Auto Generated Transcript
Generally in the Old Testament, you see lots of narrative stories that take place about different characters in their lives and circumstances in which they face, and how they overcame adversity to follow after the Lord, how God called them apart. One of the dangers that you run into is you focus so much on one of the main characters of a book is that you miss the overall theme of what God intends for us to understand through Scripture. As you look through the Bible in the Old Testament, you’ll find many narratives that dictate a lot of the early Israel patriarchs and their leadership positions. But one of the things we fail to see is we focus on them and their individual selves. And the story related to their lives is that we forget the overall purpose that God desires to accomplish throughout, not just the Old Testament, but throughout the whole Bible. And that is his glory. So the main character of every book that’s ever recorded within our Bible, all 66 books contained within it, the main character of Scripture is God and His glory, and seen and played out in the lives of individuals throughout history. And it’s no different in the life of Nehemiah. The reason Nehemiah is recorded in our Bible today, and we we are able to read it and and see the the nation of Israel being rebuilt. This man coming back to the city of Jerusalem, rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls after being destroyed 150 years or 140 years previous to that is because God’s glory is at work within the hearts and minds of the people of Israel.
God’s glory should be something that motivates all of us. The evidence of his glory should captivate us, should lead us to church every morning. It should inspire and encourage us to be a light to this lost world, that the evidence of God’s glory can be seen. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 40 and verse 12 that literally, God expanded the entire universe and can hold it within the breadth of just a hand. He is glorious. The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes that God has written eternity in our hearts. Creating man in his own image. Mirroring God, finding our our own purpose and identity and everything that he is and the eternity of of what man is about as summed up within God as he is written within our hearts, the desire and longing to know God and eternity with him. The Bible tells us that man lives not by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Something that we should rejoice with as a church this morning is that God has revealed his glory to us. The Bible tells us in Isaiah chapter six and verse one, excuse me, the whole earth is full of his glory. Within this passage of Scripture, Isaiah is called up before God, and he records the host of angels gathered around his throne, singing and worshiping and the statement that the angels make.
Is that the whole earth declares the glory of God. God has revealed his glory to us, and the earth becomes the evidence of the glory in which he upholds. Reminder to you that this earth is under a sin, curse, and yet still being in sin. We still have the evidence of God and the glory of God being made known. Glory means of weighty importance or of shining majesty in the presence of God. Throughout the Book of Psalms they become the Psalms are praises or songs of praise before God and worship for everything that he is. It tells us in Psalm 29 it says, give honor to the Lord for the glory of his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars. The voice of the Lord makes the desert quake. The voice of the Lord causes the deer to give birth. And strips the forests bare. In his temple everyone shouts glory! The Lord rules over the flood waters. The Lord reigns as king forever. The Lord gives his people strength. Psalm 19 the heavens are telling of the glory of God, and their expanse is declaring the work of his hands. Day to day pours forth the speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. When we experience the birth of a young child or his laughter, you see the magnificence of the Grand Canyon or the beauty of the ocean.
Its intended within you to spur the desire and longing to know something more glorious than you are. Never stand on the precipice of the Grand Canyon or the coastline of the ocean, and think about how wonderful you are, but how magnificent creation is, and the glory of God has become evident in our own lives. Moses was one such leader that as recorded in the Bible for us. He was a patriarch of Jewish history. God called Abraham first as a Jew, to set him apart. And then Isaac and Jacob came, and Jacob had a son named Joseph who took the Israelites into Egypt. And for hundreds of years they lived in Egypt before God called one such man out of Egypt to bring the people of Israel out of out of the land of Egypt, and to establish their own nation. And that leader was elected, and his name was Moses. In chapter three of the Book of Exodus, it records for us that when God called Moses, he literally took him up on the side of a hill and from a burning bush. God declared to him that he was to be the leader of the people of Israel. And he tells Moses, as he stands before God’s glory, and the evidence of of God being made known in his life to take off his shoes, because he’s standing on holy ground, God signifying for us the difference between creature and creator.
