Experiencing God's Glory: A Spiritual Perspective

Devotional

Day 1: The Radiance of God's Nature as Divine Love

The glory of God is not merely an abstract concept but the radiance of His nature, perceived by us as beauty, value, and significance. This glory is not an act of divine self-exaltation but an expression of love, as God offers Himself as the ultimate gift for our enjoyment. Understanding God's glory in this way shifts our perspective from seeing God as distant and self-centered to recognizing His intimate involvement in our lives. His glory is a manifestation of His love, inviting us to experience the fullness of joy in His presence. [02:37]

"For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.'" (Isaiah 57:15, ESV)

Reflection: How can you intentionally seek to perceive God's glory in your daily life, recognizing it as an expression of His love for you?

Day 2: Spiritual Understanding of the Bible's Truth

The truth of the Bible is not solely dependent on historical or philosophical arguments but on a spiritual understanding of its divine glory. This understanding is accessible to all believers, regardless of their intellectual capacity. It is a profound realization that the Scriptures are not just ancient texts but living words that reveal God's nature and His will for humanity. This spiritual insight is a gift from God, allowing believers to see beyond the surface and grasp the deeper truths contained within the Bible. [11:49]

"Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law." (Psalm 119:18, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you cultivate a deeper spiritual understanding of the Bible, allowing its truths to transform your life today?

Day 3: Intuitive Knowledge of the Gospel's Glory

Jonathan Edwards suggests that the truth of the gospel can be known through an intuitive knowledge of its divine glory, which is not based on a long chain of arguments but on a direct perception of the gospel's glory. This intuitive knowledge is akin to recognizing beauty in a sunset or the majesty of a mountain range; it is an immediate awareness of the gospel's truth and power. This perception is a spiritual gift, enabling believers to have an unshakable conviction of the gospel's truth, independent of intellectual reasoning. [18:34]

"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6, ESV)

Reflection: How can you open your heart to perceive the intuitive knowledge of the gospel's glory in your everyday experiences?

Day 4: The Gospel's Spiritual Light

The gospel emits a spiritual light that, when perceived, provides an unshakable conviction of its truth. This perception is a gift from God, a miracle that enables us to see and know the truth of the gospel and the Scriptures. It is not something that can be achieved through human effort alone but requires a divine intervention that opens our spiritual eyes. This light transforms our understanding and empowers us to live in accordance with the truth of the gospel. [39:55]

"The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple." (Psalm 119:130, ESV)

Reflection: What steps can you take to allow the spiritual light of the gospel to illuminate areas of your life that need transformation?

Day 5: The Gift of Spiritual Sight

The conviction of the Bible's truth is crucial for believers worldwide, as it provides a foundation for faith that is not reliant on intellectual prowess but on a spiritual sight of God's glory. This sight is a gift from God, enabling us to know the truth of the Scriptures. It is a miraculous ability to see beyond the physical and comprehend the spiritual realities that God reveals to us. This gift strengthens our faith and equips us to navigate the challenges of life with confidence in God's promises. [46:06]

"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26, ESV)

Reflection: How can you nurture the gift of spiritual sight in your life, allowing it to deepen your faith and understanding of God's Word?

Sermon Summary

In reflecting on the beauty, value, and significance of God, I have spent decades contemplating the glory of God. This glory is the radiance of God's nature, perceived and discerned by us. My theological journey began with a shift from a man-centered to a God-centered vision, heavily influenced by Jonathan Edwards' work, "The End for Which God Created the World." Edwards posits that God's ultimate purpose is the exaltation of His glory, which is communicated to His people for their happiness. This is not an act of megalomania but of divine love, as God offers Himself as the supreme gift for our enjoyment.

In recent years, my focus has been on the Bible, God's Word. The question of its truth has been a central concern, leading me to write about how we can know the Bible is true. This inquiry is not just for the intellectual elite but for every believer, regardless of their background or education. The conviction of the Bible's truth is not solely dependent on historical or philosophical arguments but on a deeper, spiritual understanding.

