To God Be the Glory in the Church

1
To God Be the Glory in the Church
2
The Self-Glorification of Churches.

• Too often, churches seek to glorify themselves
  instead of God.
• Whenever a church takes their eyes off of the
  Lord, they have forgotten the very purpose for
  their existence!
• God is rightly displeased when He is not given
  the glory

3
Acts 1222-23 (NASB)

• 22 And the people kept crying out, "The voice of
  a god and not of a man!" 23 And immediately an
  angel of the Lord struck him because he did not
  give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and
  died.

4
Revelation 411 (NASB)

• "Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to
  receive glory and honor and power for Thou didst
  create all things, and because of Thy will they
  existed, and were created."

5
Is Our Number One Goal to Glorify
God?

• To Him be the glory in the church (Eph. 320-21)

6
Ephesians 320-21 (NASB)

• 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceeding
  abundantly beyond all that we ask or think,
  according to the power that works within us, 21
  to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ
  Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

7
Romans 155-6 (NASB)

• 5 Now may the God who gives perseverance and
  encouragement grant you to be of the same mind
  with one another according to Christ Jesus 6
  that with one accord you may with one voice
  glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
  Christ.

8
Is Our Number One Goal to Glorify
God?

• To Him be the glory in the church (Eph.
  320-21).
• To God be the glory forever and ever.

9

• Rom 1136 For from Him and through Him and to
  Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever.
  Amen.
• Rom 1627 to the only wise God, through Jesus
  Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.
• Gal 15 to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.
• Phil 420 Now to our God and Father be the glory
  forever and ever. Amen.
• 1 Tim 117 Now to the King eternal, immortal,
  invisible, the only God, be honor and glory
  forever and ever. Amen.
• 2 Tim 418 The Lord will deliver me from every
  evil deed, and will bring me safely to His
  heavenly kingdom to Him be the glory forever and
  ever. Amen.

10
Psalm 8612 (NASB)

• I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord my God, with
  all my heart, and will glorify Thy name forever.

11
The Failure to Glorify God Leads
to Many Problems.

• Pride and boasting
• Many rely on the praise of men to boost their
  fragile ego or strengthen their self-esteem.
• We can crave recognition too much and lose our
  desire to glorify God and this leads to sinful
  pride (Mat. 61, 5 235-7 cf. Jas. 46).

12
1 Corinthians 46-7 (NASB)

• 6 Now these things, brethren, I have
  figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for
  your sakes, that in us you might learn not to
  exceed what is written, in order that no one of
  you might become arrogant in behalf of one
  against the other. 7 For who regards you as
  superior? And what do you have that you did not
  receive? But if you did receive it, why do you
  boast as if you had not received it?

13
1 Corinthians 47 (NLT)

• What makes you better than anyone else? What do
  you have that God hasn't given you? And if all
  you have is from God, why boast as though you
  have accomplished something on your own?

14
The Failure to Glorify God Leads
to Many Problems.

• Pride and boasting
• The exaltation of preachers.
• The boasting of who performed your baptism (1 Cor
  111-17).
• Preachers exalted when church growth occurs.
• Preachers have been exalted in gospel meetings or
  lectureships.

15

• When brethren are exalted and glorified, often
  their praise will mean more to you than Gods!
  (John 1242-43).

16
John 1242-43 (NKJV)

• 42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many
  believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees
  they did not confess Him, lest they should be put
  out of the synagogue 43 for they loved the
  praise of men more than the praise of God.

17
The Failure to Glorify God Leads
to Many Problems.

• Pride and boasting
• The exaltation of preachers.
• Competition among brethren (Mark 933-35
  1035-45 Luke 2224-27).

18
Mark 933-35 (NASB)

• 33 And they came to Capernaum and when He was
  in the house, He began to question them, "What
  were you discussing on the way?" 34 But they
  kept silent, for on the way they had discussed
  with one another which of them was the greatest.
  35 And sitting down, He called the twelve and
  said to them, "If anyone wants to be first, he
  shall be last of all, and servant of all."

19
Philippians 115-17 (NASB)

• 15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even
  from envy and strife, but some also from good
  will 16 the latter do it out of love, knowing
  that I am appointed for the defense of the
  gospel 17 the former proclaim Christ out of
  selfish ambition, rather than from pure motives,
  thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.

20
Galatians 515, 26 (NASB)

• 15 But if you bite and devour one another, take
  care lest you be consumed by one another
  26 Let us not become boastful,
  challenging one another, envying one another.

21
The Failure to Glorify God Leads
to Many Problems.

• Pride and boasting
• The exaltation of preachers.
• Competition among brethren.
• Power struggles
• Im in charge! Im number one!

