From Glory To Glory | Mark Estes

Good morning, North Palm.

Amen. Amen. I am excited. I'm excited

about what Holy Spirit is doing. Um I

just take authority over any spirit of

witchcraft that's been released against

you. Any word curses that have been

spoken, I cancel them in Jesus name. And

I call forth the power of the Holy Ghost

just to move in your life now. Lift your

hands with me right now. Come on,

everybody. Lift your hands. Pray this

prayer with me. Holy Spirit, open my

ears that I can hear what you have to

say. Open my heart. Make it receptive. I

give you permission to move deep in my

life, to form my heart, to form my

character. Jesus, have your way in me

today. Amen. And I want to talk to you

about from glory to glory. I want you to

look uh at the apostle Paul's second

letter to the church at Corenth.

2 Corinthians chapter 3 beginning with

2 Corinthians 3 · chapter mention

verse well actually just reading verse

number 18. 2 Corinthians 3:18. If you'd

2 Corinthians 3:18

like the notes, I encourage you text the

word notes to 84375-56209.

download a copy. At the end, there's a

seven-day prayer plan. I encourage you

to pray through these this week because

Holy Spirit is preparing us for revival.

This is so necessary. Do you We've got

to get a grip on what it means to go

from glory to glory. And we're not

talking about an emotional experience to

an emotional experience. We're talking

about the image of Christ being made

clearer through us every day. 2

Corinthians chapter 3:18. 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 by the

spirit of the Lord. So in this passage,

Paul is actually lifting the veil and

revealing the ongoing work of Holy

Spirit in the life of every believer.

Now God's not interested in just dead,

dormant, stagnant religion. What he is

looking for is a people who will allow

themselves to be progressively

transformed into the image of his dear

son. Now under the old covenant, the

glory was was fading. It was external

and it was mediated through Moses. But

under the new covenant, the glory is

internal. It is increasing and it is

mediated by the Holy Spirit. So Paul

said we go from glory to glory. So this

is a journey of beholding Christ looking

at Christ and and then becoming like

him. And so where the revelation of

Jesus in us produces a reflection of

Jesus through us. So the more we the

more we reflect Jesus, the more

transformation

that happens in our lives. So it is the

promise that we fix our gaze on the Lord

where the spirit is continually

conforming us into the image of Jesus

and we're moving from one degree of

glory to another degree of manifested

Christlikeness

to another to another until the

character

the character of Jesus is formed in us

and his glory is actually seen through

us. So I want you to get this.

Sanctification

is God changing us over time.

Sanctification is not you just trying to

hold your ground and keep it together

today so that you don't fall off the

wagon.

So many believers are faithful, but they

live frustrated lives.

They love Jesus, but yet they're

stalled.

They're saved, but they're not changing.

They're forgiven, but they're still

fighting the same battle every day, week

in week out, month in, month out, year

in, year out. And Paul confronts that

mindset directly

and he does not describe the Christian

life as survival.

This is not an episode of survival until

Jesus comes.

>> This

is ongoing progressive transformation

revealing Jesus to the world around us.

So you understand that sanctification

is not behavior modification.

Sanctification

is the Holy Spirit

applying Christ's victory

in us over time.

And so listen to the language that Paul

uses. He said, "But we all with unveiled

face," look at this, "beholding as in a

mirror the glory of the Lord." Now,

James talks about a mirror. He talks

about the mirror of the word and how

you're looking at that mirror and you're

seeing yourself introspectively.

But that's not what what Paul is saying

here in 2 Corinthians 3. He said,

"Beholding as in a mirror the glory of

the Lord." This is not about you. This

is about Jesus.

He said being transformed into the same

image. You see Jesus and then you're

being transformed. You become like the

man in the mirror.

And then he says from glory to glory. So

you see that that progression that that

victory over time. And so Paul's

language is exactly that. It is a

progressive language. Christianity is as

defined by scripture is a dynamic

advancing biblical Christianity is

marked by a continual movement toward

Christ likeness.

