How can we Glorify God?

[0:00] There's a famous historic confession of faith that goes like this.

[0:18] ! It's a question and an answer. What is the chief end of man? And the answer is man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

[0:30] The Bible tells us of the glory of God and the giving of glory to God. Two aspects. Glory is the manifestation of His character, of His nature.

[0:42] When God showed up, His glory showed up. God has His own glory within Himself. He is called the God of glory, the Lord of glory, whom the world crucified.

[0:55] And there is an aspect in which also we are called to give glory to God. To give Him glory. It is the chief end of man. In other words, it's the reason for our living, for our life, is to give Him the glory.

[1:10] To glorify God. So it's an important question for us to consider. How are we to glorify God? How are we to glorify God? How do we find the answer to that?

[1:22] Well, I went to the search engine. The search engine, I went to the internet and I went and asked Google the question, How to glorify God? How to glorify God? And I came up with 2,870,000 results for this question, How to glorify God?

[1:41] So there's a lot of interest in this question. There's a lot of people thinking about this important question. And I reckon it will take me a few weeks to go through those 2.8 million records.

[1:52] All that material, to read that material and to impart to you the answer to that question, How to glorify God? But of course the Bible is much better than a search engine, than the internet.

[2:07] The Bible is the ultimate search engine, isn't it? We're searching for answers. It's in God's Word. The answers from the critical questions of life, it has the answer for us.

[2:18] And it shows us how to address this critical question. How can we glorify God? If it's the chief end of man, as it's truly said, How are we to glorify God?

[2:32] Through our daily living. Firstly, what does it mean to glorify God? What is that? To glorify God, it means to give Him glory, to honour, to praise, to admire, to exalt.

[2:48] To glorify God is something that you can do. Isn't that amazing? That we in our frail human condition can glorify the maker of heaven and earth, of all creation.

[3:01] To glorify God means to bring honour. To glorify God means to bring honour. In how we say things, how we act, how we think. To glorify means to give Him praise and honour.

[3:13] It means to lift up His name and magnify Him. How can we glorify God? What does this look like?

[3:25] It's important we get a hold of this. Firstly, we can't glorify God until we are converted. Until we are born again.

[3:36] We cannot glorify God with our best of intention. We give God the glory through salvation. As we bring others to Him, God gets the glory when people are saved.

[3:50] In Ephesians 1.12 it says, Of God's people that we should be to the praise of His glory. That's His intention for you and for me as God's children.

[4:02] God exists to be glorified. God created man to glorify Him. Isaiah 43 verse 7. Isaiah 43 verse 7 it says, Even everyone that is called by my name, for I have created him for my glory.

[4:24] I have formed him, yea, I have made him. God has made us, God has created us, why? For His glory. God exists to be glorified.

[4:36] God created man to glorify Him. He says, I have created Him for my glory. Man was created to depend upon God. To know Him.

[4:48] Man needs God's counsel to find meaning in life. Purpose in a life that's designed to glorify Him. You were made, I was made to glorify God.

[4:59] That was the purpose for which He made us. And as the creatures gathered around the throne, in Revelation 4, sing the song in the book of Revelation.

[5:09] Revelation 4 verse 11. God is worthy to receive glory.

[5:23] God is worthy to receive glory.

[5:37] God is worthy. And we really and truly, we are spiritual beings. Sure, we might look like human beings, but we're actually spiritual. It's actually our body, soul and spirit.

[5:48] We are spiritual beings, created in an earthly existence, yet for an eternal life. And God has made us for Himself.

[5:59] It's one of the most fundamental things, the most fundamental truths that are under attack today. From those who hate God. They say they disbelieve Him, but really they hate God.

[6:12] That He has made them. It's the fundamental of life. God has made us. He has made us. And so instead of that, they promote the lie that evolution has made us, not God.

[6:26] That evolution has made us, as well as the infinite complexity of the universe and of every living being, plant, creature and cell. That somehow evolution amazingly made it through random chance and happenstance without any real plan, purpose or meaning to it.

