Don’t Forget God’s Glory

  1. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock at night.
  2. And lo, the Angel of the Lord came upon them, and the Glory of the Lord shined round about them: and they were sore afraid.
  3. And the Angel said unto them, “fear not: for behold I bring you good news of great joy, which shall be to all people.”
  4. “For unto you is born this Day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ The Lord.”
  5. “And this shall be a sign to you, you will find The Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
  6. And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God, and saying,
  7. “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
    Luke 2:8-14
    When we Forget God’s Glory
    There are times when mankind must be reminded that God does all things after the council of His own Will and for His own Glory. While humans are the recipients of Grace, that does not constitute the sole purpose for God’s Goodness. God is good and merciful because that is His nature. Far too many believers make the mistake of being more interested in what God has to give rather than showing interest in Who God is. Many do not realize that without the Giver there would be no gift. We are therefore left with a very important and relevant question in our day: what brings God glory?

As we prepare for the Christmas season and the celebration of Christ’s birth, we must face another painful question. Do we really have peace on earth? Everywhere you turn there is distress among nations. Everywhere you turn there are wars and rumors of wars. We have war in Ukraine. We have war in Palestine. We have war in Syria. There are fightings in our streets. Mass shootings in our schools. Drug trafficking is taking place in our land. Human trafficking is threatening the safety of our children. Where is the peace on earth? My argument is that we have forgotten God’s glory and because of that fatal error, the peace that we would celebrate is now far out of reach. My argument is that mankind has cast aside God’s glory. Since we have cast aside God’s Glory, there is nothing else that can usher in a day of calmness, completeness, and blessings. Since we have disregarded God’s Glory, we have also failed to see that peace can only come through God’s presence.

Without God’s presence, nothing else will cause a ceasefire on earth. The Lord God Almighty is the Only One Who can implement a lasting peace agreement. It will be God and God alone, Who will cause mankind to beat their swords into plowshares and study war no more. In order for that to happen, people all over the world must turn again and remember the Glory of God.

Ways to Remember God Glory?
Let us reflect on the ways we can remember God’s Glory. Luke references ‘The Glory of the Lord’ two times as he describes what happened on the night of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. The first announcement of God’s Glory is in the appearance of the Angel from Heaven. And lo, the Angel of the Lord came upon them, and the Glory of the Lord shined round about them: and they were sore afraid. Those who simply glance read will miss this important revelation and assume that the Angel was the Glory of God. The first does not read that way. The Angel came upon them AND the Glory of the Lord shined round about them. In other words, God’s Glory was with the Angel as well as upon the Angel. We should never miss that. So often, we fail to see the Glory of the Lord because of distractions and other things demanding our attention. The Bible declares that the whole earth is filled with God’s Glory. Psalm 72:19. With this we share the first principle in remembering God’s Glory and that is simply to pay attention to God’s Glory. Make no mistake about it, sooner or later, everyone will see God, but only those who are blessed will behold the Glory of the Lord. The sinner will see God one day, but He will not see God in a good way unless they repent. The big business man will one day see God and their riches will not be able to redeem them on that day. The wicked will all see God, but it will be too late. For that reason, we must pay attention when God reveals His Glory. God is preparing us so that we will be able to hear His Message. Giving God our full attention brings Him Glory and ultimately, blessings to us.

Luke also announced God’s Glory in the proclamation of the Angelic Host. And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God and saying … “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Here we have the second principle in remembering God’s Glory. If the Angels proclaimed God’s Glory for a benefit that humans would receive, how much more should mankind proclaim God’s Glory for the blessing it brings.

Proclaiming God’s Glory is more than a simple thank you or an expression of appreciation. Proclaiming God’s Glory is to ascribe full credit to the Lord alone for His mighty act of Salvation. This was no ordinary event. The Lord of all Creation was announcing the greatest message of all time. What else could we do except give God all the credit, the honor, and the praise. For that reason, we should make this Christmas and every Christmas, going forward, the glorious time of celebration as we remember God’s Glory.

The Shepherds found God’s Glory
Please note that of all the people on earth that should have been paying attention to God’s message, it was the shepherds that Luke writes about. The kings and princes, the noble and the rich, were all occupied doing other things and they missed God’s announcement from Heaven. The warriors and mighty men, the young and the old, were not tuned in to what the Lord said on that glorious night. It was only a few shepherds who gathered on the hillside near Bethlehem that God revealed His greatest move in human history. The Bible scholars of that day did not know. The scientific minds did not see it. Just the shepherds: they were the ones that God told first that the Savior had come into the world. While we are not told why, I believe there are several good assumptions that we can offer. First, the good news was for everyone, including the lowly and unimportant people. Second, the good news was for those who needed to hear the wonderful message of peace on earth. That message is certainly needed in our troubled world today. But sadly, it is only received by those who have an open heart as well as an open mind. There is a third reason why, I believe God shared this message with the shepherds first. The good news leads us on a journey to find God’s Glory and then to share it with others. Let’s observe how the shepherds remembered to give God Glory.

