God’s glory in Christ’s story

If you believe you’ll receive something this morning you will.

“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” Genesis 1:31 KJV

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.” Genesis 2:1-2 KJV

So in the first two chapters of Genesis we see that God made these things. Now before, the earth was without form and void and who was there? Just God. He was there, eternal, there was nothing behind Him. So God made the earth and man and everything in it and it was perfect. “God saw everything…and behold it was very good,” can you feel that satisfaction there? Have you ever done something, baked or built something and felt that way? This is good; I’m satisfied with this work. In Genesis there was a satisfaction of the Lord that all is right.

“This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.”

Exodus 29:42-43 KJV

So now we move into the times of the law and the tabernacle which is a shadow of what is to come and everything was done in that tabernacle the way God instructed them. Sometimes reading through this part of the Old Testament it seems a little pedantic: cover this with gold this way, be sure to have this many ringlets, make sure these beams look like this etc. But our God is a God of perfection, not because He demands perfection from everyone else but because He is perfect. He can’t help but be perfect, and what He does is good and right and pure. He says my glory is going to be there and I want everything built in that temple the way I want it.

“Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.”   I Kings 8:56 KJV

So we see here Solomon standing before the people. Many times there are men who really have it in their heart to build things and God doesn’t let them. David wasn’t allowed to build because he was a man of blood. Whenever you see the kingdom flourishing and God blessing things, know that there are always men who went before who were men of spiritual violence. Solomon was a king of peace and prosperity but there were some mighty battles his father David fought before this peace came. We need not go into all the battles all the way back to Goliath, but David had to take Jerusalem and have Jerusalem on the right ground. David’s heart was to build God a temple and Nathan tells him to do whatever is in his heart, because his heart was good but the next day God spoke to David through Nathan and says, you’re not allowed to build this temple. God speaks to David and says I’ve never required a house to be built for Me, I’m going to build you a house even preluding what would come through the house of David in Jesus Christ. I got saved at the end of a movement of God and it was marked by a lot of peace and prosperity and I was always intrigued by the old preachers who went before it and were reaping some of those benefits. I knew there must have been a tremendous price paid for this, a battle fought. Nonetheless, the temple was eventually built, according to the way God said it should be. Solomon’s heart was right, the temple was built on the right ground and what happened? The glory filled the temple, so much so that the priests could not even minister. That’s what we need today. There are many who are ministry mad but there will come a time when God will fill his temple and you’ll not be able to minister. Have you ever been in a meeting like that, where the presence of the Lord is so real you cannot even minister? Today in the US, everybody wants ministry but yet when His glory comes, God Himself will be the one who ministers.

“And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord” I Kings 8:10 KJV

“Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts: According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not. For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.” Haggai 2:3-9

Here Haggai is asking are there any who remember seeing Solomon’s temple, not Solomon himself, but the temple. As for the promise, he tells them not to fear, the Lord declares that He will fill this house. So Haggai is encouraging the people: saying, we need to build, we need to get the temple ready, even though it doesn’t look like anything compared to what’s been in the past, God’s Spirit still remains with us and the glory of the latter house will be greater than the former house. This story of the temple as it was built is fantastic and Solomon in all his wisdom and all the things he built! It says when the Queen of Sheba came she couldn’t even speak. Here are these people listening to Haggai, they’re out there with burnt stones and have only built so far and he’s encouraging them not to be weary. In that time, they had quit building for fifteen years. How many Christians do I know that just want to stop, want to give up building and just go in to the world, or in to the church? Yet in Haggai 2 God says the glory of the latter house will be greater than the glory that filled Solomon’s temple. How is that possible? Before we take a step further, let’s define what glory is. When the Father is glorified it means the Father is satisfied. When He is glorified it means He’s happy, so when the world was made there was glory because the Father had made the earth and He was pleased, He made things perfectly. When He made man and woman He was pleased with them.

There was no inferiority complex in the garden. Eve didn’t spend all day looking in the water making sure she looked good enough. Adam wasn’t posing all the time, they were secure in who they were because the Father was satisfied. Moses and the instructions for the tabernacle were made with a heart for pleasing God, to do things exactly the way God wanted. God would meet Moses there because the Father was satisfied- this is the way I want it He says. It has to be the way He wants it. The temple was built, according to the way God wanted it, to be a shadow of things that were coming: the mercy seat, the testimony of God in the ark, everything was just right. Solomon’s heart was right, David’s heart was right. The Father was satisfied, everything was perfect and the Father could fill the temple with His glory.