>> I'm supposed to look more like Jesus

tomorrow than I look like him today.

>> You I've said this before. I want to say

it again.

You don't have to do anything to make

God loves you. He loves you and there's

nothing you could do to make him love

you more. He loves you. It's not your

works.

>> But because he loves you,

>> he refuses to leave you the way you are.

>> He's constantly working in you to make

you more like him. And this is that

process. So let's break this this

scripture down. But we all you see this

is a standard a shared inheritance. We

all all of us there's no exclusion

there. There is not an elite

spirituality where Paul is segregating a

few. Oh now you are really holy. So so

you're beholding in a mirror of the

image. No no no. He said we all with

unveiled face. All of us. He includes

every believer. Sanctification is not

for a few that walk in that deeper life

experience. It is the normal Christian

life rightly lived.

>> Normal.

>> You're not weird.

>> Well, for the most part,

just teasing.

He said, "But we all with unveiled

face." This what is it? This is saying

that access has been restored. He's

referencing Moses in Exodus 34 who had

to veil his face because the glory was

so strong. He'd been in the presence of

Jehovah. And the glory was so strong the

PEOPLE WERE SCARED TO LOOK AT HIM.

>> WOW.

>> But in Christ, that veil is permanently

removed.

>> That's right.

>> Permanently removed. Paul said in 2

2 Corinthians 3:16

Corinthians 3:16, "Nevertheless, when

one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken

away,

permanently removed." The Greek word for

veil with unveiled face. The veil is

taken away. Literally means a covering.

It is concealment and it represents

spiritual blindness. It represents

distance from God and it represents

mediated access. Moses had to mediate

the access of Israel to the glory of

God. But in Christ, access is direct.

You can have access. You do have access.

And that glory is unfading. It doesn't

pass away. And so the intimacy that that

is there is restored.

>> So sanctification begins where faith

steps into what Christ secured. Amen.

>> He said beholding as we all with

unveiled face beholding as in a mirror.

This is transforming

vision. That the word beholding means to

gaze steadily to reflect in like a

mirror. So it's not a you're not

glancing at Jesus once in a while. This

is a prolonged

attention. He has your attention. You

are looking. You're not taking your eyes

off of Jesus. So you wait, you know, you

don't you don't become like what you

fight.

Some of you are fighting sin. You're

fighting addiction. And and and thank

God that you don't like it. You want to

be changed, but you don't become like

what you fight. You become like what you

behold.

And so Hebrews chapter

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

12

verse number two Paul the the writer

said looking unto G look at that looking

unto Jesus the author and the finisher

of our faith who for the joy set before

him

endured the cross despising the shame

and has sat down at the right hand of

the throne of God. What was the joy set

before him?

You.

You're the joy that was SET BEFORE HIM.

YOUR SALVATION, YOUR JUSTIFICATION, YOUR

SANCTIFICATION, YOUR REGENERATION, YOUR

SEPARATION FROM THE FATHER REMOVED. YOU

ARE THE JOY THAT WAS SET BEFORE HIM.

THAT'S WHY HE ENDURED THE SHAME. THAT'S

WHY HE DESPISED IT. THAT'S WHY HE WENT

THROUGH THE AGONY AND THE AND THE

BEATING AND THE WHIPPING AND THE

HUMILIATION. You are that joy.

>> Looking unto Jesus. So transformation

comes

not from looking at yourself but from

looking at Jesus. Transformation

transformation doesn't come by you being

able to dissect every little thing

that's wrong with your life.

We don't change by staring at our flaws.

We change by seeing his glory.

And he said with unveiled face, we are

being transformed.

This is an exter or an internal change.

It's a work of Holy Spirit inside of us

that begins to manifest on the outside.

