THE LORD OF GLORY

Photo by B Smith from the patio

615-1 THE LORD OF GLORY

June 21, 1981

 Henry F. Kulp

 

This morning I would like to lay aside the book of Proverbs, and share with you a study that has been a great blessing to me in the last months, and I hope you find it a real help in your everyday living.

1/ Here we have a title for Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory. He has many titles in the Bible, all describing Him so that you might understand something about Him. He is called the Rock, the Door, the Way, the Truth, the Son of Righteousness. But here He is called the Lord of Glory.

2/ Here we are told they would never have crucified Jesus Christ if they had known He was the Lord of Glory. In what way is He the Lord of Glory? What a tremendous contrast there is between crucify and the Lord of Glory. The one represents the deepest disgrace, and the other the highest exaltation and majesty. Jesus Christ did not enjoy the cross.

Hebrews 12: 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

He endured the cross, despising its shame, because He saw the glory on the other side. Men see only the shame—only the disgrace of the cross, but we, in this day and age when we study Paul, see Jesus Christ as the Lord of Glory.

A/ THE GLORY OF CHRIST IN ETERNITY PAST

1) JOHN 17: 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

Here we have one of the most striking utterances of the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, which demonstrates His deity. If there were in the whole Bible no other statement revealing His Deity but this fifth verse, His deity would be forever established. The self-witness of our Lord as He spoke to the Father tells us two things—He was with the Father before the world ever existed, and He possessed glory with the Father, that outward glory, the very glory of God, for He is God. He left it behind when He came down to earth to be born in Bethlehem.

2) Christ is the only One Who came into this world Who knew that He had pre-existence. No one else knows anything about himself prior to his birth —as a matter of fact, he has no existence before his birth, but Jesus Christ did. Jesus Christ knew that He was eternal God, that He was the Second Person of the Trinity, and had existed always with the Father. But here His humanity speaks up. Now glorify My humanity, and that is exactly what God is going to do.

B/ THE GLORY OF HIS INCARNATION

1) LUKE 2: 13, 14 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Here we have he angel of the Lord, He comes upon the Shepherds, and it says the glory of the Lord shown round about them. There was glory in His birth. The glory of the Lord was manifested to prove this outward glory was Deity becoming flesh.

C/ THE GLORY OF HIS EARTHLY MINISTRY

1) John 1: 14 Here we read, The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.

God becoming a Man was deeply humiliating.

Philippians 2: 7, 8 It says, He made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a slave, and was made in the likeness of man.

Hew was a slave to man, yet look at

John 1: 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

We read—notice the first words,—The Word was made flesh.

No greater or mysterious words were ever written than this simple clause, which opens the 14th verse. It is not in the passive voice, but in the middle voice, and it could be translated, the Word became flesh. He became flesh of His own volition and power, and here, the immaterial Logos takes on matter or flesh. He Who was previously invisible to our physical eyes could now be seen. Remember, He was the perfect Man. But now we have to ask the question, why does John use the term, “flesh.” Why doesn’t he use some other term, why does he not say, “The Logos became body?” This is the primary purpose for which Jesus Christ came into the world. We come into the world for the purpose of living. He really did not come for the same purpose. He came to die. There was to be the purpose of His death to redeem mankind from sin. It shows us that Jesus Christ did not merely become material, but He became fully man except for sin.

2) The Word, dwelt among us. Actually the Greek says, He tented OR PITCHED HIS TENT AMONG US, and that expresses a temporary aspect of the coming of the Logos. The tent is something that is used for a temporary dwelling, either by nomads or soldiers. It was not the purpose of Jesus Christ to come down here and live as long as He could. He could have lived much longer, but in 33 years He gave up His life.

