The Glory of God

[0:00] Alright, so let's read 2 Corinthians 4, 6-7. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,! hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

[0:16] But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. Amen. Please be seated.

[0:30] It says, God, who commanded the light to shine, hath shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

[0:42] But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, just in clay pots, if you like. We have this in these vessels of clay, these earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may not be of us, but of Him.

[0:56] Maybe of God, not of us. The excellency of the power. God's light shines in, lightening up our once sin-darkened soul. That bright, dazzling, beaming, glowing light that is God.

[1:11] The light of the knowledge of the glory of God. And where do we see it? In the face, the face of Jesus Christ. Our heart, deceitfully and desperately wicked, has been purified by faith, made new, made into God's holy dwelling place by faith.

[1:33] And God's very glory comes and resides there, in your heart, in human hearts. Hearts of men and women today, His glory resides there, His very glory.

[1:46] We read that it says, Christ within you, the hope of glory, that Christ is within. Each one who knows Him here today, someone sitting next to you, Jesus is sat right there, in their very heart, those that have trusted Him.

[2:02] His very glory. And this amazing, this great treasure, is carried about in these humble vessels of clay. You know, some of us are looking a bit worse for wear.

[2:12] I can talk of myself. I was looking in the mirror lately, and I had to do some cosmetic treatment. Because I've been planting some trees, and I got scratched in the face by a yucca.

[2:23] You know, these yucca plants that, they've got very sharp leaves, and they've got this slash across my nose. So Julie, I shouldn't be saying this, but Julie had to give me some cosmetic treatment, and I had to pat on my nose this morning.

[2:36] But this humble vessel of clay, that Jesus is in this vessel. He's in this vessel, this human vessel, this human vessel, that is Brother Moustaki here, that Jesus is in that vessel.

[2:48] Jesus is in that vessel. Margaret Schultz there. Jesus is in that vessel, living within that heart, that human heart. These humble vessels made out of clay, the very glory of God, the very glory, the glory that is revealed in the creation, is revealed within your heart.

[3:06] God's very presence, His greatness, His power, the glory of God, His honour, His majesty, His might. I want to get some of that glory today, to get some of the glory as it were.

[3:19] So I've got a two-point sermon here today. Number one, get the glory. Get the glory. Now, of course, we don't get the glory as in, I've got the glory, but we want to get His glory.

[3:30] Get the glory. What do I mean by that? It says in Romans 3.23 that, For all have sinned, and come short of, come short of, the glory of God.

[3:41] It's like we've fallen short. We've lost something, through sin. The fact is, the glory has gone. It's departed, because of sin.

[3:53] We see back in the garden, the perfect garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, everything was just, it was all laid on. It was perfect. God said, it's very good.

[4:05] He was really pleased. And then, man fouled it all up, messed it all up, and God's glory was taken, as it were. Our sin has taken God's glory away, that God had to, deal with man's sin, that caused such misery, and loss, and the presence, the power, was gone.

[4:33] The beauty, the wonder, that's why we got the weeds, brothers, in our garden. They don't need any help to grow, do they? Amen.

[4:44] It's just, they're abundant. And the prickles, the briars, the thorns, the thistles, the, you name it, the sour sobs, there's no lack of them.

[4:57] And we know, and man's got to labor, the sweat of the brow, the sweat of the brow. You know, brother, you're working hard, busy man.

[5:09] The sweat of the brow, the sweat of the brow. Sin has taken God's glory away. And man is marred, and all messed up, because of that. The great news is, we can, we can find the glory again.

[5:25] We can catch it. We can regain it. We can get the glory, because God imparts it to us, as we've just read here, for God, who commanded the light to shine.

[5:35] He says, light, shine. And it shone. Let there be light. And there was light. God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

[5:52] Where do we find the glory? It is in His face. It is in His face we see God's glory, reflected in His face, perfected in His face.

[6:02] Now some elements of this message are copied, and I must acknowledge that. But let me just put how someone has expressed the thought of His face, to look at His face.

[6:16] Look into His face. See His face, His eyes, His smile, His face, aching in His compassion, as He stretches out His hand, and touches the leper, the lost.

