Proclaim

Have you ever thought about why angels proclaim God’s glory?  I understand why we proclaim His glory, it is because we are separated from the heavenly realm by this fallen world.  We proclaim that which we do not see, that is putting our faith in action, which in turn makes us aware of the glory of God and His holiness.

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)

¹ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

However, angels do live in the heavenly realms, and are surrounded by God’s glory continually; they are enveloped by His holiness.  If that is the case then why do they need to proclaim it?

Isaiah 6:1-3 (NKJV)

¹ In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. ² Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³ And one cried to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;

The whole earth is full of His glory!”

I do believe that the ‘Seraphim’ here are declaring the Holiness of the Lord and His glory not because they needed to hear it, but because we needed to hear it!  That was the message they were given to proclaim.

The word Seraphim in Strong’s concordance states that “the Seraphim are an order of angels attending to God, each having six wings.  The word connotes bright and shining angels, but with the verb  שָׂרַף  it has a sense of burning, not of shining, and is better to be understood as the princes or nobles of heaven.” Angels or Seraphim are also messengers; they deliver messages from the throne of God.  Their purpose is to herald or proclaim what they have been given.  

The message above in Isaiah 6:3 is to us is an example of how to proclaim our deepest praise to the Lord.

We proclaim things we do not see, but we by faith believe that God will intercede when we ask Him to.  We put our trust in a spiritual world which is separate from our world, and see that God has placed great value and importance upon humankind to draw us into relationship with Him and His hidden spiritual world.

Why do we do it?  Why do we continue to proclaim faith in this God and His Kingdom which we cannot see?

The answer is simple, it is because of the depth of His love for us, that is the only reason!

1 John 4:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

There is a very good illustration of this truth in 2^nd Kings chapter 6. Elisha, the prophet of God, was revealing the Syrian's battle plans to the king of Israel. Every time the king of Syria tried to ambush the king of Israel, Elisha would warn the king of Israel, and he would counter the Syrian's ambush. This happened so often that the king of Syria finally asked his servants to reveal who the traitor was. He knew that the king of Israel could not be maneuvering like he was without inside information.

When one of the king of Syria's servants said that Elisha, the prophet of God, was revealing the words that the king of Syria said in his bed chamber to the king of Israel, the king of Syria sent his armies to capture Elisha.

2 Kings 6:15 (NKJV)

¹⁵ And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”

When Gehazi, Elisha's servant saw the Syrian troops, he panicked. He knew why they were there. They had discovered Elisha was the one telling the king of Syria's secret battle plans to the king of Israel. They were in big trouble. Look at the response of Elisha to this situation:

2 Kings 6:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶ So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

People who don't believe anything exists beyond their five senses would say Elisha was lying through his teeth. He was proclaiming something was so when it really wasn't, hoping that it would become so. But that's not the way it was at all. Elisha did speak the truth. There were more with him than was with the Syrian army. It's just that Elisha's forces were in the unseen reality.

The key to understanding this is to recognize there is another realm or dimension of reality beyond this physical world. Those who are limited to only their five senses will always struggle with this. They think Elisha was lying, and indeed, he would have been lying if all that exists is only this physical world. You could count the Syrian troops by the thousands, and there was only Elisha and his servant Gehazi. But Elisha wasn't lying because there was another world of reality. If you looked at the bigger picture, the physical and spiritual world, then Elisha was right on the money. In the spiritual realm, there were many more horses and chariots of fire around Elisha than there were Syrian troops.

2 Kings 6:17 (NKJV)

¹⁷ And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Gehazi's physical eyes were already wide open. God was opening his spiritual eyes. He was able to see with his heart into the spiritual world. And when the spiritual world was taken into consideration, then Elisha's statement was perfectly true.

Those who see faith as an attempt to make something real which isn't real will always struggle with those who see faith as simply making what is spiritually true a physical truth. Those who limit truth to only the physical realm would have called Elisha one of those "name it, claim it," kind of guys. But in saying such things, they condemn themselves. They show they only consider what they can see, taste, hear, smell, and feel to be the only reality. They are what the Bible calls "carnal."

When Gehazi's eyes were opened, the Syrians didn't disappear. They were still there. The physical truth was still true, but there was a greater spiritual truth that had emerged. True faith doesn't deny physical truth; it just refuses to let physical truth dominate spiritual truth. True faith subdues physical truth to the reality of spiritual truth.

