Unveil The Glory, Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ is the point were not well wasting time. Your life is a waste of time.

This church is a waste of time.

My ministry is a waste of time unless glorified joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word meets our world when the great Methodist evangelist John Wesley was asked this secret of his impact for Christ around the world. He answered when you set yourself on fire. People love to come see you burn. As I looked at that quote many many times I've seen in the past I would.

I was left with three questions my own fire. Are you on fire and what is fire using the past I've often been wrong about the fire of John Wesley in the past. I thought maybe the fire was his commitment or maybe maybe the fire was his passion. Where the fire was his perseverance to just keep going. Knows all good things, and no doubt about it.

John Wesley evidence those things in his life and ministry. It is said that John Wesley traveled over 200,000 miles on horseback and preached 40,000 sermons for the cause of Christ. Now that's commitment. That's passion and that's perseverance, but something else.

John Wesley said made me change my mind is reported that when Wesley was in the last minute of his life and he had loved ones and friends around him that he set up and simply said this best of all, God is with us and then he died. Best of all, now a teacher right to his death. He is talking to them about them, but to me what is meaning is best of all, God is with me. That's the fire God is with him and he radiated the glory of God. When you set yourself on fire. People love the common what you burn. That's what they did with John Wesley.

You see, I think we often think of glory as who gets the credit and there is that element the glory who gets the credit. Give them the glory glory is more than that glory is the presence of God and glory is what emanates from God without glory your life. My life in this church will never be what God intends it to be open your Bibles to Exodus chapter 33 Exodus chapter 33, a famous passage, Moses is talking to God. That's always a good thing to get a first-hand in chapter 33 in verse 12 Moses writes then Moses said to the Lord. See you say to me bring up this people, but you yourself have not let me know whom you will send with me.

Moreover, you have said. I have known you by name and you have also found favor in my sight God. This is a big job and you have got about two to half-million people that I'm waiting and who's good to be with me house is going to work is now therefore I pray you if I find favor in your sight.

Let me know your ways that I may know you, so that I may find favor in your sight considered to that this nation is your people, and God said, my presence shall go with you. I will give you rest. And Moses said to God, then if your presence does not go with us. Do not lead us up from. That's a great line, only a man whose walk is many years as Moses has with the Lord and say that Lord if your presence is not go with me. I'm not going anywhere I want to go any further. If your presence is in my ministry Lord and my ministry. If your president in this church Lord just close the doors she that's what Moses is saying that he says this for how then can it be known that I find favor in your sight on your people. Is it not, you're going with us so that we IN your people maybe distinguish them. All the other people who are upon the face of the earth and the Lord said to Moses, I will also do this thing of what you've spoken for. You will find favor my side and I have known you by name and then Moses says okay I want a per request. Show me your glory. I think of this one as Moses seen up till now, Aaron's rod that budded so the Nile turned the blood. He saw not so thick you couldn't breathe. He saw Lucas a foot deep me think of the things he saw. He saw the firstborn all die. He saw it all mean what could be said, what would you have said could be said God just agreements to Canaan.

Would that be too hard for the Lord room how old he was God, but make me 40 again is a long walk he could have said anything. He says the Lord, show me your glory, literally.

The Hebrew word means your weightiness. Show me your weightiness hundred 99 times. That term is used in the Old Testament and the New Testament the word. The Greek word that is also translates the Greek version of the Old Testament is the Greek word, don't suck and dopes of means, the light that comes from something brilliant that's emanating it means it just comes out. He said I want to see that. In other words, as he does to a fire glory is the God is, what is the water glory is the God glory is what emanates from God. It could be specific or general, Jonathan Edwards, a Great American theologian said his glory is his infinite knowledge is infinite. Holiness is infinite joy is infinite. Happiness is infinite ability etc. etc. it's the essence of God, show me that verse 19 and he said I myself he says will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim he says the name of the Lord before you and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and show compassion whom I will show compassion. We said you cannot see my face.

No man could see my face and live his holiness and the Lord said, behold, there was a place by me, he says, and you shall stand there on on the rock.

He says, and it will come to pass it while my glorious passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand into a past and then I would take my hand away and you shall see my back on my face cannot see what a great demonstration we gave them exactly what he wanted to see. Show me your glory. Seek show me your substance not understand what started this whole idea was Moses is not real confident the job seems too big for him.

