“And they glorified God in me.”
Galatians 1:24
Introduction:
- This is the last Sunday of 2019. Wise men that fear God will examine how they lived.
- We began 2019 with, Do Great Things for God, from Joshua replacing mighty Moses.
- We are three days away from 2020. Wise men that fear God will plan what to change.
- Proverbs 16:4 and Revelation 4:11 teach that each person was made for God’s glory.
- And the Bible goes on to teach from various angles that our lives should glorify Him.
- A God-glorifying life is a choice: wise men that fear Him examine and change to do so.
- How about your life in 2019 … how much did others glorify God because of your life?
- How about your life in 2020 … how much will others glorify God because of your life?
- Do Great Things for God (sermon outline).
- Three Basic Rules (slides).
The Theme
- Glory … 10 ways … glory (371), glorified (49), glorious (44), glorify (22), glorying (4), gloriously (3), glorifying (3), glorieth (3), glorifieth (1), gloriest (1) for 501 total uses.
- Glory. Resplendent beauty or magnificence. An effulgence of light such as is associated with our conceptions of heaven. The majesty and splendor attendant upon a manifestation of God. Exalted praise, honor, or admiration accorded by common consent to a person or thing; honorable fame, renown.
- David wanted to give God an exceeding magnifical palace fit for Him (I Chr 22:5; 29:1).
- Anything less than that is unacceptable to our great God and King (Malachi 1:8,14).
- God is glorious (Psalm 19:1-6; Ezekiel 1:28; Acts 7:55; Revelation 15:8; 21:23). Glory!
- God created us for His glory (Prov 16:4; Isaiah 43:7; Romans 11:36; Revelation 4:11).
- God demands/deserves we glorify Him by worship (Ps 50:14-15,23; 86:12; Rom 15:6), which is so important that He calls your tongue your glory (Ps 16:9; 30:12; 57:8).
- God is worthy of our glorying in Him (Ps 44:8; Jer 9:23-24; I Cor 1:31; II Cor 10:17).
- God is glorified by others seeing our godly changes and exploits (Gal 1:24; Num 23:23).
The Context
1-5 … Paul saluted the Galatian churches by the sovereign will of God and gave Him glory.
6-9 … Paul opened his rebuke for accepting Jewish legalists by teaching curses for heretics.
10-14 … Paul needed no human approval – Jesus saved him from the Jews and taught him.
15-17 … God had chosen Paul to be an apostle before he was born and taught him in Arabia.
18-20 … he only visited Jerusalem for 15 days after 3 years and saw only Peter and John.
21-23 … Jewish churches had no knowledge or instruction of Paul beyond his conversion.
24 … All they could do was glorify God for the total transformation of Paul by God’s work.
Much more detail about Galatians 1.
The Text
And … believing Jews in Judea, though only knowing Paul by reputation, had one response.
They … the converted Jews, hearing his incredible conversion story, did a thing themselves.
Glorified … they praised and worshipped God for turning their enemy into a mighty apostle.
God … there is only one Being or Person capable of such a conversion, God and His Son.
In … the cause, motive, and reason for glorifying God was due to another’s work for God.
Me … though Paul was the one converted with exploits; others were affected by his change.
The Doctrine
- God’s powerful grace changes men’s lives, though none can quite match Saul of Tarsus.
- None of us were likely killers of Christians before believing the gospel and baptism.
- However, the Bible does make him an pattern of God’s great mercy (I Tim 1:16).
- Regeneration – new birth – quickening – resurrection from death – is a powerful event.
- Conversion – changing from one lifestyle to another – is also powerful and very visible.
- Real Bible conversion requires repentance, which is repudiation of sin for godliness.
- Real Bible conversion requires visible change others can see (Matt 3:8; Acts 26:20).
- Repentance – repudiation of sin to grow in godliness – moves angels (Luke 15:10).
- Salvation results in changed lives with internal motivation and power to change more.
- If any man is in Christ – take it vital or practical – he is a new creature (II Cor 5:17).
