Spoken at SGBC

3-1-98

Romans #17

3:23

The Glory of God

(1 Chronicles 16:7-36 NASB) "Then on that day David first assigned Asaph and his relatives to give thanks to the LORD. {8} Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. {9} Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Speak of all His wonders. {10} Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad. {11} Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually. {12} Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done, His marvels and the judgments from His mouth, {13} O seed of Israel His servant, Sons of Jacob, His chosen ones! {14} He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth. . . . {23} Sing to the LORD, all the earth; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. {24} Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. {25} For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods. {26} For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens. {27} Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and joy are in His place. {28} Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. {29} Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him; Worship the LORD in holy array. {30} Tremble before Him, all the earth; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. {31} Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; And let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." {32} Let the sea roar, and all it contains; Let the field exult, and all that is in it. {33} Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the LORD; For He is coming to judge the earth. {34} O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. {35} Then say, "Save us, O God of our salvation, And gather us and deliver us from the nations, To give thanks to Thy holy name, And glory in Thy praise." {36} Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting. Then all the people said, "Amen," and praised the LORD.

This passage of scripture speaks of the glory of God. It describes His greatness, power, wisdom, strength, mercy and the salvation of men. It also calls us, His children, to worship Him in all His glory. We are to praise and ascribe to Him that which is His due. That God is glorious is something no Christian would deny even though most find it difficult to explain or describe God&rsquos glory. The difficulty increases when we ask how we as Christians and how men, in general, relate to the glory of God.

Take today&rsquos text for instance. (Romans 3:23 NASB) "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Most any one can tell that the verse speaks universally of the human race. Most recognize the verdict rendered by the statement, "Men are all sinners." The verse is, in fact, a good summary of what Paul has taught thus far in Romans. Every Jew, and every Gentile born of woman is a sinner. Man has no righteousness of his own.

But what is meant when we are told that men have, "fallen short of the glory of God?" There are five common answers to this question.

1. Many believe the verse means that sinful man has lost God&rsquos approval. Sinners are not praised or commended by God but are rather condemned. The word glory can speak of praise and approval.

2. Others believe that to fall short of the glory of God means that sinners have fallen from the glorious position of fellowship once enjoyed in the garden. They are no longer in communion with God.

3. To some this verse says that sinful men will not participate in the promised glory of the age to come.

4. Still others say it means that men are no longer able to glorify God.

Before we can determine what it means to fall short of God&rsquos glory we must first discover what God&rsquos glory is. One theologian, speaking of the word "glory" says, "It is an aggregate term describing all that God is. It includes all His attributes and speaks of His majestic beauty and splendor." There is much truth in this mans statement.

References to God&rsquos glory are found throughout the Bible. We find in Nehemiah nine five an instance of praise to His glorious name. In Ephesians one-seventeen God is described as the "Glorious Father." In Psalms twenty-four God is called the "King of Glory. According to Psalm fifty-seven, one hundred-eight and one hundred-thirteen God is exalted above the heavens and His glory is over all the earth. This God, our Father, is jealous to maintain His glory and will not share it with another, Isaiah forty-two verse eight. Psalm seventy-nine verse nine with Isaiah forty-eight and verse eleven tells us that God always acts to bring glory to Himself. In other words, God always does what He does to reveal some truth about Himself.

The glory of God is proclaimed by creation, Psalm nineteen one, ninety-seven six and Romans one twenty. His glory is revealed by His mighty acts of salvation and deliverance. (See First Chronicles sixteen twenty-four, Psalms seventy-two eighteen through nineteen, ninety-six three, one hundred forty-five ten through twelve and John eleven four and forty.) One cannot think of God&rsquos mighty acts of deliverance without considering the Exodus with the ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. These things show forth God&rsquos glory, that is, they reveal His greatness, power, perfections, faithfulness, wisdom, mercy and wrath. They cause men to praise and glorify Him or to hate and curse Him. Both of these responses are present in the account of the Exodus. God&rsquos revelation of Himself made the Egyptians hate Him with the people of Israel praised and glorified His name.

God&rsquos glory is often the theme of men&rsquos praise as we see in Psalms 6:1-4 NASB. "Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; {2} Sing the glory of His name; Make His praise glorious. {3} Say to God, "How awesome are Thy works! Because of the greatness of Thy power Thine enemies will give feigned obedience to Thee. {4} "All the earth will worship Thee, And will sing praises to Thee; They will sing praises to Thy name." Selah."

To glorify God is to praise Him for all that He is. It is to reveal in our speech, worship, hymns and living something of His character and deeds. (See also I Chronicles 16:24-29, Psalms 96:7-8, 115:1, Isaiah 42:12, Romans 4:22, Philippians 2:9-11, Psalms 29:1-2 with 10-11).

