Tag: glory

A Real Glimpse of God’s Glory

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(2 Corinthians 4:3-6)

Nobody likes a fake. Especially when you paid a lot of money for it. The Saudi Crown Prince had da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi” proudly displayed, hanging in his personal yacht – or so he assumed. Imagine how he must have felt then, having paid $450 million for the work of art, only to find out it was a fake. Art professionals determined it wasn’t actually an original, but rather a copy. Nobody likes a fake.

Fake art is one thing; fake people are another. When we refer to someone as a fake, we are not paying that person a compliment. What we’re saying is that they may present themselves one way, but it isn’t an accurate representation of who they really are. They are pretending, like an actor so immersed in the character he’s playing that he refuses to ever depart from the role.

If people didn’t know who Jesus was, it wasn’t because he was a fake. Jesus wasn’t pretending to be something he was not. No, any groups or individuals who had an issue with trying to figure out who Jesus was struggled because of their own preconceived notions or opinions about who he was or who they thought he should be. Jesus didn’t hide who he was. Nonetheless, even though he wasn’t hiding who he was, he did still need to reveal himself.

That’s what the season of Epiphany in the church year is all about: revealing who Jesus is. At Jesus’ baptism the voice of his Father’s approval was revealed. At a wedding in Cana his divine power over nature at even a molecular level was revealed when he changed simple H2O into the finest wine. Through his words and actions, his teaching and preaching, at a pace which allowed the Holy Spirit to work in the minds and hearts of the slow-to-believe, Jesus was revealing who he was over the course of his ministry. As his time on earth drew to a close, he knew the view that awaited his disciples and onlookers on Good Friday. So he gathered on a mountain with just three of his disciples and made his most spectacular revelation yet. 

That event – the Transfiguration – could have been what Paul had in mind in verse six. “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” Where else was God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ as it was at the Transfiguration, where the Gospels describe him as emanating a light brighter than any natural light they had ever witnessed? “There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light” (Mt. 17:2).

Jesus’ face shifted supernaturally right before the disciples’ eyes, and the glorious light beaming from it was more than the human eye could handle. If you’ve ever had the chance to watch a solar eclipse and tried to view even the slightest bit of it without the recommended eye protection or other protective measures, you learned the hard way how unwise that is. Staring into the sun is a sure-fire way to go blind! 

But seeing that light in the face of Christ was so very important for the disciples, for in a short matter of time, it would appear that that light would be snuffed out. They would descend from that glorious experience to the foot of the mountain, where the final walk of Jesus would end in Jerusalem. There he would endure a week of enemies plotting to extinguish that light. Finally, as the last breath of life escaped from Jesus’ lips on the cross, surely it looked as if the light of Jesus’ life had given way to darkness, that death had won yet again, continuing its 100% success rate. 

For death had always won up to that point, with the exception of two miraculous occasions by which God chose to circumvent death and usher his own directly to heaven without experiencing it (Enoch and Elijah). Otherwise, death darkened the light of life in everyone who was ever born. No one has ever been able to manufacture a method of keeping that light of life burning forever. Nor will they.

So Jesus revealed who he was, pulling back the veil briefly for his inner circle of disciples to witness. And in the face of Christ the disciples could truly see a taste of what God was all about. God and his glory were and are inextricably linked to the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Savior of all.

While God did in fact reveal his glory in the Old Testament, we notice that God’s glory in those cases was terrifying. Why should his glory be terrifying in those cases? Because God’s holiness was so clearly and profoundly on display, not only through the giving of the law, but in the show of holiness that was powerfully manifested both audibly and visually. That glory was terrifying! Yes, his righteousness, his perfection, his holiness rightly cause sinners to crumble in his presence. But it was only one side of the coin of God’s glory.

Christ, however, completes the picture of that glory. Christ not only embodied the righteousness, the perfection, and the holiness in his flesh and flawless life, but also the grace, the compassion, and the mercy of God, which are also very much included in the full picture of his glory. We could not know that forgiving grace apart from knowing Christ, and God’s glory would remain only a terrifying thing. But in the face of Christ, God’s glory is made complete. That makes perfect sense, because in Christ we see what God looks like. That is the big reveal: Christ shows us the face of God. 

