The World Is Full of Glory, But Only One Glory Can Save
00:00:00.000 | The whole earth is full of glory and we find ourselves surrounded by glory in every direction.
00:00:11.600 | But not every glory is saving glory.
00:00:14.320 | As John Piper explained in a sermon in Houston back in April of this year, he was talking
00:00:18.640 | about his new book, A Peculiar Glory, and what makes saving faith so unique.
00:00:23.280 | Here's a clip of what he said.
00:00:26.000 | The reason I called it A Peculiar Glory, that's the title of the book, A Peculiar Glory is
00:00:32.320 | because I'm not interested in generic glory, like a three pointer buzzer beater to win
00:00:45.360 | the tournament.
00:00:46.360 | Like, that's glorious.
00:00:48.360 | It doesn't save anybody.
00:00:51.860 | It doesn't make anybody know something glorious, but it's pretty amazing.
00:00:56.960 | And we come out of our couches.
00:01:00.960 | If you can get out of your couch.
00:01:05.720 | I'm not talking about that.
00:01:08.160 | I'm talking about a peculiar glory.
00:01:10.200 | What I mean is a inexplicable, inimitable, unparalleled coming together of diverse excellencies,
00:01:22.420 | that's Edward's phrase, diverse excellencies like majesty and meekness in Jesus.
00:01:31.700 | Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
00:01:39.380 | but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant and being born in the likeness of
00:01:44.300 | men and being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient, even unto death,
00:01:51.100 | even the death on the most horrible, horrible, tortured, shaming thing from God to shame.
00:01:58.340 | That's amazing.
00:02:00.220 | That is true.
00:02:04.340 | I will stake my life on it.
00:02:07.300 | That man is true.
00:02:10.500 | Even if you say, "Oh, they made it up."
00:02:13.020 | No, they didn't make that up.
00:02:16.700 | It's woven into the fabric of the Bible.
00:02:20.220 | It's woven into the fabric of my heart.
00:02:22.740 | It's woven into the fabric of the world that that kind of peculiar glory that he dwells
00:02:29.660 | in the high and holy place and with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit.
00:02:37.620 | There is no God like our God.
00:02:39.780 | In fact, that's exactly the way Isaiah argues, isn't it?
00:02:43.340 | Who has seen a God like you?
00:02:45.060 | Now that rhetorical question, who has seen a God like you, means nobody.
00:02:50.060 | Okay, you got that?
00:02:52.200 | Nobody has seen a God like you.
00:02:53.620 | Go to the Hindus.
00:02:54.820 | Go to the Muslims.
00:02:56.060 | Go to Jews who don't believe in Jesus.
00:02:58.420 | Go to all the religions of the world.
00:03:00.620 | Who has seen a God like you?
00:03:02.220 | Who, you know what comes next, works for those who wait for him.
00:03:09.580 | All the gods make you work for them.
00:03:12.560 | God works for you.
00:03:15.140 | Out of his height, out of his infinite, glorious, holy, unimpeachable height, he comes and dies
00:03:28.020 | and saves and pours out his spirit to carry you and help you.
00:03:34.140 | He works for those who wait for him.
00:03:36.580 | There is no God like this God.
00:03:38.820 | There's no glory like this glory.
00:03:41.700 | If God gives you eyes here, these eyes, and you read the Bible cover to cover over and
00:03:47.380 | over again, you will see the peculiar glory of God woven into this book such that you
00:03:56.220 | will know this book is God's book.
00:04:01.220 | Amen.
00:04:02.220 | This short clip was taken from John Pepper's message on April 28th of this year titled
00:04:06.260 | God's Peculiar Glory, How We Know the Bible is True.
00:04:09.940 | Of course, the message is named after Pastor John's new book, which you can find and download
00:04:14.140 | entirely, free of charge, free from our site at desiringgod.org/books.
00:04:19.260 | I hope you pick it up and check it out and read it and enjoy it.
00:04:23.580 | And while you're there, take some time to look around the site at our recent articles
00:04:26.940 | and devotionals and videos.
00:04:28.620 | Fresh content is delivered to the site multiple times every day and always at no cost to you
00:04:33.860 | because we are funded by incredible, generous, prayerful partners around the world who listen
00:04:39.100 | to this podcast.
00:04:40.340 | And to those of you who support us, I want to say again, thank you.
00:04:44.260 | I'm your host Tony Ranke and I'll see you tomorrow on the Ask Pastor John Podcast.
00:04:48.340 | [End of Audio]
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