Glorify God

[0:00] All of us hold things in our lives that we treasure. We treasure some things. We hold them dear. things that are worth something for us. There's a whole lot of talk about values, things that we value. Values are what we place priority on in our lives.

[0:17] Politicians talk a lot about values. They stand up for values, they say, of one kind or another. The things that they believe in, values. It's what we count as important. What drives us, what we cherish in our lives and uphold.

[0:34] It speaks of what people count of value, what is valuable to them. And as God's people we have values. Values we want to impart, pass on to our children and instill in our grandchildren. We long to do that. I long to do that.

[0:49] Yet, sadly, more and more children are growing up godless in this land of Australia. In this God forsaking country of Australia. We're living in a post-modern world. And as far as Christian values go, our world has largely forgotten and forsaken God.

[1:07] Even church goers, by and large, are biblically illiterate. So that they give little thought in the passing days to what pleases God and what displeases God.

[1:19] This is a sad fact, I believe. And God for some is like some kind of part-time hobby that people may show a passing kind of interest in at certain religious times, when they feel kind of religious now and again. And this world has its own values too. This world, as far as the world's values go, the world puts an emphasis on self-glory, not on pleasing God. A me-first kind of mentality since the obsessed many.

[1:51] And this world places its value sometimes on information or human thinking, yet missing out on the true source of wisdom. The world has a wide open, broad road. Tolerance. As if all roads lead to truth and enlightenment.

[2:14] But is that so? When they're contradictory, obviously not. But as for God's people, there is what's called a narrow road. Matthew 7 we read of that. The way to life is narrow, not broad. Yet it's wide enough for those who will trust Him. Trust Him.

[2:32] For us to know the truth is dependent on knowing this one exclusive claim. The one who says, I am the truth. The way. The life. The one and only Saviour.

[2:44] The one and only Saviour. It's important we consider this. I believe that the value of a lifetime of your life and mine all boils down to this one essential principle. One essential principle. Glorify God. Glorify God.

[3:05] that is of true value, stems from this one truth, this one truth, this applied truth. I pray, do all to the glory of God.

[3:16] 1 Corinthians 10, 31. Do all to the glory of God. We read there in 1 Corinthians 10, 31. Whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.

[3:30] 1 Corinthians 10, 31. 1 Corinthians 10, 31.

[4:02] As the praise and honour that's due only to God. For who he is, for what he does and what he is to do. The glory of God. The glory of God. It's a theme right through the pages of scripture.

[4:16] The glory, it speaks of his true nature. Of God's character. The manifestation of his presence. Of his being, of his likeness. The glory of God. The glory of God.

[4:28] The priority of the people of God. As his tangible presence was with them. As they journeyed through the wilderness wanderings. The people followed the glory of God.

[4:39] In the fiery cloud as it was manifested. And when the people disobeyed God. The glory left. When the glory of God was gone.

[4:50] From Israel. It lost its direction. All hope was lost. That which is of true and lasting value. Is the glory of God.

[5:00] Is the glory of God. Value this. The glory of God. In your life. When the glory departed from the people of God. It left them in a state of deadness. And spiritual famine.

[5:12] Dryness and deadness. Coldness. Emptiness. In the Old Testament we see where God's people were faithful. God was with them in his glory. And his manifest presence.

[5:24] When they were unfaithful. And worshipped false gods. When they neglected God's glory. When they neglected to glorify God. They faced his judgment. Friends I believe that's what we are witnessing today.

[5:37] We're witnessing this today. Where the glory of God has been exchanged for a cheap fleshly substitute. I believe likewise today.

[5:49] People are turning away their ears from the truth. Churches have become mere social clubs. Geared to the senses and the worldly tastes.

[6:01] That's what drives churches. Sometimes I believe sadly I believe that is happening. Why is this? Because they have lost the sense of the glory of God.

[6:12] The glory of God is no longer the focus. Such churches have lost the whole point. The whole point of their existence. The whole point of our existence. Individually or corporately.

[6:24] Is to glorify God. That must be what motivates us. The 4 and 20 elders in Revelation 4. They knew what the glory was. As they fell down before him.