Yes, in Jesus, we see what God looks like. Paul states it plainly in verse four: “Christ… is the image of God.” You know how frustrating it can be when someone tries to describe what a person looks like. They describe the color of their hair, maybe the cut. They might describe any pronounced features. Perhaps they’ll try to compare the person to a celebrity or an athlete who may have a similar look.  At any rate, no matter how detailed their description may be, there’s a better way.

That’s why we ask if they have a picture. A picture shows us what the person looks like. Whereas a description gives us a fuzzy likeness, a picture sharpens the detail and fills in the blank. When we see a picture, an image of the person, we know what they look like.

To see Christ is to see God. Christ is the image of God. Christ is what God looks like. 

And the image of glory is maximized when we see the Christ on the cross. There the glory of God’s holiness is plain to see as the wrath against lawbreakers and the unholy is poured out. There also the glory of God’s forgiveness is plain to see in how God’s grace put his Son in my place to endure it. It’s not me on the cross, but the Holy One! It’s not his sin being paid for but mine. It’s not his sin needing forgiveness but mine! That is the greatest glory of God, and we see it more clearly because of the glory Jesus first revealed on the mountain.

What is tragic is that not all see this glory. “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ” (v.4). It isn’t that God’s glory isn’t there, but some simply cannot see it. They have been blinded to it. The “god of this age,” Satan, is the one behind this work.

Why does Paul refer to him as the god of this age? He isn’t somehow putting him on a similar plane to the true God, but is rather underscoring two things: 1) unlike the true God, Satan’s power is limited. Whatever power he has will come to and end when Jesus comes again. Unlike the true God, his power is not eternal. 2) the title simply reflects that he dwells in the heart of all of those who don’t belong to the true God. No, they may not outwardly worship the devil, of course (most don’t!), but to reject the true God is to belong to the one who opposes him, the one who calls truth lies and lies truth. To not have the Triune God as one’s God is to have the devil rule in the heart in his place. 

But One who revealed his glory on the mountain still reveals it today. Though not through a brightly beaming face, his glory is nonetheless revealed powerfully through the gospel. What is the gospel other than pointing to Jesus and his saving work? Paul wrote, “For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake” (v.5). The god of this age delights in keeping the attention on self and selling the lie that we are in control and calling the shots in our lives. But Paul and his companions preach a different message – as do we today.

Jesus Christ is Lord. The One who paid the precious price of himself wants not only to be our Savior, but our Lord, the One who calls the shots in our lives because he alone knows the absolute best paths of blessing for our lives. The One who bought and paid for us to be his own longs to guide and direct his own in paths of righteousness and fulfillment. 

And he isn’t asking to be the equivalent of a business partner, going 50/50 in overseeing our lives; he longs to be the Lord, the authority, the ruler in our hearts and lives. And this is no outrageous demand that causes us to bristle or stubbornly dig in our heals in defiance, but one that we crave, a relationship arrangement that we are obliged to submit to, for we know he has our best interests in mind more than we ever could. When the Lord of love is the Lord of your life, blessings in Jesus reach new heights.

That allows us to humble ourselves to new lows, to truly see ourselves as Paul did, as “your servants for Jesus’ sake” (v.5). When Jesus is my Lord, overseeing my life better than I ever could, I am free from the stress and strife of thinking I can somehow manage my life better than he can, and that freedom then allows me to be your servant for his sake, and you to be your neighbor’s servant for Jesus’ sake. 

If the veil is ever going to be lifted, if those blinded by the god of this age are every going to see, it’s going to be through you and me. The glorious Jesus reveals himself to his disciples, as he did on the mountain, not only so that we can see his glory ourselves, but also to awaken in us a burning desire to serve others in ways that might allow us to point them to Jesus through his gospel.

In that way the veil can be lifted. The blind can see. And what shall they see? Not a fake. Not a pretender. No, they shall see the most glorious sight imaginable: their very real loving Lord and Savior, Jesus.