[6:30] His face, caring with His love, as He reaches out to the wayward, as He heals the brokenhearted ones, as He brings forgiveness to the repenting. See His face glowing on the Mount Transfiguration, radiant, as He prayed.

[6:47] Luke 9, 29, 32, it says, the fashion of His countenance, you know, that look of His face, it says it was altered. And His raiment, His clothing, was white, and glistening, and they saw His glory.

[7:05] They saw His glory. See His face, His emotion, His intensity, as it says, He beheld the city, and He wept over it.

[7:17] Luke 19, 41. See His face at that darkest hour, knowing the cross was just moments away, before Him, He turned not away.

[7:30] It says, He steadfastly set His face. He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. Luke 9, 51. He set His face. I'm going to the cross.

[7:41] I'm going to my death. I'm going to give my body, my blood, for you. He set His face there. He see His face, bearing sinful man's hate, and mocking.

[7:55] What did they do to His face? Then did they spit in His face, and buffeted Him. And others smote Him with the palms of their hands.

[8:12] And when they blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face, saying, Prophesy! Who is that that smote thee?

[8:24] Matthew 26, 67. Luke 22, 64. See His face, contorted, wounded, with agony, as He lifted the weight of our shame, your shame, mine, our guilt, yours, mine.

[8:42] The softness of His face in the Bethlehem manger has weathered life's storms with us, borne life's trials and tears with us, beaten, spit upon, adorned with the crown of thorns, the blood dripping down on that face, injured and torn for you.

[9:03] dripping with His own blood for you, more mud than any man, for you, for you, for you. See His blessed face. We see His glory there.

[9:14] And those holy eyes that saw and wept, those holy tears, those holy ears that heard, those holy lips that spoke, never a man spoke like this man.

[9:26] never a man spake like this. That face, that face, see the glory, the glory of God there. But look again, that face, Jesus alive from the tomb, living, victorious over death, hell, and the grave, standing outside that open tomb, smiling, loving, caring, that face, the face of Jesus, the face of Jesus.

[9:53] Mary said, John 20, verse 18, I've seen the Lord. I've seen Him, the Lord. The disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

[10:06] John 20, verse 19, And Jesus said, Blessed are they that have not seen, yet have believed. That's you and me, isn't it? Blessed are they that have not seen, yet have believed.

[10:23] John 20, 29, Then while they beheld, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight, yet this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven.

[10:37] That's Acts 1, verse 9 and verse 11. So get ready, get ready. We know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him. For we shall see Him as He is, face to face.

[10:53] Who's looking forward to that day? You know, I'm going to get an extreme makeover. And boy, do I need one. But you know, one day, I shall see Him and I shall be like Him.

[11:08] Brother Samuel, you're going to be like Him, even more than you already are. Sister Ethel, even more like Jesus. Even more like Jesus than you already are. Praise God. When we shall see Him, we shall be like Him.

[11:20] And we shall see Him as He is, face to face. That's 1 John 3, verse 2, 1 Corinthians 13, 12. We shall see Him and we shall be like Him.

[11:31] Glory, glory, glory, in the face of Jesus Christ, our Lord. So it's in His face we get the glory, as it were. We catch the glory.

[11:42] We get a glimpse of the Lord Jesus and we lay hold on Him, on who He is. Not only can we get the glory, that's point number 1, as God imparts it to us, we can number 2, give the glory.

[11:56] So get the glory in the face of Jesus. The light of the knowledge of the glory of God. Get the glory. Secondly, give the glory.

[12:08] 1 Corinthians 10, 31. 1 Corinthians 10, 31. You might want to flick back a few pages if you're still there in the Corinthians there. to the first book, 1 Corinthians 10, and verse 31.

[12:22] This is the next key point, really, is give the glory to God. Give Him the glory with your life, with your life, with your heart. 1 Corinthians 10, 31.

[12:34] Whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.

[12:46] You know, whether you eat or drink, glory, glory, whatever you do, that's all encompassing, isn't it?

[12:58] Whatever you do, whatsoever you do, as someone has said, man's chief end, you know, your chief purpose, your chief goal is this, to glorify God and glory.

[13:12] Fear God to keep His commandments is another way of putting it, but to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, as someone has expressed it. Glorify God. How can we glorify Him?

