How do I clip this thing on, Bill? Oh, I see it. Pardon me. Oh, thank you. Nice to be with you tonight. I was thrilled when our brother John gave out that hymn, To God Be the Glory. Well, that's what I'd like to talk about this evening. The glory... of the Lord Jesus. I'd like to take a text from John's Gospel, chapter one, and verse fourteen. And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory as the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. We often talk about God's glory and the glory of the Lord Jesus as he walked, and there are some distinct glories that are his. We read here of the glory of his person. We read that the word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory. Now the word was the unique title, the title given to the Lord Jesus, A word is an expression. And when we view him, he was the expression of all that God is. And so as he walked in this scene, as Paul could write to Timothy, God was manifest in the flesh. And when we view the Lord Jesus, we are viewing God's revelation of himself to men. And when we view him, then we view the glory of God. Now our hearts often yearn to see his glory. His glory is revealed to us in his word in so many ways. There's first of all a glory of his person. And I think in his person there is an essential glory as the Son of God that's his. I believe the Lord Jesus was an eternal son. Got some radio preachers today that are teaching us different than that. But when we view the book of Isaiah and read what he says, in Isaiah six nine, he said, unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. And the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called wonderful counselor mighty God everlasting father and prince of peace see when we view the Lord Jesus he was an eternal son I've often said if you give your mind to think about this a little bit in order to be a father you have to have a son and if God is eternal and he is eternal father then of necessity he had to have an eternal son, or he could not have been an eternal father. And when we read in the book of Proverbs, in Proverbs chapter eight, I think it's an interesting portion of the word of God. It gives us a revelation of wisdom. Well, he says, then was I by him as one brought up with him. When we view wisdom personified, I think that we see it in the Lord Jesus. We read Paul writing to the Corinthians of the Lord Jesus that he was made unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, as all that the Lord Jesus was to us. So when we look at the Lord Jesus, he was, did have an essential glory as the Son of God. That was a unique glory. We read here he was the only begotten son, a unique son, no other son, none like this and none with him. We can rejoice as we view the glory of his person, that he stands as the eternal son of God. Now he did have some moral glories, and those glories are his perfections as the son of man, as he walked here. And he revealed to us the perfect man. He revealed to us God, walking in our midst, in flesh. And as he walked here, what do we read of him? We read that he went about doing good. We read that never man spake like this man. We read that when he was brought before Pilate, Pilate's wife had to say, have nothing to do with this just man. We see that when Pilate himself, you have to think about this one, what did Pilate represent? He represented the court of the world. It was the Roman world in that day. And that was the world government then. And he was tried in that court and that court had to say, I find no fault at all in him. Had to declare. in his perfection and there in the perfectness of the son of man as he walked before men. When he was born, we have some idea of his perfection of what it was to be. When the angel announced that holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the son of God. The Lord Jesus walked this scene. He didn't walk very far. When the demons were there, as he began his ministry, and the demons had to say, What are we to do with thee, thou holy one of God? When they took him to crucify him, and Pilate had to say, There was no fault in him, yet they did deliver him up to be crucified, because that was in the plan of God. But when the centurion stood there at the cross and he looked up and he said, Truly this was a righteous man. Truly this was the Son of God. A revelation of the Lord Jesus in his human perfections as a righteous man. But then there's the mediatorial glories that were his too. because of what he came to do. And we read of him, there's one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. And when he went to Calvary's cross, there were some glories that were to be his glory. One of them in the kingship, because he came, he came to be. On one hand, David's son, that one day he could rule from David's throne. And so he was not only David's son, but he was David's Lord. And in the millennial day, he's going to reign as king of kings. But you know, today he has a mediatorial office that's one that we enjoy, just as we've enjoyed tonight. That he is our great high priest. And as that priestly office that he has, He's there interceding for us. And he stands in the presence of the Most High. He's there at the mercy seat. And so we come to that place. For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was tried in all points like as we are sin apart. My what a glory is his that we enjoy even as we have tonight to stand in His presence as the mediator between God and man. And when we read of His intercession, He is able also to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for us. What a God. What a glory. that we can enjoy tonight. But then there are some glories that were given to him that were acquired glories. There were glories that were given to him because of the finished work at Calvary. There were glories that were given to him because of the work of Calvary. And not long before he went there, he cried, Father, glorify thy name. And the Father said, I have glorified it and will glorify it again. And when Calvary was through, and we see the Son in perfect obedience unto the Father, obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. And in that perfect obedience on his burial, then we see two things. We see the Son having the power in himself to raise himself, because he said, Herein doth the Father love me? I lay down my life that I might take it again. And yet we read that it was in the power