Glory of God

Introduction: On Sunday, July 25, 2010, I heard a good sermon on this topic. I had done a Bible
study titled “Divine Glory and Proper Human Glorifying” but never thought about true
Christians being reflectors of the glory of God. But I have encouraged others to reflect Jesus
Christ as the Moon reflects the Sun’s light.

Brother Peter first began with Exodus 33:17-19:

“And Jehovah said to Moses, ‘I will do this thing also that you have spoken.
For you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.
And he said, ‘I beseech You, let me see Your glory.’
And He said, ‘I will make all My goodness pass before you,
and I will proclaim the name of Jehovah before you.
And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious,
and will have mercy on whom I will have mercy.’”

Then Brother Peter mentioned that in the Old Testament the glory of God is related to things: the
burning bush that Moses saw, and the fire and the cloud that led the Israelites in the Wilderness.
I thought of Exodus 24:15-17--
“And Moses went up into the mount,
and a cloud covered the mount.
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.
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.”

Then Brother Peter said that when Jesus Christ came to Earth in human form, He manifested the
glory of God.
John 1:14
“And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us.
And we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and of truth.”
Hebrews 1:1-3
“God, Who at many times and in many ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
has in these last days spoken to us by His Son,
Whom He has appointed heir of all things,
by Whom also He made the worlds,
Who being the shining splendor of His glory,
and the express image of His essence,
and upholding all things by the word of His power,
through Himself cleansing of our sins,
He sat down on the right of the Majesty on high,
being made so much better than the angels,
as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”

Also Brother Peter mentioned was the glory of God being shown in the miracles that Jesus Christ
did in His ministering.
Then he had us go to 2 Peter 1:16-17--
“For not having followed fables having been cunningly devised,
but becoming eyewitnesses of the majesty of Jesus Christ,
we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord.
For He received honor and glory from God the Father,
when for Him a voice from the excellent glory,
‘This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.’”

Brother Peter also mentioned the Mount of Transfiguration event, Matthew 17:1-7:
“And after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother,
and brought them up into a high mountain apart.
And He was transfigured before them.
And His face shone as the Sun,
and His clothing was white as the light.
And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with Him.
And Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here.’
If You will, let us make here three tabernacles;
one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’
While he yet spoke, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them.
And behold a voice out of the cloud which said,
‘This is My Beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased,
hear Him.’
And when the disciples heard, they fell on their face and were greatly terrified.
And Jesus came and touched them, and said, ‘Arise and do not be terrified.’”

Then Brother Peter went to Psalm 8:3-5 to show the transfer of God’s glory from Jesus Christ to
the true Christians--
“When I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
the Moon and the stars which You have established;
what is man that You are mindful of him,
and the son of man, that You visit him?
For You have made him lack a little from God,
and have crowned him with glory and honor.”

Then to Romans 3:21-26

“But now a righteousness of God has been revealed apart from Law,
being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets;
even the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ,
toward all and upon all those who believe.
For there is no difference,
for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,
being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus,
whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood,
to declare His righteousness
through the passing by of the sins that had taken place before,
in the forbearance of God;
for the display of His righteousness at this time,
for Him to be just and,
forgiving the one being of the faith of Jesus.”
John 17:20-23
Jesus Christ said to God the Father,
“And I do not pray for these alone,
but for those also who shall believe on Me through their word,
that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You,
that they also may be one in Us,
so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.
And I have given them the glory which You have given Me,
that they may be one, even as We are one,
I in them, and You in Me, that they may be made perfect in one;
and that the world may know that You have sent Me
and have loved them as You have loved Me.

This came to my mind in relation to the above two passages:

Matthew 5:16
“Let your light so shine before men
that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.”

Then Brother Peter went to 2 Corinthians 3:18--

“But we all, with our face having been unveiled,
having beheld the glory of The Lord as in a mirror,
are being changed into the same image from glory to glory,
even as by The Lord Spirit.”
And I thought that 2 Corinthians 4:15-18 was also appropriate--
“For all things are for your sake,
so that the superabounding grace might be made to abound
through the thanksgiving of the greater number,
to the glory of God.
For this cause we do not faint;
but though our outward man perishes,
yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
For the lightness of our present affliction
works out for us a far more excellent eternal weight of glory,
we not considering the things which are seen,
but the things which are not seen;
for the things which are seen are not lasting,
but the things which are not seen are everlasting.”