Bring Back The Glory

Introduction

In 1952 dad led our family to an unforgettable church. This church, where I was later saved, was a phenomenal place. Great preaching was heard at every service. Great singing was always heard. Prayer meetings were constant. But the one thing that I remember most about this place was the worship.

There was an "Amen" corner. As many as 50 men would sit to one side and they would stir the choir and the preacher with their "amens."

The most amazing part was that at almost every service the Spirit of the Lord, the holy ghost, would bring the church into a tremendous worship.

The "glory" was there. Glory is defined as: 1) to think, to suppose, to be of opinion 2) to praise, to extol, to magnify, to celebrate 3) to honor, to do honor to, to hold in honor 4) to make glorious, to adorn with lustre, to clothe with splendor 5) to impart glory to something, to render it excellent 6) to make renowned, to render illustrious, to cause the dignity and worth of some person or thing to become manifest and acknowledged. The glory of God is the sense of his presence and the sight of his power. We certainly need to get back to the presence and power of God. We need to get back to the old fashioned style of worship that David talked about in Psalm 63:1-2, "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. (KJV)

Notice where he saw the power and glory - in the sanctuary.

In our text today we note that Peter introduces glorious worship. Peter shares three divisions of glorious worship: Overpowering passion, Overwhelming power and Overflowing praise.

I. Overpowering Passion

Look at the phrase, " whom having not seen "

What is this passion that grips a man's heart? It is a deep-rooted, Holy Spirit birthed, love for the Lord. Paul said that the love for Christ constrained him. It is remarkable that someone could get so many to love him. After all none of us today have ever seen him. And think of all those before us who never saw him. But, we love Him! with out all of those people to have never seen him. Why do we love him so?

A. First Love

We love him because he first loved us. We did not set out to seek him; it is he sought us. We did not want salvation; he created the hunger in us for salvation! He loved us first

Imagine the following letter from Jesus, "I had to write to tell you how much I love you and care for you. Yesterday, I saw you walking and laughing with your friends; I hoped that soon you'd want me to walk along with you, too. So, I painted you a sunset to close your day and whispered a cool breeze to refresh you. I waited -- you never called -- I just kept on loving you. As I watched you fall asleep last night, I wanted to touch you. I spilled moonlight onto your face -- trickling down your cheeks as so many tears have. You didn't even think of me; I wanted so much to comfort you. The next day I exploded a brilliant sunrise into glorious morning for you. But you woke up late and rushed off to work -- you didn't even notice. My sky became cloudy and my tears were the rain. I love you, oh, if you'd only listen. I really love you. I try to say it in the quiet of the green meadow and in the blue sky. The wind whispers my love throughout the treetops and spills it into the vibrant colors of all the flowers. I shout it to you in the thunder of the great waterfalls and compose love songs for birds to sing for you. I warm you with the clothing of my sunshine and perfume the air with nature's sweet scent. My love for you is deeper than any ocean and greater than any need in your heart. If you'd only realize how I care. My dad sends his love. I want you to meet him -- he cares, too. Fathers are just that way. So, please; call on me soon. No matter how long it takes, I'll wait -- because I love you. Your Friend, Jesus."

B. Faith Love

I have never seen him but I have by faith seen his love - in saving me, in saving others, in settling a life, and in defeating sin. I have never seen him but I have by faith felt his love - in troubled times and in tedious times. I have never seen him but I have by faith heard his love - in burdens lifted and in blessings shared!

We have an overpowering passion for Christ that brings the "glory" of his presence and power into our worship and lives. If we are not experiencing the "glory" maybe we are not overpowered with passion for him.

"I love you, not only for what you are -- but for what I am when I am with you.

I love you, not only for what you have made of yourself -- but for what you are making of me.

I love you, for the part of me that you bring out.

I love you, for putting your hand into my heaped-up heart and passing over all the foolish, weak things that you can't help dimly seeing there, and for drawing out into the light all the beautiful belongings that no one else had looked quite far enough to find.

I love you, because you are helping me to make of the lumber of my life, not a tavern, but a temple; out of works of my every day -- not a reproach, but a song." - Roy Croft

II. Overwhelming Power

Notice the phrase, "In whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing..."

Even though we don't see him now we know that he will always be. It creates for us an overwhelming trust. This trust is overwhelming in these three ways.

A. The Future of our Salvation

John 6:37 states, "all that the father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (KJV)

Look at John 6:39, "And this is the father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." (KJV)

B. The Future of our Sanctification

Read Philippians 1:6, ..."being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ..."

C. The Future of our Security

We read in Hebrews 13:5, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

There is an old story of a father who took his young son out and stood him on the railing of the back porch. He then went down, stood on the lawn, and encouraged the little fellow to jump into His arms. "I'll catch you," the father said confidently. After a lot of coaxing, the little boy finally made the leap. When he did, the father stepped back and let the child fall to the ground. He then picked his son up, dusted him off, and dried his tears. "Let that be a lesson," he said sternly. "Don't ever trust anyone." Bernie May, "Learning To Trust"

III. Overflowing Praise

Notice the phrase, "Ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory."

When our passion for Christ is stirred, when our trust in him is at its peak, our worship of him will overflow. Note two ways it overflows.

A. Inexpressible Joy

Here are some challenges for you. Describe the feelings you had when you had your first kiss. Tell how you felt when you brought your first child home from the hospital. Or, describe how you felt when you graduated. How about how you felt when you saw your bride coming down the aisle? It is hard to put into words, isn't it?

A. Unspeakable Joy

The word "aneklaletos" found in 1 Peter 1:8, denotes "unable to be told out" (eklaleo, "to speak out"), due to the believer's joy.

B. Immeasurable Glory

When we try to limit God's glory we are in trouble. We had better let him bring his glory into full array. We better not limit our ways of glorifying him.

"I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. If it were possible for a created soul fully to 'appreciate,' that is, to love and delight in, the worthiest object of all, and simultaneously at every moment to give this delight perfect expression, then that soul would be in supreme blessedness. To praise God fully we must suppose ourselves to be in perfect love with God, drowned in, dissolved by that delight which, far from remaining pent up within ourselves as incommunicable bliss, flows out from us incessantly again in effortless and perfect expression. Our joy is no more separable from the praise in which it liberates and utters itself than the brightness a mirror receives is separable from the brightness it sheds." C.S. Lewis