The Glory of God

Our text is found in Proverbs chapter 25. Proverbs chapter 25 all of man's ideals. All of man's natural finding outs and doings and discoveries have everything to do with self-promotion. They have everything to do with self-entitlement, self-glory. Look at me. Look at me. And all of man's discoveries begin with the word I. I discovered this. I found this out. I have done this and I have done that.

It's the look at me mentality that we have from the womb. You say, I don't understand what that means from the womb. Well, when we come out of the womb, Jonah has one of the youngest ones in the church and he can tell you and testify to this as you all probably can. The baby comes forth and the first thing it does is it starts crying.

And it says, look at me, I'm unhappy. I want to go back in. I don't want to be out in this cold. I want to be warm. And the baby doesn't even think or process all of that information. That's the nature of human beings. Look at me. Scripture says we come forth from the womb speaking lies. And if anybody has any grandchildren or children that's had babies, you know, as well as I know that sometimes those babies don't need anything. They just cry because they want what they want. They want to be picked up. They want to be out of their pen. They want chocolate ice cream, whatever it may be. They want what they want. but they really don't need anything. We come from the womb speaking lies, and all of our ideas, all of our ideals driven from that nature promote self, and especially in spiritual things, especially in religious things.

There's a lot of clergy laity that goes on, a lot of preacher and pastor worship and praise and adoration. You ever heard the term reverend before? There's only one that's reverend, and his name's the Lord Jesus Christ. There's only one that's reverend, he's God. Now there's nothing reverend about me.

And yet men like that title, don't they? There's some that have the title doctor. Some have the title evangelist, some have the title bishop, some have this title or that title, and it's all about look at me. It's about self-glory, isn't it? It's what it's all about.

The reason is, as we know, every imagination of man is on evil only and that continually. Why? Because the heart of man is deceitful of all things and desperately wicked. That's everybody present, including myself. It's everybody listening or may listen to this. Our heart is deceitful above all things, meaning it would deceive us all the way to the pit unless the Lord does something to intervene. This is why it is so foolish to think that God would place the requirement for salvation upon you and I satisfying one of his demands.

One, just one, because as we have heard in the last couple of weeks that I've said, the one commandment that was given in the very beginning was of all the trees of the garden, you shall eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat for in the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die. That was the command. And did man obey that commandment? Did man listen to that commandment?

They could have had a paradise. They could have had everything that they needed. And yet they could not obey the one commandment. I actually thought about this a little bit. Can you imagine the fruits and the vegetables that the Lord had given in the Garden of Eden? They didn't have to labor and sweat for anything. But you talk about some sweet fruits. and some really good tasting vegetables. I mean, God was the one that caused those to grow. They were perfect. And they threw it all away. Why? Because of self-promotion. Because of self-entitlement. Because they wanted to be God.

And you say, well, we're not like that. We're exactly like that. We are exactly like that from the womb. If God requires something of me, if he puts the sole obligation of my salvation upon me, of my eternal destiny and pleasing him, if I have to please him and then my eternal destiny is changed, seeing our nature just briefly as we have, we know that we would surely be lost. We would surely be doomed, wouldn't we? We have no hope of choosing God. Because it's contrary to scripture. Every man left to themselves are fools and they don't even know it.

Yet man glorifies themselves. They promote themselves. So what is the glory of man? Well, what do men desire? Men desire approval. Men desire gratification. Men desire, matter of fact, Christ even said the reason that the men would not come to him, he said because they desired the praise of man. more than the praise of God. They wanted the praise of men more than the praise of God.

We know it comes down to the three primary sin that was in the garden, power, popularity, and pleasure. We broke that down a little bit last Sunday, or just a few days ago, and talked about how that that's our service, our sacrifice, and our selflessness, isn't it? That's how we acquire power, popularity, and pleasure.

And all of it's about look at me. It's all about look at me. Scripture is clear on this, brethren. There is a way that seemeth right unto man. Now I want to slow down and really grasp that because we say these words and we memorize these words and we quote these words, but think about this. There's a way that seemeth right. He's not saying that there's a way that's kind of right. He's not saying there's a way that may seem right. There's a way that truly and actually seems right to man. If I do this, God will accept me. If I do this and promote myself, God will be pleased with me. It seems right to man, to our nature.

But what does the rest of the verse say? The end thereof are the ways of death. The Lord talked about broad is the way and wide is the gate that leadeth to the destruction and many there be that go therein thereat. It's the easy road, it's the self-promotion road, it's the look at me road, and all false religion falls underneath that category.

