THE GLORY OF CHRIST

STUDY I For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; We have been called to follow the example that Christ left for us in His earthly life. The first thing we need to learn is in overcoming sin and daily temptations, overcoming using our mouths to deceive others, overcoming when we are falsely accused or reviled, overcoming when others subject us into suffering or any form of torture, and living a life of committing ourselves to God and committing everything that happens around us to God who judges righteously. The only place we can learn about Christ is in Gods word, and in these studies we shall look into the new testament. Whenever Jesus called His disciples, He always called them to follow Him. He always said, follow me. The glory of God is His Character. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. Heb 1:3 When Moses asked God to show him His glory, God showed Him His character, Exod 33:18-19 The glory of Christ is His character. but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. 2Cor 3:16,18 We are told we must first turn to the Lord for the veil to be removed which hinders us from seeing Christ. Isaiah says, “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. Isaiah 45:22. Our face is initially facing the world, but we have to turn and look to God. As long as our face is facing the world, we will never see the character of Christ. Turn your face from the world, from it's ways, from seeking it's help, from taking its values, and turn completely to God, to His ways, to His help. The Holy Spirit will then open our eyes to see the glory of Christ in the word of God which is the mirror. James 1:23. When the Holy Spirit shows us the glory of Christ, He then proceeds to change us so that the character we have seen in Christ, will be inplanted in us and we become partakers of the divine nature of God. We have to see before we are changed. This is a lifelong process. We don't become completely like Christ overnight. Still in our human nature, Paul says that we see through the glass dimly. 1Cor 13:12. But when our bodies will be transformed to heavenly body, only then we will be like Him completely. 1John 3:2. Between now and then, we keep on looking through the glass though dimly and allow the spirit of God to transform us. If we are seeing the glory of Christ constantly, the evidence will be that at the end of every year we will be more Christlike than the previous. We will move from glory to glory in becoming more like Christ. In fact the purpose of God for you, the destination that God has planned for you is that you become like Christ. Rom 8:29. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; We have to constantly see the glory of Christ if we are to fulfil God's purpose for our lives. Having established that, we will look in the character of Christ in the next studies. You are blessed to be a blessing Feel free to share @Blessed Mshindi Mambo