[6:36] That liveth forever and ever. And cast their crowns at his seat before the throne. Saying. Revelation 4. 11 thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou has created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created. All things created for his pleasure, for his glory, to glorify him now and forevermore. That's our purpose, God's purpose for us that we glorify him.

[7:10] I urge you to consider this the value that matters. I know our brother was talking about how we should treasure him. There's a song that says he's the treasure of my soul. Here we've heard about the precious blood. There's precious treasures, precious value in the blood, in the person of our saviour.

[7:33] This is where true value is found in our life and in the church. The value of a life, the value of a church is found in this. It's wrapped up in this.

[7:43] This one theme. To what extent, to what extent do we give glory to God? God has designed us this way, wired us this way to give him glory.

[7:59] We've seen how his glory shone and we've been made such that each one of us is like a tabernacle, like a temple that his glory should reside in.

[8:14] That his glory should shine through us as mere human beings as we be. That the glory of God is fashioned to function and flow through human lives, through transformed human hearts.

[8:27] In 2 Corinthians 4 verse 6, we read, For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts, in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

[8:54] Friends, the glory of God ought to be evident. It ought to be manifested. It ought to dictate the standard of our conduct.

[9:05] The glory of God should inspire us. It should inspire us to aspire to our highest and best. Not that we get glory, but that all will be for his glory. To be excellent at what is good, for his praise.

[9:19] The chief aim of every believer ought to be this, as that old time motto goes, To glorify God and to enjoy him now and forever.

[9:33] The chief end of man, the chief aim of every believer, to glorify God and to enjoy him now and forever. So then, what are some ways that we, that you and me can glorify God?

[9:47] We glorify God as we uphold the scriptures. As we uphold the scriptures. As God's people we are committed to the scriptures. As our absolute and ultimate authority.

[10:00] Not to man's changing mindset. Not to the fads and fancies that are fickle of man. But on God's absolute and ultimate authority.

[10:12] Our world foolishly despises absolutes. They dismiss and despise them. But there is no such thing. But God's word is absolute. As a God glorifying people, I pray we are committed to teach and to learn and to apply it in our lives.

[10:31] To be a radically Bible based church. Completely Bible based. You know, I was encouraged that someone was talking about coming and they were thinking of going to another place.

[10:43] Friends, this church is Bible based. This is what we stand for. We stand on the Bible. We don't stand on the razzmatazz. We stand on the Bible. We stand on that.

[10:55] And God helping us. I'm not saying that pridefully. But humbly, prayerfully. That that is what we're founded on. Paul and Barnabas declared the word of God. It says in Acts 13 verse 48.

[11:07] When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad. And they glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. They heard it. They were glad.

[11:18] They received the word. And they glorified the word of the Lord. We should glorify the word of the Lord. We should glorify it. Treasure it. Honor it. Esteem it.

[11:29] It's more valuable than our daily food. This is the treasure. It's more precious than gold. Glorify the word.

[11:40] The Bible is our foundation. It's our blueprint for life. It's this one redemption story that we have to tell. And we know that the Bible, sadly, these days, the Bible is not valued.

[11:54] It's mocked. It's derided. It's been said that the further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.

[12:06] I think there's truth there. That's a secular source. Those who drift from the truth. As it drifts from the truth, society will hate the truth. And those who speak it.

[12:17] We must be. We must be a word-driven church. Word-driven. To proclaim it boldly, fearlessly, yet graciously and with humility.

[12:27] And we want our children to glorify God. We want our homes to glorify God. Such that we want to impart the word of God to our children, parents, mothers, fathers.

[12:41] Deuteronomy 6, it says, And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart, and thou shalt teach them carelessly. No, diligently. Teach them diligently. In other words, make a point of it.

[12:54] God helping you. I know it's hard as a parent sometimes. But God teaching through you, your children, diligently. And shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

[13:08] Teach the word of God to your children. As believers, we want to glorify God as we sit like Mary at his feet. At the feet of Jesus and hear his word.

[13:19] You know, Martha, Mary's sister, was busy flitting here and flitting there. Busy, busy, busy as a bee. Trying to serve and be a blessing.

[13:33] But Jesus said, Mary has chosen the best part. The good part. The best part. It says she, Mary, she also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word.

[13:44] And Jesus praised her for that. Because she sat at his feet and heard his word. Paul asked the Thessalonians to pray that the word would have free course and be glorified.

