Righteousness Brings Glory
And one cried unto another, and
said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD
of hosts: the whole earth is full
of his glory… The Prophet Isaiah
Our Father's plan to fill the earth with His
glory, was made before the foundation of the earth.
His plan is fulfilled by conforming us to the
image of His Son, Jesus Christ. He brought His
Son to earth as the express image of His character,
as prophet, priest and king, so He could make
sinful mankind righteous. Christ's righteousness
fills the earth and the hearts of those who believe
in Him with His glory.
The writer of Hebrews says, "Long ago
God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors
through the prophets. But now in these final days,
he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised
everything of the Son as an inheritance, and through
the Son he made the universe and everything in
it. The Son reflects God's own glory, and everything
about him represents God exactly. He sustains
the universe by the mighty power of his command.
After he died to cleanse us from the stain of
sin, he sat down in the place of honor at the
right hand of the majestic God of heaven"
(Hebrews 1:1-3 NLT).
RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE SPIRIT
Man was created in glory and honor (Psalm 8:5),
but the heart of man fell short of God's glory
because of his fall into sin in the Garden of
Eden. Christ came to recreate us just like we
had never sinned. God created the universe perfect,
and made up of three heavens. The Apostle Paul
was caught up into the third heaven and given
his revelation of righteousness (2 Corinthians
12). We are also caught up into the third heaven,
spiritually, through the revelation of righteousness.
The Holy Spirit reveals that it is Jesus Christ
who became our righteousness.
Just as all creation is made up of three heavenly
parts, we are as well. God desires His will to
be done on earth in our spirit, soul and body,
as it is in heaven. When we are reborn of the
Spirit by faith in Christ Jesus, the light of
God comes into our hearts. As the Holy Spirit
sets up residence in our hearts, we are joined
to God and move into heaven with Christ. We set
up residence in heaven, as God sets up residence
in us. We become His taberna-cle [dwelling place]
here on earth, a glorious tabernacle, much greater
than that of the Old Testament. "…know
ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy
Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God,
and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with
a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and
in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Corinthians
6:19,20).
We have the glorious Spirit of God inside of
us, instead of a cloud by day and a fire by night
leading us (Exodus 16:10). The glory of God is
like a devouring fire sanctifying not only the
tabernacle of old, but our tabernacle. Moses asked
God to show him His glory, and He proclaimed,
saying, "…The LORD God, merciful
and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness
and truth" (Exodus 34:6). The Apostle
Paul wrote, "If the old covenant…
was glorious, how much more glorious is the new
covenant, which makes us right with God!"
(2 Corin-thians 3:9 NLT).
The tabernacle of old was patterned after heaven
(Hebrews 8:5). Jesus was patterned after heaven
when "…the Word was made flesh, and
dwelt [tabernacled] among us, (and we beheld his
glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
Father,) full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
Now, we are a pattern of heaven. Jesus said, "…the
kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21b).
His kingdom is made up of righteousness, peace
and joy in the Holy Spirit. His Spirit has moved
into our heart and brought His righteousness.
His peace has come to rule our souls (minds, wills
and emotions). His joy is the strength of our
bodies, bringing victory in battle. The glory
of God is reflected throughout His kingdom. Jesus
is in dominion in our heart, and we reign with
Him as kings.
We have moved spiritually into God's Holy of
Holies. He has set up His sanctuary, the Most
Holy Place, in our hearts. If what is in your
heart does not belong in heaven, then it should
not be in your heart. We are carriers of the ark,
the Word written upon our hearts (2 Corinthians
3:3b), as priests clothed in His glory.
His Word freely flows from our hearts in a powerful
demonstration of the Holy Spirit. We proclaim
the testimony of Jesus Christ to the world as
prophets. The living water of God is flowing from
His holy temple into the hearts of mankind through
our speaking of God's Word. Stephen's ministry
was a prime example. Stephen "…being
full of the Holy Spirit, looked stedfastly into
heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing
on the right hand side of God" (Acts
7:55). He died looking into the face of Christ,
receiving a standing ovation.
