The Glory Due His Holy Name

Transcription

1 Sunday November 9, 2014 Phone: Pastor David Miklas Message: Psalm 23 - #3 Text: Psalm 23:1-6 The Glory Due His Holy Name INTRODUCTION: If I were to ask, What is your favorite verse in the Bible? many will answer John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. If I were to ask, What is your favorite passage of scripture? most often people will say Psalm 23, The Lord is My Shepherd. If Psalm 23 could be given a voice of its own, it would tell of the ministry it has had down through the centuries. It would speak of the times it brought comfort to those who were lonely. It would speak of the times it was used to minister in hospital rooms and rest homes. It would speak of the times it was used to bring peace to those dying, and to those who stood around their loved one s bedside as they passed on. It would speak of the times it was quoted in the great hallowed-halls of government and repeated often in many a church service. It would speak of the times it was memorized by children and copied with ink or thread to be hung on the wall in both the homes of the wealthy and the mud huts of the poor. Before we enter into our extended study of Psalm 23, I believe it would do us good to focus our attention on the overall purpose of the entire Book of Psalms. To do so, would you turn in your Bibles to Psalm 29 and follow as I read for you these eleven verses. Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. (2) Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. (3) The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters. (4) The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. (5) The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. (6) He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. (7) The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire. (8) The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. (9) The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory. (10) The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King forever. (11) The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace. Looking at the 150 Psalms collectively, we find that perhaps Psalm 29:2 is the key verse for the entire book. "Give unto the Lord the GLORY due unto His holy name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." In Psalm 8:1 we read, "O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth, who hast set thy GLORY above the heavens." In Psalms 57:5 we read, "Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens, let thy GLORY be above all the earth." The glory that rightly belongs to God is above the earth and heaven. We cannot humanly comprehend it. If we follow what God says in these verses, ascribing to God the glory due to Him, we shall never be able to exhaust that glory. Again in Psalm 29:1-2 we read Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD Page 1

2 glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. Did you notice the word give is used three times? It means to ascribe honor. Here is how we are to give glory (ascribe honor) to God. FIRST: Give God Glory for His PERSON. After many years of living in the promised land among the people with false gods, the Hebrew people became polytheistic in their worship of many gods. For this reason, God had them carried away into the Babylonian exile. Now as they were among the many gods of the Babylonians, the Jews finally had this fact burned into their hearts, The Lord, He is one God. Today, America has become a POLYTHEISTIC society. There are many groups around our country claiming their god is the way to life and the after-life. Today, America has also become PANTHEISTIC, where god is all and all is god. Pantheism is a philosophy which says that God and Nature are merely two names for one reality. We are living among people who have been taught that they are gods, so in effect we see a garden-variety of gods!. God s people need to live so that their lives give glory to the God of the Bible, the Living God. The world around us needs to know that there is no God like our God, the God of the Bible. We believe that God is real. We believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We believe that God the Holy Spirit is co-equal and co-existent with God the Father and God the Son. In Isaiah 44:6 the prophet cries, Thus saith the LORD the king of Israel, and the redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. Then in verse 8 we read, Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses, Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any. SECOND: Give God Glory for His POWER. Returning to Psalm 29 we discover that we should give Him glory for His power, for in verse 3 we read, The voice of the LORD is upon the waters. Here under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David paints a powerful word picture of a storm. If you are familiar with the geography and the topography of the land of the Bible, you can imagine the storm starting out in the Mediterranean Sea and moving inland. The psalmist stood in awe as he considered this storm. In verses 3-5 David describes this storm as the VOICE of God, The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters. (4) The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. (5) The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. In verse 6 the description continues, He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. God said that He makes the mountains skip, move and quiver like a wild beast. This is the power of God. In verses 7-8 the description goes on, The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire. This describes the flash of lightning breaking from the sky. As the raging of the heavens meets the raging of the sea the psalmist said, I see in all this the majesty and power of God. Glory is due unto our God who can do this. Page 2

