Glory and Honor
by Don Murphy
12/19/1996

        The Bible tells us that God will reward each person according to what he has done; to those who, by patiently doing good, seek for glory and honor and immortality, He will give eternal life.  (Rom 2:6-7) 
       Seeking glory and honor?  Don't we all do that?  Isn't it basic to our human nature to seek glory, honor, recognition, fame and praise?  Don't we all want approval from those around us?  It seems that everyone does.  So why does the Bible tell us to do what comes naturally?  The answer to that question seems to be clearly given by Jesus many times in the Gospels.  He did seek glory, but only from God, not from man.
       Jesus Himself said, "I do not accept glory from human beings...  How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the One who alone is God?”  (John 5:41, 44)
       Here Jesus reveals the grave danger that is associated with receiving glory, praise and recognition from people for it is highly addictive and will lead to ruin if one tastes of it.  Throughout His ministry, except for one instance, Jesus always attempted to avoid receiving praise and glory from people; He avoided it like the plague, for He knew its destructive power.  One can see this in His entire life, for He was born in a manager, not a palace, He lived the humble life of a carpenter, not a prince wearing fancy clothes and He died on the cross, an outcast, hated by His own people and abandoned by His disciples.  He truly "loved not the world, nor the things of the world".  (I John 2:15)  He set an example for us to follow in His footsteps.
       At the beginning of His ministry, the devil tempted Jesus with glory by showing Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world and saying to Him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please.  If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours."  But Jesus refused, telling him, "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.'“  (Luke 4:5-8)  Here we see two things: worldly glory is of the devil's kingdom and it is a major temptation, not only for Jesus but for everyone.
       The devil again tempted Jesus through Peter.  When Jesus told His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised, Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord!  This must never happen to you."  But Jesus said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan!  You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”  (Mt 16:21-23)  Not only was Peter attempting to prevent Jesus from following the path set before Him by the Lord God, but also Peter was saying that such a disgrace in the eyes of the world should not happen to Jesus.  Peter was appealing to His pride, which Jesus recognized as the work of the devil and said so.  One can see in the sharp rebuke given to Peter that this was a major temptation to Jesus, something for which He had to be constantly alert.
       Recovering alcoholics who are members of the Alcoholic Anonymous are taught that they must always be on the alert never to touch a drop of alcohol, as even a little taste will lead an alcoholic to want more and more.  They learn to fear alcohol as if it were a deadly poison and to treat it as such.  This is exactly the same way that Jesus views receiving glory from man, it is a deadly poison that is highly addictive and will certainly lead to eternal damnation if one continues to drink from it.
       So Jesus always tried to avoid receiving praise and glory from people.  The Gospels record at least a dozen instances where Jesus warned people not to say anything about what He had done.  When He healed someone He usually told them not to tell anyone about it as He did not want their praise.  He even commanded His disciples not to spread His praises.  They were to wait until He was glorified by His Father in Heaven.  (Mt 9:9, John 17:5)
       In Matthew chapter 12, we read that Jesus healed all their sick and warned them not to tell who He was.  It says that this fulfills what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:  "Here is My servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations.  He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear His voice in the streets.  A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out, till He leads justice to victory.  In His name the nations will put their hope.”  (Mt 12:15-21)  He will not be loud and aggressive, He will not seek to be seen and noticed, to receive glory from men, during His ministry here on earth. 
       Jesus told the Jews that He does not seek glory for Himself; but there is One who does seek it, and is the judge of it.  (John 8:50)
       Jesus said, "How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the One who alone is God?”  (John 5: 44)  Accepting praise and glory from people is as poisonous to the man and woman of God as accepting a drink is poisonous to a recovering alcoholic, and much more dangerous.
       People, because of their carnal nature, seek from others what they should be seeking from God, robbing God of His rightful place in their lives.  When people seek respect, approval, praise and recognition from other people, they are seeking from man what they should be seeking from God, desiring His praise and approval.
       This desire for respect is most obvious in the young street people, those youths who inhabit the streets of our cities during the late night hours, and in the gangs that seem to be proliferating these days.  One of the worst things that can happen to a young street person or a gang member is to be disrespected, for their self-worth is measured in the respect that they receive from others in their world.  Their self-esteem is based on their image that they see reflected in the eyes of their peers.  Isn't this same thing, perhaps in a lesser degree, holding many a man or woman hostage in the kingdom of the world who would otherwise be bearing fruit in the kingdom of God?  Isn't this desire for respect from our friends and peers a heavy burden for many, a weight around our necks that keeps us from fulfilling our role as born again children of the Lord God?
       Who does not desire a beautiful home, a showy car, fashionable clothes and a prestigious job?  These are all part of the carnal nature that most of us are born with.  And it is precisely this nature that has to be put aside and dealt with if we are to enter the Kingdom of God.  The Lord Jesus said, "If anyone would be My follower, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."  (Mt 16:24, Mk 8:34, Luke 9:23)  The apostle John wrote, "Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world ‑‑ the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does ‑‑ comes not from the Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."  (I John 2:15-17)
       Many people are driven by a desire to see their name in lights, to win fame and fortune, to be given the best seat at a restaurant or at a dinner party.  Those who succeed in doing so are called 'stars', and the world gives them glory.  The leading people in the entertainment industry are held up as worthy of honor and glory, this we see this constantly in our news media.  Even some of our religious leaders suffer from this spiritual ailment, they give themselves lofty titles, desiring name recognition to increase their worth in the eyes of the world, they have long forgotten the admonishment of Jesus concerning humility.
       Jesus taught His disciples to be humble, telling them, "Whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave.”  (Mt 20:26-27)  He said that the men and women of God must be seen, in the eyes of the world, to be like a little child.  He said, "Whoever becomes humble like a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”  (Mt 18:4)
       Jesus, speaking of certain religious leaders, said, "They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they wear elegant clothes, they love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the assemblies, and to be greeted with respect in the stores, and to have people call them Teacher [or Doctor].  But you are not to be called Teacher, for you have one teacher, and you are all students.  And call no one on earth Father, for you have one Father ‑‑ the one in heaven.  Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.  The greatest among you will be your servant.  All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”  (Mt 23:5-12)
       It is easy to see that this teaching of Jesus regarding humility is often disregarded in the Christianity of today.  For many religious leaders give themselves titles, even through that is forbidden by the One that they call Lord Jesus.  They seem to be seeking glory and honor from the world rather than from the One who created the world.
       We are to seek glory but only from God, that we may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, which comes with eternal glory.  (II Tim 2:10)  Peter writes, "the genuineness of your faith ‑‑ being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire ‑‑ may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."  (I Peter 1:7)
       What is to be done on our part, then?  If we are to be holy, if we are seriously seeking the Kingdom of God, then we must seek His praise alone, we must seek to be given honor and glory, in the proper time, only from the Lord God.  If, instead, we seek, or accept, praise and honor and glory from people, we are spurning the Lord God, heaping up burning coals upon our heads in the everlasting fires of hell.