The light of God shines into our hearts "…to
give the light of the knowledge of the glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians
4:6). Moses went upon the mountain to meet God,
and returned reflecting His glory. God has taken
us to His mountain in heaven so we can reflect
His glory. We "…have this treasure
in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the
power may be of God and not of us" (2
Corinthians 4:7). The purpose being "…that
the life also of Jesus might be made manifest
in our mortal flesh [body]" (2 Corinthians
4:11, emphasis added).
SANCTIFICATION OF THE SOUL
The soul of a Christian is progressively being
separated from the world of sin. It is being set
apart for God's service and dedicated to His purpose.
Just as the God-head is triune: Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit; we are a three-part being: spirit,
soul and body. Our souls, too, are made up of
three parts: mind, will and emotions. The three
are likened to the three areas of the tabernacle's
sanctuary [holy place] where the priests served
God in the wilderness. As priests, we are ministering
to God in the three areas of the heavenly sanctuary:
around the lampstand, the True Bread and the altar
of incense (See Diagram #8).
The mind is likened to the oil lamps [the church]
receiving the Light of the Spiritual revelation
[oil] of God's righteousness. This Light is to
fill the sanctuary of our hearts. The will is
likened to the showbread, which is the sustainer
of life, the True Bread being the Word of God,
Jesus Christ, our Sustainer. Our will is as wheat
ground and baked with fiery trials to come into
line with God's Word, His will (1 Peter 1:7-9).
The emotions are likened to the altar of incense
where Jesus is interceding for us as we pray.
In trials, we remind ourselves that we are sitting
beside our Father full of His glory. Our Heavenly
Father receives us as intimately as He receives
His own Son. He answers our prayers, just as He
answered His Son's.
In our soul, we are worshippers in intimate relationship
with our Heavenly Father. We are carrying out
our royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), overcoming
the world, the flesh and the devil by the blood
of the Lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelation
12:11). We have God's ability. We realize that
humility is the willingness to submit to God's
opinions and views about everything and to draw
near to Him in purity, so that the power of God
to minis-ter may freely flow in us.
In the sanctuary of our soul, we carry out the
ministry of the blood of Christ as priests. Along
with Jesus, our High Priest, we are "A
minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle,
which the Lord pitched, and not man"
(Hebrews 8:2). As we serve God day and night,
"…we all, with open [unveiled] face
beholding [reflecting] as in a glass [mirror]
the glory of the Lord, are changed [trans-figured]
into the same image from glory to glory, even
as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians
3:18, emphasis added).
The Holy Spirit sets us apart for the work of
ministry. As we minister to God, He renews our
mind to His way of thinking-His view on things.
In our spirits, we have God's view, but we are
progressively coming into God's view in our souls
as our minds are renewed and changed by His Word.
We are coming into agreement with God, saying
the same things that He says and hav-ing the same
judgments.
Paul wrote, "That he [God] might sanctify
and cleanse it [the church] with the washing of
water by the word, That he might present it to
himself a glorious church, not having spot, or
wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should
be holy and without blemish" (Ephesians
5:26,27, emphasis added).
GLORIFICATION OF THE BODY
"Since you have been raised to new life
with Christ, set your sights on the realities
of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand
in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill
your thoughts. Do not think only about things
down here on earth. For you died when Christ died,
and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.
And when Christ, who is our real life, is revealed
to the whole world, you will share in all his
glory" (Colossians 3:1-4 NLT).
The body reflects God's glory as we spend time
in His presence, carrying out the ministry of
the Spirit as kings. Through us, the gifts and
the fruit of the Spirit divinely flow to the people.
We are maturing in our faith in Christ, from a
child to a young man, and approaching fatherhood.
We know the testimony of Christ, His blood covenant.
We recognize that the Word, the blood and the
Spirit all agree as one. We are carrying out the
ministry of prophet, priest and king. Truly, the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit reign in our lives,
in righteousness.
Jesus provides our example of ministry in the
Gospels. He spoke the words of His Father as a
prophet. He went to pray privately as a priest
and because of the resurrection, He reigns as
King! He showed Peter, James and John His glory
with power at His transfiguration, "…his
raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow;
so as no fuller on earth can white them"
(Mark 9:3). Later Jesus prayed for us, "…And
the glory which thou gavest me I have given them;
that they may be one, even as we are one…
that they may behold my glory, which thou hast
given me…" (John 17:22,24b). We
are now family; one with the Father, and one with
the Son. We have been joined together in His Name,
seated beside our Father with Him in heaven.
