Glimpses of Glory

Intro:

Daniel 1:17 NKJV

17 As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

Intro:

On this first Sunday of 2022, I want to share a message entitled, [Glimpses of Glory]. I pray God give us a revelation of who He is today!

On February 28, 1944, the German police raided a home in the Netherlands. The police suspected the owners of the home of hiding Jews from the Nazis.

Though they did not find anyone in hiding, they did arrest most of the family. The majority of them were released from custody a few days later, but they sent the father and two of his daughters to prison.

The father died within ten days of his arrest and the two sisters went to a concentration camp. One of the young girls was named Corrie Ten Boom.

As a child, she was devout in her faith in Christ. She trusted the Lord through her struggles and suffering. By the time she endured the concentration camp, she was in her fifties.

At the time, she could not see how God would use her suffering for His glory. As I listened to her story, I gathered God gave her glimpses of glory to help her.

She smuggled a Bible into the camp. As the Nazis searched each incoming prisoner, she prayed God would have angels hide her. When it came her time to come through the line, she was invisible to the officers— what a glimpse of glory.

One night in the camp, she looked at the stars and prayed, “O Lord, all the stars are in your guidance, but have you forgotten Corrie Ten Boom?”

She later explained that in such deep distress, Jesus shined His light in the dark places. In other words, she had a glimpse of glory.

God gave her supernatural confidence in Him, causing her to write— “Faith is like a radar that sees through the fog, the reality of things at a distance that the human eye cannot see.”

The Lord used her story to reach thousands. She became an author and evangelist, calling on people to trust that God sees everything and He will help.

None of have endured the hardships of being arrested and persecuted for our walk with God. That is not to say we have not faced challenges and trials that at times seemed unbearable.

At times, I have wondered, “God, why don’t you just show me the the WHOLE picture? Why not reveal to me EVERYTHING I will face?”

God doesn’t work that way. Instead, He desires that His people have faith, trusting Him in the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Remember the words of the writer of Hebrews:

Hebrews 11:1 NKJV

1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:6 NKJV

6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

God welcomes and expects our faith. he delights when people choose to look at the God of their circumstances, instead of their circumstances alone.

Faith speaks the language of the impossible. It looks at what is and trusts God to do what we are humanly incapable to accomplish.

In this walk of faith, we lean into the supernatural realm and allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide. When we do this, God will speak to us and give us a glimpse of His glory.

Glimpse is defined as a partial or momentary view.

Rarely does God tell us EVERYTHING. Instead, He will give us a glimpse and a taste of what He has planned.

In our text we read of four young men who God helped. But one of these men stood out amongst the others. When we think of Daniel, we often go to the Lion’s Den.

But if we were alive in ancient Babylon, long before Daniel was known for the lion’s den, he remembered as a man who had glimpses, visions, and revelation.

The Lord would speak to him and show HIs plan. Remember at this time in history, God’s people were in captivity and exile.

It was with the backdrop of:

a brutal empire

discouraging circumstances

feeling out of place

God used people who had FAITH in Him and showed them Himself.

I feel it is safe to say we live in difficult times. Life seems very confusing. There are moments when we might wonder, what does the future hold?

On this first Sunday of 2022, I cannot say that God will tell us everything. But there is a place in Him where He will give us glimpses of Himself.

I want to look at three events in Daniel’s life and see how God showed Him a part of His plan. I have three parts— [Glimpses of Grace], [Glimpses of Greatness], and [Glimpses of Glory].

Let’s begin

1. Glimpses of Grace

Daniel 2:19–23 NKJV

19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. 21 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding. 22 He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him. 23 “I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, And have now made known to me what we asked of You, For You have made known to us the king’s demand.”

After being forcibly removed from his home in Jerusalem the Babylonians wanted Daniel to become like them. He refused and remained dedicated to the Lord.

Through his faithfulness to God, he stood out amongst others. Even the government recognized his supernatural wisdom and insight.

His gift in communication with God almost cost him his life. King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. He knew it had meaning, but did not understand the message.