Because Elisha believed in the realities of the spiritual world, he raised his hand and struck all the Syrians with blindness. Then he led the whole Syrian army captive to the king of Israel. Praise the Lord!  Wow!  That's not bad for an old bald prophet whom carnal people would say was all by himself.

Elisha was not just speaking some wishful statement, hoping that it would become a reality. He knew what was real in the spiritual world, and he controlled his emotions and actions accordingly. There is no indication that Elisha saw the horses and chariots of fire around him. He didn't need to. He believed it. Those who operate in true faith don't need to see with their physical eyes. Their faith is evidence enough.

I am not believing for something that isn't real to become real. I can see by faith into the spiritual realm by what has already been revealed in God’s word, and I'm simply proclaiming what I've seen in the spiritual world to become manifest in the physical world. All of the things I'm seeing with my physical eyes now, I have already seen in my heart. I’ve seen it on the inside before I see it on the outside.

Romans 8:16-17a (NKJV)

¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ^17a and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ…

With all of the promises of God which confirm that we are heirs of salvation and Joint heirs with Christ and His promises, how much more should we proclaim these truths of God's love and mercy, and as the people of God to proclaim who we have become by faith and stand in those truths.

This is a wonderful way to live. This is the normal Christian life.

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV)

⁷ For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Stephen Barnett

God is good all the time—all the time God is good!

The Victory Is the Lord’s

(Kevin Prosch)

The victory is the Lord’s

The victory is the Lord’s

We’ve just begun to fight, ooh ooh

We’ve just begun to fight, ooh ooh

(Repeat)

And when I get discouraged

Having done all then I stand

He gave us weapons to fight

And the Spirit of might

I feel the power, the Word of the Lord

Where is the Lord God of Elijah

Elohim, my redeemer and my friend

Any weapon formed against me will not prosper

And His eyes are a flame of fire

And His will is my desire

Copyright © 1987 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
The above lyrics are copyrighted by the respective artists and are presented here for educational purposes only and not for profit

Submission

What does it mean to be in submission?  This is a short exploration of submission.

Romans 13:1 (NKJV)

¹ Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

The subject of submission to authority is a very basic Bible doctrine. Some of the major areas of submission commanded in the Scriptures are:

(1) submission to God (Ephesians 5:24 and James 4:7),

(2) submission to civil or governmental authority (Romans 13:1-7),

(3) submission to the church or religious authority (Hebrews 13:17),

(4) wives submitting to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22-24 and Colosians 3:18),

(5) children submitting to their parents (Ephesians 6:1 and Colosians 3:20),

(6) slaves submitting to their masters (maybe today's equivalent would be employees submitting to employers, 1Peter 2:18),

(7) the younger submitting to the older (1Peter 5:5), and

(8) all of us submitting to each other in love (Ephesians 5:21 and 1Peter 5:5).

Vine's Expository Dictionary defines the Greek word translated "subject" above in Romans 13:1, (as well as thirteen other times in the New Testament),  as hü-po-tä's-sō.  This was a military term in it’s meaning, (hupo, "under," tasso, "to arrange"), denotes "to rank under" Although, in most cases, obedience is a part of submission, but these terms are not synonymous. The greek word for obedience is hüp-ä-ko-ā', "obedience" (hupo, "under," akouo, "to hear"), is used of the fulfillment of God's claims or commands, "obedience of faith," which grammatically might be objective, to the faith, or subjective, as in the text.

Just as those enlisted in the army have limits to their obedience to an officer, so we only obey others as long as their commands do not oppose God.

A failure to understand the difference between submission and obedience has given way to many false teachings that have caused some people to obey others in matters of sin. That is never commanded in the Word of God.

One of the easiest ways to see that a person can submit without obeying an ungodly command is to look at the life of Peter. Peter made some striking statements when he said:

1 Peter 2:13-14 (NKJV)

¹³ Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, ¹⁴ or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.

This was the same Peter who refused to obey the chief priests when they commanded him not to speak or teach anymore in the name of Jesus

Acts 4:18-19 (NKJV)

¹⁸ So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.

When Peter and the other apostles continued their teaching and preaching about Jesus, the high priest and the Jewish elders imprisoned them. However, they were supernaturally freed from prison by an angel of the Lord who told them to go back to the temple and preach again. This command was a direct contradiction to the commands of the Jewish leaders.

Acts 5:17-20 (NKJV)

¹⁷ Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation, ¹⁸ and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. ¹⁹ But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, ²⁰ “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.”

The Jews again arrested Peter and the other apostles,

Acts 5:28-29 (NKJV)

²⁸ saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!”

