Who Is God, Part 2

Not sure if you were like me when you were in high school or junior high, but I just never really got into science like any of the classes that we took I was just never really drawn into the subject. Maybe you liked it may be at Drew your attention, but I just I was never captured by it. But I'm pretty sure that if my teacher would have taught me things. Like I learned this week from a little science article that I saw I was paid much more attention. Do you know what an arachnid ocampa luminosa is a rack know Campa Luminess on probably pronouncing that incorrectly but a rack know you think I'm spiders right? It's a glowing spider worm. That's pretty cool to talk about if I was in junior high in my teacher wanted to teach me about glowing spider worms. I would have been interested. You know, my my interest would have been Pete. These spiders these glowing spider worms are actually very interesting creatures. You're going to find him in caves when you find a man caves. This is what they do. They hang on the ceiling and as they're growing are they hang from there and they drop down this very thin silk line. It's very sticky almost imperceptible probably to the human eye very thin thing that they're laying down there and then what they have they have this bioluminescence that that shines brightly from them that they use in order to design to mimic the lights from the sky and what they're trying to do is this in sex when they're outside like a moth. They think they can fly by the navigation of the light above them. So they're always trying to see the navigation above let's save the the moth has flown into a cave. Instead of seeing black darkness to letting them know that they are no longer able to guide themselves. They see this bright light that they're actually attracted to and that bright light is something that they start to fly towards but that bright light is actually something that's going to lead them to their death because those long thin lines that they cannot see as they begin to be transfixed on this bright light that's coming from these glowing spider worms the begin to be caught in the web and snared and then eaten I want you to think about that for a moment and think about the idea of something tempting you to worship it other than God. Human beings are kind of like those Maas. We are navigated. We are Guided by in our lives what we worship and all human beings will do that. They are we're attracted to worship. We're going to worship something we're going to get something significant. We're going to get something on her. We're going to give it our life. We sometimes you know what that is objectively and sometimes we don't hear is the dangerous thing. We were created to find that in God and God alone. So when we are flying outside, if you're looking at the true life and everything's going to be going well, but here is the lives in it offers you bright light, but it's not the True Light and if you begin to follow that false light is going to lead ultimately to your demise. That's why we want to study the attributes of God to make sure we are studying and following after and Drawn to and entranced by the right light that we should be drawn to that. We can give glory to that we can worship in all that we do. That's why we're doing the series to turn with me to drive us back to Psalm 145 to make sure we are Halloween after the light that God has revealed in his word of who he is and how we should worship him Psalm 145. We started the series last week looking at our response to these great attributes that are listed in this entirety of this song. So I'm 145 on the read verses 1 to 21 again just to send it in our context and then we're going to jump into the study of one of these attributes someone 45 says this a song of Praise of David. I will extol you my God and King and bless your name Forever and Ever every day. I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever great is the Lord and greatly to be praised and his greatness is unsearchable. One-generation child commit your Works to another and she'll declare your Mighty acts on the Glorious Splendor of your majesty. And on your wondrous works. I will meditate they shall speak of the might of your awesome deed until of your power. They should because the night of your awesome deeds and I will declare your greatness. They shall pour forth of Fame if you're a budding goodness and she'll single out of your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and merciful slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all in his mercies over all that. He has made all your work. She'll give thanks to You O Lord and all your Saints will bless you. They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell if your power to make known to the children of man, you're mighty deeds in the Glorious Splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom in your dominions doors throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind and all his Works Florida polls off were falling and raises up all her about down the eyes of all look to you and you give them their food in due season. You open up your hand. You satisfy the desire of every Sing the Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his work. The Lord is near to all who call upon him to all who call upon him and true if he fulfills the desires of those who fear Him He also hears their cry and saves them the Lord preserve's all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy my mouth will speak the praise of the Lord and let All Flesh bless His holy name forever and ever I get a good song for us to make sure that we are attracted to that. We are following the right Guiding Light and we are never drawn away to a false light that is mimicking something that is worthy of our worship and yet will ultimately lead us to idolatry and not worshipping the