He called his supposed “wise” men, with a challenge. Instead of telling them the dream for them to interpret, they were to tell him both dream and interpretation.

What an assignment. I have heard from God, you tell me what I have heard and what it meant. They protested, such an assignment was impossible.

The king decided to kill all of the wise men because their inability to interpret the dream made him suspect they were fake. The royal herald came to Daniel with the message.

As a wise man he asked for a little bit of time to pray. He did and God told him the secret vision. Before Daniel went to the king of Babylon, He praised the King of kings.

I suspect Daniel felt overwhelmed by God’s grace. It was nothing short of unmerited favor upon Daniel’s life. The Lord protected and used him in a foreign land.

Daniel realized His life was a result of God’s grace. That is why He praised Him and declared that He:

sets world events

removes and places kings

gives wisdom to the wise

knowledge to the scholars

reveals His secrets

In a wicked nation where many of God’s people forgot Him, He extended His grace upon those who sought Him and served Him.

God is always ready to extend His grace. However, I want us to recognize Daniel’s response to God’s grace. He did not take it for granted.

He turned around and praised God for His grace. When Daniel’s life was in the balance, He thanked God for the nature and identity of God.

We live in a nation and world that is increasingly wicked. When we glimpse God’s grace on our lives it is imperative that take time to praise Him.

Though our physical lives might not be in the balance, our spiritual life was. We deserved death— but God revealed Himself to us. He gave us a glimpse of how much He loves us by shedding His grace on our lives.

Thank God for glimpses of His grace.

2. Glimpses of Greatness

Daniel 5:5 NKJV

5 In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

One of the problems Daniel had to face was the arrogance of the Babylonians. They thought they were better than the Jewish captives.

They had many gods and worshipped them all. Their final king was named Belshazzar, which literally means, Bel Protect the King.

He placed his trust in a foreign god that was rendered powerless because he was not real.

At the height of his pride, Belshazzar had a feast. One author suggested it was more like 15,000 people were there.

It seems normal to us, but it was odd for men and women to eat at the same feast. In those days, men would meet in one area while the women met in another.

Daniel included this fact to suggest that there was sensuality and sexual immorality involved in the feast.

As they are partying and feasting, as they begin to slip into a state of drunkenness, Belshazzar commands that they bring the golden cups and articles from the temple of Jerusalem, they had been in storage for decades.

In prideful arrogance, Belshazzar and those in attendance, filled the cups dedicated to the Lord with wine and began to toast and praise the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.

As this happened a hand appeared out of nowhere and began to write on the wall in language Belshazzar could not understand. He did not know what to do.

It was not until his mother, the queen spoke.

Daniel 5:11–12 NKJV

11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. 12 Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”

Humiliated and afraid the king had no choice but to call on Daniel. How embarrassing for him. He had to get help from a captive who only served one God.

Daniel had a reputation of declaring and displaying the greatness of God to the wicked and evil Babylonians. He stood a part for his faith.

In his walk with God, the Lord allowed Him to see into the supernatural realm. Immediately Daniel knew what the writing meant.

He told the king:

God has numbered your days and your reign will come to an end

you’ve been weighed on the balances and have not measured up

your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians

That very night, the king died and lost his kingdom.

What was the problem? The Babylonians thought they were greater than God. Once a nation or person believes their greatness outweighs God, He will give people a glimpse.

Our world mirrors that of the Babylonians. God has quickly moved to the back burner of many people. People trust in themselves, but God wants to give His people a glimpse.

He is all-powerful and almighty. He will not allow injustice to stand forever. Very soon, the world will see HIs greatness as He returns for His church!

Thank God for glimpses of His grace.

Thank God for glimpses of His greatness.

3. Glimpses of Glory

Daniel 10:7–10 NKJV

7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. 8 Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength. 9 Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground. 10 Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands.

Kings came and went through Daniel’s lifetime, but his commitment to God and dedication to His plan remained constant.

Every time God wanted His people to know something, He would give Daniel a glimpse. On this occasion, Daniel had a vision that he did not understand.

He fasted for twenty-one days and suddenly he had a glimpse. He looked and saw a man. He was dressed in linen clothing, wearing a gold belt.

