The most satisfying reality in this world is the glory
of God. In 1 Peter 3:18, we read that "Christ also suffered once for sins, the
righteous for the unrighteous, that he
might bring us to God." That is remarkable! Why did Christ die to bring us
to God? So that he, according to Paul in Romans 9:23, could "make known the
riches of his glory." God's ultimate
purpose in all things is that He be glorified. This is why the Bible speaks
clearly, and often, regarding the glory of God. I have attempted to compile a few examples:
"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).
"Whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies--in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever" (1 Peter 4:11).
"To him be glory and dominion forever and ever" (Revelation 1:6).
"To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever" (Ephesians 3:21).
"Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever" (Revelation 7:12).
"For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever" (Romans 11:36).
In 6 days, God created the universe and all that exists within it, for His glory (Genesis 1).
God created man, calling him Adam, and his helper named Eve, to live and work and serve, for His glory (Genesis 2:4-25).
God subjected the world to futility that through the salvation of His elect and the destruction of the unrighteous, He would be glorified (Genesis 3; Romans 8:18-25).
God covered the earth in a great flood as a show of His divine wrath in response to the increasing corruption that was building amongst the people so that He would be glorified (Genesis 6-9). God created Jacob and Esau in the womb of their mother Rebekah to be two nations divided, of whom one He loved and the other He hated, that for His own determined and eternal purposes, He would be glorified (Genesis 25-33, Malachi 1, Romans 9).
God allowed Joseph's brothers to sell him into slavery and as a result, made a life for Joseph that turned out for the good, so that in a show of His mercy and kindness, God would be glorified (Genesis 37-36).
God spoke to Moses through a burning bush, revealing Himself by His memorial name, i am who i am, assuring the Israelites of their release from bondage and slavery. He struck Egypt with plagues, hardened the heart of Pharaoh, destroyed an entire army, and led His people away from the nation in which they had for 430 years lived in bondage, so that He could show Himself as all-powerful and almighty for the sake of His glory (Exodus 3-14).
God gave great courage to Joab and his brother Abishai as they were outnumbered against the Syrians and the Ammonites. At a time when most would surrender, Joab told his brother "If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will help you. Be strong and let us use our strength for our people and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him." God granted success to the courageous warriors, and the Syrians fled before Israel, making peace with David and becoming subject to him, all for the glory of the Lord (1 Chronicles 19).
Esther, the queen of King Ahasuerus, heard from her uncle Mordecai of an evil and devastating plot, devised by the chief minister Haman, to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire kingdom of Ahasuerus. Knowing of no other alternative to save the Jewish people, Esther put her life on the line to approach the King. Esther sent message to her uncle Mordecai: "Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:16). Esther brings about Hamam's destruction, winning the right of the Jews to defend themselves and completely destroy their enemies, all to the glory of God.
God gave Satan permission to afflict the blameless and upright man Job, to show that He keeps His people faithful in the midst of suffering and trial, so that in the end they can stand and say "blessed be the name of the lord" for the Lord is faithful and just and provides great mercy so that through it all, and at its full consummation, He will be Glorified.
God allowed Nebuchadnezzer to cast Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the fiery furnace so hot that even those who came near it were burned to death, yet upon their exit "the hair of their heads were not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire [came] upon them" (Daniel 3:27) so that all who saw them alive and well would look to God, and by showing His great ability to protect and sustain, He would be glorified (Daniel 3:8-30).
God caused King Darius to sign into law an injunction that eventually mandated that Daniel be thrown into a lion's den in which God protected Daniel with his angels, giving reason to King Darius to proclaim "in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end" (Daniel 6:26) all of this taking place that God would be glorified.
God sent His unwilling and defiant prophet Jonah to the city of Ninevah, by way of a fierce storm and the belly of a great fish, to proclaim the wrath of God. Through the less than compelling words of Jonah, God saved the entire city by causing them to repent and have faith so that by their turning from their reputation of debauchery, evil, and sin, He would be glorified.
