Welcome to Anchors of Truth
from the 3ABN Worship Center.
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The Final
Revolution with Ty Gibson.
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We are so happy that you
have joined us this evening
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for this series
by Pastor Ty Gibson.
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It really has been
informative so far.
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Last night, we spent
most of the time in the book,
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the Gospel Of John.
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And how wonderful it was.
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It was refreshing,
encouraging, enlightening.
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You take all of those
words and God really blessed
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Pastor Ty Gibson last evening.
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So tonight, we will be moving
into part two of this series.
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Now some of you
wonder about Ty Gibson.
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He's married, His
wife's name is Sue.
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He has three
children, adult children;
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two daughters and a son.
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And two grandchildren.
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I have a lot of people
say, "Wow, you mean Ty Gibson
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is a grandfather?"
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Yes, Ty Gibson is
a health reformer.
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We were just talking
about diet and exercise
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and things of
that nature tonight.
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And he looks young,
doesn't he, for a grandfather.
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But God has given him
abundantly good health.
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And he's, in turn,
serving the Lord with ministry
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around the world.
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And his organization is
called, Light Bearers Ministry.
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James Rafferty is also a
partner with him and one of the
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co-founders of that ministry.
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And James Rafferty is
going to be with us next month
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with the Anchors Of Truth that
we have planned at that time.
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So we're
looking forward to that.
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I'd like to have a
word of prayer before we
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have our music tonight.
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And let's bow
our heads together.
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Father in heaven, we
thank You tonight that we can
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come to You in prayer.
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We live in a world
that is very complex.
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We live in a world that
has a lot of challenges.
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And because of communication,
we are acquainted with
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challenges that take place in
very remote parts of the world.
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And sometimes the
burdens become great upon us.
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So, Father, we thank
You that we can come to You
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and bring these burdens that we
have and lay them at Your feet.
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Father, I pray that
You will bless each family
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that is watching this
tonight or listening by radio.
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And I pray that you
will be with each individual.
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And we thank You,
Lord, for hearing us.
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In Jesus' name, amen.
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Right now, we're
going to enjoy some music
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before Pastor Gibson comes.
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And Celestine Berry
is going to sing for us
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a song called, Adore.
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From the moment
You opened up my eyes,
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I have seen the
world in a different light.
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From the dawn to the
setting sun, I am overwhelmed
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by all that You have done.
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Adore, adore, adore.
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Jesus, I adore You.
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Adore, adore, adore, adore.
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Jesus, I adore You.
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And I lay my life
before You, O Lord.
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There's a union
of two becoming one;
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deep inside my heart
I know that I belong.
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You have given everything to me.
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The least that I can
do is give it back to You.
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And all I am and ever will be
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is for You, Lord.
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And everything within me
cries adore, adore, adore.
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Jesus, I adore You.
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Yes, I adore,
adore, adore, adore.
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Jesus, I adore You.
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And I lay my life
before You, O Lord.
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Adore, adore, adore.
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Jesus, I adore You.
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Yes, I adore...
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...You.
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And I lay my life before You.
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Adore, adore, adore, adore.
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Jesus, I adore You.
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And I lay my life before You.
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I long to love and adore You.
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Yes I lay my life
before You, O Lord.
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I adore You.
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Thank you so much, Celestine.
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What a blessing.
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Well good evening, everybody.
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Did you have a fabulous day?
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On a scale from one to ten,
how would you rate your day?
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Eleven?
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Well I was going to
say for me, a twelve.
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So I beat you, brother.
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I had a great day.
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Last night, I had the
privilege of receiving as a gift
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a loaf of banana bread
from Jim Gilley's wife, Camille.
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And I went right after
the meeting, hadn't eaten
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for a long time, all day...
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And I don't like to do
this right before I go to bed,
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but I ate fully the whole...
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No, I won't say the whole.
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...half the loaf.
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Then I had a great day
because I woke up and ate the
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second half of the
loaf of banana bread.
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Now I've noticed two things
very, very important I think,
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about human beings
with regards to eating.
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And I wonder where you
fit in these categories.
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Are you a big
bite kind of person
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or a little bite kind of person?
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I've notice there's two kinds.
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There's big bite
people and little bite people.
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I was at a friend's house and
his wife made what she called
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bite size blueberry muffins.
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So when they were done and
we gathered around the table,
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I immediately took one of them,
of course, and I put the whole
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bite size muffin in my
mouth and began to chew
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and I swallowed.
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And just as I swallowed,
I noticed that she was
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staring at me kind of strange
as I reached for another.
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And I popped that one
in my mouth and I began
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to chew and swallow.
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And then she reached and she
took one as if to give lessons.
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And she took a little bite.
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And I broke the silence
and I said, "You told me
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they were bite size
muffins, didn't you?"
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Are you a big bite
person or a little bite person?
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Raise your hand if
you're a little bite person.
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Just two little bite people?
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So the rest of
you, raise your hand.
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You're all big bite people?
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I'm glad you're big
bite people because tonight
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we're going to take a
big bite out of Scripture.
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A really big bite.
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I hope you brought your Bible
with you and you can look at
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these Scripture with me tonight.
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It's going to be important
for us to actually lay eyes upon
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the Word of God tonight
and to see what Scripture
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is saying to us.
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We're going to
explore through Scripture
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the word, and more importantly
the concept of "glory".
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We're going to
take it in three parts.
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Number one, we're going
to simply define the word.
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We began to do that in
last night's presentation
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as a starter, as an appetizer
for what we're going to
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talk about tonight.
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So first we're
going to just define
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the word and the concept.
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Secondly, we're going to notice
the usage of the word "glory"
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and the concept in various
places throughout Scripture
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to create a pattern.
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And then thirdly, and most
significantly for our series
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called, The Final Revolution,
we're going to spend time
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exploring the eschatological,
or the end time significance
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of the word "glory."
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So are you ready to go?
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Turn in your Bible
to Exodus, first of all.
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And we're going to
look at Exodus chapter 33.
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You will know immediately
that the person addressing us
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here is Moses.
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Moses wrote the book of Exodus.
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And as he had his personal
experience with the Lord
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over a long life of experiences
that led him on a journey
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that finally put him in a
very precarious situation with
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a group of people who
were, as he described them,
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rebellious and stiffed necked.
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And Moses had been
pleading with God to forgive
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the children of Israel for
their stiffed necked attitudes
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and their rebellious spirit.
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Moses went so far in pleading
for the children of Israel...
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You'll find this
remarkable. I do.
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Moses went so far as to
say, "Lord, if You can't forgive
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these people, blot my
name out of the Book of Life
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which You have written."
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This is serious.
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He wasn't saying, "Lord,
if You can't forgive them,
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I would be willing to die
the first death, from which
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of course I will
have a resurrection."
00:12:17.29\00:12:18.87
No.
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When he said, "If
You can't forgive them,
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blot my name out
of the Book of Life,"
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he was saying, "Lord, I would
be willing to be eternally lost
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for their salvation."
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Moses had obviously,
in his walk with the Lord,
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gained some insight
to the character of God
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that led him to be
willing to lay down, not merely
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his temporal life, but
his eternal life for others.
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And it's in that context,
as Moses had been pleading
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for the children of Israel,
and the Lord responding to his
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intercession said, "I
will have mercy upon them.
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I will forgive them. I
will pardon their iniquities."
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It's in the light of
that glorious revelation of
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God's pardoning love
that Moses poses the question
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in chapter 33 of
Exodus and verse 18.
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Note the question.
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It ought to be your
question as well as mine.
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"Please, Lord, "
he says, "show me..."
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What, everybody?
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"...show me Your glory."
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This is, I would submit
to you, for the believer,
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this is the
quintessential question.
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You can't ask for
anything greater from the Lord.
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"God, I want to see Your glory."
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Now the crucial part of the
text is how the Lord answers.
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God answers in the affirmative.
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He says to Moses in so
many words, "Okay Moses,
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I will show you My glory.
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And here's what
you're going to see."
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Notice this.
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Verse 19, "Then He
said," that is the Lord to Moses
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in response to the
question, "Show me Your glory,"
00:14:03.83\00:14:06.23
the request,
"Show me Your glory,"
00:14:06.26\00:14:07.80
"I will make all
My..." What's the word there?
