I. Intro & Recap.
A. Last week: What does it mean to look to Jesus?
1. It means to focus our full attention on Him, to turn away from the things that so easily distract us and to perceive Him with spiritual eyes.
2. To do this, we:
a. Set the stage: remove distractions.
b. Pray for the eyes of our heart to be opened. (Eph 1:18)
c. Look with faith, expectation and anticipation.
3. This is a skill that we will need to develop in the last days, because what we focus on will determine if we are gripped by fear or filled with faith.
B. Today: How looking at Jesus will make us become more like Him.
1. Last week we talked about looking to Jesus, today we’ll see what happens as Jesus look back at us.
2. From last week, Psalm 34:5 “They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.”
a. Looked: nabat, to pay attention to Him, to look upon Him
b. Radiant: nahar, to shine with light, to glow,
c. Also: to flow like a river, rivers of living water that flow from His Spirit to ours
3. 2 Cor 3:18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
a. When we look with an ‘unveiled face’ (we’ll see what that means)
b. It’s like looking into a mirror and seeing Jesus look back at us and
c. That experience changes us and makes us like Him, little by little.
4. Paraphrase: “As we continually behold God’s glory, His true nature as revealed in Jesus, the Holy Spirit transforms us so that His glory — His character, presence, and likeness — becomes our glory.”
C. Definition: What does glory mean?
1. “…beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord…” and we are “…being transformed into the same image from glory to glory….”
2. Hebrew & Greek words:
a. Hbr: kabhod—weight and worth, think of a bar of gold, has both weight and value.
b. Gr: doxa—reputation and radiance, the visible brilliance of God’s nature.
3. Glory is the inner quality of God’s goodness that shines outwardly in brilliant light. We cannot separate God’s holiness of character, His inner glory, from His outward appearance of light.
4. Exodus 24:17 “The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.”
5. Ezekiel 1:26&28
26 And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. 27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.
II. The Unfolding Story of Glory.
The glory of God is a central theme of the bible and one that unfolds throughout the history of how God reveals Himself to the human race.
A. OT.
1. In the OT, God only allowed a passing glimpse of His glory.
a. Ex 33:18 Moses said to God “Show me Your glory.”
b. Vs 20 “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”
c. Vs 22&23
“…while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. 23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”
2. Don’t be confused. In Vs 11 “So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” What gives?
a. This is an idiom, or a figure of speech, meaning a direct encounter. It means that Moses heard from God directly, not through an angel or a prophet, not in a vision, etc.
b. This is in alignment with John 1:18 “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”
3. When Moses met with God on Sinai and afterwards in prayer, the presence of God so powerfully transformed Moses that his face would shine after his time with the Lord. This was a sign of what God had planned for us NT saints (2 Cor 3:18 & 4:6).
4. Moses got a passing glimpse of what we get to see permanently. God hid Moses in the rock as He passed by, but have been hidden in the Rock of Christ, permanently part of His glory.
B. NT.
1. In the NT, we come face to face with the Glory of God in Jesus.
a. John 1:14 “And the Word became 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.”
2. Like Moses, Jesus shined with the brilliance of God’s glory after meeting with God on a mountain.
a. Matt 17:2 “…and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.”
3. We have seen the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and we are even invited into face to face encounters with the Glory of God.
a. 2 Cor 4:6
“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
C. The glory of the NHNE.
1. Just like the glory of God was veiled in the OT until it was fully revealed in Christ, the the glory of God in us won’t fully shine until we are with Him in eternity.
a. Rom 8:18 Sufferings won’t compare “…to the glory that will be revealed in us.”
b. 1 Cor 15:43 Our bodies are sown in dishonor, but raised in glory.
c. Rev 21:23 “The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.”
D. Table
E. Finding ourselves on the timeline of God’s purposes.
1. We are blessed to be alive in a time when God’s glory has been revealed in Jesus and we are able to behold His glory with spiritual eyes.
2. The day will come when we will see Him in full, face to face, in the full glory of God that is brighter than the sun.
3. Are we willing to accept that God has placed us in the time when His will is for us to meet with Him and shine His light? The light comes from an encounter with the Lord, are we willing to keep that appointment?
III. The Glory of God now in us.
A. In the most basic sense, we share in God’s glory because we are made in His image.
1. Psalm 8:4&5
4 What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? 5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.
B. We have been given a deposit of the Glory of God in Jesus Christ.
1. In God’s great generosity, He has given us the same glory that we see in Jesus.
a. John 17:22 “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one…”
b. GLORY is what makes us one with the Trinity.
