Intro: Dr. S.M. Lockridge was the Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, San Diego CA from 1953 - 1993. He entered heaven in 2000. He is well-known for a passage out of his sermon titled “He’s My King”:
“He’s enduringly strong, He’s entirely sincere, He’s eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially powerful. He’s impartially merciful. He’s God’s Son. He’s a sinner’s savior. He’s the centerpiece of civilization. He stands alone in Himself. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented. He’s supreme. He’s preeminent. He’s the loftiest idea in literature. He’s the highest idea in philosophy. He’s the fundamental truth in theology. He’s the miracle of the age. He’s the only one able to supply all of our needs simultaneously. He supplies strength for the weak. He’s available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He guards and He guides. He heals the sick, He cleans the lepers. He forgives sinners, He discharges debtors, He delivers captives, He defends the feeble, He blesses the young, He serves the unfortunate, He regards the aged, He rewards the diligent, He beautifies the meek. Do you know Him?
Well, my king is the king of knowledge, He’s the well-spring of wisdom, He’s the doorway of deliverance, He’s the pathway of peace, He’s the roadway of righteousness, He’s the highway of holiness He’s the gateway of glory, He’s the master of the mighty, He’s the captain of the conquerors, He’s the head of the heroes, He’s the leader of the legislators, He’s the overseer of the overcomers, He’s the governor of governors, He’s the prince of princes, He’s the king of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
His life is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Well. I wish I could describe Him to you. But He’s indescribable. Yes. He’s incomprehensible. He’s invincible, He’s irresistible. I’m trying to tell you, the Heavens cannot contain Him, let alone a man explain Him. You can’t get Him out of your mind. You can’t get Him off of your hands. You can’t outlive Him, and you can’t live without Him. Well. The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him. Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him and the grave couldn’t hold Him. That’s my king!
He always has been, and He always will be. I’m talking about He [who] had no predecessor and He [who] has no successor. There was nobody before Him and there will be nobody after Him. You can’t impeach Him, and He’s not going to resign. We try to get prestige and honor and glory to ourselves, but the glory is all His. Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, and ever, and ever, and ever. How long is that? And ever, and ever, and ever, and ever, and when you get through with all of the forevers, then 'Amen'."
“Oh I wish I could describe him to you.”
Psalm 19.1 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.” The creation that was not some cosmic accident gives us clear evidence of an awesome and all powerful creator. The complexity and beauty and diversity of the creation declare the limitless power and creativity of God. Everything we see should point us to His glory. To His beauty, brilliance and worth. The problem we have today in churches is not program, personnel, property, potential or financial. If there is anything that we need to point out we as Christians and churches are too meistic when we should be theistic and Christocentric. We have me at the center of the universe instead of Jesus Christ as the center of it all.
If there is a problem today in our lives as Christians and churches it is that we are not consumed and concerned with the Glory of God. As a whole the average Christian is consumed with control, comfort and recreation.
David Kinnaman, president of Barna Research had this to say about findings of Christians,
“Many Christians are more concerned with what they call unrighteousness than they are with self-righteousness. It’s a lot easier to point fingers at how the culture is immoral than it is to confront Christians in their comfortable spiritual patterns. Perhaps pastors and teachers might take another look at how and what they communicate. Do people somehow get the message that the ‘right action’ is more important than the ‘right attitude’? Do church leaders have a tendency to focus more on tangible results, like actions, because those are easier to see and measure than attitudes?
1 Corinthians 10:31 “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory.”
The word translated glory is the Greek word dóksa. It literally means what evokes a good opinion. In simple terms means to give a proper opinion or estimate of something and thus the glory of God expresses all that He is in His Being and in His nature, character, power and acts. He is glorified when He is allowed to be seen as He really is. As a result of that proper opinion of who God is there should be praise.
I. We must develop a proper opinion of God
Jesus is the exact representation of the glory of God.
A) It begins with a proper response to the Lordship of Jesus
Romans 10:9 Makes clear that we confess Jesus as “Lord.” We agree that He is Lord. We agree that He should be calling the shots. In our hearts and our homes, in our churches and our cities. We agree that Jesus is the one qualified to be the head of the church and he will organize and mobilize it as He desires.
It is made clear in Philippians that this is the goal and end of creation. We learn from this passage that the way up is down. We can’t merely wag our tongue and give lip service to Jesus! We bow our hearts, hands and feet we offer Him a blank check and say here is my life it was yours anyway, lead and I will follow.
When we agree that Jesus is Lord it should not result in us sitting on our blessed assurances in the blessed assembly. I agree with JD Greer that the success of our churches cannot be measured merely in our seating capacity. The success of our churches must be measured in Christlikeness and sending capacity. Here am I send me. If we agree Jesus is Lord then we must know it is our Job to carry the name and reputation of our Lord wherever he says Go!!
We must be willing to abandon all for Jesus. (Tell story of coming to Immanuel) The question is where Lord. The question is who Lord. The question is What Lord. It isn’t about our preferences it is about our posture!
B) It grows with a proper hunger for the presence of God
God has taught me some things about fasting recently. There is so much teaching about doing without to get something from God. He has clearly taught me that it isn’t so much about getting from God as it is being set free from other hungers.
