There Will Be Glory After This

 

There Will Be Glory After This

Luke 2:25-32

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷ So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, ²⁸ he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: ²⁹ “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; ³⁰ For my eyes have seen Your salvation ³¹ Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, ³² A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”

We serve a mighty God who is love. Jesus the light that You shine upon the world is seen everywhere. Your glory is not hidden because You have set the captives free who were lost, imprisoned, and chained by the powers of darkness. The power of Your grace has given the Gentiles hope to cry out to You. The Word of the Lord is the light that exudes Your majesty. John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” Revelation 21:23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.

The gospel is the good news to the people of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. There is power in the name of Jesus. We praise Your name for all the glory, honor and reverence belongs to You. Thank you, God, for opening the gates to allow every nation to learn about Jesus Christ the one who died on the cross for the sins of the world. This is the hope of glory that shines from above. The goodness that You give it is filled with light, life, and truth. John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

As we grow in the Word everything that You have done for Your people still speaks to the hearts of the new generations. Your Word is everlasting to everlasting. The power is in the Word because our lives have been changed. We no longer want to serve the works of darkness. The light of Your glory has compelled us to come to the light that is found in Your truth. We see the eternal hope that is in the glory of the Son, Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:3-5  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Timothy 6:13-16  I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, 15 which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.

We sing praise to You; our hearts and minds would not be able to make it in this world if it were not for Your Spirit. Thank You for the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. He is the Spirit of truth because we are not wise in our own eyes nor understanding. Evil has grown even more since we learned the truth. Genesis 6:5, 11 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  Verse 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

The world is filled with all kinds of wickedness that it promotes daily on the air waves. We do understand what is going on it is the kingdom of darkness setting up Satan’s agenda to destroy those who follow Christ. Thank You, God because You love us enough to leave us Your written Word and Spirit. Our eyes are open to discern what’s happening in the spirit realm. We must not partake in the world’s system and wickedness. Ephesians 2:2-3  And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

This is the love that Christ has for us to open our spiritual eyes to see the truth and grant us the wisdom to know the difference. As we mature in the Word, we will be better examples to the young ones in Christ. Sometimes, it takes years to finally understand what the Lord is saying, because many Christians are not walking in the Lord as they should. They are friends with the world through all the trappings of the trends, entertainment, idols, fame, money, and power it brings them. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Saints, we must lay hold of this glory that the scriptures tell us. We will have new bodies and there will be no more tears and pain. Our souls will house a new heavenly body. There will be no more labor and toiling to live and eat. Our hearts will rejoice all the time because we will be in the presence of Jesus. His glory will be something new that we’ve never seen before. Our new eyes will behold this heavenly brilliance of light. Revelation 21:24-27 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. 25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). 26 And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. 27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Revelation 22:3-5 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. 4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

We have this spiritual inheritance that awaits us because we believe in Jesus Christ. It is so amazing to see this from a far because all there was complete darkness and there was no good news to share. But now we have the best news that is being herald all around the world. The message of the cross, salvation, grace, and Jesus saves. These are the headlines to watch for because the gospel is about Jesus Christ and His grace for salvation. Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith. Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Our time is set to a number of days and we must continue to pray to our Father, God. When we rise in the morning, we must give Him praise for waking us and for His Son, Jesus. Our love and respect must be given to the Holy Spirit as well. He is always within us until the day of redemption. We must have a clear understanding about the triune God. God is one in three persons. God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are in the Godhead. They are co-equal and co-eternal in nature, essence, and attributes. They each have a specific work in the life of the believer according to God’s eternal plan of salvation. Matthew 3:16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 1 John 5:6-8 This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 

The hour is nearer, and we must be about our Father’s business. Everyday we must press toward the call of God in Christ. Everyman must be a watchman over his soul. The enemy is busy in  the world working in the hearts of men who love darkness and evil. Beware of our adversary Satan because he influences people to do evil and turn on one another through discord, strife, arguments, envy and jealously. We must pursue peace with all men, pray for forgiveness and love one another. We must focus on our Savior Jesus. Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

Lastly, we must hold onto our faith in Jesus. The race is for the one who endures to the end. Our focus must be on our own walk, because slow and steady wins the race. We must pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ and love them through being tender hearted. But we must be discerning of the times because many Christians are lukewarm and that does not, please God. Revelation 3:15-16 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. According to the scriptures, we must put our trust in the Lord. John 3:15-16 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

 

Standing in His Grace

 

The ground where I stand

My soul is engraved 

I will not be moved

I’ve struggled and wavered

While I climbed to the top

When the wind blew, I held on

I am like a tree planted

My faith has been strengthen 

My Father predestined my steps

I can sit on high and rejoice

There’s harmony in the air to hear my praise

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I’ve been rescued from the depths of death

I have triumph over my enemies

Praise and glory I sing

My spirit is free

My soul is forgiven

I’m reaping the rewards of my Savior

ã2004 “Naima’s Inspirational Melodies”