Glorifying God

It begs the question; just what will the Lord’s people do once they are granted life eternal? The Scriptures are replete with the promises of an earthly Kingdom. After Jesus’ death, during his appearances to his disciples, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will reestablish the kingdom and restore it to Israel?" (Acts 1:6, Amplified). This has been the hope of the patriarchs, prophets of old, the faithful of Israel and the true followers of Jesus. We pray thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven.

We see in our mind’s eye the mental picture of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob teaching the world of mankind God’s laws in this kingdom and helping them to establish righteousness in their hearts (Matthew 8:11). The longer we are privileged to walk with God and drink of the living water of truth, the more we can see the beauty and wisdom of his plans and purposes. Those faithful heroes and heroines of old underwent the trials of being mocked and whipped, chained and imprisoned. They were stoned, sawed in two, and murdered by the sword. They went about clothed in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted, mistreated, wandering about in deserts and mountains, living in caves and holes in the ground! The world was not worthy of them! What lives of faith! Yet, the better promises, eternal spiritual life and ruling over this kingdom, were not offered to these faithful, inspiring heroes of faith.

God promises the rulership over mankind in this kingdom to Christ and his faithful followers, the church. Being his faithful footstep followers gives us the opportunity to lift up mankind in the age to come — Messiah’s Kingdom. The Gospel Age is an intervening passage of time to select and train the faithful followers of Jesus, and thus complete the Bride of Christ. As a reward for faithfulness, the Bride and the Bridegroom will transform mankind into children of God, who will carry out God’s will by reaching perfection of body and mind.

Paul confirms the work of the church in 1 Corinthians 6:2 (Amplified), "Do you not know that the saints (the believers) will [one day] judge and govern the world?" If faithful in doing the will of God, judging and governing the world will be our reward. This judgment is not merely to impose a sentence of either life or death. Instead, this judgment will involve a process of reforming, assisting, and uplifting the sin-sick children of Adam through kindness, sympathy, love, and mercy, to righteousness and harmony with God. Then will come a final judgment for life or death at the end of the Millennium, after everyone has had a full opportunity to be turned to righteousness.

Revelation 21:4 says "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither shall there be anguish (sorrow and mourning) nor grief nor pain any more, for the old conditions and the former order of things will have passed away" (Amplified). At that time, God will fully bind Satan for the purpose of no longer deceiving the nations.

John said, "The nations shall walk by its light and the ... leaders of the earth shall bring into it their glory. And its gates shall never be closed by day, and there shall be no night there. They shall bring the glory (the splendor and majesty) and the honor of the nations into it. But nothing that defiles or profanes or is unwashed shall ever enter it, nor anyone who commits abominations (unclean, detestable ...) or practices falsehood, but only those whose names are recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life" (Revelation 21:24-27, Amplified).

For these beautiful conditions we daily pray. Jesus said in his model prayer in Matthew 6:10 (Amplified), "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven." Has God’s kingdom come? Is His will being done on Earth? No, His will is not yet being done, but soon the Lord of Glory will be manifested with his saints to establish order in the earth.

This reward of reestablishing order in the earth will be granted to the faithful footstep followers of the Master. Jesus’ life was devoted to obedience. This obedience was modeled by how Jesus glorified God on Earth. "I have glorified You by completing ... the work that You gave me to do" (John 17:4, Amplified).

His complete oneness with the will of the Heavenly Father brings to mind the scripture, "For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will and purpose, but to do the will and purpose of Him who sent me" (John 6:38, Amplified). Jesus stripped himself of his own desires, and set about to carry out God’s plans and purposes by completing the work that God gave him. The evidence of his faithfulness is the holy Spirit, or seal, that instructs, guides, protects, and sanctifies us. His was a life of sacrifice.

Unlike Satan, Jesus never attempted to usurp authority over the Heavenly Father. Paul wrote of Jesus’ conviction to do God’s will in Philippians 2:6-8, "Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God ... did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, But stripped himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that he became like men and was born a human being" (Amplified).

