfully deserve in the way of consequence or punishment for my actions or nature.

b. It also is one who shows Favor instead of punishment, one who lives in a forgiving relationship

c. the root word for compassionate means a deep love coming from a Superior to an Inferior.

d. in his compassion HE chooses to love us solely because he WANTS to, NOT because we deserve it and not even because we NEED it, but solely because he desires to do so

2. gracious - of course means to give what is NOT deserved or more than is deserved - it displays a heart response by someone who has something to give to one who has a great need for it

Behold the Glory of God

C. Slow to Anger

1. slow - means "long and patient" - the glory of God is that it takes a long time for him to get to Anger

2. Anger does come - but it is NOT his nature it is the result of our refusal to respond to his nature of mercy and grace

a. God is gracious and merciful by nature and that makes his nature LONG before he gets to anger and anger is just a by-product of two other parts of his nature - he his HOLY and HATES sin and he is JUST and must do what justice demands when mercy/grace are rejected

b. the word translated anger, in its simplest form, means "nose" - recognizing that when one is angry the nose flairs and breathing get harsh - but also recognizing that God is one who when provoked, takes a long deep breathe and holds his anger hoping for an opportunity to be gracious and merciful

Behold the Glory of God in Christ Jesus

D. Abounding in love and faithfulness

1. Abounding - much, many, great, far enough, full, plentiful, exceedingly, captain, chief - He may be running short on Anger but he is abounding in LOVE

2. love - loving-kindness, goodness,

3. faithfulness - truth - firmness, reliability

His love and faithfulness is far enough to reach you, full and plentiful, to fill you, and exceedingly great. He is the captain of love.

Look at the Glory of Christ Jesus

E. Maintaining love to thousands,

1. maintains - keeps, keeper of, to guard, watch over, to preserve from danger -

a. nothing will separate you from the love of God because he is actively guarding Love from being destroyed or affected by, flood, famine, nakedness, peril, height, depth, or any thing

b. this is like one who watches over a vineyard, a planting of crops from where one's wealth lies

c. he called his people his vineyard, his treasured wealth and he keeps watch over his wealth, his treasure

2. love - covenant relationship with Israel out of his choice to be in relationship with her

3. thousands - in addition to the number it means a 'company', a company of men under one leader -

4. he maintains his love and guards his love towards those who are in covenant relationship with him under his leadership, members of his company

Behold the Glory of God

F. Forgiving wickedness, rebellion, sin

1. forgiving - "to lift up, to bear up, carry, take, support, sustain, endure, to bear continuously, -

a. to be forgiven is more than just NOT owing something any longer. - SOMEONE has to bear the burden.

b. It cannot go without being atoned for.

c. Our God forgives us and he himself BEARS the weight of our sin, he himself lifts us up out of the mire of sin and puts us in a high place

2. wickedness - he forgives our wickedness that is the iniquity/sin, the guilt, and the punishment that must be brought

3. rebellion - transgression - going out of bounds by a willful choice to leave the bounds that have been set

We cannot have the blessing of the forgiveness of God without the Glory of God and we must, GIVE God the Glory

*4. The Old Testament Hebrew idiom - "Give Glory to God" is a call for Confession of Sin

a. Joshua 7:19 - "Joshua said to Achan, 'my son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and give him the praise. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.'"

b. Jeremiah 13:16 - Give glory to the Lord your God before he brings the darkness, before your feet stumble on the darkening hills. You hope for light, but he will turn it to thick darkness and change it to deep gloom"

c. When we confess our sins we give God's glory a chance to shine. -

1 John 1:9 - if we confess our sin he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness

d. The Glory of God is evident when we as sinful man stand guilty before a holy God and receive his unmerited favor of Grace and Mercy.

e. When we confess we are saying "God is right, we are wrong," We glorify him when we confess our sin because we give him an opportunity to display the glory of Grace

Behold the Glory of the Eternal Word of God

The Lord, compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, forgiving the wickedness, rebellion and sin. And yet also …

G. Punishing the Wicked

The wickedness that's being punished is the refusal to live in the forgiveness provided

1. guilt - we are guilty and we know it and God is JUST

2. His Just Nature will NOT allow sin's guilt to go by

3. Sin cannot remain unpunished

a. My sin guilt MUST be either Pardoned or Punished - God does not leave the balance sheet unreconciled

b. it is part of God's Glory that sin MUST be dealt with

4. Punishment is NOT his nature. Love is his nature, Compassion is his nature, mercy is his nature, but Justice is also in his nature. When Pardon is not received, when his love, grace, and mercy are rejected, then his Justice requires punishment

5. to the 3rd and 4th generation - what exactly does this mean? I am not completely sure other than certain understandings.

a. The first is the understanding that Sin is NOT ONLY a hereditary malignancy passed to us from Adam but also, it is passed from Father to Son as we train our children by both word and deed.

b. Fathers, Mothers you cannot expect your children to raise up some day and serve God while you don't bother to get your life right with God. As you continue in sin, you lead them to do the same thing.

c. As you live in sin, you leave behind consequences with which your children and grandchildren and their grandchildren will have to deal. You can see how alcoholism, addictions of every kind, laziness, and abuse, are visited from one generation to another.

