Latest / Reformed Thinking / Let Your Light Shine before Others That They May Glorify Your Father Who Is in Heaven | John Piper

Transcript

Let Your Light Shine before Others That They May Glorify Your Father Who Is in Heaven | John Piper · Reformed Thinking

0:00
Welcome back to the Deep Dive, where we take a collection of
0:02
ideas, insights and relevant information, then breaks them
0:06
open for you. Today we're taking a focused
0:08
look at a. Core biblical instruction that,
0:10
well, you might be familiar with.
0:11
Let your light shine before others, that they may glorify
0:14
your Father who is in heaven. This comes from Matthew 5,
0:17
verses 13 through 16. Our sources for this dive are
0:21
carefully selected excerpts from a text that really helps us
0:23
understand the central idea. Our purpose today.
0:25
Our mission, if you will, is to uncover the foundational belief
0:28
behind this command, the central truth about God's own glory and
0:32
how that shapes everything, including our very reason for
0:34
being and, you know, our everyday actions.
0:37
Yeah, And what becomes clear right from the start is that
0:39
this isn't just about what we do.
0:41
So many people focus on the what's of good works, thinking
0:44
it's about maybe checking off the list.
0:47
But what our sources immediately reveal is, well, a radical
0:50
reorientation. It's not about the action
0:52
itself, but the ultimate aim of that action.
0:55
And that aim is singularly focused and truly impactful.
0:58
The goal of shining our light, as the text plainly states, is
1:01
that people might give glory to our Father, who is in heaven.
1:04
This immediately elevates our discussion to something of,
1:06
well, supreme value, something that should capture our primary
1:09
attention. We'll consider what God's glory
1:11
truly is, how it has been shown throughout history, and how we
1:14
as individuals actually get to play a part in putting that
1:17
glory on display. OK, yeah, let's turn our
1:19
attention then to the central passage itself from Matthew
1:22
5.1316. It says you are the salt of the
1:25
earth, but if salt has lost his taste, how shall that saltiness
1:28
be restored? It is no longer good for
1:30
anything except to be thrown out and travelled under people's
1:33
feet. Then it continues, You are the
1:35
light of the world. A city set on the hill cannot be
1:37
hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and
1:40
put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all
1:43
in the house. And here's the key part again.
1:46
In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they
1:49
may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in
1:51
heaven. And it's fascinating how this
1:54
concept of saltiness isn't just a one off metaphor.
1:58
Our sources also bring in Mark 9.50, which reinforces this
2:02
idea. Adding another layer, salt is
2:04
good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make
2:06
it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be
2:08
at peace with one another. So as we look at both of these
2:11
metaphors, salt and light, which both convey unique and, well,
2:15
helpful influence on the world, what do our sources highlight as
2:18
the ultimate purpose behind letting your light shine?
2:20
Is there a specific goal articulated here that maybe
2:23
distinguishes it from the salt metaphor?
2:26
That's a really good question to lead with, because while both
2:28
salt and light describe a beneficial effect, a positive
2:31
influence, the section on light in Matthew 5 gives us this
2:35
remarkably explicit purpose. So that they may see your good
2:38
works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
2:41
This isn't just a vague suggestion.
2:43
It's a direct statement of intent, a purpose clause really.
2:46
It tells us that our actions, what the text calls our good
2:49
works, are not simply an end in themselves.
2:51
They're not the final goal. They are a means to a greater
2:54
goal. They are meant to be seen, to be
2:57
visible, much like as Jesus says, a city on a hill cannot be
3:00
hidden, or a lamp is placed on a stand to provide light for
3:03
everyone in the house, not under a basket.
3:06
So our lives through these good works, they become a kind of
3:09
signpost. They are designed to draw the
3:11
attention of those around us, not to ourselves or even just to
3:14
the goodness of the deeds alone, but to God himself.
3:17
This suggests that the way we conduct our lives should
3:19
actually serve to show God's own greatness and goodness to the
3:22
world, allowing others to acknowledge and honor Him.
