Now That’s What I Call Love: The Glory of Love

“The Glory of Love” was written by Peter Cetera, his wife Diane and David Foster. The song was originally submitted to a production company as the “trailer song” for Rocky IV. They rejected it…and it sat until the folks from Karate Kid II came calling.
Peter said the song was improved because of the level of heroic love and honor he witnessed in an early screening of the film. It immediately hit #1 on the Billboard charts and was nominated for awards from nearly every outlet.
This song is about The Glory of Love: wait-the glory of LOVE, who is love? Today, we are going to discuss the Glory of God (God’s Love).
When God made all that is, He did it with and for His glory.
The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Psalm 19:1 (NLT)
He even created us for and with His glory!
When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority—the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals,
the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. Psalms 8:3-8 (NLT)
Moses was called by God to save the Israeli people from slavery and bring the Israelites into a bountiful land of God’s promise. As he was leading the people, often God would talk to him about his job and requirements for the people of God.

One time, while he was communing with God, the Israelites built an idol and started worshipping it instead of God. God was so frustrated that He wanted to break from the people:
The Lord said to Moses, “Get going, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt. Go up to the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I told them, ‘I will give this land to your descendants.’ And I will send an angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. Go up to this land that flows with milk and honey. But I will not travel among you, for you are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I did, I would surely destroy you along the way.” Exodus 33:1-3 (NLT)
Any normal Joe Schmo would say “OK!” we’ll do this without you God…but the man who communed with the Lord regularly knew this was no good. Even the people knew something was wrong:
When the people heard these stern words, they went into mourning and stopped wearing their jewelry and fine clothes. For the Lord had told Moses to tell them, “You are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I were to travel with you for even a moment, I would destroy you. Remove your jewelry and fine clothes while I decide what to do with you.” So from the time they left Mount Sinai, the Israelites wore no more jewelry or fine clothes.
It was Moses’ practice to take the Tent of Meeting and set it up some distance from the camp. Everyone who wanted to make a request of the Lord would go to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp. (ANYONE could go!)
Whenever Moses went out to the Tent of Meeting, all the people would get up and stand in the entrances of their own tents. They would all watch Moses until he disappeared inside. As he went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and hover at its entrance while the Lord spoke with Moses. When the people saw the cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, they would stand and bow down in front of their own tents. 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 33:4-11 (NLT)
One day, while speaking with God, Moses was troubled and asked the Lord three times Exodus 33:12-17 (NLT) to please not leave them…to go with them and remain with them. God promised Moses that He knew him and would not leave them…then Moses made an audacious request, one that pumps me up:
Moses responded, “Then show me your glorious presence.” 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. But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.” The Lord continued, “Look, stand near me on this rock. 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. 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)
God was warning Moses that he wasn’t ready to witness the glory of Pure Love. Our sin separated us from God and took away our ability to witness the face of God. Remember, without the shedding of blood there can be no remission for sin…so he would immediately die!
There is a cost to giving glory to God! There is a price for the glory!
Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh. The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;
the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.” Moses immediately threw himself to the ground and worshiped. And he said, “O Lord, if it is true that I have found favor with you, then please travel with us. Yes, this is a stubborn and rebellious people, but please forgive our iniquity and our sins. Claim us as your own special possession.” Exodus 34:5-9 (NLT)
Did you notice the Lord spoke while He was presenting Himself to Moses? He was making declaration of Himself. Huh? Yes! God was telling Moses who He was…He was honoring Moses with His presence, but God will not be witnessed without acknowledgment. God will not be experienced properly without praise!
To allow Moses to exist in that moment, God spoke for him! THEN Moses followed suit and worshiped the Lord!
If you and I intend to experience the goodness of the Lord’s presence intimately, we must get accustomed to worshipping Him and glorifying our God!
Even when the prophet Daniel saw God: (Daniel 6) Things got real:
It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory! Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.
Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” Daniel 6:1-6 (NLT)
Daniel didn’t even get to see the face of God, yet he knew he was a dead man walking. Why? Daniel didn’t know the password! He knew that he didn’t pay the price to experience the glory of God. He was unclean…The price? The perfect sacrifice, the lamb…the Glory of Love was the Sacrifice of Jesus!
Isn’t it weird? Getting to the glory was gory!
About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on a mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly, two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. They were glorious to see. And they were speaking about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem.
Peter and the others had fallen asleep. When they woke up, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with him. As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, “Master, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But even as he was saying this, a cloud overshadowed them, and terror gripped them as the cloud covered them.
Then a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.” When the voice finished, Jesus was there alone. They didn’t tell anyone at that time what they had seen. Luke 9:28-36 (NLT)
The disciples liked to sleep during Christs prayer meetings…
The disciples were able to look upon the face of Christ, because His glory was not in His appearing…He dumbed down His appearance for our sake…that we might get to know the very heart of our God and get back to intimacy with God! In this ONE moment, Jesus allowed what was INSIDE of Him to be revealed and it left the disciples flabbergasted and talking crazy!
How do we experience the Glory of Love?
A. Repent from Sin.
The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!
When we come into faith with God, we become a habitation of the Spirit of God. He lives within our lives! (Trust me there’s room…remember that God-sized hole you tried to fill before?)
B. Shine His Light.
Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.
In the same way Christ was approachable to His disciples, we must be kind and loving to our community/world through the power of the Holy Spirit.
C. Live in Worship.
But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 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 Corinthians 3:7-18 (NLT)
If you feel like you’ve lost His presence and cannot experience His glory…the answer is right underneath your nose: WORSHIP!
Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. John 4:19-26 (NLT)
When is the last time you and I worshiped Him in Spirit and in Truth? What is truth? “I am the way, the truth and the life…” (Jesus, in John 14:6) When we worship Him in relationship with Him. Identifying Him in our praise.
Do you know the TRUTH?