Do All to the Glory of God

Thank you very much, Candace. Very well done. It's one of my favorite hymns as well. Very beautiful.

There are many important themes in the Bible. One of the proofs that the Bible is inspired by God has to do with the unity of these themes that go from Genesis to Revelation. And if you look at man's literature, as a person writes certain books and they get older, they change their view on things. But the Bible is not that way. It's consistent throughout. Through thousands of years that it was recorded, it's still. There's this unity of mind, the way these themes start, and they just continue as main topics. And here's one of them. It's found in 1 Samuel 16, verse 7. It shows here one of the themes of how God operates. And God reveals how He does things in 1 Samuel 6, 7.

But the Lord said to Samuel, this was a time when David was going to be chosen to be anointed, and he had his other brothers older than him, that Samuel thought one of them would have been. And so God says, do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him, talking about his other brother. For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. And that is one of the themes. God's not impressed by stature or what's in the outer person. He's interested in what's inside the person. What makes a person tick? The why of what he does things. It has to do with his attitude, his motives. There's another translation of this verse. The Living Bible says, I look at a man's thoughts and intentions. So God doesn't go by how pretty the face is or how eloquent the person can be. He looks inside. Another translation. The voice translation says, the Eternal considers the inner character of the person. And the word study dictionary, it deals with the entire disposition of the inner person. So yes, there's an outer part and then there's the inner part. That's why we have talked about sometimes getting to know a person. But then really getting to know them as they truly are and not just the way they present themselves. And this is part of maturing, of discerning, because not always is the person being straight and sincere. And they can put up a certain face or appearance of something, but then later on you find out, well, that wasn't exactly that person. And God is not fooled by that. He looks in the person and he works with the person according to that sincerity of the heart, that right attitude and right motivation for doing things.

It was one of the main differences between Saul and David. Saul was more impressive than David. He had everything going. It says in the account that he was head and shoulders above anyone else. He was impressive looking. And yet Saul had a defective character. The inner man was not what God was looking for. Notice in 1 Samuel 17, just one more chapter over, when David faces Goliath. And here's what motivated David in verses 45 through 47. It says, Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin.

But I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. So you see, David wasn't there because he thought, oh, I can take this guy out, and somehow I'm going to be able to deceive and somehow trick the person into losing this single-hand battle. No, he says, I'm here because of how you have defied the living God.

And guess what? I'm going to protect the honor of that God that you have defied. It goes on to say, verse 46, This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand. He didn't say, I'm going to do it on my own. And I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air, talking about the vultures and other of these birds that eat dead things, and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

So he was doing it for the glory of God, not for the glory of David. And guess what? Samuel saw the problem that Saul had, and that Saul was doing it for his own glory and for his own power. And when he saw that David was threatening to become the new king, Saul went right after him. He didn't consult with God. He didn't come to God. Saul had been given this by God.

And yet he was ready to commit murder because it was about him. It wasn't about God. Whereas with David, it was about God and not him. And so we see this theme throughout the Bible, how God works with people. He's not impressed by the outer person. He's interested in the inner person, that there is the right attitude, there is the right motivation. What makes a person tick pleases God, and that makes all the difference in the world.

So it doesn't matter whether you're a young person or an older person or a man or a woman. You can be a young boy or girl. And if you have the right attitude and motivation, when you come to services, do you have the right motivation? Are you here to learn about God's Word? Or are you just marking time? Well, this is a duty I have to do, and this is the time that I clock in and then I'll clock out, and then I'll do everything I really want to do. Sort of like being a burden.

Or do you look at the Sabbath and realize, this is a wonderful way to come before God and to learn more about His Word and to put it into practice and to better glorify God in my life.

That's what God is looking for. He's not there just for people to be warming the seats. Not at all. Notice what David wrote once he was a king. What was his motivation? Had it changed? Notice in Psalm 115, Psalm 115 verse 1.

Was David's motivation still the same? Psalm 115 verse 1. It says, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to your name give glory because of your mercy, because of your truth. See, he says, it's not about us. It's about giving glory to you. And David composed these Psalms to give glory to God and to walk humbly before Him.

So the message today is to look at this principle that we see throughout the Bible. God's true servants gave the glory to God and not to themselves. And it's important in our lives what we do. Do we give glory to God or do we put ourselves first? Because that is the inner being and God wants a person to be submissive to Him and to praise Him and to acknowledge Him for every person.

