Sermon Title: This Changes Everything, Pt 1

Scripture: Ex. 33:13-20, 34:29-30, Matt 17:1-6, John 1:1-6, 2 Cor. 3:13-18, Deut. 6:4, Ex 3:14-15

Main Points:

1. Attributes of God: The beauty/splendor/majesty/honor of God is expressed in his attributes. He is: self-existent, unified, spirit, simple, immutable, infinite, eternal, omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent.

2. God’s Glory Changes Me: When we reflect the glory of God, it is apparent to the world. It is not something we have to say. It shines through our character and daily lives.

3. Access to God’s Glory: The work of the cross gives us the clearest picture of God’s glory as manifested through Jesus’ substitutionary death and subsequent resurrection victory.

Small group questions:

1. What attributes of God are most recognizable and easy to believe about God?

2. What attributes of God are harder to believe fully? Which ones do you wish you understood better?

3. What are some characteristics of a person who reflects the glory of God to those around them?

4. How does Jesus reveal the Glory of God for all of us?

5. In what ways do you want to better reflect the “glorious image of Christ” for your family and friends?

Prayer: A lot of people would say that they want a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God. As we outline some of the most significant ways that our relationship changes, it’s going to be a matter of prayer and application that truly makes the shift. Pray that God would reveal his glory to the people of your group and pray that they would have the boldness to see everything in their lives changed by the Glory of God.

Notes: When we hear the word glory we are prone to think of it in our modern terms. We might describe it as the honor or the credit for something. Glory, as it relates to God, is something deeper and wider. There are about 10 different words used in scripture that we translate as glory. Most significantly we see kabowd (Hebrew; the weight of splendor) and doxa (Greek; glory) used in scripture. The Old Testament gives us the fullness of the definition through multiple words. The New Testament simplifies all of them in the word doxa which just means glory. God’s glory is made powerful in our lives through our comprehension of his beauty. Then it is magnified through the reflection of that beauty that we live as our worship for the God who redeemed us.