one true God. I hope again as we read that song you were struck by the Litany of responses from the psalmist to declare meditate pass on to the next Generation to commend to sing about God and that should be our response as we study who got is it has to resonate with us. It has to come into our hearts and our minds and Pusha store. The true worship of them it cannot just be something that's academic and an intellectual pursuit of has to transform us as we worship God more and more. So I hope you are struck by that again where we started last week, but I hope you also struck with the accumulation again of all these different attributes of God to show you just how great he is. So, where would you start if you wanted to start talking about the attributes of God? You know, you heard those different ones listed which one stood out to you the most. You're the one that struck me from this and here's where we're going to start our study and it is the concept of the glory of God. Who is God God is glorious God Alone is glorious, and it's up to us this morning to the figure out what that means for God to be glorious. As a matter of fact, you heard it a couple times in their verse five Psalm 145 verse five Cs on the Glorious Splendor of your majesty and on your wondrous works. I will meditate you can also drop down 2 verse 10 all your work. She'll give thanks to a Lord and all your Saints will bless you. They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power to make known to the Children of Men You're Mighty deeds and the Glorious Splendor of your kingdom. It is good for us to think about the glory of God. Why are we going to start there? I think I agree with Bernard Ram was one of the authors that I read when I was studying this and he came up with just a provocative way of saying to study the glory of God is like studying the attribute of attributes. That's a good way for us to begin to think about the glory of God because it is essentially who he is and we see expressions of that in scripture. I want to give you this definition of other they already put it up there already without me even asking them. That's how good they are on our team. They put it up there for you to look at we have this definition of what I would say, the glory of God is the essential waiting list of who God is and the expression of that in his presence. The essential waiting us of who God is and the expression of that way dienes in his presence. I think that's going to help us put a concept 2 what the glory of God is bisy as we begin to do that. She was a major reason why we need to start with the glory of God and it is in fact is going to die and what we talked about next week. We want to begin to think about God the way the Bible describes him in the way the Bible describes God as we saw him verse 3 great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in his greatness is unsearchable. When we begin to talk about things like the glory of God and spoiler alert for next week when it's about the Holiness of God. There are aspects of this that really distinguish God and separate God as being the one true God who is worthy of all of our honor glory and praise. And so when we think about that if we rightly can conceive the glory of God it is going to help set everything right for us as we study the attributes of God. So here's what I want you to write down number one on And this way we need to approach God's glory with the right mindset when to approach God's glory with the right mindset. I'll tell you what, I mean by that one approach God's glory with the right mindset cuz I think you see evidence of it in Psalm 145. And then as we look at a couple scripture passages on the outside of it you're going to do if there's a way that we should approach this knowledge of God in the knowledge of the glory of God to make sure we're ready conceived in what God has said in his word and I want you to think about in these two categories of kitties are two categories and it might seem like they can't exist together that you can't be possible that these two things to come together. I was watching this YouTube video cuz this is a deep subject to explain or talk about the glory of God. So just trying to type into YouTube. Hey, how is Somebody explain something very complex to something very to some people who are very simple. And so I kept it in the YouTube video that popped up was a guy who was explaining quantum physics to seven year olds, and I said, that sounds great to watch that quantum physics to seven-year-old. I watch the video still don't understand what he said. I don't know what that says about my intelligence, but I still don't understand it. But I'm in a good effort at trying to explain quantum physics to seven year old, but he began to talk about this one concept that stuck out to me and it's hot in an MRI Quantum Physics help you understand what goes on in an MRI and an MRI. The MRI machine is trying to take hydrogen atoms and is trying to make them spend right and left at the same time. That's what's going on. I don't know how to explain it much more than that, but it's spinning one way and the other way at the exact same time and that's how they're able to look at things. That are going on inside you make an atom spin one way and the other way at the same time. I can't kind of put that together. You might get the feeling when I when I talk about that with these two ways that working out produce God we want to approach God as Transcendence the Transcendence of the glory of God. In fact, you want to write that down. I got a definition for the Transcendence of the glory of God up here on the screen when we're approaching the glory of God need to think about it in this box is category the Transcendence of the glory of God and what I mean by that is this God is great. This is the greatness of God and his pre-eminence over all that. He