[13:54] In 2 Thessalonians 3 verse 1, Paul says, Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified, even as it is with you.

[14:05] And as a church, we want to have that. We want to be committed to the glory of God. So that the word is glorified. And we value that. We want to do all to the glory of God.

[14:17] And as a God glorified, God gives us the strength to deliver plain, forthright Bible preaching that directs people to God. That we are faithfully declaring the word.

[14:29] And that the word will be glorified. In other words, it will be central. Some people say you worship the King James Bible. No, we don't. But we love the one it talks about. We love the one that this book talks about.

[14:41] And we love his message because it is the more sure word of prophecy. And we pray that the word will be glorified. We pray that the word will be central. Central in our teaching. Central in our training and our counselling.

[14:52] It's central in our Sunday school. It's central in our youth program. It's central in our studies. As families, as individuals and in other ministries. That must be the case.

[15:03] That God will be glorified. As the word of God is glorified. And we will. God helping us do all to the glory of God. Here's another way we can be a God glorifying people. God glorifying people.

[15:15] We want to give God the glory through their worship. That our worship will bring glory to God. So we want our songs to reflect biblical truth.

[15:25] Biblical truth. Not just dainty ditties that we can tap our toes to. And jive and jig to. Truth. Truth. And as such we want to have an eye to the glory of God in what we sing.

[15:41] And so the songs we sing we choose them carefully. Such that God helping us they magnify. They maximise the glory of God. That's the whole point. We're not here to entertain you.

[15:53] But to worship. The holy and living God. The jealous God. To magnify him. And so we want to speak truth. We want to sing truth. We want to worship God in spirit and in truth.

[16:04] And we must beware lest at any time we stray. Being men. I'm just flesh. I'm still flesh. Last time I looked at myself. And we must be careful.

[16:14] I must be careful. That we don't stray to be man-centered in our theology or in our worship. In some quarters it seems like pragmatism prevails. What is pragmatism? In other words the end justifies the means.

[16:27] Whatever it takes. We're witnessing this kind of selling out of the church. Just to draw numbers of people.

[16:41] And I believe it's truth decay. Truth decay. And it's like some churches are selling out for this mantra of cultural relevance. Cultural relevance.

[16:52] And while they turn aside from authentic Christianity to please the flesh. To please men.

[17:02] To draw a crowd. Not caring to offend a jealous and holy God. Not caring to offend God. But as a God glorifying people I pray. That we will at center stage.

[17:16] Not have a performer on a platform. But what will be center stage will be Christ. Christ. And him crucified. Christ. Altered.

[17:26] Christ. Risen. Christ. Christ. High and lifted up. Christ. Magnified and adored. Christ. Soon coming. King. We want our worship to be glorifying to him.

[17:41] That is the whole point. That our worship will bring honor and glory unto his name. That our worship will be to the glory of God. So we believe we are created for this purpose to glorify God.

[17:54] And that by our worship we are to glorify God. Glory. Psalm 29 verse 2. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

[18:08] The glory that's due unto his name. The name of Jesus. Our Lord. Our Savior. And God alone is worthy of all praise, honor and glory.

[18:21] As a God glorifying people we also want to glorify God as we gather together in fellowship. With like minded believers. We value that. We value that.

[18:32] God values that. Whenever we have church to glorify God. You know what? He shows up. He shows up. I think that's important.

[18:43] Don't you? That Jesus is here. Something we ought to value for where two or three are gathered in my name. Together in my name. There am I in the midst of them.

[18:54] Matthew 18 verse 20. When we gather. When we gather. Jesus is here. Of course he's with us individually as we go about. He's not contained in a building. He's not restricted to from 10 to 1130.

[19:07] No. He's with us all the time. But whenever we gather. There's a value in blessed fellowship. Whenever two or three show up. In his name.

[19:17] To his glory. He's there. Don't miss this. Don't miss this. We should value this. Value this. Don't limit yourself. You might be just a 10 o'clock Sunday.

[19:32] If you can make it. Turn up. Turn up when you can. Wherever you can. We pray that our fellowship. Will be pleasing to God. Honouring to him.