Moses have to remove his shoes, to walk upon the feel of the dirt from his feet, upon his feet from which he was created to remind himself how great God is. And as God revealed himself to Moses, he told Moses in Exodus chapter three and verse 14, no longer shall you refer to me as Elohim, which is a plural name for any God at that given time. I want you to refer to me as Jehovah. And for the first time in Israel’s history, they learned the name of God. Jesus comes on the scene later in history and he refers to himself as Jehovah. God’s glory was made known to Moses. You know, one of the beautiful things about that glory made known to Moses is the hunger for God’s glory that that created as Moses got to know God and his relationship and the glory of God within his life, and the evidence of God seeing the seas parted and the ten plagues that take place in Egypt, Moses became more and more hungry for the glory of God So much so that the end of the book of Exodus in chapter 33, it says this, that Moses said, now show me your glory, as if the glory that had been revealed to him in his relationship to God wasn’t enough.
He wanted to know everything about who God was. He said, but he said, God said to Moses, you can’t see my face, for no man can see me and live. Then the Lord said, there is a place near, near me where you may stand on a rock. And when my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock, and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand, and you will see my back. But my face must not be seen. Records for us in the book of Corinthians that Moses, when he came from the mountain, after seeing the presence of God, that literally Moses’s face would glow with the glory of God’s presence upon him. Moses would wear a veil before the people of Israel, that they may not see the presence of that glory fade from his face because God’s glory had shone so brightly upon Moses. And even in that relationship and leading the nation of Israel as he tasted the glory of God, it was never enough. Moses was always hungry for more. The entire Bible dictates the glory of God being made evident to us in our lives. And if we were to look at the Book of Nehemiah together and only focus on Nehemiah, we would forget the very purpose for which the book was written, and that is to display the glory of God, not just working in the life of Moses, but also working in the lives of the people during Nehemiah’s time.
Nehemiah records in chapter two and verse 18. He also says in verse 20 that the gracious hand of God is on me. God’s glory is being made known in Israel once again. Israel, having been captive, taken captive by the nation of Babylon, sent off into captivity for 140 years. Nehemiah comes back to the area of Israel and to the city of Jerusalem. He has God’s heart for the city. It literally says within Scripture that that he weeps for this city. His heart is broken because he knows this is the future city of the Messiah, and it lays desolate. And because God’s hand was upon him. And God’s glory is being shown in the life of Nehemiah and the people of Israel, they rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, every city during that time, if it were to be established and it were to be protected and it were to grow, it needed a wall to keep outsiders from invading it. And Nehemiah knew in order for the nation of Israel to return back to the former glory before its captivity, for the future Messiah to come, it would have to have its walls rebuilt again, that the nation of Israel could prosper and continue to grow. And God’s hand, God’s glory was upon him. Not only do we see that within the book of Nehemiah, we also see it in our own lives as well.
The Bible goes on to tell us in John chapter one and verse 14 it says in John one one in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. Associating Jesus as being God. And it tells us in 114 and that word became dwelt, became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory. The evidence of God’s glory in our lives is shown and seen upon the face of Jesus, as he became flesh and dwelt among us. The Bible goes on to tell us in the book of Hebrews in the past, meaning not today. God spoke to our ancestors through prophets in the past, at many times in various ways. But in these last days he has spoken to us by His son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his power and his word, the powerful word. You want to see the glory of God working in our lives. The Bible tells us to look to Jesus. In John 14 and John chapter 16, Jesus shared with his church that there would be a Holy Spirit that would come, and the goal of that Holy Spirit would be to indwell those who believed in Christ, those who trusted in Christ, who were indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
It tells us in John 16 that they would make much of Jesus and the way that you know that the spirit is working in your own heart and mind and in the life of your church, is that it points you to Jesus. Second Corinthians four six it says, God has shone in our hearts to give the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus church. We as people find our purpose in everything that God has shown through his glory. God has created us to stand in all of that glory. Paul wrote about it in Romans. Recording for us that where we fall short as people is that we fail to see the evidence of God’s glory and the life around us. It says in Romans chapter one and verse 22, although they claim to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being, and birds and animals and reptiles. Meaning people went out into this world, and they saw the beauty and evidence of God’s glory within their hand. But rather than give God praise, they began to worship things as opposed to God. It tells us in Romans 323, for all have sinned and fall short of what the glory of God.
