Title: Those Who See the Glory of Heaven
Contents
those who see the glory of heaven
[Psalm 97:6-7]
Exodus 16:7 “In the morning you will see the glory of the LORD”
Exodus 24:16 “The glory of the Lord rests on Mount Sinai”
Exodus 24:17 “The glory of the LORD appeared like a raging fire in the eyes of the children of Israel.”
Exodus 40:34 “The tabernacle was filled with the glory of the Lord.”
Exodus 40:35 “The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”
Have you ever seen the glory of the Lord? Can you see the glory of the Lord? Do you want to see the glory of the Lord? The Bible clearly says we can see.
God made it possible to see His glory.
Those who see God also see the glory of God.
After John 1:1
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
A 4th-century Egyptian desert priest said, “A man must be completely an eye.”
Humans must be able to see. You must have eyes to see. In Psalm 123:1, the psalmist says, “Lord in heaven, I lift up my eyes to you.” When you see the Lord, you see the world. On the other hand, if you look at the world, you cannot see the Lord.
Kiehlkegol prays, “Make us invisible what is not important. Those eyes are blessed if they can see only what is most important to us. Those eyes are spiritual eyes. Jesus went up the mountain and was transformed.
Imagine the glorious Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus' robe, which had turned white, shone. It is the glorious image of Christ that nothing can make it whiter. But Moses and Elijah all disappeared and only Jesus was seen. Only the most important Jesus was shown to them.
Robert Morgan, in his book The Law of the Red Sea, says that the next time you are in a difficult situation, try not to ask, “How do I get out of here?” but rather, “How do I bring glory to God in this situation?”
Without God's glory, nothing would exist because God made everything for His glory. Those who know God know glory. Those who see glory see all things and give glory to them.
The glory of God is the appearance of heaven. When Stephen looked up into the sky, there was the glory of God. John also looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God.
Revelation 21:11 says, “The glory of God was, and the light of the city was like a most precious gem, as clear as jasper and crystal.”
Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” Seeing all things, we discover and glorify the glory of God. I hope that through Stephen, you will see what kind of person who can see the glory of heaven and become one who sees the glory of heaven.
First, those who are filled with the Holy Spirit see the glory of heaven.
Acts 7:55 says, “When Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit, he looked up to heaven and looked up to see the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” Stephen, who was filled with the Holy Spirit, saw the glory of God.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit is a task for all of us. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit, everything will be over. You must be filled with the Holy Spirit to see the Spirit of Heaven. Be filled with the Holy Spirit and see the glory of heaven. The gates of heaven were opened, and splendid glory shone in. Those who are filled with the Holy Spirit also open the gates of heaven. And behold the glory of heaven shining from the gates of heaven.
Stephen was a man of the Holy Spirit. Philip, one of the seven deacons, was led by the Holy Spirit. According to the Bible, when the seven deacons of the early church were selected, the qualifications were ‘those who were full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom’. Such people see the glory of heaven. Because they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
What kind of person is a person filled with the Holy Spirit?
1. A person who is full of the assurance of salvation (Acts 7:59)
2. A person who boldly preaches the gospel.(53)
3. People with open eyes to see the sky. (Acts 9:20-27)
4. A person who has the ability to be tolerant (Acts 7:60)
When Jesus was baptized, the heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit came like a dove. And the voice of God was heard. “You are my beloved son; I am well pleased with you.” When the heavens are opened, the Holy Spirit descends and is filled. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will see glory.
In John 11, the scene of Jesus raising Lazarus is recorded.
In verse 4, when Jesus heard that Lazarus was ill, Jesus said:
“When Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness is not a mortal disease, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Jesus was glorified in the tomb. Found glory in filth. You found glory in death. Those who are filled with the Holy Spirit see glory in the world, glory in iniquity, and glory in uncleanness.
Of all creation in the universe, only two do not glorify God.
They are fallen angels, demons, and humans just like us. A man created for the glory of God has been transformed into a fallen being that cannot glorify Him. To be glorified, you must be born again and free from sin.
Bonhoeffer said, “He who uses his eyes as an impure instrument cannot see God with those eyes.” May our eyes be instruments of the Holy Spirit. As with all addictions, porn addiction in particular blurs the spirit. It is difficult to heal. Only when our eyes become spiritual eyes can we be completely healed.
Our age is the age of the Holy Spirit. Our age is called the spiritual age. The age of science, knowledge, information, and technology is the age of spirituality. I live in this paradox. Therefore, our age is not to be lived by science. Information is not the best. The secret to living in our age is the Spirit. I live spiritually. Our zeitgeist must be a holy spirit. The spirit of our times must be the Holy Spirit. A person with this kind of spirit will see the glory of heaven and live.
