Seeing The Glory Of God

John 11:40

Don Fortner

The glory of God is the one thing we desire, long for and must see. We who believe have dedicated our hearts, lives and all that we possess to the glory of our God. Everytime we bow our heads and lift our hearts in prayer, either in public or in private, we ask God to glorify himself in us and manifest his glory to us. Why, then, do we see so very little of God's glory?

1. IT IS GOD'S PURPOSE TO REVEAL HIS GLORY. The purpose of God in creation, redemption and providence is to reveal himself and show forth his glory. Everything in God's creation is designed, ordained and ruled by God to glorify himself, or to reveal his glory to his creatures (Prov. 16:4; Psa. 76:10; Rom. 11:36).

2. IT IS THE DESIRE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST THAT WE SEE THE GLORY OF GOD. Sin had hidden the Father's glory from us. Christ came to unveil the Father's face, to make known the Father's character, and to manifest the Father's glory. This was the errand upon which Christ came. It is true, he came to save his people from their sins. But his purpose in saving us is that he might reveal the glory of God, that God might be glorified in us and by us (John 1:18; 12:27-28; 17:1,4; Eph. 1:6,12,14; 2:7).

3. IT IS OUR UNBELIEF ALONE THAT KEEPS US FROM SEEING THE GLORY OF GOD. This is the reproof of our text. "If thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God." The thing about which our Lord complained the most, even among his own disciples, was unbelief. How slow of heart we are to believe God! Unbelief hinders Christ from working those works in our midst which would show us the glory of God (Matt. 13:58; Mk. 6:5-6; 9:23-24). "Unbelief is so vile and venomous an evil, as that it transfuseth a kind of dead palsy into the hands of omnipotency" (John Trapp). Christ, who can do all things by his absolute power, can do little or nothing by his actual power for those who will not believe. He cannot because he will not! Unbelief lays hold of the hand of Christ, and says, "Work not here!" And unbelief keeps us from seeing the glory of God that is in his works, even though they are wrought before our very eyes (John 6:26). The glory that is wrapped up in God's works can be perceived only by faith. Faith honors God by taking him at his Word. And God honors faith by revealing his glory to it.