Seven Ways to Glorify God

Yesterday I preached a sermon titled "Give God the Glory" based on Acts 12:20-24:

20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king's country for food. 21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.
24 But the word of God increased and multiplied.

Herod learned the hard way that you can't fight God and win. You can't steal glory from God and get away with it. Those who want glory for themselves are at war against God, and will lose.

The Bible says, "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). That is an all-encompassing command. It applies to every facet of our lives. Still, I find it helpful to look at specific ways in which Scripture tells us that we can give glory to God. The following list is not a comprehensive list, but it's a helpful start. What I did was look up, in a typical English translation, all the Scripture passages that use the expression "glorify" God or "give glory" to God. These texts gave us seven specific ways that we can be intentional about doing so.

1.  Praise God when he gets you through a trial. 

The Lord says in Psalm 50:15, "Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me." If you pray, asking God to see you through a trial, then be sure to praise him when he does! Don't stay silent about it; tell others what great things God has done for you. That brings him glory!

2.  Treasure the Word of God.

"And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). We show God how much we treasure his Word when we trust and obey him, when we act in faith on what we've heard. The psalmist declared, "You have exalted above all things your name and your word" (Ps. 138:2). Therefore, we exalt God when we embrace his Word.

3.  Desire and celebrate the salvation of all peoples. 

“All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name” (Psalm 86:9). God calls all nations and peoples to join in the holy joy that he offers. This leaves no room for racism or prejudice in our hearts. God loves and welcomes people of all ethnicities into his family. We glorify God when we do the same.

4.  Pursue sexual purity.

“For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:20). Though this verse could apply to a number of areas regarding the physical stewardship of our bodies, such as proper eating, exercise, sleep, etc., the surrounding context of that particular verse has to do with sexual purity. God has designed sex to take place in marriage between husband and wife. Anything outside of that, such as premarital sex or adultery, dishonors him by failing to reflect the beauty and purity of the gospel.

I want to camp out on this point for a couple of paragraphs because of the prevalence of pornography, especially among men. Pornography glorifies oneself rather than God. There is a close connection between pornography and pride. In his book, Finally Free, Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace, Heath Lambert states, “Only arrogant men look at pornography” (p. 108).

Men look at pornography out of an arrogant desire to see women in a way that God does not allow. They show arrogant defiance to God's commands, rejecting the delight of sexual intimacy in marriage and deciding for themselves what they believe is better — looking at naked women in porn. They show arrogant disregard for God's call to selfless marital love. They show arrogant derision for the female actresses whom they should be seeking to respect as women who need to hear the good news of Jesus. They show arrogant disdain for their own children by hiding their sin and inviting the enemy into their home and their marriage. They show arrogant disrespect toward all those who would be scandalized if their sin were known. The root problem with men who look at porn is not neediness — it is arrogance.

- Finally Free, p. 110

While these are strong words, Lambert is careful to remind us in his book that every instance of lustful gawking is paid for by Jesus in his death for sinners, and that Jesus’ grace to rescue and change us is stronger than pornography’s power to control and destroy us. As we lay hold of God’s grace in our fight for sexual purity, we glorify Christ.

5.  Give generously from a yielded heart. 

Scripture encourages us to give to those in need, especially fellow Christians: “As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ” (2 Cor. 9:13 NLT). When we give generously to those in need, we reflect the love and kindness of God as revealed through the gospel. God gave his most precious gift – his one and only Son – to meet our greatest need: forgiveness. Giving generously and sacrificially to people in need is yet another way to give God glory.

6.  Suffer graciously as a Christian.

“But if anyone suffers as a ‘Christian,’ he should not be ashamed but should glorify God in having that name” (1 Peter 4:16). Acts 11:26 says, "And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians." It was meant to be a term of derision, but Jesus' followers wore it as a badge of honor. So should we, even if we have to suffer for it. When we patiently endure suffering as Christians, we show Jesus that he is worth it. That glorifies him.

7.  Confess, rather than cover up, your sin. 

Do you remember Joshua and the battle of Jericho in Joshua chapter 6? Do you remember a man named Achan and what he did during the battle? He stole some goods that were dedicated to God. Achan hid them in an attempt to cover up his sin. But God exposed Achan's sin. “Then Joshua said to Achan, ‘My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, by telling the truth. Make your confession and tell me what you have done. Don’t hide it from me” (Joshua 7:19). The Lord is the "God of truth" (Isa. 65:16), whereas the devil is the "father of lies" (John 8:44). Thus Scripture says, "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy" (Prov. 28:13). Confession is good for the soul, but it also brings glory to God.

As I stated earlier, this list of seven ways to glorify God is not exhaustive, but it's a good place to start.

Christian Dialogue (on Terrorism, Immigration, etc.)

The terrorist attacks in Paris have heightened discussions on how to deal with ISIS, immigration, and other national security issues. These very subjects are already dominating the G20 Summit.

