November 24, 2013 [White or Gold] Christ the King/Reign of Christ (United Methodist Student Day) Jeremiah 23:1-6 Luke 1:68-79 (UMH 208)
Colossians 1:11-20 St Luke “From the Beginning to the End He’s there”
First. I think everything belongs to God for we where made by God for God to offer him praise. So I believe the church has the right and the purpose to reclaim Thanksgiving.
The glorifying of God, 1 Pet. 4:11.
Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer.
Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully.
Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes! (1 Peter 4:7-11 MSG)
l Cor. 10:31. "Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
The great truth asserted is that the end of every persons living should be to glorify God.
Glorifying God has respect to all the persons in the Trinity; it respects God the Father who gave us life; God the Son, who lost his life for us; and God the Holy Ghost, who produces a new life in us; we must bring glory to the whole Trinity. What ever we do even when we have family or civic holidays. To be honest Thanksgiving is just one more day of Celebration not for being off work but to Glorify The Lord.
When we speak of God's glory, the question is can someone else have Gods Glory.
Answer. God is never giving up his Glory:
The glory that God has in himself, his intrinsic glory. Glory is essential to the Godhead, as light is to the sun: he is called the "God of glory." Acts 7:2. Glory is the sparkling of the Deity; it is so co-natural to the Godhead, that God cannot be God without it.
The creature's honor is not essential to his being. A king is a man without his regal ornaments, when his crown and royal robes are taken away; but God's glory is such an essential part of his being, that he cannot be God without it. God's very life lies in his glory.
This glory can receive no addition, because it is infinite; it is that which God is most tender of, and which he will not part with. Isa. 48:11, "My glory I will not give to another." God will give temporal blessings to his children, such as wisdom, riches, honor; he will give them spiritual blessings, he will give them grace, he will give them his love, he will give them heaven; but his essential glory he will not give to another.
King Pharaoh parted with a ring off his finger to Joseph, and a gold chain, but he would not part with his throne. Gen. 41:40. "Only in the throne will I be greater than thou."
So God will do much for his people; he will give them the inheritance; he will put some of Christ's glory, as mediator upon them; but his essential glory he will not part with; "in the throne he will be greater."
Q. What is it to glorify God?
Glorifying God consists in four things. 1. Appreciation, 2. Adoration, 3. Affection, 4. Subjection.
1.This is the yearly rent we pay to the crown of heaven. Appreciation. To glorify God is to set God highest in our thoughts, and, to have a venerable esteem of him.
There is in God all that may draw forth both wonder and delight; there is a constellation of all beauties; he is prima causa [the first cause],
We glorify God when we are God-admirers; admire his attributes, To glorify God is to have God-admiring thoughts; to esteem him most excellent, and search for diamonds in this rock only.
2. Glorifying God consists in adoration, or worship. Psalm 29:2. "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." There is a twofold worship:
a. A civil reverence which we give to persons of honour. Gen. 23:7, "Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the children of Heth." Piety is no enemy to courtesy.
b. A divine worship which we give to God as his royal prerogative. This divine worship God is very jealous of; it is the apple of his eye, the pearl of his crown; which he guards, as he did the tree of life, with cherubims and a flaming sword, that no man may come near it to violate it.
Divine worship must be such as God himself has appointed, otherwise it is offering strange fire, Lev. 10:1. The Lord would have Moses make the tabernacle, "according to the pattern in the mount." Exod. 25:40. He must not leave out anything in the pattern, nor add to it. If God was so exact and curious about the place of worship, how exact will he be about the matter of his worship! Surely here every thing must be according to the pattern prescribed in his word.
3. Affection. This is part of the glory we give to God, who counts himself glorified when he is loved. Deut. 6:5, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul."
There is a twofold love:
Amor concupiscentiae, a love of concupiscence, which is self-love; as when we love another because he does us a good turn. A wicked man may be said to love God, because he has given him a good harvest, or filled his cup with wine. This is rather to love God's blessing than to love God.
Amor amicitiae, a love of delight, as a man takes delight in a friend. This is to love God indeed; the heart is set upon God, as a persons heart is set upon his treasure. This love is exuberant, not a few drops, but a stream. It is superlative; we give God the best of our love, the cream of it.
4. Subjection. This is when we dedicate ourselves to God, and stand ready dressed for his service. Thus the angels in heaven glorify him; they wait on his throne, and are ready to take a commission from him; therefore they are represented by the cherubims with wings displayed, to show how swift they are in their obedience. We glorify God when we are devoted to his service; our head studies for him, our tongue pleads for him, and our hands relieve his members. The wise men that came to Christ did not only bow the knee to him, but presented him with gold and myrrh. Matt. 2:11. So we must not only bow the knee, give God worship, but bring presents of golden obedience. We glorify God when we falter at no service, when we fight under the banner of his gospel against an enemy, and say to him as David to King Saul, "Thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine," 1 Sam. 17:32.
A good Christian is like the sun, which not only sends forth heat, but goes its circuit round the world. Thus, he who glorifies God has not only his affections heated with love to God, but he goes his circuit too; he moves vigorously in the sphere of obedience.
Lastly as I think on sharing and the family time we are going around the Thanksgiving holiday as I am reflecting on some of the private moment my mother and I had over this past week; I think about the fact that everything I learned about giving thanks to God kinda Came from my mother
WHAT MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME (about thanking God)
My mother taught me RELIGION: When I spilled grape juice on the carpet, she instructed, "You better pray the stain will come out of the carpet." (You can pray for the impossible )
My mother taught me LOGIC: From her decisive words, "Because I said so, that’s why." (God doesn't need to give you answer God is God)
My mother taught me FORESIGHT: "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident." (At any time things can go wrong be prepared)
My mother taught me IRONY: "Keep laughing, and I’ll give you something to cry about." (Be carful how you laugh at what other have and don't have it could always be you)
My mother taught me about STAMINA: "You’ll sit there ’til all that spinach is finished." (Sometimes to serve god you have to do what you don't want to do)
My mother taught me about WEATHER: "It looks as if a tornado swept through your room."(not taking care of the little things can lead to a crisis)
My mother taught me THE CIRCLE OF LIFE: "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."...(Yes God is the God of life and death God's got the whole world in his hand for God it's a small world after all)
