Revealed and Protected

Ordinarily when one considers "glory" they may think of one or more of the following: accolades, brightness, eternal bliss, that little known Civil War movie from the late 1980s, God, or any of a number of other adjectives.

This Christmas season I propose we look at "glory" in a twofold manner: revelation and protection. The prophet Isaiah, some several hundred years before Jesus seemed to grasp this vital reality. In Isaiah 60:1-3 this is what he says “Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance." Though I won't take the time to paste all the verses from this incredible passage here, I challenge you to read them. Here's why...

The GLORY of God is a protection as much as it is a revelation. Our hearts were innately designed to worship (ascribe and assign glory to something or someone) and the ADVENT of Jesus secures for all of us the rightful final destination of our worship. The writer of Hebrews says it this way, "The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven." 

The choice is now yours. When you hear the word "glory" what will immediately come to mind?... "Man, what a great movie." 

Or...

"God thank you for sending You own Son, at infinite cost to Yourself, in order to reveal GLORY provoking my heart to worship Y-O-U! The one and only true God. Thank you that I'm not relegated to dig through the dumps of my own personal fancies to fashion a god that cannot save or be worthy of anything. You, God, have revealed to protect. And that's just kind, anyway I slice it."

"I have long feared..."

Cora, this is for you - so I hope you're reading it (or having it read to you)...

There's a movie that Mel Gibson stars in called "The Patriot". The setting of this particular movie is the American Revolution in the late 1700s. The main character, Benjamin Watson, can be heard at the beginning of the film narrating... he states, "I have long feared that my sins would return to visit me, and the cost is more than I can bear..."

Yesterday my wife, our daughter, and I went to visit a dear friend and her family in the hospital. This sweet family is staring a reality in the eyes which no one has a playbook for - "I'm sorry ____________ the treatment is not working and you only have __________ left to live." I want you to, for a moment, picture a Dr. telling you this.
How do you respond? How do you pick up the pieces of your broken heart after such news... if not for Christ?

My desire here is to briefly provide for you such hope that even these circumstances can be met with strength and grace - the way I saw them greeted just yesterday by Cora and her family!

How does one KNOW for certain that they are indeed spending eternity in the unending presence of God? This question is SO pressing for those who have a perspective that the window is soon closing. It starts all the way back at creation.

The Bible tells the story of an almighty Being who created everything. God, who is holy and perfect without any sin, had as His crowning work in creation, humans in His own image. God’s archenemy, Satan, deceived the man and woman into rebellion against His clear command. This resulted in expulsion from His presence and certain death, both physical and spiritual. God then enacted His rescue plan through his own Son. His Son would pay the penalty for sin once and for all – thereby securing eternal life for all who placed their trust in Him. The atoning work of Christ must be accepted by grace through faith in order to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is a guide, constant companion, and manifested in various gifts He displays through the believer. Eternal life is now secured with the object of the believer’s salvation and affections.

This is the Story found in the Bible, God's word to us. In His Word (I John 5:13), He makes clear that it was given to us for the following reason: "I write these things to you who  believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life."

I sat, in tears yesterday with a young woman who has recognized that her sin separates her from God (Rom. 3:23). She realizes that God created her because of His great love for her and that He so desires to be in relationship with her that He gave what was most precious to Him, His one and Only Son as a sacrifice for her sin (John 3:16, I John 4:9-10). Now, by grace and through faith she KNOWS this love that God provides simply by confessing with her mouth and believing in her heart that He is who He says He is and can do what He says He can do (Ephesians 2:8-9, Rom. 10:9-10). Eternal life for Cora started the moment she confessed with her mouth that Jesus was Lord and believed in her heart - and this eternal life will go on, unbroken - - - FOREVER!

You know in all my life I have known joy - but to sit in the room with Cora yesterday and remind her that this is what awaits her was joy that knows no adequate earthly description. I echo the words of the Apostle Peter (I Peter 1:8), "Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory..." You see, just like The Patriot's main character feared that his sins would return to visit him and he'd be impotent in that moment, unable to handle the weight of what they represent - Cora was wondering about her salvation. Not ANYMORE!


I say this with the utmost confidence: Cora wants this for you if you are reading the blog and don't know Christ as your personal Lord (Master) and Savior (rescuer)! Please - leave a comment and I will get back to you as soon as humanly possible...