Biblical Discipleship Pt. 33 God's Spirit Will Always Glorify Jesus Christ.

Jesus taught His disciples about the ministry of the Spirit of God that would begin when Christ ascended to His Father in heaven. 

We learned that the Spirit has a three pronged ministry to reprove the world about sin, to convince mankind of the righteousness of Jesus Christ and His saving work on the cross, and to convict the world about impending future judgment.

Next, Jesus taught us that the Holy Spirit will be our faithful comforter and guide into all truth. 

The Spirit of God will always glorify Christ!

John 16:14  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 

The Spirit will glorify Jesus Christ the God-Man because He is mankind's only hope for salvation from sin and eternal life with God.  The Spirit of God will amplify and illuminate the splendor and glories connected with Jesus Christ. 

The word "glorify" means to cause the dignity and worth of Jesus Christ to become manifest and acknowledged by all. It also means to praise, extol, magnify, celebrate the words, works and Person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The Greek word translated "glorify" is contained in the word "doxology." The Greek word literally means speaking or singing hymns about the glory, splendor and majesty of the Godhead.

The word "show" means that the Spirit of God will announce, rehearse or report about the things of Christ Jesus as He shows us the glory of our Lord. 

He will crown Jesus with the highest honor, and multiply His majesty each time that Christ is preached.  Jesus said the Spirit will take all the blessed things of Christ and open them up for all who will hear and heed the gospel call.

Glorify God as Creator and Sustainer of life.

Romans 11:33-36  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34) For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35) Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36)  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. 

This is a doxology of the apostle Paul. He praises God for the purity and perfection of His knowledge and wisdom. He praises God because His thoughts and His ways are infinitely higher than our thoughts and ways. 

He praises God for making His truth unsearchable by His enemies but readily revealed to His children through the ministry of the Spirit of God. It praises God as Creator and Sustainer of all things and because all glory belongs to Him alone.

Glorify God for deliverance from sin through faith in Christ. 

Ephesians 3:17-21  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18) May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19) And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20) Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21) Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. 

We have another doxology from the apostle Paul in His letter to the church at Ephesus. 

This one praises God for salvation by repentant faith in Christ. It praises God for helping all born again believers understand the depth, length, breadth and height of our Savior Jesus Christ. 

This is a prayer and praise for the Spirit to glorify Christ in us by showing us the riches we have in Christ and the glory of our beautiful savior. 

God is to be worshipped, Christ is to be exalted because all glory belongs to the eternal Godhead. 

Glorify God with our mind and mouth. 

Romans 15:5-6  Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: 6)  That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Paul taught us to be consistently likeminded as Christ's Body, the living Church, around this one simple purpose. That all the born again wherever we live in the world, that we glorify God, our heavenly Father. We are to be single-minded and united in praising and extolling God and our Savior Jesus Christ. 

Glorify God by avoiding sin.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. 

Paul reminded us that what we do with our bodies impacts those around us, impacts the whole body of Christ, and impacts our exalted Head, Jesus Christ. 

Therefore, we must remember that Jesus bought us with His own precious blood. Therefore, He is our Master and we are His servants. A redeemed child of God should be overflowing with praise and expressions of glory for our savior, Jesus Christ.

Glorify God by letting our light shine. 

Matthew 5:14-16  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15)  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16) Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Jesus taught us that we are to live a life that honors God by loving Him and loving others. All who are born again are to walk as children of light because God has called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light.  

Thoughts to Ponder...

Jesus gave us some clear definition about the ministry of the Spirit of God. We can use what we learned today as a discerning tool to determine the soundness of ministry. 

Galatians 6:14  But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. 

Pastors must preach Christ and the cross relentlessly because God is glorified in that. 

Parents must consistently share God's plan of redemption with our children because God is glorified in that. 

Parishioners must share the gospel truth with friends, relatives and neighbors because God is glorified in that.

Is the Bible preached or taught without apology? Is Jesus Christ always magnified and extolled in worship and in teaching? Does God receive all the glory?

Or, is the ministry man centered? A lot of man centered ministries exist today and they are very popular, but they are not Biblical. We will be judged by our faithfulness to the revealed truth of God. 

Psalm 86:12  I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

May the heart of the Psalmist become our heart. Our whole heart filled with unceasing praises for God and our minds continually seeking to glorify the name of God by our thoughts, words and actions.

Bob