To God Be The Glory

Introduction

Great things he had done so not be the world that he gave us his son who gives in a light and a consequences and all may go in, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear his voice, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice, oh God, to the Father, through Jesus, the Son, and give him the glory, great things he has done, oh victory and shun, purchase of blood to every promise of God the laws the pander who lived with bearing with Jesus of heart great things, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear his voice, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rajo, oh come to the Father, through Jesus the Son, and give him the glory.

Great things he had done. Great thing he has taught us. Great things he has done. And bring our rejoicing through Jesus and higher. And greater will be our wonder our transform with Jesus. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Let the earth hit his voice. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Let the paper to the Father. Through Jesus the Son. And give him the glory. Praise Hat Heath.

This will be the last Sunday that we see Ariel for a while. As she’ll be headed to Tampa, Florida, to begin college at Florida College. And for a couple of days, we’ll be staying with my sister and brother-in-law. Which they live right next door to the college. And we wish you well in this new journey of your life. Ariel doesn’t know this maybe, but when she comes back to visit us, she’s not going to be the same person. She’s going to change a lot. We love you for who you are now. And you have been a big part of the last couple of years of our work here. And we’re going to miss you and wish you well. But you’re going to have a great time.

We are so blessed to have so many wonderful young people who worship in this place. You are a blessing to our work. And we don’t ever want to overlook you. Because you are so significant. And it’s good to see every person here today. We have sung some wonderful things already. And that last song meant more to me today than it ever has because of the lesson that I’m preaching. Our wonder and transport. Whoa. When Jesus we see. That is well crafted, that phrase.

1. The Reason Why You Exist

No, not why you’re here in this building necessarily, but why you’re here on this planet, which pertains to why you’re in this building. I want to talk to you about the reason why you exist. You need to know why it is that you exist. And the reason everything exists. And they all exist for the exact same reason. And that is as we have sung. To God be the glory. It is the ultimate goal of the entire created world. When Paul breaks forth into praise in Romans 11, one of my favorite few verses in the book of Romans, where he says, How unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable his ways. That’s a mouthful right there. And then when he goes on to say in verse 36, in this incredible mind blowing, only God can this be said about.

Amen. In Isaiah 43 and verse 7, it is noted that everyone who is called by my name, God says, and whom I have created for my glory. We’ve answered the question. Everyone whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made. Proverbs 16 and verse 4. The Lord made everything for his purpose. The questions of man. Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? Find their common denominator in the glory of God. And so we sing aptly so. Praise him from whom all blessings flow. Praise God. To God be the glory, great things he hath done. Glorify His name. Praise the Lord, for He is glorious. Never shall His promise fail. But what does it mean? What is God’s glory?

2. What Is God's Glory?

Well, it is the very essence of God. It is the weight of His importance. It is the radiance of His splendor. It is the demonstration of His power. It is the atmosphere of His presence, and it is the expression of His goodness. It is intrinsically everything that is God. That is His glory. Well, somebody says, Where then is God’s glory? The answer is just look around. It’s everywhere. From the smallest forms of life to the vast number of stars in the Milky Way galaxy. From the brilliant sunsets and stars to the storms and seasons. From the animal kingdom, its variety and enchantment to the plant world in its extravagant beauty and color, and from the tiny little baby, whose screams, I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

And thus we sing, O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds thy hands have made. I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, thy power throughout the universe displayed. What’s the appropriate response to that? Then sings my soul, how great thou art. The glory of God. Throughout history, God has demonstrated his glory in very personal ways. He demonstrated that glory at the burning bush when he spoke to Moses, and to all of Israel at Mount Sinai when the smoke ascended, and the mountain quaked, and the thunder rolled, and to the children of Israel, when he made his presence known by the cloud, as his glory filled the temple, and through the church was made known the manifold wisdom of God, and thus to him belongs the glory in the church, both now and forever.