As you read various blogs, tweets, etc. on social media, you'll notice that widely divergent views exist even among conservative evangelical Christians. That's because the Bible does not give us black-and-white answers on national security issues, at least not explicitly as it does on other matters like abortion or same-sex marriage. The fact is, a number of biblical principles come into play, and they must all be given due consideration. The wise person will seek to formulate his or her views based on the whole counsel of Scripture (Acts 20:27).

With this in mind, I'd like to suggest three ways to promote and profit from Christian interaction on these issues:

1.  Appreciate the value of dialogue.

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines dialogue as "a discussion between two or more people or groups, esp. one toward exploration of a particular subjects or resolution of a problem." Based on this definition, dialogue is a good thing - and we must not lose sight of that. Rightly done, dialogue increases understanding, strengthens relationships, and increases critical thinking and decision-making. On the other hand, "a fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion" (Proverbs 18:2).

2.  Ask questions.

The previous point concerns our attitude; this second point has to do with our actual approach. If we truly value dialogue, we will look for opportunities to ask questions rather than merely to spout off answers. I already hold my present perspective on an issue because of certain information I have or assumptions I've made. Since the goal of dialogue is to explore an issue more thoroughly to improve our understanding and/or to resolve a problem, then we are best served by seeing the issue(s) from another person's vantage point.

Dr. Russell Moore, President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, provides a good example of looking at an issue from two different sides in his recent blog article, "Should We Pray for the Defeat of ISIS, or Their Conversion?" Therein he writes, "we sometimes forget that we are called to be a people of both justice and justification, and that these two are not contradictory."

We have much to learn by listening. "Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent" (Proverbs 17:28). That is to say, even if we don't get where another person's coming from, we'll still appear perceptive and wise simply because we were willing to listen!

3.  Communicate graciously.

Scripture calls us as believers in Christ to "walk in wisdom toward outsiders.... Let your speech always be seasoned with salt..." (Colossians 4:5a, 6a). If this is how Christians are to interact with nonChristians, how much more should we treat our fellow believers with courtesy and respect? "So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Galatians 6:10). Specifically, we are called to "speak the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15). Even after we ask questions, and it's time for us to share our thoughts on a given matter, we must make sure that we do so in a manner that is consistent with Scripture - not only in terms of our content (what we say) but in terms of our tone (how we say it).

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

- Ephesians 4:29

Let all that you do be done in love.

- 1 Corinthians 16:14

I saw two well-respected Christian brothers exemplify such a spirit earlier today in their conversation on the refugee crisis. Trevin Wax (Managing Editor of The Gospel Project) and Denny Burk (Professor of Biblical Studies at Boyce College and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) engaged in a helpful dialogue over Trevin's recent article in The Washington Post titled, "Should We Really Close the Border to Refugees? Here's Why Fear Drives Out Compassion." At the bottom of this post I've pasted a copy of their dialogue on Twitter. I would encourage you to read it.

Furthermore, in closing, I invite you to share any comments you might have on this whole subject of Christian dialogue. Why not take this opportunity to put these principles into practice?

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   Denny Burk ‏@DennyBurk  11h11 hours ago
   @TrevinWax Could "prudent compassion" include a moratorium at least in the short term?
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   Trevin Wax ‏@TrevinWax  11h11 hours ago
   @DennyBurk Depends on how feasible. For some it is already life-or-death. I want prudence for security & compassion, not an excuse for fear.
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   Denny Burk ‏@DennyBurk  10h10 hours ago
   @TrevinWax 20 refugees apply to US for asylum. 10 are women and children. 10 are single men in their 20's. Let them all in on their word?
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   Trevin Wax ‏@TrevinWax  10h10 hours ago
   @DennyBurk Of course not. That wouldn't be prudent or wise. If terrorists use hospitals and civilians as shields, they'll use refugees too.
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   Trevin Wax ‏@TrevinWax  10h10 hours ago
   @DennyBurk But we don't shut down our hospitals or close off compassion completely out of fear of what might happen. Prudence + courage.
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   Denny Burk ‏@DennyBurk  10h10 hours ago
   @TrevinWax What our govt must not do is allow a policy that says, "We accept all refugees on their word and release them into the homeland."
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   WCV ‏@wcvjude3  9h9 hours ago
   @DennyBurk @TrevinWax I agree with Denny. Accepting refugees solely based on thier word, how is that showing compassion to Americans?
   
   
   
   Trevin Wax ‏@TrevinWax  9h9 hours ago
   @wcvjude3 @DennyBurk I never argued we just accept refugees based on their word.
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   Denny Burk ‏@DennyBurk  8h8 hours ago
   @TrevinWax @wcvjude3 I don't have a solution. But I do think our government has to take responsibility for every refugee that it receives.
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   Trevin Wax ‏@TrevinWax  8h8 hours ago
   @DennyBurk @wcvjude3 I don't disagree with you on the legitimate security risks. Prudent compassion, though, not fear as motivator.
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