The Glory & Grace of the Gospel

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(2 Thessalonians 2:13-17)

Jim Harbaugh, the polarizing head coach of the National Champion University of Michigan football team, has established the practice of asking his players and fans the same question. He brings up the question so frequently that the response is chanted in unison as if just one booming voice. His question? “Who has it better than us?” The response of the crowd? “Nobody!”

As Christians, fresh off another celebration of Christmas and again seeing Jesus reveal himself as the world’s Savior, we can’t help but ask the same question: “Who has it better than us?” “Nobody!”

But when we consider who we were on our own, who we are now in Christ, and what that means for our present and future, do we really know how good we have it? Do we?

Paul wanted to make sure the Christians in Thessalonica knew how good they had it – and why. It wasn’t because of their own achievements or some outstanding accomplishment on their part, but rather because of everything God had done for them through Jesus Christ. So when Paul celebrates them, what he is really celebrating is what God has done for them. He thanks God for them – because they are loved, they are chosen, they are firstfruits, they are saved. And he recounts what brought all of this about: the gospel.

Simply put, the gospel was/is everything. There would be no letter, there would be no celebration, there would be no congregation of believers even gathered in Thessalonica, if not for the gospel. Paul hits that point home directly after all of the reasons to celebrate who they are because of what God has done when he wrote, “He called you to this through our gospel…” (v.14). The gospel was why they were who they were and the gospel is what God used to call them to be who they were.

That is the case for all Christians. Anyone who belongs to God, anyone who has ever believed, including anyone who is right now basking in the sinless joy of heaven while we wait eagerly for the Last Day, is so because God called them.

It’s how he called you and it’s how he will continue to call others. In the Word of God, God has revealed that the Bible is how he has chosen to call us. The gospel message – the good news for sinners that forgiveness of sins and salvation are ours through Jesus – is what God uses to call us today and tomorrow and until he comes again. This good news is God himself calling sinners to him for refuge and rescue. So what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians he might as well be writing to us and to anyone else who ever comes to faith in Jesus: “He called you to this through our gospel…” (v.14). 

Since the gospel is how God calls everyone – anyone – to faith in him, then in that gospel we have everything we need to flourish in the ministry that Jesus has given us. Go then and tell people the good news that Jesus is their Savior because he paid for their sins. That’s it. It’s that simple.

Don’t complicate it. Don’t skirt around it. Proclaim it – so that God can call others to faith through it. Don’t argue about it. Don’t apologize for it. Don’t avoid it. Don’t try to sweeten it. Just proclaim it. Just share it. Just pass it on to others, fully trusting that God calls others through the gospel – and only through the gospel.

What makes this gospel so amazing? Through it we know and will continue to know glory and grace. 

The rest of what Paul writes at the end of verse 14 ought to blow your mind. “He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.14). What?!? You realize that when we speak of the glory of Jesus Christ that we are on another whole level of glory, right??? Paul described it in his letter to the Philippians, explaining the glory that would follow Jesus’ incarnation (i.e. God becoming man) on earth. 

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). Jesus is the glory of God the Father! Every knee bows and every tongue confesses who Jesus is – and YOU share in that glory! Page through John’s visions in the Book of Revelation and see the glory of every creature lavishing praise and acclaim on Jesus on his throne – and YOU share in that glory!

Imagine being brought up on the stage for the Golden Globes or Academy Awards, or with a team after they won the championship game. You had absolutely nothing to do with winning, but they still call you up on the stage to bask in the glorious celebration. Although you made zero contributions, nonetheless, there you are, relishing the glory that someone else earned for you. Christ earned a far greater glory, and he shares it with you!

If there is no greater glory we could ever experience aside from the glory we share in Christ, then why is it that we still seek out self glory? Isn’t that really what we’re doing when our pride is wounded or when we insist on demanding a certain level of recognition or acknowledgment for what we’ve done? Why do we resent the teacher for not rewarding our hard work? Why do we feel that the coach only seems to harp on our mistakes but ignores our contributions? After so many years and all I’ve done for my company, why does the boss still hardly give me the time of day? Why won’t my spouse give me the respect I deserve for all that I do for us? I never get recognized for anything I do at my church.

Friends, do we forget the glory that we share with Christ? How could any of these things, or even the sum of them all together, ever amount to the glory that is already ours in Christ?!? And that is why the gospel is so amazing. We could not know of this glory that is ours with Jesus apart from the gospel. 

That same gospel doesn’t just assure us of the glory we’ll share with Christ; it also reveals the radical side of God that is responsible for that glory, which is totally and completely unique to Christianity: grace.

Christians are familiar with the word “grace.” But if we aren’t careful, something so profound as grace, so radically life-changing and unparalleled anywhere else in the world like grace, can become… ho-hum. When that happens, grace seems less and less amazing. Its usage can become so routine and so frequent in how we speak that we begin to be less in awe of what it really is. So how do guard against losing that awe of grace? How do we recapture its greatness? How does it crash into us a like an ocean wave smashing into a rocky cliff so that we are left completely drenched by it, refreshed and and re-awakened?

We remember what makes grace so amazing. Christian author, Randy Alcorn, shared a story about that very hymn, Amazing Grace:  

Before I spoke at a conference, a soloist sang one of my favorite songs, “Amazing Grace.” It was beautiful. Until she got to the tenth word. “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a soul like me!” My heart sank. The word wretch had been edited out! I thought about John Newton, the songwriter. This former slave trader, guilty of the vilest sins, knew he was a wretch. And that’s what made God’s grace so “amazing.” Mind-boggling. Knockdown awesome. If we’re nothing more than morally neutral “souls,” do you see what that does? It guts grace. (The Grace and Truth Paradox: Responding with Christlike Balance)

When we define grace as God’s undeserved love, we have to remember what makes it so undeserved: we do. If grace is just “God’s generic love in general,” it loses so much. It is love that is undeserved. It is love for wretches. It is love for the worst of the worst, love for me. No matter the sin, there is always more grace. We sin in ways old and new. We sin in ways planned and premeditated. We sin in ways unexpected and even unknown. And grace covers all of it.

And it is the good news of the gospel that assures us that God’s love for wretches will never be exhausted. It is that gospel which takes the ugly reality of my sin – all of it – and crosses it out at Calvary, at Jesus’ crucifixion. It takes the whole record of my sin, every last sin that I’ve stored up over the course of my life, and completely empties it, just as Jesus did his tomb.

Dear Christian, who has it better than us? Nobody. Now if that’s true (it is!) and if you believe it (you do!), then let it be plain as day in how we live our lives, just as Paul encouraged: “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word” (v.16-17). 

A Time to Focus on Future Glory

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(Revelation 7:9-17)

We often need the reminder to make sure we’re living in the present. That reminder can keep us from remaining stuck in the past as we get caught up ruminating on regrets or unfinished business. Such a reminder can also keep us from an unhealthy fixation on the future life we have planned for ourselves that always seems to be just out of reach, always waiting for this to happen or that to fall into place. Those reminders are good for us so that we don’t overlook the blessing of the present, the here and now, the 24 hours that we have on this day, in this place, in this station of life where we find ourselves currently – not dwelling on who or where we were in the past and not pining for who or where we’d liked to be in the future. 

Yet, as we live in this time in between Christ’s first and second coming, we can just as easily get stuck with tunnel vision, zeroing in only on the here and now and losing sight of the “not yet” – the future that God holds out to those who are his. There are three dangers of forgetting the future and living only in the present.

First, focusing only on the present can find us unprepared and not ready for Jesus’ return. Jesus even warned against waiting until the last minute because of such an attachment to the here and now in a number of his parables, such as the bridesmaids waiting for the groom who run out of oil because they aren’t prepared (cf. Mt. 25). We want to be ready for that time.

Jesus’ warning to Christians is that it is extremely dangerous to leave our faith always on the “perennial to-do list, ” as if our good intentions to getting around to it after we finish everything else that we’ve prioritized ahead of it. We dare not let faith be our last concern in this life only to find out after it’s too late that faith is the only concern that matters for the next life, for eternal life. It will simply be too late to discover that reality after the fact. 