3:25
So if we're truly letting our light shine, our behavior, our
3:28
character, should be a clear reflection of God's own radiant
3:32
qualities. It should cause onlookers to
3:34
look past us, You know, to the one who truly gives light.
3:37
It's a powerful idea, our lives becoming a catalyst for God's
3:40
praise. That definition of purpose to
3:43
glorify God is absolutely foundational, but it immediately
3:46
raises a critical question question for us, what does this
3:49
ultimate goal tell us about God himself?
3:52
Our sources reveal Jesus own supreme passion, which turns out
3:55
to be, well, our blueprint for understanding God's character.
3:57
They say Jesus first passion and what our first passion should be
4:02
is the manifest holiness of God. Now this idea of manifest
4:04
holiness, it's rooted squarely in the Lords prayer where Jesus
4:07
teaches us to pray our Father in heaven.
4:09
Hallowed be your name. That's Matthew 6.9.
4:11
What does hallowed be truly convey here?
4:13
How does it connect to this idea of God's manifest holiness?
4:16
This is a pivotal point, absolutely.
4:19
What's striking about the Greek word used here?
4:21
Kaise. Turkish, isn't just its root in
4:24
holy hajos, but its active verb form.
4:26
This is really key. This isn't just a passive wish
4:29
for God to be holy in some abstract, internal sense.
4:32
It's a prayer, as the source is clearly presented, for God to
4:35
show himself holy to powerfully, publicly and unmistakably
4:38
manifest His Holiness to the world.
4:40
It's an appeal for his infinite worth to be plainly evident, a
4:44
desire for his intrinsic purity and perfection to be openly
4:47
displayed. So when we pray hallowed be your
4:49
name, we are actively asking God to display His Holiness, to make
4:53
it evident for all to see. Let your name be treated as
4:55
holy. And our sources connect this
4:57
further, offering another way to describe manifest holiness.
5:00
It is God's glory. The text states that hallowing
5:03
God's name and glorifying God are largely the same act.
5:06
This indicates that for Jesus, and by extension for us, nothing
5:10
in the universe holds greater worth than the glory of God.
5:13
It's His supreme value, the very thing that sets him apart and
5:15
makes him worthy of all admiration.
5:17
It implies that God's holiness isn't just a quality he
5:20
possesses internally, but something he reveals, something
5:23
he actively puts on display. And when he displays it, that
5:26
display is His glory. OK, so we've heard the phrase
5:29
God's glory quite a bit now, but what is it?
5:31
It feels so big. The sources use some truly
5:35
striking language to define it, calling it the radiance of His
5:37
manifold perfections. Can you help us picture what
5:40
that might convey? How do we even begin to grasp
5:43
something so vast? Right.
5:44
The descriptions are indeed very rich, and they help us approach
5:47
an idea that is in its fullness, beyond our complete human
5:50
comprehension. But they give us cointers.
5:53
God's glory is described as the radiance of his manifold
5:56
perfections. Think of maybe light radiating
6:00
from a brilliant source. It's not just the source itself,
6:02
but the visible output, the visible effect of its inner
6:05
brilliance. It is also called the outshining
6:08
of the infinite value of all that God is.
6:11
Imagine a priceless gem, maybe the most perfect diamond you can
6:14
conceive. But then imagine the light that
6:17
bounces off its facets, revealing its cut, its clarity,
6:20
its color. That visible display of its
6:22
inherent value is a faint picture of glory.
6:25
While words are seen as insufficient to fully capture
6:27
this reality, the sources do describe it as the richest
6:30
reality of all, and a particularly vivid description
6:33
called it God's moral beauty. Now, this moral beauty isn't
6:36
just about aesthetic appeal. It signifies the absolute
6:39
rightness, the goodness, the pure nature of God's character,
6:41
which is utterly captivating when we see it rightly.
6:44
And if we connect this back to the idea of holiness, God's
6:47
holiness is understood as the infinite worth of His intrinsic
6:50
perfection and purity. What He is in Himself, separate,
6:53
unique. His glory, then is the
6:56
manifestation or the radiance of that worth.
