Spirit Of Glory
Spirit of Glory
Sunday – 16th April 2023
Overview
1. Introduction
2. The Spirit of Glory
3. Three kinds of Reproach
4. Reproach
5. Shame
6. Disgrace
7. Conclusion
Introduction
Holy Spirit is a spirit of glory. When we say that Holy Spirit is the spirit of holiness, it means it releases holiness into our lives. In the same way, when we say that the Holy Spirit is equated to the spirit of glory, the spirit of glory glorifies God through our lives and in our lives and makes us a glory manifesto to others.
If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part, He is blasphemed, but on your part, He is glorified.
1 Peter 4:14 (NKJV)
When we first accepted Jesus as our personal savior, there were people who reproached us and put us to shame because of our faith. But the Word says that blessed are we, because whatever we endure for God, the Spirit of Glory and of God will rest upon us. They might think that they have blasphemed God and disgraced us, but on our part, we are blessed and the name of Jesus is glorified. That is the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us.
The Spirit of Glory instead of Reproach
If we take up a decision to walk with Jesus and stand along with Jesus, our disgrace is going to go away and the spirit of God is going to bring glory upon us.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:10-12
Even Jesus also says the same thing that if anyone persecutes us or puts us to shame because of Jesus and because of our Faith, rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is our reward in heaven. Many times, when people revile us, the first instinct that comes inside of us is to hide or deny to confess our faith. But if anyone has been put down in life, be rest assured because of the presence of the spirit of glory in us, God will manifest His glory in our life.
Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven…”
Luke 6:22-23
The word of God says, ‘Blessed are you when men hate you or when they exclude you for your faith, because we are a believer of Lord Jesus, we should know that God's glory is resting upon us, this will enable us to rejoice in that day and leap for joy. When we leap with Joy, we are indirectly defeating the spirit of reproach and exalting the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Shame or Disgrace or Reproach
There are three words that are synonyms to the word reproach in Hebrew Language, that are used mainly in the Bible: Shame, Disgrace, and Reproach
A) Reproach
“Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.
Isaiah 54:4 (NKJV)
This is about the Body of Christ. In the new covenant, all of us had reproach and shame in our lives but the Bible says when we come to the Lord, and when the anointing of the Lord comes upon us, no more can reproach hold us, no more can shame hold us because we will even forget the shame of our youth and reproach of our widowhood. Widowhood is not only being a widow without a husband, but it also means that there is no owner for our life. When we find Jesus, there is a new owner for us. Then it is not we on our own but we belong to Jesus. When we accept this ownership, the spirit of orphans, the spirit of abandonment, and loneliness will lose its grip on us, and the Spirit of Glory will rest on us. When the Spirit of Glory is resting upon us, the Bible is promising the older shame and reproach will never come to us. For a little time, there could have been a season in our life where God allowed a reproach. The reason is so that we will understand the value of the Spirit of Glory. But then it will be no more. The honor of God will take over it.
B) Shame
The other that the Word of God uses for this state is the word ‘shame.’
Instead of your shame, you shall have double honor, and instead of confusion, they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore, in their land, they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs.
Isaiah 61:7 (NKJV)
When the Spirit of Glory is resting upon us, the Spirit of Glory will never glorify us, but will always glorify the Father through us, by the Holy Spirit, in the Name of Jesus. The Glory is going to the Father and Father God honors us.
When the Spirit of Glory rests upon us, even if everyone says that we are of no use, we are a waste, or there is no value to our life, Father God says, ‘I will double honor you.’ Double honor means already we are honored in our life because of Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit, and on top of that God will honor us again. That is His Heart.
When the Spirit of Glory is resting upon us, the Spirit of Glory will always Glorify Jesus through our lives, The Spirit of Glory will glorify the Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and at the same time the Bible promises that God will honor us as well.
C) Disgrace
The first time the word disgrace is written in the Bible is in the book of Genesis.
And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved and very angry because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, a thing which ought not to be done.
Genesis 34:7
Here we read that because of sexual immorality, disgrace has come.
One of the things that the Holy Spirit does in people even if they have put their life in sin before coming to Jesus and knowing Jesus and even went for sexual immorality, God is rich in mercy to bring them out of that and to release glory into their lives. Jesus is so loveable that he will forgive us because He does not want us to continue in sin.
God delivers us from each sin and He will replace the disgrace that the sin brought into our lives with the Spirit of Glory. Jesus delivered a person having sickness for 38 years and He told him only one thing to sin no more. Jesus said I have forgiven you now, I washed you, I have healed you, now My Glory is upon you, so do not sin anymore. The Spirit of Glory actually gives us the strength not to sin anymore because it is always Glory, and Glory communicates or fellowships first with our spirit but when it comes to glorifying God back it has to start with our body first and that is where the devil attacks the devil does not attack our spirit first, but the devil attacks and exposes our body to sin. Sinning in spirit means when we are resisting the Holy Spirit or when we are blaspheming against the Holy Spirit of which Jesus says that those sins cannot be forgiven. But most of our sins start with our bodies.
Reproach because of delayed miracles
“Thus, the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
Luke 1:25 (NKJV)
This is the testimony of the mother of John the Baptist. For a long time, she was not pregnant. But God blessed Elizabeth in due time and removed her reproach that was spread among the people.
Reproach because of our Faith in Christ Jesus
Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven…”
Luke 6:22-23
If we are reproached because of the name of Christ, the Word of God says blessed are you for the Spirit of glory and of God will rest upon you. On their part, Jesus is blasphemed when they revile you, but on our part, He is glorified.
Concluding Prayer
Lord Jesus, we acknowledge that many kinds of things will come against us, but we have to stand firm. Let the Spirit of God and the Spirit of glory rest upon us and let every shame, every reproach, every disgrace leave our lives. Help us to stand firm and witness the Glory of God in our lives and also help us not to grieve the Holy Spirit that is in us in any way.
In Jesus’ Name
Amen