Do you see the significance in not only recognizing God’s glory within the book of Nehemiah, but through all of Scripture making that glory made known to us when we gather on Sunday. It becomes a worship service for us because God’s glory has been made known specifically, specifically through Jesus, into our lives. God has revealed his glory to you. So the question we posed this morning as we look at the rest of these points is, how do I know God’s glory is being seen in my life? How do you know that God’s glory in your specific individual life, that you lead his glory is being seen and known to you? I tell you, point number two this morning is that God’s glory draws his followers to him. In the life of Nehemiah, during the time in which Nehemiah ruled the city of Jerusalem, it says, God’s glory drew followers to him in Nehemiah’s time. Look in verse six of chapter seven. This is why we’re not going to study all of chapter seven together, because we only need to take out two verses. It says, these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles, whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had taken captive, each to his own town, in company with Zerubbabel, Joshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Ramiah, Nehemiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, miss whatever, Bigvai, Nahum, and Banna. The list of these men of Israel, and see that for the rest of the verses it lists all those people.
And I’m not going to read those names to you. But God’s glory is being evident to them, because he’s drawing followers, and he’s called these people to, in chapter seven, to go back to the city of Jerusalem and rebuild this nation, knowing what God desired to do through Israel, that glory craving to know him more drew them to that city. It says in verse 66, the whole company numbered over 42,000 people. But it tells us when the nation of Israel got to that city, the desire and hunger to know God more deeply and to see his glory made known in dinner. Their lives didn’t end there. It tells us in verse one, all the people came together as one in the square before the Watergate. They told Ezra, the teacher of the law, to bring out the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel. So on the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon, as he faced the square before the water gate, in the presence of the men and women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the book of the law. It tells us that Israel started to dedicate time towards understanding what who God was and his revelation to them.
It says in in verse three that they literally stood before the assembly until and from morning until the afternoon, until the morning until midday, from sun up till the sun was directly over their head, they stood in attention to the reading of God’s Word. They gave him time and they understood His word. It tells us in verse four as we go further and read, that Ezra, the teacher of the law, stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him, on his right stood Mattathias, Shema, Ananias, Uriah, and the rest of the names in verse five. Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them. And as he opened it, the people all stood up. As we’re reading from a podium, you can imagine the entire nation of Israel gathered to one place for the reading of God’s Word. One assembly in one city. For the Lord. It tells us in verse seven, skip down for just a minute to verse seven. The Levites that list their names again instructed the people in the law. While the people were standing there, they read from the book of the law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read. Can you imagine for 140 years that you’re taking off into a different country, speaking a different language within that 140 years.
Guess what language your children start to speak the language of that country. But the Bible is written in Hebrew. And so when you want to understand the Bible, it requires someone who could speak Hebrew to explain it to you. And so the priest, the Levites gathered around the nation of Israel as Ezra stood on this podium and and read to the people the book of the law. They went around and explained to the people what God desired for them to know from this book. They gave God of their time. They gave God attention to His Word. And in verse six, which we skipped over, it says, as we praise the Lord, the great God and all the people lifted their hands and responded, Amen. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. They drew near to God in prayer. God draws his followers to him. And the way that we know that God’s glory is working in in my life, as I feel drawn to grow closer to him and understanding of his glory. The Bible tells us that that glory is still working in us today. In Romans chapter nine it says, and he did so to make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory. He’s referring in this verse to those who’ve trusted in Jesus as Savior.