He divested himself of any ambition that would run contrary to the will of his Heavenly Father, leaving the heavenly court, lowering himself by taking on the form of a perfect man, and enduring the humiliation of the cross — death by crucifixion. This "model" of character is the stamp of faithfulness that must be branded into the hearts of all of the Lord’s people. But such is not, nor ever has been, the character of the adversary.

The prophet Isaiah gives us a glimpse into the disposition of Satan. His arrogance led him to desire to be like the Most High. Usurpation of power has been the primary focus of the adversary; his life-long pursuit. What would delude him into thinking that the clay has power over the potter? Power! Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely! Satan has controlled the world of mankind and has led them down the path of disobedience and death.

At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, we see Satan’s endeavor to tempt Jesus. Matthew states that at the end of his 40-day fast, "the devil took him up on a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory (the splendor, magnificence, preeminence, and excellence) of them. And he said to Him, These things, all taken together, I will give you, if you will prostrate yourself before me and do homage and worship me" (Matthew 4:8, 9, Amplified).

On the contrary, we see that Jesus’ request and attitude in his prayer to the Heavenly Father in John 17, was a model of humility, sacrifice and a complete acceptance of the Father’s will as his own. His prayers are not trivial. "I ask in regard to them; not in regard to the world do I ask, but in regard to those whom Thou hast given to me, because Thine they are, and all mine are Thine, and Thine [are] mine, and I have been glorified in them; and no more am I in the world, and these are in the world, and I come unto Thee. Holy Father, keep them in Thy name; those whom Thou hast given to me, that they may be one as we; when I was with them in the world, I was keeping them in Thy name; those whom Thou hast given to me I did guard, and none of them was destroyed, except the son of the destruction, that the Writing may be fulfilled" (John 17:9-12, Young’s Literal Translation).

His request was not for superior exaltation, but merely to be returned to his former position with the Heavenly Father. His concern was being directed toward those who God gave him out of this "present wicked age" (Galatians 1:4, Amplified). He was seeking protection, guidance and a set-apart condition for His followers.

What selflessness, brethren! What encouragement we can draw from the scriptures; this special privilege and protection granted to us during this evil day. "He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins" (Colossians 1:13-14, New Living Translation). We have the guarantee of God’s protection, guidance and instruction, and how this comforts and consoles us.

How exactly has God rescued us from the kingdom of darkness? Not by being removed from the strife. Jesus says, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world" (John 17:15, NIV). There we have it, straight and to the point. All of our attempts to evade the world and to run from any engagement with it are contrary to the prayer of Jesus. We are not meant to be cloistered in a monastery, but to let our light shine.

"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16, Amplified). Yes, dear brethren, letting our light shine is our privilege during this Gospel Age. It is our opportunity to glorify God!

Brother Spurgeon brings to life, through his sermon, an explanation of the care and concern that Jesus and the Heavenly Father have for the Father’s children. He describes the reason why Christ prays not for the world, but for his people. He said,

" ‘For they are thine,’ meaning they were all the dearer to him because they were the Father’s: ‘I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine.’ We might have thought that Jesus would have said, ‘They are mine, and therefore I pray for them.’ It would have been true; but there would not have been the beauty of Jesus’ attitude which we have here. Jesus loves us all the better! Because we belong to the Father, therefore, does the Savior plead for us with all the greater earnestness at the throne of the heavenly grace."[1]

Yes, dear brethren, we are truly dearer to the Heavenly Father. He loves us better, shared with us His plans and purposes, and has invited us to follow in the footsteps of His dear Son. Let us, like His Son, Jesus, do the will of Him who sent us, thus glorifying God on Earth and being at one in both will and purpose with both the Father and the Son.

Dear brethren, keep the vision planted in our minds and hearts, have the mind of the Apostle Paul, and count all these present earthly blessings as dross, remaining faithful to him who has called us, continuing to carry out the will of him who sent us. Amen

(1) Charles H. Spurgeon, Christ’s Pastoral Prayer For His People. The Spurgeon Archive. n.p. Web. 22 October 1893, Sermon #2331