²⁹ But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.

This is always the bottom line. We never obey any person if that would cause us to disobey God. And yet, we are to submit to every ordinance of man.

1 Peter 2:13 (NKJV)

¹³ Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme

Submission is an attitude, not an action. It will express itself through actions, but we can have a submissive attitude and yet disobey an ungodly command.

If government officials commanded us not to preach Jesus, we should follow the example of Peter, and not obey them. But we should also not rebel at their authority, in the same way that Peter and the other apostles did not rebel at the authority of the Jews.

When the apostles were beaten for their obedience to God, they didn't criticize or form a revolt. They praised God and kept right on preaching the Gospel

Acts 5:41-42 (NKJV)

⁴¹ So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. ⁴² And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

They didn't obey ungodly commands, but they didn't become ungodly, either by cursing those who had hurt them. They submitted to the authority over them to the point that they took a beating without one complaint, but they never did do what the Jews commanded them.

If a man commanded his wife not to go to church anymore, she should not obey that command. The Bible clearly says not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together (see: Hebrews 10:25). However, there is a submissive way and a rebellious way of doing that.

If she said, "You old sinner! You never have liked me going to church anyway. Well, I'm going to show you that you can't tell me what to do. I'm going anyway, and I don't care what you say," that would be a rebellious attitude.

Yet, a woman in the same circumstance could affirm her love to her husband and state that she really wants to comply as much as possible, but in this instance, she has to obey God over her husband. If that was her attitude, she would be in submission to her husband even though she wouldn't do what he said.

Submission is also a voluntary thing, and in some respects it is a gift we choose to give to another. You cannot make another person submit. You can make people obey you, but that doesn't mean they've submitted. Their attitude is totally a matter of choice on their part. This is the reason that a man cannot hear a teaching on submission and go home and make his wife submit. She has to choose to submit.

The book of Daniel has two examples of civil disobedience done through a commitment to God's higher laws, yet this disobedience was accomplished with respect and submission to the civil authority.

Daniel 3:8-18 (NKJV)

⁸ Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews. ⁹ They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! ¹⁰ You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image; ¹¹ and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. ¹² There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.”

¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king. ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? ¹⁵ Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

(Also see: Daniel 6:10-17)

When Pharaoh commanded that the male Hebrew babies were to be killed at birth, Moses' parents did not obey, and God blessed them for their actions.

Exodus 1:16 (NKJV)

¹⁶ and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

Submission is an essential part of true Christianity. However, it is a missing ingredient in most of our lives. The root of all lack of submission in our lives lies in pride.

1 Peter 5:4-6 (NKJV)

⁴ and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

⁵ Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

“God resists the proud,

But gives grace to the humble.”

⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time

So what does submission have to do with the love of God?  Everything!  Jesus died on a cross to demonstrate that through submission to the Father, God's desire is to once again have humanity restored into right relationship with Him. This is not a system where by submission is demanded or your die, not at all!  This is a relationship with our creator who wants to demonstrate to us, and through us that He needs us just as much as we need Him.  Amazingly, God is all sufficient, but made Himself put on human skin, came to Earth, and gave us His very life to atone for our sin and prove His deep love for us. He paid the ultimate price to reconcile us to Himself, and nobody pays that high a price for something they don’t need or value, but He did!  

This is the price God paid for us, and this is how we know that He loves us. Because of this incredible and unwarranted love for us disobedient sinners, we are offered eternal life. Salvation is a gift, given freely for the asking, because of the breathtaking, voluntary sacrifice by the one true God.  How could we not submit to such a devoted, wonderful, loving God, who gave everything for us?

Romans 5:8 (NKJV)

⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Stephen Barnett
God is good all the time—all the time God is good!

More Than Sunlight

Words and Music by:  Preston Oden Fong

More than the sunlight to me,

Everywhere I look I see your face.

And when I’m sad and lonely,

I hear your voice, and hear you say:

               I love you My Child  (2X)

Cloudy dark times can’t hold me,

The pathway gets hard, sometimes there’s pain.

But when I feel like falling,

I hear your voice and hear you say:

               I love you My Child  (2X)

More than the starlight to me,

Everywhere I go I feel your peace.

And when my heart is burdened,

I come to you for my release.

               I love you My Child  (2X)

©1975 Maranatha! Music

The lyrics presented above are copyrighted by the respective artists and are demonstrated here for educational purposes only and not for profit.