[19:42] That it will give him the glory. And that our fellowship will be to the glory of God. That we will be a separated people. That we will endeavour God. Helping us to walk in his truth.

[19:54] In relationship with him. And with one another. As brothers and sisters. In God's family. In respect of pleasing God. That we will not join party. With false doctrine. But we will with.

[20:06] Oppose it. And overcome it. And we will call it. For what it is. Leaven. And we must not.

[20:17] Even. Let a little leaven. In the lump. Why? Because we don't want to take away. The glory. God. Ephesians 3.

[20:28] It says. Unto him be glory in the church. By Christ Jesus throughout all ages. World without end. Unto him. Be glory in the church.

[20:39] We will be a people. Where our gathering together is unto him. That the focus of our church. The focus of our fellowship. Will not be on entertaining the masses.

[20:51] But on glorifying God. On pleasing God. It will not be that. They who preach are here to scratch. Where you itch. But to adorn the doctrine of God our saviour.

[21:05] It says in Titus 2. That they may adorn the doctrine of God. You know. This word adorn. It's got the sense of cosmetics. You know. This is beautiful stuff. Doctrine. It's beautiful.

[21:17] There's nothing wrong with doctrine. Something like doctrine. Oh you're legalistic. Talking about doctrine. Well. It's not ugly. It's beautiful. Doctrine is beautiful. And so our motive is all that is said and done.

[21:31] And all that we establish to be and to do in this church is this. To this end. To his glory. To his glory. That as God's people.

[21:41] A God glorifying people. Our fellowship will be framed on this one theme. To bring glory to God through our lives.

[21:52] And as a God glorifying people. He'll help us to grow. To spiritually grow. To mature. To grow together. To grow in love. To grow in grace and love.

[22:03] And we're called to holiness. To be a holy people. Called out. Called out from far and wide. To be his people together. And as God's spirit works in us.

[22:16] It brings this work about. And we'll truly be a glorious church. Without spot or wrinkle. Ephesians 5. One day he's coming for such a church. It tells of a church. Glorious church.

[22:27] Glorious church. Not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. But that it should be holy and without blemish. Let us pray. Pray that our fellowship will be such.

[22:38] That it will bring glory to God. Bring glory to God. And that we'll want to fellowship. More and more. More and more. As we see the day approaching. One day we'll realize the true value.

[22:50] Of fellowship. Glory to God. As a God glorifying people. We also want to pray. To pray. Prayer brings us to a place of. God.

[23:01] When you pray. You're saying I depend on you God. I'm calling on you God. I'm acknowledging you God. As the one who holds my life together. When Solomon prayed. In 2 Chronicles 6.

[23:13] It goes on to Chronicles 7. At the end of his praying. The fire came down from heaven. And consumed the burnt offering. And the sacrifices. And the glory of the Lord. Filled the house.

[23:25] And the priest could not answer. Into the house of the Lord. Because the glory of the Lord. Had filled the Lord's house. You know that. They had their program all. Just neatly erased. Just like I do sometimes.

[23:36] And Pastor Adam. And. And the program was out the window. Because the glory of the Lord. Came down. Amen. The glory of the Lord. Filled the house. And it changed everything. That man had planned to do.

[23:47] And to be. The glory of the Lord. That's what we need. It filled the house. And when all the children of Israel. Saw how the fire came down. And the glory of the Lord.

[23:59] Came upon the house. They bowed themselves. With their faces to the ground. Upon the pavement. And worshipped. And praised the Lord. Saying. For he is good. For his mercy.

[24:10] Endureth forever. The glory of the Lord. Filled the house. That's what we want. That's what we need. That's what we earnestly. Desire. And may our praying be.

[24:20] For the glory of God. To be evident. Individually in our lives. Such that you shine. As individual. Shining lights. In this darkened world. That corporately.

[24:30] We be. That blazing. Glorious church. And we believe. That God is actively involved. In our world. That's why we pray. Don't we? Don't we believe. That God is actively.

[24:42] Involved in our world. That he hears our prayer. That he responds. To our prayer. Orden we to pray. We ought to pray. We ought to depend upon God. And pray.

[24:53] That God will lead us. Direct us. And give us wisdom. Many reasons to pray. And as believers. We've got a total. Unrestricted. Complete access. To God.

