He Brought Back God’s Glory
5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:John17:5,20,22
What is the Glory?
Glory is God’s renown, honour. Jesus is the Father’s glory:
‘He is the effulgence of the Father’s glory.’ Pastor Chris
; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, ( Heb1:3)
Other forms of Glory
The glory of the Sun and that of the moon differ. The moon gets its glory from the sun.
When you are born again, you get your glory from God Himself.
God’s Son has all the brightness of God’s own glory and is like Him in every way. (Promise Bible)
He is the sole expression of the glory of God( the Light being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine, and He is the perfect imprint and very image of God’s nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. Amplified
Manifest glory of God
The glory of God was manifested to Moses:
12 Then Moses said to the LORD, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’13 Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.”
14 And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.16 For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”
17 So the LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.”
18 And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.”
19 Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”20 But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”21 And the LORD said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock.22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”
Ex33:
6 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, Ex34:6
17 The sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.18 So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights Ex24:9-17; Stephen 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,56 and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
Acts7:55
What other pictures were painted in the bible about this glory that was lost?
The Ichabod ( Glory departed ) story allegory or anecdote- story within a story.
He Brought Back the Glory
They went to war with their implacable enemies- the Philistines. They forgot to take the Ark of covenant and they were not only defeated but 4000 soldiers were killed. They wondered, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? They then went for reinforcement, bringing the ark of Covenant into their camp. As the Ark arrived, there was so much joy, expectation and boldness and great shout, so loud and raucous that the earth moved. When their enemies heard the great noise, their hearts sank. And they lamented: “God has come into the camp!” And they said, “Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before.8 Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.9 Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight!”
10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers.11 Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
So apart from the heavy casualty, the Ark of Covenant was captured by the enemy.
When their father (Eli the Priest) heard the news, he fell off backward from his chair partly due to his weight and died.
The wife of Phinehas was heavily pregnant at this time and when she heard of the death of her husband and the capture of the ark, birth pangs suddenly came upon her. He baby came out prematurely and the ladies kept encouraging her to cheer up and push and pull through. However, she was silent and at the gate of death. They encouraged her to at least name her child and she spluttered, ‘Ichabod!’, meaning ‘Glory Gone!’
The ark represented God’s presence, His covering, His protection, their security. That was why she could not stand not only losing her husband and his brother and her Father- in-law but also the ark of the Covenant – all in one day.
It was a dark, grim, depressing day, unusual in the history of Israel.
The ark was too hot to handle. When brought before Dagon and left overnight they came back to discover he had fallen down with face down. When they raised it up and left it they were surprised to find that it fell again, this time, its hand and head and hands were broken. Furthermore, God ravaged them with tumors and deadly destruction in Gath and Ekron, and they cried, ‘What shall we do with the ark? They were advised to send the ark back with some trespass offering. They did and the ark remained in the house of Abinadab for decades. All through the reign of Saul, the Ark was still in limbo.
However when David became King he longed to bring the Ark back to its resting place. After an initial blunder that led to the death of Uzah, who tried to steady the cart as the cow stumbled, to prevent the ark from falling the ark was put in the house of Obed Edom.
God so blessed him that other became jealous. The price of his stocks in the Stock Exchange rose astronomically. Everyone was buying Obed Edom stocks. He became a millionaire overnight.
King David researched and found out that the ark should be carried on the shoulders of Levites- not carried on carts.
The D-Day finally arrived and the ark was taken for its historic journey to the City of David.it was a glorious occasion with lots of euphoria, dancing, music, feasting, ecstasy, fanfare and carnival atmosphere. David danced and twirled with reckless abandon, overjoyed that at last the ark was on its way to its resting place.
You can see that truly this was a man after God’s own heart. This ark has been in limbo even before Saul became King. And Saul reigned for 40 years. all through that period we heard nothing about the ark. But David was different. He longed for the Ark of the Covenant to be given a befitting place of rest.
So the Glory that departed decades ago when Eli and his children and daughter-in-law died; the glory that was snuffed out and in temporary accommodation for so long, was finally coming home. O what a glorious day! The glory was brought back by David, with pomp and pageantry. The birds sang, the fields rejoiced, the trees clapped their hands. The mountains leapt for joy.
See the sweet psalm David wrote for that occasion in 1Chronicles 16
1 So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.2 And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD.3 Then he distributed to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins.
8 Oh, give thanks to the LORD!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
9 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
10 Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!
11 Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
12 Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,….
Do you know that this story carries in its womb the story of the fall of man and our salvation?
When God created Adam and Eve they had glory with them. They had God’s protection, security, His presence was their joy. There was no need for fear or trepidation. God would come and fellowship with them any time. They were the crowning glory of His creation. However, when they sinned from the obeying the serpent and eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, like Hophni and Phinehas did, they lost the glory. 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden. But before that God, whilst pronouncing judgement, pointed to Jesus who would bring back the glory. Gen3:15,21. When He spoke to Abraham,”… in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”, He was pointing to Jesus Who would bring back the glory. When prophet Isaiah was moved by the Holy Spirit to prophesy: 14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel., “ he was pointing to Jesus Who will bring back the glory. And later he reinforced this prophecy, “For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
This was about 800 years before Jesus was born.
Micah also pointed to Jesus Who would bring back the glory:
2 ” But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting.” Micah5:2
In the fullness of time the angel visited Mary and she conceived a child of the Holy Spirit and Jesus was born.
Jesus, our heavenly David, longed to bring back the glory to man. When the question was asked in the council of the God-head in heaven, ‘Who will go for us?… Who will go and bring back the glory? Or who will go and restore the glory to man? Jesus said, ‘Here I am, send me.’ Alleluia!