Jesus, came into this world, born to a virgin, living a perfect, holy, and sinless life, yet being fully tempted like all men, performing miracles to include giving sight to the blind, causing the lame to walk, turning water into wine, 5 loaves and 2 fish into enough food for 5000 men, with the two words, "come forth" calling the dead man Lazarus to life. Just prior to His death in the garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed, "Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again" (John 12:28).
Jesus was crucified on a cross, the most horrific of all forms of death and torture and suffering known to mankind, was buried in a tomb and three days later rose again that we can see his glory that was given to him by the Father, in love, before the foundation of the world (John 17:24).
He established and continues to build His church of which the gates of Hell cannot overcome (Matthew 16:18), calling His elect onto Himself that they would experience the greatness of salvation, and condemning the unrighteous as vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, all in order that he can make known the riches of His glory forevermore (Romans 9).
He rules over the endless reaches of space, over plants of every shape and color, over animals of every breed and genus and species, over the trees and the endless sky, over the depths of the sea, over plagues and viruses and cancers and famine and terrorism and genocide and governments both noble and corrupt, over nuclear threats and politics and elections and economies and books and articles and education systems and businesses and stock markets and blades of grass and hairs on heads all for the sake of claiming what is rightfully his that we would look to him as the creator and sustainer of all things for His glory, alone.
Romans 11:33-36 is Paul's doxological response after writing 11 chapters of great theological truth. Paul reaches the height of his praise. He has outlined, in essence, that the ultimate beginning, the ultimate cause, and the ultimate reason for everything in this world is God. Every micron of being that has ever existed in all of creation has been totally dependent for its existence on God - from its very beginning, all the way through its eternal state. There is no explanation for what is or what happens that is deeper or more decisive than God. So, Paul writes "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 'For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?' 'Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?' For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." Did you read that? Not only are all things from God and through God, but all things are also To God. "To him are all things. To him be glory forever."
What great cause for worship! As I consider the Glory of the Lord, I can sing aloud with the psalmist, "My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for you to the living God" (Psalm 84:2). God is, as Jonathan Edwards once wrote, "the greatest and best of beings." I rejoice and am humbled to know that it is this great, glorious, and sovereign God who called me out of darkness into His marvelous light!
Soli deo Gloria!
"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).
"Whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies--in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever" (1 Peter 4:11).
"To him be glory and dominion forever and ever" (Revelation 1:6).
"To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever" (Ephesians 3:21).
"Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever" (Revelation 7:12).
"For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever" (Romans 11:36).
In 6 days, God created the universe and all that exists within it, for His glory (Genesis 1).
God created man, calling him Adam, and his helper named Eve, to live and work and serve, for His glory (Genesis 2:4-25).
God subjected the world to futility that through the salvation of His elect and the destruction of the unrighteous, He would be glorified (Genesis 3; Romans 8:18-25).
God covered the earth in a great flood as a show of His divine wrath in response to the increasing corruption that was building amongst the people so that He would be glorified (Genesis 6-9). God created Jacob and Esau in the womb of their mother Rebekah to be two nations divided, of whom one He loved and the other He hated, that for His own determined and eternal purposes, He would be glorified (Genesis 25-33, Malachi 1, Romans 9).
God allowed Joseph's brothers to sell him into slavery and as a result, made a life for Joseph that turned out for the good, so that in a show of His mercy and kindness, God would be glorified (Genesis 37-36).
God spoke to Moses through a burning bush, revealing Himself by His memorial name, i am who i am, assuring the Israelites of their release from bondage and slavery. He struck Egypt with plagues, hardened the heart of Pharaoh, destroyed an entire army, and led His people away from the nation in which they had for 430 years lived in bondage, so that He could show Himself as all-powerful and almighty for the sake of His glory (Exodus 3-14).
God gave great courage to Joab and his brother Abishai as they were outnumbered against the Syrians and the Ammonites. At a time when most would surrender, Joab told his brother "If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will help you. Be strong and let us use our strength for our people and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him." God granted success to the courageous warriors, and the Syrians fled before Israel, making peace with David and becoming subject to him, all for the glory of the Lord (1 Chronicles 19).