Second, those who look up to heaven see the glory of heaven.
Stephen “looked up to heaven and looked up” to see the glory of God. When you look at the sky, you see glory. Glory is seen only when our eyes are facing the sky. Don't you have to look at the sky to see the stars? Those who think of heavenly things, have interest in heavenly things, pursue heavenly things, and hope for heavenly things, see the glory of heaven. Glory to God.
Who is the person you look up to the most in the Bible? Jesus. Jesus said, “Looking up to heaven and sighing”, “Looking up to heaven”, “Looking up to heaven and giving thanks”, “Looking up to heaven and saying,” Jesus said.
Looking up at the sky is the attitude of a holy person who becomes like Jesus. Stephen did just that. Look at the tax collector in Jesus' parable. He does not dare look up to the sky, but bows his head and prays. Those who have sin cannot look up to them.
Those who love God will look up to heaven. To look up to someone means to respect them. The opposite of this word would be 'look down' and 'look down'. If you don't respect them, they will look down on you or look down on you. If you don't respect them, you can't look up to them.
Psalm 86:4 says, “Lord, my soul looks up to you; Lord, make my soul rejoice.” It is an attitude of love and respect for the Lord. Saul saw a bright light in heaven and fell down when he saw the light. It was such a splendid glory of God.
He enters Damascus and is awakened by Ananias. They saw the glory with new eyes and sang. Genesis 28 tells the mystical experience of Jacob. Jacob saw the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending. I saw the secrets of heaven.
When we pray the Lord's prayer, we say, “Our Father in heaven.” Since God is in heaven, when we look up to heaven, we see God and His glory. When you look up to the sky, the glory of God comes down. I see glory. You will be filled with glory. Wherever you look up to the sky, the glory of God is full.
Matthew Henry said, “God puts obstacles in the way of His people. The reason is that God may be glorified by removing those obstacles, and helping his people to remove them so that he may be glorified.”
John Wesley was walking down the road when he saw a cow leaning against a fence and raising its head on the ranch. Why is the cow raising its head? I lift my head because I have nowhere else to go. When you look up, you can see the glory of God. Disability brings glory. The fence raises the head. This is how God shows his glory.
In Egyptian mythology, the sky god Horus appears. Horus was stabbed in one eye while fighting a rival god, but he later recovered. Healed eyes symbolize the triumph of life. The eyes are healed, and raising the eyes to look up is a victory. To such a person, the glory of heaven can be seen.
There is a proverb that says, “Just because a blind man cannot see the sky does not make the sky less blue.” Just because we look up doesn't mean that God isn't a glorious being. But if you look up, you will be glorified. There is a western proverb that says, “The eye speaks more than the mouth.” Eyes have many meanings. If you look up, you will see the glory of heaven.
Psalm 97:6 says, “The heavens have proclaimed his righteousness, and all the people have seen his glory.” When you look up, you see glory. Even in the gospel hymns we know well, it says, “My eyes see the glory of the Lord, O Lord who is among us. We see the glory of heaven. Its glory fills the whole earth.
Third, worshipers will see the glory of God.
In Leviticus 9:1-6, the glory of the Lord was revealed when we offered burnt offerings and stood before the Lord.
“The Glory of the Lord Will Be Revealed”
Leviticus 9:23 "And he blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people
Psalm 26:8 “I love your house, O LORD, and the dwelling place of your glory”
Conversely, there are those who do not see the glory.
2 Chronicles 26:18 “Get out of the sanctuary, for you have sinned, and you will not be glorified by the LORD your God.”
conclusion
Moses saw the splendor of God's glory. Moses' face was covered with too much light or a towel. When I see the glory of God, I do not die, but my face shines with the glory of God.
Look at the tabernacle that God had made.
Exodus 40:34-35. “The cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle, so that Moses could not enter the tent of meeting.”
Look at the temple God had built in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 7:2-3. “The priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the house of the LORD was full of the glory of the LORD; and all the children of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD was on the temple.” The temple is a place full of the glory of God.
Even now, this place is full of the glory of God. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit and look up to heaven, we can see the glory.
Revelation 21:23 says, "The city has no need for the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God shines on it, and the Lamb is its lamp." If you go to the kingdom of God in the future, you will be filled with the glory of God.
I hope that on this earth, filled with the Holy Spirit, we will see the glory of heaven, look up to heaven and see the glory, and become the people of hope who live in a country full of glory in the future.