Meeting God in Jesus: The Glory of God in Christ

I. Introduction & The Paradox of Glory

(Welcome and Bridge) “Welcome, everyone, to the final session of our series, ‘Meeting God in Jesus.’ We’ve spent weeks exploring God’s attributes as revealed in the person of Christ: His Love, Power, Wisdom, and Faithfulness. Last week, we focused on Holiness—the radical purity and transforming power of God.”

“If Holiness is who God is—His unchangeable, ultimate purity—then Glory is how God shows it to the world. Imagine a perfect diamond: its purity is its holiness; the blinding light it reflects is its glory.”

(The Hook - Engaging Assumption) “Let’s start with a question. When you hear the word ‘glory,’ what image comes to mind? Think about movies, sports, or history. What does our world celebrate as ‘glorious’?” (Pause for answers and list them "Worldly Glory.")

(The Pivot) “In the world, glory is an ascent to greatness—climbing up to achieve fame, wealth, or power, often at the expense of others. But in the Bible, God’s glory is revealed as a descent to greatness—a descent that costs God everything for our benefit.”

(The Paradox) “Listen to Jesus, speaking right before the cross in John 12:23 “23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” And again in John 17:1 “1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,”

this creates a paradox

II. The Glory in Christ’s Person (10 Minutes)

Leader: (Defining Glory) “The key to unlocking this paradox is understanding who Jesus is. Glory is a Person, not an abstract thing. It’s the sheer beauty and excellence of God’s character, and that character is perfectly displayed in the Incarnate Son.”

we give glory to god, as means of worship, which is right does belong to Jesus; yes, but Jesus is the Glory of the Father

the reason i say this, is based of 2 text in the bible.

Leader: (Reading & Defining Identity) “The Apostle Paul makes the most profound claim imaginable about Jesus’ identity. He says Jesus is the image of the invisible God Colossians 1:15 and then the writer to the hebrews says the exact imprint of his nature (Hebrews 1:3) .

To see Jesus’s face, His actions, His life—is to see God the Father as He truly is. This means God’s glory isn't just cosmic power; it's relational, self-giving love.”

this is what our whole series been about: seeing the Father in Jesus

I want us to take a look a these two passages about this

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Hebrews 1:1–4 ESV

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, (The OT) 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son (Jesus), whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He (JESUS) is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

what do you notice about this passage,

what do you learn about the glory of God

what do you learn about jesus here?

his work?

the father?

what do you learn about humanity?

second reading: 983

Colossians 1:15–20 ESV

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

what do you notice about this passage,

what do you learn about the glory of God

what do you learn about jesus here?

his work?

the father?

what do you learn about humanity?

Leader: (DQ 1) “If Jesus Christ is the ultimate, definitive revelation of ‘glory,’ what does that reveal about God’s fundamental nature?” (Guide students toward the Trinitarian nature: glory is relational, loving, and self-giving, eternally shared between the Father, Son, and Spirit .)

answer:

what did we read in Colossians 1:19-20

glory is relational, loving, and self-giving, eternally shared between the Father, Son, and Spirit .

it shows us the father, son and spirit

III. The Problem of Knowing God’s Glory (10 Minutes)

(The Human/sin Barrier) This glory, defined by Jesus, contrasts sharply with us. We’ve seen that the problem of humanity isn't just that we do bad things; it’s that the Fall corrupted our very nature and our way of thinking—our reason is affected by sin .

We try to determine God and reality outside of His own terms, leading to distortions and idolatry .

(The Challenge of Epistemology) In Genesis, humanity chose to define good and evil for itself. Today, we still prefer to know God on our terms, not on the terms He wants to be known by: Jesus .

If eternal life is knowing God (John 17:3), and Christ is the only mediator of knowledge between God and humanity , that means we cannot gain saving knowledge of God through philosophy, self-help, or science alone, or not doing certain sins.

Leader: (DQ 2) “If humanity constantly tries to ‘know God on its own terms,’ how does that show up in your life? In the begging we listed things that we considered or defined as “glory”, how do they actually ignore or reject the real, cruciform glory of Christ?”

(Help them connect self-reliance and achievement back to the core failure of not trusting God's way of knowing.)

is that not what we have been saying about us trying to gain the approval, love or care from God?