[6:45] That is what they would have us believe. Friends, truly, the fool has said in his heart, there is no God. The fool has said, the truth is, we are made.

[6:56] We are made of Him. We are created by Him and for His pleasure and praise. We are and were created for His glory. In Proverbs 16, 4, it says, The Lord has made all things for Himself.

[7:10] Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. God has made all things for Himself. You are here by design. Every one of you are here by design.

[7:23] The Lord has designed you. He has made you. He has created you. He has designed you for a reason. And what is that reason? For His glory. For His glory. When we consider creation and God's purpose, it helps make sense and meaning of life and of our everyday decisions.

[7:41] And we can use this guide as we travel through life. Will such and such a thing glorify God or will it not? Let that be the guiding principle for your decisions.

[7:55] Will this glorify God or will it not? Our lives have meaning and purpose as we are a worshipper, as that is our identity, as we bear us of His image, as we reflect us of His glory.

[8:08] This is why we have been created. God's glory is meant to be our joy, our satisfaction, our delight. As we realise this, it brings fulfilment and true identity to life.

[8:23] Because to glorify God is our primary purpose. It's why we are and were created. True joy and hope is found in Him. So let's address this all-important question, how can we glorify God?

[8:40] How can we? Let's look at some ways we can glorify God. One is we can glorify God as we trust Him. We glorify God by faith.

[8:51] Of Abraham it says in Romans 4 verse 20, He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.

[9:05] Abraham, staggered not through unbelief, but gave glory to God, was strong in faith. We glorify God through our faith as we trust Him, as we honour Him by faith, as we desire to know Him by faith, as we seek His face, as we see Him who is invisible, we see Him by faith.

[9:28] As we discover His life for us, we glorify God through that wonderful discovery, as we learn to trust Him more and more, as we learn to give Him glory by our living, by faith, as we glorify God, as we trust Him more.

[9:45] And for some of us, their faith is a gold standard faith, a gold standard quality. Friends, you can glorify God through those tough times of life.

[9:57] You know, I've met some Christians from persecuted lands. I've met some Christians who have had neighbours who've been martyrs, who've been in prison cells for their faith, and their faith has been tested and refined, and it has been made golden.

[10:16] Golden faith. Golden faith. Shining, glowing, golden Christians are those who have had their faith tried and tested. Through the fires, their faith has been made purified.

[10:29] Those who've been through the toughest of times can sometimes have the greatest of faith as they most glorify God. Grow your faith, brothers and sisters.

[10:41] Learn to pray. Pray by faith. Lean on God. Depend upon Him. Learn to pray. Prayer is for the glory of God. The Lord Jesus said the reason that we pray is, quote, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

[10:57] As we pray in Jesus' name, the Father is glorified in the Son, and there's a glory in His church as we glorify God, as we lean on Him, as we trust Him, as we pray.

[11:09] And faith in the Bible is allied often with love. Often you see the words faith and love paired together through the Word. You can check your concordance on that. Faith and love often same together, linked.

[11:24] So we glorify God as we trust Him by faith. We glorify God as we love Him. As we love Him, we glorify God. We bring Him glory as we draw closer to Him.

[11:35] He draws closer to us. We glorify God as we show our love to one another. As we love Him, as we walk with Him in truth and love, as we obey what He says, we see His glory.

[11:49] We bring Him glory. As it says, by our love we show that we are Christians. We show that we are His disciples. We glorify God as we love Him.

[12:00] We glorify God as we love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, with all our strength. Our loving of God is something that is forever and is eternal love.

[12:12] It grows deeper and stronger day by day as we grow to love Him. More and more we glorify Him. And our love for Him leads us to praise. We glorify God by our faith as we trust Him.

[12:25] We glorify God through our love as we love Him. We glorify God through our praise as we praise Him. And our praise we show appreciation of our Lord and God for all that He has done for us.

[12:37] For all that He is going to do for, in and through us. Praise God! He is great and greatly to be praised as we worship Him, as we thank Him.

