A RECIPE FOR GLORY

Date: Sun Sep 6 22:23:00 2009

All scriptures I quote are from the NIV except I Corinthians 15:41 and Galations 6:14

Man often strives for glory, whether on the field of play, in business, in music, or in the church. Is this wrong? Does the glory only belong to Christ? You might be surprised what the Bible has to say about this. I found 282 references toîGloryî in the Bible. Over FORTY of them dealt with the glory of people. I will use many of those in this post, but there are MORE!

Letís first define "glory".

Glor-ry (noun)

1) The fame, admiration, and honor that is given to somebody who does something important.

2) Something that brings or confers admiration, praise, honor, or fame.

3) Praise and thanksgiving offered as an act of worship to a deity.

4) Majesty or splendor

5) Beauty that inspires feelings of wonder or joy.

6) The idealized beauty and bliss of heaven.

Glor-ry (verb)

7) To rejoice proudly.

We can see that there is room here in the definitions of glory other than that given to God. But you are saying, ìDonít touch the glory!î Of course we CANNOT touch the glory of God, and we have to attribute ANY glory that may come on us TO God. Doesnít it bring more glory to God for his glory to be revealed in us? I believe I can prove from the Bible that this is the case, and that we should not only WELCOME but SEEK that glory would come into our lives. So how to we get it? That is the basis for my provocative title for this post, "A RECIPE FOR GLORY". We will show you what must be in the recipe, and what to exclude.

First, let us establish that one doesnít even have to be a human to have glory. Letís look at 1 Corinthians 15:41 (KJV) 41There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

God made creation to reflect his glory. He did not have to do it that way ñ after all, we know from Isaiah 60:19 that "The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory."

God also gave glory to man, and not simply to grand kings.

1 Corinthians 11:7_A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man._

1 Corinthians 11:15 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.

Unfortunately, beginning with Adam and Eve, mankind has had a penchant for trading away the glory for that which is inferior. They glory in that which is evil.

Psalm 4:2 How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Selah

Psalm 106:20 They exchanged their Glory for an image of a bull, which eats grass._

Jeremiah 2:11 Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols.

Hosea 4:7 The more the priests increased, the more they sinned against me; they exchanged their Glory for something disgraceful.

Philippians 3:19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

Kings who were not satisfied with what God gave them, but who sought more glory for themselves got into deep trouble. We need to let others praise us, and not seek to gather greater glory for ourselves. If kings search out matters in order to please God, they gain praise

Nations that glorify God are recognized by him.

Daniel 5:18 "O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor.

Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

Revelation 21:26

26The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.

The glory man has is temporal, but the glory God gives lasts forever Ö

1 Peter 1:23-25 23For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25but the word of the Lord stands forever."

1 Peter 5:4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

1 Peter 5:10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

It is glory to take the Kingdom.

Psalm 149:8-9 8 to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron,

9 to carry out the sentence written against them. This is the glory of all his saints. Praise the LORD.

God gave glory to Israel AND to us.

Romans 9:4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.

Romans 9:23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory.

2 Corinthians 3:7-8 - The Glory of the New Covenant

7Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, 8will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Glory is God's to give and he can let it be taken awayÖ

Ezekiel 24:25-26 25 "And you, son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes, their heart's desire, and their sons and daughters as well- 26 on that day a fugitive will come to tell you the news.

Hosea 9:11 "Ephraim's glory will fly away like a bird" no birth, no pregnancy, no conception.

Habakkuk 2:16 You will be filled with shame instead of glory. Now it is your turn! Drink and be exposed ! The cup from the LORD's right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory._

2 Corinthians 6:7-9 7in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed;

Glory that God DOESN'T give brings disastrous results/

Revelation 18:6-8 6Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup. 7Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, 'I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.'8Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

Jesus give us glory for a purpose - to be one in Christ.

John 17:22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one;

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 19For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? 20Indeed, you are our glory and joy.

The main ingredient - Seeking the glory actually leads to salvation; sinning makes us fall short.

Romans 2:6-8 6God "will give to each person according to what he has done." 7To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,_

Put it in the oven. Heat makes glory rise to the top. Sharing in Christ's glory comes from sharing in his suffering.

Romans 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirsóheirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Romans 8:18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Ephesians 3:13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

2 Timothy 2:10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

Hebrews 2:10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.

1 Peter 1:7 These have come so that your faithóof greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fireómay be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

1 Peter 4:14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

1 Peter 5:1 [To Elders and Young Men] To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed:

It is glory to not be petty, but to be a large person. Donít put a pinch of anything in except Ö

Proverbs 19:11 A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense._

Godís secret ingredient. Ö

1 Corinthians 2:7 No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

Colossians 1:27 the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

2 Thessalonians 2:14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God regulates how we treat glory. Ö

Galatians 6:14 (KGV)

14But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

SO in closing my friends, SEEK the glory that comes from God alone. But seek it Godís way, and through him and for his purposes. It is there to reflect him, not us. He has chosen to share with us, who will be his bride and bask in his glory for ever. We are partakers with him!

Never mess with the recipe and boast of oneself. We are marrying HIM ñ it is all about him. We simply recognize that living in his presence brings fullness of joy and our faces and lives reflect everything he is and his favor toward us. Never trade what God has given to you for that which is inferior. When we go to glory and get our crowns, we will just be placing them at his feet anyway. To HIM WHO SITS ON THE THRONE be glory forever!