3 In verses 8-9 finally we read, The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. (9) The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory. The storm started out at sea and then moved to the land. As it struck the land, some of the mighty cedars of Lebanon were torn by the voice of God. He moved from the cedars to the mountains making the very mountains quake. He flung the storm down from the north across the land to the south. He roared into the wilderness shaking it to the rock foundation of Petra. From this we can see that All power belongeth to our God. Amen!! THIRD: Give God Glory for His PEACE. Finally in verses we read, The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King forever. (11) The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace. Our Lord not only gives us peace in the midst of the storm, but He also gives us peace in our soul. Hebrews 13:20 declares, Now the God of peace... In Philippians 4:6-7 we read, Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Bringing glory to God s name is giving to the Lord what is rightly His. Neglecting to give God glory is the source of trouble in our world. Paul stated this in Romans 1:19-23 that the sinful condition is a result of failing to give God what rightly belongs to Him. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. (20) For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: (21) Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (22) Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, (23) And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Again notice verse 21, Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God We find in the Bible that man has knowledge of God through creation and conscience. We have enough of the knowledge of God to condemn us, but not enough of the knowledge of God to save us. In other words, in the heavens and the earth which declare His glory, and in the conscience, which God has put in us, we have enough of the knowledge of God to help us realize that we are sinners and that we need Him. We must hear the wonderful good news of the gospel in order to be saved, but from the conscience and creation we should begin to glorify God. Now if we are to give glory to God, we must live with the awareness of sin. Sin is not something of the imagination, it is a dreadful reality. There must be an awareness of the sordidness of sin. Sin wrecked the first Eden, and it has been wrecking Eden s ever since. Page 3

4 A pastor raised this question, "What's wrong with us anyway? He then answered in these words: We are lazy and weak. We are selfish and unconcerned about others. We love and worship money. We are idol-worshippers, having many gods. We have depraved womanhood by glorifying sex. We have failed to teach and correct our children. We teach our children everything but the Bible. We have torn down and thrown away the family altar. We enjoy self-pity, and pamper ourselves. We are pleasure-mad. We are a nation of liars. We make a mockery of God by rejecting His teachings and calling ourselves Christians. We are blind to truth and nibble at any bait that the Devil dangles before us. We are fiddling and fooling while America burns and dies." We will all agree that this preacher is right. We must see the sordidness of sin. Once we do, we will begin to have a deeper understanding of the Glory of God in our lives. Are we glorifying God by the way we live and by what we say? Perhaps the greatest indictment against Christians and against the church is our failure to bring the glory to the Lord that is due His name. Let us look at what God's Word says about His name. In Acts 4:12 we read, Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved No wonder God says, "The glory due unto His name." There is no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved. The GLORY of GOD must be in our CHURCHES. A church may be known for its friendliness, for its warm-hearted people, for its preaching and singing, but the Bible says in Ephesians 3:21, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end, Amen. It would seem that the primary purpose for the Church is for the "Glory of God." We have glory in the church when we pay the tithe, We have glory in the church when we pray. We have glory in the church when we sing from the overflow of a Spirit-filled life. We have glory in the church when Jesus Christ can be seen in the preaching. We have glory in the church when we come to honor and adore our Lord through the spirit of our worship. When we leave we should be able to say, "There was glory given to God in that place. There was glory in the church." The GLORY of GOD must be in our LIVES. We must ever remember that "Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever." In Isaiah 43:7 we read, Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him, yea, I have made him. We have been created for God s Glory. Page 4