IV. The Glory in Union: Participation (15 Minutes)

Leader: (Salvation is Union) “This leads us back to the cross. Why did Jesus descend? To bring us into His life . The gift of salvation is not merely a legal transaction; it is a profound, mystical, and intensely personal reality: union with Christ .

We receive His benefits—justification, adoption, sanctification—not as separate gifts, but because we are joined to the Person who earned them all .”

this is not a perfect example but humor me for a bit

if a Christian rich man marries a Christian poor women (she is not a gold digger), and they become one before God and man, in marriage. all this wealth, all his property or his power becomes hers as much as they are his. so if he has a terrible accident and dies, she doesn't inherit them, but are actual already hers even when the man was alive.

Leader: (The Glory of Atonement) “The cross reveals God’s glory because it perfectly resolves the tension between His holiness and His love. Christ is our penal-substitutionary-participatory atonement . He absorbed the full holy opposition of God against sin—what some theologians call the ‘white-hot fire of God’s love’ . In doing so, He glorified the Father by proving His justice and making our reconciliation possible. Because He assumed our humanity, He redeems our humanity .”

say the women that got married to the rich man had debt that she could not pay (and she is not a gold digger), he obviously will not pay it, for her when there not married, but ones they get married, her debt becomes his, her problems become his, but his wealth becomes hers, his power becomes hers, her identity changes, her name changes.

this is a picture of salvation. we are united to Jesus. read any book of the New Testament, and just count how many time the writer is saying

in christ, united to christ, through christ, by christ and so on

so Jesus's righteousness, healing, adoption and so on come as a result of our union with him

(The Trinitarian Display) this is were thing get even more crazy and beautiful

“This union (with Jesus) brings us into the very life of the Trinity itself—what theologians call Perichoresis or mutual indwelling . The Holy Spirit is the bond of love that joins us to the Son, so that we may participate in the love and intimacy the Son eternally shares with the Father .”

Leader: (Reading the Memory Verse) “Listen again to this (John 17:22-23), this is Jesus’ praying for us those who are united to Jesus right before his death, this is what's called the “Hight priestly prayer” but just listen to this part of the prayer:”

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John 17:22–23 ESV

22 The glory that you (Father) have given me I (Jesus) have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I (Jesus) in them (us/believers) and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

Leader: (DQ 3) “Jesus promises us a unity that mirrors the relationship of the Trinity. How does that reality of us being ‘in Christ’ change the way you view the person sitting next to you, especially if they are very different from you or you struggle to get along?” (Emphasize that the foundation of our unity is Christ's person, not mutual agreement or preference .)

V. The Consummation: Guaranteed Glory (10 Minutes)

(The Final Destination) This union with Jesus has a guaranteed end point: Glorification. This is the climax of all God’s work in us . Last week, we focused on Sanctification—God making us holy—which is an ongoing process. But Glorification is definitive and final.

(Reading the Golden Chain) “The Apostle Paul links this destiny directly to God’s eternal plan in Romans 8:30:”

“And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

Glorification is the perfect, final conformity of our entire being—body and spirit—to the image of Jesus Christ . It is the end of the struggle with sin and the full experience of God's glory .

Leader: (DQ 4) “What is the biggest difference between striving for your own self-generated perfection (moralism) versus patiently resting in the promise that God already sees you as glorified in Christ (saints), and is actively completing the process of conforming you to His image?”

(Highlight the contrast between self-reliance and the objective reality of Christ's finished work.)

Jesus calls us saints not sinners.

do not lie to your self or to other telling them they are sinners, bad Christians or other lies, because Jesus said you are a saint if you are united to him

VI. Closing Challenge (5 Minutes)

Leader: (Final Application) “We started with the paradox: the world sees glory as ascent; Christ reveals glory as descent into self-giving love. If God’s glory is not a weapon aimed at you, but a gift given for you , our response must be to reflect that descending love.”

Leader: (Challenge) “This week, look for one opportunity where you can reject the world’s push for ascending glory—the desire for recognition, control, or self-promotion—and instead choose the descending glory of Christ’s self-giving love in a relationship, a responsibility, or a moment of humility.”

Leader: (Prayer) “Let’s pray, asking the Holy Spirit to bring us into a deeper knowledge and experience of this glorious union with Christ.”