Title: “For His Glory”
Text: I Corinthians 10:31
You don’t have to know a lot of things for your life to make a difference
in the world. But you do have to know a few great things that matter….and
then be willing to live or die for them.
The people who have made a lasting difference
for Christ in this world were not people who were masters of many things….but
were people who were mastered by a few great things.
If you want your life to count, if you
want to be used in a great way for God, if you want your life to be as
a stone thrown into a pond….where
the ripples will continue to grow throughout eternity….
…..you don’t have to have a high IQ; you don’t have to
be good looking, or have great wealth or be super talented; you don’t
have to come from a great family or graduate from an Ivy League school
But you do have to know a few great, unchanging, glorious, simple
things and then be set on fire by them.
I Corinthians 10:31
“ So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory
of God.”
That’s it. Its simple & uncomplicated. Be consumed with a passion
for God’s glory in all that you do.
….in your relationship with Christ
….in your marriage
….in your job
….in your leisure time, friendships
….in your thoughts, attitudes, outlook on life
….whatever you do……..do it all, do it all, do it all for the
glory of God.
How Can I do this?
We glorify Him when we….
1. …..Understand that All that exists….exists
for His glory.
It is not about us……it is about God
Psalm 19:1,2 “The heavens declare the glory
of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour
forth speech; night after
night they display knowledge.”
Ezekiel 36:22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This
is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel,
that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of My holy name…’”
Isaiah 48:11 “For my own sake,
for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not
yield my
glory to another.”
2. …..Live a Cross-Centered & Cross-Saturated
Life
Galatians 6:14 “May it never be that I would
boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the
world has been crucified
to me, and I to the world.”
Boast only in the cross….this
seems an odd thing to say.
Cross was an instrument of capital punishment
Like saying boast only in the electric chair
…..boast only in lethal injection, or the lynching rope
Why say this? What does this mean?
For redeemed sinners, those who love Jesus, ------ every good thing in
life & every bad thing that God the Father turns around for good----was
obtained for us on the cross.
Apart from the death of Christ, sinners get nothing but judgement.
Apart from the cross, there is only condemnation.
Therefore, everything you enjoy as a Christian, as a person who
trusts in Christ----is owing to the death of Christ.
Every blessing, our adoption into God’s
family, every joy, every pleasure was purchased on the Cross through his
blood.
The Cross-Saturated, Cross-centered
life understands this………and
so when we pray “….give us this day our daily bread,” we
pray that through the Cross.
3. …..Depend Upon Him.
Lamentations 3:22-25 “Because of the Lord’s great love we
are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.’ The Lord is good to those whose
hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.”
Proverbs 15:8 “The sacrifice of
the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But the prayer of the upright
is His delight.”
God delights in our prayers!
He takes pleasure in the prayers on his people. Why?
#1. God
is complete in Himself. He has no deficiencies that I or you are required
to supply. He is overflowing in happiness & love in the fellowship
of the Trinity.
à So we glorify him by coming to him and trusting, depending, drinking
deeply from his goodness.
#2. Difference between a watering trough & a
mountain spring.
Watering trough needs to be re-supplied. Buckets are brought
to fill it.
à To glorify the worth of the trough, you work hard to keep it full and
useful.
Mountain Spring is self-replenishing.
Constantly overflows & supplies
others.
To glorify the worth of the spring….you do it by getting down on
your hands and knees & drinking to your heart’s satisfaction.
You do not glorify a mountain spring by dutifully hauling water
up the path from the river below and dumping it in the spring.
And so it is with God….to please him, glorify him……..we
come with hungry hearts & thirsty souls and find our satisfaction
in Him.
4. We glorify God when we……..enjoy
Him.
Psalm 43:4 “Then will I go to the altar
of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God.”
There is a natural connection between Joy & Praise.
We naturally praise that which brings us happiness.
E.G. -- Did not have to goad, encourage, or plea with the 70,000 packer
fans at Lambeau Field last Sunday when news spread of the Cardinals defeat
of the Vikings.
They were happy….and they praised. Without thinking.
238 references or commands to praise God in scripture.
When we begin to understand this connection….our praise & worship
makes sense.
Problem is that there are too many joyless, unhappy Christians who are
simply not enjoying knowing the creator of the universe.
--This makes praise & worship difficult and forced.
Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in
the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
à
Sin just doesn’t look as good when our soul is filled with God’s
presence.
Psalm 34:1 “I will extol the Lord
at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.”
Psalm 34:3 “Glorify the Lord with
me; let us exalt his name together.”
Psalm 34:8 “Taste and see that
the Lord is good.”
“
Joy is the serious business of heaven” -- C.S. Lewis
“He is most glorified in me when
I am most satisfied in Him.”
Q: You might ask, ‘well, what about duty, determination & praising
him when I don’t feel like it?’
A: There are certainly times when we
don’t “feel” like
it….however, by & large, do you enjoy your relationship with
God?
Does He make you happy?
E.G. -- Anniversary Flowers
Close:
Challenge to be consumed with a passion for His glory…..May we
all!
Prayer
January 18, 2004
The Image of God
Created in the image of God
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him
Genesis 1:27
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set
you apart Jeremiah 1:6
The God who made the world and everything in
it is the Lord of heaven and earth … he himself gives all men life and breath and everything
else. Acts 17:24 – 25
Respecting the image of God
With the tongue we praise our Lord
and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s
likeness. James 3:9
Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for
in the image of God has God made man. Genesis 9:6
But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed
say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” Does
not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some
pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? Romans 9:20 - 21
Restoring the image of God
· God made the way
…Christ, who is the image of God. II Corinthians 4:4
He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all
creation …For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in
him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things … by making
peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from
God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But
now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death
to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if
you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the
hope held out in the gospel. Colossians 1:15, 19-23
· We put it on
… you have taken off your old self with
its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in
knowledge in the image of its Creator.
Colossians 3:9,10
You were taught … to put
on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:22 - 24
January 25, 2004
Triumphant When Tempted
I Corinthians 10:1-13
Who are these people who didn’t make it? vs. 1-5
· People with incredible spiritual experiences
· People
who follow the ordinances of the church
· People who truly knew God
What self-destructive things did they do? vs. 6-10
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual
immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
Colossians 3:5
· Idolatry
People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into
many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.
I Timothy 6:9
· Sexual immorality
· Testing the Lord
· Grumbling
What can we learn from their mistakes? vs. 11-13
· Never assume you won’t fall
But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Galatians 6:1
·
Temptation follows a common pattern
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our
weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as
we are—yet was without sin. Hebrews 4:15
Step 1: The bait is dropped
Step 2: The inner desire is attracted
Step 3: Sin occurs when we yield
Step 4: Sin brings tragic consequences
…
each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away
and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin;
and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:13-15
·
God will help you resist temptation
Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. Luke 22:46