The Glory of God at Christmas
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Introduction
Introduction
I read a book this year written by Dr. Jay Wellons. Dr. Wellons is a believer in Christ, and He is a pediatric neurosurgeon at Vanderbuilt where he also serves at the chief of pediatric neurosurgery.
I wanted to read the book because of my son’s medical history, and to be honest, I read a portion of it but had to put it down for awhile before finishing it.
In the book, Wellons outlines stories of children who face all sorts of neurological difficulties and the moment that his life collided with theirs.
In one particular story, he tells the story of Megan who had a clot in her brain that caused fluid to build up on the brain. They tried to drain her head of fluid, but when that didn’t work as well as expected, they took her to the OR and removed a clot the size of a plum. The little girl could not move her body for awhile after surgery, but she eventually was about to walk and talk and went back to life as normal.
Dr. Wellons doesn’t go into gruesome detail about the stories, but the details that he does tell show you how spectacular what he does actually is.
What struck me about this story is what happened to Wellons years later. Years later, he was at a local triathlon with his children, and he saw Megan. Megan was competing in the event and did very well. She crossed the finish line, and as he greeted her, she told her children everything that had happened to her and the role their father had played in her life.
She crossed the finish line, and as he greeted her, she told her children everything that had happened to her and the role their father had played in her life.
“My daughter looked back and forth from Megan, a girl her age, to me, and for the first time saw the reality behind the stories that she occasionally heard at the dinner table.”
Wellons daughter saw the weight of her father. Who he was and what he was capable of doing. Someone else had to help her see it.
The angels helped the shepherds see the weight of Jesus. The bigness, the power, and the awe inspiring nature of who He was. In a way, they can do the same for us.
Today, we want to see that glory and be forever changed.
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
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Explanation
Explanation
What is the glory of God? The glory of God is His greatness on display. It is the weight or the substance of who He is. However, the fullness of the word, according to Biblical scholars is impossible to define. It is references several ways in the Scriptures.
The glory of God refers to God, himself.
James 2:1 “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” The literal translation is “our Lord Jesus Christ, THE glory.”
The glory of God includes his attributes.
We can look at the things that God does and say, in everything, “That is glorious.” God’s grace, holiness, goodness, love, faithfulness, justice, omniscience, omnipotence, etc. etc. etc.
We can’t do that about anything else or anyone else.
The glory of God at times is the manifest presence of God.
In Isaiah 6, the fearsome beings, the angels that surrounded the throne of God as he descended to talk to Isaiah had six wings and they were all covering parts of their body.
Standing in the presence of God these beings were still too covering themselves in an act of humility.
Revelation 21:23 “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.”
The glory of God refers to what we aught to do in worship. We glory in God.
We see this in the singing of the angels. Why does that matter?
Singing helps us to express things that mere words cannot. That is why we sing in church.
What frustrates me in preaching sometimes is I begin to prepare for a message, and I read something that has happened in the Bible and realize that my single voice cannot communicate the gravity of, the weight of what is being relayed in the text.
When you love a girl what is better - to tell her you love her or to write her a song? You write her a song, because a song can express more than words can express.
The angels had already told the shepherds everything they needed to know. They sang to express the greatness of it.
Today I want to hone in a specific point. The glory of God is the goal of God.
The ultimate goal of God is His glory. God is for the display of His glory.
God is not man-centric in his ends. He is God-centric in His ends.
The glory of God - the sheer magnitude of his being is the greatest, most powerful, and most wonderful reality in the world. And God invites is to share in that with him.
How much better is that truth than God simply wanting to serve your ends?
Notice that the angels were singing. Why does that matter?
The ultimate goal for my life and your life is that we might know and savor the glory of God.
WCF: The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Those are not two mutually exclusive ends.
Singing helps us to express things that mere words cannot. That is why we sing in church.
John Piper in fact modifies: The chief end of man is to glorify God BY enjoying Him forever.
I am afraid that many of our Christmases will be far too small.
When you love a girl what is better - to tell her you love her or to write her a song? You write her a song, because a song can express more than words can express.
What I am not saying:
I am not saying that you won’t have enough food to eat.
I am not saying that you won’t have enough traditions and activities
I am not saying that you won’t have all of the right presents.
I am not saying that you won’t have all of your family home for Christmas.
I am not saying that you won’t enjoy Christmas or you won’t have fun.
I am saying that for many of you, Christ is an accessory to your Christmas. And because He is an accessory, you will enjoy something MUCH less than what God intends for you.
Songs have the ability to etch the lyrics to our brains in ways that other things cannot. You can remember a million song lyrics before you can remember any other basic thing you had to memorize in highschool.
What is the glory of God? The glory of God is the weight or the substance of who He is.
Worship is the apex of our existence.
James 2:1 “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.”
The glory of God is bigger than anything you could imagine for yourself.
Why does the glory of God matter at Christmas? Jesus Christ is the literal reflection of the glory of God.
Have you ever walked away from a moment where you received everything you ever wanted and felt empty? It’s because you were made for something, truly Someone bigger than you.
That feeling doesn’t mean that you need to taper your expectations on your life, but rather, you need to find the One who is worthy of your life. Only then will your life make sense.
You were created for God. So many people place expectations on God. “I will only serve God if He will do ___.” “I could never follow a God who does ___.”
God is God whether you ever believe Him or not.
His glory is not diminished by your lack of assent to who He is.
But what is better for you, honestly? That God would line up with what YOU want? Or that you would line up your life with the God of the universe - submitting yourself to Him and his perfect plan for you?
What good is life if you have a full stomach and an empty heart? If you have every appetite full and, yet, you still feel meaningless.
I want to point you to the only One with the ability to save your life.
That is Jesus Christ.
Invitation
Invitation
The answer of course is Christ.
We respond to Him either to reject his glory or to share in it.
Psalm 24:7–8 “Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!”