[12:49] 2 Corinthians 2.14 It says, Now thanks be unto God which always causeth us to triumph in Christ. There's a wonderful thankfulness that you can have as a safe man and woman.

[13:05] There's an expression of appreciation that springs naturally from the heart that is redeemed. He's taken our shackles and chains. He's taken our very burdens at the cross that burdened most of all of our sin and He's carried it there and paid for it in full.

[13:21] How He is worthy of our glory and praise and our thanks. Do we truly appreciate our precious Saviour? You know, sometimes we can kind of go through that time where we just take it glibly.

[13:35] We take it carelessly, nonchalantly, like as if it's just another time to praise Him and yet truly we owe Him our all.

[13:45] We owe Him our everything. Do we acknowledge Him as the Lord of Lords? Do we lift Him up with our praise? Do we hold Him in high esteem and regard as very precious to our soul?

[13:58] Or is it just something careless when we utter His name? Let us show our appreciation. Real worship brings glory unto God.

[14:10] In Psalm 86, 12 it says, I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart and I will glorify Thy name forevermore.

[14:21] Psalm 86, verse 12. There's lots of glory in the Psalms. You can check Psalms in your concordance. Look at the word glory, glorify and such things.

[14:32] In Psalm 50, verse 23 it says, God says, Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me. If you offer praise, it glorifies God.

[14:44] He's glorified by your praise. How do we glorify God? By our praise. Praise honors Him. Give Him glory. Come let us adore Him.

[14:55] There's so many exhortations to praise. In 1 Chronicles 16, from verse 27, it says, Glory and honour are in His presence. Strength and gladness are in His place.

[15:07] Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of people. Give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord glory and strength.

[15:18] Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name. Bring an offering and come before Him. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Give unto the Lord glory and praise.

[15:31] We glorify God as we praise Him. Another aspect is we glorify God as we hear Him. As we hear Him.

[15:43] We glorify God as we value God's Word. We hold fast to His Word. His Word is much more valuable than our opinion. God's Word is valuable.

[15:56] more valuable than what you can find on Google or whatever, wherever. God's Word is more valuable than anything else we can take heed of.

[16:08] God talks with man through His Word. It is eternal. We glorify God when we proclaim His Word. 2 Thessalonians 3, verse 1, it says, Finally, brethren, pray for us that the Word of the Lord may be glorified.

[16:23] The Word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified even as it is with you. So when you communicate the Word, when you put it in your heart, meditate on it and recite it to others, when you communicate the Word of God, you're glorifying God.

[16:41] You're glorifying God. We want to be a church that glorifies God. Glorifies God. So we aim to teach the Word of God. Not to adulterate it, but to take it as rare.

[16:53] To teach it faithfully in its absolute purity. It is His Word and His glory is at stake. When the Word was preached in the early church, they glorified it.

[17:05] In Acts 13, 48, it says, When the Gentiles heard this, they heard the Word preached, it says, They were glad and glorified the Word of the Lord. They glorified the Word of the Lord.

[17:16] When Paul was preaching, they gave glory to God when they heard the voice of God through His Word. As we receive the Word of God, it changes us and this gives God glory.

[17:28] In Luke 8, that story of the sower went out to sow, the Word, the seed was the Word of God in picture form. It says, They that are on the good ground were those with an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience.

[17:45] Receive the Word and keep the Word. Receive it. Will we be amongst the number who heard the Word and are glad and keep it and glorify the Word of the Lord?

[17:57] It's important that we glorify God as we hear Him. Let's have an ear open to hear Him. Let the Word shape our worship, our theology, our thinking.

[18:07] This will bring God glory. So every time you get together at home in fellowship times when you teach one another, when you learn from one another, when you sit down with your family and you start talking about the Word, when you start learning together and giving glory to God, as you hear Him, the Word will work.

[18:28] As you memorize the Word, hide it in your heart. You will glorify God as you do that. As you declare it to others, you will give glory to God. As you speak His Word, as you witness, as you declare His Word.

[18:41] Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of God. There's a wonderful joy, a wonderful gladness, a wonderful glorifying of God. The Word is neither even in thy mouth and in thy heart.