Jonathan Edwards provides insight into this by suggesting that the truth of the gospel can be known through an intuitive knowledge of its divine glory. This knowledge is not based on a long chain of arguments but on a direct perception of the gospel's glory. This is akin to how we perceive the glory of God in nature or the glory of Christ in the Incarnation. The gospel itself emits a spiritual light that, when perceived, provides an unshakable conviction of its truth.

This understanding is crucial for believers worldwide, as it provides a foundation for faith that is not reliant on intellectual prowess but on a spiritual sight of God's glory. This sight is a gift from God, a miracle that enables us to see and know the truth of the gospel and the Scriptures.

Key Takeaways

1. The glory of God is the radiance of His nature, perceived by us as beauty, value, and significance. This glory is not an act of divine self-exaltation but an expression of love, as God offers Himself as the ultimate gift for our enjoyment. [02:37]
2. The truth of the Bible is not solely dependent on historical or philosophical arguments but on a spiritual understanding of its divine glory. This understanding is accessible to all believers, regardless of their intellectual capacity. [11:49]
3. Jonathan Edwards suggests that the truth of the gospel can be known through an intuitive knowledge of its divine glory, which is not based on a long chain of arguments but on a direct perception of the gospel's glory. [18:34]
4. The gospel emits a spiritual light that, when perceived, provides an unshakable conviction of its truth. This perception is a gift from God, a miracle that enables us to see and know the truth of the gospel and the Scriptures. [39:55]
5. The conviction of the Bible's truth is crucial for believers worldwide, as it provides a foundation for faith that is not reliant on intellectual prowess but on a spiritual sight of God's glory. This sight is a gift from God, enabling us to know the truth of the Scriptures. [46:06]
** [46:06]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:23] - The Glory of God
[01:00] - A Theological Revolution
[01:42] - Exaltation of God's Glory
[02:37] - God's Love and Self-Exaltation
[03:34] - The Gift of God Himself
[04:48] - Focus on the Bible
[06:04] - Writing About the Bible
[07:10] - Believing the Bible
[09:00] - The Challenge of Apologetics
[11:03] - Faith Beyond Arguments
[12:23] - Knowing the Gospel is True
[15:22] - Jonathan Edwards' Insight
[19:23] - Sight of Divine Glory
[25:21] - Analogies of God's Validation
[32:15] - Seeing God in Nature
[36:12] - The Incarnation of Jesus
[38:02] - The Gospel's Glory
[45:02] - The Miracle of Spiritual Sight
[47:32] - Prayer for Spiritual Sight

Bible Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading

Ephesians 1:18 - "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people."
2 Corinthians 4:4-6 - "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ."
Psalm 19:1 - "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

#### Observation Questions

How does the sermon describe the glory of God, and what role does it play in our perception of His nature? [00:23]
What was the theological shift that the speaker experienced, and how did Jonathan Edwards influence this change? [01:00]
According to the sermon, what is the significance of the Bible in understanding God's glory, and how does this relate to the speaker's recent focus? [04:48]
How does the speaker describe the process of knowing the truth of the gospel through a "sight of its glory"? [19:23]

#### Interpretation Questions

What does it mean to have the "eyes of your heart" enlightened, and how does this concept relate to understanding the glory of God? [20:08]
How does the sermon suggest that believers can have an unshakable conviction of the Bible's truth without relying on intellectual arguments? [11:49]
In what ways does the sermon propose that the gospel emits a spiritual light, and how does this light provide conviction of its truth? [39:55]
How does the speaker's view of God's self-exaltation as an act of love challenge or affirm your understanding of God's nature? [02:37]