of the Father or God that he was raised from the dead. And when he was brought forth from the dead, he ascended when, after he had purged us from our sin with his own blood, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. He entered in to those glories that the Father rewarded him with because of the perfect obedience of the Son. coming back to sit with him in that eternal glory. But here in this gospel, we see something of the glory of his power. Because in chapter two, as it begins, we see one of the first miracles that are brought forth and that was turning the water into wine. And you see two of his glories here, his glory as creator and the glory of his power. You remember that they got pretty thirsty. Wine had run out. And mother comes to the Lord Jesus, and Mary speaks to him. And in verse four we read, As Jesus answered when she made the request, they have no wine. Jesus said unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. And yet that mother had some understanding, because she turned to the servants, and she said, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. That's a good thing to respond to, isn't it? That's one of the things that the Lord Jesus spoke that ought to go home to our own hearts every time we read it. Whatsoever he says unto you, do it? What happened when... His glory was revealed in this when they were obedient. And the Lord told them what to do. And she took the water pots and they filled it with water. And then they bore it to the governor of the feast. Now the servants knew where the water came from. No one else knew. But when the governor drew it out to drink it, it was wine. Have you ever thought much about the process of making wine? What a period this would take. Now as the Creator... You think of him working here because he's the one who created the vine in the beginning. But now in a moment of time, he condensed months into a moment of time. Because when you take the vineyard, and it's in the spring of the year when the sap begins to flow and the vine gets the strength of the sap and The small vines begin to grow out so that they can bear fruit. After months of time, the fruit is on. Finally, the fruit ripens. And you have to go pick that fruit. You have to take that fruit and squeeze the juice out of it. Takes it a period of time for the fruit to ferment. The Lord made that in a moment. You see, He revealed at that moment not only His creatorial power, and his creatoral glory, but he revealed his power that he could work in his own will and in his own time. And so we see him in the beginning of his ministry and a revelation of his glory as creator and his power. You know, he reveals his power in that same chapter when he revealed his right as the Son of God to take up and purify the Father's house. When he took up and he made that little cords, or a group of cords in his hand, and he drove the money changers from the house, and he said, My Father's house ought to be a house of prayer, and you have made it a den of thieves. You see, in walking here, he revealed who he truly was. But then there was the glory of his plan. You see, God had a plan. We sing sometimes, Oh, the love that drew salvation's plan. Oh, the grace that brought it down to man. Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary. And I think back to the ages past when God drew up that plan. Now, I remember running a youth camp for a while, and man, we're making plans all the time. Had drawers full of plans, but A lot of them never came into being. But the plan that God drew up did because it was to be a revelation of his glory in his very plan. What was God's plan? Well, in the sixty-nine Psalm in verse four, we read of those that hating him are more than the hairs of his head. And then he says, Then I restored that which I took not away. You know, God's desire was to restore man and make him in a righteous condition that man could walk with him and be with him for all eternity. And it was the glory of his plan that that should be fulfilled. But in order to do that, he had to become man. You know, I've often thought people have said to me, you know, how come God ever made Adam so Adam could sin? How come this and how come that? And I've often thought God has more in man for all eternity than he would have ever had if Adam had not sinned. Because anywhere down the line, Adam could have failed. Whether it was centuries or eons of time, there would have been the ability in Adam to fail. But now because the Lord Jesus went to Calvary's cross, in order that He might restore that which He took not away, He is making perfect men and perfect women that one day will be with Him forever. And heaven is going to be filled, and pardon the expression, with little Christ, because there is a day coming When we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. That often astounds me. As I sit and think of it, I know what my mind is, I know what my heart is, I know how fickle it can be. But I know one day, when he appears, we know that we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. The only way God could accomplish that was to draw up a plan where He could restore that. And He did in a far fuller way. Because through the last Adam, through Jesus Christ, we will have life eternal and we will be like Christ. A second thing in His plan, I believe, was to share in our sorrow. and our affliction that he could experience them. And then in an experience of them, be able to intercede for us in a very full way. Can't grasp this one, so I'd like you to turn, if you'd like, to the book of Matthew. It's a re-quote from Isaiah, but I can't pick it out. Matthew chapter eight. And he says in verse thirteen, Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way, as thou hast believed. So be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in that very same hour. And when Jesus was come to Peter's house, he saw his wise mother lying sick of the fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her. She arose and ministered unto him. And when the evening was come, even though unto him many were possessed with demons, He cast out the spirits with His word and healed all that was sick. Why? That it might be fulfilled. That which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses. It's wonderful to think that in God's plan, He was going to have someone who could be an intercessor who's touched with the feeling of our infirmities. because