If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 2 Cor 5:17
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Go to the source! Discover what the Bible says about …
These pages are designed to aid study or investigation for Christian discipleship through individual Bible study, Cell groups, Home groups, or meeting one to one. The questions could be used alone allowing each person to use their own Bible.
Introduction
God is the only one on earth who deserves glory. Many want glory; many will make great sacrifices for glory. However God views glory as something belonging to Himself. He generously gives it to His people, but He desires it to be handled well and that it should result in glory coming back to the Lord, Glory is given to the Father through worship.
Bible Zone
The zone below looks at five passages.
- The Father’s Glory - Glory belongs to God.
- Jesus reveals God’s glory - Father’s glory entrusted to Jesus to reveal.
- God’s glory entrusted - to His people, and what He wants them to do with it.
- Gaining Glory - Glory is gained through humility and service.
- Glory Revealed - True glory will ultimately be revealed to all.
Isaiah expresses the glory of God.
- On what basis is God to be glorified?
- In what ways do His people demonstrate His glory?
- Verse 8 tells of the Lord guarding glory. On what basis does He guard it?
Isaiah 42:5-7 5 God, the LORD, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it.
He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth.
And it is he who says,6 "I, the LORD, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness.
I will take you by the hand and guard you,and I will give you to my people, Israel,
as a symbol of my covenant with them.
And you will be a light to guide the nations. 7 You will open the eyes of the blind.
You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.
8 "I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols.
John tells us of a conversation between Jesus and His Father, where Jesus describes how His Father has given Him glory.
- For what purpose does the Father give His glory?
- How does Jesus glorify the Father?
- This passage seems to suggest that Jesus’ glory in heaven is going to be different from the glory we saw on earth. How will it differ?
John 17:1-5 1 After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you.2 For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him.3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.4 I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.5 Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.
God’s glory is not something He keeps locked up, it is passed on to us as a trust. Jesus in His prayer, shares what He does with the glory entrusted to Him.
- What has Jesus done with the glory He received from the Father?
- Why has Jesus given His disciples the glory He received from His Father?
- Think about how people use glory. How can it be used for unity or division?
John 17:21-23 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
22 "I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one.23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.
We often think that we can recognise glory when we see it. Jesus demonstrates to us that often we misunderstand what glory is, or how it is gained. Hebrews 2:6-10.
- How do we receive glory?
- For what is glory given?
- How should we live in order to further God’s glory?
Hebrews 2:6-10 6 For in one place the Scriptures say,
"What are mere mortals that you should think about them, or a son of man* that you should care for him?
7 Yet you made them only a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.
8 You gave them authority over all things."
Now when it says "all things," it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority.9 What we do see is Jesus, who was given a position "a little lower than the angels"; and because he suffered death for us, he is now "crowned with glory and honor." Yes, by God's grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone.10 God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.
Glory is something not clearly seen in our time. True glory will only really be revealed at the end of time, when it is too late to do anything about it! We have a hint of this from Jesus in Matthew 25.
- How and when will glory be seen for what it really is?
- How will God’s glory be seen in His people?
- How does your life reflect God’s glory now?
Matthew 25:31-41 31 "But when the Son of Man* comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne.32 All the nations* will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'
37 "Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?'
40 "And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,* you were doing it to me!'
41 "Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, 'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.*
GOD OF GLORY