[18:54] That is the Word of faith which we preach. Many times it says, hear His voice. Hebrews 4, 7, it says, today if you will hear His voice, harden not your heart.

[19:09] We glorify God as we hear Him. So take every opportunity for you to hear the voice of God. Take time, take personal time, personal quiet time, personal prayer time, personal Bible study time, as well as corporate time in praying together, in reading the Bible together, in getting together with those who love His voice and hear His voice.

[19:33] It says not only do we hear His voice, but we follow Him. The Lord Jesus says, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. So another way to glorify God is as we follow Him.

[19:47] Friends, think of your life and who are you following. So easy to follow the trends and fads and fashions of the day. You know, whatever's popular on Twitter or whatever the latest hot goss is down at the magazine rack, the latest celebrity story, the latest gimmick or gadget that comes out.

[20:10] Friends, whatever you follow, make sure you follow Him. Make sure you follow Him because we glorify God as we follow Him. If you follow Him, every day, Jesus spoke in the pages of the Gospels and He would say, come, follow me, come unto me.

[20:28] He said, come to me, follow me. And people left what they were doing and they got up and got going, following after Him. And He still says the same thing to you and me today.

[20:40] He says to you, He says to me, follow me, follow me. He still says this same thing and you can still follow Him. So what does it look like to be a follower of Jesus?

[20:53] It means that everything of our life is ordered and directed to honour Him, to His glory. 1 Corinthians 10, 31 it says, whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.

[21:10] You can follow the Lord Jesus Christ and that means that as a purposeful Christian, your life will be directed at glorifying God even in the smallest details of life.

[21:23] You can glorify God by the way that you live, by the choices that you make, even in the very day by day things. For example, in what you wear, ladies will wear what is modest and not revealing.

[21:38] They'll look in the mirror and they'll say, is this revealing? It's not appropriate for me to wear something that is revealing. I will wear something that is modest because I want to glorify God with how I dress.

[21:51] Men will dress like men, decently. We glorify God even as we follow Him in all of these practical things of life. We glorify God as we glorify Him.

[22:03] Our lives are filled with His Spirit and we worship Him. We give Him glory and we're a testimony to the world around us. We can glorify God in our marriages. We can glorify God in our homes.

[22:16] Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it. God's purpose in saving a people for Himself, it's not for our self-improvement.

[22:29] It's to restore us to His original purpose, to be, as it were, created in His image and made for His glory. He says, be holy.

[22:40] Be holy. Be holy in all that you do. What does being holy mean? Holiness means being set apart for the special purposes of God.

[22:52] It doesn't mean being isolated from other people. It means there's something different about us from the inside out. It means there's something that makes us stand out from the crowd.

[23:04] We no longer conform to the ways of the world but are conforming is to the ways of God, to follow after Him, after His special purposes for us.

[23:16] And that's not to mean sometimes we will mess up and may make some wrong moves. We may choose some wrong paths but He can deviate us back onto the path, back onto His way so that we will do and will of His good pleasure.

[23:34] So here's the key point today and it's all wrapped up in this one word. Just to, if you don't remember anything else today from this message, remember this one word. Whatsoever.

[23:46] Whatsoever. Whatsoever you do. We glorify God, lastly, in our whatsoever. 1 Corinthians 10, 31 it says, Whether ye therefore eat or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

[24:05] Our glorifying of God is meant to be happening in our whatsoever. Magnify Him in the whatsoever that ye do. What does it say?

[24:17] Whatsoever ye do, do most things to the glory of God. Is that right? No. What does it say? Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

[24:29] All things. Make His glory your purpose in all things of your life. Make that your aim. Ask yourself this question, How is my whatsoever?

[24:41] Ask yourself these questions. Does my speech glorify God? Does what I say glorify God or detract from His glory? Does my choice of friends and companions glorify God or not?

[24:55] Does my choice of entertainment in how I spend my money, in how I spend my time, does that glorify God or not? Do the clothes that I choose to wear glorify God or detract from my ability to glorify God?

