May 17, 2020 - To Glorify God
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Have you ever wondered or contemplated what it means to - Glorify something?
And maybe you have to start by understanding what the word “GLORY” means...
What does it mean?
If you were to look up the GLORY in the dictionary you would see that it means...
High Renown (fame)
Great honor
Magnificence
Great Beauty
These words help give meaning to the word - GLORY...
And so - thinking through that....
What would it mean to - GLORIFY something?
Well - in CHRISTIAN circles - you might hear that it means to - WORSHIP something...
BUT - you still might be like - OK, but is there something better to describe what this is...
Let’s look at it this way...
I know we’ve ALL heard this before:
“That movie GLORIFIES violence!”
Now this has a NEGATIVE connotation, but it helps us understand what it means!
If a Movie GLORIFIES violence...
What is it doing to violence??
It’s - highlighting violence? Yes - BUT MORE than that!
Let me know if these words fit better:
It’s PROMOTING violence
It’s ENDORSING violence
It’s MAKING MUCH of violence
Elevating
Exhalting
PRAISING violence
This is what it means to GLORIFY something!
It means to - MAKE MUCH of something!
To PRAISE it
to WORSHIP it!
And so with THAT understanding....let’s read through our text for today...
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,
2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
LOTS of GLORY in this passage right?
This chapter 17 in the gospel of John is known as - the High Priestly Prayer
The entire chapter (all 26 verses), contain the prayer of Jesus right before His arrest...
SO - you can imagine the scene...
Jesus knows what’s coming for Him...
And He’s making this prayer to the Father…to God
And what’s His initial request?
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,
Jesus says - Glorify Me that I may glorify You...
What I want us to see today is this = The Glory of God in the Work of God
AND THEN - How we relate TO THAT Glory!...
The FIRST thing that Jesus asks for - in His PRE-ARREST prayer - is that GOD be GLORIFIED!
WOW - God must be REALLY SERIOUS about His GLORY....
REALLY serious about Himself BEING Glorified!
BEING WORSHIPED
BEING MADE MUCH of!
And we don’t just see this HERE in scripture!!
When Jesus taught us to pray - how did He start?
9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
What does HALLOWED mean?
HOLY
Consecrated
GREATLY HONORED
SO - Jesus, who is GOD - teaches us to pray and the first PETITION is - HONOR God’s NAME...
God is teaching us to pray to God and He says - HONOR MY NAME!
Where else in Scripture do we see this God ELEVATING the Glory of God?
1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
The PURPOSE of the heavens....
When you go out at night.....look up…and see the vastness of the universe...
THE PURPOSE of that - is to GLORIFY GOD...
The heavens DECLARE the Glory of God…!
The SKY/Universe screams out - God is GLORIOUS!!
And who made the Heavens to do that?
God did!
The Bible teaches us that God is God-Centered!
AND the Bible teaches us that God does ALL that He does - for His own GLORY!!
God does all that He does, to display His glory for the full and everlasting enjoyment of all who embrace Christ as their highest treasure.
God forgives...for His glory (Isaiah 43:25)
25 “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.
God teaches us to pray...unto His glory (Matt. 6:9-10)
9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
God supplies us with strength...for His glory (1 Peter 4:11)
11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
God leads us...for His glory (Psalm 23:3)
3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
God works all things...for His glory (Eph. 1:11-12)
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
God created us...for His glory (Isaiah 43:6-7)
6 I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth,
7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
Everything filters back to the glory of God
Back to verse 1
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,
Jesus is hours from the CROSS, and His prayer to the Father is -
Glorify Me that I may GLORIFY You!
So - let’s look at this...
SLIDE: The Glory of God: Revealed On the Cross of Christ
The Glory of God
The Glory of God
What I want us to do to see that the Glory of God was ON DISPLAY on the Cross of Christ...
Is to go to Ephesians chapter 1
In this chapter, we see a very interesting truth...
And I want to see if you can notice it as we read through it.