[13:25] Glorify God. Purposefully, actively, on purpose, glorify God because that's our ultimate purpose, our chief end, our real chief goal of life.

[13:37] It's why we're here. It's why we've been made, to know Him, to please Him, to glorify Him. Everything else is kind of coincidental or kind of secondary, subordinate to that, that our chief and ultimate purpose is to bring glory to God.

[13:58] That's why we've been made. That's why we're here. That's why we're alive. That's why you've got breath in your lungs, that you can glorify God. Glorify God and bring Him glory and bring joy to yourself in the process because it's the ultimate expression of the meaning of life in all things.

[14:19] And we've got that responsibility. Brother, sister, that is your chief goal. That is your ultimate end, your ultimate purpose. It's a responsibility that we all have is, number one, glorify God.

[14:32] Make that number one. Number one. Numero uno. Glorify God in all that we do, not just in the spiritual activities of life.

[14:43] We shouldn't compartmentalise our life and say, here's the God part and the rest of it is all my stuff. Don't be like that.

[14:54] Your whole life, your whole intent, underlying everything is this ultimate objective to glorify God. Don't just have a little spiritual part of you.

[15:06] Well, I'm going to, you know, it's 10am Sunday morning, I'll flick the switch and turn that bit on just for the hour and a half and I'll just enjoy the rest of the week and do what I want.

[15:22] Glorify God in all things, in all things. And you can do that while you're still doing your job and thinking, you know, delivering what your employer wants you to do and all that, of course.

[15:35] I think it helps you do it even better than the rest. Amen. Here's a story about a man, Richard Foster.

[15:45] Richard Foster was a teenager. It was summer amongst the Eskimo people and Richard was impressed that the Eskimo Christians that he went to live amongst had a deep sense of the wholeness of life with no break between their prayer and their work.

[16:04] They were really devout. They were really fair dinkum Eskimos, if you like. They weren't Aussies but they were fair dinkum about their Christianity. Amen. They were real full on and he had this sense that they had a wholeness of their life.

[16:19] There's no break between the prayer and their work. They didn't have a spiritual bit that was apart from the rest of their life. It was all together.

[16:31] Their whole way of living was with that mind. And so Richard went to Alaska to help these Eskimos and they were building a school there. The first high school above the Arctic Circle.

[16:45] So this was a big deal. They were building this big school, senior school, high school. and the work however was far from an adventure. It was hard, often back-breaking work.

[16:58] It makes me think of my granddad. He was a grave digger. Imagine digging graves in the cold soil of England by hand with a spade and shovel, crowbar maybe.

[17:14] That would have been hard yakka wouldn't it? Well this is what it was like for these guys in the Arctic Circle. One day they were trying to dig a trench for a sewer line which was no easy task in the frozen tundra.

[17:26] It was rock solid. You know that was frozen ground. They had to dig deep hard yakka and these Eskimo people they were really used to it.

[17:37] And there was one Eskimo man whose face was a tough guy. His face and his hands were leathery tough after many winters. And he came by and he watched Richard for a while and after some time passed the Eskimo spoke to Richard and said simply and profoundly you are digging a ditch to the glory of God.

[18:01] You are digging a ditch to the glory of God. And the word struck Richard beyond his Eskimo friend no human being ever knew or cared whether he dug that ditch well or poorly.

[18:12] It was just a ditch just for the sewer pipe. And in that time the ditch would be covered up and forgotten. It was just a furrow in the ground just a line in the ground.

[18:28] And Richard says because of that man's words I dug with all my might for every shovelful of dirt was a prayer to God. Richard made the discovery that everything we do whether great or small we do for the glory of God.

[18:47] We do it for the glory of God. All of our lives belong to God. Every task we do is for his glory. It's not like this neat little compartments in life marked sacred and secular.

[18:59] It all belongs to him. It all belongs to God. And if he would change us on the inside we won't be conformed to the spirit of this age.

[19:09] we'll offer our entire lives to God. The point is people of God that our whole life is meant to be for his glory.

[19:22] And let's have that mind that we don't reserve part of our life to our own self but we live unto God all the time with that attitude that the ruling principle is all all to the glory of God do everything do all things to the glory of God that day by day the ordinary things we do the ordinary moments whatever we are up to it's all to his glory and so that will help us to have the right spirit won't it when someone slights us and injures us glory!

[20:03] to God glory to God when things go wrong glory to God I need to learn that I was getting frustrated yesterday everything went wrong glory to God anyway I was trying to put this gazebo together with old wood and it was like that and landed on the bloke that was helping me glory to God it didn't hit me the attitude we have to have isn't it even when everything goes wrong glory to God anyway praise the Lord move on there's always another weekend glory to God all the glory is to God what is it saying 1 Corinthians 6 verse 20 for ye are bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are

[21:05] God's glorify him in your inner life in your bodies in your works in your daily life it says let your light so shine before men so shine that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven Matthew 5 16 let your light so shine shine!

[21:31] let shine anyway just make it happen let God use you for his glory so you don't have to think I'll turn my Christianity off today I'll just be a little heathen for a few minutes and just let it know keep the light switch on keep it on so in your suffering let it shine it says in 1 Peter 4 verse 16 if anyone suffers as a Christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in this matter wow even when I suffer as a Christian yes it says so 1 Peter 4 16 don't be ashamed glorify God even in this even in this Johann Sebastian Back claimed that the aim and final reason of all music should be none else but the glory of God and the recreation of the mind I think there's a few people need to get hold of that truth these days the aim and final reason of all music should be none else but the glory of

[22:35] God and the recreation of the mind Johann Sebastian Back he was known for his remarkable musical talent but he never ceased to credit his creator as the one who was responsible!

[22:54] as his name appeared on them but he was determined rather to give the glory to God for his accomplishments so he always concluded his original compositions with three letters I N S and these stood for the Latin words meaning in the name of Christ that's what he dedicated his every song to in the name of Christ let it be worthy of him at other times back began his score so the first part of the music written with the letters JJ meaning Jesus help Jesus help me to write these words to write this music to please you and then he ended his composition with the letters SDG which is Latin solo dio gloria meaning to God be the glory even he finished them to God be the glory what an attitude what do modern song writers write their songs to the glory of

[24:00] Satan he said to the glory of God to the glory of God to his glory think of his glory now glory the glory of God as we see it through the pages of scripture through the Old Testament as God actually tangibly visibly manifestly led his people as it says in a cloud of brilliant dazzling light God led the people out of Egypt with a radiant cloud of light by day and a pillar of fire by night and it was said to be the glory of the Lord that's Exodus 16 verse 10 so in Exodus 16 verse 10 if you were back then back then if you were right there in Exodus 16 verse 10 the glory was there you could see it it was there you got up in the morning the glory cloud maybe you had trouble sleeping got out of bed and poked out out of the tent and then you could see that pillar of smoke the pillar of fire by night the glory was there glory was there all the time as God tangibly visibly led his people in that manifest presence the glory of the

[25:29] Lord Exodus 16 10 the prophet Ezekiel saw this glory cloud the glory of the Lord it says it filled the temple and the court was full of the radiance of the glory of the Lord that's Ezekiel 10 verse 4 we know elsewhere it says they couldn't stand to minister because the glory was there they just had to bow down get on their faces before the presence of God in the majestic display of this brilliance of God's presence what about today what about now what about here what about me you us is the glory here it is his glory is still here there was a woman trying to help a group of natives translate the bible into their own language this tribal language and she struggled she says after six pages of explanation she tried to describe to them the glory of God so that she could write it down in their language as a word that they knew in their language and she looked up the Greek word glory she took a walk to ponder the problem she was striving to find the right words to put the word into their language and suddenly she saw the brilliant red sky of the setting sun the glory of the sun setting as it lightened up the clouds and it was such a dazzling spectacle and it was a perfect illustration for the meaning of glory that she tried so hard to convey and the word they used was a brilliant light in the sky a brilliant light in the sky something beautiful and wonderful so she used this word the native word that the tribes people used as one of the really the best words she could identify for the glory in their own language and it's when we learn the right vocabulary we're able to give