And so what he wants to say is looking on to tell me who's going to help me you haven't told me what really the plans going to be your know what assets I have about this. Could you to show me your glory. In other words, if I'm going to have just you.

What this can I be confident that that's more than enough. Was it. Yes by the way how was he affected by remember what happened. He glowed. He just glowed. He just radiated all he saw was the reflection and he starts going.

Now think about that from the point of view, even of the New Testament.

Paul says in the New Testament Christ in you the hope of glory. The certitude you see when it comes the glory of God. You're not asking God, can I get a glimpse of it here and well but your and well, but now when Moses got a glimpse of it and he radiated everybody saw who Susan your life. Everybody should Christ in you the hope of glory.

It should just come out of you. You should radiate from you. Everybody should be able to see this should be different because of it, and yours won't fade, but also it may never manifest itself. It really depends on you. You seek glory is what emanates from God. You don't see God you to see evidence of God is present and is at work. The world doesn't see God when it looks at the people in our church, but I hope it sees the presence of God and the work that God does and how it emanates from God. In Psalm 19 verse one. The psalmist wrote the heavens or creation are telling of the glory of God. In verse two, dated day, it pours forth beach. In other words, he says, look at creation. He said, what does it do it proclaims the glory of God and proclaims it every day, every day people see creation.

There is a God, there is a God. You see, that's the whole idea. Isaiah said that the angel say the whole earth is full of his glory. We see it. What has been and should be our consuming purpose then is to live in such a way that the evidence is that God is in us, and he's at work.

She we should be manifesting the glory of God. And here's the point if were not were all wasting time here.

Your life is a waste of time.

This church is a waste of time.

My ministry is a waste of time unless it's glorifying God and messes the glory of God. You see, it wasn't Wesley's fire that the people came to see it was the presence of God. You see, it was and it sends its own Shekinah glory. The very presence of God.

What would that look like in your life. You see, if that is true in your life, what would that look like, let me just give you a few scenarios.

I know a lot of people have gone through what you're going through Canadian handled the way you handle it and you say that is God, or wow, I just don't see how you stating your marriage after that. I know my, what a blown apart by now, I don't see how you keep going or I can figure out why you do business the way you do.

Anybody else would've had their hands around my throat demanding what they heard, which are different. What's up with that or you're dying your suffering.

See how you can sing. How do you manage when others are facing facing less, they cannot manage.

You must have something secret or something. Well they be right there is a secret, but is not really a secret. It's just something Christ in you the hope of glory. To understand it when you became a believer. God put his glory, and you and right he is promised in the context of his church that the glory was to be in the church and what were to do is emanate that glory, and that sounds easy but it's not apparently to us, what would it look like tongue to John the gospel of John chapter 1, the gospel of John chapter 1 in this great chapter John starting in verse 14 says this in the word, and that's the word from verse one in the beginning was the word word was with God and the Word was God the son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. Okay, he says, and the Word became flesh, the son of God became flesh the incarnation and then he says this and dwelt among us. So now God is in human flesh, and he lives right among us know what's the next phrase and we saw his glory better translation we beheld his glory, we saw his glory, she would join the same saw the glory.

What I saw the presence of God and emanated right out of sought we saw the glory, glory as of the only begotten from the father and then a greater description, full of grace and truth. He said that's the glory full of grace and truth in the study human characteristic lots of human beings are full of grace and matzoh human beings are for truth very few human beings are full of both you think about that. Think of how many people what they call truth tellers. I'll tell you the truth you one of the truth.

I'll tell you the truth that's one thing I do I tell people the truth. They may hate you for I may make them cry here and it is a truth teller.

Then there's the kind of person. It's the greatest person all they want to do is minister grace. They are afraid to tell somebody there on fire there afraid there afraid to do. I don't want to do anything to hurt anybody's feelings. No matter what song it wouldn't tell anybody the truth not ever what they do like before Jesus is full of grace and truth.

You see when you manifest the glory of God. It looks like that boy is that a wonderful combination. If your life is nothing but emanating grace and truth. You be amazed what you'll do for God turn to John 17 with me. John 17 same gospel in this great prayer of Jesus Christ and Jesus begins it says Jesus spoke these things and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he begins the praying he says father the hours, I watch glorify your son, father, glorify me know what so that the son may glorify you.

This is the circular nature of glory.

He says let your glory be in my presence, and radiate for me.

You will glorify me by doing that and I will glorify you by what I am about to do.