he was tried in all points, like as we are, sin apart. And then the third thing you find in the book of Hebrews chapter two and verse fourteen, where through death he overcame death and him that had the power of death. I like that. Ah, you know, what a glory he had in his plan that he could take someone who was in his lifetime fearful of death. You know, my Bible teaches me that death is the king of tears. Oh, to those who know the Lord Jesus as a Savior, the stinger of it has been taken, but it still stands. And one day, unless the Lord Jesus comes soon, we might have to face that. But it's but a moment. I look at death as a door that opens for me to an eternal day, to a moment when I'll be changed and made in his likeness and to be with him. But then, you know, what a great victory was there when he overcame death and him that had the power of death. What a victory it was in his ascension when he ascended up through the realm of the Prince of the Power of the Year. Being a pilot and having flown for a good number of years, had a preacher friend of mine, Alex Stewart. And once in a while, I'd meet Alex around the country. And I was in Miami one time, or north of Miami, and he was in Miami. So I took a bus down there. And I asked him, I said, Brother, when are you going to be through with your meetings, would you like a ride home? He said, Yeah, Ray, I'd like a ride home. I'll be leaving in a few days. I said, Good, so will we, and we'll take you back home. And afterwards, when we got home, I kidded him a little bit. I said, I see you don't believe what you used to needle me with, because she'd say, Ray, aren't you afraid of flying in the realm of the prince at a power of the air? So when we got home, I said, see, brother, I see you weren't afraid either. You know, the glory of his plan is something we can rejoice in as well. That he overcame death and him that had the power of death. But, beloved, there's a glory to his punishment. And that's strange. The strokes of God. As God, as sovereign God, as a God that judges men. John's Gospel chapter twelve brings us to the judicial blindness that he brought upon Israel. And he brought it because of their refusal to be obedient unto him. Refusal of that people to acknowledge him and give him the rightful place that was his. Verse thirty eight, that the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, Lord, hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord been revealed. Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah hath said, He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted and I should heal them. These things said Isaiah when he saw his glory and he spoke of him. But you know, beloved, I love the part of the fact that even though God did judge and he brought Israel to that blindness. Yet he said it was blindness in part and he had a purpose in that too. It was till the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. There is a day when his plan is completed and he's going to allow Israel to see his glory. They're going to see it in a different way. The blindness is going to be removed. A blindness that judicially he brought because of their sin. And yet he's going to take it away. And Israel's going to see him. See his glory. and walk in it. But you know, there's one more glory I'd like to mention to you. And that's the glory of his pre-incarnation. If you would go to John chapter seventeen, there is in verse five, first of all, his essential glory. And he said, In verse four, I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which thou gave us me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thy own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. There's a glory that belonged to the Lord Jesus before the world was. You know, he's the one who is the king of glory. And so I believe that all glories are his. And David, in writing of that glory in the twenty-fourth Psalm, could speak these words, Lift up your heads, O ye gates. Lift them up, your everlasting doors. And the king of glory shall come in. Who is the king of glory? The Lord of hosts. He's king of glory. Ah, as king, he stands with a glory that was eternal before time began. He was one with the Father. There was essential glories that were his as the Son and with the Father in the ages past. But in verse twenty-two we see some allotted glories. And he says, And the glory which thou gave us me, I have given them, that they may be one even as we are one. Now I guess a lot of us don't think very much of that glory. But the Father and the Lord Jesus stood as one. The Lord Jesus as he walked here could say, I and the Father are one. He could say to the disciples, he that has seen me has seen the Father. And yes, he reveals here a glory of that oneness that now he is given to his own. That's the church. His desire that we would be one. See, the church today is fractured in so many different pieces, gone so many different ways. But He gave us the example of the body of Christ, giving us the example of the head and then the members of the body. I'm saying the Father placed, or the members were placed in the body, every one as it had pleased the Father. So was the Father's desire that as members we would be put in that body and we would have a unity in that body. And now the Lord Jesus said, I gave that. I gave that. I have given them. He gave those disciples a oneness. He said, I have given it to them. given to the church when we were all by one spirit baptized into one body perfect unity he gave us to him gave us to have in himself but then in verse twenty four he speaks of an acquired glory father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me, and thou lovest me before the foundation of the world. There is a glory distinct that the Father had given to the Son. And then he said, Father, I want them to be with me in my glory, that they may see that. Now they said that before he went to the cross. And when the cross work was completed, there was a way. that every single one of us could enter into that glory. But now to make it a little personal, what's that glory mean to us? What did it mean to some of the servants of his of old? Ah, in Acts two, or in Acts chapter seven and verse two, when we read of Abram's call, he saw the God of glory. And he heard his call. What did it do to Abraham? Made him a pilgrim, didn't it? Oh, you know, the other day I was sitting. I had read some things of the