GRACE AND GLORY

The two words (grace and glory) are very essential word in the lives of every Christian, it is very important that everyone who is named by Jesus receive the revelation knowledge of this word because they are the two attributes of the Messiah. John the apostle said in his gospel (that is John 1 vs. 14), it says

” And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

For us to get a better understanding and establish the truth about these attributes of Jesus we have to look through the Holy Scriptures because Christ said

” Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” (John 5 vs. 39)

In this study we will take the subjects one after the other, starting first with the word grace and then glory (although the two words might be interconnected at each stage of exposition)

GRACE

The word grace in the Old Testament occurred 39 times and is found in 37 verses and is translated chen in the Hebrew language (pronounced kh-a-ne). In the New Testament of the scriptures this same word (grace) occurred 131 times, occurring in 122 verses. This word is translated in this testament from the Greek word charis (pronounced kha-rece). In both testaments (from Genesis to Revelation) the word grace has the same meaning. This word means kindness, favor or objectively beauty

This word occurred first in Genesis 6 vs. 8 and was talking about Noah finding favor in the sight of God. In the previous verse (that is verse 7) bible said “And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.”  Verse 8 says “But Noah found grace (favor) in the eyes of the LORD.”

ATTRIBUTES OF GRACE

Any time a person finds grace in the sight of someone (be it God or man) the person becomes

1.       Pleasant in the presence  of his or her benefactor (example Noah)

2.      Precious to his or her benefactor (example Joseph)

The question then is what makes a person enjoy grace (beauty, favor and kindness) in the sight of people. Many people believe that by being good to people is what makes them find grace with them, yes you are right. But it is essential for us to know that grace start with God, until a man enjoys becomes gracious before him, it is very difficult to become favored and blessed by men, because scriptures says “in the beginning God” (Gen 1 vs.1). Anything that commences without God has not begun, a very good evidence of this with respect with finding grace is the story of Joseph in Genesis 39 vs. 1 -6, it reads thus:

And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.   And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.   And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.   And Joseph found GRACE in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.   And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.   And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favored.

From this story we can conclude that whenever a man find grace (favor) in the sight of God it results in being favored by men. Scriptures say that in the presence of two or three witnesses a matter is established (Deut. 19 vs. 5, Matt 18 vs. 16 and 2Cor. 13 vs.1) so for establishment I will not give the scenario of Joseph alone, but add to it three others witnesses from the Holy Bible.

Moses

The story of Moses finding favor with God was first documented in Exodus 33 from verse 5 to chapter 34 verses 11, it goes like this:

For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.   And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb.   And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp.

 And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle.

And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses.

 And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door.  And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.  And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found GRACE in my sight.  Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found GRACE in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find GRACE in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.  And he (THE LORD) said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.  For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.  And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.  And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.  And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:  And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift o the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:  And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.    And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.  And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.   And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.  And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.   And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,   Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by n means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.  And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.   And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.    And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.  Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

From this passage we can see the reason for which the people of Isreal feared Moses, and for which they were victorious. God told Moses that he Moses had found grace (favor) in the sight of God. Looking deeply into this passage and the previous one (that of Joseph) we will see that anytime a man obtains grace in the sight of God the following are outward results:

a.       Presence of the Lord (glory)

b.      Goodness and favor

c.       Prosperity

d.      Dominion

e.       Outstanding excellence

f.        Victory; and

g.      Divine revelation

The other examples in the scriptures will be continued tomorrow, and my prayer is that we all will continually find grace in the sight of God and men as Abraham, Joseph, Moses and many others did