His body looked like a precious gem and his face was like lightening. His eyes flamed like fire and his feet and arms shined like polished bronze.

In that moment, Daniel was caught in between to worlds. He was on earth, but he enjoyed a glimpse of God’s glory. He lost his strength, but the angel touched him and strengthened him.

Daniel stood and recieved a word from the Lord that went through the next two chapters. The angel revealed that God responded to His dedication pray and fast.

Remember what I mentioned earlier, Faith speaks the language of the impossible.

Daniel lived in a time where it seemed as thought it could never get better. The nation was wicked and continued to get more wicked.

More and more people seemed less interested in God and more comfortable conforming to the patterns of the world.

But God still had people who sought Him. It was to those people He gave a glimpse of His glory. He revealed another layer of who He is to them!

I love the way Daniel concludes his book. He had another angelic visit. Another glimpse of glory.

Daniel 12:13 NKJV

13 “But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.

In other ways, keep living for me Daniel. Continue to do what I have called you to do. One day this life will end, but on that resurrection morning, you will rise again and receive your inheritance!

Close:

Daniel spent his entire adult life in a country that did not honor God. But the Lord continued to give him glimpses. He showed HIs grace, greatness, and glory to Daniel.

When we read the lives of people in Scripture, we must remember that they lived in a different era and culture than us, but they were like us.

They were people. They had their successes and failures. They had joy and sorrow. They had ups and downs. They had testimonies and tragedies.

Likewise, we must remember God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The SAME God who gave glimpses of Himself to Daniel longs to give us a glimpse of Himself.

As we begin another year, it almost seems 2022 is starting about the same way 2021 did. I am so thankful that as people of the Spirit, we are people of faith.

Remember what Corrie ten Boom wrote, ““Faith is like a radar that sees through the fog, the reality of things at a distance that the human eye cannot see.”

In the natural, the future might look concerning. But we do not look at the things which are seen, for they are temporary. Instead, we build out hopes on things eternal!

For God wants to give us glimpses of HIS grace. He wants to bestow His unmerited favor upon us. If we will pay attention, we will see glimpses of His grace throughout each day.

Let us never fail to return proper praise to Him for loving us!

God desires to give us glimpses of His greatness. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and End, the First and the Last.

World leaders come and go, superpower rise and fall, wealth increases and decreases, prices go up and down— but God is CONSTANT.

He is ALWAYS great. And very soon, we will see His greatness revealed in us.

God longs to give us glimpses of His glory. Why? What is so special about the glory of God?

The glory of God kept Daniel going in dire times. As I mentioned we are a lot like Daniel, some of us even share his name, but we are vastly different than Daniel.

The difference is not our need for God, but the revelation of God’s Son and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:17–18 NKJV

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Daniel had glimpses. He knew God had a plan, but was incapable of comprehending the idea of the Son or Spirit.

We on the other hand, have a clearer picture. Because of the Spirit, the veil that separated us from God is gone. We can draw closer to Him.

And as we do, He will give us glimpses of His glory. He will pour out Himself upon us. As He does, He will make us more like Him, transforming us.

And today, on this first Sunday of 2022, I have a word from the Lord. WE NEED A GLIMPSE.

We could not handle or fully comprehend ALL He has for us. But to have a glimpse of HIs grace, greatness, and glory will help us.

So the word of the Lord for today is— GO YOUR WAY.

Let’s keep living for Jesus.

Let’s continue to pray.

Let’s prepare our hearts for our twenty-one day fast.

Let’s get into the word.

Let’s go deeper in praise and worship.

Let’s renew our commitment to God’s house.

Let’s get ready for whatever the future holds.

As we do, He will provide glimpses upon the way.

When we feel overwhelmed, we can glimpse His grace, which is sufficient for our weakness.

When we feel as though no one cares about God, we can glimpse His greatness.

When we dive into what He has for us, we can prepare ourselves to glimpse His glory, in our lives, our church, and our families.

God we do not ask for the TOTAL revelation of what you have, but we want a glimpse.