To God be the Glory

Greg Cline

To God Be the Glory

Imagine that you made a toy that could talk, walk, feel emotion, and many other things; and this toy talked to you and you to it.  Well let’s say that after making this toy it told you that it was going to do what it wanted to do, it was going to talk how it wanted to talk, and even say that someone else or something else made it.  You would be livid; you made it.  Why is it not giving you the praise for it?  Well, is it not true that we do the same thing with God?  Let’s look at three reasons why we should be glorifying God in all we do from day to day.

I.                   Glorify God because it’s our purpose.  (Rom.14:7-9)

A.            Whether we live or die, we should do all to the Lord.

1.   Paul said in Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

2.   Paul was going to glorify Christ; whether it was in his death, or by him living.

B.             The Lord commands us to glorify him. (1Chronicles 16:28)

1.  As I stated in my introduction, we have turned away from God like the toy.

2.  We are God’s creation, we are his.

C.                Christ died so He would be ultimately glorified in it. (Rom.                         14:9)

II.        Glorify God because it’s His work.  (Acts 3:11-12)

A.       We ought to transfer the glory to God like the apostles did in this situation.

       1.   When the people praised them, they were quick to                                      make sure God was given the praise.

       2.   The apostles used this opportunity then to witness to the                              people. (vr. 13-the end)

B.       We are only the tools that God uses to do his work. (like a hammer is nothing without someone to use it)

1.   We don’t deserve the glory because it’s God’s work.

         2.   We should look for opportunities to show how God has                         worked in a situation.

III.      Glorify God or else He will punish.  (Acts 12:20-23)

A.      The people of Tyre and Sidon went to Herod to make peace with him, because they were nourished by Herod’s country.

1.   Herod gave an oration (a speech).

        2.  The people, I speculate trying to flatter Herod, cried out saying, “It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.”

3.   Herod did not give God the glory and was killed by the angel.

B.       God deals harshly with those that don’t honor Him.

     1.   The whole issue of not giving God the glory boils down to an issue of pride.

     2.   Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”  There are consequences for pride.

         My message is summed up in the thought that; because God created us, and because he is God, we have the responsibility to honor him for it.  As you go about your everyday lives, while involved in work, sports, music, and everyday activities, are you remembering who gave you the talent to do so?  If there is only three things you walk away from this short message with, remember; we need to glorify God because it’s our purpose, because it’s His work, and because there will be punishment if we don’t.  I end with 1Corinthians 6:20, which says: “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”