Ways to Behold the Glory of God in the Face of Christ

This morning we will be meditating, Lord willing, on what it means to say that once we were darkness but now we are light in the Lord. In the sermon I will argue that the way we transition from one to the other is by beholding the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

But this raises a question that I won’t have time to deal with in the sermon, namely, Since it is unlikely that we will literally see the brilliance of the glory of God in the face of Christ, how do we behold it nonetheless? Let me offer three suggestions:

1. We behold the glory of God in the face of Christ in the written Word of God. As we read and study and meditate and memorize and listen and obey and teach the Word of God, we do more than simply comprehend and memorize and articulate ideas. Much more profoundly, by the ministry of the Holy Spirit we behold and encounter the very presence and glory of God. If this is so, and I think it is, then we should give a very prominent place to the Word of God in our daily routine, and we should pray for eyes to see his glory as we read.
2. We behold the glory of God in the face of Christ by meditating more specifically on the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus once said to the Apostle Philip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Thus, to meditate on the being and words and works of Jesus is to meditate on God the Father. And to see glory in the being and words and works of Jesus is to see the glory of God in the life of Christ.
3. We behold the glory of God in the face of Christ by meditating on the mighty works of God. King David wrote in Psalm 92:1 &4, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High…for you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.” To behold the handiwork of God in the skies and lakes and trees and all of creation is to behold his glory. To behold the handiwork of God in healings and helps is to behold his glory. To behold the handiwork of God in the Body of Christ is to behold his glory.

Conclusion: if you want to behold the glory of God in the face of Christ and thus be transformed into his image, pray for eyes to see him in the Word of God, the person of Jesus, and the works of his hands.

Longing with you to behold the glory of God in the face of Christ,
Pastor Charlie