Honoring Christs Sephere

Good morning and welcome to Living Faith Church. I am so excited to be able to worship Jesus Christ with you on this amazing Sunday. If we have never met before, my name is Aaron. My wife Stella and I are honored to be able to serve on the Pastoral team at LFC. Today we are in week two of this series “In Search of the Loyal Heart”.

In last weeks message we talked about what Loyalty requires of us. We said it requires a:

Completely commited heart. We must be All In! We said that we are defining loyalty as:

“A noble and unswerving allegiance rooted in faith and love”.

So a loyal heart is 100% committed to God and His Church, not just because it does what you want it to do; but because you love God, and God loves the church- therefore you love the church. It’s rooted in both faith and love.

Honoring Christ’s Sphere

I want today to expand this thought on maintaining an unswerving commitment to God. I want to do this by exploring what it means to Honor Christs Sphere. Paul said this to the church of Corinth:

2 Corinthians 10:13 NASB95

13 But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you.

That word Sphere, is the Greek word “Kanon”. It means “an assignment, formulation, an area of rule”. The Young’s Literal Translation get’s to this definition pretty well, it reads:

Young’s Literal Translation Chapter 10

13 and we in regard to the unmeasured things will not boast ourselves,

[Story - someone stealing the idea]

God Will Not Share His Glory

What we often don’t consider, is that God has a sphere. Isaiah 42 and Isaiah 48 both say this:

Isaiah 42:8 NASB95

8 “I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.

Isaiah 48:11 NASB95

11 “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.

Many don’t even understand what the glory of God is. The Hebrew word “kabod” means “riches, reputation, majesty, or splendor” His reputation will not ever become your reputation. The things that bring majesty and splendor to God, His wisdom, His power to heal, the weightiness of His presence, all belong to Him and cannot be shared with mankind. Why will God not share His glory?

The First of 10 Commands

The first reason is found in Exodus 20:3

Exodus 20:3 NASB95

3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.

The prophet Isaiah even mentions this in Isaiah 42:8 when he says “nor my praise to graven images”. To take the glory that belongs to God and place upon ones self, or any other object is to dishonor the sphere of God by creating a idol and giving false worship.

It is Immoral

The second reason God will not share His glory is because it is immoral to claim credit for something you did not do. God cannot be immoral because moral is an attribute of His nature- it is who He is!

We Intrude

Yet, so often we do intrude on the sphere of God.

Too often we discredit God by not praising Him for His intervention in our life, giving credit to our skill, ambition, or our clout.

We intrude on the sphere of God by not thanking Him for our blessings, our healing, our successes in life. Instead we just keep moving forward as if success and advancement are expected norms.

How often do we thank God for protection from harm? How often do we recognize the hand of God in what did not happen? It was the hand of God that brought your kids home from school safely this week. It was the hand of God that ensured that your equipment at work did not break down and slow productivity. It is the hand of God in your marriage that has allowed you and your spouse to remain a healthy strong couple this year.

We intrude on Gods sphere in our absence of prayer. The absence of prayer is to assume that you don’t need God, that you are as good as He is, as powerful as He is, as effective as He is in life. Why would I take time to pray, when I could just do it myself.

It is immoral to claim credit for something that you did not do.

Psalm 121 says that the Lord is my protector - that is why harm has not befallen me

Genesis 22:8 says that our God “Jehova - Jireh” is my provider. He is the reason I have all I need

Exodus 15:26 says that God “Jehova Rapha” is my healer.

To not give God credit and praise, for the work that He has done, is equal to taking that credit for ourselves. We literally siphon the glory of God.

The Original Sin

Siphoning the Glory of God was the original sin. Even before Adam and Eve sinned. We can find this Isaiah 14:4 when the Prophet Isaiah tells of Lucifers pride in heaven.

Isaiah 14:14 NASB95

14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

In the same way, King Herod overstepped into Gods sphere in Acts 12

The Antithesis of Worship

Siphoning the glory of God is the antithesis of worship, and worship is the culture of heaven.

Revelation 5:13–14 NASB95

13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” 14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

Understanding Christs Sphere

So, what does Paul mean when he says in 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 10:13 NASB95

13 But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you.

Is it possible that you have a sphere, that there is a drawn out line in which you can boast and not infringe upon Christs sphere? I think the safest way to look at this is through the life of Christ. Let’s look at the words of Christ in John 12.

John 12:28 NASB95

28 “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

An interesting thing that we see in the life of Christ is that Jesus, as God incarnate, received glory from other humans and fully received that praise.

Matthew 2:11 describes the wise men as bowing before Jesus in worship

Luke 19 recalls the story of Jesus triumphant entry to Jerusalem. Palm branches were waved, robes were laid on the ground in front of him. They cried “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord”. The Pharisees cried, tell these disciples to be quiet - but Jesus replied:

Luke 19:40 NASB95

40 But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”

In these moments, Jesus did nothing to visibly deflect the glory to the Father. He did not stop the crowd and say: “Halt- everyone- It’s God alone you should be worshipping, don’t bow before me”. Yet, we know that this praise did go to the Father. Look at Jesus words in John 17

John 17:4 NASB95

4 “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.