We’re actually going to read verses 3-14, but we’re going to read from a different version of the Bible than we normally preach from...
This version we’ll look at is the - YOUNG’S LITERAL TRANSLATION...
It’s a LITERAL translation, which at times can be difficult to understand with it being translated into English…BUT it DOES pick up on this nuance which is found in the original text...
3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who did bless us in every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4 according as He did choose us in him before the foundation of the world, for our being holy and unblemished before Him, in love,
5 having foreordained us to the adoption of sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, in which He did make us accepted in the beloved,
7 in whom we have the redemption through his blood, the remission of the trespasses, according to the riches of His grace,
8 in which He did abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
9 having made known to us the secret of His will, according to His good pleasure, that He purposed in Himself,
10 in regard to the dispensation of the fulness of the times, to bring into one the whole in the Christ, both the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth—in him;
11 in whom also we did obtain an inheritance, being foreordained according to the purpose of Him who the all things is working according to the counsel of His will,
12 for our being to the praise of His glory, even those who did first hope in the Christ,
13 in whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth—the good news of your salvation—in whom also having believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of the promise,
14 which is an earnest of our inheritance, to the redemption of the acquired possession, to the praise of His glory.
Paul here - is writing to the Ephesians… to the churches around Ephesus
And he’s writing about the SCOPE of God’s ETERNAL PLAN for all humanity!
And in this particular SECTION - Paul is setting that up
laying a foundation
AND SO in this passage - Paul explains the BLESSINGS of God - to the SAINTS -
STARTING from - Before the foundation of the world (before creation - eternity past) - - VERSE 4
4 according as He did choose us in him before the foundation of the world, for our being holy and unblemished before Him, in love,
This is ETERNITY PAST...
Now moving through HUMAN HISTORY… v 5
5 having foreordained us to the adoption of sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
This takes us through HUMAN HISTORY...
And now - into Eternity Future!
10 in regard to the dispensation of the fulness of the times, to bring into one the whole in the Christ, both the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth—in him;
11 in whom also we did obtain an inheritance, being foreordained according to the purpose of Him who the all things is working according to the counsel of His will,
NOW - we see that this passage in Ephesians...
LAYS out the PLAN of GOD in the REDEMPTION of His people...
His chosen...
And within this PLAN we read of HOW JESUS fits into it - and this in v7
7 in whom we have the redemption through his blood, the remission of the trespasses, according to the riches of His grace,
REDEMPTION through His blood.
The BLESSINGS of God flow THROUGH the CROSS of CHRIST...
OK - now - did you notice the NUANCE as we read through this?
I wanted to read from the Young’s Literal Translation because I wanted us to see that in the original text...
Verses 3 - 14 is one SENTENCE
It’s 1 complete thought...
And if you were to go back and read through the slides, you’d see that...
But let’s see how that thought ENDS…in verses 13-14
13 in whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth—the good news of your salvation—in whom also having believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of the promise,
14 which is an earnest of our inheritance, to the redemption of the acquired possession, to the praise of His glory.
The PLAN of GOD - in the SALVATION of God’s people - THROUGH the REDEMPTION found at the CROSS of CHRIST...
IS - - to the PRAISE of God’s GLORY!!
God’s GLORY ON DISPLAY - at the CROSS of Christ!
And so JUST LIKE the - HEAVENS declare the Glory of God...
SO TOO - the CROSS of Christ declares the Glory of God...
NOW some people would say - WHAT?
They would say - No - On the cross - God lost!
Well - anyone who would say that - doesn’t know their Bible...
Jesus tells us...
18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
Jesus is saying - The CROSS isn’t a FAILURE…a LOSS on the part of God...
The Cross was ALWAYS the PLAN of GOD...
Jesus’ death was the PLAN of God from the beginning...
And THAT PLAN being - to WIN salvation for all who believe!!
God - was GLORIFIED on the cross!
But God is ALSO glorified another way, and we see it in our text...
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,
2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
What did Jesus say here in v4?
How was God GLORIFIED in Jesus’ life on earth?