Amen. Ephesians 3, verses 10 through 21. When Jesus came to this earth, he brought glory. Because he was God, according to John chapter 1, because in him was life, and that life was the light of men, and the light shined in the darkness, but the darkness comprehended it not. John 1, verses 4 and 5. Jesus was a reflection of the glory of God because he was God Himself, and yet so many did not observe it. They did not see it. Because of the blinders over their eyes. But as John says in John 1 and verse 14, the word became flesh, and we beheld his glory. As Carl prayed.

Romans chapter 3 and verse 23. For all have sinned and done what? We often don’t look at this very carefully. We’ve fallen short. But what have we fallen short of? The glory of God, he says. And yet, through Jesus, and this is the point of the book of Romans, we can find our justification and return to the glory that God intended. We’ve already seen in Ephesians 3 and verse 21. To him be the glory in the church, both now and forever. Amen. But at the latter part of the book of Jude, in Jude verses 24 and 25.

Are you there? The book of Jude? The last two verses. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling. And to make you stand in the presence of his glory, blameless with great joy to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever. Amen. Do you see a theme running throughout the scripture? Man has sinned, fallen short of the glory of God, but Jesus restores us to a position where we can give God the glory that he deserves, and he is able to keep us from stumbling and to make us stand in the presence of his glory. Okay. Why do you exist? That’s where we started. You got it? We exist.

We were formed for God’s glory. And because we are the restored and the redeemed of God, those of us who have put our faith in Jesus Christ as we have sung, we are now in a position to glorify him again.

3. Is My Life Bringing Glory to God?

So what one thing needs to be overriding in our thoughts, supreme in our thoughts above everything else. What one thing is paramount and everything else is secondary to it? Is my life bringing glory to God? Am I living in such a way that God is glorified? And wow, doesn’t it say that in 1 Corinthians 10 verse 31? Whether then you eat or drink, the simplest things of life that we do a lot, like every day. And your stomach is saying it’s about time to do it again. Whether then you eat or drink or whatever you do, that’s just about everything, isn’t it? Do all to the glory of God. Well, how do you do that? We’re going to answer that in a moment. But here’s the question this is it about our lives.

Does this bring glory to God? Does this please him? Those thoughts are all over. Both the old and particularly the new covenant, the new testament. Whatever thing you do, eating or drinking or whatever you do all to the glory of God. That’s why he made you. If you’re not doing that in your life, it’s a wreck. It’s a shipwreck. It’s the Titanic, but worse. It’s that bad. It’s like running at a hundred miles an hour right into that brick wall back there. That would not be a pleasant thing to witness or to do. Because you know what happens when you run into a brick wall like that? You come to a very sudden stop. And it’s ugly. That is what happens to everyone who does not come to grips with and does not realize his or her purpose in life.

4. Glorify God When Times Are Good and Not Good

And there should be a tremendous benefit from realizing that I am in touch with my purpose. Okay, before we get to some of the nuts and bolts of this, there are two truths about the glory of God and our glorifying him that we need to focus on. Number one. Truth number one, we need to glorify God when times are good. In Psalm 145, verses 1 through 3. Incidentally, I was reading this morning about our class. This is your preview for next Sunday morning. Haggai, it is believed that the minor prophets Haggai and Zachariah were involved in the penning of these particular psalms. Psalm 145 through 148. And so this is a time when God is restoring the fortunes of his people. And it says, I will extol thee, my God, O King.

This psalm is actually attributed to David. Actually, 146 through 148 are the Psalms, but they’re in the same vein as David’s Psalm here. I will extol thee, my God, O King. Every day I will bless thee. Psalm 146, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord while I live. I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. When times are good, we need to praise God. You know, our lives experience a lot of ups and downs. Some days are like mountaintops, some days are filled with joy. Like yesterday when my son got a phone call that he had finally gotten a job. There was celebration, a mountaintop day. Glorify God when times are good. But you know where I’m going with the second truth, don’t you?

We must also glorify God when times are not good. If you flip back one book to the book of Job, when the devil says, Oh, you put a hedge about Job. And then Job is tested. But he said, The Lord gave and the Lord is taken away. Verse 21, blessed be the name of the Lord. That’s what we learn from the example of Job. Even when things are not good, in times of both delight and distress. Perhaps it is a day struggling with children and feeling overwhelmed. A day facing hardship. The health of a loved one is lost. Or you’re nursing them back to health. Or a day when the word cancer comes into your vocabulary. Or perhaps the word divorce. When the rains ascend and the floods come.