[25:04] Through Jesus Christ. You know. In some churches. They've got to. Kind of make a time. With the priest. And they've got to. Wait in a queue. And they've got to go through a man. To pray to God. No. You can come now.

[25:15] Immediately. Personally. Anytime. Anyplace. 24 by 7. By 360. You've got complete. Total access. Orden we to pray.

[25:28] We ought to pray. Always to pray. We neglect this access. Sometimes I think. When we ought to truly value. Value.

[25:39] Prayer. Value that. And we glorify God. When we pray. With expectancy. Praying with faith. Praying. Believing God to work. Praying. For the glory of God.

[25:51] In your life. As a God glorifying people. We also value the gospel. The gospel. The good news. We value evangelism.

[26:02] You know. I was blessed this morning. When I saw. A youngster. Take some tracks. She was excited. She wanted to witness.

[26:13] This is a girl. Probably so high. I don't know how old she is. Maybe five. Six. She wants to witness.

[26:23] God bless her. Glory to God. She cares about the gospel. She cares about witnessing. She cares about souls. She cares about evangelism. She cares about the proclamation of the gospel.

[26:35] 1 Timothy 1 verse 11. Paul calls it the glorious gospel. It's glorious he says. According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God.

[26:46] Which was committed to my trust. This is glorious. Glorious. Glorious good news. The gospel is something that we should prize and value.

[26:56] And it's too precious. Too precious. To keep it to ourselves. This glorious message is what our world desperately needs to hear. While many are in darkness.

[27:08] They need this glorious gospel to shine. This blazing glory. And. Brighten. Their darkness.

[27:18] In 2 Corinthians 4 verse 4. It says. Of the world. In whom the God of this world. We know who that is. God. Small g. The God of this world.

[27:28] Had blinded the minds of them. That believe not. Lest the light. Of the glorious gospel of Christ. Should. Who is the image of God. Should shine unto them. The devil wants to blind minds.

[27:42] Of those who believe not. But there's a glorious gospel. This is. Brilliant. Glorious. Shining.

[27:54] Radiant light. The light of the glorious gospel. And we want to give glory to God. As we are imparting that. As we share that gospel to the glory of God.

[28:06] To faithfully proclaim it to those around about. To bring him honour as we proclaim the gospel. It's not just the people at the front who proclaim the gospel. It's every believer. Every believer.

[28:17] Every believer. Every believer. You've got a message. You've got the good news. In your heart and soul. And it should be on your lips. Bring him honour as you glorify God.

[28:28] The glorious gospel. And lead others to know him. We value this. This gospel. This good news. It brings hope to the hopeless. It leads the lost to Christ.

[28:40] We bring. A message too precious. To keep to ourselves. So brothers and sisters. God's people. God's glorifying people. Demonstrate this love.

[28:52] This compassion. As you have opportunity. To point people to the Lord. To point people to the one. Bleeding and dying. Rising again. For our saving grace.

[29:03] Hell. Hell. Is real. It's been said. Two people die. Every second. Every second. And.

[29:14] We know that many. Most. Most people. Do not believe. The saviour. So most people. Go to hell. We give.

[29:25] Glory to God. As we impact. A hell bound world. It gives glory to God. As you faithfully. Deliver the gospel. So. To recap thus far.

[29:35] We're talking about values. We're talking about what matters. We're talking about the treasure. That which is a value. We're talking about. A treasure. That we have.

[29:46] Of great value. 2 Corinthians 4. For God who commanded the light to shine. Out of darkness. As shone. In our hearts. To give the light.

[29:57] Of the knowledge. Of the glory of God. In the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure. In earthen vessels. That the excellency of the power. May be of God.

[30:07] And not of us. The excellency of the power. Is of God. And not of us. We're just earthen vessels. This skin. This bone. This flesh. This flesh. Will corrupt.

[30:18] And be eaten by worms. It's earthen. It's earth. It's dust. But his treasure. His treasure.

[30:29] Is in you. As his. Daughter. So we've been called. To shine this glorious gospel. To others around about. Called. To make this truth known.

[30:41] In the lives that we live. As human vessels. So. Do. Most things. To the glory of God. No. Do. All. To the glory of God.

