The Glory of God
Chuck Sligh
March 13, 2022
NOTE: A PowerPoint presentation is available for this sermon by request at chuckcsligh@gmail.com. Please mention the title of the sermon and the Bible text to help me find the sermon in my archives.
TEXT: Please turn in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians 4.
INTRODUCTION
Illus. – In 1808, shortly before the great composer Joseph Haydn’s death, a grand performance of his oratorio of the “Creation” took place in Vienna. Haydn was present, an old man of 76 years. He was so feeble he had to be wheeled into the theater in a chair.
This was the last time that the great composer made his appearance in public. The audience greeted the old man with great enthusiasm, and when the orchestra and chorus arrived at a climax in the oratorio, the people in the theater rose and turned to Haydn in a tumult of applause. The old composer struggled to his feet and mustering up all his strength cried in reply to the applause of the audience: “No, no! no! Not from me, but from there [pointing upward], from heaven above comes all!”
He fell back in his chair exhausted by the excitement, and was hastily removed to his home, never again to come before his beloved Austrian public. His last public act was to make sure that God got all the glory from his life’s work.
Our purpose is to bring glory to God. – Note:
• Ephesians 1:5-6 – “Having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 TO THE PRAISE OF THE GLORY OF HIS GRACE, in which he has made us accepted in the beloved.”
• Ephesians 1:11-12 – “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will: 12 That we should be TO THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY, who first trusted in Christ.”
• Isaiah 43:7 – “Even everyone who is called by my name: for I HAVE CREATED HIM FOR MY GLORY…”
Those are the “go-to” verses on the glory of God, but there are many, many others:
• Psalm 29:2 says “Give to the LORD the GLORY due to his name…”
• In Psalm 57:5 we read, “Be exalted above the heavens; let your GLORY be above all the earth.”
• The Psalmist says in Psalm 96:3 – “Declare his GLORY among the heathen, his wonders among all people.”
• At Jesus’s birth the angels said, “GLORY to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14)
• Jude 25 says, “To the only wise God our Savior, be GLORY and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”
• John says in Revelation 4:11 – “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive GLORY and honor and power: for you have created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created.”
I could go on and on. It may surprise you to know that there are about 400 verses in the Bible about the glory of God!
God’s glory is represented in two ways in Scripture:
First, the Bible speaks of the glory of His PRESENCE. This is seen in the Shekinah glory in the Tabernacle. – Moses was given a glimpse of the glory of God—the glory of God’s presence that was so bright that when he came off Mount Sinai, his face shone quite a long time afterwards. When Solomon built the Temple, no one could go into the Holy of Holies because “the glory of the Lord” was too bright.
Second, the Bible speaks of the glory of God’s PRAISE. – This is the glory we give to God, both through our lips and our life.
What does it mean to “glorify God?” It means to live and order your life in such a way that you bring glory and honor to God in every area of your life.
With that introduction in mind, turn now to our text, and let’s read it, and then we’ll look at it verse by verse:
2 Corinthians 4:3-6 – “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
2 Corinthians 4:15 – “For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.”
Note the following three points about this text today:
I. FIRST, UNDERSTAND THAT IF YOU ARE NOT SAVED, YOU ARE OBLIVIOUS TO, CANNOT SEE, AND CANNOT UNDERSTAND THE GLORY OF GOD.
This is the point of Paul’s words in verses 3-6 of our text. If you don’t know Christ as your Savior, look how Paul describes you:
First, he says that you are LOST. – Verse 3 says, “But if our gospel be veiled, it is veiled to them who are lost.”
The Greek word translated “lost” doesn’t mean that you can’t find your way home. It means that YOUR FUTURE IS LOST FOREVER if you do not turn to Christ before it is too late. The Greek lexicon definition means, “to destroy,…abolish, put an end to, to ruin,…to kill,…to devote or give over to eternal misery.” It is translated “lost,” or some version of “lose” 31 times in the New Testament. But 59 times it is translated either “perish” or “destroy.” What Paul is saying is that if you are unsaved, you are going to face an eternity in hell.
To you, the Gospel is “veiled.” That is, you cannot understand it. You cannot grasp it. But why?—Because…
Second, you have been BLINDED BY SATAN. – Verse 4 – “In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”
Satan is “the god of this world,” and Paul says Satan has blinded you of “the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,” which is the only thing in the universe that can save your soul from perishing for all eternity. And you’re not the only one. The Bible says that the whole human race has been blinded by Satan from the glory of God and the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.
How did it happen? – We won’t have time to read it, but in Romans 1:21-25 we read about the descent of mankind into sin. Mankind started off glorifying God, but through sin, they turned to worshiping and serving idols. Instead of fulfilling the purpose for which we were created—to glorify God—we turned from God to serve other things. Maybe you haven’t bowed down to literal idols of stone and wood, but you have your own idols, whether they be money, or materialism, or a person, or a car, or a career—anything that is most important in your life! And what is the result of this spiritual blindness?…
Third, if you are unsaved, Paul describes you as UNBELIEVING.
The lost, Paul says in verse 4, “do not believe.” And what is the consequence of unbelief?—Jesus Himself answered that question. He said in John 3:36 – “He who believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him.”
We’re back to the thought of perishing again! How can you be delivered from this awful condition? That leads us to our second main point.
II. JESUS IS THE REVEALER OF GOD’S GLORY – Verses 5-6 – “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Paul tells us that God shined through the blindness of our sinful hearts and brought light. What light? Verse 6 calls it “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
It is JESUS who reveals for us the glory of God on earth because He is God in the flesh. In John 1 we’re told “And the Word [a symbolic name for Jesus] was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) When a person looked at Jesus, he was looking at GOD.