The "Glory of God" has been seen at particular times in history when God has revealed Himself in some visible form. God revealed Himself, for instance, in the pillar of cloud and fire that followed Israel through the wilderness. This was the glory of God. This was the Shekinah. The word comes from a Hebrew word meaning "the one who dwells," or "dwelling glory."

The first clear reference to this "glory cloud" is found in Exodus 13:21-22 NASB. "And the LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. {22} He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people."

This cloud, the very presence of God, hovered over or near Israel throughout the Exodus experience.

There are other examples of God visiting men in His glory. The smoking fire and flaming torch seen by Abraham in Genesis fifteen seventeen should also be understood as the "Glory presence" of God. Perhaps we should think of the burning bush as the Shekinah glory of God. To be sure this glory was present on Mt. Sinai when Moses was given the law.

(Exodus 24:16-18 NASB) "And the glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. {17} And to the eyes of the sons of Israel THE APPEARANCE OF THE GLORY OF THE LORD WAS LIKE A CONSUMING FIRE on the mountain top. {18} And Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights." Recall, if you will, the earth quakes, the fire, the thunder, the lightening, this was the glory, the presence of God dwelling on the mountain!

Later when the tabernacle was completed and Israel began to march toward the promised land the glory cloud accompanied them. God literally dwelt above them as they journeyed and when they camped, He entered the tabernacle. God was present with Israel in His all His glory.

When the Ark of the Covenant was lost in battle the glory of God departed from Israel. A child was named Ichabod to commemorate the leaving of the glory of God. The word means, "The Glory has departed from Israel." (I Samuel 4:21-22). When the ark was recovered then the glory cloud returned. God once again filled the temple and, with fire, devoured their offerings. (II Chronicles 5:13 - 6:1, 7:1-3).

Israel, however, did not obey the God in their midst. They denied His glorious presence. (Isaiah 3:8 NASB) "For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, Because their speech and their actions are against the LORD, To rebel against HIS GLORIOUS PRESENCE." Israel exchanged the glory of the Lord for Idols made by human hands. For this sin God judged them and His glory left the temple. He would no longer dwell among the people of Israel and because of their rebellion they were carried off into captivity, (Ezekiel 12:1-15).

Later God determined to bring a remnant back to Israel to rebuild the city and the temple. He showed his prophet Ezekiel a vision of His glory returning to the temple. When the exile was over and the second temple under construction Haggai and Zechariah urged the people on with the promise of the return of the glory of God to, once again, "fill the house," (Haggai 2:3-9, Zechariah 2:5,10-11).

The Shekinah glory of God never returned did return to the temple as they expected it to. But it did return many years later in the person of Jesus Christ. When He who was with God and indeed was God became flesh and "dwelt" among us, the glory of God returned to Israel. (John 1:14 NASB) "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld HIS GLORY, GLORY as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Isaiah, by the Spirit, had understood and spoke of the return of God&rsquos glory in this fashion. (Isaiah 4:2-6 NASB) "In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel. . . {5} then the LORD will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy. {6} And there will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain." The Glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ would one day return.

Isaiah also prophesied that John the Baptist&rsquos function was to prepare the way for the coming of the Glory of God, Jesus Christ the Lord. (Isaiah 40:3-5 NASB) "A voice is calling, "Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. {4} "Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; {5} Then THE GLORY OF THE LORD WILL BE REVEALED, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

That Jesus was and is the Glory of God is seen in Hebrews 1:3 NASB. "And HE IS THE RADIANCE OF HIS GLORY AND THE EXACT REPRESENTATION OF HIS NATURE, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." With the coming of Christ, God is again in the midst of His people. The scriptures declare that to see the light of Christ&rsquos face is to see the very Glory of God. (2 Corinthians 4:6 NASB) "For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE FACE OF CHRIST."

Luke tells us that to see Christ was to see the "Glory of Israel," the glory of God. (Luke 2:30-32 NASB) "For my eyes have seen Thy salvation, {31} Which Thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, {32} A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, AND THE GLORY OF THY PEOPLE ISRAEL."

This Jesus left the glory that was His from all eternity and humbled Himself to save us from our sins. He accomplished our salvation by living and dying for us. Further, by His perfect life and perfect death, He was vindicated and taken into glory, (I Timothy 3:16, I Peter 1:21). Jesus, God incarnate, God all glorious has ascended into the clouds to receive dominion, glory, and a kingdom. He is crowned with glory and honor for He alone is worthy, (Daniel 7:14. Hebrews 2:6-10, Revelation 5:12).

This same Jesus will one day return in all His glory, the glory of God. He will sit on His throne in judgement. At such time evil will be punished. But the believing need not fear his glorious appearing for He comes to take us home, (Matthew 25:31, 16:27, 24:30, Mark 13:26, Luke 21:27, II Thessalonians 2:9-10, Mark 8:38). At last, at the consummation of the ages, "The whole earth will be filled with His glory." There will be a New Heaven and a New Earth. The New Jerusalem will have descended from above. That city will have the radiance of the Glory of God and of His Christ for its light. There will no longer be any need for sun, moon or stars. There shall be no more darkness at all, anywhere, forever, for the glory of God will light all things!

