Introduction
In his book “The knowledge of the Holy”, A.W. Tozer wrote that the Church has abandoned its high concept of God. It has been replaced with something low and unprincipled. This new concept is unworthy of worship. This was done unintentionally. It happened gradually and without knowledge, making the situation even more tragic. This loss of our sense of majesty has led to a further loss of awe and awareness of the divine. Tozer writes,
We have lost our spirit of worship and our ability to withdraw inwardly to meet God in adoring silence. Modern Christianity is simply not producing the kind of Christian who can appreciate or experience the life in the Spirit. The words, ‘Be still, and know that I am God,’ mean very little. They hold no significance to the self-confident, bustling worshiper in this middle period of the twentieth century.
The Bible presents God as the Majesty in the heavens. He is God the Father Almighty. He is the Maker of heaven and earth. He is the only wise God and Saviour.
In his book “Knowing God”, J.I Packer writes, that is crucially important to knowing who God really is. without this knowledge, the world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business. He says,
“Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfold, as it were , with no sense of direction, and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul.”
We need to once again know who God is as He revealed Himself in the Bible.
Over the last two weeks we learned about on God’s sovereignty and His Holiness. Once humbled before the God of heaven and earth Nebuchadnezzar proclaimed, in accord with the rest of the Bible,
“He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to Him: ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:34–35)
Isaiah fell face-down in the temple and cried out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.”
The same prophet declares,
“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counsellor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten Him, and who taught Him the right way? Who was it that taught Him knowledge, or showed Him the path of understanding?” (Isaiah 40:12–14)
My dear friends, this is God. He are gathered in His Name, and we worship Him. When we understand who God is, all human ideas about worship disappear. Let that sink in, we stand before the awe-inspiring, holy, glorious, loving, and gracious God. Listen to what John writes about Him:
“Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb. Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honour and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” (Revelation 7:10,12)
When we hear the Word about His glory today, let’s pray that this incredible God will help us understand Him better. As we learn more about Him, let’s pray that He will guide us in worshipping Him properly. We should do so with all the respect and honour He deserves.
The King of glory who is worthy of worship
When the Bible refers to the glory of God, it does so in at least two major meanings.
Splendour and Magnificence
The first is to refer to the majesty, magnificence, splendour and greatness.
The word used for glory in the Old Testament (in its literal sense) describes something heavy. Figuratively, it describes something meaningful, something worthy. In this sense the word is also used in the commandment, “Honour your father and your mother.” One’s parents are a gift from God, and as such, they demand respect and honour. Honour for one’s parents comes from honouring God. Leviticus 19:3 connects it together:
“Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:3, ESV)
To display something of Himself, God ordained that the garments of the High Priest should with a special design:
“And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.” (Exodus 28:2, ESV)
The priests, of course, were a mere shadow of the Christ who was to come to replace them. Of Him we read in Revelation:
“… and in the midst of the lampstands [I saw] one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last’” (Revelation 1:13–17, ESV)
Moses wanted to be assured that God is with them on their journey to the Promised Land. God’s presence with them would distinguish them from all other nations. He prayed that Gods would show him his glory. God answered:
“You cannot see my face, for man shall not see Me and live. Behold, there is a place where you shall stand on the rock, and while My glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with My hand until I have passed by.” (Exodus 33:20–22, ESV)
God’s glory cannot be described without reference to his holiness.
Thinking of God, remembering his deeds, and worshipping Him always leads to praise and exaltation. The Psalmist writes:
“Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!” (Psalm 72:19, ESV)
David in Psalm 63 prays to God,
“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.” (Psalm 63:1–4, ESV)
When David finds himself in a narrow place which he describes as “in the midst of lions” and ravenous beasts” he prays to God,
“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! (Psalm 57:5, ESV)
In another place David prayed to see the glory of God:
“All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth, and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord.” (Psalm 138:4–5, ESV)
As if he cannot say it enough, he repeats his song in Psalm 108:3-5:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!” (Psalm 108:3–5, ESV)
After the people had brought gifts for the building of the temple, David prayed to the Lord,
“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.” (1 Chronicles 29:11–13, ESV)
When the Temple was completed and the priests had to fulfil their duties, even before they could commence, we read about God’s glory:
“The priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.” (2 Chronicles 5:14, ESV)
Habakkuk sees into the future and prays:
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk 2:14, ESV)
Of Himself God declares:
“I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.” (Isaiah 42:8, NIV)
When God speaks of the salvation of his people, He does it in terms of his glory. He sent his people to captivity to test them and purify them for his glory. So He says,
For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another. (Isaiah 48:11, NIV)
This is a lesson for us to learn today. Sure, God is loving and kind. He is gracious to forgive sins. However, his glory demands total commitment.
He is the only God, so He is sovereign. Because He is sovereign, there is no One like Him. Since there is no One like Him, splendour, majesty, power, dominion, and magnificence surely belong to Him. Therefore, He demands that He would receive glory. He is glorious above all, but He does not share his glory with another.
He is a jealous God demanding undivided love
He gave us his commandments:
“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me” (Exodus 20:4–5, NIV)
What if God was not jealous? What if He would indeed share his glory with another? He would then not be loving, not gracious, not trustworthy, not sovereign – not GOD!
Before this jealous God TV presenter, Oprah, stood but and walked away – such a God she would not worship. She spent her time and energy telling others about different gods. These gods could not care less. They have no splendour and glory because they are products of man’s imaginations. They are worthless to help and surely not worthy of worship.
But our God is the God of Glory. Worship Him!
© Rev D. Rudi Schwartz
Naracoorte Presbyterian Church 