We Must Look for God's Glory

Introduction: You will not see what you are not looking for. And if you are like me, well, sometimes you can’t see what you are looking for.

Debbie will ask me to get something from the refrigerator and when I open the door and look in, I can’t see what she is asking for. She walks over, and it is right in front of me. If it was a snake it would have bitten me.

This morning I want to talk with you about looking for God’s Glory. Let’s begin with Psalm 19:1-4. These verses are entitled: Seeing God’s Glory in the Heavens. We read,

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. 2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,

The Hebrew word “glory” used here is translated as “heavy weight,” meaning the heaviest, biggest, grandest thing about someone. In our case, it is God’s Glory that we are looking into.

Mark Ballenger provides the following definition for the glory of God. He writes, “The glory of God is the invisible qualities, character, or attributes of God displayed in a visible (or knowable) way.”

John Piper defines God’s Glory like this, “The glory of God is the infinite beauty and greatness of God’s manifold perfections.”

So, then, is it possible for us the people of God to Experience God’s Glory this Christmas? I want to say, a resounding YES! If we are going to experience God’s Glory, we must look for it. We will not see what we are not looking for.

1. God’s Glory made Visible – Isaiah 6:3; Exodus 16:7-10

John Piper went on to say, “According to the Bible, the Glory of God is His Invisible Character Made Visible.”

Allow me to share with you some Scripture as examples where we see God’s Glory made visible.

· Isaiah’s vision of God - Isaiah 6:3

And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”

· Israel saw God’s Glory -Exodus 16:7-10

And in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord; for He hears your complaints against the Lord. But what are we, that you complain against us?” Also Moses said, “This shall be seen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the Lord hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.” Then Moses spoke to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for He has heard your complaints.’ ” Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.

· God’s Glory over the Tabernacle - Exodus 40:34

Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

· The Priests witnessed God’s Glory - 2 Chronicles 5:14

so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

As I read those verses, I couldn’t help but think that there are two keywords used in them. The two words are fireand cloud. Think about this. These two words fire and cloudare seen probably every day by every person alive. We see fire and we see clouds. I believe that they are to remind us of God’s glory. God showed up in the fire and in the cloud.

Let me be a little more specific about some Bible characters that experienced God’s Glory.

A. The Children of Israel saw God’s Glory – Exodus 24:17

“The sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount.”

Who saw God’s Glory? The nation of Israel did! They witnessed God’s Glory as He came down to meet them on Mount Sinai.

Do you think that devouring fire would be something that would grab your attention? I do!

They knew that this fire was God!

B. Moses saw God’s Glory – Exodus 33:18-23

18 And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.” 19Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” 20 But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. 22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. 23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

Note: The goodness of God is a part of His Glory. Therefore, when we experience God’s goodness in our live His Glory is made visible. This is what Moses experienced.

C. The Prophet Habakkuk saw God’s Glory – Habakkuk 3:3-4

3 God came from Teman, The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of His praise. 4 His brightness was like the light; He had rays flashing from His hand, And there His power was hidden.

The Prophet Habakkuk got a glimpse of God’s fiery Glory, too. He described it as like the sun, blazing in the sky: “His brightness was as the light; he had horns [or shafts] coming out of his hand: and there his power was hidden” (Habakkuk 3:4, KJV).

Question: Is it possible that we miss out on seeing God’s Glory because we are not looking for it?

2. God’s Glory made Incarnate – John 1:14

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

God’s Glory was revealed in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. You can’t get more visual than becoming flesh! Jesus became a man!

Scripture tells us that mankind was created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26), but Jesus Christ came in the exact representation of God, and He displayed God’s glory. Consider these verses. Time doesn’t allow us to look at all the verses I placed in your notes, but I would encourage you to take the time to look up these verses.

· John 1:14

· Colossians 1:15

· Hebrews 1:3 – who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

· John 14:7-9

· John 14:12

· 1 John 4:9

Jesus Christ, God Himself (John 1:2), is the Word who became flesh (John 1:14, who came and made the invisible God visible (Colossians 1:15), who came to show us the exact imprint of God’s nature (Hebrews 1:3), who came to show us the Father himself (John 14:7-14), who came that the love of God might be manifested (1 John 4:9) – Jesus did all of this because He came to glorify the Father (John 17:4).

We see God’s Glory in Jesus Christ.

3. The Glory of God Proclaimed – 2 Corinthians 4:4-6

Where do you and I learn the most about God’s Glory? I would submit to you that we learn the most about God’s Glory in the Bible, or what we commonly refer to as the Gospel (the Good News).

The Bible reveals to us God’s Glory! If you want to know about God, you need to read and study the Bible. Our understanding of the character of God is derived from our time in Scripture.

Turn in your Bible to 2 Corinthians 4:4-6, here we read,

4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Look at the words, “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (4:4).

John Piper wrote, “…the glory of God comes to its most magnificent expression in the act that creates the gospel, namely, the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus.”

Look then at the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ and you see God’s Glory made visible.

Conclusion: What is the Glory of God? It is the invisible qualities of God made visible. The Glory of God is Jesus Christ. He who has seen Jesus has seen the Father (John 1:14). It is within the pages of the Bible that we see most clearly the Glory of God, and namely, it is found in the Gospel message (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Jonathan Edwards stated, “It appears that all that is ever spoken of in the Scripture as an ultimate end of God’s works is included in that one phrase, “the glory of God.”

So, then, if we want to Experience God’s Glory, we must look for it. How? Allow me to share three steps we can take this Christmas season:

1. Look to the heavens – Psalm 19:1-4

The heavens declare the Glory of God.

2. Keep your eyes on Jesus Christ – Hebrews 12:2

Jesus is God’s Glory in our lives. Our salvation and our hope for tomorrow are found in our walk with Jesus Christ today.

3. Share God’s Glory this Christ by proclaiming the Gospel.

Do you and I want to see our family, friends, and acquaintances come to saving faith? They can if we will but openly declare to them the Gospel.