It was the glory of the Father that raised Jesus
from the dead (Romans 6:4). He went into heaven
as High Priest to present His blood in the heavenly
sanctuary for our sins. Then He returned to earth
for 40 days in His glorified body. Finally, He
ascended to His Father and poured out the Holy
Spirit on the day of Pentecost to empower us to
walk in the newness of life. The kingdom of God
was established within the hearts of men to anoint
them with the glory of God. Our faces shine forth
His glory as our souls become more and more immersed
in the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote, "…So
everyone can see that our glorious power is from
God and is not our own" (2 Corinthians
4:7b NLT).
While we patiently wait our complete glorification,
we "…press toward the mark for the prize
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus"
(Philippians 3:14). God is at work in our hearts
bringing us to completion. Our desire is to "…be
renewed in the spirit [attitude] of our mind…
put on the new man, which after God is created
in righteousness and true holiness" (Ephesians
4:23,24, emphasis added). This means we have all
the power and resources of heaven made available
to us through Christ.
One day we will meet the Apostle Paul in our
glorified bodies in the presence of the Lord.
In Paul's later epistles, he wrote, "For
I am now ready to be offered, and the time of
my departure is at hand. I have fought the good
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept
the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me
a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and
not to me only, but unto all them also that love
his appearing" (2 Timothy 4:6-8). Are
you ready to meet Jesus and receive your crowns?
Paul says, "I pray that your love for
each other will overflow more and more, and that
you will keep on growing in your knowledge and
understanding. For I want you to understand what
really matters, so that you may live pure and
blameless lives until Christ returns. May you
always be filled with the fruit of righteousness-those
good things that are produced in your life by
Jesus Christ-for this will bring much glory and
praise to God" (Philippians 1:9-11 NLT).
WHO IS GOD?
God is Glory. His glory is revealed in excellence,
beauty, power, mercy, grace, patience, goodness,
truth, faithfulness, forgiveness and prosperity.
These qualities of God's character show His greatness
and authority.
God is our Glory. His moral beauty and perfection
are visibly present in those who trust God. Glory
is not a substance, but God reveals His glory
in visible ways. His presence is seen as fire
and light, such as the pillar of cloud and fire
guiding the children of Israel. His glory filled
the tabernacle and the Temple after the sacrifice
and praise (2 Chronicles 5:11-14).
God's glory is seen in His creation: "The
heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament
sheweth his handywork" (Psalm 19:1).
God's glory is often seen in our lives, by the
works He does on our behalf, or the works He has
us do, through faith, in His name.
God is our Glorious Image, "…and
we beheld his glory… full of grace and truth"
(John 1:14). We share the divine glory of God
with Jesus (John 17:5-6,22). As believers, His
glory is revealed by the fruit of the Spirit in
our lives. We are being transformed into the glorious
image of God, and one day we will be fully glorified
in God's heavenly presence. There, the glory of
God will be seen everywhere (Revelation 21:23).
We are promised through the prophet Habakkuk that
a day is coming when, "For the earth shall
be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the
LORD, as the waters cover the sea" (2:14).
God is our "Jehovah-Tsebaoth," meaning
"The-LORD-of-Hosts." This name was used
in the days of David and the prophets, witnessing
the Almighty God of sovereign power Who is surrounded
by His heavenly hosts. Before David moved the
Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, it was at Shiloh;
and Elkanah, the father of Samuel, "…went
up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice
unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh" (1
Samuel 1:3a).
David sang, "…seek thy face [presence]…
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift
up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory
shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The
LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
Who is the King of glory? The LORD of Hosts, he
is the King of glory" (Psalm 24:6b-8,10,
emphasis added).
We are the gates and everlasting doors that the
King of glory desires to come in through. Jesus,
the King of Glory says, "Behold, I stand
at the door, and knock: If any man hear my voice,
and open the door, I will come in to him, and
will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation
3:20). Won't you receive your King today?
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