00:14:07.83\00:14:10.35
"I will make all My
goodness pass before you,
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and I will proclaim the
name of the Lord before you."
00:14:13.76\00:14:18.92
And then the Lord goes on
to describe certain aspects
00:14:18.95\00:14:23.54
of His character.
00:14:23.57\00:14:24.94
"I will be gracious to
whom I will be gracious,
00:14:24.97\00:14:28.03
I will show compassion on
whom I will have compassion."
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Do you see
what's happening here?
00:14:32.65\00:14:34.24
Moses poses the question
with certain vernacular,
00:14:34.76\00:14:37.91
certain language.
00:14:37.94\00:14:39.40
He uses the word "glory."
00:14:39.67\00:14:41.28
He says, "God, I
want to see Your glory."
00:14:41.31\00:14:45.14
God's response is, "I
will show you My goodness,
00:14:45.43\00:14:50.50
My grace, My compassion."
00:14:51.03\00:14:54.03
So the grammar here
would persuade us that the
00:14:54.06\00:14:57.63
glory of God is equivalent
to the goodness of God,
00:14:57.66\00:15:02.14
to the grace of God,
to the compassion of God.
00:15:02.17\00:15:06.19
And in a larger concept,
the glory of God is equivalent
00:15:06.22\00:15:12.36
to all of those various traits
and attributes that compose
00:15:12.39\00:15:16.33
the divine identity.
00:15:16.43\00:15:18.50
Let's put it this
way in simple terms.
00:15:18.99\00:15:21.53
God is a
particular kind of person.
00:15:21.56\00:15:25.24
Just like you are a
particular kind of person.
00:15:25.94\00:15:28.35
What is it that makes
up the person that you are?
00:15:28.38\00:15:31.60
I would submit to you
that there are basically...
00:15:31.63\00:15:34.56
And it broken down
into additional components.
00:15:34.59\00:15:38.27
But basically, your life
is composed of three parts.
00:15:38.30\00:15:43.14
You are composed of thoughts,
feelings, and the behaviors
00:15:43.57\00:15:49.89
that flow out of your
thoughts and feelings.
00:15:49.92\00:15:52.49
Your thoughts are fed by
all the data and information
00:15:52.79\00:15:57.62
that you gather
through the process of life;
00:15:57.65\00:16:00.48
through your history,
through your experiences,
00:16:00.51\00:16:02.24
through study,
through what you believe.
00:16:02.27\00:16:04.35
You mind is
filled with thoughts.
00:16:04.69\00:16:08.28
And those thoughts then
feed, or inform, your emotions;
00:16:08.31\00:16:14.14
the way you feel.
00:16:14.47\00:16:16.02
And as you feel certain
ways in accordance with the
00:16:17.06\00:16:20.90
way you think, out of those
emotions you act, you behave,
00:16:20.93\00:16:25.91
you do certain things, you
have certain habit patterns,
00:16:26.14\00:16:28.64
you relate to
people in a certain way.
00:16:28.67\00:16:31.56
Why do you relate to people
the way you relate to people?
00:16:31.59\00:16:34.67
Well, because of
the way you feel.
00:16:34.70\00:16:36.51
And why do you
feel the way you feel?
00:16:36.95\00:16:38.77
Because of the way you think.
00:16:38.80\00:16:41.62
So every human being
is composed of basically
00:16:42.10\00:16:44.45
thoughts and
feelings and behaviors.
00:16:44.48\00:16:47.84
We were made in God's image.
00:16:48.42\00:16:50.57
God also is composed,
pretty much, of thoughts,
00:16:51.09\00:16:55.78
feelings, and behaviors.
00:16:55.81\00:16:57.51
God isn't merely a
massive intellectual being
00:16:57.81\00:17:03.16
who thinks thoughts.
00:17:03.19\00:17:04.56
God also feels feelings.
00:17:04.59\00:17:05.96
And God interacts.
00:17:06.43\00:17:08.03
He performs certain deeds.
00:17:08.78\00:17:10.47
He gets in to
relationships with people.
00:17:10.50\00:17:14.21
And Scripture, to use the words
of an author that many of us
00:17:14.24\00:17:18.40
are familiar with
and greatly appreciate,
00:17:18.43\00:17:20.56
"The Bible is the book that
unfolds the character of God."
00:17:20.59\00:17:26.67
Do you want to
know what Scripture is
00:17:27.06\00:17:29.33
from Genesis to Revelation?
00:17:29.36\00:17:31.07
It's not merely a collection
of historical accounts.
00:17:31.10\00:17:35.32
It's a collection of historical
accounts punctuated with
00:17:35.68\00:17:39.14
God's interventions in history,
God interacting with real people
00:17:39.17\00:17:44.85
in real time history.
00:17:44.88\00:17:47.56
The Bible is not merely
a collection of prophecies
00:17:47.59\00:17:51.27
foretelling future events.
00:17:51.30\00:17:53.38
The prophecies in Scripture
are all funneling toward
00:17:53.61\00:17:57.58
one great end.
00:17:57.61\00:18:00.44
And that is, to reveal God's
interactions with human beings
00:18:00.47\00:18:05.63
down through
history as prophecy unfolds.
00:18:05.66\00:18:08.58
The Bible is not
merely a systematic theology.
00:18:08.61\00:18:13.33
It's not a list of
doctrinal facts arranged in
00:18:13.36\00:18:16.83
propositional
format; point A, B, C, D.
00:18:16.86\00:18:21.26
No.
00:18:21.29\00:18:22.66
Mostly, the Bible,
strangely enough...
00:18:22.69\00:18:24.51
And most people find this
to be interesting when they
00:18:24.54\00:18:27.38
first discover it,
because it doesn't occur to us
00:18:27.41\00:18:30.79
at first glance for some reason.
00:18:30.82\00:18:32.74
But the Bible, fully one-third
of Scripture is compose of
00:18:32.77\00:18:36.56
song lyrics and poetry.
00:18:36.59\00:18:39.19
Which is what, by the way?
00:18:39.79\00:18:42.11
What is poetry and song lyrics?
00:18:42.14\00:18:44.98
It's emotionally
rendered thoughts.
00:18:45.52\00:18:49.41
You could just as easily
say what you're thinking,
00:18:49.83\00:18:52.70
or you can sing
what you're thinking.
00:18:52.73\00:18:55.50
If you sing what
you're thinking, you've added
00:18:55.53\00:18:59.15
an emotional component.
00:18:59.18\00:19:01.47
Are you with me?
00:19:01.50\00:19:02.87
Now the Bible
was inspired by who?
00:19:02.90\00:19:04.99
God.
00:19:05.44\00:19:06.81
God obviously has a
musical dimension, and therefore
00:19:06.86\00:19:09.84
we conclude that God
has an emotional dimension
00:19:09.87\00:19:12.99
to who He is.
00:19:13.02\00:19:14.39
He not only
thinks, God also feels.
00:19:14.42\00:19:17.65
And the Bible,
Genesis to Revelation,
00:19:17.68\00:19:19.85
is an unfolding of
the character of God;
00:19:19.88\00:19:23.72
the way God thinks
and feels and behaves.
00:19:23.75\00:19:27.22
It was given to us as
a communication so that
00:19:27.25\00:19:31.34
we could access the
thoughts and feelings of God,
00:19:31.37\00:19:35.97
so that we could
become acquainted with,
00:19:36.00\00:19:38.75
to return to my
original language,
00:19:38.78\00:19:41.15
so that we could become
acquainted with the kind of
00:19:41.18\00:19:44.01
person God is.
00:19:44.04\00:19:46.71
Why does he want us to be
acquainted with the kind of
00:19:46.74\00:19:49.14
person He is?
00:19:49.17\00:19:50.54
Because God is seeking
to stimulate and arouse
00:19:50.75\00:19:54.99
in us interaction.
00:19:55.02\00:19:57.96
He's a relational being.
00:19:58.61\00:20:00.60
He wants us to know Him
as He is, because He wants us
00:20:00.63\00:20:06.68
to love Him for who He is.
00:20:06.71\00:20:09.20
The knowledge of
Scripture has one lofty aim.
00:20:09.54\00:20:13.30
And that is to divulge, to
reveal the character of God.
