Opening Prayer:
Glory, Glory is your name,
Today and yesterday the same.
We worship you with hand held high,
As high as your created sky.
We cannot speak, we cannot say,
The love we feel for you this day.
Glory, Glory is your name,
Today and yesterday the same.
In Jesus name we praise you Lord, Amen.
Today’s Bible Verse: Read Exodus 33:20-23.
But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. 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. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen. (Exodus 33:18-23).
Associated Scriptures:
And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb (Revelation 21:22–25, ESV).
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1-2, ESV).
Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God (John 11:40)?
Supportive Quotes:
So then, beloved, if we could actually see the glory of the Lord, then the infinite graciousness of His thoughts, His words and His deeds, all concentrated in one noontide effulgence and all beaming forth with ineffable brightness, would break on our vision! But, of course, it is not a glory to be seen with mortal eyes, for God is a spirit....[1] – Charles Spurgeon
Our belief or disbelief in God adds nothing to nor takes anything away from His glory, any more than our sight or hearing commands the sun and the birds.[2] – Chuck Swindoll
A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling ‘darkness’ on the wall of his cell.[3] – C. S. Lewis
Biblical Analysis:
His glory is the manifestation of His divine attributes and perfections, or such a visible splendor as indicates the possession and presence of these.[4] – Merrill Frederick Unger
Introduction
The Glory of God is unexplainable, undefinable, and incomprehensible since it is the aggregate of all God’s attributes into one thought or image, one personage or being. God’s glory is His presence itself. We see this in Exodus 33:20 when God tells Moses, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” God’s glory is so powerful and amazing, so overwhelming, so incomprehensible that we cannot look at Him. God is the power of the universe and beyond. No man can visually withstand that power and live.
God’s Glory Perceived
God’s glory is best defined by the word excellence. God is excellent both in His power and His effect. 2 Peter 1:3 says, “seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” God’s power is the agent that allows Him to be supreme. His effect or the manifestation of His power is what gives Him the right to grant us eternal life. It is also one foundational aspect of His glory.
We cannot explain His excellence. No one can explain God. Psalm 106:2 asks the question, “Who can speak of the mighty deeds of the LORD, or can show forth all His praise?” Even though we cannot speak for God without Him speaking through us, through His Spirit He has explained Himself in His word. It is not as important that we understand His glory, as it is that we comprehend the manifestation of that glory, accept it, and communicate His glory through the verbal expression of our salvation to others (Romans 1:16).
God’s appearance is like a consuming fire and anyone who looks upon God will die. Exodus 24:17 says, “And to the eyes of the sons of Israel, the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop.” Hebrews 12:29 adds this brief but all-encompassing statement, “for our God is a consuming fire.”
Spiritual Application:
Moses warned the people in Exodus 20:19 that if God spoke to them they would die. However, it is not important that we “look at” God physically. It is only necessary that we see what he has done for us. The almighty God who could crush us in so many ways decided instead to “crush” His own Son that we might escape the consuming fire and have eternal life instead. This is the manifestation of God’s glory. His glory has brought us life in Christ.
Lesson Within the Lesson:
How do we define God’s Glory? Study Isaiah 6:1-6.
How do we define God’s Grace? Read John 1:17 and Romans 5:1.
How is God’s Glory manifested? Read Romans 5:17
How is God’s Grace manifested? Read John 8:9-10.
[1] Charles Spurgeon, God’s Glory and Goodness, copyright public domain, spurgeongems.org/vols61-63/chs3448.pdf.
[2] Chuck Swindoll, The Glory of God, © 2017 Insight for Living Ministries. All rights reserved, store.insight.org/p-513-the-glory-of-god.aspx.
[3] C. S. Lewis, God’s Glory Quotes, christianquotes.info/images/c-s-lewis-quote-gods-glory-2.
[4] Merrill Fredrick Unger, The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, © 1988 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago.
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