Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Today we are ending our series: Church by the Book

We have thought about the

Foundation of the Church

Marks of a true church

Marks of a healthy church

Mission of the Church

Now I want to think about what is central and what is the goal of the church

Let me ask you

What is ultimate in life?

What is the most important thing in life?

Not only for you individually, what what is the end of all things?

What is your life, my life, our lives, and all of creation headed toward?

As it has been asked before,

What is the end for which God created the world?

Your answer to that changes the way that you view everything.

Of course we are assuming creation, we are assuming the God of the Bible as our Creator and yet with all of that assumed there may be different answers to this question

What is the end for which God created the world?

Boredom?

Need for loving relationships?

Desire to make much of us?

Desire to make much of you?

Of course the Independence of God taught us that this is clearly not the case.

God does not need us, He is not dependent upon us

I would submit to you that one of the problems with the modern american church

My desire this morning is for us to see church, that the end for which God created all things, the reason God created all things was to make much of Himself.

God created all things for His glory.

But not only that, the church exist for the glory of God and brothers and sisters we are to strive to make the glory of God the central pursuit in our lives and in our church.

As we come to the end of this series brothers and sisters I want to press home that I believe one of the central problems of the modern american church is that she has lost sight of this very thing.

The Glory of God is not what drives her

Numbers drives her

Worldly success drives her

Big budgets drives her

Where the glory of God is not central what will replace that is a desire for our own glory

We want to make a name for ourselves

We want to build our own kingdom

We will do so at the expense of others not caring about the glory of God or Christ, only giving lip service to the glory of God

God is not glorified in churches where the gospel is watered down

God is not glorified where what is central in worship is musical styles and not the glorious content of the gospel being sung by redeemed hearts

God is not glorified where leaders are not godly

God is not glorified where commitment to the church is at an all time low and that is accepted and expected

God is not glorified in a church culture where people jump from church to church because they didn’t get their way in one church and so they move to another and the other church gladly embraces them though they left the other church angry and in sin

God is not glorified where worldly methods are used to try to draw people into attendance and then emotional manipulation is used to try to get attendees to make a quick emotional decision

God is not glorified when members of churches lives look just like the lives of everyone else in the culture

God is not glorified where His people are not pursing holiness

God is not glorified where truth and doctrine is minimized for the sake of pseudo unity

God is not glorified when public sin is overlooked within the church because the church does not want to do the right thing

The list could go on and on brothers and sisters

I have five points that will help us to see that as a church the glory of God should be central for us and I want us to think about what it means for us as a church and individuals to live to the glory of God.

I. God created all things for His glory.

We see God’s desire for His glory

Not only do we see God’s desire for His glory, but His refusal to share glory with another

A church, a pastor, a christian that is not first concerned about living for the glory of God is at odds with God Himself, because that is God’s central focus.

Paul considers the marvelous wisdom of God, His knowledge, His judgments, His ways.

God has caused all things to be to Him in their final end just as they are from Him in their beginning and are governed by Him.

Paul joyfully exclaims that all things are to God in the sense that all things will bring Him glory forevermore.

The Good parts of the moral world are created for God’s glory

II.

Christ lived for God’s glory.

The second thing I want us to see is that our Lord and Savior Himself lived for one ultimate purpose and that was for the Glory of God

In Jesus goes up to the Feast of Booths and is teaching and the Jews marveled at His teaching wandering how He knew so much when He had never studied, listen to Jesus respose

John 7.

His ultimate goal was to bring glory to the Father.

And as Jesus thinks about the crucifixion and all that awaits Him with the crucifixion listen to what He says

John 12.27

The glory of God was the motivating factor in Jesus’ suffering.

In the High Priestly Prayer right before the last sufferings of our Lord what does He say?

Here we see clearly that the highest and the greatest reason for Jesus coming and His sufferings was the glory of God.

Brothers and sisters, the end for which our Lord lived should also be the end for which we live as well.

III.

Salvation brings glory to God.

Scripture is clear brothers and sisters, that the great end of the salvation that we so richly enjoy in Christ is the glory of our Great God.

Again

We also looked at but look further

.

Think of the song that was sang at the coming of our Lord

We see the glory of God as the end in the work of redemption

We continue to see this

Eph. 1.

Listen to the prayer of the psalmist

Brothers and sisters it is clear, the end of this great work of God whereby He redeems and restores sinners through the work of His Son is the glory of our God.

Brothers and sisters we are simply benefactors of God’s glory.

We benefit from God desiring to display His glory in redeeming lost sinners

Brothers and sisters,

It is to the praise of His glorious grace that we have been chosen in Chosen in Christ

That He predestined us for adoption as His children

That we have redemption through the blood of Christ, the forgiveness of our sins

Phil. 2.

IV.

Saints should desire the glory of God.

Listen tot he prayers and the desires of the apostles

Gal.

1.4-5

As Paul is finishing up his prayer for the church listen to what He says

Eph. 3.20-21

Listen to the OT saints

Listen to the saints and the angels in heaven

Oh with all of that we have seen should not the heart of the church be the same, should we not cry out

V. The church is commanded to glorify God.

Clear command church

How did the Lord teach us to pray?