00:20:13.33\00:20:18.30
So that in knowing Him as
He is, we would come to love
00:20:18.33\00:20:22.54
and trust Him.
00:20:22.57\00:20:23.94
If we miss that
objective, we have missed
00:20:23.97\00:20:27.16
the point of Scripture.
00:20:27.19\00:20:29.09
It is, again
quoting from Ellen White,
00:20:29.12\00:20:32.20
"the book that
unfolds the character of God."
00:20:32.23\00:20:34.73
Moses, the first
canonical prophet, gets this.
00:20:35.17\00:20:39.12
He understands that
the kind of person God is
00:20:39.42\00:20:44.06
matters crucially.
00:20:44.68\00:20:46.52
And his first request of
the Lord, the quintessential
00:20:47.03\00:20:52.13
human question, the question
that trumps all other questions,
00:20:52.16\00:20:57.04
is posed by Moses here.
00:20:57.07\00:20:58.76
"Lord, I have a request.
00:20:58.79\00:21:00.99
Show me Your glory."
00:21:01.02\00:21:03.02
In other words,
"Show me who You are.
00:21:03.05\00:21:06.90
I want to know You.
00:21:07.42\00:21:09.08
I want to become
acquainted with Your character;
00:21:09.11\00:21:13.07
the way You think
and feel and behave.
00:21:13.10\00:21:16.23
So that's the
biblical definition of the
00:21:16.26\00:21:20.59
word and the concept, "glory."
00:21:20.62\00:21:24.39
Now I'm going to just share
with you, as we continue to
00:21:24.81\00:21:28.31
build the definition, a series
of texts that I won't ask you
00:21:28.34\00:21:32.08
to turn to for the sake of time.
00:21:32.11\00:21:34.06
But just listen as these
Scriptures fill out and enlarge
00:21:34.09\00:21:39.75
our concept of the word "glory."
00:21:39.78\00:21:42.84
Psalm 97 and verse
6, "The heavens declare
00:21:42.87\00:21:48.56
God's righteousness, and all the
peoples shall see His glory."
00:21:48.59\00:21:55.55
Now do you see
what happened there?
00:21:55.81\00:21:57.40
This is a form of communication
that is called, a couplet.
00:21:57.77\00:22:02.65
It's a form of poetry in
which David has said one thing,
00:22:02.81\00:22:09.29
and then he has
looped back and said it again
00:22:09.32\00:22:11.68
with new language in order
to define what he said earlier.
00:22:12.08\00:22:16.01
It happens throughout Scripture.
00:22:16.24\00:22:18.81
David is very proficient
at using the poetic mechanism
00:22:18.84\00:22:23.56
of a couplet.
00:22:23.59\00:22:24.96
For example, one you're
familiar with would be Psalm 23.
00:22:24.99\00:22:28.84
"The Lord is my Shepherd..."
00:22:28.87\00:22:30.91
Period? End of subject?
00:22:31.34\00:22:32.97
No. "The Lord is my Shepherd..."
00:22:33.00\00:22:35.52
What is that going to pan
out to then in my experience?
00:22:35.82\00:22:39.64
"...I shall not want."
00:22:39.67\00:22:42.01
Precisely because God has
this shepherd kind of character,
00:22:42.04\00:22:47.53
a character that
cares for His sheep.
00:22:47.56\00:22:51.21
Because the Lord is my
Shepherd, I shall not... What?
00:22:51.73\00:22:54.80
...want.
00:22:54.83\00:22:56.20
"He makes me to lie
down in green pastures.
00:22:56.23\00:22:59.52
He restore my soul."
00:23:00.29\00:23:02.31
There's this
image of restfulness.
00:23:02.91\00:23:05.60
You're suppose to picture
yourself, according to David,
00:23:05.63\00:23:08.53
just lounging in a green field.
00:23:08.56\00:23:11.67
Just relaxing.
00:23:12.52\00:23:14.38
And then he says, "Not
only does He make me to
00:23:14.89\00:23:20.78
roam and to rest
in green pastures, but
00:23:20.81\00:23:23.22
I won't want anything.
00:23:23.80\00:23:25.46
I have a restful
state of being because
00:23:25.49\00:23:29.24
of His relationship with me."
00:23:29.27\00:23:31.15
Well David is doing
the same thing here,
00:23:31.25\00:23:33.00
but a little bit
different concept.
00:23:33.27\00:23:36.38
He's dealing
with the word "glory."
00:23:36.41\00:23:38.70
And he says, "The heavens
declare God's righteousness,
00:23:38.73\00:23:43.27
and all the
peoples see His glory."
00:23:43.61\00:23:45.56
So what are the two words
that are essentially synonymous?
00:23:45.59\00:23:49.79
Righteousness and glory.
00:23:49.82\00:23:52.46
And then again in Psalm
115 and verse 1, notice this.
00:23:52.49\00:23:57.04
"Not unto us, O
Lord, not unto us,
00:23:57.49\00:24:01.02
but to Your name be glory,
00:24:01.05\00:24:05.14
because of Your
mercy and of Your truth."
00:24:05.17\00:24:09.01
So here in this Scripture,
God's glory is closely
00:24:09.46\00:24:14.18
associated with what?
00:24:14.21\00:24:15.75
Mercy and truth.
00:24:16.35\00:24:18.36
You remember last night
we pointed out that Jesus
00:24:18.39\00:24:21.64
came into the world,
John chapter 1 and verse 14,
00:24:21.67\00:24:24.64
He came into the world
with a specific mission.
00:24:24.74\00:24:27.77
The Word became flesh and
dwelt among us and we beheld
00:24:28.06\00:24:31.30
His glory, the glory as of
the only begotten of the Father,
00:24:31.33\00:24:36.25
full of..." two
things. What were they?
00:24:36.28\00:24:38.03
"...grace and truth."
00:24:38.06\00:24:39.44
In Jesus Christ we witness
in action, in all His relations,
00:24:39.47\00:24:44.57
a perfect equilibrium
between mercy and truth,
00:24:44.60\00:24:48.46
grace and truth.
00:24:48.49\00:24:49.86
In Jesus we see the
totality of God's character.
00:24:49.89\00:24:54.17
And you could think
of it as being composed
00:24:54.20\00:24:57.01
of two hemispheres.
00:24:57.04\00:24:58.41
Like the brain, for example.
00:24:58.44\00:25:00.10
The totality of
God's glory is composed of;
00:25:00.38\00:25:03.99
on the one hand, grace,
on the other hand, truth.
00:25:04.02\00:25:08.33
You could also say justice
and mercy are perfectly balanced
00:25:08.36\00:25:13.29
in the character of God.
00:25:13.59\00:25:15.15
In every circumstance, in
every single circumstance,
00:25:15.18\00:25:19.95
God applies the
perfect amount of justice
00:25:19.98\00:25:25.71
that the situation requires
and the perfect amount of mercy
00:25:25.74\00:25:29.83
that the situation requires.
00:25:29.86\00:25:31.56
And that is the
character of God.
00:25:31.59\00:25:33.41
It is a perfect fusion
between mercy and truth.
00:25:33.44\00:25:38.84
So according to Psalm 115
and verse 1, "Not unto us,
00:25:38.87\00:25:43.27
O Lord, not unto us,
but to Your name be glory,
00:25:43.30\00:25:47.05
because of Your
mercy and truth."
00:25:47.08\00:25:49.92
So God's glory is intimately
associated with mercy and truth.
00:25:50.04\00:25:57.72
What did the previous Scripture
identify as God's glory?
00:25:57.75\00:26:02.09
His righteousness.
00:26:02.12\00:26:03.72
And then Isaiah
chapter 28 verse 5.
00:26:03.75\00:26:06.55
This is fabulous. Watch this.
00:26:06.58\00:26:08.42
You're not expecting this word.
00:26:08.45\00:26:10.96
But it is a word
that applies to God.
00:26:11.30\00:26:13.94
Isaiah 28 verse 5, "In that
day the Lord of hosts will be
00:26:14.53\00:26:20.89
for a crown of glory..."
there's the word glory,
00:26:20.92\00:26:25.10
and a diadem of beauty to
the remnant of His people."
