May 10, 2021 -- Hebrews 1:3 -- Jesus upholds the universe, what glory!

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

Hebrews 1:3 English Standard Version

What does it mean that Jesus upholds the universe by the word of His power? Why is this so important? Yesterday, listening to my pastor, he quoted from Paul Tripp. Tripp describes the universe as a ‘gloryscope’. The quotation from Paul Tripp is a beautiful explanation of the universe and Jesus’ power by which He upholds it.

“…God has designed the world in which we live to be a gloryscope. What does this term mean? Just as a telescope points you to the stars and magnifies them for you to see their illuminating glory, so the earth focuses our eyes on God and magnifies his glory, so it can produce wonder in us.

“Every beautiful and amazing sight, sound, color, texture, taste, and touch of the created world has gloryscopic intention built into it. Every powerful and mighty thing, animate and inanimate, is gloryscopic by design. No created beauty is an end in itself. No physical wonder exists in isolation. Nothing that is, just is. Everything exists for a grand, vertical purpose. The glories of the physical world don’t reflect God’s glory by happenchance.

:No, God specifically and carefully designed the physical world to reflect him, that is, to be the gloryscope that our poorly seeing eyes so desperately need. As the technician grinds the lens of the telescope for the best clarity and magnification possible, so God fashioned his world in such a way that it would bring his glory into view. God created every fish, stone, flower, bird, cloud, tree, monkey, and leaf to be gloryscopic because our loving Creator knows how fundamentally blind we can be.

Taken from Awe: Why it Matters to Everything We Think, Say, and Do by Paul David Tripp, © 2015, pp.65-66. 

Spirit of the Living God, deepen my faith so that I see the glory of Jesus Christ in every part of universe. Spirit of God, move me to bless God my Father for the rich gift of Jesus Christ given to believers, Jesus the radiance of the Father’s glory. Amen.

https://youtu.be/NYe6EOIH1kY