has created. It's a separate NE sits at a distinctive Miss of who God is essentially intrinsically to who he is in and out himself to be glorious. The god of Glory is a Transcendent God as a scriptures would say and I say no one is like him. In fact Israel's big problem in the Old Testament was this Psalm 50 god sister them Israel you thought I was one just like you. To treat God as common to treat God as comfortable as your as your buddy is to miss the importance in the waiting us of who got is the gravity the heaviness that is wrapped up in what it means to be God. We have to think of him as Transcendent a that means his greatness and his pre-eminence over all he's created but then there's this other category and you'll see it in the Bible the immanence of God. We got a definition of there just so you have these terms because they will show all throughout the study of the attributes of God. We have to talk about it in the Transcendence of God in what separates him from us, but in the immanence of God, that's God's closeness to us. That's God's goodness to us. That's his personal interaction with all that he's created. And what typically happens when you begin to study God is people who go off in tube poor theological Avenues they do so because they focus on one aspect to the neglect of the other that's why we gave that illustration. You want them spinning both right and left at the same time. And in order for that at that MRI machines it to work correctly Democratic view of God, you need both the Transcendence of God in the immanence of God coming together to fully appreciate all that God's doing especially with his glory because there are moments in the scripture where we talked about the glory of God and the people who are experiencing it or anything but comfortable with that experience something they've run into has caused them to fall on their face something they've run into has caused them to to be an r and yet sometimes the glory of God is so wrapped up in the closeness between the two of them. So you want to think of the Transcendence of the glory of God and the Eminence of the glory of God. Let me see if I can help you with that. So Psalm 145 there was time for he was great. We can hardly is unsearchable and then at times that he was so good that he was kind to all you see the Transcendence M and it's right there, but I'm going to show you more specifically with Glory turn the song 138 Psalm 138 approaching god with this right mindset to make sure that we understand just the immense greatness of the glory of God. As we understand these Concepts approach him with the right mindset. Look at Psalm 138 and incredible song If you need a song to rightly read before you coming to church on a Sunday morning to make sure your heart and mind is Right Psalm. 138 is it? Psalm 138:6 this up David I give you thanks O Lord with my whole heart before the gods. I sing your praise. I bow down toward your Holy Temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness for you have exalted above all things your name and your word on the day. I called you answered me my strength of Soul. You increased Now watch how he describes got here versus four to six all the kings of the Earth shall give you thanks O Lord for they have heard the words of your mouth. They shall sing of the ways of the Lord for great is the glory of the Lord and right here. What we're doing is getting a glimpse into the Transcendence of the glory of God and were helped by just this illustration of of the Kings all of the kings of the Earth all of their power all of their Prestige all of their armies all of their riches everything you have you could wrap them up together and when it comes to being an accountant or with the glory of God, they're nothing like all the nations are a drop in the bucket does Isaiah say all these Kings what they're going to do with your going to give thanks to the god of the universe and they're going to sing at his waist because his glory is great and their glories really insignificant. You think about it today? Take any Ruby could take all the rulers that are in charge today put them in a room together with all their power all their armies all their wealth everything that they have and it would be nothing compared to God and God will speak to them. They be humbled in his presence. That's how great God is he is transcendently great. He is so far above his creation, but take a look at the next verse for 6. For though, the Lord is high. He regards the lowly. Now you can begin to see the Transcendence of God and the immanence of God come together and something that is phenomenally incredible to us people go wrong in Systematic Theology. When you begin to focus on one to the neglect of the others, you can think of as a lot of interesting work out there being done on the founding fathers of the of America in their face where they Christians who believe in the Christian God of the Bible or did they have a a semblance of that something known as deism and I think deism would be something you would gather if all you ever focus on was the Transcendence of God of all you ever just said is God is so great. God is so big. That's really how the founding fathers talked about him to talk about him at the true prophet in two guys everything but you know, they never really talked about his personal involvement in their life So to the neglect of the evidence of God, which shares his glory with us, they focused on the Transcendence of God in heaven. I think a false view of who God was you can think of streams of hyper Calvinism today who would just be so lofty at who God is he has no concern for the people on the Earth. You can go wrong if you just think about the Transcendence of God, I think about it on the other side to the evidence of God, some people just focus on that. How many times do you want to talk to people maybe co-workers