So what we can say about John 12 is this:

The Father was glorified in the life and work of Christ

The Father would be glorified in the resurrection of Christ.

Jesus had no problem receiving the praise of mankind because mankind was his inheritance.

Psalm 2:8 NASB95

8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.

You are within the sphere of Christ. All the praise for the salvation of your life goes to Jesus. There is another element that resides within the sphere of Christ and that is the church.

Ephesians 1:22 NASB95

22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,

Interestingly enough, in Ephesians 5:27 the Apostle Paul says that Jesus presents the church “to Himself”

Ephesians 5:27 NASB95

27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.

John 12:32 NASB95

32 “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”

So, in John 12 when Jesus declares “I will draw all men unto myself “ He is not siphoning the glory of God, because you individually, and you corporately as the church, are well within the sphere of Christ. Now, to understand how this applies to your life, you must read more- you must read Romans 6:10

Romans 6:10 NASB95

10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

To expound that statement using a literal Greek translations it would read: “He lived in praise of and toward Father God” In other words, you are well within the sphere of Christ, but Christs lives to give glory back to the Father. In John 17:1 when Jesus prayed:

John 17:5 NASB95

5 “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

Jesus is referencing His ascension back into heaven where He would sit at the right hand of the Father. Everything that Jesus did on earth was unto the Father- and the Father, just like every earthly father, has no greater joy than to see His Son receive praise.

John 14:13 NASB95

13 “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Meaning, the Father is glorified, when the Son receives praise.

What Is Your Sphere?

This means that for you, just like Paul, there is sphere of influence. Pauls sphere was the Corinthian church because He first brought the Gospel to them. Your sphere may be your family, your place of employment, or a specific people group that God has used you to bring the Gospel to. Your sphere may be in the realm of art, education, business, or agriculture. Paul says: there is nothing wrong in saying: “I did this”! I lead that person to Christ; or, I lead that group where 5 people came to Jesus; I sang that song that reached 1000’s with the Gospel. There is nothing wrong with receiving recognition for using the gifts that God has given to you, because Father God loves to see His creation, His sons and daughters be praised for the blessings He has given them. But, He will not share in His glory. What does this mean? Paul goes on in 2 Corinthians to say:

2 Corinthians 10:17–18 NASB95

17 But he who boasts is to boast in the Lord. 18 For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends.

Our Boast

Two important thoughts out of this.

Boast in the Lord.

Yes! Your musical skill, your people skills, your skills in craftsmanship, or administration, whatever it is, is getting the Gospel message out. State it loud and clear - God is using me. If someone says Great Job! Say thank you! That is within your sphere.

Because God Stands With You

But where did your sphere come from? The young violinist can say thank you to all those praising their performance in the recital. But this young first place ribbon recipient, should also say thank you to the parents for paying for the violin and the lessons. The student can say thank you because he or she worked hard to develop the skill, so this is well within their sphere. But there must be a recognition that someone else made way for the gift.

Paul says here: boast in the Lord because it is God who has entrusted you.

So, let’s follow the model of Jesus. Stay in your lane, honor Christs sphere, recognize that for all that you are doing for God- this is a delegated sphere, a delegated boundary on ministry. When someone praises you, say thank you - then walk away and simply say - Lord, did you hear that? Wasn’t that so cool? Thank you for blessing me to be a blessing.

Salvation Response

Maybe you do not have a personal relationship with God; maybe you are still carrying the anxiety, guilt, and pressure that sin induces in your life. Maybe you are stressed out by trying to navigate life all on your own. Can I assure you; today all of that can end, and you can walk out of this room with hope in your heart? The Bible tells us:

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 11

Romans 10:9 NASB95

Many people have told me, I don’t want to become a Christian because I can’t keep up that goodie lifestyle. But this verse says nothing about your lifestyle. God is more interested with your heart. If He can get to your heart, He will deal with your actions later.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 11

Romans 6:23 NASB95.

We know that sin leads to death – you’ve felt the sting, and pain of sin. The good news is this, Paul calls God’s gift of life a “free gift”. I want to pray with you right now to receive this gift. If you would say, I want God’s forgiveness, I want to accept this gift of life, I want Jesus to live in my heart, raise your hand so I know who I am praying for.

KEEP YOUR HANDS RAISED HIGH - I HAVE A PRAYER PARTNER COMING TO PRAY WITH YOU

“Heavenly Father, I trust You to save me through Your Son, Jesus. Forgive me for all of my sins. Make me brand new. Because You died for me, I want to live for You. Fill me with Your Spirit, so I could follow You. Jesus, You’re now my Lord and the Savior of my life. Take my life. It is Yours. In Jesus’ name, I pray.”