Therefore, the glory of Jesus glorified the Father, because Jesus did everything the Father wanted. When he was dying on the cross he said “It is finished.” He’d done the work, fed the poor, walked on water, healed the sick, raised the dead, spoken the words He was told to teach, given His life the way God wanted. He endured the cross, His blood was spilled for that was what the Father wanted and He cried “It is finished.” Then the Son of God was raised, what satisfaction there was, can you sense that? Do you sense that sometimes when you praise? I’m not talking about a sentimental song or music that makes you feel good, I’m talking about when you worship, aware of your faults but when you’re focused on the Lord Jesus Christ, focused in such a way that you’re enamored with Him. In that praise perfection is there, not based on your performance but based on who He is and you see that. Then all of a sudden you taste the glory. Isn’t that amazing how that can happen? Jesus said it was finished, the work was complete. The Father’s heart was bound up in the heart of His Son, it cost the Father tremendously to watch his Son and hear Him cry out “Why have you forsaken me?” I don’t know if we could ever get a glimpse of this, could ever see the majesty of this- how in that difficult moment, His Son completed the work and the Father’s heart was satisfied.

A.W.Tozer said “You can have emotions and no faith but if you have real faith you’ll have emotions.” We have to sense these things right. There are too many meetings out there today with either emotional craziness or with emotionless congregations. If God could grant us the ability to sense what that felt like- that satisfaction that it is done. The Father waited through the faith of Abraham, the law of Moses, the decline in the book of Judges, the conquering of Joshua, through the prophesying of Jeremiah and the visions of Ezekiel, the repentance of Jonah, through the prophetic visions of the future in Daniel and the book of Malachi. Waiting through the four hundred and thirty years of silence but in that moment the Father got what He wanted; His people were going to come back to Him, perfection. Jesus simply wanted to glorify the Father by giving Him what He wanted and when He did the Father glorified Jesus. Perfection. Satisfaction. If you know any perfectionists of the world, they’re never happy. Not our God, our God isn’t that kind of perfectionist, He was satisfied when the world was created. He was satisfied when the temple was built and He filled it with His glory, which would be greater than that of the former house. It was finished. Whenever we say that we must stand on the complete finished work of the cross, these cannot just be words, we have to open our heart s and see this. If you just pour out a plethora of teachings until it washes over people it’ll be without meaning. We must take the time to really get a hold of this: the finished work of the cross. There is only one that’s perfect and that’s Jesus. Amen.

Believers more than ever are stressed out trying to be perfect. Some today even want to teach this teaching of the perfection of Christ. Instead we should lay all our burdens down and wear it like a wooden crown, knowing that He has done it, He is satisfied. If you’re thinking now “well one day the Father will be satisfied with me and he’ll bless me” know that the Father is satisfied right now with Jesus and He’s satisfied with you, always. That’s why the hatred of Jesus will only begin to grow and the hatred of Jews and of Christians. Real persecution comes to Christians who identify with Jesus, because He’s the only one who is perfect and society hates that, they hate that it’s unfair. Some then try to take our Savior and bring Him down to the earth, to make Him like one of us. That’s not what God did; Jesus came in human form and human flesh, with a perfect heart. Humility comes when we admit I will never be perfect but He is. Give up trying to be perfect, trying to get to God on your own strength. He is perfect. That’s why man is struggling, even in our Christianity today it’s why there is such a lack of repentance because people think they are going to do it. Thinking that if they just listen to enough YouTube sermons, if I pray hard enough, have Christian music piping through every room in the house- I can do this. No wonder Christians are losing their minds, instead of a real humility that says “God You can do this, I identify with Christ.” I’m not talking about a false letting go as those who say they don’t want to be too religious and then end up just like the world under the false pretense that God will understand, it’s all alright because of Jesus- there is no glory in that. Glory comes when the Father is satisfied. Three days in the tomb and the Father knows He will be satisfied. That sin Frank is going to commit, that sin that so and so has done: all sins past, present and future; justice has been done, He is satisfied. Isn’t that amazing? Every sin, the Father has paid the price for that. Repent, turn from your ways, there is glory.

So I ask you here: Has the work been done? Was it complete? When Jesus comes and lives in us, are we complete in Him? What else needs to be done? What else needs to be accomplished? Indeed there is a life of obedience and all that He has predestined us to walk in if we will. But what more needs to be done for your salvation? Nothing.

