The Splendor of Holiness
Notes
Transcript
Intro: Why do we sing? Why do we serve? Why do we tell others of Christ? Why do we pray? Why do we study and search the Scriptures? Why do we restrain our sinful impulses? Why do we teach our children bible stories? Why do we give? Why do we keep ourselves from the world? Why do we bear one another’s burdens? Why do we fellowship with the saints? Why do we send missionaries to the uttermost parts of the earth? Why do we build and sustain churches? Why do we feed the hungry? Why do we champion pro-life causes? Why do we mourn the loss of any life? Why do we comfort the hurting and counsel the lost? Why do we help the widow and the orphan? Why do we wake up in the morning? Why do we go to work or the store? Why do we run the vacuum and sweep the floors? Why do we cook our meals and why do we fill a glass of water? Is there some unifying purpose behind the lives we live?
1 Corinthians 10:31 “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
The Glory of the Lord
The Glory of the Lord
The glory of God is the manifestation of His perfect nature, attributes, and beauty.
Throughout history the glory of God has been manifest in myriads of ways. It has been manifest through the miraculous: the plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the walls of Jericho and most importantly the defeat of death itself.
The glory of God has also been manifest in the providential. The paths that our lives have taken or not taken.
The glory of God is seen in His creation.
Glory Due - “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name...”
It is right for God to expect us to glorify Him.
In every sense of the word He deserves to be glorified.
It is His right.
We have a moral obligation to give glory to God.
When we live for our own glory rather than God’s we are living outside of our created purpose. No wonder why there are so many miserable people in this world.
Glory Ascribed
Three times in the opening verses are we told to “Ascribe glory to God”.
Psalm 29:1–2 “Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.”
Naturally the question is how?
The text answers the question with the next phrase. We ascribe glory to God by worshiping Him in the splendor of His holiness.
David uses the word “splendor” to describe God’s holiness. What does he mean?
Beauty
Immensity
Majesty
It is a concept that communicates both kind and quality. In order to ascribe glory to the Lord with any level of sufficiency we must begin with some sense of what He is like.
The truth is we have no frame of reference to understand the splendor of His holiness.
The best we can to consider some examples. David gives us two examples of glory and holiness of God being manifest.
The Voice of the Lord
The Voice of the Lord
The voice of the Lord is one of many manifestations of the glory of the Lord.
David beautifully illustrates the voice of the Lord as if were a storm rising over the waters of the sea. (Thunders, flashes and floods)
Power - that voice which spoke the world into existence
“The voice of the Lord is powerful”
“The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars”
“The voice of the Lord flashes flames of fire”
“The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness”
“The voice of the stripes the forest bare”
Sovereignty
“The voice of the Lord is over the waters”
“The voice of the Lord is full of majesty”
“The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth”
Those in His temple to hear the power of His voice and their response comes from deep within their souls. It a instinctual by creatures created for this purpose. They cry GLORY! And I don’t know for sure but if I had to guess, I think they say to themselves, “this is what I was made for.”
The Throne of the Lord
The Throne of the Lord
The throne of the Lord is the place from which His perfections are expressed.
The storm illustration continues and David presents the Lord as King. King even over the flood waters.
Authority
King of the flood
Enthroned forever
Benevolence
He gives strength to His people
He blesses His people with peace.
Expanded Thoughts on the Throne of God:
God’s throne is a place of power and authority.
God’s throne is a place of majesty and honor.
God’s throne is a place of perfect and sometimes terrible justice.
God’s throne is a place of sovereignty and providence.
God’s throne is a place of praise and worship.
God’s throne is a place of purity and holiness.
God’s throne is a place of abundance and eternal life.
God’s throne is a place of grace and mercy.
God’s throne is a place of glory.
He rules over the universe and rules in our hearts. We long for the day when that throne is realized on the earth in the Son of Man, Jesus Christ.
Concluding Thoughts:
We long for the day when with the saints we too will cry glory! We will cry holy, holy, holy! As we take in the splendor of His holiness.
In the meantime we give Him glory in the worship we ascribe.
In singing
In service
In prayer
In fellowship
In discipleship
In bearing one another’s burdens
In studying the Word
In restraining our flesh
In teaching our children
In giving
In the sending of missionaries
In the building and sustaining of churches
In feeding the hungry
In saving the lives of the unborn
In comforting the hurting
In the waking up and the lying down
1 Corinthians 10:31 “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”