Reflecting His Radiance: Understanding God's Glory

Summary: This sermon explores the concept of God's glory as revealed in Scripture, highlighting its significance, the call for believers to reflect it, and its ultimate fulfillment in Christ.

Application: Understanding God's glory can transform our perspective on life's challenges, inviting us to live in a way that honors Him and reflects His character, even in times of struggle and weakness.

Teaching: This sermon teaches that God's glory is central to our faith, affecting our worship, our behavior, and our interactions with others as we strive to embody that glory in our daily lives.

How this passage could point to Christ: Throughout the Bible, God's glory is ultimately manifested in Jesus Christ, who embodies God's fullness and invites us to be partakers in His glorious presence through salvation and sanctification.

Big Idea: Embracing and reflecting God’s glory calls us to live transformed lives that point others to Him and reveal His character to the world.

Recommended Study: As you prepare this sermon, consider diving into the theological implications of God's glory using your Logos library. You might explore texts that address the Shekinah glory in the Old Testament and how this foreshadows Christ's incarnation. Look also at exegetical studies on passages like John 1:14 and Romans 3:23 to see how God's glory intersects with human sin and redemption.

2 Corinthians 3:17–18 ESV

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

1. Moses' Marvelous Request

Exodus 33:18–23 ESV

18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

First Let us encounter the Glory of God

the understanding of God’s glory

We can see a wonderful picture in a request from Moses

A request that is truly bold

In this instance Moses has been down from Sinai once

He has encountered the golden calf and broken the ten commandments

In this Moses has returned back up the mountain

Moses is back in communion with God

in this story we can find a true power of God’s Glory

God’s glory alone sets a standard of power

Moses simply requests to see God’s Glory

What a wonderful request

Moses is at a hard time

Moses in this moment is needing His God

He makes a bold request to see His glory

God’s response is so much greater

Moses had asked to see God’s glory

truly encountering God’s glory meant seeing God Himself

This teaches us so much about who God is

To see or encounter God’s glory God had to be present on Sinai

In that presence Moses still could only see God’s back as His face would have killed Him

Just the mere presence of God had drastic effects on Moses

But the face of an all perfect almighty God is too much for man to encounter

At the end of the next chapter we see Moses face radiated

it shown like a bright light

to the point where he had to wear a veil to cover his face

Moses encounter with the glory of God was incredible

Our God’s glory is an exhibit of His power

We as Christians need to bask in that Glory

Moses was in a rough spot here

The people had turned and rejected

Moses seemed to be almost hopeless

and in this loss of hope came a heart seeking God’s glory

and there was no better way to seek God’s glory than seek it from the source!

As Christians today we often try to encounter God in many ways

we try to encounter through people

church

conferences

revivals

bible studies

friendships

relationships

In reality we can see God’s glory reflected in these places

but we should be seek to encounter God from the source

Our worship or walk with God should not be dictated by other people or brought to occurrence through events

it should be something we seek out in our private lives

that leads to true unadulterated worship

it leads to the purest encounter of God’s glory

encountering from the source

The reality is the church needs a Spiritual Tan

Imagine a tanning bed

I have personally never used one but I know there are a few important factors

First you have to get prepared to get in

you cant get in fully clothed or you will see no change

The same goes for the Christian

we must approach God’s Glory open and honest, in complete surrender to his power

Second you have to get in the tanning bed

You must get in or you will only see the light and chance for change from the outside

You have to want the change to happen

The same thing for Christians

often times we stand on the outside looking in

we go places and attempt to encounter God but never allowed ourselves to become fully involved

We allow others to block us from encountering the Lord

Third and possibly most important you must turn it on!

If the bed is not on there is no light to be seen

If the Christian is showing up to church or encounter events with out a prepared heart seeking God they will not get an effect

God’s glory is always shining

it will never cease to do so

The Spiritual tanning bed is already on

The problem is the church expects everyone else to bring them to Gods Glory

When God simply has said open up your heart, prepare your soul, and come in and encounter Him

You could focus on how Moses' encounter with God's glory demonstrates the awe-inspiring and overwhelming nature of God's presence. Moses' request to see God's glory reveals a deep yearning to know God more intimately. Emphasize that while God's full glory is too intense for humans to endure, He graciously reveals Himself in ways we can comprehend. Connect this to the believer's call to seek and reflect God's glory in our lives.

2. The Word's Wonder

John 1:14 ESV

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

In John we can see God’s glory exhibited in present day

We can see the glory of God in His Son

When Jesus came to earth He brought the glory of God with Him

God’s glory is fully reveled through the salvation in Jesus

Jesus made God’s glory accessible to all

Jesus broke the barrier between man and God

Jesus death marked the tearing of the veil in the temple

it marked the ability of man to approach God

through the Holy Spirit

Jesus became our intercessor

Jesus became the High Priest

He opened the door for direct connection to God’s glory

to seek God’s glory is to seek the face of our Savior

God’s glory and truth played out through His life

which remember lives within us!

What a powerful statement

The Holy Spirit lives within us

We have the ability to encounter the Glory of God directly

We know from Moses that encountering God’s glory has an effect

it will cause us to shine like beacons of light to the world reflecting His Glory!

Perhaps, discuss how God's glory is most fully revealed in Jesus Christ, as described in this verse. The Word becoming flesh is the ultimate manifestation of God's glory and truth. Highlight the significance of Christ's incarnation: God's glory becoming tangible and accessible. This lays the foundation for believers to embody and reflect God's character, as Christ did.

3. Transformation's Triumph

2 Corinthians 3:17–18 ESV

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

This reflection can be summed up in 2 Corinthians

Paul reminds us that true freedom is in Christ

in verse 17 we have the peace of an almighty God

In verse 18 we see a parallel from Moses

we know Moses stood with veiled face before the people

Israel has a veil upon its heart

Paul says here that with an unveiled face

we behold the Glory of the Lord

God has empowered us to reflect Him

God has made a way for His people to reflect His glory

God has paved the way fro transformation

it starts with reflecting the Glory of God

basking in God’s glory

We need a Spiritual Tan!

We need to soaking up the Glory of God like rays from the sun

seeking to absorb all that He can offer to us

showing the world that He can change us

The church as a whole is called to represent the King of Kings

We can only truly represent the King if we represent His Glory

Maybe consider how believers are transformed into Christ's image, from glory to glory, through the Spirit. This passage encourages believers that transformation is ongoing and leads us to reflect God's glory more fully. Stress the importance of living a life that is continually being molded by the Holy Spirit, resulting in a visible reflection of God's radiant presence to the world.