God's People Living His Glory
When someone today is ‘living the glory’ of life – we could think of any number of celebraties or world figures – they have fame, fortune, honor of other world leaders we and others in the world might look up to.
Jesus says in this prayer – where he is praying for his future church, those who were not yet but one day would be and would believe in him because someone else told them about Christ.
For those he is praying for he says… “I have given them the glory that you gave me,…”
He is passing on this great sense of God’s glory that Christ himself had and bore to the world.
Isa 48:11
For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this.
How can I let myself be defamed?
I will not yield my glory to another.
What is this glory? The splendor, majesty, power, a consuming and overwhelming thing that no one could stand in or survive unless God himself protected them.
Stephen saw God’s glory – His love, peace, acceptance – His Son
Acts 7:54-56
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
According to Romans 5…
Because we have been justified (made right), we have peace with God – our souls are at rest before our maker because of our relationship with Jesus who has provided us access to God. We have joy and hope in our lives again because we know God’s rich love for us.
Rom 5:1-3
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
God fulfills all his promises to us by His glory and we acknowledge that every good thing has come to us because of Jesus and God’s great love for us.…
2 Cor 1:20
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.
We can know and experience the great, majestic love of God for us that is like turning a light on in a dark soul – we can experience life in a new way – in the light of God
2 Cor 4:6
For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
God’s glory is the abundance of His goodness and love and power and strength that He demonstrates over all creation. It is His nature and presence over all creation
Jesus was the bearer of God’s glory to the world and now God’s people, His children, the church alone carries that glory. “I have given them the glory you have given me…” to let the world know you love me and have sent me.
- 1. Christ imparts His glory to the Church
In the gospel of John, Jesus was the place and embodiment of that glory (jn 1:14) replacing the temple
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
But now the glory of God is passing to Jesus’ followers – indwelling them
John 17:22 “I have given them the glory that you gave me,”
Given - Jesus gives God’s glory to those who will believe in him as a result of hearing the gospel
Revealed - "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it."
Shared – God is willing to share his glory with His Son, so that His Son may give it to his children so the world would see Him
Normally when a man gets some glory He thinks it is for himself
Jesus never held on to God’s glory and so it always comes back to him
Phil 2:6-7 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing,
Phil 2:9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
Phil 2:11 to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus calls his disciples and invites us to participate in the Glory of God --- live a life that glorifies God in our worship, words and work. To live lives in the same glory that Jesus lived.
In the story of Lazarus…Jesus demonstrates what it is to live in the glory of God
Jn 11:40 Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
- 2. God’s glory is imparted through belief
Jesus looked to the Father to accomplish the Father’s will and impart his glory – in our story of Lazarus…
He expects God to display his glory by bringing Lazarus back to life.
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father…
When we pray, do we seek the resolution to our problems and changes in our circumstances inorder to make our lives easier or make more sense? – That is what Mary and Martha were doing - Jesus If you had only been here none of this would have happened, this doesn’t make sense, I don’t like what has happened, my brother has died and you could have prevented it.
Or, do we pray that God will do what God will do to display His glory
Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me…”
If we prayed that like Jesus prayed how would that change my prayer life? Mary & Martha prayed that Jesus would heal, Jesus prayed that God would resurrect him.
Memory verse this week:….
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
Jesus always believes the Father will respond to his prayers because he always desires to demonstrate the glory of God
- 3. God’s Glory is exercised in unity between believers, Jesus and the Father
‘…that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me.’ John 17:22-23
For us to live with the glory of God that Jesus said he gave us, it is going to look like a unity that Jesus had with the Father, a submissive, sacrificing, obedient, humble unity that demonstrates the belief that the Father can and will bring life. He will do remarkable things to show the world that he loves us so much that he would send His Son Jesus.
We cannot have a unity on the basis of agreement but on faith. Often today we think that we can only have unity if…
A husband and wife can have unity and “be on the same team” as long as you’re wearing my jersey.
We must remember the Father is the Father – Jesus is the head – we are on their team and we are unified to that, whether we understand it, agree with it, whether it fits our ‘culture or not. We are with them.
O Brother, Where art Thou
Pete: Wait a minute. Who
elected you leader of this outfit?
Ulysses: Well Pete, I figured it should be the one with the capacity for
abstract thought. But if that ain't the consensus view, then hell, let's put it
to a vote.
Pete: Suits me. I'm voting for yours truly.
Ulysses: Well I'm voting for yours truly too.
Delmar: Okay... I'm with you fellas.
We are with them – the Father and the Son – our unity is with them and in that unity we are together. There is never a break in unity between them, why should there be between us?
Our unity has strength when it is based upon faith – that God is God and he is always about the work of making Himself, His Son, and His love known - through the church.
Matt 18:19-20 "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
Jesus knows He is in a relationship of complete unity with the Father, they are never apart, never separated, He can call on His Father at any time, for any thing and He knows that His Father not only hears him but will answer his prayer because His request will always lead to the demonstration of God’s glory
Here Jesus is teaching the disciples (and us) what it is to be in a relationship of complete unity.
Does your belief in Jesus lead you to greater unity with Him, the Father and other believers in the church? Does your belief in Jesus lead you to where you see the glory of God?
- 4. God’s Glory is revealed to accomplish His Mission – namely JESUS
23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."
God wants the world to know that He sent Jesus to the world because of His great love for the people of the world. His love for us is just as great as His love for His Son.
To advance the kingdom of God is to advance the glory of God
God’s glory is the demonstration of His nature and presence over all creation.
Jesus passes His mission to the church and longs for us to display God’s glory by bringing life to dead places
We can only do that because we are in a relationship with the Father, Son and His church
He will display His glory through the lives of His church
Where do you see death that needs life? That is the place the light of God’s glory must shine – through you.
The confidence to the churches mission rests here – the glory of God rests in the spirit of God who indwells his people and reflects the glory of God and his love.
The church should reflect God’s glory and love for the world
Should exhibit a confidence in it‘s knowledge of God since it holds and bears Jesus’ word – a word that has come from God himself
the church as the truth (not a set of opinions) and the world should sense the strength of its conviction
the churches commitment to unity and to live it’s mission