He’s making the riches of his glory known in the church. It says in chapter eight and verse 18, for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us in Christ. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the Son of God, for the anxious longing of the creation. Why am I reading that twice? The point is this God’s glory was being made known in Nehemiah. God’s glory is being made known to you As you draw near to him. God created you for the purpose of finding his glory satisfying. And it reminds us as a as a church, that the glory that awaits us one day as we see him face to face, is far greater than any suffering that we may endure in this world. It says in Romans 11 six, for from him and through him, and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen. Second, I would say God’s glory changes those with open hearts. In verse nine, the book of Nehemiah in chapter eight, it says, Then Nehemiah the governor, as ah, the priest and teacher of the law. And the Levites who were instructing the people, said to said, to all this day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep, for all the people have been weeping as they listened to the words of the law.
Nehemiah said, go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah’s day. The people began to experience a heart change as God revealed himself more specifically through His Word. See, the evidence of God revealed to us in his glory is seen in creation, but God becomes more specific in his identity as we see him for who he is within His Word. Israel, having not been able to read Hebrew, hadn’t had much opportunity to understand the word of the of God, and as they began to read it together, they saw for the first time corporately worshiping together that they were living in sin. And they began to feel convicted. Conviction isn’t about feeling bad. I think it’s a godly thing to go through conviction when there’s sin in our lives. But conviction isn’t to walk around this world with guilt or feeling bad for things that you’ve done. The purpose of conviction is to get you to understand the joy of the Lord. And it says in this passage of Scripture, I see everything that opposes God. And if I stand for that, I feel convicted. And the purpose of my conviction is not to feel bad, but just simply change. To realize within my own life that the glory of God is being made evident and I have been ignoring it.
And so in conviction and understanding of what God’s Word is saying, I need to turn from this and behold the glory of everything that he is. And in understanding what convictions purposes do, it becomes a beautiful word, because it’s compelled to draw me closer to the glory of God. And the beautiful thing of his glory is that it’s loving and gracious towards us. If we lived in a religion and we lived according to law, which is what religion teaches. And it’s why I hate religion. Religion just oppresses us. It makes us feel guilty for not living up to some sort of standard that we can’t achieve to please God. But revival in the heart, a relationship to God is what brings the joy. Because as the nation of Israel looked at this verse and they saw and they read the word of God, and they began to feel convicted, they understood that a messiah was to come that was going to set them free. And Galatians five one, when you come into our church, it’s written on our front door. Christ has set you free. The emphasis here isn’t religion. The emphasis here isn’t law is that the glory of God has been made to you and made known to us so graciously in our life, that he has set us free from the sin cursed world and the living of law.
And it’s free to a to relationship of growing with him. We live under law, we live according to religion. We talk about the joy of the Lord. We live in relationship and conviction to the church becomes a beautiful thing because when we’re convicted, what we’re saying is I’m compelled to get closer to Jesus and grow in that glorious understanding of everything that he is, because he desires to be close to me. Bible tells us, as the people of Nehemiah’s day went through that heart change, that we as well can also go through that heart change with the Lord. Tells us in verse 11 and 12, the Levites claimed calmed all the people, saying, be still, for this is a holy day. Don’t grieve. Then all the people went away to eat and drink, and to send portions of food, and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them the nation of Israel. God has brought you to Jerusalem not to mourn over your sin, but to rejoice in the glory of his hand being revealed in your life. For the church today, it says, for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath been made, hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Everything that the law identified for my life that was wrong in my relationship to God.