00:26:25.13\00:26:31.07
So what are the two words
you think I'm looking for here
00:26:31.10\00:26:33.49
that are closely associated,
one word defining the other?
00:26:33.52\00:26:38.04
Glory is manifested
in beauty. That's right.
00:26:38.37\00:26:44.27
Again, listen carefully.
00:26:44.30\00:26:45.67
"In that day the Lord of hosts
will be for a crown of glory
00:26:45.70\00:26:50.76
and a diadem of beauty to
the remnant of His people."
00:26:50.79\00:26:55.66
So when God's glory is revealed
to and manifested through
00:26:55.69\00:27:01.51
God's people, it
will look beautiful.
00:27:01.54\00:27:05.32
It will be a
revelation of God's beauty.
00:27:05.35\00:27:10.74
And then we have
this definition of glory,
00:27:10.77\00:27:14.28
which takes it to a whole other
level in the New Testament.
00:27:14.31\00:27:17.44
You will
immediately recognize the story.
00:27:17.68\00:27:20.60
The shepherds are out on the
hills taking care of their sheep
00:27:20.63\00:27:24.66
and angels appear
above them in the sky.
00:27:25.07\00:27:29.37
And Luke chapter 2 and verse
14 says that the angels are
00:27:29.40\00:27:33.86
overheard by the
shepherds singing a song.
00:27:33.89\00:27:37.64
Do you remember
the words of the song?
00:27:38.38\00:27:40.94
"Glory to
God..." To what degree?
00:27:41.53\00:27:45.00
"...in the highest."
00:27:45.03\00:27:46.40
So whatever the
angels are singing about,
00:27:46.43\00:27:48.88
it is the highest manifestation
of the glory of God.
00:27:48.91\00:27:53.81
"Glory to God in the
highest, peace on earth and
00:27:53.84\00:27:58.72
good will toward
men," toward humanity.
00:27:58.82\00:28:03.53
So here, the glory of God
is associated with good will.
00:28:03.56\00:28:10.01
God's goodness.
00:28:10.92\00:28:12.36
Think about it this way,
God has only altruistic motives
00:28:12.57\00:28:16.95
toward every person.
00:28:16.98\00:28:18.35
He only wants
what is absolutely best
00:28:18.38\00:28:22.27
for every man, woman, and child.
00:28:22.30\00:28:24.05
He literally cares for
you and me above Himself.
00:28:24.53\00:28:30.30
And as we're going to
discover as we progress,
00:28:30.63\00:28:34.01
God literally would rather
die than stop loving you and me.
00:28:34.04\00:28:40.95
And in that motive of
His thoughts and feelings,
00:28:41.68\00:28:46.37
in that singular motive
of loving all others above
00:28:47.03\00:28:51.50
and before Himself
to the point of death,
00:28:51.53\00:28:53.97
in that singular
motive we see the glory of God
00:28:54.77\00:28:57.84
in its highest manifestation.
00:28:57.87\00:29:00.37
What were the
angels singing about?
00:29:00.57\00:29:02.04
You know the story
that we're referencing here.
00:29:02.07\00:29:04.28
The angels were singing over the
Babe born in Bethlehem to Mary;
00:29:04.31\00:29:10.80
Jesus Christ.
00:29:10.83\00:29:12.20
They were looking upon
this incredible spectacle,
00:29:12.27\00:29:16.97
the most amazing thing
that has ever occurred in all of
00:29:17.00\00:29:20.64
universal history.
00:29:20.67\00:29:22.04
God, the highest,
most important, powerful,
00:29:22.07\00:29:28.20
omnipotent,
omniscient, omnipresent,
00:29:28.23\00:29:30.79
majestic Person in all
the universe voluntarily
00:29:31.29\00:29:35.14
condescended and stepped down.
00:29:35.17\00:29:37.40
Now this is strange for us.
00:29:38.15\00:29:40.07
It's upside
down, it's backwards.
00:29:40.60\00:29:42.60
Because we associate glory with
God occupying the high place.
00:29:42.63\00:29:48.39
But God, in His heart, in His
mental and emotional make-up,
00:29:48.63\00:29:52.67
associates His glory with taking
the lowest place, if necessary.
00:29:52.70\00:29:57.13
So God steps down in
Jesus Christ, condescends to
00:29:57.16\00:30:02.53
become a member
of the human race.
00:30:02.56\00:30:04.25
And the
incarnation is here occurring.
00:30:04.28\00:30:07.32
There is the
Babe in Mary's arms.
00:30:07.35\00:30:10.72
And the angels look
at this and they proclaim
00:30:10.75\00:30:14.67
to the whole universe and
to the shepherds and to all of
00:30:14.70\00:30:17.54
mankind thereafter, they
look upon this condescending
00:30:17.57\00:30:22.03
humility and they
say, "Now that's glory
00:30:22.44\00:30:24.87
if we've ever seen it."
00:30:24.90\00:30:26.27
That's the highest revelation
of the character of God
00:30:27.02\00:30:32.58
on record to date.
00:30:32.61\00:30:34.59
That's essentially what
the angels are singing about.
00:30:34.62\00:30:37.43
And then when Jesus lives His
life and he goes to the cross of
00:30:37.73\00:30:41.50
Calvary, we come
to John chapter 12.
00:30:41.53\00:30:46.50
And this is just astounding how
the word "glory" is used here
00:30:47.09\00:30:51.52
by the Savior Himself.
00:30:51.55\00:30:53.09
And it fits perfectly with what
the angels have testified to
00:30:53.31\00:30:57.72
as they sing over
the incarnate Christ.
00:30:57.75\00:31:01.19
Chapter 12 of the gospel of
John starting with verse 23.
00:31:01.92\00:31:05.73
Notice the language
here very carefully.
00:31:05.76\00:31:08.02
This is a Bible study tonight.
00:31:08.05\00:31:09.42
We're taking a big
bite out of Scripture.
00:31:09.45\00:31:11.96
We're looking at a
lot of Bible verses.
00:31:11.99\00:31:14.55
And we need to bring them all
in and then we need to organize
00:31:14.58\00:31:17.84
them and process them in order
to have a clear thinking view
00:31:17.87\00:31:23.27
of God's purpose for us as His
people here at the end of time.
00:31:23.30\00:31:26.92
Verse 23 of John chapter 12.
00:31:27.11\00:31:29.33
Here's Jesus, and He's
speaking to His disciples.
00:31:29.36\00:31:33.36
And He says, "The hour
has come that the Son of Man
00:31:33.39\00:31:38.74
should be..." What everybody?
00:31:38.77\00:31:40.38
"...glorified."
00:31:40.63\00:31:42.00
So here's our
word "glory" again.
00:31:42.03\00:31:43.78
Here's this idea that we're
so interested in this evening.
00:31:44.06\00:31:48.15
And Jesus says that a
certain hour has come.
00:31:48.18\00:31:52.15
Not a particular 60 minute hour.
00:31:52.51\00:31:55.57
The word "hour" is
being used here to symbolize
00:31:55.60\00:31:58.86
a point in time.
00:31:58.89\00:32:01.45
Something is about to go down.
00:32:02.01\00:32:04.47
Something is about to happen.
00:32:04.50\00:32:06.31
Something remarkable
is about to go on display
00:32:06.34\00:32:10.19
before the world
and the universe.
00:32:10.22\00:32:12.34
Jesus says to the
disciples, "It's here.
00:32:12.37\00:32:15.73
It's time.
00:32:15.76\00:32:17.13
The hour has now
arrived that the Son of Man
00:32:17.16\00:32:21.09
should be glorified."
00:32:21.40\00:32:22.77
What is that time?
00:32:22.80\00:32:24.19
He's referring
specifically to the cross.
00:32:24.22\00:32:27.38
Calvary itself constitutes
the highest manifestation
00:32:27.77\00:32:33.34
of the glory of God.
00:32:33.37\00:32:34.74
Look at verse 24.
00:32:34.77\00:32:36.14
"Most assuredly I say to you..."
00:32:36.53\00:32:38.92
He continues explaining
what's about to happen.
00:32:38.95\00:32:41.85
"I say to you, that
unless a grain of wheat..."
00:32:42.14\00:32:45.18
Does what?
