Glory to God

Introduction

Ladies and gentlemen, I would begin this morning by asking a question. What is the purpose of your existence? Why are you here? Why did the God of heaven make you? It’s critical that Christians have a proper view, one, of God and two, of self. I have two goals in this study this morning. And that’s to make sure that our thinking is right about God and our thinking is right about self. There are some truths that have tremendous power to change our lives.

And we were going to be here. We always enjoy coming to Florida. I’ve been here to the Bumbee congregation a number of times, and glad to be here again today. Glad to see the progress that young Greg is making. How about this young man? Did a great job in the Bible class as well as the earlier lesson that he presented today. Greg worked with us for a couple of years ago in a summer training program, and we were impressed with him then, but even more impressed now. Thank you, though, for this opportunity. And we thank God that we have the opportunity to study together today. Well, what is then the purpose of our existence? Someone might say, well, go to Ecclesiastes chapter 12 and verse 13.

1. The Reason for Our Existence: Glory to God

It tells about the reason for our existence. It says, let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. The whole duty of man is to fear God and keep his commandments. Well, that passage is about duty, and I recognize that that has something to do with our purpose, but there’s something more. Why does God want us to keep his commandments? Well, someone says God wants us to keep his commandments because he wants us to obey him so we can go to heaven. Well, that would ask the question why does God want us to go to heaven? You see, there’s something more than just keeping God’s commandments. There’s something that is at the heart of all that we should do. Ladies and gentlemen, the reason for our existence.

I’m going to ask you to accept this premise, and I’m going to demonstrate it biblically. The reason for our existence is to glorify the God of heaven. In fact, I’m going to put my first slide up. Glory to God. That’s what we learn when we go to the Word of God, that that is our purpose. That’s the reason we keep the Word of God. That’s the direction of this lesson. And ladies and gentlemen, that’s the direction that our lives need to go to give glory to God. For the moment, I would just ask you to accept the premise that the most critical thing to God is that He be glorified. I know we have a lot of dads in the audience this morning, and I would ask the dads this question.

What is the and if you if you were to go to your kids and you were to ask your kids, what is, what is the most important thing to you as their dad, what would they say? What would they say? What would your kids say? Some of your kids would say, Well, I don’t know. Some of them might even say, I don’t care. You wouldn’t be pleased with either one of those answers. But if you’ve got a child that says, I know what’s important to my dad, and I care about what is most important to him. Well, if it matters to a dad, how much more then does it matter to God? It ought to matter a lot to us that the most important thing then is that God be glorified.

And what if God just asks you, what is the most important thing to me? If God looked down and spoke to you personally, what is the most important thing, says God, to you? You answer what? The most important thing, ladies and gentlemen, is that God be glorified. The purpose of our existence, the most significant thing to God is that we give him honor and glory. You see, he is the one being in the universe, the one being in the universe for whom seeking his own glory is not a vice but a virtue. I want to establish from the scripture that glory is the most important and most utmost thing to God. But first we’ve got to identify a little bit about what glory is. And so, glory, if we can just make a list here, I think I can make a list.

Glory has to do with honoring God. It has to do with his splendor, his dignity, admiration of God, his majesty, recognition of his power. And there’s more that we could say. Glory has to do with God’s goodness and worthiness, his grandeur, exaltation, brilliance and beauty. Those are just some words that you can use to describe the glory of God. You see the word in the Bible. The word glory is used of all that God is and of God being honored for all that he is. In fact, glorification of God is a major theme of the Bible. I don’t care if you go to the Old Testament or to the new. It is a primary thought in the Word of God. But let’s go first to the Old Testament.

2. God Does Things for His Own Glory

I’m going to go to the book of Psalms. I’m going to put the verse up here. I’m going to do this verse and one more, one from the New Testament, just so that we can see something about the glory of God and why God does what he does. You see, God does things for his own glory. Someone says, Well, is that right that someone seek their own glory? It’s not right for us, but it’s right for God because He is God. Notice the passage in Psalm 79, verses 8 and 9. Oh, do not remember our former iniquities against us. Let your tender mercies come speedily to us, for we have been brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name, and deliver us and provide atonement for our sins for your name’s sake.