Thank you to Andrew Womack for insight and inspiration for his notes on Romans 13:1 

Spiritual Authority

What is Spiritual Authority? There is somewhat of a misconception about how things in the kingdom of God operate. The world doesn't have knowledge of God’s way of doing things, and many Christians don’t either. God’s kingdom is not a democracy, which means we don’t get to vote on things, and the opinion of the majority is not what decides the final say. The kingdom of God is a theocracy, meaning it has one king, who makes the rules. Our King is Jesus, and He has specific guidelines on how His kingdom is to operate. One of those guidelines includes the institution of spiritual authority and leadership in the body of Christ. As Christians, we are called to respect spiritual authority so that God's blessings can flow into our lives without interruption.

Romans 5:1-5 (NKJV)

¹ Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

It is an essential truth to realize that we stand by faith which is a gift that God has given us through which grace operates in our lives.  When we allow God’s grace to operate in our lives, things do change.  Our perception of our world changes, we begin to see life from a God centered perspective, and even our character begins to change to reflect back to God the love that He has given to us so freely.

Spiritual Authority starts with submission.  We serve one King and that is Jesus Christ.  We also must submit to the authorities that God has placed in our lives, both Governmental and Church Leadership.  Many choose to not submit to Church leadership because they feel it is unnecessary, but it is necessary!  It is God's desire that we all be connected to the local Church Body.  He has assigned every Believer to a particular church, headed up by a pastor or leader after His own heart. Each person is to submit to his or her spiritual leader, as that leader follows Christ.

Romans 13:1-2 (NKJV)

¹ Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. ² Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

As we grow in our relationship with the Lord and with Church Leadership we will find that we are also growing in our understanding of submission, one of the things we must realize is that we are standing in the grace of God.  God has given us authority to speak His words and do His works that others may benefit from the grace that has been deposited inside of us.  Here is where the beauty of being in submission comes into play, we can give freely of what we have received so that others may be blessed, and we can also be corrected by those who are in authority over us if we need correction, and because we are in submission we can receive correction gracefully as if from God Himself and we can grow from it.

Matthew 10:7-8 (NKJV)

⁷ And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ ⁸ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

Another aspect of Spiritual Authority is exercising our position in Christ over perceived attacks from our spiritual enemies. We tend to fight spiritual battles over things which have already been defeated because many of us have been given misinformation from well-meaning men and women in the Church.

John 8:31-32 (NKJV)

³¹ Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. ³² And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Many Christians prayerfully take on Satan directly because they believe that Satan is God's enemy, this couldn't be further from the truth.  The "Middle English" dictionary says that the word enemy was first coined in the 1300's in the middle English as "enemi".  It is defined as two equal individuals or forces who are engaged in a battle.  In no way is Satan equal with God, Satan is a created being.

The only power that Satan has is the power of deception, and the worst thing about deception is that you don't know you're being deceived. Otherwise, it wouldn't be deception. Once the truth is received, deception loses all its power. Therefore, Satan loses all his power when we know what the truth is.

Many people don't know the truth about Satan's defeat. In fact, many Christians are the very instrument that Satan is using to foster the deception that he is still a powerful foe. "Spiritual warfare" is one of the hottest topics in the church today. People are expending great amounts of time and energy, constantly battling with Satan in ways contrary to Scripture, but in reality, Satan has already been defeated. We don't need to defeat him again.

Hebrews 2:14-15 (NKJV)

¹⁴ Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

We need to believe that Satan has already been completely destroyed and simply enforce his defeat. The only power he has is the power to deceive. Our battle should be against the wiles (trickery) of the Satan, not Satan himself. Any other approach is actually giving Satan authority and power which he doesn't have, and he uses that to intimidate us. The only weapon Satan has is the power we give him when we believe his lies.

Ephesians 6:10-12 (NKJV)

¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Technically, warfare only takes place between two undefeated foes. Once an enemy has been conquered, the war is over.  Satan is a defeated foe.

Colossians 2:15 (KJV)

¹⁵ And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

The archaic meaning of the word "spoiled" here is "to plunder; despoil; or to take by force" (American Heritage Dictionary). This means that after Jesus defeated Satan, He stripped him of everything he had, specifically the keys of death and hell.  Satan has no power to imprison anyone.

Strong’s concordance states that the Greek word that was translated "shew" in the above verse is δειγματίζω  or " dāg-mä-tē'-zō" which means "to exhibit".  This comes from the root word "dā'g-mä" which means "a specimen (as shown)". Satan is like one of those bugs we had to capture for biology class. We caught it and then impaled it on a board with a little pin through it to exhibit it. You need to picture the Satan nailed to a wooden board like a bug on display. Hallelujah! Take that defeat Satan!