Jesus lived His life - ON MISSION…pursuing to ACCOMPLISH the Father’s will
And ACCOMPLISHING the Father’s will...
And Jesus KNEW this was His mission...
38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
And in Jesus LIVING His life - With the Father’s WILL being the path He was on...
God was GLORIFIED!!
And we see this VERY thing play out in Scripture....AS JESUS accomplished the will of the Father...
AND EVEN the Pharisees got this PARTLY RIGHT when they experienced Jesus accomplishing the will of the Father!!
Jesus HEALED a blind man - - on the sabbath
And the Pharisees KNEW this man had been blind...
YET they WOULD NOT honor Jesus for what He did...
Instead - what do they say??
24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”
They SEE this happen - and they think - GOD deserves GLORY for this!
They weren’t willing to EQUATE Jesus to God - but the WORK of God leads to the GLORIFICATION of GOD!
AND SO - this leads to our 2nd point today!
We’ve seen the Glory of God REVEALED on the Cross of Christ...
SLIDE: The Glory of God: Revealed in the Pursuit of Christ
The Glory of God
The Glory of God
When Jesus says to the Father:
“I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work that You gave me to do”...
Right away - we can HEAR our OWN CALL from GOD to DO THAT SAME>>>
This is ALL OVER scripture!!
Why were we SAVED?
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
We were SAVED - FOR good works...
Jesus says HE WAS GIVEN WORK TO DO by the Father!!
Well what does this say?
We were CREATED in Christ Jesus - FOR GOOD WORKS…which God prepared BEFOREHAND, that we should walk in them!
This tells us that God HAS GIVEN US WORK TO DO!! - - Christian!!
Christianity is NOT -
I hear the gospel
I believe the gospel
I get saved
and I’m good - Catch ya on the other side!
That’s NOT Christianity!
Christianity is...
12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.
Did you hear all of the VERBS of Christianity??
Paul says:
I PRESS ON...
STRAINING forward...
This is Christianity!
And when THIS becomes our Christianity....the RESULT will be the same…as it was for Christ!!
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Just like Jesus....when WE live our lives ON MISSION for Christ...
pursuing the WILL of God in our lives...
Accomplishing the WORK He gave us to do...
The end result is - - God is GLORIFIED!
He’s MADE MUCH of...
This WORLD offers us MANY SHINY things...
it offers us...
Wealth - though temporary
Success - though temporary
Pleasures - yet FLEETING
And we can find ourselves seeking to be SATISFIED by the world...
YET...
Slide: God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in Him
God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in Him
And when we’re SATISFIED in HIM - He is honored! He is - Glorified!
We’ve seen that God is Glorified:
On the Cross of Christ
In the Pursuit of Christ
And finally…back to our text
4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
We live on this earth - and we see - DIMLY...
It reminds me of Acts 17 where it talks about how MANKIND lives life - PERHAPS FEELING their way toward God...
As though we’re all in this room that is pitch- black....NO LIGHT...
And we’re REACHING around trying to find our way...
26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,
27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,
As Christians - we do our best...
We try to please the LORD - we WANT to please the Lord...
We are IMPERFECT…reaching for the PERFECT ONE...
Messing up along the way...
BUT - what’s coming? What’s up ahead?
SLIDE: The Glory of God: In the Presence of Christ
The Glory of God
The Glory of God
Let’s go back to our text today…last verse
5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
Jesus here - READY to go back to the Father…knows that GLORY is waiting for Him…in the presence of the Father!
NOW - what’s waiting for us?
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
What’s waiting for us?
GLORY!
The Glory of God!!
AND - we ourselves will be glorified!
30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
The glory that is waiting for us - is INDESCRIBABLE...
It renders all the suffering we could possibly face on this earth as - LIGHT AND MOMENTARY!
May we TRUST now...
May our hearts FIND AWE in the Glory of God...
SUMMARY:
The Glory of God
On the Cross of Christ
In the Pursuit of Christ
In the Presence of Christ