22
3 John 9-10 (NASB)

• 9 I wrote something to the church but
  Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them,
  does not accept what we say. 10 For this
  reason, if I come, I will call attention to his
  deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with
  wicked words and not satisfied with this,
  neither does he himself receive the brethren, and
  he forbids those who desire to do so, and puts
  them out of the church.

23

• Power struggles occur when Christians become
  proud forgetting who exactly is
  the Chief Shepherd to be glorified in the
  church!

24
1 Peter 54-5 (NASB)

• 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will
  receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 You
  younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders
  and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility
  toward one another, for God is opposed to the
  proud, but gives grace to the humble.

25
How is it Possible for a Church to Give God the
Glory?

• By remembering that glorifying the greatness of
  God is more important than the particular role
  that each member fulfills.

26
1 Peter 410-11 (NASB)

• 10 As each one has received a special gift,
  employ it in serving one another, as good
  stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 Whoever
  speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances
  of God whoever serves, let him do so as by the
  strength which God supplies so that in all
  things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,
  to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever
  and ever. Amen.

27
Matthew 516 (NASB)

• "Let your light shine before men in such a way
  that they may see your good works, and glorify
  your Father who is in heaven.

28
How is it Possible for a Church to Give God the
Glory?

• By remembering that glorifying the greatness of
  God is more important than the particular role
  that each member fulfills.
• By rejoicing in the talents God has given to each
  one by His grace to His glory.

29
Romans 123-5 (NASB)

• 3 For through the grace given to me I say to
  every man among you not to think more highly of
  himself than he ought to think but to think so
  as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to
  each a measure of faith. 4 For just as we
  have many members in one body and all the members
  do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are
  many, are one body in Christ, and individually
  members one of another.

30
Romans 123-5 (NASB)

• 6 And since we have gifts that differ according
  to the grace given to us, let each exercise them
  accordingly if prophecy, according to the
  proportion of his faith 7 if service, in his
  serving or he who teaches, in his teaching 8 or
  he who exhorts, in his exhortation he who gives,
  with liberality he who leads, with diligence he
  who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

31
How is it Possible for a Church to Give God the
Glory?

• By remembering that glorifying the greatness of
  God is more important than the particular role
  that each member fulfills.
• By rejoicing in the talents God has given to each
  one by His grace to His glory.
• By speaking more about what God has done than
  what man has done.

32
Acts 2119-20a (NASB)

• 19 And after he had greeted them, he began to
  relate one by one the things which God had done
  among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 And
  when they heard it they began glorifying God

33
Romans 1517-18 (NASB)

• 17 Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason
  for boasting in things pertaining to God. 18 For
  I will not presume to speak of anything except
  what Christ has accomplished through me,
  resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by
  word and deed.

34
Psalm 1151 (NASB)

• Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Thy name
  give glory because of Thy lovingkindness, because
  of Thy truth.

35
How is it Possible for a Church to Give God the
Glory?

• By remembering that glorifying the greatness of
  God is more important than the particular role
  that each member fulfills.
• By rejoicing in the talents God has given to each
  one by His grace to His glory.
• By speaking more about what God has done than
  what man has done.
• Recognizing that it is God who increases our
  numbers as a church, not men.

36
1 Corinthians 31-4 (NASB)

• 1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to
  spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to
  babes in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not
  solid food for you were not yet able to receive
  it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 3 for
  you are still fleshly. For since there is
  jealousy and strife among you, are you not
  fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? 4
  For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another,
  "I am of Apollos," are you not mere men?

37
1 Corinthians 35-7 (NASB)

• 5 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul?
  Servants through whom you believed, even as the
  Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6 I planted,
  Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.
  7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one
  who waters is anything, but God who causes the
  growth. - cf. Acts 1121

38
How is it Possible for a Church to Give God the
Glory?

• By remembering that glorifying the greatness of
  God is more important than the particular role
  that each member fulfills.
• By rejoicing in the talents God has given to each
  one by His grace to His glory.
• By speaking more about what God has done than
  what man has done.
• Recognizing that it is God who increases our
  numbers as a church, not men.
• Believing that true glory is found only in the
  Lord.

39
2 Corinthians 1017-18 (NASB)

• 17 But he who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.
  18 For not he who commends himself is approved,
  but whom the Lord commends.
• The glory we have in the Lord when He commends us
  is what truly counts!

40
Galatians 614 (NASB)

• But may it never be that I should boast, except
  in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through
  which the world has been crucified to me, and I
  to the world.

41

• May we as the Lords Church Glorify God in
  Everything We Do.