I'm reminded of man's decision in trying to get to God or trying to attain God and of themselves in the Tower of Babel. They said, let's build a tower to God. First of all, the arrogance in that, but that's us by nature. I mean, we're no different. And that's, it summarizes and it encompasses all a false religion. I'm going to build a tower to God. I'm going to get to him by the works of my hands.

And so they fashioned bricks and put them together and they use slime to fashion it. And yet their atonement, which is what the slime, the mortar, the slime actually translates as atonement, it didn't last. It wasn't the atoning blood of Christ, was it? It was the works of their hands. And I love the fact that all the Lord had to do is just confuse their languages. And so out pops the Baptists and the Methodists and the Presbyterians and the Pentecostals and the Catholics and everybody else. They couldn't get along for anything, so they went their own ways, didn't they?

First of all, false religion will never get a man to God. False religion always drives a man to himself. All false religion promotes self, but true religion points to Christ. True religion looks to Him. True religion exalts and glorifies Him alone in His finished work. It looks to the atoning blood of Christ and His work to get to God. Christ said this, if a man try to climb up any other way, the same as a thief and a robber. He said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man come to the Father but by me. Let's read our text, Proverbs 25. We'll read the first 14 verses. These are also Proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, copied out.

It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter. The heaven for height, the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable. Take away the dross from the silver, There shall come forth a vessel for the finer. Take away the wicked from before the king and his throne shall be established in righteousness.

Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king and stand not in the place of great men. For better it is that it be said unto thee, come up hither, then that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen. Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbor hath put thee to shame. Debate thy cause with thy neighbor himself, and discover not a secret to another, lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away.

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold and pitchers of silver. An earring of gold, an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear. As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him, for he refresheth the soul of his masters. Who so boasteth himself of the false gift is like clouds of wind without rain.

I've titled this message, The Glory of God. The glory of God, and it's found in verse two. It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter. When it says in verse six, put not thyself in the presence of the king that actually says. Set not out by glory before the king. Don't glorify thyself before the king. It's the same thing we're talking about here, the glory of the Lord. In the last part, he says, who so boasts himself of the false gift is like clouds and wind without rain. What's the false gift? Well, that's false religion. It's false salvation.

It's works religion. The glory of man is self-promotion, as we've already established. The glory of man is self, let's look at me. Let's always look at me. But he says clearly here in verse two, the glory of God. It is the glory of God to conceal a thing. It is his choice. It is by his power. It is according to his purpose. It is according to His perfect will. First point I have for us tonight is that the glory of God belongs to Him. Belongs to Him alone. It's His glory.

You and I, when we have glory, we can think of perhaps something that we have built says, look what I have made, or we have a family and say, look, well, look at our family, how glorious our family is or whatever it may be. And that glory belongs to us. We think, but in reality, all glory and honor and praise to the Lord, all of it. For had it not been for him, we would not build a house. The scripture says, except the Lord build a house, they labor in vain that build it.

Our children are a good example of, we think, is our glory. But really, they're the blessing of the Lord. It says, lo, children are an heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward. It's because of his faithfulness, he gives us children and he keeps our children. How many of us know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if the Lord does not keep us and keep our children, we would be lost? And how many times he has saved us from certain dangers and kept us from ourself and kept us from going the wrong way, going the way that seemeth right unto man, kept us from that, kept us from our heart and ourself.

The glory of God. belongs to Him. The glory of God belongs to Him. It's for His own purpose. Do we know why? God is sovereign. God is sovereign. Everything that He does is for His own glory, for His own purpose, and it was determined by His counsel before time ever began. He purposed it, and therefore it is. I love the fact that our God doesn't calculate or compute. Our Lord does not operate off of algorithms, input, output, such as you and I do. We are constantly, we're like computers, input, output, everything.

Good example of that is food. My wife made some food tonight, and I ate it. It tasted good. I calculated that was good food, so I ate it. But if it would have been bad, first of all, I'd have kept my mouth shut. Second of all, that would have been a calculation of bad food, right? Smell milk in the refrigerator to see if it's sour.

That's an input output. That's your smell. God doesn't calculate. Doesn't have to smell the milk to see if it's bad. And that might sound watered down and shallow for me to say it that way, but it's true. He knows all things because he purposed all things. Therefore, all glory belongs to him. None can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? Nothing catches him off guard. He doesn't sleep. He doesn't slumber. He doesn't need to rest. He's self-existent. He doesn't get tired.