5. Ways in Which I Can Glorify God

But there are lessons to be learned in the midst of those days of distress. What are some God-honoring lessons that we learn in the flood when times are not so good? We learn that we’re not in control. We learn that people are more important than possessions, and we can dismiss the stuff that is truly insignificant, and that God gave man an indomitable spirit, and that things change in an instant, and we can thank him for our safety. And after the storm, there is always hope. Can God be glorified when times are less than ideal? Absolutely. Well, how can I? What are five ways in which I can glorify God? We must live according to the purpose for which he has created us. What did Jesus say?

I glorify thee on the earth. He said to the Father in John 17 and verse 4, because I have accomplished the work which you have given me to do. And so when we live in accordance with our purpose, we glorify God. You ever thought about how birds glorify God? Birds glorify God when they fly and they chirp and they build nests. Eagles glorify God when they soar majestically through the sky. Ants glorify God when they work diligently and do the stuff that ants do. And men glorify God when they do the stuff people are designed to do.

And do not pursue the stuff that brings glory to God. We need to do people stuff. People stuff. And I’m not talking about the stuff that doesn’t bring glory to God that we see everywhere all around us. I’m talking about the people stuff that God created us to do. That is living on purpose. Oh, what is that exactly? Secondly, when we worship Him, isn’t it amazing that what we’re doing today puts us more in touch with our purpose than anything else that we do? It’s beyond just this day of assembly. But what we’re doing together in a corporate way, collectively, we’re not just executing a worship service, trying to please a demanding God. We’re living in touch with the very purpose that God made this thing, my body.

Isn’t it amazing? As we were singing to God be the glory, I was thinking, I’m singing this as loud as I can. And it’s amazing that I’ve been singing songs ever since I was a little boy, and I can still sing. Isn’t that amazing that I haven’t worn it out yet? And plus all the preaching that I do. And I get to talk so loud in a pulpit that I blast people out of the pews. Not like Steve, but still very loud. Here I am using this voice all the time, pushing it to its limits, and singing, and I’m still able to do that. And we’re using our voices and making these melodious sounds, some more melodious than others in this assembly. In fact, I’m glad you can hear Sherry and not me because it’s more melodious.

But we’re able to sing these beautiful, and some of these songs are so well crafted, they’re so beautiful, and we’re singing these things to God. And when we humble ourselves, not just because we bow our heads, but we bow our minds, understanding who we are and who he is. And we’re communicating with our Creator and thanking him for our lives and our hope. And when we remember the greatest event that’s ever happened on the face of the earth, all of history pointed to it, and here we are memorializing it as God instructed. And we’re doing like David and the people did. God, you’ve blessed us that we can be this generous in supporting his efforts and that which brings him glory and praise. And we can proclaim the gospel, the good news, and we can buckle down for 30 minutes and listen to a message from God’s word.

Folks, that’s why we’re here.

And when we love his people, that’s an outgrowth of the fact that God has made us able to stand and we can glorify him. We can serve his people, and that glorifies as well. Romans 15 and verse 7. I did an article on this recently, and I looked down at Romans 15, and you might have picked up a copy of it. Romans 15 and verse 7, when it says, and this is this seems so simple, but it’s not always easily carried out. Wherefore, accept one another. Accept.

Just as Christ accepted us. That’s how you do it. How did he accept you? Warts and all. Yeah, we’re changing slowly at times. Just as Jesus accepted us to the glory of God, when we accept one another. But wait, brother, so and so is hard to get along with. Wait just a second. Sister, she rubs me the wrong way. Love them anyway.

Wait. Our preacher gets on my nerves. Don’t laugh at that.

Love him anyway. Accept one another to the glory of God. And so when we worship him and serve his people, we glorify him. And when we serve others with the talents and the variety of abilities that God has endowed us with, we glorify him. We’re using what he gave us to further his cause and his glory, and when we tell others what God has done.

