1 Introduction Why is it that many Christians today don't seem to be any different than other people in the world? Is their belief just a hope that God is going to give them health and prosperity in this life and some unknown blessings in the next? Is this life the most important thing? Can Christians ignore the sacrificial call that Christ has on their lives? Does their belief in God mean that their life on this earth will be better than people who don't know Christ? Most people in the world are trying to do what's right, they're trying to live a good life, and everyone is hoping for the same things. How should Christians be different? The revelation of the glory of God changes people. Christians should be different because the glory of God has been revealed to them. How can Christians allow God to manifest His life and His holiness in their lives so that other people can see the truth of God, so other people can find Him? Anyone who really understands the glory of God wants other people to know Him. We want God to change our lives, to help us to overcome ourselves and live for Him. We long for God to reveal Himself to us, to know God personally, and have Him active in our lives. We want Him helping us to do those things that are pleasing to Him and avoiding those things that He hates. Only by the revelation of the glory of God will our hearts be changed. The glory of God is revealed in the face of Christ. When God reveals Christ to us, He manifests His glory to us. We continually look to Christ to know God. The glory of God shines in Christ. Christ is the very image of the person of God: 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 He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:3 NKJV) 2 The Glory of God - Part 1 2.1 Definition - Part 1 2.2 Physical Manifestation of God's Glory - Part 1 2.3 The Glory of God Comes From Who He Is - Part 2 Now that we've talked about the physical manifestation of the glory of God we have to ask ourselves, what is the glory of God? What makes the glory of God shine brighter than any star? 2.3.1 The Uniqueness of God - Part 2 God Himself tells us that He is utterly unique. There is no one like Him. There is no other God: Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; nor is there any who can deliver from My hand. (Deuteronomy 32:39 NKJV) There is nothing in the known universe that we can compare God to: 1
To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal? says the Holy One. (Isaiah 40:25 NKJV) God calls Himself, the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. God fills all of creation and all of eternity: Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God. (Isaiah 44:6 NKJV) I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8 NKJV) God proves that He is unique by doing what no one else can do, He tells the future so that we can know that He is God: Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure. (Isaiah 46:9-10 NKJV) The glory of God shines bright because there is no one like Him, He is utterly unique! Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen! (Psalms 72:18-19 ESV) 2.3.2 The Self-Existence of God - Part 2 The Lord God is the only one who has life in Himself. He is eternally self-existent. His name Yahweh (YHWH) or Jehovah (JHVH) means "the eternally self-existent one." He is the reason for all life. There is nothing that has lived, that is living, or that will live in the future that is not a direct creation that comes from the life of God Himself: I have made the earth, and created man on it. I My hands stretched out the heavens, and all their host I have commanded. For thus says the LORD 1, who created the heavens, who is God, who formed the earth and made it, who has established it, who did not create it in vain, who formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD, and there is no other." (Isaiah 45:12,18 NKJV) The Lord God is transcendant from His creation, utterly separate from it, and He rules over the universe and all life: "I, even I, am the LORD, and besides Me there is no savior. I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, and there was no foreign god among you; therefore you are My witnesses, says the LORD, that I am God. Indeed before the day was, I am He; and there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it? (Isaiah 43:11-13 NKJV) Everything that has been created, has been created by and for God. Everything that exists is His. He made everything and He owns everything. Speaking of Christ, Paul said: 1 Strong's number h3068, yhwh, the self-existent or eternal, translated as 'LORD' (all caps). 2
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:15-16 NKJV) Everything was created through Christ and for Christ, and God lays claim to everything in all of creation by right of His creation of it: Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine. (Job 41:11 NKJV) For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. (Psalms 50:10-11 NKJV) The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, says the Lord of hosts. (Haggai 2:8 NKJV) Everything is God's, even we ourselves, or we might say, especially we ourselves: Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die. (Ezekiel 18:4 NKJV) Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. (Psalms 100:3 NKJV) Only God is self-existent. Our very spirit comes from Him, and when He takes it back, we die: What You give them they gather in; You open Your hand, they are filled with good. You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth. (Psalms 104:28-30 NKJV) God is self-existent, but everything else depends on His existence. There is no existence outside of God. God laughs at everyone who thinks they can live apart from God, at those who think they won't have to give an account to God: Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us. He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision. (Psalms 2:1-4 NKJV) The glory of God shines upon all of creation, because He is uncreated, self-existent, and lives forever: Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; yes, they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will have no end. (Psalms 102:25-27 NKJV) 2.3.3 The Omnipotence of God - Part 2 Not only is God unique and self-existent, but He is the Lord Almighty. He has the power to carry out His will in every area. His glory is displayed in the working of His 3
