What Shall This Man Do? (Part 8)
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| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
This is the eighth in a series of words with a common theme of, "What shall this man do?" In this word, we continue the thought from Part 7 concerning the Verse in Colossians 1:27.
Before we get into that, let us briefly consider the glory of the Lord. Then we will come back to the riches of the glory.
The glory of the Lord
I suspect that any number of believers have written a complete book about the glory of God. That topic is infinite in nature, rivaled, perhaps, only by the grace of God. Perhaps in reality the grace and glory are one. Perhaps God's glory is like a wondrous tree, of which His grace is the fruit. The glory of God seems to be more of the inherent nature of God, whereas His grace is His nature expressed and extended outward to all men.
So the Lord will give both, but only to those who walk uprightly before Him. It is certain that we are saved by His grace (Ephesians 2:8); the reason is so that we might enjoy His glory forever.
What is the Scriptural significance or meaning of "the glory of the Lord"? A standard definition could be the revelation or manifestation of God's being, nature, and presence to mankind, usually with physical phenomena or power. However, that seems somewhat inadequate. The glory of God exists whether or not we ever see it or experience it. When Isaiah saw the seraphims,
The first mention of the glory of the Lord occurs in the book of Exodus, when God rained down bread (manna) from heaven to a complaining, rebellious people. Moses told the people,
In like manner, about 1280 years later, the glory of the Lord accompanied the announcement of another supernatural gift sent by God from heaven ... the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Moses and all of the Israelites saw the glory of the Lord seven times in the wilderness. Two times it came to bless ... first with the manna from heaven, and again on Mount Sinai with the giving of the law. On the third occasion it came to sanctify the tabernacle, when the glory of the Lord not only appeared, but filled the place, and then remained to dwell among them.
For hundreds of years the ark of the covenant was Israel's material symbol of the Divine Presence. The glory of God was the cloud of light that shone between the cherubim in the holy of holies, and was the immaterial evidence of His Presence. Both the ark and the glory were visible, but one was made by man, the other by God alone.
When the Israelites were making their exodus from Egypt, Moses asked for proof that both he and Israel had found grace in God's sight. He asked for this proof in the most surprising words, when he said,
In view of the fact that the glory of the Lord had already been shown on two occasions, besides other spectacular evidences of God's power, including signs and miracles, as well as the Lord having just given assurance that His Presence would continue with them, this seems to be an astonishing request. The same Hebrew word is used for the glory of God in every case in the Old Testament. For what, then, was Moses asking? It must have been for something which he had not yet seen. They had all witnessed the glory of the Lord in the cloud when manna from heaven was promised and also on Mount Sinai when the law was given. Moses had seen God in some degree of manifestation, for he talked with Him "face to face." Moses' request, therefore, must have been to see the infinite glory in which God dwells, and this could not be granted to a finite being. Moses must have desired to see God's face in all of His glory ... not apart from His glory as he had already seen it. The Lord's response was that His face shall not be seen (Exodus 33:19-23). God's face as expressing His infinite glory and the light in which He dwells can be seen by no man. No man has seen God in all of His glory (John 1:18).
Jesus prayed (according to the will of the Father):
He did not pray that we be with Him where He would be, but where He was. Where was He when He prayed that? In the realm of the Spirit. Paul said,
Experiencing the Glory of God
Below I relate three of my experiences of the glory of the Lord. I am sure that many of you have had equal or greater encounters with the glory of the Lord. But please remember that whatever we have been allowed to experience, it is only a foretaste of the glory Divine, yet to come.
A number of years ago, for one of the few times in my life as a believer, I thought that I might be translated. I was listening to two songs on a cassette tape over and over again for a period of about one hour. No other person was in our house. At times I sang the words myself and other times I just listened to the music. I found myself weeping deeply. I believe it was because I was so caught up with the goodness of God in my life and the glory of God. I had no thought of anything for myself, my family, or other believers. I was just overcome with the Person of the Lord Himself. Somewhere during that time period I heard a word from the Lord, which could be summarized by:
The essence of the word that I heard was that if there were an assembly of saints in any geographical area, and if the hearts of the believers who assembled were all in one accord to minister to the Lord and only to the Lord, then the result of 2 Chronicles 5:14 could be repeated; i.e., the glory of God would fill the house such that the priests could not stand to minister. The major condition was that the hearts of the believers assembled must be in one accord to minister to the Lord. I cannot wait to see that happen!