Jesus has set me free and has begun to work a revival within my own heart. It says for what the law could not do in trying to make me righteous before God, it says, and that it was weak through the flesh. God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin. Jesus sets you free. And we can celebrate the glory of God in our lives this morning, because God desires nothing more than to set us free. I think about other religions in this world gathering this morning to worship whatever God. Every religion in this world teaches that you please God through living of the law, except for Christianity. It teaches that we please God through accepting the sacrifice that Jesus has made on our behalf, because we can never satisfy a holy God by living law. And all these religions in the world are gathered today conducting dead works, trying to please God, never knowing if their works are good enough. But here in this verse, the glory of God tells us that it is free. And around the world, those who are worshiping other gods fear the evidence of God’s glory, because they don’t know how God’s going to respond to them in their sin. God’s glory becomes a beautiful thing for the church. And when you understand what that relationship with God is about, it tells us in Galatians five one, Christ has set you free.
How do I know the glory of God is working in my life? Well, first of all, God has revealed his glory. Second of all, God draws followers to him. Third, God’s glory changes those whose hearts are open to what he’s drawing you to in Christ Jesus. And fourth, I would say God’s glory inspires pure worship. Let me read this for just one moment. And seeing the glory of God revealed, it tells us in Jude chapter 24 to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to the present before his glorious presence, without fault and without and with great joy, to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, and power and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord. Within this text in the Hebrew, it connects both God and Savior to the name of Jesus. His glory working in our lives to change our hearts. And in the life of Nehemiah tells us in verse 13, as the nation of Israel continued to read, they begin to recognize within Scripture that the time that they’re reading from the text of the Word of God that they’re supposed to be engaged in at a particular feast. It’s called the Feast of Booths. And it says on the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites gathered around Ezra the teacher, to give attention to the words of the law.
And they found written in the law which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month, and that they should proclaim the word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles and palms and shade trees to make temporary shelters. As it is written, this feast goes back to the time of Joshua. The Feast of Booths says Israel, through Moses left Egypt, and they wandered through the wilderness when they came to the nation of Israel. God told the nation of Israel to observe the Feast of Booths. It was a reminder to them that God provided all the years of warning. 40 years of wandering through the desert, and that God would continue to provide the needs of their lives. And so they simplified their lives by literally building tents. What we would use as tents today, they use as tree branches, built tents and different places throughout Jerusalem. And they celebrated the way that God had continued to provide within their lives since the time of Joshua tells us within this passage that what they gathered were trees that had symbolic significance to the nation of Israel. The myrtle tree, which had flowers and fragrance upon it, reminding them of God’s beautiful work in their lives.
The wild olive tree, which in our day would be the willow tree, which always grew next to a water source. It was a source of shelter as the nation of Israel looked at it. It would keep the rays of the sun from coming in, and a lot of animals would lie under this willow tree for protection from the heat of the sun’s day. The palm tree was a tree of victory. You remember of Jesus as he went into Jerusalem for the final time. It’s referred to as his triumphal entry, as he rode on the back of a donkey that the nation of Israel lined the streets and herald the name of Christ, saying, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, and laid down the palm leaves on the path as Jesus went down the city of Jerusalem. It was a tradition that they heralded for kings returning from battle victoriously. The palm branch is a tree that can sustain where no tree can, that can endure the hardships of the desert when no tree can. It’s an evidence that the King goes out to conquer for battle, that he’s conquered all the land as he’s reached the edge to to the ocean where the palm trees are growing. And when the king returns. The reminder of the victory by heralding the palm trees in hand to the nation of Israel. These tree branches symbolize the hand of God that worked in their lives.
He provided for their needs. God’s glory for us inspires pure worship. You see the nation of Israel as they began to see the glory of God and the hand of God working within their lives. They respond to God through worship. They gather for this feast and they collect these leaves and they worship. It tells us in verse 16, so the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs and their courtyards, and the courts of the house of God and the square by the water gate, and the one by the gate of Ephraim. The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters, and lived in them from the days of Joshua, son of nun. Until that day the Israelites had not celebrated like this, and their joy was very great, tells us in verse 16, when the glory of God is working in their lives, the nation of Israel literally scattered all over the nation and began to worship God. And when the evidence of God’s glory is working within my own lives, I don’t just come to church and worship every day. Every moment that I think of that the hand of God and the glory of God working in my life, I take the opportunity to worship. Verse 17, it tells us that they worshiped like never before. When God first gave this feast to the nation of Israel, this Feast of Booths or Tabernacles, Joshua was the one who started it.
