The Train of His Glory

[rjones]

God's desire is to reveal His glory to the world.

"But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord" (Nu.14:21).
"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Hab. 2:14).

But there is a serious problem that needs to be overcome before God can reveal His glory to mankind. Man, because of sin, cannot bear the glory of God.
"Then Moses said, 'Now show me your glory'...'But,' (God) said, 'you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live'" (Ex.33:18-20).

How, then, can God's desire be fulfilled?

The Train of His Glory

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on the throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory'" (Isa.6:1-3).

The 'train' of a garment literally means its 'hem' or 'skirt'. To reveal His glory to Moses, God hid him in the niche of a rock, and covered him with His hand until He had passed by.

Then God took away His hand and Moses saw the 'back parts' of God's glory - he saw the trailing 'hem' or 'train' of the glory of God (Ex.33:22-23).

The container of the train - the Temple

"Heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool..." (Isa.66:1).

"...and I will glorify the place of my feet" (Isa.60:13).

The purpose of the Temple was to be the vessel to contain the glory and veil it so that it could be revealed to the people.

Jesus - the Temple

Under the Old Covenant, God revealed His glory to natural Israel through the Temple, but the New Testament declares:
"However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men..." (Acts 7:48).

When Jesus Christ, the Son of God walked the dusty streets of the earth, He was the Temple containing the glory of God and revealing it to mankind. That glory, which would have destroyed all sinners who beheld it, was now veiled by the human flesh of Jesus.

"Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up again in three days'. The Jews replied, 'It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?' But the temple he had spoken of was his body" (Jn.2:19-21).

"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" (2 Cor. 4:6).

The Church - the Temple

"Firmly beneath you is the foundation, God's messengers and prophets, the actual foundation-stone being Christ Jesus himself. In him each separate piece of building, properly fitting into its neighbour, grows together into a temple consecrated to the Lord. You are all part of this building in which God himself lives by his Spirit" (Eph.2:20-22) (Phillips).

The world-wide Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is now the Temple of God. Just as the physical body of Jesus was the container of God's glory, so His spiritual body is a vessel whose purpose is to manifest God's glory throughout the earth.

 

[rjones]

Power of the Resurrection

Understanding what the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ means for you will dynamically affect your life.

Jesus had prepared His disciples for His death well ahead of time, and had told them that he would be raised on the third day (Lk. 9:22).

After the Resurrection and the Ascension of Jesus, the disciples were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. They went everywhere declaring the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and "turned the world upside down" in their day (Acts 17:6).

Raised With Christ

Not only was Jesus' death for you - His resurrection was for you too! Christ was raised to give you:

New life (2 Tim.1:9-10; Ro.6:4)
New birth (2 Cor.5:17; 1 Pe. 3:3)
New position (Eph.1:18-23; 2:6; 1 Pe. 3:21-22)
New power (Eph.1:19-20; Acts 4:33)

Resurrection Power is your release from the PAST
(Ro.6:4-11; Eph.2:1-7; Col.2:12-15)

Your old sinful life was put to death on the Cross with Jesus, and buried with him in the grave. Then, when Jesus was raised to life again, you were raised with Him as a new creation - leaving behind your old life in Jesus' grave!

Resurrection Power is your power for the PRESENT
(Ro.8:31-39; 6:6-14)

Because Jesus is ALIVE, we have now received the power of His Spirit to live a life of victory over sin and all satan's attacks against us.

Resurrection Power is your hope for the FUTURE
(1 Cor.15:17-23, 50-57; 1 Thes.4:13-18)

Jesus is called "the firstborn from the dead" (Col. 1:18) because, in His resurrection, He was opening the way for all those who would believe in Him to be raised from the dead also! One wonderful day Jesus Christ will return to the earth again - not as a baby this time, but revealing to the whole world who He really is - the glorious Son of God and Ruler of all creation. At that time all those who have died, believing in Him, will be raised to life again!

"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings..." (Phil.3:10).

As Christians, we have a power we can draw on daily. Jesus said: "I am the resurrection and the life" (Jn. 11:24-25). This life is described as:
Streams of living water (Jn. 4:13-14; 7:37-39).
Treasure in an earthen vessel (2 Cor.4:7-10).
A quickening of our mortal body (Ro.8:11).
Grace sufficient for every need (2 Cor.12:9-10).
An unspeakable, glorious joy (1 Pe. 1:5-8).

"I have been crucified with Christ and I now longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).