all they want to talk about us. Got to love God's goodness. He's been good to me. Billy that that creates God is a common God for us today. If you ever hear anything about Open Season, that's where I think open theism is gone open theism is about a guy who kind of experiences history the way you and I do he doesn't know the future he's going to respond to it. Just the way you and I are so he kind of understands and is sympathetic to your plight to the Future cuz he's really just kind of like us and they focus so much on the closeness of God to the neglect of his his greatness. Do we have to have both of these In this passage right here. I think shows you for though. The Lord is high. He regards the lowly. He's with them. But about the next line the hottie the proud he knows from afar. That's why this can never be about intellect. And I know this about God I should be humble by the fact that the greatness of God. He's condescended to to love me. Let's go to another pasture just good, Isaiah 57, Isaiah 57 verse 15 great verse right here Isaiah 57:15 put the Transcendence in the Eminence of the glory of God together Isaiah. 57 15 but the concept of the Transcendence of God in the immanence of God together always they are always active together. Never neglect in one to the other but really to understand just how incredible his Eminence towards us is by focusing on his greatness. Look at Isaiah 57:15. Listen to the way he describes God incredible. Forza says the one who is high and lifted up who inhabits eternity whose name is Holy. I dwell in high and a holy place and also with him who is contrite and lowly Spirit to revive the spirit of the Lillian to revive the heart of the contrite. Do you understand that The God Who inhabits eternity. How do you even begin to describe that that the duration of Eternity in termite on even know that we can comprehend that fully and yet God and habits that that's who he is. He is high and lifted up and get that. God says if you're humble enough, he's going to lift your spirit up and he's going to be there with you and the greatness of who he is going to condescend and show himself to you so you can comprehend and worship him. That's an Incredible God one more Isaiah 6 Isaiah 6 flip over there. I just 6127. We don't want to just focus on the immanence of God. And the good things that we get from that without rightly understanding this Transcendent Glory. We could focus on the glory of God and in what we see and what we get from at the glory of the Cross of Christ, but you don't understand is Transcendence to it's never going to really strike us the way it should.

Add a 6.27 scissors in the year King Uzziah died. I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up in the train of his robe filled the temple and above him stood the seraphim each at 6 wings with to be covered his face with to be covered his feet with two he flew and one called out to another saying holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory and I'll just put this in your mind for next week you will you will constantly see in the scriptures. The glory of God in the Holiness of God together, even when Theologian as I saw described it, the glory of God is the Holiness of God revealed in that kind of gets to what the scriptures are saying, you will see the holy separateness of God talked about over and over again. It's always in context of his glory and hear this three-time. Holy God, this Thrice holy God. The whole earth is full of his glory. That's a Transcendent glory of God and for us to begin to think about that everything about him the train of his robe the foundations of the earth verse for are shaking at his voice and everything smelled the smoke and watch what happens when Isaiah runs into this. What was me for I am lost from a man of unclean lips in a dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for my eyes have seen the king the Lord of hosts. That's what happens when you run into the Transcendence of God. When you run into a Transcendent Glory you're stopped and you're not comfortable there. You're not buddy and up to that one. You're bowing down your realizing I can't stand in this presents. But notice that Transcendent God doesn't stop there just see what does he do to allow Isaiah to be in his presence for 6, then one of the seraphim flew to me having his hand on a burning colon and taking it with the tongues of the altar. He touched my mouth and said behold. This is touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away your sin is atone for Now, do you understand? What the mercy of God the love of God the grace of God is so amazing. Because it comes from a Transcendent God who owes you nothing. You owe him everything and you rebelled against him and yet somehow the Transcendence of God in the immanence of God are spinning together and who he is and this great God whose Glory fills everything allows you to come to him because he's so eminently glorious. This is the way we need to begin to approach God. I don't think you're ever going to truly understand the love of God unless you understand it as the glorious love of God. You never understand the mercy of God, unless you understand as the Glorious mercy of God, you're never going to send the goodness of God unless it's the Glorious goodness of God. He was so incredible. If you think about it this way Martin Luther King Day, we're going to celebrate that I think tomorrow national holiday. Most of you will get the day off of work take my boys had the day off of school. So it will it say My boys come to be tomorrow and they say dad. You know, it's Martin Luther King day, but I know we're still trying to honor him. What what's so significant about Martin Luther King, like what's so great about him. What if I start to tell him this I say it was Martin Luther King was a great man. He gave a great speech on on in front