I love the thought of Elijah telling the men at the prophet's bell, he said, well, remember whenever they said, well, you call up the prophets of bell, you call upon your God. And if he, and I'll call upon mine, whoever answers by fire, he's God. The prophets of bell went first. And they begin crying, screaming loud, all this, whatever, and cutting themselves, which is a picture of all false religion, trying to work up something in the flesh and say, boy, we had a good meeting.

I really felt the spirit. No, you didn't. You felt some stirring of some dangerous and deadly poison. That's all you felt. And I love that Elijah started telling them, mocking them. He said, well, maybe he's on a journey. Maybe he fell asleep. Yeah, maybe he went to the bathroom. I mean, you know, he was just going on with them, telling them all these things, and they cried louder, and nothing happened.

Why not? Because that God didn't have any ears to hear or eyes to see. He was a dead, man-made God, as is all men, all man-made gods in false religion. But our God answered, answered by fire, because he is God. He is God. Why did he answer? For his glory. You don't have to prove anything to the prophets of Baal. He doesn't have to prove himself to anybody.

You know, there's a false religion where they handle snakes. You ever heard of that before? I've seen some videos of that. That's demonic. There's no other word for it. Scripture talks about tempting God. That's all they're doing is tempting God. They get the whole, you know, I don't want to get too rabbit trellis shown us here to sidetracked, but they get that whole ideology from whenever Paul went to reach for something and a serpent bit him. And they said, well, he's surely going to die. And he didn't die. Why? Because God prevented him from dying.

Paul didn't dance around with the snakes, making idiotic noises and sounds like a heathen, and then tempting, smacking the snake on the head and calling on God. No, that's just, that's foolishness. It's demonics, what it is. No, Paul was bitten by the purpose of the Lord for those men to realize he was who he said he was, but for whose glory was it? Those that dance around with snakes or whatever they're doing for that matter, who are they pointing to? Themselves, not God.

All glory belongs to Him, it is His glory. He said, I will not share my glory with another nor unto idols, I won't do it. He says in Isaiah 48, 11, for my own sake, even for my own sake will I do it, for how should my name be polluted? I will not give my glory unto another. The question is not why would he hide his glory? The question is, why would he, why would he reveal it to creatures of dust?

And that's a compliment because dust is not sinful. We're creatures of sinful dust. Now, I know every one of us has cleaned up dust from time to time. How much do we love dust? Not very much. Matter of fact, we spend a lot of time trying to get dust out of our house, don't we?

Get rid of the dust, get rid of the dirt. Gotta get it cleaned up, especially if people are coming over. We gotta make the house look good. We don't have dirt in our house, you know, that mentality. Everybody has dirt. It comes in, you know, you can't help it. Imagine sinful. Sinful dust. That's me. And that's you. That is who he chose to reveal his glory to. His elect people, his chosen people in the covenant of grace. He chose sinful dust to make them the very righteousness of God in Christ.

Now I could just, we could just camp right there for the rest of the time. That's just a thought beyond measure, isn't it? We can't grasp the depth of that. Because truly in our flesh, we see ourself as too high. We see ourself as too high. It has to be the Lord that gives us repentance and understanding that we are sinful, not because of what we do, but because of what we are. We're utterly, utterly sinful. Lord, I'm a sinful, Creature of dust, creature of death. You're going to have to reveal your glory to me because it's yours. It isn't mine. I don't get any glory. I don't have any glory to give you. It's all yours.

Why would God choose to give us a glimpse of himself? There's one word grace. Grace according to his own purpose in grace, which was given to his people before time ever began. We've got a couple places to turn tonight. So bear with me. First Corinthians chapter one is our first one. First Corinthians chapter one, verse 26. He chose to reveal himself to his people. And I will say that everything that he chooses to do is not by circumstance, it's not by happenstance, it's for the purpose of his own glory. Everything that he does. Everything that he does.

Pharaoh was raised up for the purpose of rebelling against God. Pharaoh was raised up in order for God to, for his glory to be revealed, not only to Israel, but be seen all throughout Egypt. Judas was raised up for God's glory. Although he's the son of perdition, he was literally born to die. He was born lost with the purpose of remaining lost with no hope of salvation. It was all for God's glory.

1 Corinthians 1 verse 26, for you see your calling brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. and the base things of the world, the things which are despised hath God chosen, yea, the things which are not to bring to naught things that are. Here's the reason why, that no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God has made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, that according as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory, not in our choice, not in our life, not in our lifestyle, not in our morals, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. He's worthy of all glory. The choice of us hearing for his glory is his choice alone. It's not our good deeds. It's not our will. It's not our purpose. It's not our desire.