Strong’s concordance describes the Greek word that was translated "triumphing over" in the verse above as thrē-äm-byü'-ō, it is especially significant. It means "to make an exclamatory procession".  This is specifically referring to the way the Romans had a "triumphant procession" after they had defeated their enemies.

Upon conquering an enemy, the Romans would hold a parade. They would take the conquered king, strip him naked, and drag him through the crowd behind the conquering king or commander for all their subjects to see. He would be humiliated and insulted, but that's not all. They would also cut off the thumbs of his hands and the big toes of both feet. This was to assure the subjects this enemy would never be a threat to any of them again. He could not hold a sword and he would never be able to run again. There was no need to fear him any more. Any rumor about him ever challenging Rome again would be scoffed at because the citizens had seen him in the parade.

The same thing happened to the Satan. That's what this verse is referring to. Jesus not only beat the devil, but He had a triumphant procession to display the devil to the universe as a totally conquered foe. Satan should never terrify us again. Unfortunately, many Christians have missed the parade. They haven't seen God's triumphant procession that was pictured in God's Word where Satan was displayed as a totally defeated foe. They are circulating rumors that Satan is a powerful foe to be reckoned with. That is not so.

Satan is still alive, and we do have to reckon with him but only because he has so many lies circulating about his power against us. These are all lies, and therein is Satan's power. If we believe his lies, he then uses our own authority, which our fear grants him, to work his destruction in our lives. He has no power of his own. He's using the power and authority that our misdirected faith gives him.

Revelation 1:18 (NKJV)

¹⁸ I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

Jesus not only exulted in a triumphant procession over defeating Satan, He took back control of the keys of Hell and death.  Jesus has the power over death.  No one is condemned to death to an eternity in Hell anymore unless someone chooses to go there.  Jesus paid the penalty for each of us that we would willingly come to Him and receive His precious gift of everlasting life.

Our part is to believe (trust in, rely on) the finished work of Christ as our own.

Our Spiritual Authority comes from the proof in the scriptures that Jesus defeated Satan once and for all time. We have been made alive in Christ and released from the lies of Satan that we may proclaim the truth to everyone
―We are all free to live in Christ!

Stephen Barnett

God is good all the time―all the time God is good!

Eternity

Word and Music by Brian Doerksen

I will be yours

You will be mine

Together in eternity

Out hearts of love

Will be entwined

Together in eternity

Forever in eternity

No more tears of pain

In our eyes

No more fear or shame

For we will be with you

Yes, we will be with you

Copyright © 1994 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.

The Lyrics above are copyrighted by the respective artist and are utilized here for educational purposes only and not for profit.

Thank you to Andrew Womack for his article on "Spiritual Authority" for insight and inspiration.

Glory

It is an interesting word with interesting meaning.

Strong’s concordance defines glory as δόξα or do'-ksä

1.splendor, brightness

a. of the moon, sun, stars,

b. magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace

c.  majesty

i:  a thing belonging to God

a.      the kingly majesty which belongs to him as supreme ruler, majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity

ii:  a thing belonging to Christ

a.      the kingly majesty of the Messiah

b.      the absolutely perfect inward or personal excellency of Christ; the majesty

iii: of the angels

a.       as apparent in their exterior brightness.

The glory of God is the beauty of His spirit. It is not an aesthetic beauty or a material beauty, but it is the beauty that emanates from His character, from all that He is.

James 1:9-10 (NKJV)

⁹ Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, ¹⁰ but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.

The above passage calls on a rich man to “glory in his humiliation,” indicating a glory that does not mean riches or power or material beauty. Humiliation in this sense means humbleness.  This glory can crown man or fill the earth. It is seen within man and in the earth, but it is not of them; it is of God. The glory of man is the beauty of man’s spirit, which is fallible and eventually passes away, and is therefore humiliating—as the verse tells us. But the glory of God, which is manifested in all His attributes together, never passes away. It is eternal.