6. But the Glory of God is that sin's effects, generationally, are to the 3rd and 4th generation, but love is to 1000's. You can end the cycle, you can turn to Him

Because the Glory of God is Revealed in …

3. The One and Only

That is the Eternal Word of God

Hebrews 1:3 says The Son is the Radiance of God's Glory, the Exact representation of his being sustaining all things by his powerful word

The One and Only way you can see God's Glory is through the work of the Eternal Word of God, Jesus Christ

How did Moses see God, he stood near God on a Rock in a Cleft, Covered by his hand.

The Rock on which we stand is the Rock of Ages Jesus Christ

The Cleft/Cave in which we hide is the unmerited Grace of God Freely Given by God through Jesus Christ

And the Hands that Cover you and me are the Nail-Scarred hands of our Crucified, Risen, and Glorified Savior, Jesus, The Christ.

Look at the Glory of Jesus Christ

Without Jesus we cannot see God's Glory

Without Jesus we cannot experience God's Glory

Without Jesus we cannot share in God's Glory

We have seen the Glory of God is that he is

Compassionate

Gracious

Slow to Anger

Abounding in Love

Faithful

But Just

If you want to see the Glory of God on Display -

Look to the Glorious Cross

God in heaven willingly stands by, setting aside his omnipotence that could stop the cruelty in a nano second

He watches as his beloved Son dies an innocent man as punishment is poured out on him, punishment that brings peace and pardon for all who will come to him

It was at the cross that God's pathway to Grace and Mercy was laid open for all of History to see, know, and receive - on the night before he was crucified Jesus said, "the hour has come for the son to be glorified"

Look at the Glory of God in Christ Jesus

Look and Be saved

I'm not asking you to do anything,

I'm asking you to look, to see contemplatively, to look attentively, to meet with Jesus face to face. To Admire what he has done for you

Why? Because he has the salvation you seek, you need, the pardon you desire

Isaiah 45:22 - "turn to me (look unto me) and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is NO other

John 6:67-69 - when asked if he was going to leave Jesus to Look for something else, something more, something different - Peter replied "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

Where else are you going to go for what Jesus is as the Glory of God

Where else are you going to look, apart from the Glorious Wonderful Word of God

GLORY IS …

GOD'S

LOVE

OMNIPOTENTLY

RECONCILING

YOU

Look at Christ

Always existing

Never Changing

New Every Morning

Look at Christ

Forgiving Forgetting

Healing Revealing

Preparing Prevailing

Look at Christ

Born of a Virgin

Baring our sorrows

Back laid Bare

Look at Christ

Lifted in Disgrace

Dying for our Sins

Buried By Friends

Look at Christ

Rising On The Third Day

Ascending to the Father

Seated At his Right

Look at Christ

Coming in the Clouds

White Horse Riding

word of God Wielding

Look at Christ

Judging great and small

Renewing Heaven and Earth

Receiving His Promised Bride

Look at Christ

Looking like a lamb that was slain

Look at Christ

Reigning in glory all things under his feet

Look at Christ

Look in Repentance or Look in Regret

Look at Christ

Creator

Created

Redeemer

Deliverer

Resurrected

Resurrecting

Victor

Vanquishing

L over

Loved

Loving

Look at Christ

His Grace and Mercy, his Unmerited Favor, that is what makes him Glorious

See it

Behold it

Look at the Glory of the One and Only,

The Babe in a Manger

The Eternal Word of God in flesh

He came to reconcile you with God to wipe the slate clean and give you a new heart, to deposit his Spirit within you, full of the Resurrection Power in the Person of the Holy Spirit !!!

Eternal Word

Equal With God

God in the Flesh

Living with Man

Died on the Cross

Risen on High

(look to the)

Eternal Word

(look at the)

Wonderful Word

(Behold the)

Glo - ri - ous

Word of God

BEHOLD THE GLORY OF JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD!