Eilen

In His trial and crucifixion, Jesus’ glory is displayed in how he responded to the council of chief priests and elders about destroying the temple and rebuilding it in 3 days. His coming glory is shown in His words ‘ Hereafter shall you see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven.’ Matthew 26:64. Again his glory is shown when He replied to Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world, on being asked if He were King of the Jews. Even Jesus was nailed on the cross He was glorified with his name written on the cross Jesus, King of the Jews. His glory was displayed in His resurrection by all authority in heaven and on earth being given to Him by His Father. Mat 28:18. Maybe the thief heard the spirit of God calling to him to repentance. This was the reason that Jesus died on the cross – so that we might be saved. The thief knew that Jesus had done nothing wrong whereas he and the other thief had and thus should suffer for their sins. ‘Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same judgement?’ we are punished justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our actions. But this man has done nothing wrong’. Luke 23:40-41. The centurion most likely saw Jesus’ courage and submission to his fate something he could identify to. Jesus’ forgiving those who had put him on the cross had to have touched the centurion’s heart. It is through suffering that Jesus died on the cross for our redemption. Suffering brings us closer to God. Suffering purifies us, it shows us God's glorious powers.. Abraham, Daniel, David all learned about the glory of God through their suffering.

Jesus’ glory is displayed through His transfiguration when His face appeared to be like the sun and his clothes dazzling white and hearing of God’s words “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him” Matthew 17:5. His transfiguration showed his deity. With His transfiguration came Jesus’ glory that would be revealed when He returned to earth. Glory is shown through the miracles He performs; raising Lazarus from the dead, making the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, even touching the hem of His garment and being healed.

Jesus’ glory and kingly authority was at the beginning of creation. He was there in the beginning with God. “ In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God’ John 1:1-2” When Jesus was on earth, He showed his humanity, humility and preached the word of His Father to all. He sought to fulfill His father’s plan of salvation to all mankind. He did not show His heavenly powers, even to Satan who tempted him in the wilderness. His glory was present because He healed the sick, raised the dead, casted out devils

Yes the kingdom of God is present now. It is in a spiritual, invisible form, in the form of Jesus, the Son of God, who is the salvation to all who believe in Him. With His death on the cross for our salvation, He has given us, believers, an awesome reason to live and a way for unbelievers to enter his kingdom His kingdom will be fully manifested at His second coming when He physically appears to judge the living and the dead. When all other earthly kingdoms shall cease.

The scholarly Pharisees asked Jesus about the kingdom of God hoping that His answer will give them ammunition to have Him arrested. I think that Jesus was saying that the ability to see God’s kingdom was in one’s heart. He is among us always and all we have to do is accept Him into our hearts and we would receive salvation and be a part of his spiritual kingdom. Jesus spoke words that often held double meanings. His words show us that He was filled with God’s wisdom and compassion. He gave an answer that would satisfy the scholarly Pharisees and His followers present.

Messiah, to the Jews meant the son of David whom God had promised to send them. He was the one who would establish a kingdom that would endure forever. David sees someone who looks human but is divine, full of glory and honor. He is the divine heir of the Kingdom of God. Jesus uses the term ‘Son of man’ because it shows His humanity. He is both divine and human. In the Gospels Jesus often refers to Himself ‘the Son of Man’ “The Son of Man comes not to serve but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many” Mark 10:45. Jesus is the savior of mankind. He gave his live for our sins.

One element of Daniel’s prophesy is God’s Divinity. Although The Son of man has the appearance of human form, He is a Divine Being. He is the Messiah. Another element is that His dominion is forever. He will rule all the people of the world. He is invincible and his kingdom will not end. By the ancient days, the Son of Man is given authority to rule the world. He has sovereign power over the world. “even the seas and the winds obey Him” Mark 4:35-41 The Son of Man is to be revered by all. “Therefore God exalted him to the highest places and gave Him the name that is above every name that at His name every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under earth and every tongue should acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11. There is no one higher in authority of power and yet He shows us His humility. He has a plan for us which He tries to reveal to us and urge us in that direction. He has however given us the freedom to choose. The son of Man is Omnipresent. “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 His spirit is always with us. He is omniscient and omnipotent. His kingdom exists today and will continue for evermore. He was tempted by Satan, He was persecuted and crucified for our sins but he lives.