[30:52] Do all. Whether therefore you eat. Or drink. Or whatsoever you do. Do all. To. The glory of God. We've seen that the chief end of man. The chief. Object.

[31:04] Of life. On this planet. For you. For me. For all. Is that we know him. That we glorify God. And enjoy him now. How do we glorify God?

[31:15] Just to quickly cover back. As we uphold the scriptures. The word of God was glorified. We glorify God in our worship. To him be glory.

[31:26] We glorify God in our fellowship. Unto him be glory in the church. We glorify God in prayer. As we believe in him. As we depend upon him. As we pray through him. We glorify God as we go and share the gospel.

[31:39] Don't keep it to yourself. So let's make it personal now. How is your glory level? You know. If you had a meter.

[31:49] If there was a kind of dial on your hand. That showed your glory level. You know. How high is your glory today? Maybe your glory is a bit. Down on the left side. It should be.

[32:00] Woo. On the right side. You know. How's your glory? What's your glory level like? To what extent are you giving God the glory? Giving God the glory. In your life.

[32:11] How would you rate your life. As far as how much are you glorifying God? It's a good question. 1 Corinthians 6 verse 19 through 20.

[32:22] It says. What know you not? That your body is the temple. The temple. Which is in you. Which you have of God. And ye. Are not your own.

[32:36] For ye. Are bought. With a price. A price. Therefore glorify God. In your body.

[32:47] And in your spirit. Which are God's. Our lives. Are meant to be a living sacrifice. Living. Lives. To the glory and honour of his name.

[32:57] As we walk in integrity. And authenticity. As we reflect the glory of God. Not just on the Sunday morning. Or night. Whenever. When it's a meeting. When we just kind of.

[33:09] Might put on a holy look. But. God's glory and grace. Will be ours. All the time. All. To the glory of God. And so.

[33:20] Will know grace. Will grow in grace. Will extend grace to others. You know. Sometimes people can help you. Grow in grace. Who's those people like that? Amen. People who help you.

[33:30] They're growing grace. Oh. Those people that get under your skin. I was talking to my brother recently. And how he's annoyed with someone. And he felt that. There wasn't a sufficient apology.

[33:41] And. You know. He was. Wrought over this. He just couldn't. Grasp this. Grace. Covers it all. We're called to be peacemakers.

[33:53] Peacemakers. Life is too short. For you to hold a grudge. To bear some malice against another. Be a peacemaker. Are we living our lives. For the glory of God. Or do all the little things.

[34:05] Get in the way. Those things that niggle. And stop us from bearing fruit. Jesus says. Herein is my father glorified. That you bear much fruit. So shall you be my disciples.

[34:15] Want to glorify the father. Don't we? Don't we? We ought to. We ought to make that our desire. To glorify the father. So. He says. Bear. Much fruit. Be fruitful. How is our fruit?

[34:28] How's your fruit? How's my fruit? The fruit of the spirit? Or is it other fruit? Our lives should be marked by faithfulness and integrity. God helping us.

[34:40] I'm preaching to myself. I fall short. Every day. Is it lukewarmness. Is it lukewarmness. That. Mars our walk with God.

[34:51] Gets in the way. It can. We're all human. But brothers and sisters. We're called to be stewards. Stewards. Stewards. Stewards. It means we're looking after things for somebody else.

[35:03] We're just caretaking. The life that we live. We've been given. A degree of responsibility to live a life. And God gives us freedom.

[35:15] Really. In what we choose to do. How we choose to live. Do we invest wisely? Those precious moments.

[35:26] Called time. I know I could use my time more wisely. How do we manage it? How do we invest it? How do we put it to use? So that it's useful. For the kingdom of God.

[35:37] For that which is of true value. In whatever we do. Whatever we do. We're not ever to take the glory for us. Sometimes we can big note ourselves.

[35:47] And pat ourselves on the back. Oh I've been a good Christian today. But no. Don't even take the glory for yourself. It's all to him. In 2 Corinthians 10 verse 17 it says.

[35:58] But he that glorieth. Let him glory in the Lord. Glory to God. Glory to God that you're saved. Glory to God that you're his. Glory to God that you're a child of the king.

[36:10] Glory to God of the precious blood shed for you. Glory to God for the shepherd of your soul. The treasure of your soul. Glory to God. Your salvation is all glory to him.