6. Three Concluding Questions About the Glory

Three concluding questions to this lesson about the glory. And to God be the glory. What does all of this mean in practical terms? Well, you glorify God when you are unsure. And yet you seek him and wait for his response. We glorify God when a decision is to be made, perhaps a job, a move, a mate. And we lean on him. When I am afflicted, when I solidify my faith in those times of distress. When I live for him, whether, as we noted in our Bible class this morning, whether we are in public or whether we are alone and in private, when our aim is still to please him and glorify him, when we pursue his will in all of our relationships. When what we are is more than what we see in this assembly, but we serve the purposes of God in our homes.

In the way we regard each other and treat each other, and the way we handle those somewhat annoying things in the workplace that happen in all of our relationships and the choices that we make, the things we choose to wear or not to wear, the friends that we have and run around with that perhaps might not be a good influence upon us, and we realize that they are not helping us but hurting us, and the choices that we make about entertainment, our focus remains unchanged. My purpose is to glorify. The second question how will I glorify him? I must include God in every segment of my life. There is no area of my life where God is excluded. He pertains to every waking moment of my existence.

The way that I’m going to think, the way that I’m going to talk, the character that I’m going to display, and that’s hard. And we’ll talk some more about that tonight. One little chink in my character at least, that I’m constantly having to deal with. But it pertains to every segment of my life. Too many people want to put God in a compartment, and I will glorify God at this time and at this place, but the rest of my life’s a free for all. However, I want to go about living it, that’s what I’m going to do. And if I want to drink, that’s what I’m going to do, and God’s going to be happy with it. And if I’m going to be immoral, that’s what I’m going to do.

And God’s going to be happy about it anyway. After all, He’s a God of grace. That does not glorify God. And thirdly, the question is, when will I glorify God? There’s a children’s song. I was meant to look and see if it was in our supplement. That shouldn’t be a children’s song. But the kids sing it. They’ve sung it at BBS’s that I’ve done and attended in the past. Rise and shine and give God the glory. It’s a great song. When do you give God the glory? Begin each day. By glorifying God. Is that a habit you need to cultivate? You know, you can’t just say, well, you know what? That’s a great idea. I’m going to start my day giving God the glory. You wake up tomorrow and you do everything you’ve done for the last 30 years.

Start the day by giving God the glory. Doesn’t have to be long. It can be very short. But the first thing that needs to cross your mind. When I am awake, David said, I am still with thee. The first thing that crosses our mind. To God be the glory. Rise and shine and give God the glory. And may I suggest at the end of your day, can we say, God, I hope you were pleased with me today. What I did, what I said, how I lived. I pray that my life brought you glory today. Isn’t that amazing? That little thought didn’t originate with me, and I’ll tell you, I love that. Can we pray that at the end of the day? God, I hope you were pleased with me today.

Conclusion

What I did, what I said, how I lived. I pray that my life has brought you glory today. To God, to God be the glory. Is this just about the most humbling sermon I’ve ever preached? To think about this is humbling. It’s just not about us, folks. It’s about what he has done and continues to do. And who he is will be the theme throughout the endless ages. We will exist eternally to glorify him, and it will be beyond description. And if you have not chosen to serve Jesus Christ, you’re running into that corner right there at full speed and going splat. Your life’s not going anywhere. It’s an uproar for nothing. That’s what David styled it in Psalm 39 in verse 6. It’s a big bang, but it ain’t going anywhere.

It’s a lot of hoopla. It’s eat, drink, and be merry. You’re doing a lot of stuff, but it’s not real people’s stuff. It’s not God’s stuff. And if it’s not God’s stuff, it’s vain and empty. And you’ll end up at a place where people will not glorify God. They will wail because they can’t. Don’t go there. Respond to his invitation while we stand inside.

Say from the heart of God.

Sweet near to the heart of God where we are saved of God’s rain send from the heart of God before near to the heart of God near a place of release near to the heart of God place where all is joy and peace near to my heart of God sent from the heart of God near to the heart of God.