Dear Church Family,
I started to state that I am sorry for what I am about to write, but it is a wonderful truth that I should never apologize for. Yes, I will give you a little more about the glory of God by restating a section of my sermon on “True Hope” based on Romans 5:2-5. There we saw that true hope is found in the glory of God. God inspired the Holy Bible to give His people hope. Hope is the confident expectation that God will work all things to His glory and for the good of His people. Here are several points that teach us that God’s glory is a big deal and worthy of our praise.
Romans 11:36 tells us the glory of God is eternal. We live in a world where just about everything will come to an end, but 1 Peter 1:24 tells us the glory of the world will pass away. Isaiah 40:12 informs us His glory is mighty as God measures the seas in the palm of His hand.
A few points remind us, as John 1:14 does, that in Jesus “the Word became flesh and lived among us and we beheld His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Hebrews 1:3 opens with the fact that Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory. He is the exact representation of God. Jesus could pray in John 12:23, “Now is the time for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Paul observes the fulfillment of that in Romans 6:4 by telling us Jesus came back from the dead by the glory of the Father.
Living with a focus on the glory of impacts our lives as 2 Corinthians 4:17 comforts us with the reminder that any affliction we endured is minor compared to the glory that will be revealed. As a result we can look forward to life everlasting in heaven. Per Revelation 21:23, the glory of God will replace the sun and provide light. We must learn now to worship as God desires because Revelation 5:11-12 lets us know that the glory of God is and will be the focus of life in heaven.
Sadly, 2 Thessalonians 1:9 warns those who suffer eternal punishment will miss out on God’s eternal glory. Lastly, Romans 1:21-25 and 3:23 diagnose the ultimate issue that causes the many problems found in our world. These passages say rebellious man has failed to give God the glory that He alone deserves. In our fallen world people do not glorify God; they exchange the glory of the immortal God for man-made images and exchange the truth of God for a lie.
In our world beset by various problems, there appears to be a lack of hope. Do not despair – in Christ we have an abiding hope that can never be taken away from us His people. Take comfort and rejoice in the glory of the Creator God who has loved you with an everlasting love!
Living by grace to His glory,
Pastor Gillikin