[36:20] Salvation is of the Lord. It says. Someone put it this way. The glory belongs only to God. Never to man. And certainly never to that which man has done. Don't ever think.

[36:32] That you've got anything. To make a big claim over. We can't take any credit. None of it is for our own glory. We're called to do all.

[36:43] All. To the glory of God. So friends. Just a conscious of time. We're called to speak up. With courage. Not cowardice. To speak openly. And truthfully.

[36:54] To do all to the glory of God. I think we could use a bit more zeal. To the glory of God. Zeal. For the glory of God. I like how a preacher put it like this.

[37:06] In yesteryear. He said about zeal. Zeal is a burning desire to please God. To do his will. And to advance his glory.

[37:17] In the world in every possible way. A zealous man is preeminently a man of one thing. He is more than earnest. Harmising. Wholehearted. And fervent in spirit.

[37:29] He sees only one thing. Cares about one thing. Lives for one thing. Swallowed up in one thing. And that one thing.

[37:40] Is to please God. That's the bottom line. He goes on. Whether he lives or dies. Has health or has. Whether he is rich or poor. Pleases people or gives offence.

[37:52] Whether he is thought wise or foolish. Gets the blame or the praise. Whether he receives honour. Or is given shame. He burns for God. One thing.

[38:03] That one thing is to please God. And such a one thing. Will always find a sphere for his zeal. If he cannot preach. He will work and give money. He will cry and sigh and pray.

[38:15] If he cannot fight in the valley with Joshua. He will hold up the hands of Moses. Until the battle is won. Zeal. We could use a bit more zeal. I could use a bit more zeal.

[38:26] God is glorified. When we have zeal. When we have that courage. Of our convictions. That godly zeal. For the glory of God. The glory of God. That's what we are here for.

[38:36] He is looking for a people who will glorify his name. Psalm 94.16. It says. Jesus Christ. Who will rise up for me. Against the evildoers. Or who will stand up for me.

[38:48] Against the workers of iniquity. Who will rise up. It's a question. This world is full of evildoers. And friends. We can follow the crowd. We can go downstream with the rest.

[39:03] Or we can swim against the tide. And stand fast. For the truth of God. We can take a stand. Or we can buckle under. And quit. As a God glorifying people.

[39:13] As a God glorifying people. I pray. That we will hold fast. That we will fear not. To proclaim the truth. Individually in our lives.

[39:24] We'll stand for the truth. Even though we stand to be mocked. And hurt. By those we love. We'll stand for the glory of God.

[39:37] It may mean judging righteous judgment. It might be being called a legalist. Oh you Bible basher. You hypocrite. Whatever they want to call you.

[39:49] Stand fast. Don't care about such things. If you're doing things to the glory of God. That's what matters. That's what counts. And so stand fast.

[39:59] No matter the cost. The fight is on. We must enlist today. Enlist today. In a world where marriage is being trashed. The world's values. What does the world value?

[40:10] Trash. Marriage is being trashed. We value the family. We value what God values. Let us seek to glorify God. In our relationships.

[40:21] In our homes. In our hearts. Are we giving God the glory where it matters most? Where the rubber hits the road. With the people in our lives. That tests the glory doesn't it?

[40:33] That glory level. When you're around some people. The glory level just goes. You know. Oh I can't stand that person. Or whatever it be. God will help you have grace. He'll give you grace.

[40:46] The people in our lives. Are precious souls. The hardest part of this message. Is not grasping a definition of glory. I can give you lots of definitions about glory.

[40:59] And we can talk about glory. There's many. Take a concordance. And you'll see many. Verses about glory. About glorify. But what matters really is the application of this.

[41:10] How do you apply this theory. This theology. This reality of the marvelous glory of God. How do we translate that into the 21st century.

[41:21] Into Elizabeth. And Adelaide. And the neighborhood. Where we live. How do we translate the glory of God into our own lives. Personally. We can get the definition right.

[41:33] The theology right. We can have it all down pat. And know. Know. Our theology. Back to front. And inside out. From cover to cover. And yet. If we miss the application of it.

[41:44] We fall flat. That's what matters most. And friends. We all fall short. It says. For me. I can say. For all have sinned. And come short of the glory of God. All. Fall short. Come short.