The tabernacle in the wilderness was where God dwelled among the Israelites in the wilderness. His presence was indicated by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. The tabernacle showed the Israelites that God was with them at all times. The presence of the tabernacle kept the Israelites focused on God. Every time they saw the tabernacle with a cloud above it they knew that God was present among them. They did not need any idol to remind them of God. His proximity helped them to keep focus on His commands. They were able to see His Glory, His humility, His love,

When God sent Moses to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt, He told Moses to tell His people ‘Go say I AM hath sent you.’ Exodus 3:14. Can you imagine Moses not really knowing how to convince the Israelites to follow him saying that ‘I AM’ sent him. Moses hungered for the Glory of God because he wanted to learn about God’s nature and character. He knew that would enable him to be more equipped to lead God’s rebellious people. Having seen God’s love, mercy, humility changed/helped Moses to be more understanding of the Israelites. Paul presses on because he sees the Glory of God’s power to change the beholder. We saw the changes in Moses. Paul feels that once we get the revelation of God’s Glory, His love, grace and readiness to forgive, the Holy Spirit will continually open our eyes to more of the aspects of God’s character. God will manifest in us the way He wants to be known by us. My spiritual hunger is to really get to know God and to and have Him directing me along life's path. Praying to God, participating in forums such as this which helps me to study and internalize the Word of God, could help me to satisfy my spiritual hunger..

God is the Omnipotent. He is The Alpha,The Omega. He alone possesses and controls everything, therefore His Glory is associated with judgment and consuming fire. He is the only one who should pass judgment on others. He rules the world ‘upon the wicked he shall rain down snares, fire and brimstone and horrible tempests.’ Psalm 11:6 God brings his wrath down on those who willfully disobey and do not keep his laws. We saw what he did to the Israelites, his chosen people, in the desert when they disobeyed Him. Forty years they wandered in the desert. God abhors sin. He sacrificed His son on the cross so that our sins might be forgiven. His holiness cannot coexist with sin. He made it possible for us to confess our sins and receive His forgiveness. Proverbs 28:13 People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.

Reputation Glory is the type of constant recognition given one due to some personal achievement such as praise for one’s worldly success, one’s constant excelling at some sport. It is the constant acclamation given someone who is always in the limelight, featured in the news, because of what he has done. Derived glory is glory one gets through the association with some renowned source other than oneself. Such as the glory received from being in the presence of God. For example, God’s Angels possess derived glory which they received due to their constant contact with God. Inherent glory is that glory of which one is the source. There are no external factors that contribute to inherent glory. It comes from within. Only God, The Father and the Holy Spirit possess inherent glory. When you praise God reputation glory is involved. We know through the bible of the many miracles Jesus has , His humility, His readiness to forgive our sins. We know of his glory through accounts by the many prophets and disciples throughout the bible. I have reputation glory if I have any at all. People know me for what I do and have done. I am a good teacher and people recognize that. I suppose that I also do possess derived glory trying to be a faithful follower of the Lord.

Joshua’s challenge to the Israelites was that they make the choice of whether they served their God or their neighbors’ idols. That they remain steadfast in their loyalty to the Lord and throw away all idols they have picked up from the Amorites who lived among them. That they do not become tainted with the religious beliefs of those who inhabited the land with them. God seems to challenge me by my not being able to ignore all the different distracting objects around me . I read my scriptures every day but I often find my thoughts wandering so that I have to read over to understand what I am reading. I need to pray more and ask God’s help. He is telling me that I need to become more a Christian. I need to spend more time trying to communicate with him. I have to find a way to hear what God is saying to me. I have to be changed and transformed so that I might be brought into a closer relationship with Him.

