Easter Glory

Preached by Ps Jude Blayney

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Colossians 1:27

To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles: Christ in you, the hope of glory.

People are constantly trying to get something into themselves. They have this drive that compels them to get something more for their lives. They understand that what they put in will be what comes out.

Garbage in = garbage out.

What's in you?

What do people put in or allow into their bodies?

Substances - this can be drugs, food, alcohol, incense etc.

So why do people continue to abuse their own bodies?

It could be because of abuse, addiction, lack of knowledge, lack of insight, or even following the crowd. But underneath they want something inside to make them feel better.

They desire a feeling of glory for themselves.

 Glory is something we want.
 Glory - the glory of God - is what makes a difference. (2 Corinthians 1:31)
 God is the saint's glory while we are His glory. (Jer 2:11, Jer 13:11)

Glory (doxa - according to the Vine's expository dictionary) primarily signifies an opinion, estimate and thus the honour resulting from that good opinion.

The more goodness of opinion, the better the feeling towards something. This relates to weight. The more, the heavier the weight of the glory.

Glory = weight. (Not a heaviness but a weight that rests.)

 How's your opinion of God? For if it is high then your honour or the glory you give to Him will increase.

 How's your opinion of yourself?

 How's your opinion of others?

Easter is a time when we celebrate. Our celebration is based around our opinion of the reason for celebration. Whether we attend church, whether we give chocolate, whether we give offerings, whether we give praises to God depends solely on our opinion of what He has done for us and/or what He will do for us.

Opinion can come from three main areas.

1. Tradition (traditions of men)
Tradition is not flexible and thus can not be adjusted easily.
This produces a very weak opinion
Weak opinion = weak glory.

2. Fact (basic principles of the world)
Facts can be flexible, but a stronger fact needs to come to adjust the opinion.
Facts produce a stable opinion and thus a stable glory.

3. Faith (of Christ)
Very flexible and thus can grow
It is based on an inner insight.
Faith produces a strong opinion, and thus a very strong glory.

Colossians 2:8 - 10

So why do more people attend church at Easter time than at any other time? The obvious reason is tradition.

So what's so important about this day that determines so many people's opinion?

Recently we note the success and theme of a movie called "The Passion". Our opinion of that may be divided, however the thoughts in the movie are very compelling.

Jesus came for you. Jesus suffered for you. Jesus died for you. Jesus redefined our lives through His life. Jesus altered the course of History. He became History. Jesus revolutionised the way to God. Jesus made the way a relationship. He has made a way for us to go directly to God. He paid a price we could not pay. Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus now lives in heaven where He prays for us.

Our opinion of Him determines our destiny. Our destiny is our glory.

If you are a sane person, you will want to go to Heaven. The ultimate glory!

Your opinion of Jesus determines your ultimate glory.

Believing in God doesn't just:
 Make you feel good
 Give you healing and health
 Enable you to fulfil dreams

It gives you an eternal hope that will not fade away. It's a hope of the ultimate glory. (Matthew 6:20)

When we hope on something on earth, that hope will rust and fade away because it is based on earthly promises, on transient pleasures, on temporary events.

As Christians, our hope is eternal. It can't fade. It can't be taken away by any earthly force, action or deed.

This hope that is ever eternal will produce a glory that outweighs the current climate in society. (2 Cor 4:17)

This hope is based on your opinion.

Some things that determine opinion include:

1. Attitude
- Of people we hang with and know

2. Actions
- Of people we hang with and know

3. Ideas
- Of people we hang with and know

To have a wise opinion we need to:

1. Watch out for negative people
2. Read what's profitable
3. Be committed to a bigger cause
4. Embrace insight/revelation

So, this Easter, what things do you have a high opinion of? These are the very things you will put your time into. They are the very things from which you will seek glory - an even higher opinion.

As we celebrate Easter, as we remember what Christ did for us, we need to take to heart His life. Church is not about attending meetings, or giving, or just meeting with friends, it's about the Glory of God.