And since that time, Israel really hasn’t celebrated the way they should. But it says like. Like never before. Since the time of Joshua, they begin to celebrate this feast. And can I tell you, when God’s glory works in your life, it becomes evident to those around you. Because like never before in your life, you’re worshiping God. I think one of the most powerful things that takes place within this scripture, and this is written in your notes, wrong. This morning happens in the book of John. John chapter seven and verse 37 and 38, and John chapter eight and verse 12, I think it says seven and two in your notes. Jesus is in Jerusalem in this passage of Scripture in Jerusalem at this time is celebrating the Feast of Booths. During this Feast of Booths, there were particular ceremonies which took place within the temple, one of which, at the beginning of the Feast of Booths, they would pour a drink offering upon the altar in worship to God. And as this feast is taking place, Jesus enters into the temple, and as all these people are engaged in worship, Jesus makes this statement in chapter seven and verse 37 he says, come to me and drink. He who believes in me from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.
What Jesus is saying to these people of Israel as they’re worshiping during the Feast of Booths, is that this Feast of Booths was intended to point to me. And if you want to find freedom in everything and the glory of God and all that he’s declared for your life and everything that he’s promised you and everything that he wants to bless your life with, it comes through me because I am that fountain of living water. Could you imagine that nation of Israel, as they stood in that temple and worshiped, and all of a sudden this man stands before him, pointing to himself as the evidence of God’s glory, that which sets people free. And that wasn’t enough for Jesus at the end of the feast. There was a ceremony that took place where the people of Israel would gather torches and they would walk outside of the temple, and they would put torches on the outside of the temple to remind the world that the nation of Israel is the light of God to the people of this world. And Jesus, believe it or not, comes at the end of or excuse me in the middle of John chapter eight, and he makes this statement to the people I am the light of the world. If you’re looking for the evidence of God’s glory, it’s Jesus. Jesus made no ifs, ands, or buts about. It tells us in Colossians chapter two, In Him the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form.
God came to this world to display his glory to you. God has given you His Spirit that you may experience that glory in a relationship with him. If you trust in Jesus. The Bible tells us in John chapter eight and verse 24 that unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he. Jesus made it clear to us that he is the way, the truth, and the life in John chapter 14. As a church this morning, I just want you to know that the greater his glory is made known in your life, the deeper your worship will go. Psalm 26 and verse eight, it says, oh Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. How do I know that I’m experiencing God’s glory? I would tell you this morning that, first of all, that you’re drawn to him. Second of all, that he begins to change your heart as you open it up to him. And third, that he is inspiring pure worship in your lives. The Bible tells us, for those who haven’t trusted in Christ, but who want to make known their lives the glory of God and experience that relationship. It says in Psalm 34 and verse eight. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. How blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Can I tell you this morning, in conclusion, for us to be a healthy church and for you to be a healthy believer in Christ, the best thing that we can walk away with this morning is to become addicted to his glory. Become addicted to the glory of God being made known in your life because the Bible tells us, and understanding his glory and responding to to it as the nation of Israel did in Nehemiah, we find joy in his presence. Let’s pray. God, I thank you that your work, your word, reveals to us the evidence of your hand and the fact that your Bible is even present today, shares and declares to us as people that you desire for us to know you and all your glory. And God, it is a gracious, truthful, beautiful glory in which we can love God because you loved us. God, I thank you that the power of your glory was made known in Christ. God, as we turn to him as the fountain of living water, the light of this world and the way and the truth to all things. God, as we trust in the sacrifice made for us on the cross. Thank you that you set us free. Free from law, sin and death, and God to go deeper in understanding your glory in our lives. Jesus, continue to set your church free. Free from everything that keeps us from recognizing you and who you are. It’s in your name we pray. Amen.