Today we continue our mini-series entitled “A New Dimension of Glory!” This series is under the overall theme for the year: “GREAT FREEDOM.” Yesterday I introduced you to a passage in 2 Corinthians 3. Today we will close out the week by going back to that passage and discussing the glory of God.
(2 Corinthians 3:7-18 Easy to Read Version)
7 The old agreement that brought death, written with words on stone, came with God’s glory. In fact, the face of Moses was so bright with glory (a glory that was ending) that the people of Israel could not continue looking at his face.
8 So surely the new agreement that comes from the life-giving Spirit has even more glory.
9 This is what I mean: That old agreement judged people guilty of sin, but it had glory. So surely the new agreement that makes people right with God has much greater glory.
10 That old agreement had glory. But it really loses its glory when it is compared to the much greater glory of the new agreement.
11 If the agreement that was brought to an end came with glory, then the agreement that never ends has much greater glory.
12 We are so sure of this hope that we can speak very openly.
13 We are not like Moses, who put a covering over his face. He covered his face so that the people of Israel would not see it. The glory was disappearing, and Moses did not want them to see it end.
14 But their minds were closed. And even today, when those people read the writings of the old agreement, that same covering hides the meaning. That covering has not been removed for them. It is taken away only through Christ.
15 Yes, even today, when they read the Law of Moses, there is a covering over their minds.
16 But when someone changes and follows the Lord, that covering is taken away.
17 The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
18 And our faces are not covered. We all show the Lord’s glory, and we are being changed to be like him. This change in us brings more and more glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. You cannot disconnect God from His glory.
When I think of the glory of God, I think of His manifested presence. Allow me to explain. I already covered the fact that God is not limited by time or space. God is everywhere at the same time. This is His universal presence. But while God is eternally present everywhere at the same time, He does not manifest His presence everywhere. There are moments in time where God reveals Himself in a spot. When He does, everyone present is able to feel and experience the glory of God. Why? Because God is full of glory. You cannot separate Him from His glory. Wherever He is, in full manifestation, His glory is on display and the power of His glory will be evident. For the New Testament believer, this is very important because God lives IN us. We are walking around with God on the inside. God is capable of putting His glory on display, through us, at any time. The best way to facilitate this is to simply be led by the Holy Spirit.
2. When you spend quality time with God people will notice His glory ON you and IN you.
a) When Moses spent 40 days with God on Mount Sinai, it is obvious that God manifested Himself to Moses. Not only did Moses come down from the mountain with the tablets of stone, but he also came down with evidence that he had been with God. The evidence was God’s glory. The glory of God was emanating from Moses’ face. While this is powerful, that glory faded away. Under the New Covenant, we have a glory that is also supposed to be seen and experienced. The difference is that this glory never fades away. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13) when we are Born-Again and He will never leave us. You have God on the inside of you and you take Him everywhere you go.
b) Have you ever met someone and felt the presence of God in them or on them? While you are talking to the person it is obvious to you that they know God. You sense His presence as you speak to them and as they speak to you, you know it is God speaking to you through them. Honestly, this is how it is supposed to be when people come in contact with us every day. When we spend time with others the time we spent with God should be evident. Said another way, if we truly spend time with God and we become a conduit of His will in the earth, His glory will be on display in everything we do.
3. Jesus prayed for us to receive the glory He had and for us to be ONE with the Father the way He was.
a) In Jesus’ prayer for us (the true “Lord’s Prayer” found in John 17), Jesus made a connection between our fellowship with God and each other to God’s glory. Jesus said, “I have given them the glory that you gave me. I gave them this glory so that they can be one, just as you and I are one. I will be in them, and you will be in me. So they will be completely one.” Jesus received God’s glory as a human and He put this glory on display as He performed miracles, signs, and wonders. While this is powerful, what is even more powerful for us today is the fact that Jesus said that He gave us the same glory He received from the Father. He gave us this glory so we could fellowship. He gave us this glory so we could be ONE. When we are in God, and God is in us, and we are ONE with each other, God’s glory is supposed to be on display. You can demonstrate the glory of God when you operate as ONE with the Father and when you operate as ONE with His people.
b) Jesus was a human conduit of the divine. He was a man, but He lived as a God-man. He was a human who walked around knowing that God was on the inside of Him and He was determined to let God out. Guess what? From the perspective of Jesus’ humanity, there is no difference between Jesus and us. If you are Born-Again, then you are supposed to be a human conduit of the divine. You are walking around with God on the inside of you. The Father wants you to let Him out. As you learn to walk in the FREEDOM of the Holy Spirit, to say whatever He tells you to say, to go wherever He leads you to go and to do whatever He tells you to do when you get there, you become a human conduit of the divine. It will be evident to everyone you come in contact with that you are a carrier of God’s glory. God will be seen, heard and felt in your daily routine. This is the way we are supposed to live. This has nothing to do with religion, rites, rituals or routines. This has everything to do with your relationship with the Father. You are on this planet to glorify Your God. You glorify Him when you simply allow His glory to be seen in what you do every day.
c) You have the same Holy Spirit Jesus had. You have the same glory Jesus had. As Jesus is, so are you, in this world (1 John 4:17). It’s time to go live like Jesus on this planet. That is true FREEDOM!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I declare that this year I draw close to You, and as I do, You draw close to me. I make time to spend time with You. As my quality time with You increases, the more Your glory will be seen, heard and felt as people come in contact with me. I am walking around with You on the inside of me. In 2020 I will let You out more than I ever have! The world will come in contact with You when they come in contact with me. I am a carrier and a conduit of Your glory on this planet! I live to bring glory to Your name! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