of like hundreds of thousands of people and what I just told my voice assistant to get this great speech input of a hundred thousand people and did you know, this boy's Martin Luther King jr. When he was in college only got to see in public speaking. Which is true Did you know that Martin Luther King Jr. Only got to see news in college for public speaking and what if I just focused on that fact about Martin Luther King and was telling my boys it's not incredible that he works so hard to get in to see if I was speaking to the point to where he would stand in front of a hundred thousand people in Washington and be able to wow them with his rhetorical genius. What I be telling them everything about the significance of Martin Luther King. I focused on that. No, that's something kind of comment about him that other people struggle with getting bad grades in public speaking and then working on it becoming better. If I focus on that I'm missing out on the true significance of who Martin Luther King Junior is a man who stood in the face of racism in this country and then have to fight back with violence and he stood up valiantly and loved people in helps get rid of the horrible stain of racism in our country. That's the significance that I need to explain and then when I talk about the things that are more common that tightens them because they know the true significance of who Martin Luther King jr. As I think it's the same with God if all we ever just loves you and God has been gracious to you to focus on you a lot. Places to Glorious God who does all things and he didn't owe that to you and yet he still did that for you. That's an amazing God who we should worship you need to approach the glory of God with the right mindset back to Psalm 145 though. Let's begin to fill out that definition. We gave you the definition at first, but we want to approach it rightly. So we rightly comprehend this attribute of Glory Psalm 145. Take a look at verse 5 Psalm 145 verse 5 It says this. On the Glorious Splendor of your majesty and on your wondrous works. I will meditate. So here's what we want to do is begin to break down what the Bible says when it talks about the glory of God. You can write down number two on your outline this way we're going to glorify God and all he is we need to understand the fullness of his glory. Let's understand the fullness of his glory. I'm going to break down the definition here to show you that it's not when they coming up with it's one that I think comes from the Bible. It's understand the fullness of his glory. We're going to have three subheadings under this K3 subheadings. The first let's just give you the definition of the word itself understand the fullness of the glory of God when we think of it when we look at the word here glorious Splendor. It's from the Hebrew word kavod. You can probably want to write that down because it'll be reference about the sermon to probably start the series kavod if you were to spell that transliterated and spell it phonetically Ruby Ka vodka v v as in Vicki Vicki Vale from the 1989 Tim Burton Batman film The Greatest Batman film in all of them if you just want to remember that k a v v for Vicki o d cavour and what that means is this covid-19 heavy. Kavod means weighty and at times it can be in like metaphorically speaking something that has a lot of gravity to it a lot of weight to it heaviness waiting us a gravity. You know that there's an older where somebody said somebody has gravitas K. That means they're respected their their honored. So it sometime this is literally used in the Old Testament if you think of I think it's Eli in 1st Samuel 4, he hears that his sons. He falls back in his chair and it is body ends up breaking his neck because he was a kavod man who the heavy man. You just use a big man so they can literally mean heavy that way. I can be metaphorically like somebody has heavy eyes and they're not paying attention or a heavy heart and they're hardened towards something so could vote is a heaviness but metaphorically speaking when it talks about a person it's speaking about the The Waiting us of that person in their power their presti's their their beauty their Splendor. In fact, you notice how it's tied together here in Psalm 145 of the Glorious Splendor that were its splendor. It's tied with royalty kind of how a king would be a raid in in beautiful a tire. That's the word Splendor. So holding this can have that idea of a of a weighted Beauty something that is so attracted that the that you want because it's Associated commonly with his kingly terms as well as with Majesty something that a king is wrapped in a king has a majestic stately nature awaiting us to this this person want you to see it is the Genesis 45 in the Genesis 45 just to watch the usage of it might give you a better comprehension of the term Genesis 45 run stand in the fullness of his glory Genesis 45

Genesis 45 verse 13 if you know where you are in the Book of Genesis the story of Joseph and his brothers is already taken place. He's been sold by his brothers. He's been forgotten by people. He's been lied about by people and he finds himself finally in Pharaoh's Court his brother's wondering one day and instead of taking revenge on them. He shows some great grace and this is the moment after he has just revealed himself to his brothers. Listen you thought I was dead. I'm here and look what I have. Watch what he says in Genesis 45 verse 13. He wants to see his father. So he says You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt. Say that word honor right there kavod. You must tell my father of all my covid-19 jipped. What does that mean for Joseph who was in Egypt the second most powerful dude in the entire land. I mean this guy had everything the Pharaoh said, okay. Listen at you. There's none greater than you except for me and Egypt and he had great covid-19.