Perhaps the most amazing thing of all is that God promises to share His great glory with His believing children. This is called the, "hope of glory." (Romans 5:2 NASB) "through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in HOPE OF THE GLORY OF GOD."

(Philippians 3:21 NASB) "who will transform the body of our humble state into CONFORMITY WITH THE BODY OF HIS GLORY, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself."

(Romans 8:30 NASB) "and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, THESE HE ALSO GLORIFIED."

(Colossians 3:4 NASB) "When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed WITH HIM IN GLORY."

(2 Thessalonians 2:14 NASB) "And it was for this He called you through our gospel, THAT YOU MAY GAIN THE GLORY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST."

(2 Timothy 2:10 NASB) "For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it ETERNAL GLORY."

Friends, the suffering of this age, which is great indeed, does not compare with the glory that is to be ours as children of God. Paul, in the book of Romans, tells us that the whole creation longs to see the glorious freedom of the children of God when they come into this inheritance of glory.

As future partakers in the glory of Christ the church is called upon to glorify God in the present. Which means we are to reveal some truth about God by what we say and do. We are to purify ourselves as He is pure. We are to live lives of holiness by grace. (I John 3:3). We are called to do all things to the glory of God. (Romans 15:6, I Corinthians 10:31). We are to glorify Him with our bodies, (I Corinthians 6:20). We are to live in such a way that those who see our good works will give glory to God, (Matthew 5:16 and 48). We must willingly endure suffering for the glorification of our heavenly Father. Our lives are to be lived to the praise of His glory while we patiently wait for the reality of sharing in His glory in the world to come.

So goes a brief walk through the bible as concerns the subject of the glory of God. As we have seen, the phrase, "The glory of God" has to do with who God is. It speaks of all His attributes and perfections as well as the revelation of Himself to man in the person of Jesus Christ. As believers we will inherit His glory when we see Christ and are made like Him.

Now let&rsquos get back to our question. What is meant by the words of Romans three twenty-three? "For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God? As was said in the beginning there are five common answers.

1. Some believe the verse means that sinful man has lost God&rsquos approval. This is true. God can only approve of that which is as glorious as Himself. The best of men fall short of God&rsquos Glory. Sinners can&rsquot come close to His power, wisdom, holiness and purity. That is why men are lost and will not enter into God&rsquos heaven.

2. Some believe that to fall short of the glory of God means that sinners have fallen from the glorious position of fellowship once enjoyed in the garden. This is also true. There is no communion or fellowship between God and sinners. Unbelievers are called the enemies of God with whom the scriptures declare He is angry every day. Such people are without hope of heaven.

3. Then there are those who believe the phrase means that sinful man will not participate in the promised glory of the age to come. This cannot be doubted. Heaven and the glory that it holds is reserved for those redeemed by the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ the Lord. No human will share in the glory of the coming kingdom who dies without being joined to Christ by faith.

4. Forth some believe that the verse means that man is no longer able glorify God. This is truth indeed. The Bible tells us that sinful man is evil from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. The best of his deeds are like filthy rags in God&rsquos sight. From the scriptures we learn that apart from faith in Jesus everything a man does is sinful. So, the statement is true, unbelievers cannot, by any means, glorify God.

5. The most common idea as to the meaning of the phrase, "fallen short of the glory of God" is that sinners do not come up to God&rsquos standard of acceptance. They are not glorious enough to come into the presence of God. Therefore, they are rejected and lost forever. How true it is. No man, woman, or child will be accepted by God as a son or daughter if they do not possess the very glory of God. Sinners must be perfect and holy as He is perfect and holy if they ever hope to be saved from the wrath of God.

How can a sinner obtain the very glory of God for himself? How could this ever come to pass? Where can this glory, this perfection, this holiness be found? I answer that God&rsquos glory is found only in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the only one that is acceptable to God. Jesus is the only one that has not fallen short of the glory of God. He is the embodiment of all that God is. He is the exact representation of God. He is God with us, Immanuel. Jesus is the glory we must have for acceptance with God. How is it obtained? By faith in Christ. By trusting in Jesus and believing that He is the righteousness, holiness and perfection that God requires of you. You are saved by resting in that truth. You are saved by trusting in Jesus to meet God&rsquos standard of glorious perfection for you. By faith in Him you no longer come up short. For Jesus is all that God requires for your salvation. Hear at last the words of 2 Thessalonians 2:14 NASB which reveal that the call of the gospel is a means to a most glorious end. "And it was for this He called you through our gospel, THAT YOU MAY GAIN THE GLORY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST."