WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:14.740 Good morning. 00:00:15.220 --> 00:00:16.839 It's good to be back from vacation. 00:00:17.039 --> 00:00:20.839 It's good to see you all here on this beautiful day. 00:00:23.019 --> 00:00:28.820 As we were, as I was thinking about preparing for our topic this morning, I was thinking 00:00:28.820 --> 00:00:33.259 that one of my greatest joys in July was watching the World Cup. 00:00:34.159 --> 00:00:38.140 And for the rest of the world, it's the football championship of the world. 00:00:38.740 --> 00:00:42.700 And so, and I enjoy watching that. 00:00:42.899 --> 00:00:48.640 And one of the enduring sights and images that I have from the whole thing was watching 00:00:48.640 --> 00:00:57.120 the celebration in the capital of Croatia after they won the semifinal game to propel them 00:00:57.120 --> 00:00:57.939 into the final. 00:00:57.939 --> 00:01:01.519 It was the first time that Croatia had ever been there. 00:01:02.079 --> 00:01:04.459 And in Paris, France was the other country that made it. 00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:07.579 In Paris, they celebrated, but not like they did in Croatia. 00:01:08.280 --> 00:01:16.060 They celebrated with flares and with, it was pandemonium, literally, as these people rejoiced 00:01:16.060 --> 00:01:21.500 and got caught up in this incredible celebration of their country. 00:01:22.439 --> 00:01:24.280 And I thought about why is that? 00:01:25.039 --> 00:01:26.140 What is the dynamic? 00:01:26.140 --> 00:01:27.980 It's the same kind of thing that happens. 00:01:27.980 --> 00:01:33.260 Some of you are too old, but it's like watching the Americans beat the Russians in hockey in 00:01:33.260 --> 00:01:33.939 1980. 00:01:34.680 --> 00:01:40.500 There are times when we get caught up in this, these international sports events where we 00:01:40.500 --> 00:01:46.340 are caught up in a glory of something about our nation that seems to be greater than we 00:01:46.340 --> 00:01:49.040 would anticipate or expect. 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:52.620 We're caught up in the glory of something bigger than ourselves. 00:01:52.620 --> 00:02:00.280 And it transports us and it changes us and it causes us to celebrate and to worship. 00:02:01.880 --> 00:02:04.320 And I've wondered, why is that true? 00:02:04.319 --> 00:02:11.439 And I think that it's because humans were made for glory. 00:02:12.439 --> 00:02:18.919 We were made for something greater than ourselves, something bigger than us to be caught up in. 00:02:18.919 --> 00:02:22.099 And I think we see this in our everyday lives. 00:02:22.539 --> 00:02:33.039 We see it in the mundane pursuit of meaningful work or employment that shows our desire to expend our work in 00:02:33.039 --> 00:02:40.879 something valuable, in something that's going to make the world a better place, an expression of our glory making. 00:02:40.879 --> 00:02:49.840 We certainly see it in some of the great fields of our day where we see people pursue glory. 00:02:49.960 --> 00:02:52.120 I actually Googled glory in the New York Times. 00:02:52.699 --> 00:02:58.060 And the most popular places where glory was used was sports and entertainment. 00:02:59.019 --> 00:03:03.960 And is that not the places where in our culture people get caught up in something bigger than themselves? 00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:09.780 Whether it be a football game on Sunday afternoon or a rock and roll concert or something like that? 00:03:09.780 --> 00:03:14.300 Is that not when we get caught up in something bigger than ourselves? 00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:22.819 I think it's also shown in our ordinary and mundane disappointments. 00:03:23.159 --> 00:03:34.960 The reason why being overlooked or why it feels so bad when we feel like our lives have no meaning, 00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:38.659 we have nothing to contribute to those around us. 00:03:38.659 --> 00:03:43.479 It's a similar sense of because we were made for something else. 00:03:43.620 --> 00:03:47.079 And we feel that even in the disappointments that we face. 00:03:49.659 --> 00:03:54.699 This desire for glory can transport us to great feats of human greatness. 00:03:55.120 --> 00:04:03.979 It can also expose the ugliness and the worst of human boasting and self-exaltation 00:04:03.979 --> 00:04:08.419 at the expense of others and on the backs of others. 00:04:10.419 --> 00:04:16.159 But in this hunger for glory, in this desire for this thing that we were made for, 00:04:16.259 --> 00:04:19.459 we feel the transcendence of it. 00:04:20.199 --> 00:04:24.079 The glory of great achievement, the beauty of nature or art, 00:04:24.519 --> 00:04:26.060 the sweetness of relationships, 00:04:26.060 --> 00:04:31.079 all of these things tap into this longing for glory. 00:04:32.199 --> 00:04:35.280 C.S. Lewis, in the essay, The Weight of Glory, 00:04:35.420 --> 00:04:37.879 which if you have not read, you need to read it. 00:04:38.180 --> 00:04:40.199 Go home, Google it, The Weight of Glory. 00:04:40.600 --> 00:04:44.160 It is worth your time to read it in its fullness. 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:50.620 But he says something interesting about this pursuit of glory that's a common human experience. 00:04:51.420 --> 00:04:52.040 He says, 00:04:52.920 --> 00:04:59.880 For they, that is the things that we find these moments of transport are getting caught up in, 00:05:00.180 --> 00:05:03.000 for we find that they are not the thing itself. 00:05:03.160 --> 00:05:05.580 That is, they're not the thing that we're actually desiring. 00:05:06.420 --> 00:05:09.740 But they're only a sense of a flower we have not found, 00:05:10.620 --> 00:05:13.260 the echo of a tune we have not heard. 00:05:13.259 --> 00:05:18.079 News from a country we have never yet visited. 00:05:19.659 --> 00:05:23.740 What Lewis is saying is that when we tap into this desire for glory, 00:05:23.939 --> 00:05:29.779 we're actually looking for something that's beyond us and even beyond this world. 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:33.579 Maybe you've experienced it in people you've met. 00:05:34.180 --> 00:05:37.519 I remember when I was in ninth grade, 00:05:38.120 --> 00:05:40.259 two new friends came into my school. 00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:42.399 If you've been around here long enough, 00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:44.359 you've heard their names, Bill and Becky, 00:05:44.759 --> 00:05:49.219 because Bill and Becky were significant in my coming to faith in Jesus Christ. 00:05:49.979 --> 00:05:54.599 But the first thing that happened in that process 00:05:54.599 --> 00:05:57.219 was that as I became friends with them, 00:05:57.399 --> 00:05:59.199 there was something about them, 00:05:59.799 --> 00:06:01.259 something intangible, 00:06:01.939 --> 00:06:04.079 something I couldn't put my finger on, 00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:09.199 but there was something about their lives that I wanted more of. 00:06:09.839 --> 00:06:11.599 And I couldn't tell you what it was, 00:06:11.939 --> 00:06:15.779 but I saw an emptiness and a longing in my own heart 00:06:15.779 --> 00:06:20.919 that I saw in them having a fullness of. 00:06:20.920 --> 00:06:22.740 I didn't understand it. 00:06:22.740 --> 00:06:24.660 I didn't understand it, 00:06:24.840 --> 00:06:26.420 but I wanted what they had. 00:06:27.480 --> 00:06:31.439 And what I came to understand is what our passage this morning 00:06:31.439 --> 00:06:34.160 is going to teach us about and point us towards. 00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:39.860 What does God have to say about our hunger and our longing for glory? 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:43.180 As we continue in our series in the book of Exodus, 00:06:43.960 --> 00:06:45.840 which is we're finishing up. 00:06:45.920 --> 00:06:47.480 We have only a few more weeks left, 00:06:47.520 --> 00:06:50.600 but we're continuing in our series in the book of Exodus this morning. 00:06:50.700 --> 00:06:53.600 We're going to be looking at Exodus chapter 34. 00:06:54.460 --> 00:06:58.540 And so you can turn with me there in the Pew Bibles if you want on page 75. 00:06:58.540 --> 00:07:05.700 And we're going to continue to look at what we're going to see this morning 00:07:05.700 --> 00:07:13.960 is that glory is a significant category for God and His people. 00:07:14.900 --> 00:07:17.080 Remember where we've been in the book of Exodus. 00:07:17.939 --> 00:07:20.620 Some of you are visiting, just coming through, 00:07:20.720 --> 00:07:24.040 so I'm going to give you a one-minute really quick sweep. 00:07:24.540 --> 00:07:28.480 In the book of Exodus, God has rescued His people to be His own. 00:07:28.819 --> 00:07:33.879 The descendants of Abraham, delivered by God from slavery in Egypt, 00:07:34.360 --> 00:07:38.780 called out to then come and be His people in the world. 00:07:39.620 --> 00:07:43.520 And God brought them into the desert, and then He revealed Himself at Mount Sinai, 00:07:44.220 --> 00:07:47.480 most popularly and clearly in the Ten Commandments, 00:07:47.540 --> 00:07:49.379 but then also in the giving of the law. 00:07:49.740 --> 00:07:52.660 And God has called them into relationship with Himself. 00:07:52.980 --> 00:07:57.939 I will be your God, and you will be my people, and I will dwell among you. 00:07:57.939 --> 00:08:03.899 And this is the first 31 chapters of Exodus. 00:08:04.240 --> 00:08:08.620 And what we've seen in 25 through 31 is this description of the tabernacle, 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:14.600 which is this portable worship center wherein God is going to manifest Himself among His people. 00:08:14.939 --> 00:08:17.379 The living out of that, I will be with you. 00:08:18.079 --> 00:08:20.920 And then if you've been here for the last two weeks, you know what happened. 00:08:20.920 --> 00:08:28.420 While God was instructing His people in doing all this, His people were failing to respond to this well. 00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:35.560 Chapter 32, we see them making an idol out of gold, a golden calf, 00:08:35.700 --> 00:08:37.800 and then bowing down and worshiping it. 00:08:37.799 --> 00:08:46.500 Pastor Nick preached on this about how our hearts so quickly divert from the true and living God 00:08:46.500 --> 00:08:51.419 to worship man-made gods or God substitutes in our lives. 00:08:52.620 --> 00:08:56.899 And then last week, Pastor Greg talked about how through Moses' intercession 00:08:56.899 --> 00:09:03.199 and through God's gracious response, God provided a way so that, like all of us, 00:09:03.899 --> 00:09:09.840 when we have blown it with God, when we have not responded to Him as we ought to, 00:09:10.500 --> 00:09:13.079 how God graciously gives us a way forward. 00:09:14.919 --> 00:09:17.799 And in the middle of this story about what the way forward is, 00:09:17.799 --> 00:09:23.399 there's this experience of glory that is central to this story. 00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:31.659 How God's people are caught up with and overflow with the glory of God, 00:09:31.779 --> 00:09:35.799 and that this, in fact, is His purpose for His people. 00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:38.579 So that's what we're going to look at this morning. 00:09:38.879 --> 00:09:43.819 We're going to read the end of chapter 34, so starting in verse 29, 00:09:43.820 --> 00:09:48.920 to see how we got there, and then we're, as we do this, we'll dive in. 00:09:49.020 --> 00:09:50.680 So let's first read together. 00:09:52.900 --> 00:09:57.060 Exodus 34, chapter 29. 00:09:58.420 --> 00:10:00.960 I'm going to get this right one of these days, all right? 00:10:01.600 --> 00:10:04.720 It's a chapter 34, it's a verse 29. 00:10:04.900 --> 00:10:05.360 There we go. 00:10:05.520 --> 00:10:06.220 All right, here we go. 00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:12.160 So, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, 00:10:12.159 --> 00:10:18.179 as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone, 00:10:18.500 --> 00:10:20.500 because he'd been talking with God. 00:10:21.699 --> 00:10:27.199 Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:29.939 and they were afraid to come near him. 00:10:30.419 --> 00:10:36.939 But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders with the congregation returned to him, 00:10:37.439 --> 00:10:39.319 and Moses talked with them. 00:10:39.320 --> 00:10:45.840 Afterwards, all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken 00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:47.340 with him on Mount Sinai. 00:10:47.980 --> 00:10:52.780 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. 00:10:53.879 --> 00:10:59.740 And whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil until 00:10:59.740 --> 00:11:00.379 he came out. 00:11:00.940 --> 00:11:05.280 And when he came out, he told the people of Israel what he was commanded. 00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:11.299 The people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face was shining, 00:11:11.659 --> 00:11:17.860 and Moses would put the veil over his face again until he went in to speak with him. 00:11:18.740 --> 00:11:19.980 Will you pray with me? 00:11:21.939 --> 00:11:23.519 Lord, thank you for this word. 00:11:24.039 --> 00:11:30.879 Lord, thank you for your incredible grace of being a God who calls us to yourself. 00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:38.299 And Lord, in calling us to yourself, you call us into the glory that we were made to live in. 00:11:39.200 --> 00:11:40.200 Lord, be with us. 00:11:40.500 --> 00:11:44.860 Help us this morning in the heat to be able to listen to your word. 00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:47.539 By your spirit, apply it to our hearts. 00:11:49.019 --> 00:11:58.580 Lord, that we might be caught up in a vision and understanding and a desire and a love for your glory. 00:11:58.580 --> 00:12:01.759 And we pray these things in Jesus' name. 00:12:02.520 --> 00:12:02.800 Amen. 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:12.200 So, today's sermon is going to be slightly different than some of the typical ones because we're going 00:12:12.200 --> 00:12:18.800 to start from this passage, but we're going to expand a little bit to think about God's purposes 00:12:18.800 --> 00:12:24.100 for his people being caught up in and overflowing with God's glory. 00:12:24.100 --> 00:12:32.480 So, we're going to first look at how that expressed itself in Moses in this book in the chapter in Exodus. 00:12:32.899 --> 00:12:36.980 And then we're going to look at how then that points us ahead to Jesus. 00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:42.360 And finally, we're going to look at how that points us to us as God's people. 00:12:42.879 --> 00:12:46.320 So, if you're taking notes, there's your outline. 00:12:46.860 --> 00:12:50.160 God's glory in Moses, in Jesus, and in us. 00:12:50.159 --> 00:12:58.100 So, first of all, let's look at this passage and think about the glory of God and Moses being caught up in it. 00:12:58.579 --> 00:13:02.799 Now, if you remember the story of the golden calf, right? 00:13:02.919 --> 00:13:04.139 The people had sinned. 00:13:04.579 --> 00:13:07.639 Moses intercedes and says, God, you have to go with us. 00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:09.480 If you don't go with us, who will we be? 00:13:09.559 --> 00:13:10.659 How will we be your people? 00:13:11.219 --> 00:13:15.319 And God relents and says, okay, I will go with you. 00:13:15.320 --> 00:13:18.100 But Moses says, that's not enough, God. 00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:21.280 I'm going to be bold enough to ask for more than that. 00:13:21.680 --> 00:13:24.860 He says, Lord, show me your glory. 00:13:26.680 --> 00:13:29.879 And God says, no one can see my face and live. 00:13:30.300 --> 00:13:34.379 No one can see the fullness of my glory and live. 00:13:34.860 --> 00:13:38.260 But I will grant you your request. 00:13:38.580 --> 00:13:42.640 I will hide you in the old-fashioned language, in the cleft of the rock. 00:13:42.639 --> 00:13:47.259 I'm going to put you in a cave somewhere so that your vision is limited. 00:13:48.100 --> 00:13:52.480 So that I'm going to pass before you so that you can see my goodness. 00:13:53.319 --> 00:13:58.100 And what you're going to see as you see my goodness is you're going to hear me proclaim who I am, 00:13:58.159 --> 00:14:04.120 the character of who I am, the Lord, the Lord, slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness, 00:14:05.319 --> 00:14:08.159 the God of mercy and the God of justice. 00:14:08.159 --> 00:14:12.360 And if you want to hear more about that, go back and listen to Pastor Greg's sermon from last week 00:14:12.360 --> 00:14:15.980 because he did a great job unpacking how it is that God's… 00:14:15.980 --> 00:14:24.639 that Moses saw in the glory of God, God's character as being one of both mercy and justice, 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:28.000 and what good news it is that he would do that. 00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:32.279 But this encounter with God was different. 00:14:32.539 --> 00:14:35.019 Moses, if you remember, had been up on the mountain before, 00:14:35.019 --> 00:14:37.799 and he had talked with God before, and he had listened to God, 00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:39.519 and the cloud had descended before. 00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:44.360 And when Moses came down before, his face wasn't shining. 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:50.399 So this encounter with God was unique in the way that Moses interacted. 00:14:50.559 --> 00:14:55.240 And God was bestowing upon Moses a particular kind of glory 00:14:55.240 --> 00:14:58.740 that then manifested itself from this time forward, 00:14:58.740 --> 00:15:05.799 that whenever Moses met with God, when he came away, his face shone. 00:15:07.419 --> 00:15:16.440 In fact, it actually says that his face shone with words that are like rays or horns that came out of his head. 00:15:16.860 --> 00:15:22.240 And there's an interesting suggestion that maybe instead of worshiping the golden calf that had golden horns, 00:15:22.240 --> 00:15:28.759 Moses was bestowed with this glory from God that radiated from him as a replacement 00:15:28.759 --> 00:15:31.220 and as the fullness of what God actually meant. 00:15:32.779 --> 00:15:34.360 It's a suggestion. 00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:36.139 So just a little note. 00:15:36.620 --> 00:15:39.659 But it's so interesting that this is what happens then, 00:15:39.720 --> 00:15:43.980 and this is what we see in the passage that we've read in chapter 34 starting in 29. 00:15:45.320 --> 00:15:47.840 Moses doesn't even know that this has happened. 00:15:47.840 --> 00:15:52.160 He knows that he's met with God, but he comes down and his face is glowing, 00:15:52.160 --> 00:15:53.500 and he doesn't even know it. 00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:55.420 And the people see it, and they're afraid. 00:15:55.639 --> 00:16:03.019 Remember, they've just sinned terribly and seen God's judgment poured out on them horribly. 00:16:03.340 --> 00:16:08.240 And they're thinking, oh no, if I get close to that, I'm going to get burned again. 00:16:10.460 --> 00:16:12.560 And Moses has to say, no, no, no. 00:16:12.780 --> 00:16:16.080 The God of mercy and justice is with you. 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:18.720 And he has shown mercy to you. 00:16:18.780 --> 00:16:22.000 And so he invites the leaders, and he explains to them what's going on, 00:16:22.100 --> 00:16:23.420 and then they feel safe. 00:16:23.480 --> 00:16:27.340 And so then the people come, and they hear the word of God from Moses. 00:16:29.280 --> 00:16:36.400 And then we see in verses 34 and 35 that this is what happens on an ongoing basis from here on out. 00:16:36.460 --> 00:16:44.740 When God meets with Moses, Moses goes in, and as he meets him, he takes off this veil, 00:16:44.740 --> 00:16:51.779 and this veil then allows him to see, to interact with God face to face. 00:16:51.960 --> 00:16:54.940 And then he comes out, and he speaks to the people, and his face is shining. 00:16:56.600 --> 00:16:58.180 Now, why does he do this? 00:16:58.299 --> 00:17:00.860 Why does God do this to Moses? 00:17:00.860 --> 00:17:04.000 I think there are maybe a couple of reasons. 00:17:04.559 --> 00:17:15.779 First of all, because God is reinforcing to God's people that Moses is his chosen spokesperson and intermediary. 00:17:16.259 --> 00:17:20.519 Do you remember at the beginning of chapter 32, what was the start of their sin? 00:17:22.279 --> 00:17:24.440 What happened to that guy, Moses? 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:26.460 We don't know what's happened to him. 00:17:26.460 --> 00:17:32.340 They dismissed him, and they didn't trust that God had actually appointed Moses to play a role. 00:17:32.900 --> 00:17:35.360 And so in overlooking that, they went astray. 00:17:35.920 --> 00:17:38.559 So God has bestowed this glory on Moses to say, 00:17:39.259 --> 00:17:42.200 this is the one through whom I am going to speak to you. 00:17:42.380 --> 00:17:43.539 Listen to him. 00:17:47.440 --> 00:17:49.460 Interestingly, I don't know about you. 00:17:49.860 --> 00:17:51.539 I've read this passage for a long time. 00:17:51.600 --> 00:17:52.980 I've read the Bible for a long time. 00:17:52.980 --> 00:17:57.579 And I always had this vision that Moses went up on the mountain, he saw the glory, 00:17:57.779 --> 00:18:03.440 and then when he came down, he put a veil over his face because he didn't want the people to see this glory 00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:04.420 because they would be afraid. 00:18:04.740 --> 00:18:08.900 And then even as he went into the tent of meeting, he would come back, and he would cover his face 00:18:08.900 --> 00:18:13.160 so that people wouldn't have to interact with the fullness of God's glory in his face. 00:18:13.380 --> 00:18:14.400 That's what I thought. 00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:16.819 But did you notice how the text read? 00:18:16.819 --> 00:18:23.000 It's not until after he's spoken that he puts the veil on. 00:18:24.740 --> 00:18:29.119 The people see the glory of God in the face of Moses. 00:18:30.339 --> 00:18:36.139 Before, as he speaks God's words to them, then he puts the veil over. 00:18:36.140 --> 00:18:40.280 So that they might not see it fading as we heard earlier. 00:18:40.400 --> 00:18:42.100 And we'll explore that a little bit later. 00:18:43.820 --> 00:18:47.600 But the veil doesn't prevent the people from seeing Moses' shining face. 00:18:47.680 --> 00:18:50.640 So I think this is the primary purpose that God gives. 00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:59.040 But the other reason is that I think that he gives Moses this glory 00:18:59.039 --> 00:19:04.159 so that the people of God might remember this is what you were made for. 00:19:05.079 --> 00:19:11.379 When you truly know me, when you truly have a relationship with me that is face to face, 00:19:12.019 --> 00:19:15.720 you will be caught up in glory like Moses is. 00:19:15.960 --> 00:19:17.539 And your face will shine. 00:19:18.180 --> 00:19:19.899 And you will be transformed. 00:19:19.900 --> 00:19:27.560 And it's this down payment on a promise of what God is going to do in his people. 00:19:31.320 --> 00:19:33.460 And we see this then being fulfilled. 00:19:33.580 --> 00:19:36.180 And remember, in the book of Exodus, there's an arc. 00:19:36.300 --> 00:19:41.160 And at the very end of the book, flip ahead with me a couple pages to chapter 40. 00:19:41.259 --> 00:19:44.259 Nick's going to preach on this in two weeks, so I'm not going to steal all his thunder. 00:19:44.259 --> 00:19:50.599 But if you look at 34 and 35 of chapter 40, do you see what happens? 00:19:51.259 --> 00:19:56.400 The glory of God that had previously only been up on the mountain 00:19:56.400 --> 00:20:00.359 and in the tent of meeting outside of the camp when Moses went out 00:20:00.359 --> 00:20:06.379 now descends upon the tabernacle itself after it's erected. 00:20:07.079 --> 00:20:10.420 And you see from this time forward in the tabernacle 00:20:10.420 --> 00:20:14.360 and then in the temple that Solomon builds in Jerusalem, 00:20:14.759 --> 00:20:18.380 that God's presence and the display of his glories 00:20:18.380 --> 00:20:23.759 actually manifested physically in the midst of his people. 00:20:26.240 --> 00:20:31.000 And one of the great tragedies of the history of Israel is in Ezekiel 00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:35.160 when the glory of God departs from his people. 00:20:40.420 --> 00:20:43.860 They lose the glory that God intended for them to have. 00:20:46.100 --> 00:20:54.660 And so, friends, the first thing we see is that God captures Moses up in his glory 00:20:54.660 --> 00:20:57.740 and this glory overflows to his people. 00:20:58.440 --> 00:21:01.160 As Moses plays the role of God's spokesperson 00:21:01.160 --> 00:21:06.039 and as Moses shows his people what it will be like, 00:21:06.039 --> 00:21:13.740 what the fullness will be like when God's people get to see God face to face. 00:21:16.379 --> 00:21:18.759 This is what this story points us to in Exodus. 00:21:19.720 --> 00:21:23.299 But we know that Exodus is not the last story in the Bible. 00:21:23.399 --> 00:21:25.379 In fact, it's only the second book of the Bible, right? 00:21:25.539 --> 00:21:27.559 So we know there's a lot more to come. 00:21:27.980 --> 00:21:31.059 And as we see this theme developing itself forward, 00:21:31.059 --> 00:21:35.399 we see it pointing towards the person of Jesus. 00:21:35.400 --> 00:21:38.400 God revealed himself, according to Hebrews, 00:21:38.519 --> 00:21:40.600 in many times and in many ways. 00:21:41.080 --> 00:21:43.320 He spoke to his father through the prophets. 00:21:44.740 --> 00:21:47.340 But Hebrews 1, 1 through 3 says, 00:21:47.460 --> 00:21:52.420 But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, 00:21:53.019 --> 00:21:55.740 whom he appointed the heir of all things, 00:21:55.880 --> 00:21:57.960 through whom also he created the world. 00:21:57.960 --> 00:22:04.860 He, that is Jesus, is the radiance of the glory of God. 00:22:05.400 --> 00:22:10.519 Now, to us Gentiles, we just think, 00:22:10.580 --> 00:22:11.280 Oh, that's cool. 00:22:11.660 --> 00:22:12.720 Like, Jesus is shiny. 00:22:13.180 --> 00:22:14.360 You know, that's wonderful. 00:22:15.500 --> 00:22:18.019 But to anyone who's read the Old Testament, 00:22:18.480 --> 00:22:22.800 to anyone who's read Exodus 25 through 40, 00:22:23.259 --> 00:22:25.680 and thought about what glory meant 00:22:25.680 --> 00:22:29.340 as God was establishing this Old Testament covenant with his people, 00:22:29.339 --> 00:22:32.559 and seeing how it had not reached its fulfillment, 00:22:32.559 --> 00:22:33.839 but had actually failed, 00:22:34.240 --> 00:22:38.399 and failed to accomplish what God's plan had been, 00:22:38.899 --> 00:22:43.480 but pointed ahead instead to a greater fulfillment that was to come. 00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:46.319 They read this and they go, 00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:47.159 Oh, 00:22:47.160 --> 00:22:52.340 Jesus is the fulfillment of this. 00:22:54.120 --> 00:23:01.540 This is why the story of the Mount of Transfiguration is so beautiful in the Gospels. 00:23:01.840 --> 00:23:03.500 In Luke chapter 9, 00:23:03.820 --> 00:23:04.240 do you remember, 00:23:04.420 --> 00:23:07.560 Jesus invites his disciples to go up on the mountain with him, 00:23:07.640 --> 00:23:08.660 Peter, James, and John, 00:23:08.779 --> 00:23:10.940 and they go up and the disciples fall asleep, 00:23:11.019 --> 00:23:11.940 because that's what they do. 00:23:11.940 --> 00:23:15.759 And suddenly Moses is transfigured and transformed, 00:23:16.019 --> 00:23:18.600 and he's glowing and shining, 00:23:18.759 --> 00:23:19.200 and it says, 00:23:19.620 --> 00:23:21.820 The cloud descended on the mountain. 00:23:23.900 --> 00:23:26.320 And they saw the glory, 00:23:26.880 --> 00:23:29.960 and the cloud came down and overshadowed them. 00:23:31.500 --> 00:23:33.420 And God said, 00:23:33.880 --> 00:23:36.080 This is my beloved Son, 00:23:36.140 --> 00:23:37.680 in whom I am well pleased. 00:23:38.580 --> 00:23:40.840 Listen to him. 00:23:42.940 --> 00:23:43.500 Again, 00:23:43.900 --> 00:23:45.240 that sounds good, 00:23:45.720 --> 00:23:52.140 but do you see now how Jesus is fulfilling that role that Moses had among his people? 00:23:52.960 --> 00:23:53.860 God is saying, 00:23:54.440 --> 00:23:56.100 This is the one you are to listen to. 00:23:56.279 --> 00:23:58.279 If you want to know who I am, 00:23:58.340 --> 00:24:00.880 if you want to know how you can know me, 00:24:02.019 --> 00:24:03.279 this is the one 00:24:03.279 --> 00:24:06.920 who now bears my glory, 00:24:07.700 --> 00:24:10.759 and who shows my glory. 00:24:10.759 --> 00:24:19.680 He is the one with the final authority to speak to humanity on behalf of God. 00:24:19.680 --> 00:24:23.420 And friends, 00:24:23.500 --> 00:24:25.519 this leads us then to John 1, 00:24:25.640 --> 00:24:27.080 and the beautiful passage 00:24:27.080 --> 00:24:29.259 that we see there. 00:24:31.000 --> 00:24:32.320 Let me read part of it. 00:24:33.180 --> 00:24:37.100 I hope you will see how these themes come together in a beautiful way. 00:24:37.740 --> 00:24:38.860 Talking about Jesus, 00:24:39.019 --> 00:24:39.360 it says, 00:24:39.359 --> 00:24:43.159 The true light which gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 00:24:43.279 --> 00:24:44.159 He was in the world, 00:24:44.219 --> 00:24:45.519 and the world was made through him. 00:24:45.879 --> 00:24:47.479 Yet the world did not know him. 00:24:47.579 --> 00:24:48.599 He came to his own, 00:24:48.659 --> 00:24:50.659 and his own people did not receive him. 00:24:50.899 --> 00:24:52.859 But to all who did receive him, 00:24:52.919 --> 00:24:54.319 who believed in his name, 00:24:55.019 --> 00:24:58.240 he gave the right to become the children of God, 00:24:58.779 --> 00:25:00.019 who were born not of blood, 00:25:00.119 --> 00:25:01.219 nor of the will of flesh, 00:25:01.299 --> 00:25:02.319 nor of the will of man, 00:25:02.379 --> 00:25:03.299 but of God. 00:25:03.299 --> 00:25:07.359 And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, 00:25:07.659 --> 00:25:10.379 and we have seen his glory. 00:25:10.839 --> 00:25:14.079 Glory as of the only Son from the Father, 00:25:14.220 --> 00:25:15.639 full of grace and truth. 00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:17.639 For from his fullness, 00:25:17.899 --> 00:25:20.200 we have all received grace upon grace. 00:25:20.399 --> 00:25:22.559 For the law was given through Moses. 00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:26.700 Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 00:25:26.700 --> 00:25:29.019 No one has ever seen God, 00:25:29.259 --> 00:25:32.279 but the only God who is at the Father's Son. 00:25:32.819 --> 00:25:34.920 He has made him known. 00:25:39.660 --> 00:25:42.920 Friends, the longing for glory that we have 00:25:42.920 --> 00:25:46.759 points us to the person of Jesus Christ. 00:25:47.940 --> 00:25:51.660 Because God has come and endowed him, 00:25:52.019 --> 00:25:53.000 the God-man, 00:25:53.140 --> 00:25:55.160 with the fullness of God's glory, 00:25:55.160 --> 00:25:56.960 so that we might see him. 00:25:58.440 --> 00:26:01.000 And so that by believing in him, 00:26:01.060 --> 00:26:05.200 we might be caught up in his glory as well. 00:26:07.320 --> 00:26:11.200 The Old Testament saints longed to know, 00:26:12.200 --> 00:26:16.580 longed to see what we know and what we see. 00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:18.680 How do we know God? 00:26:18.900 --> 00:26:19.960 We have seen Jesus. 00:26:20.500 --> 00:26:21.640 Where is his glory? 00:26:21.759 --> 00:26:22.460 In Jesus. 00:26:22.460 --> 00:26:24.660 How do we be God's people? 00:26:24.940 --> 00:26:25.819 Through Jesus. 00:26:26.240 --> 00:26:28.940 The light of the glory of God has come to earth. 00:26:29.420 --> 00:26:30.740 He has descended the mountain 00:26:30.740 --> 00:26:33.460 to manifest his glory in flesh and blood. 00:26:36.480 --> 00:26:40.000 And so we see that this hunger for glory 00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:42.019 is not found in great achievements. 00:26:42.019 --> 00:26:48.839 It's not found in the little or big successes 00:26:48.839 --> 00:26:54.400 and the hunger and the ache and the longing 00:26:54.400 --> 00:26:58.799 that we all have for that scent of a flower 00:26:58.799 --> 00:27:00.039 we've never seen 00:27:00.039 --> 00:27:03.799 and a distant country that we've never visited. 00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:08.039 Jesus has come to us to break in and say, 00:27:08.400 --> 00:27:09.740 this is what you were made for. 00:27:09.740 --> 00:27:11.599 This is what you are here for. 00:27:16.180 --> 00:27:17.779 So if you're here this morning 00:27:17.779 --> 00:27:18.559 and you're wondering, 00:27:18.859 --> 00:27:20.120 is there a God? 00:27:22.279 --> 00:27:23.620 How do I know him? 00:27:25.779 --> 00:27:27.180 If you are here this morning 00:27:27.180 --> 00:27:29.019 and you're wavering in your confidence 00:27:29.019 --> 00:27:32.079 that God can be seen and can be known, 00:27:32.079 --> 00:27:34.619 look to Jesus. 00:27:36.059 --> 00:27:37.339 For he has come 00:27:37.339 --> 00:27:39.839 so that you might know. 00:27:41.599 --> 00:27:43.919 And we no longer need to be grasping 00:27:43.919 --> 00:27:46.460 or wondering or hoping, 00:27:46.960 --> 00:27:49.139 but we can know with certainty 00:27:49.139 --> 00:27:50.319 because of Jesus 00:27:50.319 --> 00:27:54.679 that by believing in him 00:27:54.680 --> 00:27:56.640 we might know 00:27:56.640 --> 00:27:59.039 and be caught up in the glory 00:27:59.039 --> 00:28:01.299 that God intended for his people. 00:28:02.539 --> 00:28:03.320 But friends, 00:28:03.460 --> 00:28:04.240 this glory 00:28:04.240 --> 00:28:06.039 that we see in Jesus 00:28:06.039 --> 00:28:06.799 and that we, 00:28:07.160 --> 00:28:09.140 by believing in him as God's people, 00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:11.160 then are caught up in 00:28:11.160 --> 00:28:14.340 is not the end of the story 00:28:14.340 --> 00:28:15.700 about God's glory. 00:28:15.700 --> 00:28:18.200 Because not only 00:28:18.200 --> 00:28:19.740 is God displayed his glory, 00:28:20.759 --> 00:28:21.480 caught up Moses 00:28:21.480 --> 00:28:22.700 so that it might overflow 00:28:22.700 --> 00:28:23.500 through him 00:28:23.500 --> 00:28:24.660 in his words, 00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:26.340 not is it only 00:28:26.340 --> 00:28:27.700 is it caught up in Jesus, 00:28:27.860 --> 00:28:28.340 the pinnacle 00:28:28.340 --> 00:28:29.460 and the fullness of it 00:28:29.460 --> 00:28:31.380 so that we might listen to him. 00:28:32.440 --> 00:28:33.480 But finally, 00:28:34.360 --> 00:28:35.420 it is in us 00:28:35.420 --> 00:28:37.039 that is the church, 00:28:37.319 --> 00:28:38.200 God's people, 00:28:38.840 --> 00:28:39.600 those who have 00:28:39.600 --> 00:28:41.380 by faith in Christ 00:28:41.380 --> 00:28:43.259 been joined with him 00:28:43.259 --> 00:28:44.700 and been caught up 00:28:44.700 --> 00:28:45.500 in his glory. 00:28:46.099 --> 00:28:47.400 We now have 00:28:47.400 --> 00:28:50.119 something even more wonderful. 00:28:51.879 --> 00:28:53.420 We have not only 00:28:53.420 --> 00:28:54.839 this being caught up in, 00:28:54.940 --> 00:28:56.740 but this overflow of glory 00:28:56.740 --> 00:28:57.980 for the world. 00:28:58.480 --> 00:28:59.480 Let me show you this 00:28:59.480 --> 00:29:00.160 in two places 00:29:00.160 --> 00:29:01.019 in the New Testament. 00:29:01.440 --> 00:29:02.059 The first one 00:29:02.059 --> 00:29:03.819 is in Colossians chapter 1. 00:29:06.379 --> 00:29:07.559 Paul is talking 00:29:07.559 --> 00:29:08.720 about his ministry, 00:29:09.819 --> 00:29:11.819 his ministry of the gospel. 00:29:13.259 --> 00:29:14.119 And he says it, 00:29:14.200 --> 00:29:14.900 he's doing it 00:29:14.900 --> 00:29:16.099 to make the word of God 00:29:16.099 --> 00:29:17.019 fully known. 00:29:17.160 --> 00:29:17.599 That is, 00:29:17.980 --> 00:29:18.960 the mystery hidden 00:29:18.960 --> 00:29:20.299 for ages and generations 00:29:20.299 --> 00:29:21.339 but now revealed 00:29:21.339 --> 00:29:22.180 to his saints. 00:29:22.759 --> 00:29:23.400 To them, 00:29:23.500 --> 00:29:24.420 God chose 00:29:24.420 --> 00:29:25.579 to make known 00:29:25.579 --> 00:29:26.559 how great among 00:29:26.559 --> 00:29:27.319 the Gentiles 00:29:27.319 --> 00:29:28.180 are the riches 00:29:28.180 --> 00:29:30.019 of the glory 00:29:30.019 --> 00:29:31.019 of this ministry. 00:29:31.859 --> 00:29:33.000 Of this mystery, 00:29:33.160 --> 00:29:33.460 that is. 00:29:33.539 --> 00:29:35.019 The glory of this mystery, 00:29:35.200 --> 00:29:36.200 which is 00:29:36.200 --> 00:29:38.599 Christ in you, 00:29:39.279 --> 00:29:40.700 the hope of glory. 00:29:40.700 --> 00:29:44.740 Him we proclaim, 00:29:44.880 --> 00:29:45.559 warning everyone 00:29:45.559 --> 00:29:46.400 and teaching everyone 00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:47.100 with all wisdom 00:29:47.100 --> 00:29:47.940 that we may present 00:29:47.940 --> 00:29:49.380 everyone mature in Christ. 00:29:49.799 --> 00:29:50.799 For this I toil, 00:29:51.059 --> 00:29:51.940 struggling with all 00:29:51.940 --> 00:29:52.559 his energy 00:29:52.559 --> 00:29:53.420 that he powerfully 00:29:53.420 --> 00:29:54.480 works within me. 00:29:55.680 --> 00:29:57.480 What Paul points us to 00:29:57.480 --> 00:29:58.019 in this 00:29:58.019 --> 00:29:58.500 is that 00:29:58.500 --> 00:30:00.080 the great message 00:30:00.080 --> 00:30:00.960 of the gospel 00:30:00.960 --> 00:30:01.500 is that 00:30:01.500 --> 00:30:03.680 as we believe 00:30:03.680 --> 00:30:04.559 in Christ, 00:30:05.460 --> 00:30:06.640 he actually comes 00:30:06.640 --> 00:30:08.220 and dwells within us 00:30:08.220 --> 00:30:09.339 and in him 00:30:09.339 --> 00:30:11.120 because he dwells in us, 00:30:11.240 --> 00:30:12.279 we have the hope 00:30:12.279 --> 00:30:13.460 of being caught up 00:30:13.460 --> 00:30:15.019 in God's glory forever. 00:30:16.460 --> 00:30:17.339 And hope is not 00:30:17.339 --> 00:30:18.160 a wishful thinking 00:30:18.160 --> 00:30:19.440 in the New Testament. 00:30:19.880 --> 00:30:20.680 Hope is a certain 00:30:20.680 --> 00:30:21.600 future event. 00:30:22.500 --> 00:30:24.039 So that hope of glory 00:30:24.039 --> 00:30:24.960 is the certainty 00:30:24.960 --> 00:30:25.960 that we will 00:30:25.960 --> 00:30:26.720 know 00:30:26.720 --> 00:30:27.720 and be caught up 00:30:27.720 --> 00:30:29.559 in God's glory 00:30:29.559 --> 00:30:31.200 because of Christ. 00:30:32.480 --> 00:30:33.500 But then I want you 00:30:33.500 --> 00:30:34.019 to see that 00:30:34.019 --> 00:30:35.559 it's not just that 00:30:35.559 --> 00:30:36.299 because we've kind of 00:30:36.299 --> 00:30:37.539 already covered that ground, 00:30:37.539 --> 00:30:38.700 but it's also, 00:30:38.879 --> 00:30:39.759 Paul is saying this 00:30:39.759 --> 00:30:40.639 in the context 00:30:40.639 --> 00:30:41.639 of his own 00:30:41.639 --> 00:30:43.579 ministry to others, 00:30:43.859 --> 00:30:44.599 that he, 00:30:44.799 --> 00:30:45.599 as an example, 00:30:45.779 --> 00:30:46.480 as believers, 00:30:46.920 --> 00:30:48.220 is not only caught up 00:30:48.220 --> 00:30:49.039 in God's glory 00:30:49.039 --> 00:30:50.399 but he is overflowing 00:30:50.399 --> 00:30:50.839 with it. 00:30:50.920 --> 00:30:51.200 That is, 00:30:51.539 --> 00:30:52.720 he is displaying 00:30:52.720 --> 00:30:53.960 God's glory 00:30:53.960 --> 00:30:55.700 through his ministry. 00:30:55.940 --> 00:30:56.960 Just as Moses 00:30:56.960 --> 00:30:58.299 spoke God's word 00:30:58.299 --> 00:30:58.980 to his people, 00:30:59.099 --> 00:31:00.779 just as Jesus comes 00:31:00.779 --> 00:31:02.379 and speaks God's word 00:31:02.379 --> 00:31:02.839 to us 00:31:02.839 --> 00:31:03.599 that we are to listen 00:31:03.599 --> 00:31:04.099 to him, 00:31:04.379 --> 00:31:05.639 so now God calls 00:31:05.639 --> 00:31:06.599 his church 00:31:06.599 --> 00:31:07.819 to display 00:31:07.819 --> 00:31:08.559 and overflow 00:31:08.559 --> 00:31:09.879 with his glory 00:31:09.879 --> 00:31:11.579 by speaking 00:31:11.579 --> 00:31:13.319 to the world 00:31:13.319 --> 00:31:16.019 about who Jesus is 00:31:16.019 --> 00:31:17.559 and about the glory 00:31:17.559 --> 00:31:19.819 that is in him. 00:31:21.759 --> 00:31:22.819 This brings us 00:31:22.819 --> 00:31:23.459 to the passage 00:31:23.459 --> 00:31:24.740 that was read earlier 00:31:24.740 --> 00:31:26.599 in 2 Corinthians 3 00:31:26.599 --> 00:31:27.459 and I actually want you 00:31:27.459 --> 00:31:28.299 to turn there. 00:31:29.779 --> 00:31:31.079 2 Corinthians 3, 00:31:31.079 --> 00:31:34.519 it's such a beautiful passage 00:31:34.519 --> 00:31:36.399 that captures so much 00:31:36.399 --> 00:31:36.679 of, 00:31:38.379 --> 00:31:38.720 again, 00:31:38.819 --> 00:31:39.159 in it, 00:31:39.199 --> 00:31:40.099 Paul is talking 00:31:40.099 --> 00:31:41.240 about his ministry 00:31:41.240 --> 00:31:42.919 and he's talking about, 00:31:43.179 --> 00:31:44.359 he's actually defending 00:31:44.359 --> 00:31:45.460 his apostleship 00:31:45.460 --> 00:31:46.199 against those 00:31:46.199 --> 00:31:47.279 who say 00:31:47.279 --> 00:31:48.000 that he is 00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:50.139 a substandard apostle 00:31:50.139 --> 00:31:51.480 who does not meet 00:31:51.480 --> 00:31:52.220 the requirements 00:31:52.220 --> 00:31:53.819 in his weakness. 00:31:53.819 --> 00:31:56.679 And what he is saying 00:31:56.679 --> 00:31:57.359 is that 00:31:57.359 --> 00:31:58.759 the badge 00:31:58.759 --> 00:31:59.899 of my apostleship 00:31:59.899 --> 00:32:00.939 is that I have been 00:32:00.939 --> 00:32:01.579 given 00:32:01.579 --> 00:32:03.099 a ministry 00:32:03.099 --> 00:32:04.679 that has greater glory 00:32:04.679 --> 00:32:06.659 than that which came 00:32:06.659 --> 00:32:07.179 before. 00:32:08.899 --> 00:32:10.079 In this passage 00:32:10.079 --> 00:32:12.519 in 2 Corinthians 3 00:32:12.519 --> 00:32:14.019 starting in verse 6 00:32:14.019 --> 00:32:14.779 and going on, 00:32:14.859 --> 00:32:15.319 he says, 00:32:15.740 --> 00:32:15.939 look, 00:32:16.039 --> 00:32:16.859 the Old Testament, 00:32:17.079 --> 00:32:17.799 the Old Covenant, 00:32:17.919 --> 00:32:18.839 the Old Ministry 00:32:18.839 --> 00:32:20.119 to God's people 00:32:20.119 --> 00:32:20.879 was the law 00:32:20.879 --> 00:32:21.579 and the law 00:32:21.579 --> 00:32:23.359 was not able 00:32:23.359 --> 00:32:24.240 to give life. 00:32:25.359 --> 00:32:26.559 It was preparing 00:32:26.559 --> 00:32:27.319 the world 00:32:27.319 --> 00:32:28.179 for Jesus. 00:32:29.039 --> 00:32:29.859 It only brought 00:32:29.859 --> 00:32:30.720 condemnation 00:32:30.720 --> 00:32:31.819 to reveal sin 00:32:31.819 --> 00:32:32.339 and judgment. 00:32:32.519 --> 00:32:33.259 It could not bring 00:32:33.259 --> 00:32:33.859 a solution. 00:32:34.859 --> 00:32:35.980 But Christ came 00:32:35.980 --> 00:32:38.039 and Christ came 00:32:38.039 --> 00:32:41.019 and obeyed the law 00:32:41.019 --> 00:32:43.480 and so he satisfied it. 00:32:43.919 --> 00:32:44.500 Christ came 00:32:44.500 --> 00:32:45.519 and satisfied the law 00:32:45.519 --> 00:32:46.220 by dying 00:32:46.220 --> 00:32:46.779 in the place 00:32:46.779 --> 00:32:47.359 of sinners 00:32:47.359 --> 00:32:48.359 so that justice 00:32:48.359 --> 00:32:49.500 is satisfied. 00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:50.639 Christ came 00:32:50.639 --> 00:32:51.619 and calls his people 00:32:51.619 --> 00:32:53.019 into a new covenant 00:32:53.019 --> 00:32:53.799 relationship. 00:32:55.379 --> 00:32:56.339 The one that was 00:32:56.339 --> 00:32:57.339 promised before 00:32:57.339 --> 00:32:57.979 in Jeremiah 00:32:57.979 --> 00:32:59.019 and Ezekiel. 00:32:59.299 --> 00:33:00.039 The new covenant 00:33:00.039 --> 00:33:00.779 where the law 00:33:00.779 --> 00:33:02.079 is written on our hearts 00:33:02.079 --> 00:33:03.179 that are renewed 00:33:03.179 --> 00:33:04.099 by the Spirit. 00:33:05.379 --> 00:33:06.139 A new covenant 00:33:06.139 --> 00:33:07.359 that brings not death 00:33:07.359 --> 00:33:08.319 and condemnation 00:33:08.319 --> 00:33:09.719 but life and joy. 00:33:12.259 --> 00:33:13.359 The new covenant 00:33:13.359 --> 00:33:15.479 that frees us 00:33:15.479 --> 00:33:16.279 from the veil 00:33:16.279 --> 00:33:17.539 of a hardened heart 00:33:17.539 --> 00:33:18.639 that chooses 00:33:18.639 --> 00:33:19.720 our own glory 00:33:19.720 --> 00:33:21.740 and instead 00:33:21.740 --> 00:33:23.759 softens us 00:33:23.759 --> 00:33:24.639 and breaks us 00:33:24.639 --> 00:33:25.299 so that we would 00:33:25.299 --> 00:33:26.519 receive from God 00:33:26.519 --> 00:33:27.859 a glory far greater 00:33:27.859 --> 00:33:28.480 than anything 00:33:28.480 --> 00:33:30.079 we can accomplish. 00:33:32.460 --> 00:33:33.980 And the amazing thing 00:33:33.980 --> 00:33:35.940 is he says 00:33:35.940 --> 00:33:36.799 this is sealed 00:33:36.799 --> 00:33:38.119 by the Holy Spirit 00:33:38.119 --> 00:33:40.720 that God himself 00:33:40.720 --> 00:33:42.460 not only shows us 00:33:42.460 --> 00:33:43.599 the glory of God, 00:33:43.799 --> 00:33:45.000 not only does Christ 00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:46.039 dwell in us, 00:33:46.599 --> 00:33:48.480 but the Holy Spirit 00:33:48.480 --> 00:33:49.460 himself comes 00:33:49.460 --> 00:33:50.599 and indwells 00:33:50.599 --> 00:33:51.339 the believers. 00:33:51.519 --> 00:33:52.440 This is what it says 00:33:52.440 --> 00:33:53.559 in 16 through 18. 00:33:54.019 --> 00:33:55.180 Read with me there. 00:33:55.640 --> 00:33:56.740 When one turns 00:33:56.740 --> 00:33:57.359 to the Lord 00:33:57.359 --> 00:33:58.640 the veil is removed. 00:33:59.640 --> 00:34:00.259 Now the Lord 00:34:00.259 --> 00:34:01.099 is the Spirit 00:34:01.099 --> 00:34:02.160 and where the Spirit 00:34:02.160 --> 00:34:03.200 of the Lord is 00:34:03.200 --> 00:34:04.039 there is freedom 00:34:04.039 --> 00:34:05.480 and we all 00:34:05.480 --> 00:34:06.980 with unveiled face 00:34:06.980 --> 00:34:08.320 beholding the glory 00:34:08.320 --> 00:34:08.980 of the Lord 00:34:08.980 --> 00:34:10.420 are being transformed 00:34:10.420 --> 00:34:11.880 into the same image 00:34:11.880 --> 00:34:12.920 from one degree 00:34:12.920 --> 00:34:14.280 of glory to another 00:34:14.280 --> 00:34:15.539 for this comes 00:34:15.539 --> 00:34:16.280 from the Lord 00:34:16.280 --> 00:34:18.320 who is the Spirit. 00:34:22.820 --> 00:34:23.500 Friends, 00:34:23.619 --> 00:34:25.220 do you know this? 00:34:26.340 --> 00:34:26.900 Do you know 00:34:26.900 --> 00:34:28.700 that the Holy Spirit, 00:34:29.320 --> 00:34:30.360 God himself 00:34:30.360 --> 00:34:31.760 dwelling within 00:34:31.760 --> 00:34:33.760 the hearts and souls 00:34:33.760 --> 00:34:35.900 of women and men 00:34:35.900 --> 00:34:36.480 who have placed 00:34:36.480 --> 00:34:37.700 their faith in Christ 00:34:37.700 --> 00:34:38.920 are manifesting 00:34:39.559 --> 00:34:41.019 the glory of God 00:34:41.019 --> 00:34:42.059 in your lives? 00:34:42.059 --> 00:34:43.380 you are being 00:34:43.380 --> 00:34:44.380 transformed 00:34:44.380 --> 00:34:46.519 so that you might 00:34:46.519 --> 00:34:47.739 not only know 00:34:47.739 --> 00:34:48.940 the glory of God 00:34:48.940 --> 00:34:50.219 and be caught up in it 00:34:50.219 --> 00:34:51.380 but so that you might 00:34:51.380 --> 00:34:52.320 overflow 00:34:52.320 --> 00:34:55.219 to others. 00:34:56.179 --> 00:34:56.679 Again, 00:34:56.799 --> 00:34:57.699 in this context, 00:34:58.099 --> 00:34:59.420 Paul is talking 00:34:59.420 --> 00:35:00.539 about his ministry. 00:35:01.039 --> 00:35:02.159 We see in chapter 4 00:35:02.159 --> 00:35:02.679 verse 1, 00:35:02.840 --> 00:35:03.199 therefore, 00:35:03.739 --> 00:35:05.099 knowing these things, 00:35:05.599 --> 00:35:07.719 we have this ministry 00:35:07.719 --> 00:35:08.940 and we don't lose heart. 00:35:08.940 --> 00:35:12.300 friends, 00:35:12.360 --> 00:35:12.980 this is what God 00:35:12.980 --> 00:35:14.000 has called his people 00:35:14.000 --> 00:35:15.179 to be in the world, 00:35:15.500 --> 00:35:16.920 is people who not only 00:35:16.920 --> 00:35:17.760 are caught up 00:35:17.760 --> 00:35:18.980 in the glory of God 00:35:18.980 --> 00:35:20.460 through faith in Christ 00:35:20.460 --> 00:35:21.700 but who overflow 00:35:21.700 --> 00:35:23.220 with the glory of God. 00:35:24.579 --> 00:35:25.780 This is what I saw 00:35:25.780 --> 00:35:26.579 in my friends, 00:35:26.720 --> 00:35:27.420 Bill and Becky, 00:35:27.820 --> 00:35:29.099 so many years ago. 00:35:29.980 --> 00:35:31.079 I saw in them 00:35:31.079 --> 00:35:31.980 something different. 00:35:34.480 --> 00:35:36.260 They had tasted the food 00:35:36.260 --> 00:35:37.720 from that distant land. 00:35:37.719 --> 00:35:40.199 They had an aroma 00:35:40.199 --> 00:35:40.919 of heaven 00:35:40.919 --> 00:35:42.319 that I could not place 00:35:42.319 --> 00:35:43.699 and could not understand 00:35:43.699 --> 00:35:45.919 but because they knew 00:35:45.919 --> 00:35:46.579 and loved 00:35:46.579 --> 00:35:47.819 and worshipped Jesus, 00:35:49.039 --> 00:35:50.459 their love 00:35:50.459 --> 00:35:52.679 and their hope 00:35:52.679 --> 00:35:53.699 overflowed 00:35:53.699 --> 00:35:54.739 in their lives. 00:35:56.619 --> 00:35:57.919 And I saw that 00:35:57.919 --> 00:35:58.759 long before 00:35:58.759 --> 00:35:59.939 I heard the words 00:35:59.939 --> 00:36:00.839 that they were saying 00:36:00.839 --> 00:36:01.339 to me 00:36:01.339 --> 00:36:03.599 and when God 00:36:03.599 --> 00:36:04.799 graciously finally 00:36:04.799 --> 00:36:05.339 allowed me 00:36:05.339 --> 00:36:06.399 to hear the words 00:36:06.400 --> 00:36:07.320 they were saying 00:36:07.320 --> 00:36:10.079 that what I was longing for 00:36:10.079 --> 00:36:11.380 and what I was hoping for 00:36:11.380 --> 00:36:12.680 and what I was made for 00:36:12.680 --> 00:36:13.960 was Jesus. 00:36:18.200 --> 00:36:20.240 It's because they had overflowed 00:36:20.240 --> 00:36:22.380 with the glory of God 00:36:22.380 --> 00:36:24.059 for months 00:36:24.059 --> 00:36:24.500 and months 00:36:24.500 --> 00:36:25.079 and months 00:36:25.079 --> 00:36:27.780 in their actions 00:36:27.780 --> 00:36:29.240 and in their words. 00:36:29.239 --> 00:36:31.639 friends, 00:36:31.719 --> 00:36:32.619 this is my longing 00:36:32.619 --> 00:36:33.759 for us 00:36:33.759 --> 00:36:34.479 as a church. 00:36:37.419 --> 00:36:38.659 This is my longing 00:36:38.659 --> 00:36:39.199 for us 00:36:39.199 --> 00:36:40.079 that we might be 00:36:40.079 --> 00:36:40.500 those 00:36:40.500 --> 00:36:42.199 in whom 00:36:42.199 --> 00:36:43.379 the glory of God 00:36:43.379 --> 00:36:44.979 might be on display 00:36:44.979 --> 00:36:46.679 that we would 00:36:46.679 --> 00:36:47.079 treasure 00:36:47.079 --> 00:36:49.059 and find it 00:36:49.059 --> 00:36:50.019 to be the greatest 00:36:50.019 --> 00:36:51.179 goal for us. 00:36:52.359 --> 00:36:53.319 If you're wondering 00:36:53.319 --> 00:36:54.199 what you need to do 00:36:54.199 --> 00:36:54.819 with your life, 00:36:54.959 --> 00:36:55.479 here's a goal, 00:36:55.699 --> 00:36:55.979 here's a, 00:36:56.119 --> 00:36:56.579 here's a thing. 00:36:56.579 --> 00:36:58.219 Glorify God 00:36:58.219 --> 00:36:59.480 and enjoy Him forever. 00:37:00.940 --> 00:37:01.699 Someone said that 00:37:01.699 --> 00:37:02.440 a long time ago. 00:37:02.519 --> 00:37:03.219 It's a good idea. 00:37:04.960 --> 00:37:05.900 You don't need 00:37:05.900 --> 00:37:07.199 to find a great purpose 00:37:07.199 --> 00:37:08.199 in your relationships 00:37:08.199 --> 00:37:09.039 or your work. 00:37:09.239 --> 00:37:10.420 There's lots of value 00:37:10.420 --> 00:37:10.920 in that 00:37:10.920 --> 00:37:12.319 but when that gets 00:37:12.319 --> 00:37:12.980 caught up 00:37:12.980 --> 00:37:14.739 in this greater goal 00:37:14.739 --> 00:37:16.119 of living 00:37:16.119 --> 00:37:16.880 to the glory 00:37:16.880 --> 00:37:17.559 of God, 00:37:18.559 --> 00:37:20.920 friends, 00:37:21.000 --> 00:37:21.840 that's all you need 00:37:21.840 --> 00:37:23.860 and it's in fact 00:37:23.860 --> 00:37:24.340 what God 00:37:24.340 --> 00:37:25.400 has made you for 00:37:25.400 --> 00:37:26.840 that He might 00:37:26.840 --> 00:37:27.880 display His glory 00:37:27.880 --> 00:37:28.500 in you 00:37:28.500 --> 00:37:30.700 just as He did 00:37:30.700 --> 00:37:31.360 in Moses 00:37:31.360 --> 00:37:32.579 and just as He did 00:37:32.579 --> 00:37:33.440 in Jesus. 00:37:35.100 --> 00:37:35.940 That He might 00:37:35.940 --> 00:37:36.920 display the glory 00:37:36.920 --> 00:37:37.700 through us 00:37:37.700 --> 00:37:39.720 until He comes again. 00:37:40.140 --> 00:37:40.780 Let's pray. 00:37:40.780 --> 00:37:49.740 O Lord, 00:37:49.820 --> 00:37:51.240 we pray this morning 00:37:51.240 --> 00:37:52.540 for Your help. 00:37:53.820 --> 00:37:54.320 Lord, 00:37:54.400 --> 00:37:55.280 for we confess 00:37:55.280 --> 00:37:56.040 that we are 00:37:56.040 --> 00:37:57.560 often tempted 00:37:57.560 --> 00:37:58.800 to pursue 00:37:58.800 --> 00:37:59.880 lesser glories. 00:38:01.960 --> 00:38:02.519 Lord, 00:38:02.600 --> 00:38:03.280 we are often 00:38:03.280 --> 00:38:05.940 filled with cynicism 00:38:05.940 --> 00:38:06.940 about 00:38:06.940 --> 00:38:09.860 actually achieving glory 00:38:09.860 --> 00:38:11.680 and so our hearts 00:38:11.680 --> 00:38:12.280 are hardened 00:38:12.280 --> 00:38:13.380 and turned from You. 00:38:14.519 --> 00:38:14.820 Lord, 00:38:14.840 --> 00:38:15.960 I pray this morning 00:38:15.960 --> 00:38:17.620 as we have read 00:38:17.620 --> 00:38:18.440 this passage 00:38:18.440 --> 00:38:19.440 and thought of 00:38:19.440 --> 00:38:20.059 Your purposes 00:38:20.059 --> 00:38:20.980 for our lives 00:38:20.980 --> 00:38:22.420 that we would be 00:38:22.420 --> 00:38:23.019 renewed. 00:38:24.280 --> 00:38:24.700 Lord, 00:38:24.780 --> 00:38:25.460 help us 00:38:25.460 --> 00:38:26.620 to repent 00:38:26.620 --> 00:38:27.660 of our sin 00:38:27.660 --> 00:38:28.820 and our idolatry, 00:38:29.039 --> 00:38:29.660 to repent 00:38:29.660 --> 00:38:32.059 of our cynicism 00:38:32.059 --> 00:38:33.400 and our despair 00:38:33.400 --> 00:38:35.220 and Lord, 00:38:35.320 --> 00:38:36.420 to again hope 00:38:36.420 --> 00:38:37.180 for glory 00:38:37.179 --> 00:38:37.859 and to turn 00:38:37.859 --> 00:38:38.500 to You 00:38:38.500 --> 00:38:39.940 and to believe 00:38:39.940 --> 00:38:40.419 in You. 00:38:41.500 --> 00:38:41.879 And Lord, 00:38:41.960 --> 00:38:42.679 we pray that 00:38:42.679 --> 00:38:43.480 as we know 00:38:43.480 --> 00:38:44.119 Your glory 00:38:44.119 --> 00:38:45.359 in increasing measure, 00:38:45.940 --> 00:38:46.039 Lord, 00:38:46.099 --> 00:38:46.739 that we too 00:38:46.739 --> 00:38:47.579 might be those 00:38:47.579 --> 00:38:48.299 who overflow 00:38:48.299 --> 00:38:50.239 with glory, 00:38:50.500 --> 00:38:51.599 that those around us 00:38:51.599 --> 00:38:52.359 might see 00:38:52.359 --> 00:38:54.019 You in us, 00:38:54.319 --> 00:38:54.899 might see 00:38:54.899 --> 00:38:55.739 Your glory, 00:38:56.279 --> 00:38:57.059 might hear 00:38:57.059 --> 00:38:58.039 of Your glory 00:38:58.039 --> 00:38:59.139 through our words 00:38:59.139 --> 00:39:00.219 and through our actions, 00:39:00.839 --> 00:39:02.319 and that they too 00:39:02.319 --> 00:39:03.679 might come 00:39:03.679 --> 00:39:04.599 and by believing 00:39:04.599 --> 00:39:05.019 in You 00:39:05.019 --> 00:39:05.780 be caught up 00:39:05.780 --> 00:39:07.500 in that same glory. 00:39:08.699 --> 00:39:09.179 Lord, 00:39:09.259 --> 00:39:09.840 we know that 00:39:09.840 --> 00:39:10.320 these things 00:39:10.320 --> 00:39:11.280 are good for us, 00:39:11.320 --> 00:39:12.219 but they are 00:39:12.219 --> 00:39:13.719 even more so 00:39:13.719 --> 00:39:16.139 for Your glory 00:39:16.139 --> 00:39:17.539 that You might display 00:39:17.539 --> 00:39:18.519 the greatness 00:39:18.519 --> 00:39:20.840 of all that You are 00:39:20.840 --> 00:39:21.699 in us 00:39:21.699 --> 00:39:22.639 and in Your world. 00:39:23.280 --> 00:39:24.119 We pray 00:39:24.119 --> 00:39:25.340 in Jesus' name. 00:39:25.840 --> 00:39:26.259 Amen.