00:32:45.21\00:32:46.58
"...falls into the ground
and dies, it remains alone..."
00:32:46.61\00:32:53.00
And produces no fruit.
00:32:53.03\00:32:54.82
"...but if it
dies..." What will happen?
00:32:54.85\00:32:58.36
"...it produces much fruit."
00:32:58.91\00:33:00.66
So Jesus is here
telling the disciples,
00:33:00.99\00:33:03.55
"I'm about to be crucified.
00:33:03.58\00:33:05.04
I'm going to die."
00:33:05.07\00:33:06.44
And this event, which to
all appearance is going to be
00:33:06.49\00:33:11.87
a defeat, is actually going
to be, ironically, a victory.
00:33:12.51\00:33:19.74
A victory in apparent defeat.
00:33:20.30\00:33:22.80
And what is the apparent defeat?
00:33:22.83\00:33:25.71
Well, He's crucified.
00:33:25.74\00:33:27.20
He's bloody, He's
broken, He's dying.
00:33:27.23\00:33:31.14
And as the whole
angelic universe looks on,
00:33:31.32\00:33:34.56
and as human beings
behold this amazing display of
00:33:35.09\00:33:39.92
self sacrificing love, what
in fact are we all encountering?
00:33:39.95\00:33:44.92
Jesus said it Himself.
00:33:45.54\00:33:46.91
My glorification.
00:33:47.84\00:33:49.57
Jesus is glorified in the cross.
00:33:50.09\00:33:54.69
Why?
00:33:54.94\00:33:56.31
In what sense? How?
00:33:56.34\00:33:57.71
He's dying.
00:33:57.74\00:33:59.21
How could that
possibly be glory?
00:33:59.24\00:34:01.51
No, it is glory.
00:34:01.54\00:34:02.91
Because it is God
putting all others first.
00:34:02.94\00:34:07.41
It is God
stooping to be the servant.
00:34:07.59\00:34:10.73
It is God loving, loving,
loving others to the nth degree
00:34:10.76\00:34:16.44
of self sacrifice.
00:34:16.47\00:34:18.32
And when that love
goes on display at Calvary,
00:34:18.35\00:34:21.98
boom, the glory of God
illuminates the dark chambers
00:34:22.01\00:34:26.12
of human thinking.
00:34:26.15\00:34:27.67
God begins to
radiate with a clarity
00:34:27.70\00:34:30.94
that He's never
been seen before.
00:34:30.97\00:34:33.55
God is seen to be a God of
infinite others centered love.
00:34:33.94\00:34:38.45
Look at verse 28.
00:34:38.48\00:34:39.85
"Father," speaking again of
the cross, "glorify Your name."
00:34:40.85\00:34:45.62
Again, the word
"glory" is employed here
00:34:45.88\00:34:48.31
to point forward to the cross.
00:34:48.41\00:34:50.07
What's going to be the outcome?
00:34:50.10\00:34:51.94
Verse 32.
00:34:52.04\00:34:53.64
"And I, when I am
lifted up from the earth..."
00:34:53.84\00:34:57.39
A direct reference to the cross.
00:34:57.42\00:34:59.48
"...will draw..." How many?
00:35:00.04\00:35:01.74
"...all peoples to Myself."
00:35:02.09\00:35:04.60
I want you to notice something
about this Scripture that will
00:35:04.63\00:35:06.56
become important
later on in this seminar.
00:35:06.59\00:35:08.68
The word
"peoples" is italicized.
00:35:08.97\00:35:11.96
The translators threw that word
in there of their own accord
00:35:14.37\00:35:18.06
it an effort to make
better sense out of the text.
00:35:18.09\00:35:22.20
But the word "people"
is not in what originally
00:35:23.65\00:35:26.77
was stated by Jesus, and
it's not in the original text.
00:35:26.80\00:35:30.57
It doesn't say, "I, when
I am lifted up on the cross
00:35:31.32\00:35:34.97
will draw all people," that
is, all humans, "to Myself."
00:35:35.00\00:35:38.73
"I, when I am lifted up
will draw all to Myself."
00:35:39.22\00:35:42.69
There's a cosmic dimension to
what is happening at the cross.
00:35:42.72\00:35:48.44
Not only are human beings
beholding this irresistible
00:35:48.47\00:35:52.25
display of divine love,
but the angelic universe
00:35:52.28\00:35:57.71
are also
witnessing what's happening.
00:35:57.74\00:36:00.34
And they are drawn to God,
to Christ, with an unprecedented
00:36:00.37\00:36:07.26
and solid trust that leads
them to be insulated from future
00:36:07.66\00:36:13.95
possibility of
temptation and fall.
00:36:13.98\00:36:17.14
What happens at Calvary
is that the whole universe
00:36:17.17\00:36:20.74
is made secure against
the possibility of a future
00:36:20.77\00:36:24.00
rebellion, a future uprising
of great controversy again.
00:36:24.03\00:36:29.15
Jesus revealed a picture of
the character of God that was
00:36:29.42\00:36:33.83
so glorious that it
stabilizes the universe.
00:36:33.86\00:36:38.21
It seals my heart because
if the most powerful person
00:36:38.56\00:36:42.23
in the universe is the greatest
servant in the universe,
00:36:42.26\00:36:47.68
who literally loves me
more than His own existence,
00:36:47.71\00:36:50.90
what cause could
there possible be for
00:36:51.66\00:36:54.41
rebellion against Him.
00:36:54.44\00:36:56.21
He's not a
dominate slave master.
00:36:56.24\00:36:59.45
He's a servant.
00:36:59.61\00:37:01.42
He loves me more
than His own life.
00:37:01.83\00:37:03.73
How could I ever,
ever mistrust Him?
00:37:03.76\00:37:06.24
How could I ever
turn away from Him?
00:37:06.27\00:37:08.03
And so Jesus
draws all to Himself.
00:37:09.20\00:37:12.86
Philippians chapter 2 goes
so far as to say that every
00:37:12.89\00:37:15.66
knee shall bow and every tongue
will confess that Jesus Christ
00:37:15.69\00:37:18.53
is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father,
00:37:18.56\00:37:20.27
due to what happened at Calvary.
00:37:20.30\00:37:22.42
Every knee will bow,
every tongue will confess.
00:37:22.45\00:37:24.88
Even the fallen
angels, even Lucifer himself
00:37:24.91\00:37:29.10
Satan himself, and the
lost segment of the human race,
00:37:29.13\00:37:34.37
those who do not take
refuge in the grace of God,
00:37:34.40\00:37:37.43
all human beings, and
all the angelic universe,
00:37:37.46\00:37:41.62
fallen and unfallen,
will all acknowledge the grace
00:37:41.65\00:37:47.96
and mercy of God that
glorified His character
00:37:47.99\00:37:50.95
in Christ at Calvary.
00:37:50.98\00:37:52.53
And thus the universe will be
insulated from future rebellion.
00:37:53.44\00:38:01.60
We will never in all
eternity future sin again.
00:38:01.98\00:38:07.29
Not because we
can't, but because we won't.
00:38:08.21\00:38:10.97
Not because our free will
has now been taken away and
00:38:12.44\00:38:16.43
we're a different kind of
creature without free will.
00:38:16.46\00:38:19.20
God is in the
business of saving you and me
00:38:19.50\00:38:23.02
while simultaneously
preserving our free will,
00:38:23.62\00:38:28.60
so that you and I will
be free individuals forever
00:38:29.11\00:38:32.26
and never rebel again.
00:38:32.29\00:38:34.67
Why? Because all of a
sudden He begins to use force
00:38:35.11\00:38:39.45
to keep us in line?
00:38:39.48\00:38:40.85
Because He pulls free
will from the equation?
00:38:41.61\00:38:45.22
No.
00:38:45.25\00:38:46.62
We will forever remain loyal
by virtue of what we have seen
00:38:46.65\00:38:51.85
in Christ of the
character of God.
00:38:52.66\00:38:55.28
That beautiful revelation
of God's glory in Christ
00:38:55.70\00:39:00.27
will stabilize us and make
us eternally secure from sin.
00:39:00.47\00:39:05.68
So this is the
biblical concept of glory,
00:39:06.40\00:39:09.38
this is the biblical idea.