Then, a few years ago, while in Tennessee for a weekend of meetings, I arose early Saturday morning, went into the meeting room in our host's home, closed the door, and listened to some songs on a CD. I began to worship the Lord all by myself and soon found myself weeping because of the goodness of the Lord in my life. Very soon, it was like a cloud of glory filled that room, such as I had never experienced before. It lasted for at least 30 minutes.
The meeting that Saturday night was all glorious. Early the next morning, the Lord woke me up and what I had experienced the previous morning was like nothing compared to that Sunday morning. It was like a cloud of smoke had filled that living room. The presence of the Lord was so powerful that all I could do was to lie there and weep. I have never experienced the glory of God before or since like I did early that Sunday morning in the living room of our host. Again, I was all by myself, except for the presence of the Lord.
In all three of those occurrences when I experienced a foretaste of the glory of the Lord, I was alone. In other words, I was one with myself and with the Lord. Just think of the magnitude of the presence of the glory of the Lord if there were twenty-five believers who were all in one accord, as on the day of Pentecost and on the day of the dedication of Solomon's temple in 2 Chronicles 5:13-14!
Is there any genuine believer who would not want to see an increase of the glory of God manifested? I think not.
But herein is the difficulty. The motivation must not be to experience the glory of God. The motivation must be to minister to the Lord Himself and only to the Lord. Furthermore, there should not be any thought or hint of motivation to get something for ourselves, not even things that are ordained by God for His saints. Consider Solomon's (apparent) motivation when God asked him what he wanted. In 2 Chronicles 1:10, Solomon said that he wanted wisdom and knowledge in order to judge God's people. That attitude was very favorably received by God, culminating in 2 Chronicles 5:14. Now compare Solomon's attitude with the motivation of only wanting to minister to the Lord. Which of the two do you believe would be more acceptable and pleasing to the Lord?
The first mention of the function of the Levitical priesthood is:
What day is that? Just like it says, THIS day! This very day. Those three functions of the priesthood of all believers still exist today. Deuteronomy 10:8 represents the prophetic prototype of our ministry today as priests after the order of Melchisedec. Those three functions are:
(1) to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord (which corresponds to "Christ in you, the hope of glory"). Surely somewhere toward the bottom line is God's desire for the formation of the fullness of Christ within each believer.
(2) to stand before the Lord to minister unto Him, and
(3) to bless in His name. Several verses, such as Leviticus 9:22 and Numbers 6:23, seem to indicate that this refers to our horizontal ministry.
The order has meaning and significance: a priority order for every believer. God is more interested in our character than He is in our comfort or our works. Priority one therefore is, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Is it possible that the Church has reversed this order? To answer this question, consider that the amount of time devoted to function (3) in our gatherings is way ahead of the others.
Also note that in 2 Chronicles 5:13 the priests were only exercising function (2) ... they were standing before the Lord to minister unto Him. 2 Chronicles 5:12 confirms that they were standing. And what happened? As they were in one accord (one mind, one motivation) and stood before the Lord to minister to Him, God sovereignly moved them into phase one ... the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
Five times in the first five chapters of the book of Acts, and twice more later in Acts, Scripture says that they (the believers) were in one accord. When that happened, marvelous events occurred, starting on the day of Pentecost. What does it mean to be in one accord? They were in one accord with respect to what? Certainly not with respect to doctrine, for they were still rather ignorant of the things of the Lord. We believe they were in one accord in the same manner as in 2 Chronicles 5:13.
The only place in the New Testament which declares what they were in one accord about is:
The phrase, "with one mind," is the same Greek word that is translated as "in one accord" throughout the book of Acts. So they were in one accord to glorify God. They were in one accord, one mind, one motivation, one desire, to pour out themselves upon the Lord, with no thought for anything for themselves. Their thoughts were not, Lord what do you have for me? There was no thought for self, only for the Lord! There is a mystery of the oneness in Christ which even many of the Old Testament saints (such as Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and others) had been allowed to see. Would that all of us modern-day saints could grasp that same vision!
The riches of the glory
Now let us return to the riches of His glory and what that could possibly mean.
Now the question arises, what is the riches of His glory? We can only present our understanding at this point in time. We are not convinced that any of us can understand, much less experience this truth at this point in time.