Someone has said, it is not how much you receive in life that matters, but it is what you do with what you have received. In other words, getting something is not as important as doing something with what you have.

The shepherds responded to the message from Heaven. Luke follows up with the shepherds in a post-Angelic observation and notes that while they pondered the miraculous event, they decided to go and search for the Christ Child. With many religious people, seeing the Angels would have satisfied their religious appetite. Some people just love the excitement of praise and worship. Some people just love the joy of greeting fellow believers. Other people enjoy the formality of the worship atmosphere. To those that just enjoy these religious activities, I would say, there is much more that you are missing. God has a special blessing for those who will look deeper and strive for a closer walk. When you seek the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul, God reveals the full measure of His Grace and Power.

The shepherds responded by leaving their activities in search of the Savior. And it came to pass as the Angels were gone away from them into Heaven, the shepherds said one to another, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing, which is come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us” … and they came with haste and found Mary, and Joseph, and the Baby lying in a manger. Luke 2:15-16. Please note the urgency of their mission to find Christ. They got in a hurry. As a result, the God was glorified. Whenever we respond to God with enthusiasm and an eagerness, this honors the Lord.

Not only did the shepherds glorify God through their response to find Christ, but they also honored God by making known what they had seen. Luke 2:17 tells us, when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning This Child. Many will miss the Glory of God through something known as sensationalism. This is simply where people will take a good testimony and make it about them. While God can and will certainly bless us, the story is not about us. The story is about what God has done and in that context we can certainly say that we have been blessed. Our task as believers is very simple. It is to know God and then to make Him known. When we see the Glory of God, we can let others know what we have seen, what it changed in our life, and then tell them how to find it. When we make God known, that gives God glory.

Finally, the shepherds glorified God as they returned to their task of shepherding the sheep. Luke 2:20, and the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. The shepherds kept reliving that precious moment by offering praise to God Almighty. Praise, despite the opinions of some, is not a religious exercise. Praise is the foundation for helping us recall the good things of the Lord. When we remember God’s Goodness, we offer praise. When we think about His Salvation, we offer praise. When we realize how far God has brought us on this spiritual journey, we offer praise. Praise is breathing in the wonder and splendor of God’s Glory, but then giving that Glory back to God with heartfelt thanks.

In Psalm 34:1, we’re admonished to bless the Lord at all times. Why? We praise God at all times because God is good all the time. Remembering to give God Glory keeps us on point with what we are supposed to be doing in this life. It is a reminder that there is something more than the daily routine of ordinary living. Any time we are willing to honor God, the Glory of God is sure to appear. I believe that those shepherds kept praising an honoring God because that was their way of allowing God’s Glory to fill their hearts.

I don’t know the situations and circumstances of others, but from my own life, I have learned that offering praise is how we see everything in the light of God’s Glory. We need not think that life is hopeless because God has revealed His Glory and it is in His Son, Jesus the Christ. As we look to Jesus we see our Blessed Hope. As we look to Jesus, we see our Great Salvation. As we look to Jesus, we see God’s Glory.

Historian and researcher Christine Weerts told the story behind the song, The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Chaplain Charles McCabe and his 122 Ohio Volunteer Unit were in a confederate prison in 1863 when they heard the news that the Union Army had defeated the Confederate forces at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Although many of them were suffering from injuries, sickness, and the perils of imprisonment, they began to sing this song in the prison. Mine eyes have seen the Glory of the Coming of the Lord. He is tramping out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored. He has loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword. His Truth is marching on. Glory, Glory, Hallelujah. Glory, Glory, Hallelujah. Glory, Glory, Hallelujah – His Truth is marching on. One year later, in 1864, Chaplain McCabe was invited to an event at the Capital in Washington D.C. after being released from Libby prison with typhoid fever. President Abraham Lincoln and all others in attendance heard McCabe as he stood to his feet and sung that hymn. People began to weep and stand to their feet in praise as they chorus was sung over and over. Glory, Glory, Hallelujah. Glory, Glory, Hallelujah. Glory, Glory, Hallelujah – His Truth is marching on. The President rose to his feet in tears and simply said, “Sing it again.” When you remember God’s Glory, it can take you through the deepest valley. When you remember God’s Glory, it can help you through the darkest night. When you remember God’s Glory, it will enrich your life in so many ways and fill you with The Lord’s Peace. The only way for there to be any peace on earth is that it must come as a result of God’s Glory. Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Some of you remember that this same hymn was referenced by Dr. Martin Luther King during his final sermon. On April 3, 1968, the night before he was murdered, he told Memphis crowds:
Like anybody, I would like to live a long life.
Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now.
I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain.
And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you.
But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!
“And so I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man!
For ‘mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!’

May this message of the Glory of God fill your heart this Christmas. May the Peace of God be with you as you give God the Glory that is due to His Holy Name. May you indeed see His Glory, worship Him because of His Glory, and may you share His Glory both now and forever. Amen.