It's all about him. Even the word history, it's his story. Everything's about him. The fullness of the earth was created to declare his glory. The purpose of time was for him to redeem his people for his glory. Everything about our Lord is for his own glory. No amount of sacrifice or selflessness or service can I do that would cause him to be constrained or restrained based upon my choices. It's all about him and for his glory. He is God. And the scripture says, besides him, there is none other. There is no other God. He said, besides me, there is no other.

I am the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, which was, which is, and which is to come. No wonder John said with all the elders and all those that gathered that time in glory, all glory and honor and power and praise be unto God and the Lamb forever. Glory All the glory belongs to God, every bit of it.

Why? Well, another reason is, is he's past finding out. Turn over to Romans, back a few pages, Romans 11. If I am to know him, if I am to see him and hear his voice and believe him, he must be the doer of it because he's past finding out. Look at Romans 11, 33.

Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the knowledge, wisdom and knowledge of God. Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out. I would remind us that in our text in Proverbs 25, the verse after verse two into three, it says that the heavens for height and the earth for depth, What is he saying? You can't, we can't figure it out. It's too high for us. Isn't that what the writer said? Such things are too, too wonderful for me. They are high. I cannot attain them. That's what David said.

Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counselor, or who hath first given him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again.

For of him and through him and to him are all things. To whom be glory forever. Amen. For of him, and to him, and through him. For through him, of him, through him, and to him are all, that covers all the bases, doesn't it? That means all things consist by him, for what purpose? Whom be glory forever.

And in case that wasn't a big enough exclamation mark on it, the Lord calls Paul to put amen after that, amen. If I am to know Him, if I am to see Him, if I am to hear His voice and believe on Him, He must be the doer of it. Not for my glory, not for my self-exaltation, not for my self-promotion, not for myself in any way to honor myself, but for His own purpose and grace, for His glory, because He will not share His glory, no, not even with me. or with you, you will not share his glory.

Proverbs 20 verse 12 says, the hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them. Without Him, there's not anything made that was made, even the seeing eye and the hearing ear. Somebody said, well, my eyes work just fine and my ears work just fine. He's not, okay, sure, he's talking about the physical ear and eyes, fine, that's okay. What about the spiritual? Because he says they that are in the flesh cannot please God. He's not looking to these eyes and these ears. These are sinful eyes and sinful ears. He's looking at the heart, the eyes by faith, and they are given of the Lord according to his own purpose and according to his grace.

Why? For his own glory. That's why. Our God alone is able to speak the word of power, otherwise we would remain dead in trespasses and in sin. What a glorious thought, we're born in sin, shapen in iniquity, but because God says live, let there be light, there's light, there's life. Who gets the glory for that? Shall the same thing form, say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus?

No, all glory and honor and praise to him who's worthy, who's seated on this throne as the successful redeemer of his people, the one that inhabits eternity. The heavens are the Lord's and the fullness thereof. It's all about him and his glory. All glory belongs to God, first and foremost. Secondly, how does he reveal his glory?

Well, he tells us in Psalm 25, the secret of the Lord are with them that fear him. The secret of the Lord are with them that fear him and he will show them his covenant, his covenant. He promised to reveal his secret, his mystery, found in his gospel and to his elected people at the appointed time for his glory, for his glory.

If we are given understanding, we're given understanding that we cannot find him out, that he's unsearchable, If we cannot think like him because his ways are not our ways, his thoughts are not our thoughts, if we are given the ability to realize all of this, then we realize if I'm going to be saved, he's gonna have to be the doer of it, and I get no glory in it whatsoever.

I get no glory in it whatsoever. It's gotta be by his choice and power. Here's the good news. The Lord promised I will reveal my truth unto my people. All that the father give me shall come to me and he that cometh to me I'll in no wise cast out. Um, the Lord promised he would. I will.

And you shall, you shall turn to Matthew chapter 13. Lord told the Pharisees, you will not come to me that you might have life. And right before that, he said, here's why you're of your father, the devil, his, he was a liar from the beginning and his lies you will do. Matthew 13, verse 10, the disciples came and said unto the Lord, why speakest thou unto them in parables?

He answered and said unto them, because it is given unto you. through the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them, it is not given for whosoever has to him shall be given and he shall have no more. He shall have more abundance, but whosoever has not from him shall it shall be taken away. Him shall be taken away. Even that he hath therefore speak to them in parables because they seeing see not and hearing they hear not. Neither do they understand. That's the same thing we were talking about just a moment ago, wasn't it? And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, by hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive.

