Glory That Shines Series

Sometimes, you need a wingman. That’s the pilot term for your partner in the air - the guy who flies alongside you to help you, and you help him.

Sometimes, you just need another person alongside you to help you through - a 2nd set of ears at the doctor’s office; a witness to the business deal; someone to plead your case before a judge; a person with experience when you sit down with a contract.

Or, maybe you’re leading a nation across the Sinai Desert and you really have no idea what you’re doing at times. That was Moses. And Moses was feeling the pressures of leadership and inexperience. So he told the Lord, “Please, Lord, if You’re presence isn’t with us, please don’t make us go.” Then he asked a favor: “Show me Your glory.”

Exodus 33:19-23

And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

God did as He said, and Moses was allowed to look upon at least a part of God’s glory. Only, it had to be filtered. No one can look at the full glory of God and live.

Isaiah also saw the Lord’s glory. It was in a vision of some kind when God called him to be a prophet, and Isaiah wrote about It.

Isaiah 6:1-5

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

Both of those scenes begin to give us some appreciation for the real gravity of God’s glory.

We’ve been following the theme of light in the Christmas story, and today I want us to look together at the true source of that light: the glory of God.

We use this word “glory” in a light of different ways; so does the Bible. But the chief way the Bible uses it is when it speaks about the ways God shows His greatness.

Follow the light in the Christmas story, and that’s what happens in fields outside of Bethlehem the night that Jesus is born.

Luke 2:8-14 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

The night that we’re focusing on here right now, God pulled back the shades a little and made this an occasion to shine a bit of His glory. It’s not something that happens every day, but you’ll see with me how it was very fitting for what the Lord was doing.

It was an appropriate time for God’s glory to shine

Ill - Up until just a few years ago, Tom Bodett was the spokesperson for Motel 6 - the cheaper alternative to many of the other hotel chains. Bodett promised, “We’ll leave the light on for you.” It’s a way of saying, “We’re going to make an extra effort for you to feel welcomed here.” No one wants to show up to stay at a place where the lights are all turned off. It’s very appropriate to turn on the lights for guests when you expect them to come visit.