6:58
It's the way His inner holiness is expressed outwardly, made
7:01
visible. Consider the passage in
7:03
Leviticus 10.13. This is after Nadeb and Abihu
7:07
offered unauthorized fire. God declares a powerful
7:09
principle through Moses. Among those who are near me, I
7:12
will be sanctified. Which is haggiest?
7:14
The somai in Greek, from the same root as hallowed, and
7:17
before all the people I'll be glorified doxis, the somai,
7:19
which means to be glorified. In this passage, God is
7:23
essentially saying that he will be treated as holy, as distinct,
7:25
as supremely valuable by those who approach him.
7:28
And when he is treated that way, or when he acts to ensure he's
7:30
treated that way, His Holiness is displayed publicly.
7:33
He is glorified before the people.
7:34
This shows that when priests treat God as holy, His Holiness
7:37
is displayed to the people, and that display is his glory.
7:40
So the two concepts, Halloween, God's name, and glorifying Him,
7:43
are intimately linked. They're essentially the same act
7:46
because both point to the public display of God's ultimate worth
7:50
and purity. So it's not just an abstract
7:53
concept, but something that radiates outward, something
7:55
revealed to us. And the sources point out
7:58
something really interesting here, that we were actually made
8:00
to perceive this radiance, to enjoy it.
8:03
They said we'd love to look at glory, and we're made to enjoy
8:05
seeing it. How does that relate to the
8:08
created world around us? And how does that enjoyment fit
8:11
into the picture of God's glory? That's a truly central point,
8:14
host speaker, because it touches on our very design as human
8:17
beings. While God's glory and its
8:19
absolute fullness is invisible to the physical eye, the created
8:23
world itself serves as a pointer, a kind of visual cue to
8:26
its infinitely more glorious maker.
8:29
Think of the glory of the lilies of the field that Jesus spoke
8:31
about. Remember that he said that even
8:33
Solomon and all his royal splendor was not dressed like
8:35
one of them. The sheer, unassuming beauty of
8:38
a Lily, its intricate design, its delicate color, that is
8:41
God's handiwork. It's intentional.
8:43
It's designed to capture our attention, to draw us in, and to
8:46
awaken in us a sense of wonder, of awe.
8:49
But our sources would say this beauty isn't the final
8:51
destination. The Lily's beauty is only a
8:54
faint likeness, a whispered echo of a greater glory.
8:57
It's meant to draw us beyond the created thing to the Creator who
8:59
made it. The entire universe, in a sense,
9:02
is God's deliberate display, His canvas if you like, from the
9:05
smallest atom to the vastness of galaxies.
9:07
It's all inviting us to see His attributes out shining.
9:10
We see His order in the seasons, His grand scale in the
9:12
mountains, His delicate artistry in a snowflake, His power in a
9:15
storm. These aren't just random
9:17
occurrences. They are tangible expressions of
9:19
His character, His mind, His power.
9:22
And we were inherently designed with an innate capacity to
9:25
perceive and respond to beauty, to worth, to excellence.
9:29
Our desire to see and appreciate beautiful things in creation is
9:32
actually a reflection of our deeper spiritual longing to
9:35
perceive the ultimate beauty and worth, which is God himself.
9:39
When we find deep satisfaction in observing A breathtaking
9:41
sunset or the intricate pattern of a leaf, we are in a very real
9:45
sense experiencing a taste of God's glory, a preview of the
9:48
ultimate satisfaction that comes from seeing and knowing Him.
9:51
And this points us back to our fundamental purpose to find our
9:54
deepest joy, our ultimate satisfaction in appreciating
9:57
God's radiant perfections. OK, so if.
9:59
Creation offers us a glimpse, maybe even a taste, of God's
10:02
glory. Then Jesus, according to our
10:03
sources, offers a complete unveiling, a full meal perhaps.
10:06
Here's where it gets really interesting.
10:08
Jesus came to reveal God's glory more fully than nature ever had,
10:12
and he called himself the light of the world.
10:14
How did His presence, His very life, bring about this deeper,
10:17
more comprehensive revelation of God?
10:19
Well, his arrival on earth was nothing short of a cosmic
10:22
sunrise, as you put it. It changed everything.
10:24
For centuries the prophets like Isaiah had spoken of a time when
10:27
people dwelling in darkness would see a great light.
10:30
When Jesus declared I am the light of the world, he wasn't
10:33
just using a nice metaphor. He was declaring his divine
10:35
identity and His core mission as the light of the world.
10:39
Jesus revealed the brightness of God's glory as never before.
10:43
It was personal, it was tangible, It spoke his very
10:46
presence, His actions, His words.
10:48
They were consciously orchestrated to fulfill these
10:51
ancient prophecies and to make God known in an unprecedented,
10:54
crystal clear way. He put everything into truthful
10:57
perspective. He showed what God is truly
10:59
like. He wasn't just shedding light on
11:01
parts of God's character, but bringing the full spectrum of
11:03
God's being, His love, justice, mercy, holiness, power into
11:07
focus. And our sources highlight that
11:09
Jesus entire life was about accomplishing God's work, which
11:12
in turn directly glorified God. At the end of his earthly life,
11:16
facing his ultimate act of obedience on the cross, he
11:18
prayed. I glorified you on earth, having
11:20
accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
11:22
John 17.4. This is a hugely significant
11:25
statement because it points to the fact that everything Jesus
11:28
did, every single miracle, every teaching, every act of
11:31
compassion, every confrontation with evil, was done with a view
11:35
to making God look great, to display the Father.
11:38
His life was a living, breathing display of the full range of
11:41
God's perfections. He lived not for his own
11:43
reputation, not for his own comfort, but entirely for his
11:45
Father's glory. That's a powerful idea.
11:48
Everything Jesus did was done with a view to making God look
11:51
great. Can you give us some specific
11:54
examples from his life that illustrate this?
11:56
How did his actions tangibly demonstrate God's glory to the
11:58
people around him? Absolutely.
12:00
The miracles Jesus performed were not, you know, mere random
12:03
acts of power or simple attention getters.
12:05
They were direct, tangible displays of God's glory, making
12:08
His perfections visible to those around him.
12:11
Think of them as living parables.
12:13
Signpost pointing directly to the character and power of God.
12:16
Consider his first public miracle at the wedding in Cana,
12:19
turning water into wine. The text in John 2 says He
12:22
manifested his glory. This wasn't just about solving A
12:25
catering crisis. It was a revelation of His
12:27
sovereign mastery over creation, His generous provision, and His
12:30
ability to bring joy and transformation.
12:33
But the sheer abundance and quality of the wine pointed to
12:35
an unconstrained, benevolent divine power when He healed A
12:38
paralytic and even more profoundly, forgave sins.
12:41
Remember the roof incident in Mark 2?
12:43
The crowds glorified God. That act displayed God's
12:46
authority over both physical infirmity and spiritual
12:49
brokenness. Only God can forgive sins, and
12:52
Jesus ability to do so, validated by the immediate
12:54
physical healing, showed His divine nature and the Father's
12:57
heart of mercy. Matthew 15 tells us that upon
12:59
seeing the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame
13:02
walking, and the blind seeing, the crowds glorified the God of
13:06
Israel. These widespread acts of
13:08
physical restoration were undeniable evidence of God's
13:11
compassionate nature and His restorative power breaking into
13:14
a fallen, broken world. The scale and variety pointed to
13:17
God's comprehensive goodness. A grateful leper 1 of 10
13:21
cleansed by Jesus and Luke 17 turned back and glorified God
13:25
with a loud voice. Here, the miracle went beyond
13:28
just physical healing. It involved restoring someone
13:31
who was a complete outcast from society, demonstrating God's
13:34
radical inclusivity and his desire to make whole those who
13:37
are marginalized. When a woman bent over for 18
13:40
long years was straightened by Jesus in the synagogue, Luke 13,
13:44
the text says she glorified God. This was an act of liberation
13:47
from a long standing crippling affliction, illustrating God's
13:50
active intervention and human suffering and his desire to set
13:53
people free from burdens, A tangible display of divine
13:56
compassion. And even before raising Lazarus
13:58
from the dead, Jesus prepared Martha saying, Did I not tell
14:01
you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?
