Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in highest heaven.”
This week, Michael writes that according to the Westminster Confession of Faith of 1646, the chief aim of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Glory is defined as: Praise ascribed in adoration; honor. Brightness; luster; splendor, magnificence. In scripture, glory means the divine presence. It is the divine perfections or excellence of Almighty God. Glory is weighty… it describes something of significance that has “gravitas.” Glory is consequential. A glorious man has substance. He is substantial, and he matters. Because we have been created in Christ Jesus, we are weighty, significant, substantial, and valuable in God’s eyes. However, in the eyes of the world we are inconsequential because the world cannot perceive the things of the spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:14 “the natural [unbelieving] man does not accept the things [the teachings and revelations] of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness [absurd and illogical] to him; and he is incapable of understanding them, because they are spiritually discerned and appreciated, [and he is unqualified to judge spiritual matters].”
When our prayers take the form of petition, we acknowledge that God is the source of our significance and glory. Prayer also tells us about the origin of our own heart. Prayer is the involuntary reflex of the human soul. 2 Corinthians 4:7 tells us that “we have this precious treasure [the good news about salvation] in [unworthy] earthen vessels [of human frailty], so that the grandeur and surpassing greatness of the power will be [shown to be] from God [His sufficiency] and not from ourselves.” Communion and communication with God are hard wired into our earthen vessel. Even those who are unbelievers pray when confronted by death. The old saying is “there are no atheists in foxholes”. When his death was near, even Mark Twain, an avowed non-Christian said, “I prayed like never before.” When we stand at the threshold of death and glimpse our own mortality, these are “come to Jesus moments.” There is a “Judgment Day” for all.
In Luke 11:5, after Jesus had taught his disciples the “Lord’s prayer.” He gave them an illustration about the benefits of persistent prayer. Jesus said, when a friend who comes to you at midnight, knocks on your door, and says “I have a guest and have no bread to serve him,” will you say to him, “Go away, don’t bother me. It’s too late and my wife and children are already in bed.” However, because of your neighbor’s persistent knocking, won’t you simply get up and give him what he needs?
Luke’s story about a cranky neighbor is an illustration of asking and receiving. In Jesus’ culture, neighborliness and hospitality were in vogue. The culture placed a high value on hospitality and considered it an honor to host a sojourner who needed a place to stay for the night. They believed that taking care of strangers was “entertaining angels unawares.” The host was obligated to fix a hot meal for the stranger. A stranger arriving at a house was considered the guest of the entire community. However, this particular host wasn’t prepared to feed his honored guest, resulting in a shameful situation and a bad reflection on the neighborhood.
When the host knocked on his neighbor’s door a literal translation of his request was, “I have nothing to uphold the honor of the community.” The neighbor’s first reaction was, “get lost, my kids are already asleep and in bed. I can’t get up and help you.” In Jesus’ day, this was not the appropriate response and was unthinkable. Jesus said, the solution to the problem is to keep on asking. The parable is a contrast between a cranky neighbor and a loving God who is eager to meet his children’s needs. The key is persistence. If you have the persistence to keep on asking a cranky neighbor, he will accommodate your request. Likewise, keep on asking a benevolent and loving God. Ask and it shall be given, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.
Let's continue Michael's message about "Glory to God" in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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