Ephesians 1:18 speaks of the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. So perhaps the riches of His glory is not exactly for us but for the Lord Himself. All things were created for His pleasure, not ours (Ephesians 1:5; Ephesians 1:9; Philippians 2:13; and Revelation 4:11). The Father desires to have not just one Son but many sons. He is bringing many sons unto glory, not bringing glory to many sons. There is a difference!
Please note that the glory which shall be revealed in us is not automatic. Being born-again is a free gift. Everything after that is conditional. Note the "IF" in "if we suffer with Him." Paul said,
Again, note the "IF" in Verse 7. Does that mean that we shall not be "sons" if we do not endure chastening? The word "IF" clearly indicates that we have not yet come to maturity as sons. The word "chastening" actually means "child-training." Because the following verse is true concerning Jesus, where does that leave us?
Upon this earth in the realm of time, God will have a glorious church without spot or wrinkle. It will be a visible manifestation, made real in a company of people who will manifest the life of Jesus, a people born not of the will of the flesh, but born of God, proved by the furnace of affliction. That has not yet happened, but it is only a question of time. Are we willing to be a part of this great event? If so, there is a price to be paid.
The prophet Isaiah wrote,
Then at last we will know fully the infinite, matchless, transcendent, celestial beauty and splendor of the glory of the Lord.
Lord, help us to get our priorities straight. Lord, help us to identify with You in all things. Lord, help us to see things as You see them. Lord help us to purify our hearts, that we may stand before You to minister unto You, with no thought for ourselves.
It may be worthwhile for all of us to re-read this word, looking for the things that this man should do.
Before we get into that, let us briefly consider the glory of the Lord. Then we will come back to the riches of the glory.
The glory of the Lord
I suspect that any number of believers have written a complete book about the glory of God. That topic is infinite in nature, rivaled, perhaps, only by the grace of God. Perhaps in reality the grace and glory are one. Perhaps God's glory is like a wondrous tree, of which His grace is the fruit. The glory of God seems to be more of the inherent nature of God, whereas His grace is His nature expressed and extended outward to all men.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11
So the Lord will give both, but only to those who walk uprightly before Him. It is certain that we are saved by His grace (Ephesians 2:8); the reason is so that we might enjoy His glory forever.
What is the Scriptural significance or meaning of "the glory of the Lord"? A standard definition could be the revelation or manifestation of God's being, nature, and presence to mankind, usually with physical phenomena or power. However, that seems somewhat inadequate. The glory of God exists whether or not we ever see it or experience it. When Isaiah saw the seraphims,
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory. Isaiah 6:3
The first mention of the glory of the Lord occurs in the book of Exodus, when God rained down bread (manna) from heaven to a complaining, rebellious people. Moses told the people,
And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord. Exodus 16:7
In like manner, about 1280 years later, the glory of the Lord accompanied the announcement of another supernatural gift sent by God from heaven ... the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Moses and all of the Israelites saw the glory of the Lord seven times in the wilderness. Two times it came to bless ... first with the manna from heaven, and again on Mount Sinai with the giving of the law. On the third occasion it came to sanctify the tabernacle, when the glory of the Lord not only appeared, but filled the place, and then remained to dwell among them.
And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. Exodus 24:17And the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people. Leviticus 9:23
For hundreds of years the ark of the covenant was Israel's material symbol of the Divine Presence. The glory of God was the cloud of light that shone between the cherubim in the holy of holies, and was the immaterial evidence of His Presence. Both the ark and the glory were visible, but one was made by man, the other by God alone.
When the Israelites were making their exodus from Egypt, Moses asked for proof that both he and Israel had found grace in God's sight. He asked for this proof in the most surprising words, when he said,
I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory. Exodus 33:18
In view of the fact that the glory of the Lord had already been shown on two occasions, besides other spectacular evidences of God's power, including signs and miracles, as well as the Lord having just given assurance that His Presence would continue with them, this seems to be an astonishing request. The same Hebrew word is used for the glory of God in every case in the Old Testament. For what, then, was Moses asking? It must have been for something which he had not yet seen. They had all witnessed the glory of the Lord in the cloud when manna from heaven was promised and also on Mount Sinai when the law was given. Moses had seen God in some degree of manifestation, for he talked with Him "face to face." Moses' request, therefore, must have been to see the infinite glory in which God dwells, and this could not be granted to a finite being. Moses must have desired to see God's face in all of His glory ... not apart from His glory as he had already seen it. The Lord's response was that His face shall not be seen (Exodus 33:19-23). God's face as expressing His infinite glory and the light in which He dwells can be seen by no man. No man has seen God in all of His glory (John 1:18).