Now, this has to do, if I understand correctly, with the time when the children of Israel are in captivity, the Babylonian captivity. And notice they’re appealing to God for God to help them. But why? Notice the part which is in yellow. Help us, O God of our salvation for the glory of your name, and deliver us and provide atonement for our sins for your name’s sake. You see, this is about God being glorified. God is going to deliver his people for his own name’s sake. God is going to deliver his people for the glory and honor of his own name. When you think about it, the credibility of God’s promises. God in the early part of the Bible made promises to Abraham and for the credibility of those promises.

In the book of Genesis, God promised that there was going to be a land that he would give to Abraham’s seed. There was going to be a nation he would make of Abraham’s seed. But thirdly, God is going to bring the Savior of the world through the seed of Abraham. And God has got to maintain and save this nation of Israel. God is going to bring them out of captivity and bring them back to their own land. You see, they were taken into captivity by the Babylonians. They were to be there for some seventy years. But God had to bring them back to their own land because the credibility of his promises were at stake. And that’s what that’s what the psalmist has in mind in this Psalm.

Now I’m going to go to a New Testament verse. It may be one that we are familiar with. It’s from the book of Ephesians in Ephesians chapter 3, verses 20 and 21. And here, the apostle is giving praise unto God at the end of this third chapter. He says, now to him, who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. I want you to notice this last part of the text, ladies and gentlemen, to him, that is to God. To God be glory. Glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Ladies and gentlemen, the purpose of our reliance upon God is to give glory to him. The purpose of his power, as this verse speaks of, the purpose of his power, working in you and working in me is to give him glory. The purpose of the church. The church exists to give him glory forever. And God lets us be a part of this great plan to honor him and give him glory. You see, the first text that we’ve seen from Psalms is about Israel. The second text is about the church. And it’s my understanding that all that God has done regarding Israel and regarding the church is done for his glory. In fact, the history of God’s dealings with man, whether Old Testament or New Testament, is all about God receiving glory from man as he interacts with man.

The nation of Israel, the work of the prophets, the coming of Jesus Christ into the world, the establishment of the church, all emphasize a single theme, and that is the glorification of God. I hope I can convince you of that. I want to show you in the next few minutes ten verses, some from the Old Testament, some from the new, that emphasize this idea of glorification of God. Because if you are convinced that all that God has done is to give himself glory and to glorify his son, it can change your thinking about God. And if you can understand that your purpose, the reason God made you, is to give him great glory and to bring him pleasure and honor. If you see that, that can change your life, change the way you live, change the way you speak, change everything about you.

3. Created for My Glory, for My Name’s Sake

I’m only going to give you ten texts. I could give you twenty. I could give you fifty. I could give you a hundred. I could give you two hundred. And we would be here until midnight tonight to read every passage in the Bible, old and new testament, that has to do with the glorification of God. But I’ve only selected ten, so let’s move into those ten. Our first that we’re going to look at is from the book of Exodus, chapter 9 and verse 16. Let’s go to Exodus 9.16. Remember, this is God dealing with Pharaoh when the people of Israel are in Egyptian bondage. And here God speaks as to why he has raised up Pharaoh, why he’s brought him to this position. And he says in Exodus 9 16, indeed, for this purpose I have raised you up that I may show my power in you, and that my name may be declared in all the earth.

I think there are two phrases that should be underlined in that verse. This is about my power, says God. It’s about my name being declared in all of the earth. You see, God is doing this for his glory. Someone says, Well, wasn’t God doing it to bring his people out of Egypt? Of course he was. But in doing that, it was about his power, about his name, and about his glory. The next verse I want to look at is in the book of Isaiah, Isaiah chapter 43, and verses 5, 6, and 7. And this again is one of those passages that has to do with the Babylonian captivity. You see, Isaiah spoke of the captivity that was coming, but he also spoke of the deliverance from captivity that was coming.