There is an honor or a deference given to his gravitas is gravity. His waiting us the judge wears a robe and you treat him with the utmost of respect. You are not comfortable with that judge unless that judge is very gracious and kind to you if he is Stern you respond appropriately because he has power he has Authority and that's the idea of awaiting us that we want to think about God has that waiting this to him that the Hebrew word kavod. Yoksa. Do you want to write that out? It's just d o x a dosa. Jokes, that comes from a word that means thought or opinion dosa. So when we get to the New Testament and New Testament passages about Glory, you can understand how we get from thought opinion or maybe even the reputation that something has with you. If you have a high reputation High thigh high opinion of something you were going to talk about it. You were going to give it credit you were going to give it our honor you're going to give it a tension and that's really where I think you see the idea of jokes are becoming more than just a mere opinion but a high opinion of lofty opinion of something that is worthy of that. So interesting enough in the Old Testament, which was written in Hebrew then translated in the Septuagint to Greek when the word could voters use that use the word Oaks. Uh, so you could see a connection between the two to translate it. So this is what it means to have the waiting list of who God is that's where we get the idea of the essential waiting us of God. So don't write that letter A underneath the essence of God's glory the essence of God's glory. We said it's his essential waiting list the essential waiting list of who God is so when we talked about the glory of God and when you see it in the Bible, the glory of God is intrinsic to who God is the glory of God is his essential nature. There is something about him that is weighty. That is worthy that makes him important. That means we can't treat him with the stain that means we can't toss them aside as insignificant. He has such a profound significance that everything is from him to him and through him to him be the glory Forever This is the End parents intrinsic the nature the essential nature of who God is so just to help cuz I know last time I went over I'm just going to give you some scriptures to write down so, you know, the essential nature of who God is 7 to Steven is speaking and is beginning to give his defense in front of all their religious leaders in an Act 7 to Steven calls him. God of glory and I think that's referring to who he is. Essentially he is the god of Glory or Ephesians 1:17. This is Paul speaking Seasons 117. And he said God is the father of Glory thing is talking about God being the father essentially of Glory. That's who he is. Psalm 29 says the god of Glory Thunders over the waters you seen that the essential nature of him. Awesome, 29 1 and 2 and its 2nd Peter 1 between verses 16 to 21 2nd Peter 1 verses 16 to 21 God there is called The Majestic Glory. That's me calling. They just said when the Majestic Glory spoke from Heaven that's talking about God the father in his S&T. Is this Majestic Glory this this waiting is this this this Essence that draws us to him that gives him the most importance in all of the universe. It's this way Venus. That's that's there to essential nature of it. In fact that Jesus said this and John 17125. You can write that down John 17125. He says restore to me the glory that I had with you before the foundation of the world that's helpful for us. Because we need to understand that God is glorious apart from us. That's the Transcendent glory of God his pre-eminence over his creation. He doesn't need us to be glory. He is inherently glorious. Everything about him is glorious and where he existed before the world began was Father Son and Holy Spirit together in glory. That you can just write these references down like the father is described as being full of Glory the sun in the spirit are as well James 2:1. The sun is called The Lord Of Glory James. 2:1. Jesus is called The Lord Of Glory and a 1st Corinthians 2:8 said if the rulers of this world understood who Jesus would they would not have crucified the Lord Of Glory. That's essentially who Jesus is. Do you think of the spirit? I think it's 1st Peter 1 first besides 1st Peter 4:14. Does if the spirit of Glory of God rest upon you the spirit of Glory so Father Son and Holy Spirit. About the Trinity now one in essence three in person. So 1 essential nature that they all share of being God. It has to be that or else we're not manasi us, but we're not try to be us where we worship three different gods we worship one God one in essence three in person. And so we've seen that the essential inherent natural Glory that is of God is our Father Son and Holy Spirit. So the psalmist would say God your glory is exalted above the heaven. It's something we can't even really comprehend. And if you're feeling like now, I don't know that I get this that's a good thing. I think that's the greatness of the Lord and greatly to be praised in your greatness is unsearchable. There's something inherently weighty worthy of God and I want to know it but I don't know that I can fully comprehend it. That's why I want to go from the essential nature of God to the expression of the glory of God. That's let her be the expression of the glory of God to understand is fully this is where you and I began to