BEHOLD THE GLORY OF GOD

Text: Isa. 40:5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

INTRO. A man’s handiwork and his possessions reflect his glory. As we behold the glory of God, we are awed by His handiwork and the riches of His possessions.
A story is told of two men on a hunting trip. One a devout Christian and the other an agnostic. Around the evening campfire, they discussed the subject of God., The agnostic stated emphatically that since he couldn’t see, hear nor touch God, he couldn’t believe. The next morning at the breakfast campfire the agnostic said, "There was a mountain lion outside the tent last night," He was asked,"Did you see it?" "No". "Did you touch it?" "No" "Then how do you know it was there?’ "I saw its footprints outside the tent, this morning. Waving his hand toward the sun rising over a distant snow capped mountain, and the panoramic view of nature spread out before them, the Christian said,"Behold! The footprints of God!"

I. Behold His Glory
A. In the heavens: Ps 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. There is more accuracy in the timing of the sun, moon and stars in their orbits, than in man’s finest instrument.

B. In His word;
1. It has stood the test of time and critics down through the ages. Yet, it has never been (legitimately) found in error, ever! It agrees with proven science in every instance, even being ahead of it for centuries.
Every prophecy has come true, or we can believe the ones yet to come, because of the ones which have come to pass.

2. Martyrs were willing to die in the ‘dark ages’ to preserve the truths of His word.
This is the Glory of God!

C. Behold the lilies of the field.
Mat 6:28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

D. In the tiny seed that breaks through the pavement to reach upward.

E. Behold his glory in the sinner turned from sin to the will of God!

F. In a church willing to pay any price to preach the gospel in its purity. People from all walks of life, and with nothing in common by nature, yet all working in one spirit toward one common goal, through the church. This is the glory of God.

G. In the dedicated child of God

II Behold His glory in His Son as in no other way!
Heb.1:3 Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high.

A. Birth - Glory to God in the highest.

B. Life - Even His enemies could find no fault in Him.

C. Death - Laying aside divine power, he faces sin and all its terrors, as a man. The enemy of the human race goes down in defeat, as Christ charges into its lair which is death.
Romans 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

II Cor 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

John 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

D. The glory of the empty tomb.

E. The glory of His coming again. At a time when the world has given up hope, His glory will be revealed!

F. Behold His glory and be changed. II Cor. 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Moses was never the same after seeing God’s glory. See Exo. 34:29-35

G. His glory revealed in saving and keeping.
John 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
11. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee, Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. .


BEHOLD THE GLORY OF GOD!

Behold the glory of God!
In field, in wood, and sky;
Behold it when the storm clouds
Bring lightning flashing by!

Behold His glory when leaves unfold,
And blossoms scent the air;
Behold it when by grace He comes
And takes our every care!

Behold His glory in sun-warmed earth,
In mountain and in sky!
Behold it in the one who died
For such a worm as I.

His glory is told by all He made;
It bears the print of His mighty hand.
His glory, His love, His wonderful grace,
He offers it ALL to man!

His glory He gave to my saviour;
His love was made known on the cross.
By grace, He saved me and promised
I’d never suffer loss.

His glory is shown in the mountain,
In field, and forest, and sea.
But His glory and love and wonderful grace
Are best seen at Calvary!

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labor day

Labor Day:
An American holiday to honor the laboring man in this country and to give him a day of rest.

In Matthew 11:28 - 30 Jesus says
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Note that to have this rest one must labor in a yoke.

Hebrews 3:6 - 4:11 tells us more of that rest which God’s people have to look forward to, IF!
3: 6. But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
7. Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To-day if ye will hear his voice,
8. Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness.
9. When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
10. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways
11. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.).
12. Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
13. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To-day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
14. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
15 While it is said, To-day if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
16. For some, when they had heard, did provoke; howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
17. But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
18. And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? 19. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
2. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
3. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
4. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
5. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
6. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
7. Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To-day, after so long a time; as it is said, To-day if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
8. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
9. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
10. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
11. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

So we see that this rest must be preceded by labour and therefore is not automatically given to all, but must be earned.

HOME

A home on earth, whether large or small,
Is a place where any man,
Tired of body and seeking rest,
Can ease his sore, tired being.

Man, with his mortal being,
Must indeed, have a home on earth,
Or his body must fail from the constant toil,
As by the sweat of his face he lives.

But here he can only pause awhile
To gather strength anew;
The world must have his labor;
He must arise and strive for higher goals!

A home for the soul, though not on earth,
Is a place where any man,
Can enter in and never leave
To go and labor more.

His burdens there are all laid down,
His rest is never ending;
By the River of Life, all the cares and strife,
Are remembered nevermore.

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