Do we long for the word of God both the living and written as 1 Peter 2:2, 3 tell us,
“Like newborn infants, desire the pure spiritual milk, so that you may grow by it for your salvation, 3 since you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
Moses told God in Exodus 33:18 “Please let me see your glory.” Don’t you think this is odd? Moses had seen God in the burning bush that wasn’t consumed. He had raised His staff and the waters of the red sea parted. He had tapped and called water out of a rock. Still Moses said show me your glory!!
There was a Holy Hunger for God’s person and presence.
If we are to make an impact on our churches and culture we cannot be content to hear Moses. Selfies with famous people will not changes us. We must cry out to God, “Show me your glory.” Create a holy hunger in me God!! If you pay close attention to the text others noticed the change before Moses did.
In 33:17 Moses requested that the distinguishing mark of the people of God would be that God’s presence went with them. Hebrews 1:3 “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word.
Are we distinguished like the early disciples that we have been with Jesus?
It is only by becoming distinguished by God’s presence that we properly display God’s glory.
II. We must display a proper opinion of God
God’s goal is His Glory. His goal for us as Christians, Churches and an Association is to reflect the Glory of Jesus. Romans 8:28, 29
How do we know when we are reflecting the glory of Jesus?
A) If we are distinguished by God’s presence we will display it with love
Colossians 3:14 “Above all, put on love—the perfect bond of unity”
Did you notice it didn’t say, “Unless you are a church member. Unless you are a pastor. Unless you are a ___________.” Above all put on love. Above all choose people the way Jesus did. Do we realize that there is no need for interpretation here? The most clear and complete call and command of God is the one that is most often ignored!! The 2 great commandments, Love God and Love your neighbor!!
This decisive love commands us to decide to look beyond superficial, sentimental and momentary to the sacrificial, supernatural willful love.
Sir William Shackleton, the famous Arctic explorer, was once asked to recount his most difficult experience. He described how, one night, in an emergency hut, he and his men were trying to sleep. They had just rationed out the last biscuits - there was nothing left. Every man appeared to be asleep. Shackleton sensed a movement and saw one of his men turning to see how the others were going. He obviously thought that the others were asleep, so he stretched over the next man and took his biscuit bag. Then he removed the biscuit. Shackleton was dumfounded. He thought he could have trusted this man with his life. Now he was stealing a man's last biscuit. Had the pressure turned him into a thief and a betrayer? Then he saw him move again. He removed the biscuit from his own bag, put both biscuits into the other man's bag, and quietly returned the bag to his sleeping friend's side. Shackleton said, "I dare not tell you that man's name. I felt that act was a secret between himself and God." (Are you willing to take your biscuits and put them in someone elses bag?)
John 13:35 “By this will all men know that you are my disciples, That you love one another.”
B) If we are distinguished by God’s presence we will display it with forgiveness
Isiah 43:25 “It is I who sweep away your transgressions and remember your sins no more.” It is so that God’s Glory will be seen that He forgives transgressions.
When we forgive we decide that we will no longer be chained to the past. We don’t ignore or deny the pain caused we simply will not allow the past to control our present.
Forgiveness digs the grave of bitterness, anger, division and separation.
In one of his sermons, D. L. Moody used to picture the Lord's saying to Peter, "Go, hunt up the man who put the crown of thorns on My head and tell him that I love him. Tell him that he can have a crown in my kingdom, one without a thorn. Find the man who spat in my face and preach the gospel to him. Tell him that I forgive him and that I died to save him. Find the man who thrust the spear into my side and tell him that there is a quicker way to my heart." That is how the Lord Jesus has forgiven us. Now it is our turn. We are to forgive others and make an end of our quarrels
C) If we are distinguished by God’s presence we will display it with cooperation
Distrust and disunity abound instead of prayer and concern for each other. We often delight in the failures of those who disagree with us. Conflict is the best description for churches. Complacency is a close second. Cooperation is present but it’s not maximized. The independent spirit of, “I can do it myself” is okay for a two year old; it’s not really good for mature Christians. The Cooperative Program has to be revised, restarted, reinvented or something to make it once again a passion for our churches. And we need to be reminded that the Cooperative Program funds do not belong to the denomination. They’re not state convention funds. They’re not Southern Baptist funds, they’re local church funds. And we hold them in trust. – Dr. Jimmy Draper
HB Charles Sr. “"There was a time when the church saw themselves as pilgrims traveling together through a foreign land on their way home," Charles said, but churches are now "prone to view ourselves as tourists who happen to be on the same bus with differing and competing interests, priorities and agendas.”
"The difference between a pile of bricks and a skyscraper, a shack and a city, a piece of steel and the Brooklyn Bridge, is cooperation."
Peter told us in 1 Peter 1:5 “you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
Paul said in Ephesians 2:22 that we are being built together into God’s dwelling place. What kind of a house has all its bricks scattered everywhere.
Paul tells us we are partners together in the Gospel.
Conclusion: My prayer Caroline Baptists is this. That we will give a proper opinion of God!
Caroline Baptist Association are we cooperating toward a proper opinion of Jesus?
Pastor are you leading toward a proper opinion of Jesus? Church staff are your leading toward a proper opinion of Jesus? Church member are you serving toward a proper opinion of Jesus?