see this in the scriptures the expression of the glory of God. So God in and up himself is inherent like we said in the definition the essential waiting list of who God is with his glory is also the expression the manifestation of that waiting has and worthiness. in his presence This is the expression of the glory of God. You see this all throughout the Bible again. I'm just going to give you a couple to write down so we don't temperature in there cuz I'm going to continue to move through this about the glory of God that you can write down Exodus 16 10x to the 1610. There is an expression of the glory of God that people are able to see Did this idea of a cloud that appears at times on this idea of an expression of his glory that the glory of the Lord appeared that says to them in Exodus 1610 also write down numbers 14:11 numbers 14:11. It was 1411 another expression of the glory of God, but one of us to turn you to his Ezekiel, turn me to Ezekiel 1. This is more helpful for us to think about that the radiance the beauty the Splendor the other nests of God. Does he look at his Ezekiel 1?

Ezekiel chapter 1 which has just a mind-blowing vision of who God is and Ezekiel. I'm sure is trying his his best to describe. Who got is in all of this Ezekiel chapter 1?

So starting verse for I have the title in my Bible the glory of the Lord and throughout this he gives these great descriptions of things like Sapphire and Wheels and Wings and burning coals in lightning flashing to and fro in these are all these different experiences that you cease and look at verse 28 of chapter 1. Watch what it says Ezekiel 1:28 the appearance of the bow go that is in the cloud on the day of rain. So like the appearance of the bow that is on the cloud on the day of rain. So was the appearance of the brightness all around such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord and when I saw it, I fell on my face and I heard the voice of one speaking to me. So this is Ezekiel again. Now experiencing something about God God is incredible. These are lightning flashes and bright lights and fire and cloud and all of these different things in the radiant Beauty and its luminescence is there and it's it's the expression of of this greatness of what the inherent manifestation of the glory of God is these can be kind of hard for us though to comprehend maybe a good expression of the glory of God is seen in creation you write that down psalm 19:1. Falling with me Psalm 19:1 the heavens declare the glory of God. So the heavens are speaking something and not audibly but there is something when you look at the glory of creation that shows you the greatness of God and guys at that very helpful tool for you if you are bad at sharing your face. Just simply stand outside. I'll be very helpful evangelist it feel for you. If you stood outside, I often think about this unit debates about the existence of God, you know that take place inside tiny auditoriums with the speakers that amplify the voice of a debate on the existence of God at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Are you going to start to think these are really important or going to be strapped with the Grandeur of the creation around you? See when you look at creation. You begin to see something of the glory of God it explains something about that inherent glorious worthy nature of God. That's why you when you go outside. You can say to somebody who's not a Christian. Where does this come from? And what is the answer to going to give you an accident an accident made this intrinsic beauty that came out into this creation an accident cause that I need you been to Legoland Legoland Legoland to have this incredible section such a Star Wars section. You go to Star Wars section and you see these intricate scenes from each one of the movies that are done there and there's these Lego characters built up and it finally, needs at the end with this big giant death star made out of Legos. Now listen, I wasn't there when that was created. I wasn't there to watch it be put together. So as I walk up on that is it wise for me to assume that somebody with great wisdom and skill put that together or is it wiser for me to assume that a bunch of random Legos were thrown together and they somehow moved themselves into that form, which is wiser. I mean obviously and we laughed because it's foolish to look at something that has such intricate design and go off. That was that was obviously just randomness. Now, do you understand in the Bible that says the fool in his heart says there is no God. And they're refusing to give glory to God. That is why when we think about the essential nature who got is he is glorious when we think about the power of creation. We think of this glorious omnipotence that God has when we think about the wisdom of the design is not just pure wisdom. It is glorious wisdom set apart different than anything your I can't even comprehend and do and God doesn't in a word. That's the God we serve. You can never have a low view of God if you understand him as glorious. Let me see these expressions of it always throughout the scripture. Is that maybe one more just to help us turn to Exodus 24. See if we can't begin to put this together. He's essentially glorious. He expresses that in manifestations and allows us to catch glimpses of it, but I don't know that we fully comprehend it right now. Exodus 20:4 we can to help us.