Isaiah 43:7 (NKJV)

⁷”…Everyone who is called by My name,

Whom I have created for My glory;

I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”

This passage says that God created us for His glory. In context with the other verses, it can be said that man “glorifies” God because through man, God’s glory can be seen in things such as love, music, heroism and so forth—things belonging to God that we are carrying “in jars of clay” or “earthen vessels”’

2 Corinthians 4:7 (NKJV)

⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

We are the vessels which “contain” His glory. All the things we are able to do and to be, find their source in Him. God interacts with nature in the same way. Nature exhibits His glory. His glory is revealed to man’s mind through the material world in many ways, and oftentimes in different ways to different people. One person may be thrilled by the sight of the mountains, and another person may love the beauty of the sea. But that which is behind them both (God’s glory) speaks to both people and connects them to God. In this way, God is able to reveal Himself to all men, no matter their race, heritage or location.

Psalm 19:1-4 (NKJV)

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament shows His handiwork.

² Day unto day utters speech,

And night unto night reveals knowledge.

³ There is no speech nor language

Where their voice is not heard.

⁴ Their line has gone out through all the earth,

And their words to the end of the world.

In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,

Another passage in Psalms describes “glory” in a different way:

Psalm 73:24 (NKJV)

²⁴ You will guide me with Your counsel,

And afterward receive me to glory.

It used to be common to hear Christian’s talk of death as being “received unto glory,” which is a phrase borrowed from this Psalm. When the Christian dies, he will be taken into God’s presence, and in His presence will be naturally surrounded by God’s glory. We will be taken to the place where God’s beauty literally resides—the beauty of His Spirit will be there, because He will be there. Again, the beauty of His Spirit (or the essence of Who He Is) is His “glory.” In that place, His glory will not need to come through man or nature, rather it will be seen clearly, just as Paul said to the Corinthian Church:

1 Corinthians 13:12 (NKJV)

¹² For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

In the human/earthly sense, glory is a beauty or vibrancy that rests upon the material of the earth (Psalm 37:20, Psalm 49:17), and in that sense, it fades away. But the reason it fades is that material things do not last. They die and wither, but the glory that is in them belongs to God, and returns to Him when death or decay claims the material. Think of the rich man mentioned earlier. The verse says, “…but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.” What does this mean? The verse is admonishing the rich man to realize that his wealth and power and beauty come from God, and to be humbled by the realization that it is God who makes him what he is, and gives him all he has. And the knowledge that what he gains will pass away like the grass, is what will bring him to the realization that God is the one from whom glory comes. God’s glory is the source, the wellspring from which all greater and lesser glories come.

Since God is the one from whom glory comes, He will not let stand the assertion that glory comes from man or from the idols of man or from nature.

Isaiah 42:8 (NKJV)

⁸ I am the Lord, that is My name;

And My glory I will not give to another,

Nor My praise to carved images.

God is jealous over His glory. This jealousy for His own glory is what Paul is talking about in his letter to the Romans:

Romans 1:21-25 (NKJV)

²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

²⁴ Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, ²⁵ who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

In other words, they looked at the object through which God’s glory was coming, and, instead of giving God the credit for it, they worshiped that animal or tree or man as if the beauty it possessed originated from within itself. This is the very heart of idolatry and is a very common occurrence. Everyone who has ever lived has committed this error at one time or another. We have all “exchanged” the glory of God in favor of the “glory of man.”

This is the mistake many people continue to make: trusting in earthly things, earthly relationships, their own powers or talents or beauty, or the goodness they see in others. But when these things fade and fail as they will inevitably do (being only temporary carriers of the greater glory), these people end up in despair.

What we all need to realize is that God’s glory is constant, and as we journey through life we will see it manifest here and there, in this person, or that forest, or in a story of love or heroism, fiction or non-fiction, or even in our own personal lives. But it all goes back to God in the end.

And the only way to God is through His Son, Jesus Christ. We will find the very source of all beauty in Him, in heaven, if we are in Christ. Nothing will be lost to us. All those things that faded in life we will find again in Him.

May you be touched by God’s glory and the fullness of His presence working through your life as you grow in Him today.  And may you find God’s love to be the unfading stronghold which will keep you grounded through any circumstance which attempts to test your resolve to trust Him.  This is how His glory is revealed in us by our willingness to trust Him by faith regardless of the outcome.

Stephen Barnett

God is good all the time—all the time God is good! 

Full of His Glory

Words and Music Cindy Rethmeier

Holy, holy, holy

Is the Lord Almighty

Holy, holy, holy

Is the Lord Almighty

The whole earth is full

The whole earth is full of His glory

Full of His glory

Copyright © 1994 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
The lyrics above are copyrighted by the respective artists and are utilized here for educational purposes only and not for profit.
Thank you to "GotQuestions.org" for inspiration and insight into the topic of Glory.