14:04
John 11.40. The raising of Lazarus, a clear
14:07
triumph over death itself, was perhaps the most public and
14:10
undeniable display of God's life, giving power and Jesus
14:13
authority as the Son of God. It was a stunning preview of
14:17
Jesus's own resurrection and the ultimate victory over death he
14:20
would achieve. All these actions taken together
14:22
displayed God's greatness and the beauty of His perfections.
14:25
They consistently aim to direct people's attention to the divine
14:28
source of these wonders, rather than merely admiring the miracle
14:31
worker himself. Those examples, certainly.
14:33
Paint a visit. Picture of Jesus life.
14:35
As a constant display of God's glory.
14:38
But the sources point to one app that stands above all others in
14:41
displaying God's glory. What was this greatest miracle
14:44
of all, and how could it possibly show God's glory more
14:47
fully than raising the dead or healing the blind?
14:49
It seems counterintuitive. It does seem counterintuitive at
14:52
first glance, doesn't it? Yet the sources make it very
14:55
clear. The text calls Jesus's death and
14:57
resurrection the greatest miracle of all.
14:59
And this isn't an overstatement when you grasp its significance.
15:03
This supreme act redeemed humanity from the crushing
15:05
weight of guilt and the brokenness of sin, providing
15:08
forgiveness and the promise of everlasting life.
15:10
Everything else Jesus did, all those other miracles, pointed
15:13
towards this ultimate goal. In this great act of
15:15
substitution, the guiltless for the guilty, Jesus displayed
15:19
something truly remarkable and yes, initially startling.
15:22
The glory of the wrath of God and the glory of the love of
15:25
God. Both aspects, the sources
15:27
explain, are described as glorious.
15:30
Now, for many, the glory of God's wrath might sound like a
15:32
contradiction in terms. How can wrath be glorious?
15:35
But the sources help us understand this not as petty
15:37
human anger, but as God's perfectly righteous, unwavering
15:40
opposition to all that defaces his creation and defies his
15:43
perfect goodness and justice. It's his wholly necessary
15:46
commitment to what is right, a display of his absolute purity
15:49
that cannot tolerate or coexist with evil.
15:51
It's glorious precisely because it stems from his perfect
15:55
character ensuring ultimate justice and holiness are upheld.
15:58
It shows He takes sin series. And simultaneously, in the very
16:02
same act, the cross displayed his immense love, a love so
16:05
vast, so incomprehensible that it sent his own Son to willingly
16:09
absorb that righteous wrath in our place.
16:12
When Jesus came to die at the climax of his earthly work,
16:15
there was a profound sense that this was the moment of both
16:18
greatest suffering and greatest glory.
16:20
In those last hours before his crucifixion, He said, the hour
16:23
has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
16:25
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls
16:28
into the earth and dies, it remains alone.
16:30
But if it dies, it bears much fruit.
16:33
That's John 12. His sufferings were not just a
16:35
necessary, unfortunate path to glory.
16:37
They were an intrinsic, essential part of his glory
16:39
itself. His glory was manifested both in
16:42
the agonizing suffering on the cross, where the depth of human
16:45
sin and the holiness of God's judgement were fully revealed,
16:47
and then supremely in the triumphant resurrection
16:49
afterward. This dual display demonstrates
16:52
His necessary path through suffering into ultimate
16:54
victorious glory. The cross and resurrection taken
16:57
together are the absolute apex of God's self revelation, the
17:01
ultimate display of His complex, holy, loving character.