00:39:09.41\00:39:11.36
The word "glory"
is associated with...
00:39:11.39\00:39:14.99
Let's review now.
00:39:15.27\00:39:16.64
...with the goodness
of God, the grace of God,
00:39:16.67\00:39:20.46
the mercy of God, the truth of
God, the righteousness of God,
00:39:20.49\00:39:23.50
the beauty of God.
00:39:23.53\00:39:24.90
All of these words.
00:39:24.93\00:39:26.34
And finally, God's glory
is intimately associated with
00:39:26.37\00:39:32.55
the cross of Christ as
the most beautiful revelation
00:39:32.85\00:39:37.55
of the character of God.
00:39:37.65\00:39:39.50
So that defines the
concept of glory for us.
00:39:39.66\00:39:43.37
Now let's move in to
how the word is employed
00:39:43.66\00:39:48.00
through Scripture in particular
texts that highlight various
00:39:48.03\00:39:53.50
junctures in the human
experience down through history.
00:39:53.53\00:39:57.21
Turn in your Bible now,
you want to see this one,
00:39:57.24\00:39:59.91
to Isaiah chapter 43.
00:39:59.94\00:40:02.17
I love the Bible and how clear
it is when we immerse ourselves
00:40:03.47\00:40:09.56
in it and we see what
God is trying to say to us.
00:40:09.59\00:40:14.32
In Isaiah chapter 43
verses 6 and 7, God is making
00:40:15.42\00:40:20.47
a call for individuals to come
from various places in the world
00:40:20.50\00:40:26.45
to return to Him, to come to
Him, for a particular purpose.
00:40:26.80\00:40:30.23
And then He makes a statement
regarding what a human being
00:40:30.26\00:40:36.03
was originally created for.
00:40:36.06\00:40:38.48
Notice this in verses 6 and
7, Isaiah 43 verses 6 and 7.
00:40:38.51\00:40:42.03
God is speaking, "I will say
to the north, 'Give them up!'
00:40:42.48\00:40:48.11
And to the south,
'Do not keep them back!'
00:40:48.14\00:40:50.86
Bring My sons from afar
and My daughters from the
00:40:51.88\00:40:56.67
ends of the earth..."
00:40:56.70\00:40:58.57
What is God saying so far here?
00:40:58.60\00:41:00.32
He's just
basically giving a call.
00:41:00.35\00:41:03.40
He's saying, "Everybody
who lives in the north,
00:41:03.98\00:41:06.13
everybody who lives in
the south, by implication
00:41:06.16\00:41:09.14
everybody who lives everywhere
in the world, listen up.
00:41:09.17\00:41:12.56
I'm calling My sons
and daughters to Myself.
00:41:12.59\00:41:15.84
I'm inviting
people back to Myself.
00:41:15.87\00:41:18.43
I'm calling you."
00:41:18.64\00:41:20.01
And then God says this.
00:41:20.32\00:41:22.22
Verse 7, "Everyone
who is called by My name,"
00:41:22.82\00:41:28.57
notice this, "whom I
have created for My glory;
00:41:28.60\00:41:35.73
I have formed him..."
00:41:35.76\00:41:37.13
That's creation language.
00:41:37.16\00:41:38.62
"...yes, I have made him."
00:41:38.65\00:41:40.94
Creation language again.
00:41:40.97\00:41:42.34
What has the Lord
just said here to us?
00:41:42.37\00:41:44.08
He said, "Listen, I'm
calling men and women,
00:41:44.92\00:41:48.24
sons and daughters, I'm
calling people back to Myself.
00:41:48.27\00:41:51.52
And in so doing, I'm
calling you back to the purpose
00:41:51.55\00:41:54.97
for which you were made.
00:41:55.00\00:41:56.56
I'm calling you back
to the original intent
00:41:56.83\00:42:01.71
that I had in
making the human race.
00:42:01.74\00:42:04.28
I'm calling sons and daughters
from the north and the south
00:42:04.47\00:42:07.97
and the east and the west whom
I have created for My glory.
00:42:08.00\00:42:13.93
Yes, I have formed
them. I have made them."
00:42:13.96\00:42:17.65
God formed and
made us for His glory.
00:42:17.68\00:42:21.39
Now we've spent time exploring
what the word "glory" means
00:42:21.42\00:42:24.83
so that when we read
it in texts like this,
00:42:24.86\00:42:26.87
we'll be able to make
the ready translation to know
00:42:26.90\00:42:30.28
what God is saying to us.
00:42:30.31\00:42:31.95
When the Bible
says, when God says,
00:42:31.98\00:42:34.38
"I made you for My glory..."
00:42:34.41\00:42:37.32
Translate it now.
00:42:37.35\00:42:38.72
What might that mean
to us in the light of the
00:42:38.75\00:42:42.80
Scriptures we've
looked at so far?
00:42:42.83\00:42:44.53
"I made you for My
glory," might mean,
00:42:44.56\00:42:46.82
"I made you for My character."
00:42:46.85\00:42:51.43
"I made you to be a depository
of My thoughts, My feelings,
00:42:51.58\00:42:59.34
and to behave in
accordance with My character.
00:42:59.44\00:43:03.01
I made you to think
and to feel and to behave
00:43:03.04\00:43:05.87
in accordance with
the kind of person I am."
00:43:05.90\00:43:09.92
"I made you for My
glory," simply means that God
00:43:10.27\00:43:14.23
created, listen carefully,
God created the human race
00:43:14.26\00:43:18.84
on every level;
emotionally, psychologically,
00:43:18.87\00:43:22.49
even biologically, to
be a conduit through which
00:43:22.52\00:43:26.12
His character is manifested.
00:43:26.15\00:43:27.97
God made us to
live like God lives
00:43:28.00\00:43:32.63
and to love like God loves.
00:43:32.83\00:43:35.63
When we see Jesus giving the
full, the pinnacle, the zenith
00:43:35.89\00:43:40.49
manifestation of
God's glory at the cross
00:43:40.52\00:43:43.85
as the ultimate servant,
literally choosing to give
00:43:44.05\00:43:48.26
His own life for others, we're
witnessing the character of God
00:43:48.29\00:43:53.11
that He would very much like
to see reproduced in you and me.
00:43:53.38\00:43:58.69
That we also would
experience the love of God
00:43:58.97\00:44:05.34
as our only
motive for existence.
00:44:05.37\00:44:08.52
Now just go quickly fast
forward to the New Testament
00:44:08.55\00:44:11.81
to the book of Romans.
00:44:11.84\00:44:13.21
And we will notice three
verses in the book of Romans,
00:44:13.66\00:44:16.95
three verses in the
book of Romans that employ
00:44:17.44\00:44:20.79
the word "glory" in order
to fill out our concept here
00:44:20.82\00:44:26.04
of its usage and
what's being communicated
00:44:26.07\00:44:30.03
through this really
important concept in Scripture.
00:44:30.06\00:44:33.46
Chapter 3, Romans
chapter 3 verse 23.
00:44:33.49\00:44:36.55
You know this, you've
no doubt read this before.
00:44:36.58\00:44:38.91
Or at least you've heard it.
00:44:38.94\00:44:40.31
It says simply
here, "All have sinned
00:44:40.63\00:44:43.84
and come short of..." Something.
00:44:44.74\00:44:46.29
What does the Bible say?
00:44:46.32\00:44:47.77
"...the glory of God."
00:44:47.88\00:44:49.25
So there's the
word "glory" again.
00:44:49.28\00:44:50.65
I want you to read this
text, to notice this text,
00:44:50.68\00:44:54.15
in the direct context of
what we just read in Isaiah 43.
00:44:54.18\00:45:00.17
God said in Isaiah 43, "I
made human kind for My glory,
00:45:00.46\00:45:06.07
to be reflectors
of My character."
00:45:06.65\00:45:09.29
But what does
this Scripture say now?
00:45:10.03\00:45:11.98
"All have sinned and come
short of the glory of God."
00:45:12.01\00:45:16.05
Here is a biblical
definition of the sin problem.
00:45:16.08\00:45:19.19
What is the sin
problem, essentially,
00:45:20.35\00:45:22.41
according to this
particular Scripture?
