Chase the Glory, Pt 2
- Sep 9, 2018
- 6 min read
I began this series with my story because I believe it is common ground that you and I have. Each person has a story and whether you are walking in the light of truth or you are still debating on coming out of hiding, we all have a beginning place. All of us started out as unredeemed sinners. We fell short of God's glory. No one is exempt of this reality. However, before our beginning point, there was Someone before it all who has always been and will ever be--God The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. The Triune God...Yahweh, three in one. As I have studied, I have asked The Lord what He would like to say about the reality of His glory. He has continued to press on me that in order to see the clearest reflection, description, and manifestation of His glory, we must look at His Son.
Well, that is a prodigious point and we obviously do not have time to peel back the many layers. However, that should not keep us from diving into the ocean! Just because the waves are constant does not mean that we do not go out in the deep to play! I want us to observe Scripture and to begin asking some questions to hopefully walk away with deeper truths to apply in our hearts. Like an arrow that must be released, I want to draw us back into history first and talk about the life of Jesus. As we continue with the series, there will be a moment of collecting and reviewing all that has been written. Last, we will finish with a final release that will penetrate the darkness. My desire and prayer for you is that His Word goes deep into the soil of your heart. I pray you walk away from this series with a certainty that the Lord has given you a deeper revelation about who He is through His Son and that you would experience His deep satisfaction and joy...that you would know Him. May the glory of the Lord be what we chase after all the days of our lives!! I ask this in the Name of Jesus, Amen!
So let's begin!
Why did Jesus come to the earth?
John 17 is incredibly powerful and to me. In this text, Jesus prays,
"Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify you,
as You have given Him authority over all flesh (love how Jesus talks in 3rd person...),
that He should give eternal life to
as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life,
that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given me to do.
And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself,
with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
I have manifested Your Name to the men whom
You have given Me out of the world" (John 17:1-6).
Popular belief in our Western Christian culture would say, "Jesus came to die for sinners
because He loves us and wants to have a relationship with us." Yes...that is an infinitely true statement. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son...". Allow me though to shift our eyes just a tad. I am convinced that we are missing a crucial, if not the most important, piece of the puzzle in which all other pieces come off of. Jesus came to earth so that The Father would be known and glorified. His whole life and ministry was to glorify The Father so that The Father could glorify His Son. We have shifted off slightly and have changed the Gospel from a God-centered story to a me-centered mentality.
John Piper says, "God is most glorified when I am most satisfied in Him." If this is true, Jesus was and is the most satisfied Being. The relationship of the Trinity is in complete unity with all-sufficient satisfaction and joy. When Jesus was wrapped in human flesh, He grew as a man, but maintained complete satisfaction in His Father while being tempted in every way that we are--and still He did not sin (Hebrews 4:15).
Before we go further, let's circle back around and ask another question that I believe will give us more insight and set us up for application later on.
What was The Son's motive to accomplish His Father's will?
We know that the mission of Jesus was to come as a baby into the world, to be tempted by all that we have been tempted by, to live completely sinless, to be the ultimate sacrifice of sin for all people for all time, to be raised back to life on the third day by the power of God, to ascend back to the Father and to sit down at His right hand. All for the purpose so that our relationship with God could be restored back into the fullness so that we can KNOW our Creator through His Son by the Holy Spirit. (whew!...) But what was Jesus' motive in all of it? What was the Son's motive to accomplish His Father's will?
Was it out of duty?
Was it out of His Jewish religion?
What is out of sacrifice?
No. It cannot end there. Duty and sacrifice only go so far. Religion without the heart leads one into greater bondage. There had to be something that would lead the Son of Man to die an excruciating death...there had to be something that would keep Him silent through the torture and tearing of His flesh...through the nails driven in His hands and feet...through the forsaking of His Father's face as He turned away from Jesus. And there had to something so deep in the The Father that He would choose to send His Son and turn His back on Him as the sin of the world was placed on Jesus! No parent in their right mind chooses to do that for men and women who are utterly wicked and evil.
But God. God sent because of love. Jesus died because of love. The Holy Spirit is The Promise because of love. The Trinity must be true and faithful to each other. One cannot work outside of the others in their perfect relationship and union.
God is love and He wants to be known by His creation. God is holy and commands to be revered by His creation. God is jealous for His Name and He will not share His rightful place with any of His creation. So how does all of this work together?
How can God's infinite universe not revolve around me but at the same time love me so deep and consider me to be more worthy than the lilies of the field? How is a believer supposed to live in this beautiful tension?
I am going to stop there for today. Believe me, it kills me not to keep writing because I am the type of person that loves to finish what I start. However, I would like to say these are things that are worth studying on your own time. Ask the Lord the questions I have posed. Let the Holy Spirit lead you into all truth! Wrestle alongside me with the deep things in your heart. If anything, pride will rear its ugly head when we talk about the glory of God because His glory and Name is a direct assault on the flesh. If you feel your blood boiling a tad or just that uncomfortable knock in your chest, it could possibly be pride speaking lies. Friend, you are not alone. We must die daily to the flesh and sometimes, that is excruciating.
Let me pray for us to close out today.
Father God, You are so much more than our words can say and our minds can comprehend. I am asking for grace as we walk through talking about Your glory. Would You give us eyes to see and ears to hear Your deep spiritual truths. Would it not stop there though. Would You give us the power and strength to lay down our defenses and pride and anything else that raises itself up against the authority of Christ. I ask for breakthrough and healing for my friends in Jesus' Name. I ask for lives to be put back together under the authority of Christ. Take Your rightful place in our hearts as King and Master. We surrender.
In Jesus' Name. Amen
You are dearly loved.
By Grace,
Cortney Rae
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