Jesus prayed (according to the will of the Father):
Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world. John 17:24
He did not pray that we be with Him where He would be, but where He was. Where was He when He prayed that? In the realm of the Spirit. Paul said,
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.
2 Corinthians 3:18For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14
Experiencing the Glory of God
Below I relate three of my experiences of the glory of the Lord. I am sure that many of you have had equal or greater encounters with the glory of the Lord. But please remember that whatever we have been allowed to experience, it is only a foretaste of the glory Divine, yet to come.
A number of years ago, for one of the few times in my life as a believer, I thought that I might be translated. I was listening to two songs on a cassette tape over and over again for a period of about one hour. No other person was in our house. At times I sang the words myself and other times I just listened to the music. I found myself weeping deeply. I believe it was because I was so caught up with the goodness of God in my life and the glory of God. I had no thought of anything for myself, my family, or other believers. I was just overcome with the Person of the Lord Himself. Somewhere during that time period I heard a word from the Lord, which could be summarized by:
13 It came to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying, For He is good; for His mercy endureth forever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord;14 So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God. 2 Chronicles 5:13-14
The essence of the word that I heard was that if there were an assembly of saints in any geographical area, and if the hearts of the believers who assembled were all in one accord to minister to the Lord and only to the Lord, then the result of 2 Chronicles 5:14 could be repeated; i.e., the glory of God would fill the house such that the priests could not stand to minister. The major condition was that the hearts of the believers assembled must be in one accord to minister to the Lord. I cannot wait to see that happen!
Then, a few years ago, while in Tennessee for a weekend of meetings, I arose early Saturday morning, went into the meeting room in our host's home, closed the door, and listened to some songs on a CD. I began to worship the Lord all by myself and soon found myself weeping because of the goodness of the Lord in my life. Very soon, it was like a cloud of glory filled that room, such as I had never experienced before. It lasted for at least 30 minutes.
The meeting that Saturday night was all glorious. Early the next morning, the Lord woke me up and what I had experienced the previous morning was like nothing compared to that Sunday morning. It was like a cloud of smoke had filled that living room. The presence of the Lord was so powerful that all I could do was to lie there and weep. I have never experienced the glory of God before or since like I did early that Sunday morning in the living room of our host. Again, I was all by myself, except for the presence of the Lord.
In all three of those occurrences when I experienced a foretaste of the glory of the Lord, I was alone. In other words, I was one with myself and with the Lord. Just think of the magnitude of the presence of the glory of the Lord if there were twenty-five believers who were all in one accord, as on the day of Pentecost and on the day of the dedication of Solomon's temple in 2 Chronicles 5:13-14!
Is there any genuine believer who would not want to see an increase of the glory of God manifested? I think not.
But herein is the difficulty. The motivation must not be to experience the glory of God. The motivation must be to minister to the Lord Himself and only to the Lord. Furthermore, there should not be any thought or hint of motivation to get something for ourselves, not even things that are ordained by God for His saints. Consider Solomon's (apparent) motivation when God asked him what he wanted. In 2 Chronicles 1:10, Solomon said that he wanted wisdom and knowledge in order to judge God's people. That attitude was very favorably received by God, culminating in 2 Chronicles 5:14. Now compare Solomon's attitude with the motivation of only wanting to minister to the Lord. Which of the two do you believe would be more acceptable and pleasing to the Lord?
The first mention of the function of the Levitical priesthood is:
At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto Him, and to bless in His name, unto this day. Deuteronomy 10:8
What day is that? Just like it says, THIS day! This very day. Those three functions of the priesthood of all believers still exist today. Deuteronomy 10:8 represents the prophetic prototype of our ministry today as priests after the order of Melchisedec. Those three functions are:
(1) to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord (which corresponds to "Christ in you, the hope of glory"). Surely somewhere toward the bottom line is God's desire for the formation of the fullness of Christ within each believer.
(2) to stand before the Lord to minister unto Him, and
(3) to bless in His name. Several verses, such as Leviticus 9:22 and Numbers 6:23, seem to indicate that this refers to our horizontal ministry.