We do everything that we have and that we do. And many times we forget that. Oh, we get this blessing. Oh, yes. This great thing opened up. Do we know that ultimately it came from God? That He was working through the circumstances to bless us in this certain way or do we just think, oh, I got lucky or look, it was all because of me. This is what happened to Saul. Very different attitude than David. Now, not all the servants of God remembered this principle.

And sometimes they slipped and let their vanity get the best of them or somehow forgetting God. One of the cases was Moses, who was a faithful servant, but he slipped. Let's notice what happened in Numbers, Chapter 20. It can happen to Moses. It can happen to us as well. Numbers, Chapter 20, in verse 8. It says here, See, they were murmuring and there wasn't water.

People were thirsty. And so Moses went to God and God said, do this. Notice what he said. Take the rod, gather the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes and it will yield its water.

Thus you shall bring water. Verse 9. So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock. Now God was going to make a great miracle. God said, do it this way. He mentioned the rock and mentioned that this was going to be a miracle from God. It was coming from God. And what happened? Moses was so exasperated with all the murmurings and all the griping going on that he took it upon himself to somehow impress them. And so they gathered together before the rock and he said to them, here now you rebels. Is he in a pretty good attitude? No, not really. He was fed up. He was tired. Who wouldn't be? Forty years. He had to go through all of this. He says, must we bring water for you out of this rock? Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod. And water came out abundantly and the corrugation and their animals drank. But he didn't give the glory to God. He didn't attribute it. He said, must we do this? And he didn't speak to the rock. He actually struck it to make sure that people saw that it was his power, the miracle from him. Verse 12, then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. He says, because you did not believe me to hallow me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them. And so God was displeased. Now he didn't remove Moses from being a servant, but there was discipline applied because Moses had not given God the glory for it. Sometimes it can happen in our lives, but we just forget to attribute to God the glory for something. And we sort of soak it up and start feeling big and, oh, look how important and look how great this happened. Notice in Deuteronomy 32 it explains a little more about the motivation that happened here with Moses and Aaron in Deuteronomy 32.

In verse 48. It says, then the Lord spoke to Moses that very same day, saying, Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, across from Jericho, view the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel as a possession. And die on the mountain which you ascend, and be gathered to your people. Joseph Aaron, your brother, died on Mount 4 and was gathered to his people. Because you trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Mirabah, Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zinn. Because you did not hallow, in other words, you did not glorify me in the midst of the children of Israel. Yet you shall see the land before you, though you shall not go there into the land which I am giving to the children of Israel. So we see, again, the dangers involved, and how important it is if a person takes the credit and not recognize God behind it. Whatever good we do, personally or as a family, if we are rearing children and they are doing well, do we think, thank God for that? Or do we think we're just doing such a great job? Do we acknowledge God? Is there? Also, in our job or a position that we have, it all comes from God.

Many times we forget to give Him thanks and glory for things. Notice in 1 Timothy chapter 1 what Paul had to learn before he could be used by God. In 1 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 12, Paul is talking about his past. Now he was an important Pharisee. He had a lot of power and authority before becoming a Christian. And he says, I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has enabled me because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry. Although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man, prideful, but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. So Paul recognized his inner character was not what God wanted. God had to mold him and show him how to act properly. And Paul did learn very well, as we will see in this message. In Galatians chapter 6 verse 3, we see Paul learned a lesson just like we need to learn it in life. In Galatians chapter 6 and verse 3, he says, For if anyone thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, not somebody else's, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load. We're all going to give accounting to God. And so he learned that we are nothing. It is only through God that we can grow and please him and that he can help us in our own lives. So to avoid vanity and pride and boasting, we need to remember to do all things for the glory of God. Now, it takes a bit of a habit to do that, but if we get used to it when somebody gives you a compliment or something else, just remember to say, well, it's all to the glory and honor of God. It's not about me and whatever abilities God has given me. Paul said he was nothing, and yet he was powerful because of God being in him. Notice what it says in Matthew 5, verse 14.

It says, Christ speaking, you are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify who? Not you. Glorify your Father in heaven. So that's the way we transmit whatever credit we get, we transmit it up to God in heaven. And it helps us to avoid dealing with vanity and pride and boasting and other things. And again, Paul was a great example of how he humbled himself before God so he could be exalted. And when God used him powerfully, he still had the same humility. He never thought of himself as something important.

Notice in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 31.

1 Corinthians 10 verse 31, it says, Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Even things as simple as having a meal and just thanking God, knowing that he's the creator of the food.

The food is not created by Nabisco or something else or these food companies. They just take the ingredients that God already created and they mix them and they might bake them and do other things. But it's ultimately God who produces the food that we eat.

And in 1 Peter chapter 4, another scripture in this regard, 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse 11.

