Purpose: To Glorify of God

1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! 4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! 8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! 9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! 10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.” 11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12 let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Introduction

ILL.

In 1950, James Hampton rented a garage in Washington D.C.

During the day, he worked as a janitor in government buildings.

When he wasn’t at work,

he constructed a complex work of art inside the garage.

But he built it with various scavenged materials such as aluminum and gold foil, old furniture, pieces of cardboard, light bulbs, jelly jars, shards of mirror, desk blotters, glass bottles, insulation board, and sheets of transparent plastic...

held together with tacks, glue, pins and tape.

(show the photo)

The complete work consists of 180 objects, many of them inscribed with quotes from the Book of Revelation.

The centerpiece of the exhibit is a throne (seven feet tall)

built on the foundation of an old maroon-cushioned armchair with the words "Fear Not" at its crest.

The throne is surrounded by dozens of altars,

crowns, lecterns, tablets and winged pulpits.

To make things even more odd,

during his lifetime, he was a quiet, virtually unknown man.

This extraordinary collection was found in his garage

after he died in 1964.

No one knew he had been working on it for the last 14 years.

Now, his makeshift artwork is displayed

in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C.

Just inside the door...

On a bulletin board in the garage he had written Proverbs 29:18: "Where there is no vision the people perish."

He built a reminder of the glory of God.

Maybe he meant to share it when he was finished.

Or maybe he built it to remind himself.

Regardless, he spent 14 years trying to capture the magnitude of the glory of God.

Artwork in his garage to the the glory of God.

Os Guiness,

The trouble is that, as modern people, we have too much to live with and too little to live for.

Guinness, Os. The Call (p. 4). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

Why are you here?

What are you living for?

People all over our nation are in despair over this question.

Our Worship Glorifies God

“glory” - heavy, weighty

“glorify God” - to give him the honor he deserves.

(v. 1) - sing to the Lord (2x)

(v. 2) - sing to the Lord (third time),

bless his name…

“bless” - praise, adore, kneel (verbally kneeling before God)

(v. 3) Declare his glory to the nations

(v. 7-8) Ascribe - to give, to deliver something

“splendor”, “glory”, “strength”,

“glory due his name”, “splendor of holiness”

(v. 8) “bring an offering”

“come into his courts”

God is God, and we are not.

God is our hope.

God is our life.

God is big.

Ex. Holy, Holy, Holy at General Assembly

2500-3000 people belting it a the top of their lungs.

All to the praise of God.

You rightly see how small you are,

and how magnificent God is.

Remembering Our Salvation Glories God

Psalm 96:2 ESV

2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.

(v. 3) Tell of “his marvelous works”

And each week, we gather to sing, read the Scriptures, pray, preach..

All in order to reorient ourselves to a right perspective of God ruling and reigning our lives.

Ray Ortlund on Twitter commented on:

Exodus 33:18 ESV

18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”

He wrote, “Perhaps the greatest prayer in all the Bible, and one we can pray today. ”

“Please show me your glory.”

As we see God’s glory,

it draws us into worship.

As we worship him,

God is glorified.

ILL.

The Wall Street Journal wrote back in 2015

of the importance that awe has on our lives.

Studies report, "The actual feeling of awe, and experiences that inspire it, benefit us in all sorts of ways, from stronger health to improved relationships."

These "awe experiences" make us more generous, humble,

empathetic, trusting, and even help us battle depression.

The article states, "Awe is an emotional response to something vast, and it challenges and expands our way of seeing the world."

The researchers conclude, "Awe minimizes our individual identity and attunes us to things bigger than ourselves."

Our Submission Glorifies God

Psalm 96:10 ESV

10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”

“The Lord reigns”

“the world is established”

God made the world. God upholds the world.

And how God says the world works...

we find our life in that.

We take him at his word.

We trust his word.

Even when our eyes think something else looks better,

we choose to trust his establishment of this world.

When you first trust in Christ,

this is called “faith”.

Receiving and resting upon him alone for salvation.

When you trust him throughout the rest of your life,

this is called “faith”.

Submitting to his will for your life daily.

(v. 9) “tremble before him”

Psalm 96:4 ESV

4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.

Yet, so many people chase after other gods...

other things… things of this world

Psalm 96:5 ESV

5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens.

God is glorified when we surrender our lives to him...

when we pursue him above the things of this world.

The lack of submission leaves us open to God’s judgment.

(v. 10, 13)

Psalm 96:10 ESV

10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”

Psalm 96:13 ESV

13 before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Yet...

Romans 3:23 ESV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

So, confessing our sins glorifies God.

It takes him at his word...

admits our rebellion...

trusts in him alone for salvation.

All of Life Glorifies God

Psalm 96:11–12 ESV

11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12 let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy

“let the sea roar”

“let the field exult”

“trees of the forest sing for joy”

Not simply nature and created things,

but our very lives are able to glorify God.

Isaiah 43:7 ESV

7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

App. Am I living for my glory or God’s?

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

In addition to worship, surrender, and pursuing him...

Your work

Your family

Your friendships

Your community involvement

Your connection with your neighbors

Your hobbies

Your entertainment

Your wealth or your poverty

Your web browsing

Your social media activity

Your health

Your body

Your time

Your talents and abilities

Your personality

ILL.

William Carey was the great missionary pioneer to India. When he was on his deathbed, he was visited by a young man named Alexander Duff who greatly admired the famous missionary. After a long visit, Carey asked Duff to pray with him. Following the prayer, when Duff turned to leave, he heard Carey's feeble voice calling him back.

"Mr. Duff," said Carey, "you have been speaking about 'Dr. Carey, Dr. Carey.' When I am gone, say nothing about Dr. Carey. Speak about Dr. Carey's Savior."