8TH MARCH, 2022
Ministering: Pst. Joshua Akinsusi
Topic: The Transforming Glory
From the beginning, the man was crowned with glory and honour (Psalm 8:4-5, Romans 3:15). There is a strong association between man and glory. The man fell from the status of glory when he fell into sin. Fallen men still have glory but the glory is compared with the glory of the grass (Isaiah 40:6-8, Luke 12:27-28).
As far as God is concerned, the glory of the fallen man is nothing. When the queen of Sheba saw Solomon’s glory, she lost her breath but Jesus revealed the glory of Solomon as nothing. He even went to the extent of saying that the glory of the lilies in the field is to be desired more than that of Solomon. We must come to terms with the fact that the glory of the fallen man is no glory at all. Anything that is earthly is not God’s glory because nature fell when Adam fell. However, we can use earthly dimensions to describe heavenly glory due to our limited understanding. In the Scripture, we see the glory of God being described using precious stones like Chrysolite, Jasper and Sardine.
Paul and his colleagues acknowledged that the ministry that was given to them was of the spirit and it is glorious. Paul had to use the template of Moses to paint what the real glory is (2 Corinthians 3:7-13). Many people do ministries that tend to replicate the Moses dimension but it is pertinent to note that the glory of Moses is already abolished. The glory of the New Testament is greater than that of Moses. This does not mean we cannot learn from that realm by seeing the way people followed God in the past.
The encounter of Moses is similar to our transformation today (2 Corinthians 3:16-17, Exodus 33:18). The glory of the Lord is always available for everyone to behold and this one does not fade. Without the Spirit of the Lord, there is no transformation. We are transformed into the image of God by the Spirit of the Lord. When we are transformed, we become like God.
2 Corinthians 2:17; 4:8-17
If we are veiled in the New Testament, it is because something is wrong with our perception; it does not mean that the reality of God’s glory does not exist.
The process that births glory is considered a light affliction by Paul. Pains birth glory; to manifest glory is to go through uneasy experiences. This is because God has chosen to use earthen vessels to demonstrate His glory. The pain of a woman in labour ends up in joy and glory when the child is finally birthed
The Transforming Glory