mighty power in the creation of the universe. The universe is something that God gives us that we can use to understand what it means that God Himself is almighty: The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. (Psalms 19:1-3 NKJV) When we look at the heavens, at the sun, the moon, and the stars, we get a glimpse of the power of God. God gave us the heavens as a witness to the glory of His power! All of creation testifies to the glory of the power of God: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20 NKJV) Just as the universe demonstrates God's mighty power, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead demonstrates His power over life and death. God means for us to grow in our understanding of Him, and He demonstrates His power for that purpose. Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus, and God seeks the same knowledge in our lives through His indwelling Holy Spirit: That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. (Ephesians 1:17-21 NKJV) The glory of God shines from His power over every thing and every person. He has the power of life and death. Jesus warned people to not be afraid of men who can only kill them, but they are to be afraid of God who has the power to cast them into Hell: And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!" (Luke 12:4-5 NKJV) Jesus is the minister and representative of God's power. It is Christ who now rules over life and death: And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. (Revelation 1:17-18 NKJV) 4
The omnipotence of God is part of the reason for the reaction of men to being in the presence of His glory. God is omnipotent, and no one can stand before Him. 2.3.4 The Omnipresence of God - Part 2 We said earlier that God was utterly unique and transcendent from His creation. Even though He is separate from it, He occupies every part of it. We cannot flee from the presence of the Lord, even though we try. Jonah tried to flee from the presence of the Lord, but God arrested him in the depths of the ocean in the belly of a great fish, and from there He heard Jonah's prayer: But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up. So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish s belly. And he said: I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, and He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice. (Jonah 1:3-4,15,17; 2:1-2 NKJV) David acknowledged the same thing. God is everywhere present in His creation and there is no where that he could flee from the presence of God: Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall fall on me, even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You. (Psalms 139:7-12 NKJV) There is nowhere in the universe where God is not present. We cannot flee from presence. The glory of God shines in His ominpresence. His glory shines because every creature is limited to a single place at a single time. Even the angels can't be in more than one place at a time, but God is omnipresent, and glorious because of it. 2.3.5 The Omniscience of God - Part 2 Not only is God omnipresent, but God tells us that He sees everything, and He knows everything. There is nothing that can be hidden from Him. God knows our very thoughts: Understand, you senseless among the people; and you fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see? He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct, He who teaches man knowledge? The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile. (Psalms 94:8-11 NKJV) Jesus warned us that there is nothing that can be kept hidden from God: 5
For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. (Luke 8:17 NKJV) God sees everything and knows everything, and an unknown Psalmist (moved by the Holy Spirit) tells us that the understanding of God is infinite: He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. (Psalms 147:4-5 NKJV) Creation displays the glory of God in His power to create a universe of infinite extent. Creation also displays the knowledge and wisdom of God in its unity and working together. Not only did God create a billion galaxies, each with billions of stars, but He calls every star by name. God is omniscient and He is watching every person. He not only sees what everyone is doing, but He knows the thoughts of their hearts. David said that God knew every word that he was going to speak before it happened: O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. (Psalms 139:1-4 NKJV) There is nothing that we can hide from an omniscient God: For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. (Mark 4:22 NKJV) The writer of Hebrews tells us that we stand naked before the Lord, there is nothing that we can hide from Him. Every creature, man, angel, and demon stands open and naked before Him: And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:13 NKJV) The glory of God shines from His omniscience. He knows the state of His creation in every location and He knows the thoughts and works of every one of His creatures: Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father s will. (Matthew 10:29 NKJV) Fall down before the glory of a God who knows you, from whom you can hide nothing! 6
2.3.6 The Omniscience of God - Part 3 2.3.7 The Holiness and Righteousness of God - Part 3 2.3.8 The Mercy and Forgiveness of God - Part 4 3 The Glory of God Transforms Us - Part 4 4 The Purpose of God In Our Lives - Part 5 5 Conclusion - Part 5 Copyright 2019. Stephen W. Lange. All rights reserved. DOC=2019-01-17. 7