Exodus 24 verse 15. So God has made a covenant with his people. He brought them out of Egypt. He's called him to be a kingdom of priests to the Nations. And what does he have here in Exodus 20:4, please confirm in the Covenant with them beside his meal with them. He's talking with Moses and Aaron and the Nexus 24. He says this then Moses went up on the mountain and the cloud cover the mountain the glory of the Lord dwells on Mount Sinai and the cloud-covered it's 6 days. So we're starting to see the expression of the glory of God that Moses is experiencing and on the seventh day. He called to Moses out of The Mists of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on top of the mountain in the side of all the people of Israel Moses enter the cloud and what up to the mountain and Moses was in the mountain 40 days and 40 nights. So then the people are seeing this I love when the Bible talks with the Bible is always about a lot of people seeing what's going on not something kidding for other people to kind of guess what happened people are there you read this the people of Israel don't want to go near this because they see something great up there and they're sending those as much as you go up there you talk to him and it's like this this fire you get this expression of it. So Moses has seen the glory of the Lord. So let me ask you this question. Why does he ask to see the glory of the Lord in Exodus 33? Turn off the Nexus 33 if Moses has experienced all that there is in this expression of the glory of the Lord in Exodus 20:4. Why an exodus 33, does he beg him please? Show me your glory think about this? To the people again. Follow just a Biblical Theology of all of this the people who have sworn their allegiance to Yahweh within moments of that. Give themselves to an idle. How does Psalm 106 describe that they exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox? What is worthy about God and what were designed to do and what we should be chasing after they give it up for something. So insignificant and God was going to write justly judge them but Moses intercedes for them and God said, okay, then I'm not going to bring them to ruin. So look at verse 17 of chapter 33 accessory 3 to this the thing and the Lord said the things that you have spoken I will do for you. I found favor in my sight and I know you by name Moses said please Show Me Your Glory. Why did you say that because he understands the expression of the glory of God that he's already seen that expression doesn't fully grasp. All that God is there was something more to him that he longs to see that he wants to be a part of so he asked God Show Me Your Glory and we see more of that in the response got essentially says there's 19 yes, or no. 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 show Mercy on whom I will show Mercy, but you cannot see my face for a man shall not see me and live and the Lord said behold. There's a place by me where you should stand on the Rock and while my glory passes by I will put you in the cleft of The Rock and I will cover you with my hand and telecast by then. I will take my hand away and you should see my back, but my face you shall not see Taking those anthropomorphic visions of God his face in his back which we know God doesn't have cuz he's a spirit. This is just trying to describe something to Moses the fullness of who I am in my face. You can't see that you can experience that. No human being can do that and live. So what I will do is I'll cover you in there and my glory the fullness of me is going to pass by and when it's gone, I think the best you can say is the residue of that Glory will be there. I'll pull my hand away and you'll be able to see the residue of it and that's what I'm going to let you experience but you can't see the fullness of my glory because there's no human being can handle that. That's what I think you're saying. There's an essential nature of God. There's an expression of the Holiness of God. It is bright and Powerful radiant and beautiful and we can't even hardly fully comprehend that. One more thing to write down for Exodus Exodus 40. Exodus chapter 40 the end of the chapter Who says this? At the reform in the Covenant versus 3/4 is this than the cloud cover the tent of meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. So that's how God's presence is dwelling with his people and you know, it's a very precarious situation for the people to get to this this presence of God's glory. They have to go through a mediator because this is what really makes the Lord Jesus Christ So Glorious. John chapter one, we looked at this at Easter. I think two years ago MP3 John chapter 1 and watch the Transcendence of God in his Eminence come together in the Incarnation of Jesus.