Jesus’ association with sinners was eating and speaking to them. They were not his buddies. He ate with publican and sinners. Jesus came into contact with sinners so that he could reach out to them, change them and save their souls. He wanted to share the news about His Father’s heavenly Kingdom. Jesus’ buddies were his disciples. Associating with non-Christians may seem to indicate a person’s wrong intentions, but it can also mean that the person is going where God sent him/her to sow the seeds of redemption to the non-Christian. Having a non-Christian as a friend does not mean that we have to join them in their lifestyle and beliefs. Such an association can be for non-Christians to see Christ in the Christian. The main focus of such a relationship is to help the non-Christian to discover Christ by the way a Christian lives. The tragic effect is how can one spread the word of God to the non-Christian if there is no association with them. There must be communication to open them up to God’s heavenly Kingdom. Association may help them to change their lifestyle and to emulate that of a Christian.

The foreign gods would have become a distraction to the Israelites. They might have forgotten God’s commandment: ‘Thou shall have no other gods but Me’ and begin to look at the other gods. Keeping the images in their household might have compromised the religious beliefs and their relationship with God. They could have started to worship such images. Love of money; addiction to alcohol, drugs, gambling. Throwing out the ‘foreign gods’ would involve committing yourself to God and not allowing Satan to tempt you. It would involve keeping God’s commandments and allowing His presence guide our minds

My concept of “holiness” is the consecrating of oneself to God. It’s being pure in thought, word and deed, being spiritual and humble, living a life for Christ. It is a life of complete devotion to God. I think that giving our lives to God, being filled with the Holy Spirit make us holy. Holiness should make us more humble, pure in thoughts and deed. It should make us spread God’s words to others.

We forget that God controls our lives, our achievements. He has a plan for us. Everything that we achieve is in his plan; we tend to forget this. Because of His promise to provide accordingly to His will and timing. He is there to forgive us our sins, heal us when we are ill, to guide us. We tend to take God for granted. The balance is that we must not sit idly by and wait for God to do the work. We may desire something but we cannot just around hoping that God will provide; we have to start working earnestly on what it is we want. We pray and work towards what we want knowing that He is with us always. I always try to pray and thank God for the blessings he has bestowed on me. My church is 2 years in existence. We pray to God for a building but we are working very hard on fund raising activities to achieve this.

Acsah was a strong, persistent woman who took charge. She had great faith in God’s promise of the land to the Israelites. She might seems a bit covetous not being satisfied with the land given to her husband Othniel ans asking her father for more. Mary, mother of Jesus, Queen Esther, Rehab, Ruth. Maya Angelo, Shirley Chisolm, Angela Davis,

Othniel was a man of God. He was blessed by the Lord. He was a courageous leader and warrior. Caleb offered his daughter because he knew that who conquered Debir was in God’s favor, was courageous and would therefore take good care of his daughter The Lord was behind Othniel’s judgeship. He was successful in conquering Demir, Mesapotamia and brought time of peace in the land.

Caleb had faith in God. He knew that God would be there with them to conquer the Promised Land. God would protect them and make what seemed impossible, possible. A trait to be emulated. Not many 84 years old can attest to feeling 45 and going to war. His faith made him confident and willing to continue to make conquests for the Lord. Caleb was loyal to the Lord. He waited 45 years for the cursed Israelite population to die out to conquer Hebron. Hebron was rugged territory and this fitted in with Caleb’s courageous, fighting spirit. He also chose Hebron I think to fulfill the promise made by God ‘The land on which your feet have walked, will be your inheritance and that of your children’. Joshua 14:9 A strong leader can be humble if he is spiritual and trusts in the Lord. Humble leaders are open to listening to others, giving encouragement and support to those under their command. Strong leaders are tempted towards pride because they put themselves first and not the Lord. They tend to forget that the Lord is always with us. They become too confident and forget to praise and thank those under their command for contributions made.