And so the Greek word for transformed is

metamorpho. It's where we get the word

metamorphosis and it means to transform

literally to and and also figuratively

but it means to change to transfigure to

transform and this word is used when

Jesus was transfigured there on the

mount of transfiguration in Matthew 17.

In Matthew 17 verse number two, the

Bible says he was transfigured

metamorpho before them and his face

shone like the sun and his clothes

became as white as the light. So that

that's what happened. Jesus was he he

entered his glorified state. But it was

also used where Paul was writing in

Romans 12 verse number two. You know in

verse one he said you need to present

yourself as a living sacrifice. And then

in verse two he said do not be conformed

to the world this world but be

transformed metamorpho be transformed

by the renewing of your mind. How do you

get your mind renewed? Put your

attention on Jesus.

Be transformed by the renewing of your

mind and then you can prove what is that

good, acceptable and perfect will of

God. So metamorpho describes a change

from the inside out.

>> So sanctification is not suppression.

It is reformation

allowing Jesus to reake you.

And so he said from glory to glory. So

there is a progressive displacement.

This is not from sin to holiness. This

is from one degree of glory to another

degree of glory. And the word glory in

Greek is much like the word glory in

Hebrew. They both mean weight and

substance. It's a manifested reality. So

darkness is not defeated by discipline

alone.

It's not your work. We're saved by grace

through faith. It's a gift of God, not

of works, lest anyone should boast. You

don't defeat darkness just by saying no.

You defeat darkness by in allowing the

glory of Christ to increase inside of

you. It's Jesus in you flowing out of

you. And how does that happen? Paul said

it is by the spirit of the Lord. So

there's this divine agency involved.

It's not you, it's God. It's holy spirit

working in you. So the spirit is

assisting your effort and it's the

spirit of God that is producing the

change in you. In Romans chapter 8 verse

Romans 8:13

13, Paul said, "For if you live

according to the flesh, you will die.

But if by the spirit," how do you do it?

If by the spirit you put to death the

deeds of the body, you will live. So

sanctification is a spirit empowered

cooperation.

It is not self-powered striving.

>> I want you to notice number one,

sanctification destroys deception.

Remember we talked about Genesis 3:13,

Genesis 3:13

how when God confronted Eve, she said,

"Well, the serpent deceived me and I

ate." The serpent deceived me. The word

deceive, the the main idea that that

word is conveying is the serpent led me

astray. The serpent caused me to heir.

He lied to me. There was a false

persuasion there. And so it it is

implying to seduce intellectually, to

mislead through distortion, to cause

someone to believe what is false. And

and it often implies a subtle

manipulation,

not open force. And let me tell you

something. There is a lot of deception

that is going on in the world today. And

you need to wake up and open up your

eyes and get a little discernment from

the Holy Ghost before you jump on every

little bandwagon that comes along.

>> So deception is not coercion. It's

persuasion that distorts the reality. In

1 Corinthians 15:33, Paul said, "Do not

1 Corinthians 15:33

be deceived. Bad con company corrupts

good morals.

In other words, if you run with skunks,

don't be surprised if you stink.

Amen, pastor. Wow, that's good stuff.

So, the word deceive in Greek here means

to lead astray, to misrepresent

reality. And so Jesus identifies

deception as Satan's native language. We

looked at this verse a few weeks ago.

John 8 verse number 44 where Jesus says

you are the father. You are the you are

of your father the devil and the desires

of your father you want to do. He was a

murderer from the beginning. He doesn't

stand in the truth because there is no

truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he

speaks from his own resources. For he is

a liar and the father of it. So

sanctification tears down lies by

revealing truth. John 17:17,

John 17:17

sanctify them by your truth. Your word

is truth. It's not your opinion. It's

not your ideology. It's not even your

doctrine. It is the truth of Jesus

Christ.

>> Hallelujah.

>> And so truth doesn't just inform. Truth

reorders

reality.

So what does this mean to me? What do I

need to do with this? Well, first of

all, you need to identify lies that you

have normalized about God. Identify lies

that you've normalized about yourself.

