God is Glorious - Oct 4
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Tim Chester, “You Can Change” Chapter 5 is very influentional for this message. Many of the ideas, structure, etc is taken from that book. Quotes are attributed.
RECAP - God is Great, and so I don’t have to be in control.
RECAP - God is Great, and so I don’t have to be in control.
Talk about examples of God’s greatness that you observed last week?
God is Glorious - so I don’t have to fear others.
God is Glorious - so I don’t have to fear others.
Dictionary of Bible Themes 1190 glory
glory
The distinctive feature of the presence of God, often compared to power, weight or brightness.
We are going to think of glory today in terms of weight.
What weighs more in your decisions
-what people think about you OR
-what God thinks about you?
EXAMPLES:What do people think about me? BlimeyCow - “Why Do I Care What People Think about Me?”
Q - What are some things that people do to gain aproval from others?
Q - What are some things that people do to gain aproval from others?
giving in to peer pressure
can’t say “no”
make other people look bad, so that we can look good
try to please others, but get down when it doesn’t work
25 The fear of man is a snare, but the one who trusts in the Lord is protected.
The wisdom from that verse is that you are in trouble when you let people’s opinions of you matter more than God’s opinion.
The best thing that we can do to stop trying to please other people is to put all of our effort into pleasing God.
Or, you could sayy it this way,
Care less about what People think and more about what God thinks.
Why? Bcause God’s Glory weighs far more than the glory of others.
Q - What’s the most glorious thing that you have seen a person do?
Q - What’s the most glorious thing that you have seen a person do?
musical mastery
great invention
athletic accomplishment.
Compare those things to the Glory of God as described in Exodus
16 On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning, a thick cloud on the mountain, and a loud trumpet sound, so that all the people in the camp shuddered.
17 Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
18 Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke because the Lord came down on it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently.
19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him in the thunder.
The people were terrified, why? Because God’s glory was on display.
Imagine the scene,
A thick cloud descends on the mountain along with lightning and thunder and trumpet so loud that everybody shuddered. That’s the signal for the people to come to the base of the mountain where God’s glory is on display.
18 Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke because the Lord came down on it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently.
Amazing. I watched a documentary from a website that called sinaiinarabia.com. There is the mountain that the top is blackened, like a massive fire was there, on the top of the mountain.
There are many other features of this mountain that are making a great case for why it is the site of Mt Sinai.
But for our study today, imagine a mountain like this with the fire, clouds, lightning, thunder and blaring trumpet. Imagine Moses walking up the Mountain to meet with God, and for God to give his 10 commandments in this setting.
Its a picture of God’s glory.
God’s glory is also in display throughout Jesus life.
14 The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
To be with Jesus is to see God’s glory. Everything that Jesus did was good, and right and full of life.
It would be amazing to have been with him, to hear him talk, to listen to his teaching and see the miracles. Why, because he was glorious! People getting to see the Glory of God.
I think that a lot of classical painters tried to illustrate this glory by painting light around Jesus.
When the book of Revelation talks about a new heaven and a new earth, we see that God’s glory will be on display there as well.
22 I did not see a sanctuary in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its sanctuary.
23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God’s glory illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
That is a very quick look at God’s glory in the Bible.
And so we need to ask our selves the question,
When comparing the glory of the people around us with the glory of God, which one is more glorious?
When comparing the glory of the people around us with the glory of God, which one is more glorious?
Whose Glory matters more to you? The glory of the people that you want to impress, or the glory of God?
Glory and Fear
Glory and Fear
What is the connection between glory and fear?
If we are really impressed by someone, we have physical and mental reactions.
For example, watch how the good people of London react to The Beatles returning home from North America.
That’s just an example reacting to the glory of a band.
But how do we react to the glory of other people in our lives?
if its a famous person, you might jumble up your words, or forget what you are saying
If it is someone that you really want to impress, you might do something that you wouldn’t normally do.
Maybe, you don’t want to make a fool of yourself in front of a glorious person, and so you play it safe and don’t do anything.
When we act a certain way because of how we think an important person will react to us, that is what is called, “Fear of Man”
The fear of people, or reacting in a certain way because of their opinion, can take us of course in life.
But what I’ve tried to show you in the study today, is that what is infinitaly more important than what people think about us, is what God thinks about us.
Q - Should we be afraid of God?
Q - Should we be afraid of God?
Yes, he is a just God who is required to punish sin. So, if you are a sinner, than you should be very afraid.
30 For we know the One who has said, Vengeance belongs to Me, I will repay, and again, The Lord will judge His people.
31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!
But the beautiul truth is that Jesus let himself fall into God’s wrath so that you and I wouldn’t have to. He died for our sins. If you put your trust in Jesus, then he has taken your place. You don’t need to be terrified of God.
Instead...
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to the confession.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin.
16 Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.
If Jesus Christ is your King, then you can go with boldness to God. Because of Jesus, you are adopted in God’s own family, he is on your side, he is making you holy.
And that is what I mean when I say,
God is Glorious, so I don’t have to fear others.
God is Glorious, so I don’t have to fear others.
God’s opinion matters so much more than others, I want to please him and not others.
You Can Change: God's Transforming Power for Our Sinful Behavior and Negative Emotions 5 What Truths Do You Need to Turn To?
Whenever you see someone whom you fear or whose approval you crave, imagine God next to him or her. Which of them is more glorious, majestic, holy, beautiful, threatening, and loving? Whose approval really matters to you?
28 Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
The fear of God, giving him glory, is liberating. You are more free to live this life when you give more weight to God’s opinon than others.
Do we care about other people? Yes. Do we want to show them love ? Yes. But we are not enslaved to other people. We don’t have to win their aproval, or give in to peer pressure to be included with them. Why?
God is Glorious, and so I don’t have to fear others.
SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS
Define “Glory”
What is the connection between Glory and Fear
What people in your life do you want to impress the most?
What people in your life put pressure on you to act in a certain way.
What pressure do you feel from God to act in a certain way?
How do we live so that we live for God’s glory, and not the aproval of people.