Gods Glory for my Good
Notes
Transcript
“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience.
For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience.
But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— I do not mean your conscience, but his.
For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.
In our Scripture today, Apostle Paul is speaking about the immediate issue some were having in his day in regards to eating meat offered to idols.
However, there is a larger Life Principle in play here that deserves a better understanding for us today.
That is: As Christians, we should be living a life that brings Glory and Honor to God, all the while considering the impact we have on those around us at the same time.
A Worship team from Australia, CityAlight, wrote a song recently that, I think, expresses Paul’s idea, in a wonderful song that is fast becoming one of my favorites- I encourage you to check it out.
It is imperative that we do not live our Christian lives in a silo. There is a balance to be found between living in the freedom of Salvation through Christ and also recognizing our responsibility to those we come in contact with every day.
When we encourage them to live as Christ has called us to live, we bring Honor and Glory to God.
At the same time we help build up the faith of those who may be struggling- All for the Glory of God.
This is brought out in the first two verses of the song, “His Glory for my Good”
I have seen my Father’s glory
Revealed in Jesus Christ
And the more that I behold Him
The more He satisfies
When I gaze upon His beauty
When I see Him as I should
Then my eyes are lifted upward
For His glory and my good
Paul teaches us that while everything is permissible- Not everything is Beneficial.
Creation, itself, cries out to the Glory of our Heavenly Father- That cannot be ignored.
Add to that the Sacrificial giving of His Son as our Redeeming Saviour- There has never been or ever will be a greater expression of love extended to humanity
There is hope in every trial
For I can trust the Lord
He will turn my heart towards Him
And help me bear the thorn
So in faith I follow Jesus
On the road not understood
For I know that He is working
For His glory and my good
There is a lesson to be learned in every trial. As Eccles adds, there is a season for everything under the sun.
There will be times where, Christian humility requires us to respond by putting the good before our own personal desires.
See the open arms of Jesus
Upon the cross that day
What they understood as weakness
Deserves my every praise
For the charge that was against me
It was nailed into the wood
Yes I know that He has saved me
For His glory and my good
The path that Jesus chose for Himself was devoid of His own wishes and desires. He reminds the Disciples continually that He and The Father act as One. Jesus did nothing outside of the Will of God.
By that obedience,alone we can rest assured that the charges against us have been nailed to the Cross of Calvary- And remain there as we walk in obedience and Faith in Christ.
Would I gladly be made nothing
That Christ would be made more
Would I seek the only kingdom
That far outweighs them all
I will stand before my Father
Where the faithful saints have stood
And with joy my heart shall praise Him
For His glory and my good
Paul often stresses in his teachings how the greatest of his accomplishments are nothing but filthy rags in the sight of God-
We do nothing for our own glory and praise- If we seek the approval of man as validation, then we pursue a lost cause.
For the whims of man are fleeting at best, destructive at their worst.
Our highest calling is to live for God’s glory- All while reflecting the self-giving love of Christ.
Our goal is to inspire others to reassess priorities and align their lives towards service and worship
And we close with the Chorus:
To our God be the glory
To our God be praise
He alone, the name above all names
I will boast ever only in the Lord my God
For I know
His glory is my good
HIS GLORY FOR MY GOOD, BE BLESSED TODAY