The order has meaning and significance: a priority order for every believer. God is more interested in our character than He is in our comfort or our works. Priority one therefore is, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Is it possible that the Church has reversed this order? To answer this question, consider that the amount of time devoted to function (3) in our gatherings is way ahead of the others.
Also note that in 2 Chronicles 5:13 the priests were only exercising function (2) ... they were standing before the Lord to minister unto Him. 2 Chronicles 5:12 confirms that they were standing. And what happened? As they were in one accord (one mind, one motivation) and stood before the Lord to minister to Him, God sovereignly moved them into phase one ... the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
Five times in the first five chapters of the book of Acts, and twice more later in Acts, Scripture says that they (the believers) were in one accord. When that happened, marvelous events occurred, starting on the day of Pentecost. What does it mean to be in one accord? They were in one accord with respect to what? Certainly not with respect to doctrine, for they were still rather ignorant of the things of the Lord. We believe they were in one accord in the same manner as in 2 Chronicles 5:13.
It came to pass, even as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the Lord, saying, For He is good; for His mercy endureth forever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord.
The only place in the New Testament which declares what they were in one accord about is:
That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:6
The phrase, "with one mind," is the same Greek word that is translated as "in one accord" throughout the book of Acts. So they were in one accord to glorify God. They were in one accord, one mind, one motivation, one desire, to pour out themselves upon the Lord, with no thought for anything for themselves. Their thoughts were not, Lord what do you have for me? There was no thought for self, only for the Lord! There is a mystery of the oneness in Christ which even many of the Old Testament saints (such as Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and others) had been allowed to see. Would that all of us modern-day saints could grasp that same vision!
The riches of the glory
Now let us return to the riches of His glory and what that could possibly mean.
26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints:27 To whom God would [desires to, or wills to] make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Colossians 1:26-27
In Part 7, we stated that those two verses speak of two mysteries. Paul says that the first mystery, "Christ in you, the hope of glory" is now made manifest [revealed or made known] to His saints. The second mystery which God desires to make known is the riches of the glory of that revelation of Christ in you, the hope of glory. Of course the word does not say the glory of the riches but the riches of the glory. That phrase occurs three other times in the New Testament.
And that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory, Romans 9:2314 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,15 Of Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,16 That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; Ephesians 3:14-1618 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,19 And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, Ephesians 1:18-19
Now the question arises, what is the riches of His glory? We can only present our understanding at this point in time. We are not convinced that any of us can understand, much less experience this truth at this point in time.
Ephesians 1:18 speaks of the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. So perhaps the riches of His glory is not exactly for us but for the Lord Himself. All things were created for His pleasure, not ours (Ephesians 1:5; Ephesians 1:9; Philippians 2:13; and Revelation 4:11). The Father desires to have not just one Son but many sons. He is bringing many sons unto glory, not bringing glory to many sons. There is a difference!
For it became Him, for Whom are all things, and by Whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Hebrews 2:1017 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:17-18
Please note that the glory which shall be revealed in us is not automatic. Being born-again is a free gift. Everything after that is conditional. Note the "IF" in "if we suffer with Him." Paul said,
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
2 Corinthians 12:105 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him:6 For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Hebrews 12:5-8
Again, note the "IF" in Verse 7. Does that mean that we shall not be "sons" if we do not endure chastening? The word "IF" clearly indicates that we have not yet come to maturity as sons. The word "chastening" actually means "child-training." Because the following verse is true concerning Jesus, where does that leave us?
Though He [Jesus] were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; Hebrews 5:8
Upon this earth in the realm of time, God will have a glorious church without spot or wrinkle. It will be a visible manifestation, made real in a company of people who will manifest the life of Jesus, a people born not of the will of the flesh, but born of God, proved by the furnace of affliction. That has not yet happened, but it is only a question of time. Are we willing to be a part of this great event? If so, there is a price to be paid.
The prophet Isaiah wrote,
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. Isaiah 40:5As truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.
Numbers 14:21When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory. Colossians 3:4
Then at last we will know fully the infinite, matchless, transcendent, celestial beauty and splendor of the glory of the Lord.
Lord, help us to get our priorities straight. Lord, help us to identify with You in all things. Lord, help us to see things as You see them. Lord help us to purify our hearts, that we may stand before You to minister unto You, with no thought for ourselves.
It may be worthwhile for all of us to re-read this word, looking for the things that this man should do.
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