Identify lies that you've normalized

about other people. You where you

generalize AND PUT THEM ALL IN THE SAME

bucket and you need to replace

assumptions with the word of God

and then stay in the word long enough

for your thinking to REALIGN WITH HIS

THINKING.

>> That's how you have the mind of Christ.

Second thing I want you to notice is

that sanctification dismantles bondage.

Sin is not only an act, it is a master.

Romans chapter 6 verse 6, Paul said,

Romans 6:6

"Knowing this that our old man was

crucified with him, that the body of sin

might be done away with that we should

no longer be slaves of sin." The word

slave is the Greek word that means means

one bound to another's will. You are

bound. You are you are a slave to the

devil's will. And so bondage continues

when your identity is distorted by the

lies of the devil. Remember what Paul

said in Romans 6:6, knowing this, that

Romans 6:6

the old man was crucified with him. And

you understand that crucifixion was

decisive. There's no turning around if

you've been crucified. Freedom, however,

is learned progressively.

I have been crucified with Christ.

Nevertheless, I live. Yet not I, but

Christ lives in me. And the life that I

LIVE IN THIS FLESH, I LIVE BY FAITH IN

THE SON OF God who loved me and gave

himself for me. So when Israel came out

of Egypt, the Exodus was decisive.

Pharaoh's army was destroyed in the Red

Sea. There is no turning back. But yet,

Israel had to learn how to live free

from slavery. It had to learn how to be

a conqueror. They had to learn how to be

a people of God. And unfortunately, it

took them 40 years of wandering in THE

WILDERNESS TO GET A GRASP OF THAT.

Galatians chapter 5:E 16, Paul said, "I

say then, walk in the spirit and you

will not fulfill the lust of the flesh."

So you see that walking precedes

victory.

Stop fighting sin as an isolated enemy

and start cultivating a daily spirit

awareness.

Are you aware when you go to work that

the Holy Ghost goes in with you?

>> Are you aware when you GO TO SCHOOL,

WHETHER IT'S HIGH school or university

or higher education ON THE HIGHEST

LEVELS, THAT YOU'RE NOT GOING ALONE?

HOLY SPIRIT IS GOING WITH YOU.

>> HE'S WITH YOU. CULTIVATE A DAILY spirit

awareness and then start obeying

promptly. Don't get hung up on being

perfect. Just move in obedience.

It doesn't matter if you say it, if you

don't say it just right, or if you don't

do it just right. The ma what matters is

that you say it, that you do it.

Number three, sanctification silences

accusation.

Satan is not just a tempter. Remember,

he is the accuser. And Revelation 12:10

Revelation 12:10

says he is the accuser of the brethren.

And so, accusation will keep you looking

backward. Satan reminds you what you

were before you came to Christ. Sanctifi

uh the accusation will keep you

operating in shame because you remember

what you were. You feel that shame like

it's what you are now. You remember that

shame and it'll cause you to be hesitant

in obedience because I used to do that.

I feel the shame of that. How am I going

to obey God today when I know what I was

yesterday?

But sanctification rebuilds your

confidence in your standing with God.

Because Paul also said in Romans 8:1,

Romans 8:1

"There is therefore now no condemnation

to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do

not walk according to the flesh, but

according to the spirit." Some

translations cut it off at there is

therefore now no condemnation to those

who are in Christ Jesus. That really

doesn't do any violation because Paul

repeats the same thing later on in the

same passage. who walk not according to

the flesh but according to the spirit.

But the main thing I want you to see is

there's no condemnation if you are in

Christ because condemnation paralyzes.

But when you know who you are in Christ,

you are mobilized. Condem condemnation

will hold you back and keep you from

acting. BUT WHEN YOU KNOW WHO you are in

Christ, you are SENT FORWARD. YOU'RE NOT

AFRAID. YOU'RE NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL

OF CHRIST BECAUSE IT'S THE POWER OF GOD

to all who believe.