- Jewish ceremonialism or Arminian decisionalism is not a new creature (Gal 6:15).
- More about a new creature. 2 Corinthians 5.
- More about same : The Love of Christ Constraineth Us.
- Salvation, inspiration (God’s spirit in), and revelation (God’s word out) changes men.
- The change in attitude, actions, choices, lifestyle, passion, and priorities is visible.
- The more a person conforms his/her life to the Bible will be more and more obvious.
- Even Ahab, and that was no salvation to honor, was visible to Elijah (I Kings 21:29).
- We must grow in grace (II Pet 3:18), and growth in grace is visible like body growth.
- We must provoke one another to love and good works for visibly more (Heb 10:24).
- There are 7.8 billion souls… 7.795 billion are worthless … 5 million try to glorify God?
- The only lives that glorify God do exploits in things He has specified and honored.
- Corinth, after a rebuke, gave generously for glory of God by others (II Cor 9:12-14).
- Think! Average, mean, ordinary, or usual conduct by you or by others is worthless.
- God is gloriously exceptional in all He is and does … average anything is inadequate.
- Think! It is only Bible fruit or godliness that counts (Gal 5:22-23; II Pet 1:5-8; etc.).
- Working hard on the job only brings God’s glory if they know you are a Christian.
- Alaskan sled dogs work hard, and they bring Him glory by creation, but not actively.
- Even $200k brings God no glory without known Christian profession and godliness.
- God’s mercy in salvation should turn your life upside down for Him (Rom 12:1-2).
- God created you, saved you, and taught you, including today, to glorify Him by others.
- Recall the text – they glorified God in me – these were not Paul, nor known by Paul.
- You miss the text trying to glorify God yourself, for others must glorify Him by you.
- Jesus taught for our good works to be seen that others might glorify God (Matt 5:16).
- Review the theme section above for its five components – this is the last component.
- Peter taught the very same thing about Jews living among the Gentiles (I Pet 2:12).
- Those living aggressively for God have a real effect on others (Ps 40:1-3; 34:1-2).
- If you do not like this doctrine, tell us how you will provoke us (Hebrews 10:24-25).
- The world criticizes Christians for hypocrisy, though usually misguided and misapplied.
- Let us shut their mouths as the Bible says by visible good works they cannot deny.
- This aspect of glorifying God is to shut their mouths (I Tim 5:14; 6:1; Tit 2:5; etc.).
- Let the warning of Malachi provoke everyone to hate less than their best (Mal 1:14).
The Illustration
- David was exceptional in all ways before and after anointing (I Sam 16:18; 18:1-5,30).
- God killed David’s baby for his adultery causing others to blaspheme (II Sam 12:14).
- Jesus declared glorious truth of salvation at Zacchaeus’s great change (Luke 19:1-10).
- Tabitha, by interpretation Dorcas, was full of charity and good works (Acts 9:36,39).
- The gospel in Ephesus led to burning magic books for gospel growth (Acts 19:18-20).
- Phebe was commended first and very highly to surely glorify God (Romans 16:1-2).
- Aquila and Priscilla (a power couple) had served all Gentiles churches (Rom 16:3-4).
- The family of Stephanas was addicted to serving saints like Paul was (I Cor 16:13-17).
- Timothy had a great reputation very young and added to it (Acts 16:1-2; Phil 2:19-22).
- Philemon’s love and faith for Christ and all was known and spoken (Philemon 1:4-6).
- John loved Gaius for good reasons – his love of truth and visible service (III Jn 1:1-8).
The Application
- Your life is about Him, not you; He did not create or save you for you (I Cor 6:19-20).
- What of your life in 2019 … how much did others glorify God because of your life?
- What of your life in 2020 … how much will others glorify God because of your life?
- Hate … self-serving lives … loner-loser lives … I-glorify-God-in-my-heart lives. No!
- Did you cheat and steal glory from God in 2019 – by neglecting these example areas?
- Was your marriage visibly superior to others by living out the Bible? Deny thoughts.
