Glorifying God

"Glorifying God" – Psalm 22:23 "Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him." The study begins with the reason for coming to church —one only: to glorify God— and goes on to what that means: to honour Him, exalt Him and give Him the supreme place, reflecting His character in our words, our actions and our decisions. The line that governs it all is this: it is not what we say, it is how we live. It moves through Matthew 5:16 —the light that is not hidden—, Romans 15:6 —the unity that glorifies—, 1 Corinthians 6:20 —bought with a price— and Romans 12:1 —our reasonable service.

I. What we come for

A. When you come to church there is one reason only: to glorify God. You do not come to see the brother.

B. And the matter is not whether you like the brother or not, because there the little light starts to dim.

C. About other churches she has never given an opinion: each church has its pastor, and its pastor will give account to God.

D. And you will have to give God an account of your life.

E. God has gifted very capable people, who work hours to carry the work as these times require: we keep pace with the times.

F. But what ought to move us is to glorify God.

G. We give opinions about everyone; but let someone say an opinion was given about us, and how it stings.

H. That is why Scripture requires us to love our neighbour. Not to take him home: to love. For he that loveth not is not of God.

I. And our conflicts come from the bad habit of not reading. Whoever does not read the Scriptures does not grow: he stays stuck.

J. It is not about becoming a master of the Scriptures, but a lover of the Scriptures; for they teach us.

K. One learns to tell good from evil and begins a struggle with oneself. Your life is your struggle; each person has his own.

II. What glorifying God is

A. It is a duty, a responsibility and an obligation we have in life.

B. It means to honour Him, exalt Him, set Him on high and give Him the supreme place in our life.

C. For sometimes we put on airs: "I am spiritual; that one is carnal." And on this earth talk becomes more important than truth.

D. Do not give so much room to your old creature, for you ruin yourself and never finish the purposes you were born for.

E. And do not complain: the one who lags behind and stumbles is oneself. The only one who can block your road is you.

F. We say "he did this to me," but we never say "I did." And when we speak of ourselves, we flatter ourselves to the skies.

G. God is glorified by knowing who He is and reflecting His character in our words, actions and decisions.

H. If your flesh has not died in God, God is not in you; and therefore there is no reflection of Him in you.

I. Your life is not defined by a bad day. If you had more to fight that day: what does a brave person do? He fights, battles, wages war.

J. In how we live our days each one is revealed: whether we are inert, or people burning with fire and passion.

K. The angels keep watch and report; they write it all down and carry it to the Father, and that is why there are many books in heaven.

L. And the day a person departs his book is opened: "thou hast been faithful in a few things," or else "this was yours to do, and you did not do it."

M. You will be saved, but by His mercy and His love; not in fullness.

III. "Let your light so shine" (Matthew 5:16)

A. Jesus teaches that His disciples are the light of the world. So you are the light of the world.

B. "I have a problem today, I am troubled." Neither the problem nor the trouble accomplishes anything. "Today was awful." Then fix it.

C. There is always a complaint in mortal mouths; that is why she does not ask "how are you?", so people are not busy thinking what to answer.

D. Believers must be active, alive, on fire; not in complaints and laments.

E. The light is not hidden: it shines so others may see the way. If you hide it you fail; and not only you: you drag others into failing.

F. And often we do hide: we do not speak a truth, we do not break the chains, we do not say "that is not right."

G. For the shekinah of the LORD —the glory of God— rests on the righteous.

H. John was the last one left, and he lit the road until nearly a hundred years old.

I. A disciple of his, a young man called to preach, joined a band in the hills; and John, worn out and without a sword, had himself put on a horse and went after him.

J. He had a heart as fresh as when he first met the Master. And the young man, seeing him, fell to the ground weeping and took hold of his feet.

K. And to John the Revelation was disclosed: the veil was lifted from what was to come.

L. How much do we reap toward seeing the glory of God? Why do we not turn our lament into dancing?

M. For there are always poor ears that love to hear complaints, and that makes a people into slaves. Whoever has the truth sets the complainer free.

IV. How God is glorified

A. It is not what we say: it is how we live.

B. When we live with love, integrity, kindness, mercy and obedience, people see our good works.

C. And the purpose is not to receive glory for ourselves, but that people glorify God.

D. If a mother gets up complaining, the children complain. You decide how you live your life, or it destroys you.

E. To let the light shine is, first, to show the character of Christ; not yours, which quarrels and finds fault with everyone, when the worst fault is your own.

