SEEING GOD’S GLORY!

Time with Jesus - Tuesday, 12 February 2013

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Hi all,

What do we know about the glory of God? Not a great deal. Two passages of Scripture spring to mind. The first is in Exodus where Moses asked God to show him His glory. The second was on the mountain of transfiguration when Peter, James and John saw Jesus transfigured, talking with Moses and Elijah. ² As the men watched, Jesus' appearance was transformed so that His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as light. Matthew 17:2 NLT

On another occasion, when Peter realised He was in the presence of Deity, Luke records ⁸ When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, "Oh, Lord, please leave me--I'm too much of a sinner to be around You.” Luke 5:8 NLT

There are other instances where men saw something of God’s glory. Against this backdrop, how would we react if we came close to the Glory of God? I suspect that if the experience didn’t kill us, we would be “scared spit-less”.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland  

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Tuesday, 12 February 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	Seeing God’s Glory!
God’s glory: This is what Moses asked to see. He had been having a discussion with God. That’s when Moses found the courage to ask Him to see His glory. I must confess, I have wondered what it was that Moses expected to see? The dialogue was as follows: 18 Moses responded, "Then show me Your glorious presence." 19 The LORD replied, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will call out My name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose. 20 But you may not look directly at My face, for no one may see Me and live." 21 The LORD continued, "Look, stand near Me on this rock. 22 As My glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove My hand and let you see Me from behind. But My face will not be seen." Exodus 33:18-23 NLT When we use the word “glory” or “glorious” we tend to think of something visibly impressive. For example, I remember that when I was a teenager, the “four minute mile” was thought of as almost impossible. No man had ever managed to run the mile in under four minutes. Many men had tried, but it was still thought of as a “bridge too far”. Then at about the same time as the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, Dr Roger Bannister achieved the impossible. The news of the achievement spread like wildfire. It was described as a “glorious” achievement. However, it wasn’t long before other athletes had followed Bannister’s achievement. Henceforth to run the mile in under four minutes was not quite as glorious. Was this the sort of thing Moses expected? It’s hard to state with any degree of certainty. We know that He had “seen” the Lord “in action”. The plagues, the opening of the Red Sea, these signs and others he had witnessed. So it would seem Moses expected something spectacular. I’m not Moses, but I confess that after seeing all these displays of God’s supreme ability, I’d expect to see something along those lines. But God’s ideas and man’s ideas are always different. We expect a King to be born in a palace, not a stable. We expect the king to be served. Jesus came as a servant. Almost everything we associate with “going up” in the world, God sees the very opposite in His Kingdom. 19 I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will call out My name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose. 20 But you may not look directly at My face, for no one may see Me and live." Exodus 33:19-20 NLT What was there about this that Moses could not see? He had already spoken face to face with the Lord. 11 Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting. Exodus 33:11 NLT Now I’m not trying to establish some new theology. But what I do suspect is that the glory of God is so different from anything we know, the full revelation would instantly annihilate us. What we have already “seen” is quite sufficient for us to serve Him and each other. In today’s meditation, I’ve tried to express the effect of God’s glory on mortals. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			17 The LORD answered Moses, "I will do what you have asked, because I am pleased with you, and I know you by name." 18 Then Moses said, "Please let me see your glory Exodus 33:17-18 GW 6 For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Cor 4:6 NLT 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 ESV 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. John 1:18 TNIV For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah. 1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Psalm 42:1-2 TNIV 7 Hear me as I pray, O LORD. Be merciful and answer me! 8 My heart has heard You say, "Come and talk with Me." And my heart responds, "LORD, I am coming” Psalm 27:7-8 NLT 15 Yes, even today when they read Moses' writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. 16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image 2 Cor 3:15-18 NLT 24 "Father, I want those you have given to me to be with me, to be where I am. I want them to see my glory, which you gave me because you loved me before the world was made. John 17:24 GW	We have never seen God’s glory; not while we are living here. We’d be blasted from existence, if His glory came too near. That is what the Lord told Moses. Certainly He got it right. But when God had passed right by him, Moses caught a tiny sight. It was not too overwhelming. Just enough so he could cope. Adequate to banish darkness and leave Moses filled with hope. Have I ever seen the Master? Frankly I would love to do. What for us is terrifying; Tell me if you’d like that too? Could I ever stand and take it, as the Lord of life appears? Just the concept is so scary it ignites my inner fears. That is why I’m vacillating. Can I do it? Will I die? Part of me is all a tremble, if His glory should draw nigh. Peter had a little sample, on his fishing boat that day. He’d already been out fishing. “It was useless” he could say. Then this wandering Jewish teacher told him to let down the nets. Then he got a load of fishes! He could settle all his debts! Then he turned and looked at Jesus. “Do not come too near to me. Sorry Lord, I am a sinner and You are Divinity. Do you comprehend his feelings? Part of Him would just rush in. But somehow he sensed the danger, brought about by all his sin. So he stood there and he wavered. “Dare I do it? No I can’t! Part of me want’s to embrace him. But I’m frightened and I shan’t”. Have you been in this position? If you have, what did you do? Did you kneel before the glory, of the One confronting you? I have often thought about it. Secretly it’s my desire. Just the very thought of Jesus, fills me with celestial fire. There is no one more important than my Lord and God to me. If Your glory will consume me. Even so Lord, let it be! Just like Peter, I’ve been sinful, in my sojourn in this place. But I know I long to see Him! Stand before Him face to face! Do I think that it will happen? Friend it is a certainty. Some day in my dying moment, Jesus Christ will come for me. Then His glory will not matter. Surely I’ll be dead and gone. But until that very instant, I’m content to soldier on. What about my friends and loved ones? What about my family? So I’m trusting in my Saviour. That He’ll take my wife and me. We will both behold His glory on that not so distant date. Go and be with Him forever! Not too early – not too late. Jim Strickland  Written 12th February 2012.