Gaining the Glory / Kent Angeloff
2 Thess 2:14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There are different ways to look at the work of the Holy Spirit in the salvation that we have been given. One way is to understand that we have been called by God, through the preaching of the gospel, so that we may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What is the glory of Jesus? Simply put it is the presence of God.
Some of the ways we can understand the presence of God is through His nature, His character, His power, and the way He thinks and acts.
None of us has become perfect, but God has made a way for us to gain His glory.
2 Peter 1:14 To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
You have been given the precious and magnificent promises of God so that you could be a partaker of His glory.
You are not called to simply make it to heaven someday, but you are called to become more and more like Jesus every day of your life.
Look, people will tell you there=s no hope for you. The devil wants you to get discouraged and give up.
I=m not talking about a self help program, or using your will power to change. I=m talking about, supernatural promises of God that can cause the worst life to be transformed.
Supernatural promises that will cause you to become a partaker of the divine nature.
One of the ways you become transformed is by beholding.
2 Cor 3:1718 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. NAS
The more time you spend in His presence beholding the beauty of the Lord, the more you will become transformed into His image.
One of the reasons God wants you to become like Jesus is so that you can show this world who He is.
One day Jesus will return to this world and everyone will see His spender, but for now God has chose to show Himself to the people of this world through His people.
We are not a secret society. We are the people of God who are called to proclaim the excellencies of God who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.
We are God=s instruments to do His work and to display the power of God, and the love of God through transformed lives to this world.
We don=t want to focus on what we are doing for God, but on what we are becoming. As we are being transformed from glory to glory, the light is going to shine.
Even when you=re going through some bad stuff you need to understand that God is at work in you. He is making you into the image of Christ.
Isa 60:12 "Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 "For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples;
But the Lord will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you. NASU
Isa 60:1 ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you C rise to a new life]! [Stop laying down - get up - succeed KAT] Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! AMP
You can arise and shine because the light of God is shining on you, and the glory (the presence of God) is upon you. The supernatural grace of God will enable you destroy the works of darkness.
1 John 3:8 The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. NAS
John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. NKJV
Rom 8:2930 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. NAS
What does it mean to be glorified, other than to become more and more like Jesus?
Glorified = Doxazoo - To make glorious, adorn with luster, clothe with splendor,to exalt to a magnificent condition.
We are glorified so that we may give glory to God.
Just like our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus at the last supper.
John 13:3132 Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified,[Doxazoo] and God is glorified [Doxazoo] in Him; 32 if God is glorified [Doxazoo] in Him, God will also glorify [Doxazzoo] Him in Himself, and will glorify [Doxazoo] Him immediately. NAS
John 15:8 "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. NAS
Jesus
John 17:4 "I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do." NAS
Jesus gives the reason for the death of Lazarus.
John 11:4 But when Jesus heard this, He said, "This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it."
What does it mean to be glorified, other than to become more and more like Jesus?
Glorified = Doxazoo - To make glorious, adorn with luster, clothe with splendor,to exalt to a magnificent condition.
We are glorified so that we may give glory to God.
Just like our Lord Jesus Christ.
Kent Angeloff
Northern Light Christian Church
N4089 Pine Mountain Road
Iron Mountain, MI 49801