Esther, the queen of King Ahasuerus, heard from her uncle Mordecai of an evil and devastating plot, devised by the chief minister Haman, to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire kingdom of Ahasuerus. Knowing of no other alternative to save the Jewish people, Esther put her life on the line to approach the King. Esther sent message to her uncle Mordecai: "Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:16). Esther brings about Hamam's destruction, winning the right of the Jews to defend themselves and completely destroy their enemies, all to the glory of God.
God gave Satan permission to afflict the blameless and upright man Job, to show that He keeps His people faithful in the midst of suffering and trial, so that in the end they can stand and say "blessed be the name of the lord" for the Lord is faithful and just and provides great mercy so that through it all, and at its full consummation, He will be Glorified.
God allowed Nebuchadnezzer to cast Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the fiery furnace so hot that even those who came near it were burned to death, yet upon their exit "the hair of their heads were not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire [came] upon them" (Daniel 3:27) so that all who saw them alive and well would look to God, and by showing His great ability to protect and sustain, He would be glorified (Daniel 3:8-30).
God caused King Darius to sign into law an injunction that eventually mandated that Daniel be thrown into a lion's den in which God protected Daniel with his angels, giving reason to King Darius to proclaim "in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end" (Daniel 6:26) all of this taking place that God would be glorified.
God sent His unwilling and defiant prophet Jonah to the city of Ninevah, by way of a fierce storm and the belly of a great fish, to proclaim the wrath of God. Through the less than compelling words of Jonah, God saved the entire city by causing them to repent and have faith so that by their turning from their reputation of debauchery, evil, and sin, He would be glorified.
Jesus, came into this world, born to a virgin, living a perfect, holy, and sinless life, yet being fully tempted like all men, performing miracles to include giving sight to the blind, causing the lame to walk, turning water into wine, 5 loaves and 2 fish into enough food for 5000 men, with the two words, "come forth" calling the dead man Lazarus to life. Just prior to His death in the garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed, "Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again" (John 12:28).
Jesus was crucified on a cross, the most horrific of all forms of death and torture and suffering known to mankind, was buried in a tomb and three days later rose again that we can see his glory that was given to him by the Father, in love, before the foundation of the world (John 17:24).
He established and continues to build His church of which the gates of Hell cannot overcome (Matthew 16:18), calling His elect onto Himself that they would experience the greatness of salvation, and condemning the unrighteous as vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, all in order that he can make known the riches of His glory forevermore (Romans 9).
He rules over the endless reaches of space, over plants of every shape and color, over animals of every breed and genus and species, over the trees and the endless sky, over the depths of the sea, over plagues and viruses and cancers and famine and terrorism and genocide and governments both noble and corrupt, over nuclear threats and politics and elections and economies and books and articles and education systems and businesses and stock markets and blades of grass and hairs on heads all for the sake of claiming what is rightfully his that we would look to him as the creator and sustainer of all things for His glory, alone.
Romans 11:33-36 is Paul's doxological response after writing 11 chapters of great theological truth. Paul reaches the height of his praise. He has outlined, in essence, that the ultimate beginning, the ultimate cause, and the ultimate reason for everything in this world is God. Every micron of being that has ever existed in all of creation has been totally dependent for its existence on God - from its very beginning, all the way through its eternal state. There is no explanation for what is or what happens that is deeper or more decisive than God. So, Paul writes "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 'For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?' 'Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?' For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." Did you read that? Not only are all things from God and through God, but all things are also To God. "To him are all things. To him be glory forever."
What great cause for worship! As I consider the Glory of the Lord, I can sing aloud with the psalmist, "My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for you to the living God" (Psalm 84:2). God is, as Jonathan Edwards once wrote, "the greatest and best of beings." I rejoice and am humbled to know that it is this great, glorious, and sovereign God who called me out of darkness into His marvelous light!
Beautiful Savior! Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be Thine.[1]
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be Thine.[1]
Soli deo Gloria!
[1] "Fairest Lord Jesus", Translated by Joseph A. Seiss in 1873.
Monday December 15, 2008
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