COMING TO GLORY IS OUR GOAL

Romans 3:23 tells us "For all have sinned and come short of

the glory of God." From this one verse alone we can see what the

main object in life is - to come to the glory of God! Hebrews

2:10 reveals that the ultimate mission of the Lord Jesus Christ

was and is "to bring many sons unto glory". His mission was not

only to get many people saved and on their way to heaven, but

bring many to spiritual maturity so that the glory and majesty of

Himself could be seen in them. God wants to bring His people up

to the level that He is on.

God has called us and saved us in order that we would be

conformed to the image of His Son. Blessings, trials, tests, and

everything in our life is designed for our perfecting and

maturing. When God has finished His redeeming work in our hearts,

then we will be entrusted with His authority. Proverbs 18:12

tells us "before honor is humility".

We are warned in Proverbs 20:21 that "An inheritance may be

gotten hastily at the beginning, but the end thereof and shall not

be blessed!" You cannot give a young Christian (a novice) too

much authority, for it will destroy him. 1 Timothy 3:6 tells us

not to give the office of a bishop (or elder) to a novice because

of the danger of his being lifted up in pride. There are

weaknesses in the young Christian's heart that still need to be

changed; such as pride, harshness, and ambition. Be willing to

wait for God's time. "Therefore humble yourselves under the

mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time", 1 Peter

5:6.

CHARACTER is the most important thing in the Christian life.

What kind of person are we? God can give power and unusual gifts

to anyone, but not just anyone has good character. Godly

character comes as a result of constantly choosing the right way,

not the popular way. Godly character, whether we like it or not,

is always developed through difficulty. When we are faced with a

hard decision, or a tormenting temptation ...will we choose the

easy way, or will we do the right thing by God's grace? Character

comes by saying NO to our feelings, and YES to God's will, as we

receive grace from Him to obey it! God's glory will come to us

gradually as we continue to respond to the Lord and get everything

in order in our lives.

An evidence of God's glory comes when people can see the Lord

in our life. The apostle Paul saw this, as he wrote in Galatians

chapter 1, verses 16 and 24. He said that after God "was pleased

to reveal His Son in me" one of the results was that "they

glorified God in me".

It is important for us to understand that we were created for

God's pleasure, not the other way around. Revelation 4:11

declares "For Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure

they are and were created". The question therefore is not "What

can God do for me?" but rather, "What can I do for God?" Our

attitude in life must become, "I delight to do thy will O God." It

is immature to think that God is there just to bless us and meet

our needs; although He delights to do so, and He does bless us.

The greatest fulfillment and joy are found when we are doing the

thing God created us to do...and that is to bring pleasure to our

Creator.

THE SCRIPTURAL BASIS FOR COMING TO GLORY

1. COMING TO GLORY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT GOAL OF OUR LIVES.

"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God",

Romans 3:23.

2. THAT MAN SHOULD COME TO GLORY IS THE ULTIMATE MISSION OF

CHRIST

"In bringing many sons to glory,it was fitting that

God...should make the Author of their salvation perfect

through suffering", Hebrews 2:10 NIV.

3. GOD HAS CALLED US AND SAVED US IN ORDER THAT WE WOULD BE LIKE

JESUS, WHO IS THE "GLORY" OF GOD.

"He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His

Son", Romans 8:29. His Son is "the brightness of His glory",

Hebrews 1:2-3.

4. COMING TO GLORY IS THE BURDEN OF GOD'S HEART FOR HIS "BRIDE"

"That He might present it to Himself a glorious church,not

having spot or wrinkle", Eph.5:27.

5. GOD'S DEEP DESIRE IS TO BRING HIS GLORY TO THE WHOLE EARTH.

"As truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the

glory of the Lord", Numbers 14:21.

HOW DO WE COME TO GLORY?

DESIRE - Moses yearned and prayed: "I beseech Thee show me Thy

glory" in Exodus 33:18. It resulted in the marvelous revelation

that we read about in Exodus 34:5-8 where the Lord passed by

Moses. The word "beseech" is a very strong word in the Hebrew

language. It is actually a word of desperation. Moses begged and

pleaded with God for a new revelation of Himself. The way to

God's glory and to His secrets is hidden, and God only reveals

this hidden way to worthy seekers. Desire is the key! Christians

who are lazy or content in their present state will never come to

glory. This can remind us of the warning that our Lord gave to

the lukewarm Christians of the Church of Laodicea in Revelation

3:15-19.

