The Glory of God
Notes
Transcript
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men.
I used the Authorized Version today for nostalgic sake, because that is the version that Linus quoted from in “A Charlie Brown Christmas” from 1965.
That’s what Christmas is about Charlie Brown! As he exclaims after reciting this passage. And incidentally, the only time he proclaims anything in the Charles Schulz comic strip without the security of his blanket!
Notice that glory is mentioned twice is this passage:
Once in verse 9, “The glory of the Lord shone round about them”
The second time in verse 14, “glory to God in the highest”
God’s glory is pretty much unimaginable, for the most part.
Did you know that the word glory is mentioned ...
- 379 times in the Bible
- 160 times in the NT
Glory is a word that has magnificence attached to it.
It depicts the brightness, clarity, holiness, and majesty of Almighty God!
Paul uses it in 1 Cor. 15 when he compares differing glories of celestial and terrestrial bodies.
40 There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.
But when we speak of God’s glory, it conveys something gloriously different than any other type.
The Glory of God...
I. Is without rival.
I. Is without rival.
Man has tried to express God’s glory in symphonies like Handel’s Messiah, or in Art work like the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
The unsaved world has created great edifices that is the best of the glory of man, like the Taj Mahal.
But as wonderful and beautiful as these are, they cannot compare to the greatness of the Glory of God.
A. No-one can approach His glory.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
B. He is the King of Glory.
7 Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle.
The glory of God...
II. Is too wonderful to comprehend.
II. Is too wonderful to comprehend.
16 Now the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. 18 So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
And what of the transfiguration of our Lord where His face shone like the sun and His cloths were white as snow?
Or, of His appearing to Paul on the road to Damascus, where He shone brighter than the sun.
Or, the heavenly scene that John describes in the Revelation of Jesus Christ
2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.
Or of the glory that we shall be a part of.
23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
The Glory of God...
III. Is perfectly reflected in the Lord Jesus Christ.
III. Is perfectly reflected in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It began with the most unlikely of Places (Bethlehem).
It was witnessed by the most unimpressive people (Shepherds).
It was displayed in the most unpleasant space (a stable).
But, in that stinky stable in that tiny town with some smelly Shepherds, the Lord of glory shone bright!
His radiance was evident in His face and in the hearts of Mary and Joseph, and His glory was announced by an heavenly host!
When we read in Hebrews that He is the express image of His person and the brightness of His glory; or, as Col. 1:15 says, that He is the image of the invisible God, we see perfectly God’s glory in Christ.
And when He comes again, His glory will be revealed.
13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