00:45:22.44\00:45:24.48
Now of course, 1 John 3:4 says,
00:45:24.51\00:45:26.41
"Sin is the
transgression of the law."
00:45:26.44\00:45:27.96
And it is.
00:45:27.99\00:45:29.36
But think about
this for a minute.
00:45:29.56\00:45:30.96
If sin is transgression
of the law, and according to
00:45:32.05\00:45:35.88
what Jesus said, the
law is love, essentially...
00:45:36.08\00:45:39.05
Love to God and love to
our fellow human beings.
00:45:39.08\00:45:42.58
Or Romans 13:10 where the
Scripture basically simply says
00:45:42.78\00:45:47.50
"Love is the
fulfilling of the law."
00:45:47.53\00:45:50.04
How do you read 1
John chapter 3 verse 4 now?
00:45:50.13\00:45:52.99
Sin is transgression of
the law simply means, sin is...
00:45:53.02\00:45:55.85
...transgression of God's love.
00:45:58.23\00:46:00.30
And here in this Scripture,
Paul says sin is to come short
00:46:01.45\00:46:08.15
of God's glory.
00:46:08.49\00:46:09.92
Sin is to forfeit
the character of God.
00:46:10.22\00:46:14.12
Sin is to reveal character
traits; thoughts and feelings
00:46:14.26\00:46:20.39
and motives and behaviors,
that go directly contrary
00:46:20.42\00:46:25.20
to the character of God.
00:46:25.68\00:46:27.54
In other words,
sin is anti-love.
00:46:28.61\00:46:31.40
Every thought,
feeling, and behavior pattern
00:46:32.36\00:46:35.61
that is self-centered is sin.
00:46:35.64\00:46:39.40
That's what the
Bible is saying to us here.
00:46:40.16\00:46:41.86
Sin is every anti-love
thought, feeling, and behavior.
00:46:42.12\00:46:47.55
The plan of salvation is
then God's plan for restoring
00:46:48.08\00:46:53.26
His glory to the human being.
00:46:53.29\00:46:55.22
Look at Romans
chapter 5 verses 1 and 2.
00:46:55.25\00:46:58.04
Romans chapter 5 verses 1 and 2.
00:46:59.02\00:47:00.88
Here, Paul is
taking up the subject
00:47:00.91\00:47:02.46
of the plan of salvation.
00:47:02.49\00:47:04.13
And he is speaking of
justification by faith.
00:47:05.76\00:47:09.44
You'll be familiar
with this text, no doubt.
00:47:10.13\00:47:12.09
But now notice it
in our context tonight.
00:47:12.12\00:47:14.84
Romans 5 verse 1, "Therefore,
having been justified by faith,"
00:47:15.43\00:47:21.21
yes Paul, "we have
peace with God," okay,
00:47:21.24\00:47:25.31
"through our Lord Jesus
Christ, through whom..."
00:47:25.34\00:47:28.05
What's the next word?
00:47:28.08\00:47:29.45
"...also..." Well wait a minute.
00:47:29.48\00:47:31.43
So there's something more,
there's something in addition to
00:47:31.63\00:47:36.67
justification by
faith and peace with God.
00:47:36.70\00:47:38.88
Yes, there's something more.
00:47:38.91\00:47:41.23
There's an also.
00:47:41.26\00:47:42.63
We have justification by faith.
00:47:43.07\00:47:45.34
And through that justification
by faith, we have peace
00:47:45.37\00:47:48.35
with God, "through
whom we also have..." What?
00:47:48.38\00:47:54.52
"...access by faith into
this grace in which we stand,
00:47:54.93\00:48:00.67
and rejoice in hope of..." What?
00:48:00.70\00:48:03.91
"...the glory of God."
00:48:04.20\00:48:05.57
There's the "also."
00:48:05.60\00:48:06.97
This is just so clear.
00:48:07.03\00:48:09.49
Paul is essentially saying
that the initial stage of the
00:48:09.52\00:48:15.34
human experience in salvation
is justification by faith.
00:48:15.37\00:48:19.08
You now have a standing
of innocence before God,
00:48:20.30\00:48:24.96
he's saying, just as
if you've never sinned.
00:48:24.99\00:48:28.07
And you have peace
with God by faith in Christ.
00:48:28.27\00:48:32.87
But then Paul, I think
with a great deal of enthusiasm
00:48:32.90\00:48:36.15
in his voice,
although we can't hear the
00:48:36.18\00:48:38.07
enthusiasm in written form.
00:48:38.10\00:48:40.40
But I think Paul with enthusiasm
says, "But hey, hey, hey.
00:48:40.43\00:48:43.45
There's something
else, there's something more.
00:48:43.48\00:48:45.25
There's an also.
00:48:45.28\00:48:46.65
We're justified by
faith, we have peace with God.
00:48:46.75\00:48:49.25
But now also, we
have access to this grace
00:48:49.28\00:48:56.70
for the restoration of
God's glory in our lives.
00:48:56.85\00:49:01.08
We now have peace with God and
we rejoice in hope of something.
00:49:01.11\00:49:07.66
We're looking
forward to something.
00:49:07.69\00:49:09.82
What is it that we hope for?
00:49:09.85\00:49:11.26
The glory of God being fully
restored in our experience.
00:49:11.47\00:49:16.53
Which simply means, as
we've studied this evening,
00:49:16.56\00:49:20.20
the character of God
restored to human experience.
00:49:20.23\00:49:24.81
That we have the privilege,
not only of being saved
00:49:24.84\00:49:28.31
from past sins, forgiven
for our failures and our fall
00:49:28.61\00:49:35.35
from the glory of
God, but we also have
00:49:35.38\00:49:38.72
this incredible privilege of
God remaking His image in us.
00:49:39.41\00:49:45.64
So God isn't merely
interested in saving you and me
00:49:46.66\00:49:50.93
in the sense of
getting us into heaven.
00:49:50.96\00:49:54.70
He's also very interested
in getting heaven into us.
00:49:55.70\00:49:59.64
He's interested in shaping
and molding and restoring
00:50:00.34\00:50:04.47
His character in us.
00:50:05.09\00:50:06.46
Look at chapter
8 now and verse 18.
00:50:06.49\00:50:09.94
The apostle Paul has just
told us in chapter 3 verse 23,
00:50:10.69\00:50:13.87
"All have sinned and come
short of the glory of God."
00:50:13.90\00:50:15.93
He's then told us in chapter
5 that we're justified by faith
00:50:16.20\00:50:18.72
and we have peace with God,
but now we stand and rejoice
00:50:18.75\00:50:21.56
in hope of the glory of God.
00:50:21.59\00:50:23.23
Chapter 8 verse 18, he
picks up the refrain again
00:50:23.26\00:50:26.58
and he says, "For I consider
that the sufferings of this
00:50:26.61\00:50:30.27
present time are not worthy
to be compared with the...
00:50:30.30\00:50:33.59
...glory which," it's very
definite, "shall be revealed..."
00:50:34.13\00:50:39.24
Where, precisely?
00:50:39.27\00:50:40.64
"...in us."
00:50:40.67\00:50:42.04
This is fabulous.
00:50:42.17\00:50:43.70
The apostle Paul has
taken up this word "glory"
00:50:43.73\00:50:47.49
and he had employed it
to convey the entire process
00:50:47.52\00:50:51.62
of the plan of salvation.
00:50:51.65\00:50:53.05
He has told us that we
fell short of the glory of God,
00:50:53.40\00:50:56.33
but that it will
be completely restored
00:50:56.58\00:51:00.05
in our hearts and lives.
00:51:00.08\00:51:03.12
And that plan of salvation
reaches forward in history
00:51:03.15\00:51:09.50
to have
eschatological significance,
00:51:09.53\00:51:12.47
to have significance for the end
time segment of human history.
00:51:12.50\00:51:17.42
When I was a little
boy, I had a recurring dream.
00:51:17.59\00:51:22.19
Have you ever had a
dream that you would have
00:51:22.40\00:51:24.24
over and over again?
00:51:24.27\00:51:25.79
When I was a little boy, I
dreamed that I was standing
00:51:26.18\00:51:30.19
on the seashore with
the sand under my bare feet,
00:51:30.66\00:51:34.84
and my little bathing
suit on that my mother had
00:51:35.04\00:51:37.96
purchased for me that
had Hawaiian flowers on it.
