Episode Details

Receiving Glory

Genesis 13:2-18; Remsen Bible Fellowship; 11/10/2024

Introduction

Where does glory come from? Where does your glory come from?

Human beings long for glory.

Before we reject that out of hand as bad or prideful, consider:

We were made for glory

Gen 1, the image of God

Other things proclaim his glory, we are his glory (1 Cor 11:7) : the grand canyon, the stars in a Western sky, a birdsong in springtime, the awe-inspiring vastness of the ocean - these proclaim his glory. Human beings, bearing his image, are his glory.

In his essay, The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis writes about this reality of human glory:

“It may be possible for each to think too much of his own potential glory hereafter; it is hardly possible for him to think too often or too deeply about that of his neighbor…

It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare.

There are no ordinary people.

You have never talked to a mere mortal.

Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat.

But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”

As Christians, we believe that the human being is a soul: a reality of body and spirit combined. At Creation, this unity imaged and proclaimed the glory of God. This is, in significant ways, affected by sin - as Lewis points out in that quote, the glory that will be revealed in those who reject the Lord will be a horror beyond our earthly imagining. But for those who have trusted in Christ, we have been redeemed for glory. Glory beyond our wildest imaginations and dreams.

Redeemed for glory

Transformed into his image, 2 Cor 3:17-18

Glory revealed in/to us: Romans 8:18-19

Partakes of the divine nature 2 Peter 1:3-4 - there is a glory that comes with growth in Christ

Transition

The temptation for us, though, is to glory-grab. Eve was tempted by the fruit - because it was desirable to make one wise. That wisdom, according to the serpent, would make her like God. Instead of imaging God, glorifying him, through obedience, Eve sought to grab glory for herself in the garden.

Glory is not evil, glory is what we were made for. But let me come back to my original question: where does glory come from? With that question in mind, let’s read Genesis 13.

Read the Text

Abram’s Glory

Note in v2: “very rich.” He was heavy, weighty, glorious

* Where did Abram’s glory come from?

* God’s blessing of him in Egypt, and now in the land of promise; 12:2

How did he respond to the giver? V3-4

* Abram’s greatness came from the Lord, and he honored the Giver

* There is a great temptation with worldly success to credit ourselves, to tell others how its done, to make ourselves out to be smarter or more powerful or more effective than we are. We forget all the help along the way, both human and Divine

* Abram recognized the source of his greatness, and responded accordingly

But with this greatness, this weightiness, came problems: conflict

* [Cannanites, Perizzites] This is likely pointing out that the land is full of both city and country dwellers. That is, it wasn’t just wide open spaces waiting to be filled. This was a populated land.

* Lot had grown along with Abram: Abram had been a blessing to Lot Genesis 12:3

* Abram proposes a solution