August 29, 2026
Saturday, August 29
Perhaps yesterday you noticed an apparent contradiction in what God says when He’s passing by Moses in Exodus 34. He says He’s merciful and forgiving. But He also says no sinner goes unpunished. Those can’t both be true, can they? If He forgives sin, then He doesn’t punish evil. If He punishes evil, then He’s not merciful. So how do we reconcile these things?
In the entire Bible, no book is more focused on the glory of God than the Gospel of John. John begins by telling us that at the very beginning of time, there was the Word. The Word created everything that exists. Then v. 14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus (the Word) was God’s glory embodied in a person. Once Jesus arrived on earth, humans didn’t have to hope for a divine revelation, prophecy, or vision to see God’s glory. We could just go to Jesus and see the glory of God in the flesh.
But it gets better. Six days before the final Passover of Jesus’ life, He said this in John 12:23-24, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” He’s saying, “You think you’ve seen God’s glory in me, but you haven’t seen anything yet. Now the real glory is about to be revealed.” Then Jesus says, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.”
John wanted us to understand that the ultimate place to see God’s glory is in the death of Jesus. That’s where He reconciled that apparent contradiction. He completely punished the guilty by taking all our guilt upon Himself, dying in our place. But He also perfectly revealed His mercy, grace and love, because He found a way to forgive us forever.
Because we live on this side of the cross, we can experience more of God’s glory than Moses, and more even than the twelve disciples experienced in the three years they walked with Jesus on earth. Because of the cross, we’re invited to see His face. The world’s greatest chef has gone to the ultimate expense to give you a never-ending feast. Don’t waste time chasing after the food that doesn’t satisfy.
Let’s end the week by a song about this story, from one of my favorite bands: Show Me Your Glory—Third Day
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Conroe
More from Pastor Jeff at his website: jeffbergerwriting.com