3) Notice, it does not say, “I beheld” but “we beheld.” The Greek word translated, beheld, is a very intriguing one. it is a verb that is always used of actual, physical viewing, of something that is tangible—never of a spiritual vision. it is the actual viewing by the physical eyes of something tangible, because Jesus Christ had a literal, physical body. So this beholding has to do with physical eyes seeing something physical. i believe the Holy Spirit led John to use the Greek word in order to dispel a teaching that arose early in church history, a heresy called DOCETISM. Dough-seat-tism. Which taught that Christ had no material body and human nature. It was only an apparent body. They taught His eating, drinking, birth and death were so many illusions. Of course, God knew this heresy would arise, and inspired the use of this word. The body of Jesus Christ was real and could be seen during His earthly life. This is the glory of His person, but it took someone who believed in Him to see this glory, to appreciate this glory.

4) Then there is the glory of His supernatural works, for His mighty miracles proved Him to be more than mere man.

5) John 2: 11 The beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee and manifested forth His glory.

6) John 11: 4 And when Jesus heard about Lazarus’ illness, He said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

D/ THE GLORY OF HIS CRUCIFIXION

1) Without doubt, our Lord’s greatest glory while He was on the earth was the glory of His crucifixion. For He Himself considered it so.

John 12: 23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.

Here referring to His imminent death on the cross, He said, The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified. For at Calvary the Lord cast out Satan stripping him of any rights he had over man, guaranteeing his ultimate destruction and any right to reign in this world.

E/ THE GLORY OF HIS RESURRECTION

1) Matthew 28: 2 - 4 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

This passage gives us some idea of the glory that was associated with our Lord’s resurrection from the dead, for the angel of the Lord descended from Heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it, and his countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow, and for fear of him the keepers did shake and become as dead men.

2) We know in resurrection He had a glorified body. Not that ultimate glory that Paul tells us about, but He did have a glorified body. You remember that Mary did not recognize Him, nor did the two on the way to Emmaus, nor did the Ten. As He suddenly stood in their midst. Rather they were terrified and afrighted and supposed they had seen a spirit.

Luke 24: 36 - 39 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

F/ THE GLORY OF HIS ASCENSION

1) John 7: 39 (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.)

Here we are told with reference to our Lord’s earthly ministry that the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified. Even though He did have glory on earth, He did not have this greater glory in His physical humanity. it is very evident from Scripture that in our Lord’s ascension to Heaven, He would receive glory quite unique from anything that the humanity of Christ had heretofore experienced.

2) Acts 3: 13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.

Here we have Peter saying the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our Fathers hath glorified His Son. He is in Heaven, and He is Lord and Christ to Israel if they will believe on Him, will receive Him, and He is glorified.

3) Philippians 2: 8 - 11 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Here it talks about Him being found in fashion as a man—He humbled Himself. He became obedient unto death, Wherefore God hath highly exalted Him and given Him a Name that is above every Name.

Because He has been glorified, He now has a Name that is above every Name, and at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

4) Ephesians 1: 21 - 23 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Here he talks about Him being set on the right hand in Heavenly places, far above all principalities and powers and might and dominion, that every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come, and He has put all things under His feet, gave Him to be Head over all things to the church. How beautiful this is —the Lord of Glory in Heaven right now. He is the exalted One, far above all.

H/ OUR GLORY IN CHRIST

1) Romans 8:18 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.

He tells us here the suffering, the troubles, the trials, the tribulation that we face at this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. This should be a motivating fact in our everyday living. We should be able to be victorious over all the sufferings and problems of life because we keep our eyes on that glory that is going to be revealed to us.

2) Colossians 2: 20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,

Our citizenship, our homeland is now existing in the heavens, from which also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ Who shall change our lowly body that it may be fashioned like His glorious body. We are going to have bodies that will be glorified, just as Jesus Christ has a body that is glorified.

NOTES:

We usually divide personality into three realms:

1/ Intellect - to know, to think, to understand. Here the Holy Spirit knows the deep things of God. He is also a teacher. The first prerequisite of a good teacher—he must know his subject.

2/ Emotion - feel and love.

Ephesians 4: 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

3/ Will - a person can decide and act.

I Corinthians 12: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

Capacity of will —nine spiritual gifts result if you will allow the Holy Spirit control of your will.

AMEN

Ref: 06/21/1981 / 615-1 THE LORD OF GLORY / 05/18/2022