church suffering so much in some parts of the world. And the way some men are being put through torment of hell in this life. For Christ. And then I looked around me and I said, my, how easy is my life? How comfortable is how? You know, I think we've lost the pilgrim aspect of our journey. We've become complacent because of all we have. God has been so abundantly good in this country. We have an overflow of all the things that we have. And because of it, our hearts have become complacent. It costs too much to go. It's too difficult. So many things that we see the lion in the street. We cry in our heart. When Abraham had seen the God of glory. And he heard him call. Abraham went. He became a pilgrim. A tenth was his mark. What about Isaiah when he saw the Lord of glory? when he lifted up his eyes and he saw those seraphim and they heard him crying back and forth one to the other holy holy holy Lord God Almighty what is due to Isaiah Isaiah saw his own uncleanness he saw the uncleanness of the nation but then he heard that voice say who shall we send and who will go for us and he said I'll go I'll go And my heart reaches back sometimes to the ages past and I think about who would go for us. And I hear the Son knowing full well the cost, saying, Father, I'll go. A messenger. What about Job? God told him, gird up the loins of your mind and answer my questions. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? And he began question after question after question. And I can see poor old Job. He's shrinking in size every question that I ask. And then he said, behold, I am vile. I think a glimpse of the glory of God. reveals to us our own uncleanness and our own vileness in his presence. What about Moses? What he was in the presence of God. And God's glory radiated from that mount and Moses went down from that mount and he veiled his face because they couldn't stand the radiance of it. I think too when we get a view of the Lord of glory, get a different perspective and then radiance begins to shine through us. We get a different perspective of ourselves and we get a different perspective of our brethren. That's what James was talking about when James was writing of the synagogue and the man comes in and the porter at the door and he sees him all dressed up in a fine suit and he's got that diamond tie pin on and a big rock on his finger and he says, Ah, come, sit up here, have a higher place. And then there's a poor guy that comes in. His clothes are kind of ragged and he don't smell so good. Reminded me of a dear brother back home. His name was Old Moes and this was many years ago. And Moes used to like to go down to the dock in Lake Michigan outside of Milwaukee. And they sold smoke fish there. And old Moes would buy smoke fish. And then he'd tuck them in his pockets, you know, and he'd go walking. When you sat down to him next to him in the meeting, man, it just radiated. And I remember one night it was sitting down next to him. And I was just about gagging. And then the thought came to me. The Lord died for old Moses, just the way he was. Somehow it made a difference, and my heart reached out in love to an old bachelor who was alone. Yet had a love for the Lord. Moses was radiant. What did it do for Paul when on the road to Damascus? He sees that bright and shining light It blinds him. It brings him to his knees. But it brings him to obedience. Lord, what would you have me to do? It made him an apostle, didn't it? A yieldedness to the will of God. And he became a sent one. But if you're to go to Revelation chapter one and verse seventeen, there you have John as he's in the Isle of Patmos. in exile because of his testimony of the Lord Jesus. And God gives him a revelation of his son as one walks in that judicial garment down to his feet. A judge and a priest walks there with a golden girdle about his breast. Walks with feet of brass. with eyes burning as a shining light to fire, a two-edged sword proceeding out of his mouth. And then he hears that cry of who he is, the I am, the first and the last, the preeminent one, one that none supersedes. What did he do? He fell on his face as dead. Made a worshiper out of him, didn't it? You know, I was struck one day not too long ago reading that. And I see the Lord touched him. And God said with his right hand. And I said, I wonder why God, the Holy Spirit, is so specific. Why did he say his right hand? We just read that he touched Peter's wife. He took her by the hand. Didn't say what hand? But when it came to John, in a position of worship and weakness in it, as dead. He touched him with the right hand of power. Because that's what the right hand of the word of God signify, power. He touched him. My, what a worshiper. You know, beloved, I often say to myself, Ray, I'd like to be a better worshiper. Knowing the Lord Jesus better. Knowing the Father better through the Son. And every time I think it, I think I need a greater grasp of the Son in all of His glory. And then if I take up to study something of His name, of His attributes, of His character, God seems to enlarge in my vision the loveliness of the person. of the Lord Jesus. And then my heart begins to sing. God's looking for worshipers today. I love that hymn. To God be the glory. Great things he has done. Oh, the psalmist said in the hundred and forty-fifth psalm, Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. His greatness is unsearchable. In the next psalm, he says, Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised. His understanding is infinite. What a God. He knows our needs tonight as we come to conference time again. Come with so many needs, don't we? Some of us hurting. whether afflictions or emotions over troubles and families and homes, or whether it's a heart that's grown kind of cold when we want it refreshed. I trust this weekend the Lord will show us himself in his glory that we might grow in his grace. Thank you, our Father. for your precious word that reveals to us who you are, what you are, and what you've done in and through your eternal Son in a revelation of all yourself in him. Oh God, we just bless thee for loving us so much you give the Lord Jesus to be the ransom for our soul. And tonight at the beginning of this conference, we'd like to say to thee afresh, we love you, Lord. We love you because you first loved us and you gave your son to be a propitiation for our sin. We bless you for it in his precious name. Amen.