For this people's heart is wax gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Now is their ears and eyes blessed? Therefore they hear, or are their ears and eyes hearing because they're blessed? What do I mean by that? Did God give them the ability to hear and see and bless their ears? Or did they decide they're going to hear and therefore they're blessed?

It's God that gave them the ability, wasn't it? God that gave them the ability. Verse 17, for verily I say unto you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see and have not seen them and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them. No man will come to Christ unless God gives ears to hear and eyes to see. Why would God do that? For His glory. For His glory.

2 Corinthians 4, 3 says, If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. If our gospel be hid, it's hid to them that are lost. Why? Because the God of this world hath blinded their minds, unless God chooses to shine his glorious light by the gospel unto them that they might hear.

The Lord said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes. You call a Pharisee a babe, they'll get really upset. Did you know that? Paul talks about you being babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby, but I remember being in false religion. Well, I used to be a babe, but now I'm a seasoned veteran. I really have some understanding about this and that. You know who doesn't say that? The Lord's people. Do you know why? Because Christ said, suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

See, everything about our ideas, everything about our ideals, everything about what we are and who we are and what we think by nature, God has to flip upside down completely. Strip us of all our wisdom and give us Christ. Strip us of all of our righteousness and give us Christ. Strip us of all of our self-sanctification that don't exist and give us Christ who is our sanctification. He's got to become our singular redemption, not our choice, not our actions, not our thoughts, not our do's and don'ts. He's got to become all unto us. And the only way he can become all is if we become nothing. The only way that he can become all is if we become nothing, and he's the doer of it. Does it all for his glory?

Men profess themselves to be wise, and yet they are fools. They glorify themselves based upon their choices and their actions, and yet the Lord says, I'll disannul your covenant. I'll disannul it. And their foolish hearts are darkened. Turn to John chapter one. How is it that men's hearts are darkened? We're still answering the question, how does the Lord reveal his glory?

Verse one of John chapter one, in the beginning was the word of the word was with God and the word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life and the life was the light of men. and the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. Verse 12, but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born, not of the blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

God must say, let there be light. That's how he reveals his glory. God must say, live. That's how he reveals his glory. or we'll remain in darkness. The good news is, is this, the Lord Jesus Christ said in John chapter 10, verse 28, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish. They shall never perish. My sheep hear my voice. The hearing ear and the seeing eye, they are both from the Lord for his glory.

Deuteronomy 29, 29 says the secret things belonging to the Lord, our God, but those things which are revealed belonging to us, his people and to our children forever that we may do all the words of this law. In the fullness of time, God chose to send forth preaching the gospel to call his sheep out of darkness into his light.

Men call it foolishness. What did the Lord say? I've already quoted this. Father, I thank thee that you've hid these from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes. Which brings us to our last point. So first of all, all glory belongs to God. Second of all, how does he reveal his glory? By the preaching of his gospel. Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Romans chapter one, verse 16.

And lastly, what is the glory of God? What is the glory of God? God's glory is the hidden mystery revealed in his gospel. It is how God saved his elect. It's how God saves sinners. It's how God can be both just and the justifier of his people. It's how that Christ bore our sin in his body on the cross and we were made the very righteousness of God in him. You will never see a display greater of the glory of God than the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. That was the full manifestation of the glory of God.

As he poured out his eternal wrath upon his son, do you and I, due unto his people, and he absorbed every bit of it until it was finished, until every bit of that wrath was successfully satisfied, until justice was satisfied, until the law had nothing else but good things to say about the Lord's people.

Justice was satisfied. The why I've told you the how, the why is simple, for his glory. For his own glory, that's the why. Because of his amazing love and grace given to his people before time ever began. This is the part I get to where I realize I'm about out of time, so I have to hurry. In the book of Exodus, I was gonna have us turn there, but for the sake of time, I'm gonna tell us Moses said unto the Lord, if I have found favor, if we have found favor in thy sight, Lord, he said, I desire to see thy way, not my way to see thy way. And then later on, he says, if the people, if the people Have found grace in thy sight. He said, show me your glory. Show me your glory. And what did the Lord say unto him? No man can look upon me and live. No man can look upon me and live. But he said, you have found favor in my sight. You have found grace in my sight.

