June 4, 2010

As we continue in our meditations on the glory of Jesus, consider these thoughts from the Gospel of John 14:1-31:
1. He is the way to the Father. When we look at the negative aspects of what is happening in this world, it is easy for many to get lost in the pain and disappointments and fall into Satan’s trap and say that God is no where to be found. The following letters can be read in two ways, depending on the way you break them up: GODISNOWHERE can be read GOD IS NOWHERE or GOD IS NOW HERE. What a difference the placement of a space makes! Jesus is the way to God the Father. Many are trying to find God through many different ways. It can be very complex to consider all the different philosophies and religions that are out there to persuade us. The glory of Jesus makes it very simple. The way to God is simply through Him. It is simply a relationship with Him, a person, a God-man. What a difference the placement of Jesus makes! You can have all the right ingredients for life but without Jesus, God is nowhere, with Jesus God is now here.
2. The Father dwells in Him. How can one Man be so different from all other men. There is indeed a multitude of men who have tried to tell us how to find God, Moses, Zoraster, Gautama Siddhartha, Mohammed etc. The systems they developed continue on without their life. Not so with Jesus, because the Father dwells in Him. If He is dead, there is no way to the Father, God is nowhere. But because He is alive and the Father dwells in Him and He in the Father, for those in a relationship with Christ, God is now here!
3. The Father grants our requests asked in Jesus’ name in order to glorify the Son. The Father’s intense desire is to glorify the Son! As we develop our relationship with Him, His desires become our desires. Those desires become expressed in prayer. The Father quickly answers those desires and requests because it brings great glory to His Son! The important thing is the glory of the Son!
4. The Son comes to us through the Spirit. But how do we develop a relationship with a Man (albeit God) who is not physically present? To His glory, He did not leave us orphaned, alone. He has sent His Spirit to live in those who will receive Him. The glory of Jesus is that we can still have a genuine relationship with Him even though He is not physically present. That relationship is through His Spirit, Who resides in all who receive Him by faith. He couldn’t make it any simpler. Had He remained physically on the earth, I could never know Him because there would be too many pressing for His time. I will never know the president of the United States. He is too busy for someone like me. By nature of who he is, the president must limit his relationships. But I do know the King of the Universe because He has sent His omnipresent Spirit to live in me and I have received Him. What a glorious king!
5. The Son manifests Himself to those who obey Him. His commands are the Father’s. But then if this relationship is spiritual, how can we know it is genuine and not something we have made up? To those who obey Him, He manifests Himself. To manifest something is to make clear or evident; show plainly; reveal; evince; to prove; be evidence of. He provides evidence of His relationship with us as we obey Him. Still unsure about your relationship with Him? Perhaps it is because your faith has not resulted in obedience. The glory of our King is that as we trust Him we have power to obey. As we obey, He shows us more of Himself.
6. The Son obeys the Father. The glory of the Son is that, albeit God, He is man. Everything He did on earth, He did as a man, not as God, in the power of the Holy Spirit. As he obeyed, so to can we, as we depend upon Him.

What a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John