By Justin Schaeffer

Our Purpose (Romans 15:30 paraphrased): I urge you brothers, by the Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in prayer to God the Father for the glory of the name of Jesus.

Despite sitting in roughly 11hours of meetings that went well into the night, Pastor Steve was able to lead us in a devotion on the themes of spiritual blindness vs. seeing the Glory of God bright and early this morning.

He started out by having us get our Bibles and go to John chapter 1 where we read verses 1-5 and 14-18.

“1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

Pastor Steve pointed out the emphasis on light and how we see clearly in the light and are unable to see in the darkness. Vs. 14 says that we have seen his glory. What are we seeing when we see Jesus? Vs. 18 says that when we see Jesus we see the only God… He then asked us to share times where we feel like we have seen the Glory of God and what that looks like.

Several men shared stories relating the transformation of their hearts which provided a perfect transition as Steve took us to 2 Cor. 3:12-18 where Paul says

12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

I added bold and italics so that you might be able to trace the seeing vs. veiled theme through the text. And what is the result of seeing the glory of the Lord? Being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.
To really clarify and drive home what it looks like to SEE the glory of God. Steve finished off by reading from Revelation 3:14-22, the letter to the church of Laodicea

14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. 15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Steve pointed out to us how this theme of BLINDNESS continues here where Jesus shows them that they thing they need nothing, but they don’t realize (or are blind to) the reality which is they they are poor and wretched. He told us that the literal translation of “I will spit you out of my mouth” is “I will vomit you out of my mouth”. Their is nothing worse to Jesus than lukewarm people who think they know what is valuable and casually surf through life denying their need for the Pear of Great Price, the Treasure Hidden in a Field, namely the Kingdom of Jesus.

Pastor Steve’s exhortation to us as a people who ‘strive together in prayer to God the Father for the glory of the name of Jesus was to ‘be zealous and repent‘ of seeing anything as more valuable than Jesus and His glory and to prayerfully seek to see His glory with the eyes of our heart.