2. Romans 9:23&24
23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
C. The Holy Spirit is working to increase the glory of God in us.
1. Romans 8:29-31
29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
a. It’s not a work of self effort to become glorious, it’s a work of surrender.
D. Suffering works to produce the glory of God in us.
1. 2 Cor 4:16&17
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
2. Remember glory is the inner excellence of character that shines outwardly. The inner man is being renewed, from glory to glory. Affliction (suffering) in this life is used by the Lord to produce this inner glory.
3. ANALOGY: Diamonds and coal.
a. Both of them contain the same raw material, carbon, so the potential is the same.
b. Both are under intense pressure and hat for a long time.
c. The difference? Coal is a mixture of carbon and other elements (hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, plant material, etc.). The impurities prevent it from becoming diamond.
d. Diamond is pure carbon, and over time, pressure and heat rearrange the inner structure of carbon atoms into a crystalline matrix with a symmetrical structure.
e. Coal absorbs light while diamonds capture and reflect it.
f. The same process is applied to each, but only one reflects the light, and that is because of its inner purity.
g. Coal is only good for the fire, it is burned once and it’s gone. But diamonds are worth mining, refining, sharing and setting and handing down from one generation to another.
4. APPLICATION:
a. How we respond to the pressure of affliction will determine if we will reflect God’s glory or remain in the darkness of our old carnal nature when the trial is over.
b. We must pray that God will purify our hearts and remove any mixture or the spirit and the flesh, the carnal or fallen nature.
c. We must allow the Lord to rearrange our inner structure, our inner thought life and attitudes, and produce in us the glory of God that shines from the inside out.
5. Instead of focusing on our addiction, our past, our failures, our present condition, our debt, our poor health, etc., we should focus on God’s promise to use these things to make us shine with His glory.
IV. Embracing the call to glorify God in this life that He has given us.
A. Text 2 Corinthians 3:7-11
1. NKJV
7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.
2. NLV
7 The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. 8 Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? 9 If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! 10 In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. 11 So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!
B. Breakdown.
1. Vs 7
7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away…
a. “…the ministry of death…”? The OT, the Ten Commandments
b. 1 Cor 15:56 “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.”
2. Vs 8 “Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life?”
3. We have this saying in our day that is considered to be wise. The saying is “Lower your expectations.”
a. We say this for times when we hoped for something but it never seems to happen, so we stop expecting it to happen and give up. (Also said when things seem impossible.)
b. When it comes to people, it’s wise to lower your expectations. But when it comes to God, it’s time to raise them.
c. The same is true when we think of ourselves and what God can do with us. Our expectations for God’s glory to be shown through us probably need to come up higher.
4. Consider the saints who were used for God’s glory in the OT, under the ministry of death.
a. Hebrews 11:32-40- hall of faith
36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
5. Vs 9-11
9 If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! 10 In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. 11 So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!
6. CHALLENGE: Are we willing to accept all the glory that God has for us? Can we say “Lord, I’m willing to be transformed into your image and be as glorious as Jesus.”
V. Close.
A. Can we accept that we were made in glory, have received glory and are meant to shine with God’s glory?
1. Our glory:
a. By being made in God’s image
b. By receiving the glory of God that was in Jesus
c. By the Spirit working through affliction to refine and increase this glory.
2. Are we able to accept that God in all His wisdom and power has given us life and saved us during the time that He has set for His glory to be seen through people?
3. If you are a Christian, this is your destiny. You are supposed to be here to show His glory.
B. This present work of God.
1. I see the Lord working in myself and in other people here at TRC. A deep work that is causing us to face trauma, rejection, abuse, etc. God is doing this to mine, refine and make the diamond in us shine.
2. But we have a choice: Are we going to meet with the Lord in prayer and face these things with Him? Or are we going to run away in distraction and comfort? Are we going to blame others and lash out in an attempt to distract ourselves from the deep work in us?
a. The OT saints feared the glory of the Lord and asked Moses to be a perpetual intermediary between them and God.
b. Many in the NT are the same way. God has invited you into the tent of meeting, and this cannot be delegated to the pastors, teachers and leaders.
3. Revelation 3:20
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
4. The Lord is trying to deal with toxic shame, rejection, abandonment, guilt and condemnation.
5. Psalm 34:4&5
4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. 5 They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.
6. Psalm 24:9 “Lift up your heads O you gates. Lift up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in.”
7. The same God who covered Moses in the cleft of the rock has placed us in Christ — not to hide us from His glory, but to reveal His glory through us.
8. You were created in glory. You were redeemed for glory. And you are being transformed from glory to glory. The question is: will you look up?