5 The passage that brings us into focus with purpose of our existence is found in I Corinthians 10:31, "Whether, then you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father, who is in heaven." Romans 15:5-6, "Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Jesus Christ, that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Let's pause to deepen our understanding of the word "Glory." Glory refers to the light of God's presence. But when it comes to the goals of our lives or the purpose of the church, we're not talking about a brilliant light seen in an earthly or heavenly body. So what does it mean for the church, and you and I as believers, to glorify God? It means, "To magnify, exalt and elevate the Lord our God as we humble ourselves and defer to His wisdom, His authority." Someone has defined "glorifying God" as "making God look good before a godless world." Allow me to spend the balance of our time stressing the importance of "Glorifying God" in our personal lives. In order to understand this, we must realize that glorifying God applies to every detail of living. Remember in I Corinthians 10:31 we read, "Whether, then you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." How does this all happen? How does glorifying God occur? NUMBER 1: God is GLORIFIED when He is included in every aspect of our lives. The GLORY of God must be in the "WHENS" of our lives! You name it, when any subject surfaces that calls for our response, His glory is to be in our attitude and in our answer. The GLORY of God must be in the "IFS" of our lives! If the plans we have arranged succeed, fail, or must be altered, God must get the glory regardless. Our theme in life ought to be, "to God be the glory for the things He has done." The GLORY of God must be in the "INS" of our lives! God must be glorified in our public and private affairs. God must be glorified in our relationships. God must be glorified in our homes, ministry and work. In order to do this, PRIDE and SELFISHNESS, two characteristics that human nature demands, must be constantly and consciously put down and every desire must be surrendered to the Lord. You and I must open every closet, every room in our lives, and allow God's glory in. How does this occur? NUMBER 2: God is GLORIFIED when we refuse to expect or accept any of the glory that belongs to God. Please remember the flesh is very creative and selfish and it doesn't mind getting the glory for spiritual-sounding things or religious acts. In all of us there is that inner struggle with the flesh. It's a battleground for sure to give God alone the glory. Hear these words, "No man can bear witness to Christ and to himself at the same time. No man can give the impression that he himself is clever and that Christ is Page 5

6 mighty to save." Our primary purpose in our lives and for the church is "the glory of God. We need to filter everything through the same question. Ask yourselves, Will this bring glory to God or will it bring glory to me? Including the Lord God in every aspect of our lives requires meeting often and alone with Him in prayer. Refusing to accept any of the glory that belongs to God requires openly admitting our struggle with pride. In Revelation 4:9-11, a scene unfolds before us. It is the account of the judgment seat of Christ where we shall stand before Jesus Christ and place our crowns at His feet, declaring that He alone is worthy. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth forever and ever, (10) The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, (11) Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. The Word of God says for the believer there is coming a day when the redeemed will give God the glory due His Holy name. There is coming a day, reading from Philippians 2:11, where every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Let me ask you this morning, and this is something each of us individually must consider: In my life am I glorifying God? In my marriage am I as a wife or as a husband glorifying God? On my job am I glorifying God? In my ministry at church am I glorifying God? Today, as a prelude to studying Psalm 23, we have clarified our purpose, which is to glorify God. We are coming to understand that Psalm 23 is not actually about us, but about God, the Good Shepherd. With this understanding, we can bow in humble praise and submission to what the Good Shepherd can and will do in our lives. So, for the next few moments, think about your relationship to God, the Good Shepard. Let s stand and sing that great hymn of the faith To God be the Glory. To God be the glory great things He hath done! So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, Who yielded His life an atonement for sin, And opened the Life-gate that all may go in. O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood To every believer, the promise of God. The vilest offender who truly believes, That moment from Jesus a pardon receives. Great things He hath taught us; great things He hath done, And great our rejoicing thro Jesus, the Son. But purer and higher and greater will be Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see. Page 6

7 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Let the people rejoice! O Come to the Father thro Jesus, the Son, And give Him the glory great things He hath done! *********************************************************************** If God has spoken to your heart, after reading the sermon The Glory Due His Holy Name right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you. Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells us in Acts 16:31,...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved... Romans 10:13, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation. If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, let me know. Please send an to pdmikbbm@aol.com and I will send you some literature that will help you in your Christian life. The Weekly SERMON was sent as a ministry of Bible Baptist Ministry, 48 Alexie Rd., Hanover Township, PA Privacy policy: your address will not be sold, or shared with any third party. Copy write permission: Because the Weekly SERMON will be reproduced into other formats, PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING: The Weekly SERMON in its original form, without any changes, may be copied and re-transmitted by electronic mail, and copies may be printed for individual or ministry purposes, provided that such copying, re-transmission, printing, or other use is not for profit or other commercial purpose. Any copying, re-transmission, distribution, printing, or other use of the Weekly SERMON must set forth in full the heading that is given before each Weekly SERMON. Any other request for use, please contact Bible Baptist Ministries at pdmikbbm@aol.com or by phone at Page 7