The Three Glories
—Christ’s Glory, Our Glory, and God’s Glory
This lesson looks at Glory from three viewpoints: (1) The glory God gives to his Son Jesus Christ; (2) The glory God gives to us; and (3) The glory we give to God.
Paul says, "There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory" (1Corinthians 15:41 NKJV).
It is true, in the physical heavens, that there are differing glories. It is also true in the higher heavenly and spiritual realm.
The glory which God gave to Jesus Christ far exceeds the glory of the sun, that great light which God created to rule the day. The glory that Jesus gives to us far exceeds the glory of the moon which rules the night. The glory that multitudes give to God far exceeds the glory of the stars. (Genesis 1:14-16 NKJV).
1 The Glory that God
Gives to Jesus.
John 17:5
As his death approached, Jesus prayed, "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was" (John 17:5 NKJV).
John 17:5 "...O Father, glorify me..." Jesus does not glorify himself. He desires a glory that his Father bestows on him. "If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me..." (John 8:54 NKJV).
John 17:5 "...together with Yourself..." Jesus seeks the same glory in which his Father dwells —a glory shared together with his Father "who dwells in unapproachable light" (1Timothy 6:16 NKJV).
John 17:5 "...with the glory which I had with You..." Jesus is asking God to restore to him the glory that he left behind in heaven when he was conceived in this world (Philippians 2:5-16).
John 17:5 "...before the world was..." Jesus dwelt with his Father in glory before he was conceived and born into this world, indeed before the world itself even existed. The glory that God gave his Son is everlasting. "To Him be the glory forever and ever, Amen" (2Timothy 4:18 NKJV).
2 The Glory that Jesus
Gives to Us.
Ephesians 1:18-21
Paul prayed, "...that you may know what is the hope of [God’s] calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named..." (Ephesians 1:18-21 NKJV).
Ephesians 1:18 "...the hope of His calling..." Our calling from God is a present reality, and our glory is a future assured hope, "the hope laid up for you in heaven" (Colossians 1:5).
Ephesians 1:18 "...the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints..." This is the glory that Jesus has pledged to give us. "...You were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the pledge of our inheritance..." (Ephesians 1:13-14 NKJV).
Ephesians 1:19 "...the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe..." We might think that our glory in heaven will be dim compared to Christ’s glory. However his power and glory toward us is exceedingly great. And John tells us that the children of God "shall be like him for we shall see him as he is" (1John 3:2).
3 The Glory that We
Give to God.
Psalm 34:1-3
David says, "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together" (Psalm 34:1-3 NKJV).
(Psalm 34:1) "...I will bless the Lord at all times..." We invoke the blessedness of God in contrast to his wrath. For example, Paul says, "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort..." (2Corinthians 1:2-3 NKJV).
(Psalm 34:1) "...His praise shall continually be in my mouth..." We praise and glorify God when we acknowledge all his good and marvelous works of creation and salvation. David says, "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well" (Psalm 130:14 NKJV).
(Psalm 34:2) "...My soul shall make its boast in the Lord..." We cannot glorify ourselves or boast of our own works. Paul says, "God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Galatians 6:14 NKJV).
(Psalm 34:2) "...The humble shall hear of it and be glad..." Not everyone gives glory to God when they hear his grace affirmed; but the humble do. Peter says, "And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you. " (1Peter 5:5-6 NKJV).
(Psalm 34:3) "...Oh, magnify the Lord with me..." God can be no greater than he already is, so how can he be 'magnified'? In the eyes of many people God is seen as less than he really is. So we can speak of his majesty and glory to help people see God’s greatness more truly. Moses sang, "I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted" (Exodus 15:1 NKJV).
(Psalm 34:3) "...And let us exalt His name together..." The name above every name is Yahweh (Jehovah). It is the Heavenly Father’s name shared with his Son Jesus Christ. "9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow..." (Philippians 2:1-11 NKJV). The name of God is also his reputation. When people speak highly of him, in the hearing of others, they glorify and exalt his name and reputation.