In Ezekiel, we read the tragedy of the glory of God in Israel. Yet, God was not done. A plan was still in motion that had been formulated since the beginning of time was still at work. It is estimated that 400 years had passed between Malachi and the Gospel events. In what seemed to be inactivity, Heaven was still active. One night, the glory of God shone:
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, (Luke 2:9)
God's glory had returned. As we look back on our journey concerning the glory of God, we have discovered that God's glory is found in His presence and in His presence is goodness.
Jesus is both.
The Gospel writer John writes these words:
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
In the book of Hebrews, we read this:
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (Hebrews 1:1-3)
Jesus is the radiance of God's glory. If you want to know God's glory, then you need to come to know Jesus. If you want to encounter God's glory, then you need to encounter Jesus. So now we come to the words of the hymn writer that we mentioned in the first entry in this journey,
"His glory forever I'll share" (The Old Rugged Cross)
Yes, the hymn writer is speaking of eternity when he penned these words, but I want to encourage you to see that experiencing and encountering God's glory is not something that we have to wait for eternity for. It is something we can experience today. As we come near to the time of Jesus' arrest, we see Him pray these words:
The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, (John 17:22)
Jesus has passed His glory unto us and with that, He has poured His life in us. An abundant life. The Kingdom life. Then we are reminded of that request from Moses and the revelation of the Father. When we see God's glory, we are to be reminded of God's steadfast love. His hesed. As we piece all of this together, we see the final result of the puzzle:
His Glory Forever I'll Share (pt. 7)
In Ezekiel, we read the tragedy of the glory of God in Israel. Yet, God was not done. A plan was still in motion that had been formulated since the beginning of time was still at work. It is estimated that 400 years had passed between Malachi and the Gospel events. In what seemed to be inactivity, Heaven was still active. One night, the glory of God shone:
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, (Luke 2:9)
God's glory had returned. As we look back on our journey concerning the glory of God, we have discovered that God's glory is found in His presence and in His presence is goodness.
Jesus is both.
The Gospel writer John writes these words:
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
In the book of Hebrews, we read this:
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (Hebrews 1:1-3)
Jesus is the radiance of God's glory. If you want to know God's glory, then you need to come to know Jesus. If you want to encounter God's glory, then you need to encounter Jesus. So now we come to the words of the hymn writer that we mentioned in the first entry in this journey,
"His glory forever I'll share" (The Old Rugged Cross)
Yes, the hymn writer is speaking of eternity when he penned these words, but I want to encourage you to see that experiencing and encountering God's glory is not something that we have to wait for eternity for. It is something we can experience today. As we come near to the time of Jesus' arrest, we see Him pray these words:
The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, (John 17:22)
Jesus has passed His glory unto us and with that, He has poured His life in us. An abundant life. The Kingdom life. Then we are reminded of that request from Moses and the revelation of the Father. When we see God's glory, we are to be reminded of God's steadfast love. His hesed. As we piece all of this together, we see the final result of the puzzle:
Jesus is God's hesed (steadfast love)