>> So here's a real plan of action.

Reject the voices that contradict

Christ's finished work.

In other words, what Jesus says about

you is all that you should believe about

you.

Speak the word of God out loud.

>> Declare what the word says about you.

Refuse to rehearse forgiven sin.

>> Oh, come on now. Refuse to go over in

your mind everything you've been

forgiven of.

>> Shut up.

>> Put it out of your mind.

Because you are not what you used to be

and you are not what you used to do.

>> Amen pastor.

Number four, sanctification creates a

visible distinction between the kingdom

of God and the culture that is around

us. You need to get this.

Holiness is not disappearing from

culture. Oh, I'm not going to do that

because I'm a child of God. I can't get

involved in that. I'm I've been saved

and washed by the blood.

I can't can't can't dirty my hands with

that.

No. No. Listen to me. Holiness is not

pulling away from people.

Holiness is about living differently

among people.

Holiness is separation unto God that

becomes evident

to people that you are around.

Matthew chapter 5

Matthew 5:14

verse 14 Jesus said, "You are the light

of the world. A city that is set on a

hill cannot

be hidden." How how does light bring

change?

Light changes a room by entering it.

When light appears, darkness has no

rebuttal.

Light settles the issue by showing what

is real.

Light advances by shining, not by

striving.

Light doesn't work. Light just is. So

the church is God's demonstration of a

superior kingdom.

So what does that mean to me? What am I

supposed to do with this? Well, how

about live distinctively without

hostility?

You don't have to be mad about

everything.

>> How about let holiness be attractive and

not abrasive.

>> You don't have to just keep

intentionally rubbing people the wrong

way.

How about carrying peace,

carrying clarity,

carrying truth into public spaces?

And then number five, I want you to see

that sanctification is not holding back.

It is putting on Christ.

Darkness is not overcome by avoidance.

>> Uh-uh. No. It is overcome by the greater

presence of the light of Christ shining

through you.

So sanctification is internal renovation

not external regulation.

Just because you look sanctified

>> honey it don't mean you are sanctified.

Because you can talk holy when you are

around church folk

>> doesn't mean you are holy

>> in your heart

>> internal re renovation not external

regulation. So Paul said in Colossians

Colossians 1:13

1:13,

"He has delivered us from the power of

darkness and conveyed us into the

kingdom of the son of his love.

Delivered us from darkness, conveyed us

into the kingdom of the son of his

love." So as Christ increases,

deception loses its grip.

>> That's right.

>> Habits become weaker.

>> That addiction can't hold you if you

continue to behold the manifestation of

Jesus. You look in the mirror and you

behold the image. You the image of

Jesus. You keep looking. That habit has

to let you go. I break addiction. Right

now in the name of Jesus, I come against

drug addiction and pornography addiction

and perversion in the name OF JESUS. AS

CHRIST INCREASES, THE DECEPTION LOSES

its grip, THE HABITS WEAKEN, AND YOUR

AUTHORITY BEGINS TO RISE. JESUS IN YOU

BEGINS TO REALLY MOVE THROUGH YOU AND

YOU SEE CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE AND YOU

BECOME AN AGENT of change in the world

around you.

>> This is from glory to glory. So to sum

it up,

sanctification is the spirit

applying Christ's victory.

It is the spirit displacing the

darkness.

It is the Holy Spirit restoring Christ

image in us. And it is un and he and

that spirit keeps working until Christ

is fully formed

in us.

So Galatians 4:19, Paul said, "My little

Galatians 4:19

children,

for whom I labor in birth again

until Christ

is formed

in you.

That's it.

That's it. Jesus

formed in me.

I want Jesus.

And when I gaze upon his beauty, when I

look into his holiness, there awakens

something inside of me that says, "I

want that. I want that. I know the good,

the bad, and the ugly about me. I know

all my struggles and all my flaws too

well. What I need to do is know