Apr-21-0107-The glory of the Gospel
107_The glory of the gospel Ex 34: 1-9 The Lord said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. 4 So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. 5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.” 8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. 9 And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.” There’s a story told of a young boy who stood in awe before a great cathedral’s stained-glass windows. Each pictured an artist’s idea of a saint of old. As the morning sun shone through, the pictures glowed with vibrant color, illuminating the inside of the church. When he went home, all he could say was, “I saw the light shining through the saints.” A few years later, when he was asked what he thought a saint was, he said, “A saint is someone through whom the light shines.” This simple statement captures the essence of living in the gospel. The gospel is not about doctrines, rules, or even the forgiveness of sins. The gospel reveals the glory of God shining through the lives of those who receive his grace and worship him in truth and spirit. Exodus 34:1-9 narrates the marvelous event when God revealed His glory to Moses, declaring His name and His nature. This passage illustrates how the glory of the gospel is revealed to us only so that Christ may shine through us. God commanded Moses to cut two new stone tablets to replace the ones he had broken. “Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets.” The first time God provided the stone tablets. But the second time, Moses had to prepare the stone. This is a picture of a repentant heart. The glory of the gospel begins in true humility before God. When a person truly turns to God, they come with a prepared heart, like a blank