00:51:37.99\00:51:40.73
And as I stood there, in
my dream, and the waves were
00:51:41.41\00:51:45.53
crashing, I had this impulse to
dive in and to begin swimming.
00:51:45.56\00:51:50.48
And I would dive in, in my
dream, and I would swim out
00:51:50.71\00:51:53.90
all excited because
there would be a dolphin
00:51:53.93\00:51:57.27
waiting for me there.
00:51:57.30\00:51:58.67
And I would grab
hold of that dorsal fin
00:51:59.27\00:52:02.89
and the dolphin would take me
up and down through the waves,
00:52:02.92\00:52:06.68
and down under the
water and up into the air
00:52:06.71\00:52:10.37
and crashing down again.
00:52:10.40\00:52:11.87
And dreams get kind of weird.
00:52:11.90\00:52:13.33
And then up into the streets
of LA where I was raised,
00:52:13.36\00:52:16.60
and up stairways and
down stairways in our house.
00:52:16.63\00:52:19.63
And we would have
breakfast and things like that.
00:52:19.66\00:52:21.45
And then...
00:52:21.48\00:52:22.85
That was my dream. It would end.
00:52:23.39\00:52:25.18
I loved
dolphins as a little kid.
00:52:25.38\00:52:27.32
And I would dream about
them over and over again.
00:52:27.64\00:52:30.83
It was my recurring dream.
00:52:30.86\00:52:33.55
Well the Bible
has a recurring dream.
00:52:34.39\00:52:36.87
We might say
that it's God's dream.
00:52:37.66\00:52:39.40
And God gave this dream
in the form of a prophecy
00:52:40.73\00:52:44.81
to one prophet after another.
00:52:45.52\00:52:48.33
Notice the language in
this series of Scriptures
00:52:49.41\00:52:53.34
and how each one prophecies
of the same ultimate outcome
00:52:53.44\00:52:57.48
in history.
00:52:57.51\00:52:58.88
Numbers chapter 14 verse
21, the prophet here is Moses.
00:52:59.10\00:53:02.39
"Truly," God says through Moses,
"as I live, the earth shall be
00:53:02.42\00:53:06.62
filled with the
glory of the Lord."
00:53:06.65\00:53:09.49
The first canonical
prophet, Moses, is the first one
00:53:09.90\00:53:13.91
to receive this dream.
00:53:13.94\00:53:15.85
And the dream, the prophecy,
the vision, is very, very
00:53:16.56\00:53:20.03
simple and profound.
00:53:20.06\00:53:21.54
God promises with an
oath, "As truly as I live,
00:53:22.02\00:53:25.89
the earth shall be
filled with My glory.
00:53:26.30\00:53:28.76
Human beings will again
know Me for who I really am.
00:53:28.96\00:53:31.95
The character of God
will be brilliantly manifested
00:53:31.98\00:53:36.19
some time in human history."
00:53:36.22\00:53:38.55
Isaiah chapter 60
and verses 1 through 3,
00:53:38.58\00:53:41.24
"Arise and shine,
for your light has come.
00:53:41.27\00:53:44.39
And the glory of the
Lord is risen upon you."
00:53:44.42\00:53:47.32
"And His glory will be seen
upon you," he goes on to say
00:53:47.68\00:53:51.80
after telling us that the earth
will be filled with darkness,
00:53:51.83\00:53:55.60
and gross darkness
will cover the people.
00:53:56.18\00:53:58.65
But God's glory, Isaiah
says, shall be seen upon you,
00:53:58.68\00:54:03.04
God's people.
00:54:03.37\00:54:04.74
"And Gentiles," unbelievers,
"shall come to your light,
00:54:04.79\00:54:08.73
and kings to the
brightness of your rising,"
00:54:08.85\00:54:11.05
on the scene of human history.
00:54:11.08\00:54:12.61
The day is coming,
Isaiah says, when the earth
00:54:13.22\00:54:17.26
will be illuminated
with the glory of God.
00:54:17.29\00:54:20.76
And that glory will be
seen upon God's people.
00:54:20.79\00:54:23.77
They will be the conduit,
they will be the channel,
00:54:23.80\00:54:26.09
through which the
glory of God fills the earth.
00:54:26.12\00:54:29.15
Ezekiel chapter
43 verses 1 and 2.
00:54:29.18\00:54:32.68
"Afterward He," that is the
Lord, "brought me to the gate,
00:54:33.84\00:54:36.86
to the gate that faces the east.
00:54:36.89\00:54:38.76
And behold," Ezekiel says,
"the glory of the God of Israel
00:54:38.79\00:54:43.85
came from the way of the east.
00:54:43.88\00:54:45.62
And His voice was like
the sound of many waters;
00:54:45.65\00:54:49.27
and the earth
shone with His glory."
00:54:49.30\00:54:53.60
Everyone of these prophets;
same dream, same vision
00:54:54.02\00:54:56.93
same prophecy.
00:54:56.96\00:54:58.35
The day is coming, the day
is coming, the day is coming,
00:54:58.90\00:55:01.69
when the earth
will be illuminated with
00:55:01.72\00:55:04.19
the glory of God.
00:55:04.22\00:55:05.59
It will be on a global
scale, the prophets say.
00:55:05.62\00:55:08.97
Habakkuk chapter 2 and verse
14, "For the earth shall be
00:55:09.00\00:55:12.93
filled with the knowledge
of the glory of the Lord,
00:55:13.39\00:55:16.65
as the waters cover the sea."
00:55:16.68\00:55:18.33
So now the word
"knowledge" is employed
00:55:19.20\00:55:21.64
in association with glory.
00:55:21.67\00:55:23.31
The earth will be
filled with the knowledge of
00:55:23.47\00:55:26.47
the character of God, just
as the waters cover the sea.
00:55:26.50\00:55:29.95
In other words,
it will be universal,
00:55:29.98\00:55:32.01
it will be worldwide.
00:55:32.04\00:55:33.92
And then, finally, a
prophecy that puts the capstone
00:55:34.28\00:55:39.07
on this recurring dream.
00:55:39.10\00:55:40.95
Revelation
chapter 18 verses 1 and 2.
00:55:41.22\00:55:44.47
And this is where we as a
people begin to understand
00:55:44.50\00:55:48.87
the true significance
of our mission at this
00:55:48.90\00:55:51.46
juncture of human history.
00:55:51.49\00:55:53.12
Revelation 18 verses 1 and
2, "I saw another angel coming
00:55:53.40\00:55:58.19
down from heaven,
having great authority,
00:55:58.22\00:56:01.65
and the earth
was," note the language,
00:56:01.68\00:56:04.41
"illuminated with his glory."
00:56:04.44\00:56:08.87
This is what we as a
people have referred to as
00:56:09.91\00:56:12.80
the loud cry, the latter
rain, the final movement,
00:56:12.83\00:56:17.39
the climactic
eschatological revelation of the
00:56:17.42\00:56:21.54
character of God
on a global scale.
00:56:21.57\00:56:24.52
This angel messenger
comes down from heaven
00:56:25.07\00:56:28.00
having great authority
and power, the Scripture says,
00:56:28.03\00:56:31.51
and the earth is illumined
with the glory of this angel.
00:56:31.54\00:56:37.78
Friends, what's
happening in history right now
00:56:39.10\00:56:43.80
is that God is
looking for men and women,
00:56:43.83\00:56:46.30
and even children, who will
become channels through which
00:56:46.52\00:56:52.13
the character of
God can be manifested
00:56:52.16\00:56:54.82
to the multitudes of
men and women in this world
00:56:56.19\00:57:00.82
who are longing to know
God for who He really is.
00:57:00.85\00:57:04.44
The invitation is for
you and for me to eagerly
00:57:04.47\00:57:09.18
put ourselves in a
position where God can use us
00:57:10.19\00:57:14.53
to reveal His glorious love
and beauty and righteousness
00:57:14.81\00:57:17.88
to the world as a whole.
00:57:17.98\00:57:19.35
Father in heaven,
thank You for Your Word.
00:57:19.95\00:57:24.17
Thank You for the
clarity of these Scriptures.
00:57:24.86\00:57:27.98