I’m looking at Isaiah 43, beginning at verse 5. And God now is talking about the nation of Israel and how they’re going to be brought from all over back to the land. He says in verse number 5, fear not, for I am with you. I will bring your descendants from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, give them up, and to the south, do not keep back. Bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth. And what God is saying is that I want all my people to come back to the land of Judah and back to Jerusalem. And indeed they did that under the direction of God’s servant by the name of Cyrus in about 538 BC.

Bring my sons from afar, verse 6 says, My daughters from the ends of the earth. Everyone who is called by my name, now watch this in verse 7. Everyone who is called by my name, whom I have created for my glory. I have formed him, yes, I have made him. God is talking about the people of Israel. He says, I have created this nation for my glory. Think about that, ladies and gentlemen. If the Israelite recognized that, that should change his thinking. That his mission in life, the mission of the Israelite is to give glory unto God. Ah, but there’s so much more. I’m going now to the book of Ezekiel, chapter 36. Ezekiel chapter 36. And we’ll see three or four verses there. At least a couple of verses, okay?

Ezekiel chapter 36. This is written during the captivity. Ezekiel is a prophet of the captivity, taken away in the second captivity. And verse number 22, Ezekiel 36, 22. Therefore say to the house of Israel, thus says the Lord God, I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel. Now you read this text here, God says, I have sent you into captivity. And he’s about to say, I’m going to bring you back from captivity. But he says, I’m not doing this for your sake. Well then why in the world is God doing it? He says, I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for my holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went, and I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations which you have profaned in their midst, and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when I am hallowed in you before their eyes.

4. Jesus Came to Seek the Glory of God

I want all the nations to know, says God, that I am the Lord. I am doing this. I am doing this, not just for you. God says, I am doing this for my glory, for my name’s sake. Then I’m going to go to the New Testament. I want you to see a New Testament passage, in fact, two texts, out of the book of Luke, in Luke chapter two. This is at the birth of the Lord Jesus. And certainly you are familiar with these texts from Luke chapter 2. In verse number 9, remember the shepherds who were living out in the fields keeping watch over their flock by night? Verse number 9 of Luke 2 says, Behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord, the glory of the Lord shone round them, and the people were greatly afraid.

Notice the glory of the Lord shown here. Drop down to verse number 14. Here’s what the angels said as they praised God. They said, Glory. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. The message calls upon men to glorify God because he brings peace. He brings good will. Give glory to God. That was the message of these angels at the birth of Jesus. In fact, the very coming of Jesus into the world was to give glory to God. Notice this text in John. John chapter 1 and verse 14. In fact, if you can quote a verse in addition to John 3 16, you might just be able to quote John 1 14. As it speaks of Jesus, it calls him the Word.

It says, The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory. The glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. When they looked at Jesus, they saw a manifestation of the glory of God. When they watched his miracles, his ministry. In fact, when they watched all that he did, his life, his death, his resurrection, they’re seeing a manifestation of the glory of God. Jesus came into the world to demonstrate who God was and to give great glory and honor to him. Look at 7.18 of the Gospel of John. In John chapter 7, verse 18, Jesus said, and of course, he’s talking about himself here. He’s talking about what he has come to do, his mission on earth.

He says, He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory. Jesus’ point there is that I have not come to speak from myself. I am speaking from the authority of the God of heaven. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. Jesus came to seek the glory of God. Ladies and gentlemen, this is just all over the Bible. I’ve only given you three verses from the old, a handful of passages from the New Testament, but it’s just everywhere. Almost every book in the Bible addresses in some way the glory of God. Look at John chapter 17. The next reference is John 17 and verses 1 through 5.