17:05
Wow. OK, so Jesus.
17:06
Glorified the Father. Through his life and supremely
17:08
through his death and resurrection.
17:10
But the sources add another layer to this, revealing A
17:13
reciprocal glorification, a back and forth between the Father and
17:16
the Son, this back and forth. Dynamic sounds like it's central
17:19
to God's own. Being a continuous.
17:21
Exchange within the Trinity? What does it involve?
17:24
And how does it illustrate their unique relationship?
17:26
Yes, this reciprocal glorification is presented as
17:29
the supreme passion of their hearts within the Godhead
17:32
itself. It's not just a sequential
17:34
event. First Jesus glorifies the
17:35
Father, then the Father glorifies Jesus.
17:37
But an ongoing relational reality.
17:40
When Jesus willingly died on the cross, He glorified the Father
17:43
by showing God to be gloriously worthy and perfectly just and
17:47
providing a way to remove wrath from sinners while upholding His
17:50
own righteousness. The cross displayed the Father's
17:53
righteous character, His Holiness and requiring a perfect
17:56
sacrifice for sin, and His profound love and providing that
18:00
sacrifice to His own Son. Jesus's suffering and death
18:04
highlighted the Father's justice and infinite worth.
18:07
In turn, the Father responded by glorifying the Son with a mighty
18:10
display of approval in the resurrection.
18:13
The resurrection was the Father's public vindication of
18:15
Jesus. It was his declaration that
18:17
Jesus's sacrifice was complete, perfect, and fully acceptable.
18:20
It showed the Father's absolute delight in His Son's perfect
18:23
obedience unto death. It was the Father saying, in
18:26
essence, yes, my Son has truly made my name great, and now I
18:29
will make His name great above all names.
18:31
And remember Jesus prayer in John 17.
18:33
Father, glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you.
18:37
This means that even as Jesus was glorifying the Father in the
18:40
very act of His suffering and death, the Father was
18:43
simultaneously at work glorifying the Son.
18:46
And then when the Father glorified the Son through His
18:48
resurrection and exaltation to His right hand, the Son
18:50
continued and continues to glorify the Father through His
18:53
reign and intercession. It is a continuous reciprocal
18:57
display of glory, a mutual giving and receiving of honor
19:00
that defines their eternal relationship, especially as it
19:03
plays out in the grand drama of salvation.
19:06
This dynamic interaction between the Father and the Son, this
19:09
constant outflowing and receiving of glory, shows us the
19:11
perfect unity and complete self giving love that characterizes
19:15
God Himself. Their love for each other and
19:17
their delight in each other's perfections is perfectly
19:20
reflected in this mutual glorification.
19:22
This leads us to a fascinating, almost paradoxical truth.
19:24
The sources highlight God's passion to glorify himself, and
19:28
his Son is described as the very essence of their love for us.
19:32
UN quote Not for many. This might seem
19:34
counterintuitive, maybe even slightly uncomfortable.
19:38
How does God seeking his own glory equate to the deepest
19:41
expression of his love for humanity?
19:43
It sounds like it should be the opposite, like God should be
19:45
focusing primarily on us if he loves us.
19:47
It really is a cornerstone idea. And yes, it definitely requires
19:51
us to rethink what love, especially divine love, truly
19:54
means. It challenges our human centered
19:56
perspective. Our sources explain that God
19:59
displays His glory not only to make it visible for our
20:01
enjoyment, because as we discussed earlier, we were
20:04
ultimately made to find our deepest satisfaction in seeing
20:06
and savoring Him, but also in a way that directly addresses our
20:10
greatest problem, our failures. Our greatest failure.