He said even as you gave him authority over all flesh that to all whom you have given him. He may give eternal life.

This is eternal life, that they may know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on this earth. I glorified you. I show people the glory full of grace and truth. Having accomplished the work that you have given to me to do now.

Father, glorify me together with yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the foundation of the world before the world was no he doesn't stop there. He begins the pre-then for the disciples and then for us in verse 15 he says I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world set them apart.

Sanctify me and set them apart set them apart in the truth. Your word is truth, and as you send me into the world.

I also have sent them into the world.

He says for their sakes I set myself apart that they themselves also may be set apart in the truth, truth and grace. The gospel is grace we operate in the base of the truth, and then he says this I do not ask on behalf of these alone. That's the disciples, but for those who noticed those also who believe in me through their word.

That's us so Jesus I'm just praying for everybody here, and I'm certainly praying for you not notice what he wants to do.

He says that they may all be one, even as you father are in me and I in you, that they may also may be in us so that the world may believe that you sent me the glory which you have given me I have given them. He says that they may be one, just as we are one.

Notice how this works is like a glory marathon relay race. You know Christ as I took the glory abroad of them have the father gave to me, I carry the glory out of my life I'm leaving now and I'm to give you the glory. That's why Paul said once Christ is in you is the hope of the certitude of glory. The real question is do you manifest that because if you do. It's amazing the result you would get. See, that's the prayer that's the prayer father manifest your glory in my life in their lives individually in our life collectively as a church, usually no other prayer that's deeper.

It was good enough for the Lord. In summation, it's only good enough for me, but that's the whole idea.

He says look if God's glory is in in this there's no point in doing this at all. All what we do. There's no point in it whatsoever. Turn with me to a verse that means a lot to me. In chapter 7 of John chapter 7 in verse 18 John seven in verse 18 and this is a sobering verse to me. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory but he who is seeking the glory of the one who sent him. He is true and there is no unrighteousness in him that sobering. He was speaks from himself seeks his own glory. You do that. I know I can do that. I find that is a warning passage I spent a lot of my years thinking about that passage. One of the great reasons why I'm so committed to expository preaching from the word of God. Verse by verse is, I want you to get an idea of what God said, not what Bill said is a whenever you say wow that really help me God the glory. You see, the only new glorifies the message, not the messenger that's one of the reasons after services. I never stand the promise bought want to shake your hand and you tell me what a great message that was you know will happen.

I'll start believing Dr. Hendrix called at the glorification of the warm and I believe that my whole life, my Lord and Savior said beware when all men speak well of you see you gotta go out of your way, you got a glut of what you gotta think about this. Am I going to get in the way.

Because here's the problem we have is so easy to get in the way of the glory of God that we don't even know when were in the way we never emanate any glory at all. You see, I could be just clever enough to do this on my own and I might for you, but I never forgot. See we live in a culture now that we are so committed to pragmatism and methodology that we believe somehow that if we just figure out how to do everything will be fine and it only will a very superficial level, but there's no glory in it because God is not in it as a church we simply have one task about us. One thing to do. That is exclusively ours unveil his glory. That's all we have to do unveil his glory. Christ enters the hope of glory.

We don't need to draw people in. We don't need to figure out how can we be more attractive to people we don't need to woo anyone we need to allow Jesus Christ to shine in our individual lives you do that I do that will be fine.

You see I if I do that my individual life and you do and usually fine when I see right now just how fine you could possibly be as we go along with this, but right now we live in a day and age were churches all about this. There's there's there's way too much walling going on.

I mean over the years, the kind of things that I have seen the websites and advertisements in paper and newspapers. The is mind-boggling to me when you see someone like me as a church they had come come visit us were cool were cool.

You could have a latte in our lobby ha ha all I latte yeah I'm you are your musicians you get our music going for you. One not be able to contain yourself music music music. I mean working to do it. I have promised eight minute sermon. It will be boring.

You can just simply suffer through the eight minutes to get on with it. In the worst I've ever seen. Free door prizes.

The first hundred people in the building and here's what so said that's going on, but I me Terry something at Saturn works it works. You get a crowd glory.

There is no glory, and that all the churches for Christ. The church is about Christ. The church is through Christ. The church is for the glory pastor broke your heart on the radio ministry of fellowship in the world. If you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like listening to the message one more time. Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the Fellowship in the Word online event website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio programs is no Fellowship in the Word.

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