[27:38] God the glory to give glory to God to give him the glory that's simply giving him the honour and the praise and the worship that he deserves there's no way we can make God any more glorious than he already is God is glorious isn't he he's majestic he's resplendent but what we can do is hold him in that highest regard giving him that transcendent praise of which he alone is worthy we get the glory we give the glory what do the angels do it tells of the angels that that they they give glory to God don't they that the creatures in in revelation they give glory to God they gave glory to the lamb it says of Christ that in Hebrews 1 verse 3 he's the brightness of his glory wow Jesus is the brightness of God's glory the brightness of God's glory the express image of his person is absolutely the best picture the best representation the best tangible presence of God is in the very person of Jesus is the exact representation of his being so if you want to know what

[29:03] God is like if you want to see his glory all you have to do is look at Jesus look at him look at Jesus let's just walk through that together now first you look at Jesus in the manger there's nothing glorious about a manger you know we keep animals at home and sometimes it's not very pleasant odours and it's not a very nice setting the feeding trough is there there's all sorts of smells and it's a dirty place at times but there in the manger we see Jesus don't we in the manger you see God the very son become a real human being where did he choose to come to that dingy dark dirty place became flesh and blood Jesus God the very express image of his person and you join the angels as they sing glory to

[30:09] God in the highest Jesus has come glory to God in the highest for this wonderful gift of his beloved son then you look at Jesus on the cross there's nothing glorious about a cross it's a vile thing it's a horrific ghastly deathly gruesome thing it's a shocking brutal thing it's abuse it's rough it's harsh it's wicked but there on the cross you see Jesus offering his life as a perfect sacrifice for sin on that cruel cross he gave everything you see glory there don't you don't you see the glory there death is the just punishment for sin and Jesus suffered that punishment cursed is everyone that dies on a tree hangs on a tree he suffered that punishment that curse that guilt that shame that wickedness that is in me was on him nailed to the cross in his own body on the tree was my sin your sin our sin every bit of it and Jesus suffered that punishment on the cross in the place of sinners but that's not all now you look to Jesus look to Jesus not in the manger not on the cross but on the throne on the throne the manger and the cross are in the past

[31:47] Jesus is not lying in a manger nor is he hanging on a cross he's ruling from God's throne and he's always there always something glorious is there there's something glorious about a throne if you want to see the glory of God all you have to do look at Jesus today look at him look unto Jesus looking in faith to him it means asking him to forgive your sins you might say I can't even lift up my eyes and look at him I just you might be like the man in the temple he didn't look up God be merciful to me God be merciful to me it says he couldn't even lift up his eyes but you can you can God be merciful and you can receive his forgiveness to him be glory forever and ever amen it says in 2

[32:49] Timothy 4 verse 18 his glory is in the manger in the cross on the throne and forever forever to him be glory forever and ever amen 2 Timothy 4 18 the glory of God is what we're talking about today can we just get a little snapshot a little glimpse of it if God would just open heaven's door a jar just a little chink whoa glory that'd just blow your mind wouldn't it just to as the word says I have not seen nor have the ear heard neither hath entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for them that love him wow just to open heaven's door ajar as it were glory glory glory glory the glory of God in essence it is all that God is all that God is everything about God is glorious his love is glorious it's glorious to be loved by God it's love beyond human love his forgiveness is glorious what did we do to deserve his forgiveness if you're saying you've done something to deserve it you've probably not got it what can I render unto the Lord for all his benefits to me what can I do open your empty hands to him and just receive it amen his forgiveness is glorious to be washed clean by the blood of Jesus

[34:27] Christ his grace is glorious while we were yet sinners Christ died for us Romans 5 verse 8 while we were yet sinners Christ died for us glory that's glory isn't it someone has put it like this his righteousness is glorious his truth is glorious his purity is glorious his kindness is glorious his universe is glorious his heaven is glorious his way is glorious his creation is glorious his word is glorious the glory begins at the very first verse of your Bible in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth how profound how powerful how wonderful it's glorious isn't it that he's made this world this planet this universe this starry sky this creation that abounds and astounds it's glorious in the beginning

[35:37] God created the heaven and the earth how wonderful and friends he's not far removed he's close at hand Moses said show me thy glory that's Exodus 33 verse 18 can we pray that prayer show me thy glory and God revealed himself in the spectacle of the burning bush the glory the fire there the very tangible presence of the bush burning yet not consumed and friends the glory is something we can still know in the 21st century if your business fails the glory is there if your friends forsake you the glory is there when you're all alone and you feel you are in a vacuum you are not alone the glory is there when the crisis of life overwhelms you when the unexpected disappointments seem beyond explanation the glory is there beyond reason beyond circumstance!