This is the night before Jesus died. And he’s praying to his Father. He’s with his disciples. And John 17, beginning at verse 1, says, Jesus spoke these words, lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come. Glorify your Son, that your Son all may also may glorify you. Here you see a twin mission, a mutual mission. The mission of Jesus on earth was to end in glory in order that the Son might glorify the Father. He said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son also may glorify you, as you have given him authority over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him, and this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God in Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

I have glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work which you have given me to do. This is how Jesus glorified God on earth. He had finished the work that the Father had given him to do. He is in the very shadow of the cross at this time. He’s about to die, he’s going to be buried, but he’s going to be raised from the dead. He’s going to be raised in great glory. And so, verse 5, Jesus says, And now, O Father, glorify me together with yourself with the glory which I had with you before the world was. Ladies and gentlemen, I assure you this morning that I am not choosing a few isolated passages in either Old or New Testament. This book called the Bible is a book about the glory of God, about mankind giving glory to him.

5. The Church Exists to Give God Glory

God established the nation of Israel for the glorification of his name, and God established the New Testament church for the glorification of his name. And God has given us this gospel for the glorification of his name. In fact, a primary purpose of our calling is to give glory unto our Lord Jesus. I’m looking now at 2 Thessalonians. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 14. 2 Thessalonians 2 and verse number 14. And this text talks about why we’ve been called by the gospel.

What we seek, ladies and gentlemen, is to give glory to the Son of God. We want to obtain glory for Him, to honor Him by doing His will.

Ephesians 3, 20 and 21. In an earlier study today, someone read from Ephesians 3, verses 10 and 11. To the intent now that the manifold wisdom of God might be known by the church to the principalities and powers in heavenly places according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. The church is according to the eternal purpose of God. It was in the plan of God. But what is the church do? That’s why I want to go to verse 20 and 21, as it speaks to him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us. To him be glory, to God be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.

Amen. Our gathering here today is to give glory to God by our singing, by our praying, by partaking of the Lord’s Supper, by the preaching of the Word of God, by the giving to God’s cause. All of those things that the church does is to give glory unto God. And by the way, ladies and gentlemen, that’s reason for maintaining the purity of God’s pattern in the New Testament. It is not the will of man that gives glory to God. It is God’s own will reflected back to him in our obedience that gives him glory. That’s why the church must be the church and not a glorified YMCA, not an entertainment organization or a social having a social mission. The church is the church. On my radio broadcast that I do in Beaumont, Texas, someone called and said, You’re against a whole lot of things.

You’re against churches doing this, and you say the church shouldn’t do that and shouldn’t do this. You got all these things that. What are you for? I’m for the church being the church. And the church giving glory to God by doing the will of God. And the only way you’re going to be able to do that is by going to the book of God. The church exists to give God glory. Think about that. It does not exist to exalt any man, any woman, any group of people. It exists for the glorification of God. And that’s where it needs to stay. I’m going now to 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 31. 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 31. This is one of those passages that’s sort of an all-inclusive kind of passage, you know.

1 Corinthians 10 31. It says, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, he’s talking here about eating a common meal. Whatever you do. I want you to notice that last half. Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Our lives should be about giving God glory. The common things that we do every day. Whether it’s going to work, going to school, interacting with our family, talking to other people about the gospel, just making the right choices in life according to the book of God. All of those things he says, 1 Corinthians 10 31. Whatever you do, you do to the glory of God. You see, all of our actions are to be for His glory. Now, what I put on the screen here are ten critical texts out of hundreds that speak of God’s interaction with mankind.

6. By This My Father Is Glorified: Bear Much Fruit

And all of these verses express His purposes. All then that is to be done is to be done for His glory. And I’m going to give you one last passage on the slide. And I’m just going to go ahead and lay the whole thing out. By this, Jesus said. This is Jesus, John 15 8. Jesus, again, the night before he died, by this, my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you will be my disciples. You want to be a disciple of Jesus? Jesus said, by this. Men will know that you’re my disciple. By this, he says, My Father is glorified. By this, my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit. And folks, I’ll tell you what, there’s a lot of things you can call bearing fruit for God.