[41:55] Yet God in his mercy. Where we fall short. Guess what? God bridges the gap. Doesn't he? You think. From death to life. The sin.

[42:07] God bridges the gap. He stretches out his arms. On the cross. And he says. I died for you. And he reaches from death to life. And we can cross.

[42:18] Through the cross. We can cross through Christ. We can cross. Where we fall short of the glory. He stands in the gap. And he draws us to himself. And takes us from death.

[42:29] To life. Passes from death. To life. As we trust him. As we fall short of the glory of God. He bridges the gap. And he still bridges the gap. For we as God's people. Where we know we fall short of his glory.

[42:42] He bridges the gap. He extends grace. He fills it in. And so friends. We have a responsibility. We have a responsibility. A stewardship. To be vessels of his glory.

[42:53] According to his revealed will. The Bible. And our biblical mandate is clear. It is this. Glorify God. Above all. Direct the glory to God. Unto him. Unto him.

[43:04] Just let me wrap up with a quick. Further comment here. Hebrews 2 verse 9. But we see Jesus. Who was made a little lower than the angels.

[43:17] For the suffering of death. Crowned. With glory. And honour. That he. The grace of God. Should taste. Death.

[43:28] For every man. That would have been a bitter taste. He tasted it for you. He tasted that bitter taste of death. For every man. And he's crowned with glory and honour.

[43:39] Think of him. As we give him glory. As we give him glory. He who wept. Above the grave. He who stilled. The raging wave. Meek to suffer.

[43:49] Strong to save. He shall bear the glory. He who's sorrows. Pathway trod. He that every good. Bestowed. Son of man.

[43:59] And son of God. He. Bear the glory. With scourging sore. Thorns. And scarlet. Meekly. Bore. He who every sorrow.

[44:10] Bore. He shall bear the glory. Monarch of the smitten cheek. Scorn of Jew. And scorn of Greek. Priest and king. Divinely meek. He shall bear the glory.

[44:23] On the rainbow circled throne. Meet the myriads of his own. Never more to weep alone. He shall bear the glory. Man of slighted Nazareth.

[44:34] King who wore the thorny wreath. Son obedient unto death. He shall bear the glory. Here's the grand eternal weight. Here's the priestly regal state.

[44:45] Him the father maketh great. He shall bear the glory. He who died to set me free. He who lives and loves in me. He who comes. Whom I shall see.

[44:55] Jesus only. Only he. Shall bear the glory. He shall bear the glory. Let us strive to glorify God. In all that we do. For of him and through him.

[45:06] And to him. Are all things. To whom. Be glory forever. People of God. If you do nothing. Take this message.

[45:18] With you today. Do all. To the glory of God. Do all. To the glory of God. The chief end of man. Is to glorify God. And to enjoy him now.

[45:29] And forever. How is your glory level? Keep an eye on that. On that dial. How's your glory level? Ask God to give you more. Glory. To fill you more. With his glory. To live your life more.

[45:41] For his glory. To glorify God. This is what counts. It's what's valuable. It's what life will truly be measured by. With this measure. Have I given God the glory?

[45:53] Have I given God the glory? May we glorify God as we uphold the scriptures. Glorify God as we worship. Glorify God in our fellowship. Glorify God in prayer. Glorify God as we go with.

[46:05] Unto him. In the church. Now unto him. That is able to keep you. From falling. And to present you faultless. Before the presence of his glory. With exceeding joy.

[46:16] To the only wise God. Our saviour. Be glory. And majesty. Dominion and power. Both now and forever. Amen. Let us pray.

[46:27] Lord we thank you. That you. Deign to step down from heaven's glory. To bring it to. This earth. In the person of your son.

[46:38] We thank you Lord. That you bled and died and rose. Bearing our guilt. Our shame. Our sin. Our penalty. Our penalty. As we all fall short.

[46:50] Yet you bridge the gap. For those who trust you. We pray. Let us give you the glory. Help me Lord. Help us as a church. To give you all the glory. To live a life. That will live.

[47:01] Be lived for the glory of God. And help us when we fall. Help us when we slip. When our glory level falters. Lord. Help us to give you all the glory.

[47:14] All the glory. Unto him be glory in the church. Amen.