[36:48] beyond fear pain the glory is there in abundance the glory is there praise you and it says we are changed into that same image from glory to glory by the spirit we are changed from glory to glory by the spirit of the Lord so we are changed by his spirit bit by bit to be more like him changed into his image changed by the spirit by the glory of God so when people meet you they meet Christ living in you now you might represent a particular business company or club or whatever you might belong to or associate with when people see you they say oh you're from church for you you represent church for you you represent whatever club whatever you know the stamp collecting club whatever you're in oh you're at the stamp collecting club but really who do we represent

[37:53] Jesus that's who we represent that's that's ultimately who we represent we're his advocates we're his ambassadors we're his representatives Matthew 5 verses 14 through 16 it says you are the light of the world a city set on a hill cannot be hid it says neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel if you get a lamp you don't hide it with a with a bowl it says you put it on a candlestick you put it up high so it gives light to the house so all that are in the house so let your light so shine before men they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven so it's saying there as you go about your day by day don't hide your light under a bushel and what does the gospel song say this little light of mine I'm gonna let it shine let it shine let it shine let it shine hide it under a bushel no

[38:55] I'm gonna let it shine let that be your plea let that be your statement of your life I'm not gonna let hide my light as a Christian I'm not gonna hide that I'm a Christian I'm gonna let it shine I'm gonna let them see I'm gonna tell people I'm a Christian I'm gonna let my witness be true I'm not gonna be ashamed of my testimony I'm not gonna be ashamed of my Lord I'm gonna confess him before men when I get the chance to so we can become a reflection of the glory of God now I was kind of thinking how we get the glory as it were as we receive his glory his light comes and shines in our hearts and we have this treasure in earthen vessels this glory Christ in you the hope of glory we get the glory as it were and then we give the glory let it shine and it's almost like it's his glory all the time it's almost like if you got a mirror it gets the image and then it shines we get it and we give it as it were so we become a reflection of the glory of

[40:11] God don't we we reflect his glory it says in the word that Jesus says I am the light of the world elsewhere then it says ye are the light of the world so he wants us to be like a mirror as it were to receive his glory and to reflect it to pass it on to be that to reveal his glory to other people to be witnesses for him to tell others of our faith to tell others to show others by our good works!

[40:42] to be to be good our lips line up with our lives that we don't just say we're a Christian but we live it our faith is put into action and those filled with God's glory will do the works of God we will pass on the message of God we'll do good we'll live a glorious life it doesn't mean it's going to be easy it doesn't mean your life's going to be rosy necessarily it doesn't mean you're going to have a trouble-free life it means that you're going to reveal Jesus in your life in the good times and the bad maybe more so in the bad isn't it when you see someone going through a tough time and still strong in the faith what a witness that is isn't it when you are going through the depths of depression and suffering and difficulty you can still be a glowing

[41:48] Christian you can still let that light shine what a testimony that is we are changed from glory to glory by the spirit of God David Brainerd said this to Jonathan Edwards David Brainerd was a renowned!

[42:04] a renowned solid Christian a man of God he died at an early age as he poured out his life for the gospel taking it to the American Indians and David Brainerd said this I do not go to heaven to be advanced but to give honour to God it is no matter where I shall be stationed in heaven whether I have a high or low seat there but to live and please and glorify God my heaven is to please God and glorify him and give all to him and to be wholly devoted to his glory he said my heaven is to be to give all to him and to be wholly devoted to his glory he'd already got to heaven on planet earth he'd already reached it because he'd given his all he was fair dinkum with his faith and the bible in several places refers to the riches of his glory Romans 9 23 there's some wealthy people here this morning wow you know the riches of his glory the riches of his glory the riches of his glory it tells us if philemon i think that's the wrong scripture actually philippians i think it is 4 verse 19 riches in glory so it's about riches of his glory