Galatians chapter 5 has the fruit of the Spirit. I don’t deny that that’s part of it. But I think we have a mission of evangelism. And our evangelism should not be to say, okay, I can do better than you. I can do more than you know. Our mission in evangelism is to save as many souls as we can. For what purpose? To bear fruit to God in order to give glory to God. That’s what our life should be about. We have a mission. Our mission is to give glory to our God by bearing much fruit, and when we do that, that’s when then we’re going to be disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Fruit bearing is a mark of discipleship. And while not everyone can bear the same amount of fruit, we should all bear some.

Conclusion

And so I would conclude with this on my slide. That our faith finds its ultimate purpose in honoring and exalting God. Everything we do, even when we go to lunch today, we can do everything to the glory of God. Being kind to our neighbor is to the glory of God. Treating your wife right is to the glory of God. Being obedient to your parents is to the glory of God. Sharing the gospel with another person is to the glory of God. It’s all about God. It’s all about God. I have two more texts to give you, not on the slide. But open your Bible to the book of Jude, the little book of Jude, and this is a kind of a fun exercise to do this.

If you would just go and read all the beginning and ending of every New Testament book, you’ll see statements like this in Jude. In Jude, the last two verses of the book. You know, these it’s interesting, the opening and closing of New Testament books. We just typically blitz over those. Let’s get to the meat. Did you know that sometimes God gives us meat in those opening verses, and meat in those closing verses? Listen to these last two verses of Jude. Verse 24-25. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To God, our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory, majesty, power, both now and forever. Amen. You talk about a meaty statement, two simple verses, but potent, powerful.

And I wish we could take an hour just to skim over the New Testament and just look at some of these beginnings and endings, things that we pay little attention to sometimes, but ought to pay much more attention to. And so to him be glory, majesty, dominion, power. Some of the words that we put up on the two sides of the slide this morning. Ladies and gentlemen, we’re on a mission from God. And that mission is not something we do from time to time. Rather, it is to be infused within us, is to be part of our DNA where we’re ever conscious of it. We want to give glory to God in all that we do and bring others to learn of the glory of God so that they too can participate in this.

So the whole plan of God, who’s it really about? The whole plan of God, from beginning to end. Sure, mankind is involved in the plan, but it isn’t merely about us. The plan is really about God and his glory. And we fit in that plan in the sense that we’re allowed to be a part of it, and we have the privilege of giving him glory. He is at the center, not you, not me. A lady came to our services a few months ago, and she was wearing a t-shirt. Maybe you’ve seen that t-shirt. It’s all about me. Sorry, lady, it’s all about God. That’s where we need to park, okay? That our lives, our mission is about God and about serving Him. That’s why we seek to please Him and we do not seek to please ourselves.

And yet, final passage, Romans 8, verses 17 and 18. Yet what may be the most amazing thing about God and about His glory, according to this verse, unless I’m just misunderstanding it, somehow we get to share in the glory of Christ. I don’t know what else to make of this verse, that’s not it. I’m looking at Romans 8, verse 17 and 18. It says, if we’re children, then we’re heirs. We’re heirs of God. We’re joint heirs with Christ. If indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together. Am I missing something there? It says that we may be glorified together. We’re joined heirs with Christ. And he says this in verse 18. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

What an amazing thing.

It’s been about God and His glory and how that we should seek God’s glory. But on the last day, we become joint heirs with Christ. And on that day, we become partakers in that glory that belongs to God. Here we find the glory of all the ages manifested in eternity, and we are part of it. Glory to our God. Philippians chapter 2, verse 11. That every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. You need to confess Jesus Christ if you haven’t yet done that. You need to do that for your own salvation, but you need to do that to give glory to God, to acknowledge that His Son is indeed the Savior, the Redeemer, the captain of salvation, and all that the Bible sets him forth to be.

Come now, please.