F. Second, to live a life that reflects God's truth: your deeds, your bearing, your manner. "I do not judge a person by what he says: I judge by how he moves."

G. Third, to help the needy. A workmate's tyre blew and he has no money for another, and you tell him to call his father?

H. What does it cost to walk the second mile? And why is it not done? For want of service, because we do not like to serve.

I. Fourth, to be an example of faith, of love and of service. For good works are evidence of genuine faith.

J. And if you go to someone's house, it is to help.

V. "Ye that fear the LORD, praise him" (Psalm 22:23)

A. It is an invitation to all who fear the Lord, to praise Him for His goodness, His power and His faithfulness.

B. So those who sing must take care with their lives: we may have voices, but what comes out of you when you sing?

C. It is not the lyrics nor the music. Do you love? Do you give yourself for someone? Did you hear someone was ill and go to see him?

D. The Father watches over the earth, the angels are watching, heaven is always at work. How can we live paralysed?

E. "For His goodness": if you pray to God and bring Him petitions, you know His goodness; and when you see God hears you, you praise Him.

F. "For His faithfulness": it comes easily to us to be unfaithful, but in God the essence is faithfulness.

G. What holds up the earth, a marriage, the bond of parents and children? Faithfulness. And what wrecked the universe? Satan's unfaithfulness.

H. And what did he provoke in Adam and Eve? Unfaithfulness toward God. See how the chain runs.

I. Here "fear" does not mean fright, but deep reverence and deep respect toward God. And to lack them is a great problem.

J. We glorify God when we praise Him sincerely, live in obedience to His word, trust Him in trial, and reflect His character before others.

VI. "With one mind and one mouth" (Romans 15:6)

A. Paul exhorts believers to live in harmony, in love and in unity.

B. And the purpose of that unity is not merely to get along, but to glorify God together; for where there is harmony, there the LORD commands the blessing.

C. "With one mind and one mouth" means that believers, however different, must be united in worship, in faith and in the purpose of honouring the Lord.

D. Unity among believers glorifies God.

E. Corporate worship pleases the Lord.

F. Christ is the centre of our fellowship and our service: there is no one greater than He.

G. When the church lives in love, in forgiveness and in unity, it gives a powerful witness to the world. The goal is not that each seek his own glory.

VII. "Bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 6:20)

A. You are not saved because you read the Bible and decided to convert: you are saved because you were bought with a price.

B. Coming to the Lord did not come to you free. Nothing we have is free.

C. And your price is the blood of Christ, poured out over your head. That is why in Israel there had to be a sacrifice: the lamb was offered.

D. To glorify God in the body is to live in holiness, for without holiness no one shall see the Lord.

E. "But the blood of Christ..." The blood of Christ washes you once; and if you fall and sin, you must confess sin again.

F. Coming to church can be merely a show. She keeps no list of who is saved: that does not convince her.

G. It is also to care for the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit. Joking, lying, loose talk, profaning: that is a very dangerous thread.

H. When the Holy Spirit is touched, the person will know it the day he dies. On earth everyone says they are going to heaven.

I. To glorify God in the spirit is to keep a close relationship with Him, to worship sincerely, to think and act according to His will, to live by faith and in obedience.

J. We need not be stubborn or defiant, nor ask God "why?". And if you must ask Him questions, it is because you do not know God.

K. She prays the Lord's Prayer according to its points, and out of that develops her cry to the Father. Why? Because she fears God.

L. For we never know when the body leaves the earth; and the soul has two places to go. Each one decides where he sends his soul.

VIII. "Present your bodies" (Romans 12:1)

A. "That ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

B. And what is a sacrifice in your body? Dying to your flesh. For the one who betrays and sells you is your own flesh.

C. Reasonable service is a conscious surrender of our whole life to the Lord. Ask yourself: have you given Him that service?

D. Christ paid an immense price for our redemption; therefore our whole life —body, mind, heart and spirit— must be used to honour Him.

E. To glorify is the act of praising, extolling, exalting and acknowledging His greatness.

IX. Application

A. Come to the service for one reason, and examine it: to glorify God.

B. Measure your life by how you live, not by what you say.

C. Do not hide the light: speak the truth, break the chain, say "that is not right."

D. Walk the second mile with the person whose concrete need is right in front of you.

E. Trade lament for praise, and do not lend your ear to complaints that enslave.

F. And ask yourself the question of reasonable service: have you consciously surrendered your whole life to the Lord?