Peter says, and this is talking about in the church, If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God or according to God's word. If anyone ministers or serves, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies. So if a person ministers, if he's a servant, it's God that provides the ability. It's not something that just comes naturally. He says that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. So Peter learned that lesson. He tended to be brash. He was the first one, usually out of the gate doing things. But with the Holy Spirit working in him, he learned to take his time to not be as impulsive and let God provide the wisdom and the power to do things according to God's will. And Peter learned to glorify God that way. It's a good antidote for pride and vanity. I'll just share with you one of the lessons that I had to learn as a young college student at Ambassador College over there in Pasadena. That I remember being involved with the Spanish apartment for a time. Now, the first three years, I was a gardener there. I was in the landscape. And I remember one of my fellow classmates, he got hired on to the Spanish apartment. And all of a sudden, I started feeling this strange sensation like, oh boy, he got that job. And I remember feeling envy. And I did not like that at all. And I went to God and I said, help me with this. And studying God's Word, I learned, give God the glory. Because that person is being used by God, his work is going to advance and be thankful that that's the case. And you know what? The envy disappeared. And I was just always, whatever somebody else got, that's for the betterment of God's work and for his glory. And that's what matters. It's not who is doing what. And so you learn these practical reasons because envy is very common.

You have a saying in one of the Latin American countries, I'm not saying, going to say which, but they said that if envy was transformed into birds, you couldn't see the sky for the darkness. It's that common. And so it's something that we have to learn to overcome and to celebrate because of the glory and honor that God the Father receives. So why do it? Why give the honor and glory to God? Here are four biblical reasons why. Number one, because God is the author of all the gifts that we receive. It's the originator of these gifts. He's the author of them. Notice in James chapter one, James chapter one in verse 17.

It says, every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. That means God's Holy Spirit, physical and spiritual blessings. They all come from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. God's always going to be generous. He's going to give abundant blessings because that's part of his nature. Verse 18, of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth that we might be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. So it's God's will that is being carried out. We just accept it. We're very grateful, but we know it comes from him. Nothing that we've really done on our own. Even the best gifts that we have are of no use to God until they go through that filter of God's Spirit and be purged of vanity and pride or whatever that's mixed in with any abilities that we have. Secondly, recognize God the Father is the ultimate creator of everything. So it's not only that he gives these gifts, but to recognize that he created the gifts himself. He created everything that we see around us. Every cell in our body has been created by God. Again, just a story that I have from olden times, but talking about every cell that God has created, it reminds me when Mr. Armstrong, who was a leader decades ago, and he was visiting world leaders with the truth of God. The church at that time was much bigger than it is now, and he ordered a jet, a corporate jet, so he couldn't take these commercial flights. And so he went ahead and ordered one of these jets. It was one of these G3 Gulfstream jets. And when the factory finally finished it, they notified him, please come and receive it. And so Mr. Armstrong was there, and then they had the ceremony, and here's the plane, and it took hundreds of workers, and it took nine months to make all of these parts come together and everything else. And the president was pretty happy, you know, and he was kind of boasting, look what we've come up with, after nine months. And Mr. Armstrong looked at him and said, yes, it is true. It took you nine months, but remember, God does this out of a woman's ovum, you know, the egg of the woman that's fertilized, and in nine months he produces a baby that is far more complex than anything that this little metal machine does. And the guy just sort of fell. He just shrank, because it's true. God is the ultimate creator, and he's the creator of life. Let's go to John 1, verse 1. John 1, verse 1. Here it tells us how God the Father did the creating. John 1, 1, it says, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, talking about the one who had become Jesus Christ, who was the Word. And without Him, nothing was made that was made. So God the Father is the ultimate creator, and through Jesus Christ everything came to be. There's another scripture in Hebrews 1.1. It's sort of like the parallel account of John 1.1.

It's always good to have these scriptures that complement each other. Hebrews chapter 1, verse 1. And we certainly believe it was the Apostle Paul who wrote this one. It says, God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, which John identifies as the Word. Whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds. He made the whole universe. So you see again that backing of how God the Father does the creating. One last scripture, Revelation 4, verse 10. That's what I love about this church, because it's not us speaking. It's the Bible speaking. And it all fits hand in glove. Everything comes together because we have doctrines that make sense. The unity of these doctrines is undeniable. It says in Revelation 4, verse 10. The twenty-four elders, this is up in heaven, fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created. So again, this is God the Father who's being honored. So when we give Him the glory, we're just recognizing that He is the ultimate source of everything. It's like somebody that one day it's a hot day, you're thirsty, you'd love to get something to drink, and here comes a person and gives you a nice cold drink of water. Who wouldn't say thanks? And yet, we receive all this from God every day, and how many times do we really give Him the honor and glory? We take for granted what we are. He created every cell in our bodies. It took Him a long time to form each one of us, and He's our Father. He wants us to acknowledge Him.