Paul alluded to this: 4’ But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman,…’ Gal4:4
There was joy in heaven as there was in Israel when the ark was on its way. There was joy in Bethlehem and the whole of Judea when Jesus was born. The angels rejoiced.
9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 ” Glory to God in the highest,
Glory to God in the highest because, Jesus, the express image of the Father’s glory, was coming to bring back the glory of God to man.
He would bridge the chasm created by Adam and Eve. He would restore the lost glory. In the fullness of time, Jesus went to the cross, paid the ultimate penalty, shed His innocent blood, like the one prefigured when God killed innocent animals and clothe Adama and Eve with their coat. Jesus broke the middle wall of partition and brought us the glory of God. Before going to the cross, Jesus looked forward to work He would do to bring back the glory and prayed:
5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. 20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:John17:5,22
Writing in Rhapsody recently, Pastor Chris, boldly captioned:
‘The Glory has Come!’
He was referring to this glory. He said, ‘Christmas means that you’re in Christ now and that you have His life and nature in you now. Christ is in you now, which means glory has come!… say, Father, I thank you. I’m your glory, and I express who I am today. Christ in me means glory in my life.’
When Jesus rose from the dead, He came back with the glory. Henceforth, those who receive Him as Lord and Saviour, would receive the glory. And because He has given us the same glory which He had with the Father, we can enter the throne of grace with boldness. There is now no more condemnation, the old has gone and the new has come; we are heirs of of God and joint-heirs with Christ; we are the salt of the earth, the city on a hill, the light of the world. Because we have that glory, greater works we can do; because we have the glory, as He is so we are; we can do all things through Him; we are more than conquerors; He is able to do exceeding abundantly more than we can ask or think, according to the power that is at work in us. Because He has brought back the glory we who believe in Him have the divine nature. And because the glory of the latter house surpasses the glory of the glory of the former, we go from glory to glory to the glory of the Lord of Glory. Alleluia!
O let us rejoice with great joy that Jesus has brought back the glory.
The First Adam lost the glory. The Last Adam brought back the glory.
He Brought Back God’s Glory
He Brought Back the Glory
That we lost through the fall
And so doing changed our story
By lifting us from the fall.
He bridged the gap for us;
Made peace between us and God.
Jesus justified us
and made us children of God.
All those who receive Him
are raised from deadness to life.
All those who accept Him
Are given abundant life.
When Adam fell, we lost the glory of God
But God in His mercy, made a way for us
He sent Jesus, the Light and the Living Word
To come down, pay the price to justify us.
Just as David was a type of Jesus
A man after God’s own heart
Who brought back the Ark to Jerusalem,
Jesus also brought back our lost glory.
Let us reverently bow before the holy Child whose innocence restores to manhood its ancient glory; and let us pray that he may be formed in us, the hope of glory.
C.H. Spurgeon
22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one John17:22
… as He is, so are we in this world.1John4:17
The Birth of Jesus
The birth of Jesus
Ushered God with us
Brought God for us
Signalled God is us.
The birth of Jesus
Brought Hope to us
Who sat in darkness
To enter God’s brightness.
The birth of Jesus
Was the birth of Light
And the birth of Life
And the birth of Love.
The birth of Jesus
Birth God’s song
For those in the wrong
Gave hope to those
wallowing in the dung.
May this season
rekindle your hope
even against hope
Because of the God of Hope.
May this season
give you reason
to press on in season
and even out of season.
May your remembrance
Cause you to dance
And run your race of grace
With super-abundant grace.
https://inspiration4generations.wordpress.com/2014/12/22/the-birth-of-jesus-by-fenny-west/
The Birth of Jesus worth giving thanks for(2)
The birth of Jesus
Laid the foundation
For the liberation
Of man under condemnation.
The birth of Jesus
Sounded the death knell
Of Lucifer- the devil
Who caused man’s downfall.
The birth of Jesus
Oozed an aroma
Of hope the world over
Now man can cross over
To the Alpha and Omega
The birth of Jesus
Painted a picture
Of a glorious future
For those who will
have a divine nature.
The birth of Jesus
Ushered a glorious dawn
Of God -the Son
Whose light shone.
The birth of Jesus
Brought a Friend
Who will stick to the end
And end the reign of the fiend.
The birth of Jesus
Brought our Mediator
Brought our intercessor
And our Saviour.
Fenny West2014
The Birth of Jesus was the Birth of God’s Vision
The Birth of Jesus
was the birth of God’s vision
of man’s salvation
and liberation
from bondage
and tutelage
wreckage and
damage.
The birth of Jesus
was the birth of the key
to our victory
and end of our misery;
the birth of Jesus
was the solution
to the problem of
fall, sin and separation.
The birth of Jesus
Was the unveiling
of the Road to God;
the unveiling
of the bridge to God;
the unveiling of
the compassion of God;
the unveiling
of the love of God.
Thank God for the Key
that unlocked the prison door.
Thank God for the Key
that became the Door.
Thank God for the Door
That opened the Way to God.
The Gift that Counts
The Gift that Counts
The Gift that Counts.
Is the gift that costs.
Give Him your trust
If you will not rust.
Give Him your life
If you will have life.
Give Him your interest
If you will increase
https://inspiration4generations.wordpress.com/2014/12/22/the-gift-that-counts-by-fenny-west/
Give Him your first
If you will not be last.
Give Him your future
If you want it assured.
Give Him your relationships
If you want a good fellowship.
Give Him preeminent place
If you want superabundant grace.
Give Him your seed
If you want to succeed.
Give Him your time
If you want multiplied time.
Lead someone to Christ
as a disciple of Christ.
Give the gift that costs
For it to be a gift that counts.
Seek His Kingdom first
And all other things
Will be added to you.
21 Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.”
22 Now Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood.
23 All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.”
24 Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
2Sam24:21-24
inspiration4generations 