The more and more I do this, the more and more I learn and grow. The more I grow the more I realize the assume responsibility. The more I understand the more difficult it becomes at times to do this. The more difficult it becomes the more I lean on Him and grow in faith. The more I grow in faith the more I want to do this. Pray for me that God gives me utterance to speak boldly the gospel of His good news.
Extra credit: We looked at last week of God uses the means of man and our responsibility. This week in the extra reading a poem by Benjamin Beddome on how The Spirit works without help of man
Jhn 11:40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
- Believe what?
The glory of God is the one thing we desire, long for and must see. We who believe have dedicated our hearts, lives and all that we possess to the glory of our God. Every time we bow our heads and lift our hearts in prayer, either in public or in private, we ask God to glorify himself in us and manifest his glory to us. Why, then, do we see so very little of God's glory?
1. IT IS GOD'S PURPOSE TO REVEAL HIS GLORY. The purpose of God in creation, redemption and providence is to reveal himself and show forth his glory. Everything in God's creation is designed, ordained and ruled by God to glorify himself, or to reveal his glory to his creatures (Prov. 16:4;Psa.76:10; Rom. 11:36).
2. IT IS THE DESIRE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST THAT WE SEE THE GLORY OF GOD. Sin had hidden the Father's glory from us. Christ came to unveil the Father's face, to make known the Father's character, and to manifest the Father's glory. This was the errand upon which Christ came. It is true; he came to save his people from their sins. But his purpose in saving us is that he might reveal the glory of God, that God might be glorified in us and by us (John 1:18; 12:27-28; 17:1,4; Eph. 1:6,12,14; 2:7).
3. IT IS OUR UNBELIEF ALONE THAT KEEPS US FROM SEEING THE GLORY OF GOD.
This is the reproof of our text. "If thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God." The thing about which our Lord complained the most, even among his own disciples, was unbelief. How slow of heart we are to believe God! Unbelief hinders Christ from working those works in our midst which would show us the glory of God (Matt. 13:58; Mk. 6:5-6; 9:23-24).