- Did you clearly and unashamedly let others know you fear God? Christians do so.
- Was your brotherly love of all in the church visible to others? It is greatest measure.
- Did you make the fatal mistake that your personality is likable and ignore soft skills?
- Are you a loner at work so you cause dysfunction and grief not being a team player?
- Did you use speech so well that men wanted to kiss your lips and none dismiss you?
- Did your attendance, passion, and participation encourage and convict all others?
- Did your verbal love of God and His Son stir up others to love them much more?
- Is your humility such that you got down and served all others to their amazement?
- Did your encouragement and support of your pastor and wife cause them to rejoice?
- Did your secret giving to others (after the church) cause the widow’s heart to sing?
- Did you have any kind of moral failure this year that mocked your Christian faith?
- Did you cheerfully, joyfully, positively endure a trial with constant praise to Christ?
- Were you aloof from others, proving your pride, selfishness, or social dysfunction?
- Were you given to hospitality and ready to entertain strangers to please recipients?
- Will you consider how you can bring new glory to God from others by changes in 2020?
- Will your marriage visibly provoke us and our children to great love? Deny thoughts.
- Will you clearly let others know you fear God and then walk the walk like no other?
- Will your brotherly love of all in the church be visible to all? It is greatest measure.
- If you are not crushed by friends vying for attention, learn soft skills for God’s glory.
- What can you do on the job to be most helpful team player ever to show a difference?
- Will your speech be sweet so men want to kiss you? Gracious men rule (Pr 22:11).
- How can you alter attendance, passion, and participation to encourage all others?
- Will you tell verbal love of God and His Son to stir up others to love much more?
- Where can you show humility by getting down to serve others to their amazement?
- How might you encourage and support your pastor and wife to cause them to rejoice?
- Avoid any sins or even faults this year that make a stinking savor to prudent noses.
- Trials will come, so can you show Christianity by cheerfully enduring it with joy?
- If you are proud, selfish, or socially dysfunctional, what can you do to join in better?
- Why not commit to hospitality and entertainment at least once a quarter in 2020?
- Can you pick a personal enemy that you might forgive and befriend for God’s glory?
- Habits are made to be broken, when habits are just your foolish way of doing things.
- Why not plan to attend one pastor’s prayer meeting a quarter to provoke others?
- If your children are less than the best, just think of God’s glory by you training them.
- If your house is not clean, neat, and orderly, give God the glory and give it a redo.
- How might you honor parents and/or grandparents that would cause them to shout?
- What could you do between Sundays to encourage others to be great Christians?
- How can you show more passion and participation around meetings (II Sam 6:14)?
- If you drive too aggressively, will you change driving habits to bring God glory?
- If you have never counseled or mentored another spiritually, why not start this year?
- If you should be more temperate in food or drink, then to it mightily for God’s glory.
Conclusion:
- This is the last Sunday of 2019. Wise men that fear God will examine how they lived.
- Will you take the days until 2020 to choose ways to bring glory to God by others seeing?
- A God-glorifying life is a choice: wise men that fear Him examine and change to do so.
- How about your life in 2020 … how much will others glorify God because of your life?
- We cannot build an exceeding magnifical temple of David’s kind, but of the N.T. kind.
- We cannot offer 120,000 sheep and 22,000 oxen like Solomon, but what will you give?
- There are individual reasons to glorify God this way, but what if the whole church did?
- The goal throughout this study is not worship directly, but godly lives that thrill others.
- Let the warning of Malachi provoke everyone to hate less than their best (Malachi 1:14).
For Further Study:
- Do Great Things for God (sermon outline).
- Lights in the World (sermon outline).
- Reflecting God (sermon outline).
- Actions Speak Louder (sermon outline).
- A Good Name (slides).
- A Good Name (sermon outline).
- A Good Name (Proverbs 22:1 commentary).
- Living Epistles (sermon outline).
- Lip Service (sermon outline).
- Reprove the World (sermon outline).
- Power Couples (slides).
- Three Basic Rules (slides).