20:13
The root of sin is precisely our failure to treasure His glory
20:17
above all else, our failure to find our ultimate satisfaction
20:20
in Him. We exchange His glory for lesser
20:22
things. And the incredible, almost
20:24
unbelievable truth is that God in His love, pays for that very
20:28
failure to treasure His glory so that we can escape the just
20:31
judgment our sin deserves and be brought back into the joy of
20:34
seeing His glory. Consider the unparalleled gift
20:37
and the staggering price involved, our sources
20:39
articulated so powerfully. He gives us His glory, and He
20:42
pays for it with His Son's life. This means God's pursuit of His
20:45
own glory is not some kind of divine ego trip that disregards
20:48
humanity. Rather, it is completely
20:50
intertwined with the greatest possible act of giving for
20:53
humanity. Think about it.
20:55
If God were to give us anything less than Himself in His full
20:57
glory, He would be giving us something inferior, something
21:00
second best, something that could never fully satisfy the
21:03
deepest longings of our souls, the very longings He placed
21:06
within us. True love doesn't withhold the
21:08
best and the best, the most valuable, the most beautiful,
21:11
the most satisfying thing in the entire universe is God Himself
21:15
in all His glory. Therefore, the text concludes
21:18
with His powerful logical progression.
21:20
There is no greater gift than God himself in all His glory.
21:23
There is no greater price than the death of God's Son.
21:26
Therefore, there is no greater love than God's glorifying
21:29
Himself in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
21:31
It is in His self display, offering Himself as the ultimate
21:35
treasure, and His self giving, sacrificing His Son to secure
21:38
our access to that treasure, that His love is most fully
21:40
realized for us. His desire for His glory and His
21:43
love for us are not competing motivations.
21:45
They're profoundly connected. Really two sides of the same
21:48
glorious coin. He loves us by giving us what is
21:50
best Himself, and He makes that possible at the greatest cost
21:54
imaginable, demonstrating the ultimate act of love in the
21:57
pursuit of His own glory. So the story doesn't end with
22:01
Jesus resurrection and ascension.
22:03
That's not the final chapter. The sources make it clear that
22:06
the Holy Spirit has a distinct and central role in continuing
22:10
this work of glorification throughout history, bringing its
22:12
reality into our lives today. What is the Spirit specific part
22:16
in this grand display of God's glory?
22:18
How does He make it accessible and real to us now?
22:20
Right. The Spirit's role is absolutely
22:22
crucial for us now. His central work in this divine
22:25
purpose is to glorify Jesus, and through that to draw people to
22:30
him in faith. Jesus himself promised his
22:32
disciples just before he left. When the Spirit of truth comes,
22:35
He will guide you into all the truth.
22:37
He will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it
22:40
to you. That's from John 16.
22:43
This tells us the Spirit's primary focus is not on drawing
22:46
attention to himself, but on revealing Christ, making Christ
22:49
known and treasured. The Spirit accomplishes this
22:52
vital task primarily by opening our spiritual eyes.
22:56
By nature, we are born spiritually blind to the true
22:59
glory of God in Christ. We might see beauty in nature as
23:01
we discussed, but we don't automatically connect it to the
23:04
Creator's specific attributes or understand the depth of His
23:07
glory revealed uniquely in the person and work of Jesus.
23:10
The Holy Spirit enables us to see the truth and beauty of who
23:12
Jesus is, not just intellectually assent to facts
23:15
about Him, but to truly perceive the radiance of His person, the
23:18
sufficiency of His sacrifice, the reality of His resurrection.
23:21
It's not just a mental exercise, it's a spiritual perception, A
23:25
profound illumination of the heart and mind.
23:27
He makes Christ compelling and beautiful to us.
23:30
And this spiritual insight, this new ability to see and
23:33
appreciate Christ's glory, then leads inevitably to a heartfelt
23:36
response. When the Spirit illuminates the
23:38
glory of Christ, he doesn't just leave us there as passive
23:41
observers. He stirs us.
23:42
He compels a response within us. We are drawn to receive Him, to
23:46
trust Him as our Lord and Savior, to worship Him with
23:49
genuine adoration from the heart, and to obey Him not out
23:52
of mere duty or fear, but out of a glad, grateful response to His
23:56
overwhelming goodness and infinite worth.