But what was God doing on earth in the form of a man? John the Baptist explained why Jesus came as a man in John 1:29, where we read, “The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.’”
That’s why Jesus, who was the visible expression of God, came to earth. He came to die on the cross for your sins so that you could be saved, so that you would not perish in your sins. Nothing brings more glory to God than when God takes off our spiritual blinders and reveals His glory to us by saving us from sin and hell. My final point is this…
III. ONCE YOUR BLINDERS HAVE BEEN TAKEN OFF BY TRUSTING IN CHRIST AS SAVIOR, GOD WANTS YOU TO BE A REFLECTOR OF HIS GLORY – Verse 15 – “For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.”
The word “redound” means to “to abound, overflow; to be abundantly furnished with, to have in abundance…to exceed.” God wants your life to be lived in such a way that EVERYTHING you do brings glory to God. EVERY ACTIVITY YOU DO should be for God’s glory. To reveal God’s glory is the reason God wants you to do every spiritual activity.
For instance…
The Bible says you should glorify God with your body. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6 that you are to keep your body pure from moral sin—fornication, adultery, immorality, perversion. Why?—So that we can glorify God through holy bodies that are temples of the Holy Spirit belonging to God. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “What? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have received from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”
Why should you pray? Jesus answered that in His model prayer. At the end He said, “For thine is the kingdom and the power and the […what?…] GLORY for ever.” (Matthew 6:13)
Why does God ANSWER prayer? So you can brag on what you prayed for and got? No, Jesus said in John 14:13, “And whatever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
Why should you seek to win the lost; to reach out and tell others the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ? So we can have a big church? So people can talk about what a great evangelizer you are? No. – Jesus said in John 15:8 – “In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples.”
Why should we preach God’s Word? So that people can hear the Gospel? Well, yes, of course, for Romans 10:14 asks, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” But is that the ultimate reason for preaching?
Is it so God’s people can grow to spiritual maturity? Well, yes, that’s important too. It is through God’s Word that we grow strong in the faith. But that’s not the MAIN reason to preach God’s Word.
Peter explained the primary purpose above all others for preaching in 1 Peter 4:11 – “If any man speak, let him…him do it as of the ability which God gives: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever.”
Why should we support missionaries? – Psalm 96:3 answers that question: “Declare his GLORY among the nations, his wonders among all people.”
Why should you live a godly life? So people will be impressed with how good and holy you are? No, not at all. Philippians 1:9-11 says “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10 That you may approve things that are excellent; that you may be sincere and without offence until the day of Christ; 11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, to the GLORY and praise of God.”
Why should a church congregation be in harmony and unity? – Romans 15:5-6 – “Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded toward one another according to Christ Jesus: 6 That you may with one mind and one mouth GLORIFY God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Why should we have an attitude of gratefulness and praise? – The Psalmist Asaph said, “Whoever offers praise glorifies me…” (Psalm 50:23) You know, we can get high and mighty and try to sound profound when testifying about our God, and if you’re not careful, it can be about making yourself look good to the church instead of making God look good and lifting Him up and bringing glory to Him.
Illus. – I like the story Tom Wallace told when one Sunday morning, just as he was ready to begin, a man in came who had never attended his church before. He looked around in awe at the great number of people packed into his big auditorium. During the sermon, he listened with the keenest of interest.
When the sermon was over, the man literally bounced out of his place and darted to the front to talk with the pastor. That day the pastor led this man to faith in Jesus Christ! The joy of sins forgiven was such a rapturous blessing to his heart that he just couldn’t get over it.
When he was baptized, Dr. Wallace says he came out of the water clapping his hands and shouting, “Hot dog! Hot dog! Hot dog!” Well, the people roared with laughter. But Dr. Wallace hushed them up and explained that this man had not grown up in church and didn’t know such words as “Amen,” and “Praise the Lord,” and “Hallelujah.” He was praising the Lord with the only vocabulary he knew.
And you know—I bet the halls of heaven filled with joy when this man glorified God the best way he knew how—maybe a lot better than our polished sanctity!
Do you see how important God’s glory is? You see brothers and sisters, glorifying God is what the Christian life is all about. EVERYTHING you do should bring glory to God! In fact, there is a verse that tells us to that very thing. Paul exhorts us in 1 Corinthians 10:31 – “Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do ALL to the GLORY of God.”
EVERYTHING you do should revolve around the question, “Does this activity, or this form of entertainment, or this place where I’m going, or these words I’m about to say—glorify the Lord?”
A few years ago it became popular in Christian circles to say that when you didn’t’ know what to do in a given situation, ask, “WWJD”—which stands for “What would Jesus do?” I think I’ll start a new fad. From now on every time you face a given situation ask, “WTGG”— “Will this glorify God?” If you evaluated every single thing you thought, did, and said, and every place you went by whether or not it brought glory to God, it would literally revolutionize your life!
CONCLUSION
Now let me ask you a few questions to bring this message home to your heart today. Do you live and order your life in such a way as to bring glory to God in EVERY area of your life?
1 Corinthians 10:31 – “Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do ALL to the GLORY of God.” [EXPAND AS LED…]
• That means that your work at your job should be done with excellence so that it brings glory to God.
• That means what you say and how you behave toward your loved ones in the home should bring glory to God.
• That means that what is discussed over the phone should glorify God, which would stop gossip and backbiting dead in its tracks.
• That means that the motive for all your Christian service should be for GOD’S glory alone.
• That means that your thought life should be controlled by one factor—will this thought of lust, or this thought or bitterness, or this thought of judgmentalism, or this thought of hatred…bring glory to God?
The purpose for which you were created is to glorify God. May God help you fulfill your purpose in life by making sure that everything you do brings glory to almighty God.