#### Application Questions

Reflect on a time when you perceived the glory of God in nature or in your personal life. How did this experience impact your faith? [25:58]
The sermon emphasizes a shift from a man-centered to a God-centered vision. How can you apply this shift in your daily life and decision-making? [01:00]
Consider the role of the Bible in your spiritual journey. How can you deepen your understanding and conviction of its truth beyond intellectual arguments? [06:55]
The speaker mentions the importance of intuitive knowledge of the gospel's glory. How can you cultivate this kind of spiritual insight in your life? [18:34]
How can you share the gospel's glory with others in a way that emphasizes its divine nature rather than relying solely on intellectual persuasion? [12:23]
Identify a specific area in your life where you struggle to see God's glory. What steps can you take to seek a clearer vision of His presence and work? [45:02]
The sermon suggests that the conviction of the Bible's truth is a gift from God. How can you pray for and support others in your community to receive this gift? [46:06]

Sermon Clips

no one is more beautiful no one is more valuable no one is more significant or wait II no one is more satisfying than God and when the the beauty and the value and the weight and the satisfying nature of God radiates out for our perception in our discernment we call it the glory of God [00:00:59]

if you happen to be God the only way you can love people supremely is by giving them yourself for their enjoyment because there isn't any better gift to give now if I were to give you me for your enjoyment that would not be loved because there's something way better that I could give you namely God [00:02:54]

I just spend all of my time looking at a book and then I go tell people what I saw and then I go look at the book some more and then and then people come and ask me questions and I go look at the book and say what I saw in the book let me think about it what a strange life [00:05:15]

I thought to myself if my steady state confidence in Jesus the message of this book in all of its practical details that make you or not state take stands on whatever if my steady state confidence rises and falls with my ability to recall and reconstruct sophisticated philosophical and historical arguments I'm cooked [00:09:44]

Jonathan Edwards as a pastor in the 18th century 1703 1758 you can hear he died young goodness I've lived already 15 16 years longer than him wow wow what he accomplished he got fired from his church and you don't need to go into that you can read his biography they're a really good biographies of Edwards [00:15:27]

a soul may have a kind of intuitive knowledge of divinity of the things exhibited in the gospel not that he judges the doctrines of the gospel to be from God without any argument or deduction at all but it is without any long chain of arguments the argument is but one and the evidence direct the mind ascends to the truth of the gospel [00:17:36]

the simplest person or the most educated person come at a unshakable conviction well-grounded well-founded conviction about the truth of the scriptures by means of a sight of its glory when I say sigh I don't mean site with these eyes or these years though they are essential you have to hear the message or read it [00:19:24]

the heavens are telling the glory of God some 19 1 the heavens are telling the glory of god that means God expects you to look at the Stars Sun Moon galaxies cosmos and by implication i think subatomic particles and the universe within the universe without just all the majestic incredible amazing world that God made [00:25:44]

the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory got that we beheld his glory glory as of the only son from the father full of grace and truth so when when john looked at Jesus it just looked like you just like you Middle Eastern dark skin black hair beard probably just the ordinary like every other man that time [00:32:53]

the gospel is told the very nature of it emits a spiritual glory or light that if Satan could be conquered in F our own inveterate love of darkness could be overcome it would stream into our hearts with a powerful that's real that's true that's how people get saved you don't know how that how it happened but that's how it happens [00:39:12]

the reason I called it a peculiar glory that's the title of the book a peculiar glory is because i'm not interested in generic glory like a 3-pointer buzzer beater to win the tournament like that's glorious it just no but doesn't save anybody it doesn't make anybody know something glorious but it's pretty amazing [00:41:16]

there is no God like this god there's no glory like this glory if God gives you eyes here these eyes and you read the Bible cover-to-cover over and over again you will see the peculiar glory of God woven into this book such that you will know this book is God's book that's the argument [00:44:40]

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?

Experiencing God's Glory: A Spiritual Perspective

Devotional

Day 1: The Radiance of God's Nature as Divine Love

Day 2: Spiritual Understanding of the Bible's Truth

Day 3: Intuitive Knowledge of the Gospel's Glory

Day 4: The Gospel's Spiritual Light

Day 5: The Gift of Spiritual Sight

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Experiencing God's Glory: A Spiritual Perspective

Share