So the second reason for giving God all the honor and glory is to recognize that He is the Creator of everything. Thirdly, God is showing the true purpose of our existence. This is why we were born. We have to do with God's glory. Notice in Romans 11, the true purpose of our existence is revealed when we glorify God. Romans 11, verse 33. Romans 11, verse 33. It says, Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out. So that's part of us being born and So that's part of us being born and to learn that we are to glorify God. That's one of the great purposes in our lives. To have God involved. He is our Father. He knows every need that we have, every ache and pain.

And He wants us to go before Him, to acknowledge Him. Many times we leave Him out of the picture. Notice in Hebrews 2, verse 10, here another powerful Scripture that reveals why God created us. What is the purpose of our existence? Hebrews 2, verse 10. It says, For it was fitting for Him. Talking about God the Father. For whom are all things, and by whom are all things? In bringing many sons, talking about children, men and women, to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

For both He, talking about Christ, who sanctifies, and those who are being sanctified, are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren. What an honor! What a privilege for Jesus Christ to call us, brethren, brothers and sisters, younger brothers and sisters. So we see, yes, God has a purpose, ultimately, of sharing His glory with us. See, it's not just about absorbing glory. He wants His children to share in His glory. And that takes us to the fourth reason, which is that God is ultimately going to share His glory with us.

So it's not just a one-way street. It's not just giving God the glory and then sort of just looking and saying, well, that's my job and that's all I can do. No. God reciprocates. He gives us some of His glory back. Because He's a generous God, a loving Father, and what Father doesn't love to see their children doing better and empowering them to do even better.

Here we see in Romans chapter 8, verse 15. Romans 8, verse 15, it says, For you did not receive the spirit of bondage or slavery again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption or sonship, by whom we cried out, Abba, Father. Abba is a word like daddy. It's an intimate term. See, we're not just somebody working for God outside of the family. No, it's part of the family.

We can call them Abba, Father, as some have brought out that the Jews never, they used that term Abba. They thought that was disrespectful of this great, powerful God. How can you call them Abba? But in the New Testament, we see it several times. We have that intimate relationship with God the Father and with Jesus Christ. He goes on to say, The spirit, and it should say itself, because it's in the neuter here, they've actually mistranslated that.

They know better because it should say itself because it's in the neuter term. It's not masculine. It's not Him. The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. So we're part of the family. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. So when that resurrection takes place, it's not just, okay, now I have eternal life. Well, hey, I've got a new body. It's nice. No, there's a glory there that comes from God the Father. And that it's something of God's family. And you see scriptures where it says, you will shine like the sun in all its intensity.

It's not just Jesus Christ and God the Father who have that glory. Goes on to say in verse 18, For I consider that the sufferings of this present life, this present time, are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Be the sons and daughters of God, glorified, sharing that power and spirit that God has. It says here, so whatever the sufferings are, and we know as we age, there are going to be more illnesses, there's going to be more difficulties, and we have to be patient and endure as the first message brought out.

We can rely on God, but at the same time our bodies are wearing down. But this is not anything in comparison with what we will receive in the future if we remain faithful. He goes on to say, For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. Everything is waiting for these children to be glorified, to be younger brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ in that family. In verse 28, it says, And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.

For whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. Notice the words, to be conformed to the image of his son, not some angel, but to the God family, conformed to his son, like younger brothers and sisters. It says that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. How can you have a firstborn child and then the other brethren? They're connected to that firstborn. So we're not in this subclass of creatures that are made by God.

No, we're going to be part of the same family with God. We're going to be enjoying that glory that he will give us at that time, because we won't have this human nature with all of these lower passions. We're not ready to possess that glory that God is going to give us in the future. But we're at work in progress right now. It goes on to say, Moreover, whom he predestined, these he also called, whom he called, these he also justified, and whom he justified, these he also glorified.

So in God's mind, that's the process. If we're faithful, he's going to glorify us in the future. So in conclusion, let's go to the last scripture in Colossians chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3 and verse 17. This summarizes the whole message. But let's see if it's something that we just hear about, or we really put it into practice in our own lives.

It says, and whatever you do, whether small or great, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving things to God the Father through him. So that's the way we should glorify God and hopefully put these principles into practice.