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.” Acts 2:1-3 KJV

“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”

John 7:37 KJV

Here in the book of Acts, has Jesus been glorified? Yes, Jesus was glorified, the Lord is pleased. So now these one hundred and twenty people on the day of Pentecost, who’ve accepted Christ and the finished work of the cross- now, God can fill the house. There came like a mighty rushing wind. You know, it probably won’t matter once I’m there but that’s another thing I’d like to know about. For all the world’s travels to the deep and to Mars, no one can figure out what happens from one dimension to another. That rushing wind was the Holy Spirit entering in to this dispensation; the incredible thought of it makes me want to scream out loud, it’s so exciting. Maybe some people haven’t been empty enough but before I became a Christian I was empty, there was darkness inside, absolutely nothing there, I had studied things, experienced a lot of things, I had money, I’d fallen in love yet it was like walking around as a clanging empty container. Then Christ came and He perfected that, perfected my heart. Then just like that day on Pentecost God filled me like a rushing wind. In that upper room, the Holy Spirit separated and fell on each one of them, like fire above their heads, like lit candles. We’re candles, Lord light us! God was satisfied; in the beginning, when Moses saw His glory, when He filled Solomon’s temple, as Haggai’s rebuilding the temple so He could fill it and there at Pentecost. People in that day couldn’t see it; they were still out there looking at the temple, discussing it, trying to figure out when God is going to bless His temple. But in that upper room, an out of the way place, God said this is my temple, a tabernacle among men.

You are the temple of the Holy Ghost. God will fill you. Amen! When? Now! Why? Because the temple is perfect, the work is complete, that’s why He is satisfied.

This is why when someone gets saved there’s glory. In the New Testament they told new believers to get baptized then they laid their hands on them and they were filled with the Spirit right away. Let us not struggle with this, let’s simply believe: God you live inside of me, fill me. Some of you still struggle with that, saying that tomorrow or next week you’ll get to the right place. You are never going to get to the right place, the right place is now. What about repentance you might ask? Well this is why we don’t have real repentance. It doesn’t come through striving and failing, real repentance comes from knowing you are complete, you know He’s blessed you, filled you, there’s glory there and you’re drinking from the love of God and when you stray from those truths conviction is there immediately. Oh how I lived for the anointing of God when I first got saved, one time I was driving home from speaking with one of my business partners, something in our conversation had dishonored God and I pulled up to a light and sensed the anointing not being there, I said “Lord, what’s happened to me?” and the Lord spoke to me and said “I only give the anointing to those who I trust.” “Yes Lord, I will be very careful with what I do in business in the future.” This conviction is not beating yourself up because this or that wasn’t okay. Real conviction comes because you’re in love with someone. God is satisfied with us now with the work of Jesus. “Yeah but that’s Jesus not me” you say. If you even begin to entertain that you’re way off on the wrong ground. Like Moses with the burning bush, the bush is on fire but it’s not consumed, this is the glory, the brokenness, the joy: Jesus lives inside of you. True worship inspires what’s already inside believers. We take away from people and dishonor God when we have such an outside production instead of touching what’s inside. This is the excitement of Christianity, Christ in us; this is why we talk about him. Witnessing isn’t laying out the plan of salvation, making someone feel either really good or really rotten it’s just Jesus. JESUS. This is what this story is, it was not a doctrinal experience in the book of Acts but God saying “I am pleased with this tabernacle, the tabernacle of salvation, and I’m going to fill it.” We’ve got to be true to the love we have in Jesus, He is satisfied, fill me. We’ve been praying for glory He’s going to give us glory. Maybe it’ll be so dynamic we won’t be able to speak, I believe we’ve been touching it in our meetings. “Yes Lord, we’re giving you what you want. Yes Lord this trial should’ve set me back but it didn’t because I’m trusting You. I’m responding with love, truth and forgiveness instead of offense or bitterness. You’re satisfied Lord, thank you for Your salvation. Thank you Lord.”

Nothing takes my breath away more than this: thank you Jesus, it was finished. He could’ve left it there, said “Be good, hang on to what I told you,” but He didn’t. It’s not just looking at the One who’s perfect, He took the perfection of his life and put it inside of us. When I meet with backslidden Christians, I never start with condemnation, but I ask: “Do you love Him?” Yes. “Does he live inside of you?” Yes. “Then you’re going to make it, start from there and start believing.” The Father is satisfied, doesn’t that do your heart good to hear? Jesus could be at the right hand of the Father and that could be enough, yet the Father wants to share what He has. It’s the way He is. This is why we share. You’re going to have to deal with this, not in an intellectual way, but really profess “I need to get my eyes off myself, I know that the Father is satisfied with Jesus, completely.” Let us identity with Him; it will give you the courage and power of real victory, humbled because you know God has already done the work. If something in your heart isn’t right, pray: “My father is satisfied with Jesus and with me. When I stand on the ground of Jesus, from that place Lord help me to get these things right.” Is that not how we deal with our children? We would never say “You can call me father when you get this right” but rather would say “I’m you’re your father and I love you, you can do nothing to win my love it’s already there.” 

The Father will fill this house and He will fill it as you constantly acknowledge He has perfected this. I’m so amazed at Him: His Son dies on the cross then on top of all of that He is going to fill His temple. The Father is satisfied.