THIRST - David longed and thirsted to see God's power and glory,

Psalms 63. David's desires had been reduced down to "one thing"

as he wrote in Psalm 27:4. David was willing to go through some

dry wilderness experiences in order in order to have this divine

thirst created in him for God and His glory. Be willing to pass

through the wilderness. Allow God to dry up some of the old

streams (or old experiences) that we are used to drinking from, in

order that we may only drink from Him, Jeremiah 2:13. We are told

that the

Lord pours His Spirit upon those who are thirsty in Isaiah 44:3.

AGGRESSIVENESS - God meets with those who are aggressive. If we

are to meet God in any significant way we must be aggressive!

Study Proverbs 2:1-5 and Matthew 11:12. All of us have bad

backgrounds that we need to overcome. Every culture has its

strengths and weaknesses. Weaknesses in our natural life can be

carried over into our spiritual lives when we are born again. For

example, their are cultures that are non-resistant. They are

against fighting in wars of any kind. Often this carries over

into the spiritual life, to the extent that even Satan is not

resisted or opposed. And yet the scriptures, Old and New

Testament alike, are filled with military terms. Are you aware

that our Lord told us in Matthew 11:12 that only the "violent" get

the kingdom of God? Only the aggressive will get what God has for

them. Those who are passive or weak cannot enter into the

realities of the Kingdom life.

RIGHTEOUSNESS - Psalm 84:11 tells us that "the Lord will give

grace and glory" to those who walk uprightly. Righteousness is a

requirement for us to be given the glory of God! See also Isaiah

62:2, 2 Cor.3:9, and Philippians 1:11.

ORDER - Isaiah 40:3-5 tells us that when everything is put in

order in our lives, then the glory of God will come. Leviticus

9:6 says "This do and the glory of the Lord will appear unto you".

But all of chapters 1-8 of Leviticus had to be accomplished

first, before the promise of Leviticus 9:6 could come to

fulfillment. These chapters taught about the right sacrifices,

proper washing, cleansing, applications of the blood, right

spiritual garments, and the proper anointings that needed to be

performed. After all these things were done, the glory of the

Lord came.

We can also read in Exodus 40:33-34 and in 1 Kings 6:38 &

8:10-11, that when the tabernacle and the temple were completed

and everything was put in its proper place, then the glory of the

Lord came. Glory comes when everything in our lives and homes has

been put in order. Remember, we are the temple of the Holy

Spirit, 1 Cor.6:19.

MATURITY - Glory will come upon the mature. The key is simple-

continue to respond to those things that God is putting His finger

on in your life. Every time we respond and obey God, we become

more purified, 1 Pet.1:22.

Our background does not matter! 1 Samuel 2:8 tells us "He

raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the

dunghill, to set them among princes and make them inherit the

throne of glory". God can redeem and transform us if we continue

to yield and respond to Him. It does not matter what our past

was, or how bad we were, for He is able to save us to the

uttermost!

The burden of God for his Church is that we come to full

glory. He is coming for a glorious Church that has no stain or

blemish, Eph.5:27. God must remove all spots and blemishes from

us, Zech.3:3-4. A stain can determine whether or not we come to

full glory. God will not have a blemished Bride.

We can see that it is a fact that glory will come into the

Church, from Ephesians 5:26-27 and from Isaiah 40:3-5. From

Numbers 14:21 we can see where God's heart has been all

along..."As truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with

the glory of the Lord". The generation of Moses missed the

opportunity to bring the Lord's glory to the nations. May we not

miss it! Lord, show Your glory through my life to the nations!

Here is the key to coming to glory - stay on God's path for

your life. Face every situation that the Lord is bringing into

your life. If the situation is difficult, pray it through. If it

is still too hard, go to other spiritual brethren for strength and

counsel. Climb the ladder one step at a time. The people who are

highest up the ladder towards God's glory are ones who have faced

situation after situation, and have responded (by God's grace) and

done what God has asked them to do. At the point where we say

"no" to God, this is where we stop growing and going on with Him

from glory to glory. Have you stopped moving on and upward? Pray

for a co-operating heart. God can give us a heart of flesh! In

Jeremiah 7:22-23, the Lord says that all He desires is "Obey my

voice". Just respond to what He is saying! This is the key -

relationship!

-Paul Caram travels internationally teaching the Word of God, and

has written and edited many books. He is one of the faculty of

Zion Ministerial Institute at Waverly, N.Y., and is also a pastor

at Ulysses, Pa., in the United States.