Now was Moses looking for grace in the eyes of the Lord? No, he was herding sheep on the backside of a desert for 40 years. He wasn't looking for grace of God. God came to him in the burning bush, remember? He wasn't seeking God's face, he wasn't trying to find, he was hiding from Pharaoh, he was afraid he was gonna die, he had a death warrant on his head. That's us, that's us. God came to where he was, and he said, I am. Revealed himself to Moses, said, you're gonna go to Egypt, and you're gonna tell Pharaoh to let my people go. And Moses says, you got the wrong guy. Can you imagine arguing with God?

We laugh, but we do, don't we? Oh, we do. Something's not going the way that we want it to go. Do we not murmur and complain? Is that not giving the Lord our opinion? That's embarrassing, isn't it? That's me and you both. Something happens and I don't like how things are going. I was just razza frazza frustrated. That's us. Telling the Lord my opinion. Boy, I think I'm something, don't I? It's just sad that we're that way. The Lord said, I'll be with you, Moses. I'll be with you.

The Lord sent him and delivered the children of Israel. Well, what was the stipulation or what was the clause in which Moses was going to be able to see the glory of God? Was it, yeah, you found grace in my sight because you've done this, Moses, and you've done that, Moses, and you've done this, and you've been a good and faithful servant, Moses, and I am so proud of all the efforts you've done and the mission trips that you've been on. No. The life you live, the morality, no. You cleaned up your life, Moses.

You've done a good job. Nope. What was it? There is a place nigh unto me. No man can look upon my glory and live, but that's the gospel. But there is a place nigh unto me and I will put you upon the rock. in the cleft of the rock and I'll cause my goodness to pass before thee. And when my goodness passed before thee, I'll remove my hand and you'll see my hinder parts.

What a picture of the finished work of Christ on the cross of Calvary and what the Lord did in saving his people. The glory of God is revealed in the person and work of Christ in that he is our cleft of the rock, and God himself has put us on that rock, who is Christ. And we don't get to see everything that's going to happen. We look back to the cross and see the goodness of God, which is by grace alone, all for his glory. We get to see the hinder parts of God, which is goodness and mercy, as David said in Psalm 23, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. and I'll dwell in the house of God forever. This is his glory. The cross is his glory.

And he says, I will not share it with another. You're not going, and I'm not going to have any part of the glory of God in his salvation. It's not gonna be my choice. It's not gonna be my prayer. It's not gonna be my works. It's not gonna be my anything.

His glory is centered on the lamb of God that took away the sin of his people on the cross of Calvary. His glory and His goodness is His amazing ability to be gracious to whom He will be gracious and have mercy on whom He will have mercy. It's His glorious, it's our glorious hope that He would be gracious to what, what did I call us earlier? Creatures of sinful dust. That He would be gracious unto us and calls us to be found in Christ. Not having our own righteousness which is of the law, but the righteousness which is by the faith of Christ. Oh, his glory is that our sins are remitted, our hearts are made pure. We've been made righteous. By the sacrifice of the rock of ages, the Lord Jesus Christ, we have a sure foundation, both sure and certain and steadfast.

Everything about God's glory. Everything about God's glory reveals. God must please God, because you and I cannot. You and I cannot please God in and of ourself, but he did so perfectly. He applied his precious blood, washing away every single sin, all the guilt, all the shame, all the iniquity, all the transgression, all the trespasses. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. That's the glory of God. That's the glory of God. Yet to the world, it is a hidden thing. To the religious, the false religious, it's a hidden thing. It's past finding out. Lord said, my ways are past finding out. You can't find me out.

The simplicity of the cross is foolishness to men, but to you and I, it is the power of God and the salvation. It's everything to the Lord's people, all for his glory. I love the thought that the Lord has already placed us in Christ, like the cleft of the rock, at his right hand, seated right now in him. The work is completely finished.

Brethren, we don't seek our own glory, but we seek his. We seek the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. We seek the glory of God. That's what Paul said in Galatians 6. But God forbid that I should glory save the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has saved his people all by himself. This is who gets all the glory. This is how he reveals his glory. And this is what the glory is. The finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. He doesn't look to me or you as any part or evidence of our salvation. He looks to Christ who pleased him completely. He reveals this to his people alone, all for his glory.

That's why we will say, and we do say in the heart of faith now, all glory and honor and praise be unto God forever and to the Lamb. This is the glory of God, let's pray. Heavenly Father, we ask that you would bless this to our understanding. Cause us to see your glory in the person and work of Christ, in his name, amen.

The Glory of God

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The Glory of God

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About Caleb Hickman

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