As yesterday's sermon was based on teaching from illustrations, I am providing an excerpt the previous Sunday's sermon...  (full text attached)

 

Where do we look to come to know God more fully?  Our text today gives us the answer.  For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.   Everything we really need to know about God, about His will for the whole world and for our individual lives, and how He feels about us, is clarified once and for all through Jesus Christ, the Son God, through whom we come to know the heart of our Abba/Father, and whose Holy Spirit continues to work to strengthen and deepen our knowledge of God… not merely knowing about God, but knowing Him in a relational way as we are drawn closer and closer to God.

 

Up upon a mountain, Moses asked to see God, and God showed Him a glimpse, for to see God face to face would blow away any human being.  Many generations later on a different hill, Moses was joined by another central prophetic figure from the Old Testament, Elijah, who just showed up with him for a visit with a transfigured Jesus, concluding with a voice from heaven saying, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!"  For us to more fully know God, we must above all else listen to Jesus, who gives us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God.  

 

And we are able to do more than simply listen… we can see Jesus.  For on yet another hill we have an opportunity see the ultimate glory of God.  We will begin our journey to that hill called Calvary this Ash Wednesday.  When we arrive at that hill we will see the most important characteristic of our infinite and mysterious God.  We will see that God is indeed love.  That is what we need to know above all.  That’s Who we need to know above all.

 

While there is much about God that will remain a mystery until we meet Him face to face in His eternal Kingdom, we know what is most important for us to know: that in Christ Jesus, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting our sins against us.  As a matter of fact, upon Christ was laid our sin and the punishment and death that we deserve.  Through Christ we have been bought—at an incredible price!—and brought into the family of God.  

 

God is love.  Now may the Holy Spirit of God lead us to see Him more clearly, to love Him more dearly, and to follow Him more nearly, day by day.  Amen.

 

With You in His Love,

Mark