[43:21] Romans 9 23 and it talks about riches in glory philippians 4 verse 19 there's riches there's a richness to god's glory we think of value of quality of quantity of lacking nothing as a christian you are truly rich you are truly wealthy with what counts because it's true value it's true riches lacking nothing and it's all for us whatever our need his riches cover it think of it the riches of his glory just to getting close to wrapping up here as someone has expressed it like this rich in love oh how he loves you and me rich in love how much he loves you his love is so he's loved you with an everlasting love wow he's not not this kind i love her today i hate her tomorrow i'll move in today and move out tomorrow that's love as the world calls it his love is everlasting love everlasting rich in beauty rich in beauty the lily of the valley rich in truth is the way the truth and the life rich in understanding he became flesh for us rich in joy that my joy may be full in you he says to you rich in everything and everything that he has made was good rich forever the same yesterday today and forever the riches of his glory it's all jesus it's all jesus and it's all his riches we were made in god's image genesis 127 prepared from the beginning that's his design made in his image you know peter o'shea you're made in his image amen michael made in his image monica made in his image wow you're beautiful beautiful people he's made you in his image he's prepared from the beginning the glory that we will share with him so get the glory as it were regain it we lost it in the garden but we can get it back regain the glory and give the glory to god with your life live it out let it shine let it shine let it shine some people already seem to have that crown of glory on them the light of the knowledge of the glory of god get in the word come to know him more study about him learn of him know him not just about him but to know him to know him the light of the knowledge of the glory of god in the face of jesus christ it says for some the countenance of the lord it says is upon them you see some people and you think they're just beaming christians aren't they they just they just can't help but show jesus it just oozes out of them i'd like to be one of those people you know i'd like to be more like people like that but jesus is in them like it's almost like he's coming he's oozing out of their skin you know if you could touch their face it's like oh i just want to get some of that you can you've met people like that the glory of god is in them it's on them you know moses when he came down from the mount he was just dazzling because he'd seen the glory and it was still just beaming out of his face and you if you could just be such a christian and you can be you might say oh i'm never going to make it i'm just too bad his treasure is in earthen vessels it doesn't matter what your vessel is like is it you know your vessel might be in not very good shape but but he can shine even in that and so it's about

[47:21] the sense of the glory of god it's within some people isn't it you can sense it and you might think i'm not like that but you can be you can be you can be more godly more godly minded you can talk about the lord think about the lord you can be a friend of god and you might think i'm too carnal i'm never going to make the grain just let the light shine be that earthen vessel and and ask god for the treasure the riches of his glory to fill you the knowledge of the glory of god in the face of jesus christ it tells us one day of some they'll receive a crown of glory well it should be crowned with a crown of glory and friends the the church is designed to be where god's glory works in human hearts it tells us in ephesians 3 14 through 21 as paul closes it's not closing but part way through ephesians 3 finishing chapter 3 he says unto him be glory in the church by christ jesus throughout all ages world without end amen we've seen that god who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in human hearts our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of god in the face of jesus christ we can get the glory it was lost all of sin and come short of the glory we know we don't measure up we're far far short of the glory of god in our lost condition but we can regain the glory we can know god's glory we can regain that riches that that the wonder as we see his face wounded for us bruised for us as we know him we can be bought with a price so glorify god with your life and in all things do all things to the glory of god let me just close with one quick challenge here today i'm preaching really to christians you might say preach it it all sounds good but i'm not there yet i'm not a christian trust him trust him now trust him now if i could just simply guide you trust him now call on him call on his name stop trying and start trusting it's not about our doing it's about his done he said i'm done it's finished everything to save you was done at calvary's cross you just have to trust what he's done trust him now and if i can guide you further i'd love to and any other christian you want to talk more about don't leave this place without settling that in your soul today to know him to know him to know the light of the knowledge of the glory of god in the face of jesus christ let's pray lord we thank you that you shone your light in the pillar of fire the cloud of smoke lord as it were you led your people by fire and by cloud and lord likewise too as much as we can't see your glory with the human eye we can know you our saviour and know that you come and reside even now in this time today in this place in these hearts by faith lord we thank you that we've got riches in glory in christ jesus

[51:22] lord we pray help us to be mindful to receive that deeper knowledge and deeper walk and lord live it out let us not keep it to ourselves but let us give it and impart it the knowledge of the glory of god to others as we are your witnesses to be the light and let it shine lord we pray every human heart here today every home represented do your work help us lord not to get discouraged when everything goes wrong we can still say glory to god and still keep our testimony strong in jesus name amen