To follow the Lord wholeheartedly, means to give your life on God; to follow him with your heart and soul without any reservation. Joshua and Caleb were very spiritual and had faith and trust in the Lord. They knew that God could move mountains. They had seen him part the red sea, conquer their battles for them. They were not afraid of the giant Anakites because they knew that God would help conquer them. They were courageous. The other spies did not have the faith and trust in God as did Joshua and Caleb and were afraid of the giants. Their fear was transferred to the other Israelites who rebelled, not wishing to battle with the Anakites. Fear in leaders as seen in the other ten who were sent to spy out the land, caused a rebellion against Joshua wanting to claim the land of the Anakites. The Israelites thus disobeyed God’s command to claim the land because they were so afraid of dying in battle. God was angry with the Israelites because of their rebellion, disobeying his command and not having faith and trust in him

We have to open our hearts to God and let Him into our lives so that he can show us what needs to be changed. He is the only one who knows where we have come short of His glory and only He can fix it. When we surrender all the things we did that displeased God, He shows us His mercy as we are forgiven our sins through repentance and confession. We become more spiritual as we confess and repent our sins and really begin to live for Christ. We live by His commandments.

The Canaanites did not worship God the way they should. They worshipped idols thus they posed a threat to the righteous life the Lord wanted for Israel. This is similar to us being constantly tempted by the material and evil deeds of people around us. We constantly face temptation to do what is not right in the eyes of the Lord. The consequence of this sacrifice was putting Israel in danger of falling from grace with God. Much faith was needed by Israel to obey God’s commandments living among the Canaanites. We have to stay focused so as not turn away from our Christian faith. The devil is always around us trying to lead us away from the path God has chosen for us. We always have to wear our spiritual armor to ward off the evil forces around us.

The Lord created a stone storm to defeat the enemy Joshua marched from Gilgal with the Israelite army and made a surprise attack on the five kings. Since this was God’s plan, the Israelites were able to inflict great slaughter on them. The Lord was there with Joshua guiding him as to what must be done to defeat the enemy. Yes. He expects us to since that is the only way we can enter into His Kingdom. He expects us to remain focused on Him, repelling the works of evil. We have to always have our spiritual armor on.

Joshua lost about 3,000 Israelites in the battle. The conquering of land for Israel was God’s work, not Joshua’s. Joshua by right had to wait and follow God’s commands. Maybe he was a bit too self-confident after the first battle and wanted to move forward for the Lord and capture more territory in keeping with God’s promise for Israel. He forgot to take time to commune with God and ask for guidance. Joshua just took God for granted. Jesus would pray to His Father for guidance. We need to pray to God and meditate over a situation. God answers prayers although this may not happen immediately. We have to have deep faith and believe that all things are possible when God is in charge.

God’s name is Holy. He is the omnipotent. Any use of His name that brings dishonor on Him is taking his name in vain. Commandment 3 forbids the using of the Lord’s name in an irreverent manner since this shows disrespect for God. When we say we love God but do not follow his commandments we take his name in vain. We have to esteem and honor His name. Not doing this is to take his name in vain. Many of us do this all the time in careless speech or actions. We use exclamations such as ‘Oh my God’, ‘Good Lord’, ‘Lord have mercy’ without even thinking about God. These are utter disrespect for God’s name. The lord’s name should be used only to bless, glorify and praise His name. It should not be abused by careless speech. Many of us are tempted to take our promises lightly because we are not really devoted to God, we are not spiritual. A spiritual person would not break God’s commandments. God is Omnipotent. He is the Lord of lords and King of kings. We are not giving him the esteem and honor due His name. As quoted from Psalm 111:10 ‘the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding of all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth forever.’ When we say we are Christians and live for Jesus, but live our life as if he did not give us laws to obey, then we are mocking God. As Jesus said of the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 15:7-9 ‘Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you saying, 'This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.’