[25:10] All of these things, the whatsoever, your contentment with life. The Bible says be content in whatever situation you're in. It acknowledges His sovereignty when we do that.

[25:24] God is glorified. When you get the whatsoever right, you'll be better for it. And when we glorify God, there's joy there. In John 15, 11, He said, These things I have spoken unto you, the Lord Jesus says, These things I have spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

[25:46] Philippians 1, 25 talks about the joy of faith. Romans 15, 13 tells of the God of hope, that He fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost.

[26:03] The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope. Giving glory in your whatsoever, whatsoever you do.

[26:15] And that means for a Christian, we don't turn off our Christianity, you know, I'm coming to church, I'll put on my holy face today, or I'm coming to church and I'm around some Christians now, so I'm going to change my camouflage gear to blend into the Christian scene today, and then you put on another camouflage outfit when you're out amongst the world.

[26:40] But rather glorify God in your whatsoever, whatsoever that you do, and whatever happens, let God be glorified, even if it be that you suffer as a Christian.

[26:52] 1 Peter 4, 16, let Him glorify God on this behalf. So we are committed to glorify God. That's our desire, that's our prayer. Even in our times of suffering, even when it's hard to glorify God, all the more we are to glorify God.

[27:10] That's why we're here on planet earth. That's why He's made you and created you for His glory. So even in death we glorify God, because we loved Him enough to die for Him, if it be the case, that we find His will and that we do His will.

[27:28] God has prepared vessels of mercy, prepared unto glory, Romans 9 23. Are you one of those vessels of mercy? Our purpose is to glorify God, glorify God.

[27:42] And really we're just practicing for eternity. Revelation 5 verse 11 it tells of the creatures around the throne saying worthy is the Lamb.

[27:53] Read it through Revelation 5 11 through 14. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing.

[28:07] And every creature it says was heard saying blessing and honour and glory be unto him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb forever and ever.

[28:20] We want to glorify God in our whatsoever and we're going to be doing it eternally. Make it your decision to glorify God. this week ahead decide today that my whatsoever whenever is going to be to glorify God in all things that I do.

[28:38] Make it your primary purpose to glorify God. It's why we were born. It's why we have existence. It's why we were created and made for his glory. And the church is meant to bring God glory.

[28:51] Unto him be glory in the church. That is his will. The Bible says that something special happens when God's people get together.

[29:02] And when the word of God is ministered it says 1 Peter 4 11 As if any man minister let him do it as the ability which God giveth that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ.

[29:15] To whom he prays and dominion forever and ever. So when the church doors are open be where the word is. Be where the glory is. Be a church that is committed to the glory of God.

[29:27] That is your all consuming goal. That in your whatsoever you do you will give glory to God. For you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's.

[29:40] 1 Corinthians 6 verse 20 You are bought with a price. He has bought you and made you for a reason and that purpose is to bring him glory. Not about our own agendas but his agenda.

[29:53] What God wants for us. what God desires for us. Glorify God in your body and in your spirit. So glorify God through a purposeful decided Christian life.

[30:06] It's the more abundant life of John 10 verse 10 I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly. You have a stewardship of one single human life.

[30:20] life. You are a steward of one single human life. You've got one single human soul a single human spirit.

[30:32] What are you sowing into your life? What will your reaping be? What you sow you will reap. Purpose in your heart to glorify God with your life.

[30:43] Let God's glory be that driving force. As you trust him you'll glorify him. As you love him. As you praise him. As you hear him. As you follow him.

[30:54] In your whatsoever give glory to God. In all that you do give him glory. And this transforming truth will make an effect that will be eternal.

[31:07] So whether you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. Let's determine as God's people to make that truth for our life.

[31:19] As we bring glory to the God who's given all for us. As we bring glory to God as our primary purpose. As we seize every opportunity for his glory.

[31:30] What is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. Of all the important purposes of life this is the primary one to bring glory to God.

[31:45] let it be your deepest joy, your greatest delight for this cause you were made, you were created to glorify God. Let us pray. Amen.