23:58
This entire process, illumination, drawing, trusting,
24:01
worshipping, obeying, initiated and sustained by the Spirit,
24:04
ultimately aims at God's glorification, not just through
24:08
our lives as a public witness, letting our light shine, but in
24:10
our lives as we respond in faith and obedience to Christ.
24:13
The Spirit reveals He empowers us to live out the very purpose
24:17
for which we were made to see, savor and reflect God's glory
24:20
back to the world. So bringing this all together,
24:23
what does this mean for us, for you listening right now as
24:25
individuals who are called by Jesus to let our light shine, it
24:29
seems our good works are not just about being generally good
24:32
people, morally upright citizens, but about a much
24:35
higher, more specific and frankly more exciting calling
24:38
connected directly to God's own glory.
24:40
Precisely. That's exactly where this leads.
24:42
We started this deep dive with the command from Matthew 5.110.
24:46
Let your light shine before others so that they may see your
24:49
good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
24:52
Now, Connecting all the points we've discussed today, we see a
24:55
coherent and truly magnificent purpose for our existence and
24:58
our actions. We've seen that Jesus's first
25:01
passion, his driving motivation, and thus our guiding example, is
25:04
the manifest holiness of God. This manifest holiness, as we
25:08
defined it, is another way to speak of God's glory, that
25:11
vibrant radiance of his perfections and his infinite
25:13
worth. Hallowing God's name and
25:15
glorifying him are at their core largely the same act.
25:18
Both point to the public display of his supreme value and
25:21
all-encompassing goodness. Jesus himself displayed God's
25:24
glory supremely through his life, his miracles, and most
25:26
profoundly through his death and resurrection.
25:29
That ultimate act was itself an act of mutual glorification
25:31
between the Father and the Son that amazingly reveals the very
25:34
essence of God's love for us. And now the Holy Spirit
25:37
continues this glorious work in our present reality by opening
25:41
our spiritual eyes to Christ's glory, drawing us into true
25:44
faith, and enabling genuine obedience.
25:46
Therefore, when we live lives that seek to manifest God's
25:49
holiness through our actions, actions empowered and guided by
25:52
the Spirit's ongoing work within us, we get to participate in
25:55
this grand divine purpose. It's incredible.
25:58
Our Good Work books are not about drawing attention to
26:00
ourselves, or even primarily about the good deeds in
26:03
isolation. Instead, they become a visible
26:05
signpost, a clear pointer directing others to acknowledge
26:08
and honor God, ultimately leading them hopefully to
26:10
glorify Him too. It's about our lives reflecting
26:13
the magnificent glory that God has already revealed and
26:16
continues to reveal through His Son and Spirit.
26:18
We become part of the ongoing story of God making His own name
26:21
great in the world through us. What a.
26:23
Powerful deep dive into the meaning of letting our light
26:25
shine. It really does extend far beyond
26:28
just simple good deeds, doesn't it?
26:29
It reaches right into the very heart of God's nature, His
26:33
character, and His saving work for us.
26:35
You, the listener, are called to live in such a way that causes
26:38
others to give glory to your Father in heaven.
26:41
And that calling is rooted in Jesus own supreme passion for
26:45
God's manifest holiness and glory.
26:48
So perhaps as you go about your week, consider this.
26:51
If God's passion to glorify himself in the death and
26:53
resurrection of Jesus is truly the greatest expression of his
26:56
love for you, how might this understanding begin to reshape
27:00
the way you approach your daily life?
27:02
How might it affect your work, your relationships, your
27:04
interactions with the world around you?
27:06
And maybe ask yourself, how might seeing God's glory as the
27:09
ultimate gift, the ultimate treasure, affect how you pursue
27:12
satisfaction and joy in your own life?
27:14
Where are you really looking for fulfilment?
27:16
Indeed, those are good questions to reflect on.
27:19
May you continue to grow in your apprehension, your seeing and
27:21
savouring of God's radiant glory, and may your life always
27:25
serve to put His great name on display.
27:28
We look forward to another deep dive with you next time on the
27:30
Deep Dive.