A second danger that arises when we perceive heaven or Jesus’ return to be so far off into the future: we leave ourselves susceptible to being overcome by a feeling of hopelessness. The discouragement, the disappointment, and the disillusionment of the daily here and now can capsize us like a tiny fishing boat being tossed about in the middle of a hurricane. We become convinced that there is no end in sight regarding our financial plight. A toxic relationship will never become healthy. My job will never be fulfilling. The chronic pain or sickness is not going to improve. I can’t fix the struggles I’m having with my child. Without reminders about the eternal hope our future holds, each of these challenges can feel like another fifty-foot wave smacking and swamping us over and over again until we finally sink. It’s just a matter of time. 

The third danger that comes when we fail to focus on our future glory may be the most dangerous: instead of holding out for the future glory that is ours in Christ Jesus, we seek out glory in the here and now. For that is what the fall into sin has made us: glory-seekers.

Satan had convinced Adam & Even not to remain content with who God had made them to be in the world God had made for them. They believed there was a level of glory that God was hiding from them, keeping them from attaining a status more in line with his. The fruit was the key. They were deceived into believing it promised them the glory they were seeking. So, unsatisfied with the glory they already had by being created in God’s perfect image, they longed for a greater glory. And the result? The glory they had was smashed to pieces, obliterated into nothingness, gone, along with the gloriously perfect world God had given them. 

We daily pick up where our first parents left off, glory-seeking as if on a treasure hunt that promises untold riches and wealth if we can just secure the glory we seek. “But glory is the last thing I am interested in,” you say. “I dread being the center of attention or being recognized. I would much rather defer to someone else more interested in such things. Glory does not interest me.” So you say.

How then do you justify your workaholism? The paycheck that affords you a new _______, or the successful title, promotion, or recognition, or simply the praise others heap on you for being a hard worker – what is that if not all ultimately about serving your own glory? What of your child’s athletic, academic, or extracurricular achievements, diploma from a prestigious university, or high-paying career? Are those things so often the topic of your conversations for their own sake, or are you simply glory-seeking through your kids? Are you early or on-time for everything because you’re so considerate or respectful of other people’s time, or do you glory in that reputation? On the flip side, are you habitually running late for everything because of one excuse or another, or is because self-glory has you convinced that your time is more valuable and important than everyone else’s? 

If we aren’t interested in glory seeking and self-glory, why then, is it so hard to pay another a compliment? Because it draws attention away from us (or we’re just naturally better at pointing out others’ flaws). Why are we compelled to identify the tiniest shortcoming in a project or job done by someone else? Because we could have done it better. Why is it so hard to apologize or admit that we were wrong? Because our glory, our reputation, our pride, would be damaged. Do we defer recognition because we’re genuinely humble, or because our glory is in wanting to be known and recognized for our humility?     

It is the deceptive nature of this third danger of neglecting to focus on our future glory that makes it such a threat. We actually begin to believe, just as Adam and Eve did, that we can search out and secure some sort of glory this world might offer. But it is nothing more than a mirage.

And if we spend our here and now pursuing a mirage, then the Holy Spirit is being robbed of the opportunities to feed and strengthen our faith. The stronger our faith, the more we yearn to receive a true and lasting glory, a glory that is no mirage, but is a reality secured for us through the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He is our glory, and so it is no surprise to see him at the center of the vision shared with us through the eyes and pen of John in Revelation. Do you wish to see what glory looks like? Look no further than the verses from Revelation 7.

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” (vss. 9-12).

Now imagine that right in the middle of this glorious scene, this happens: an individual objects to all of the glory being directed at the Lamb and demands that he, too, be recognized for certain highlights in his own life. Absurd!

But as absurd as that is, is it any more ridiculous than any attempt at glory-seeking right here and now? Why should the here and now on earth be any different than the not yet of heaven? Why should be think ourselves worthy of any glory whatsoever when the only mark we hit consistently in our lives is that of unholiness and imperfection? 

What makes this glory depicted in Revelation so remarkable is that it even overshadows and covers our every foolish attempt at seeking self-glory in the here and now. Notice what everyone is wearing: “Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (vss. 13-14).

A white robe. A white robe made pure and clean by the blood of the Lamb. The blood shed on the cross, the blood given to you in the Sacrament – that blood alone cleanses and purifies you. It washed away your sinful glory-seeking and all other pride along with it. That is the only reason anyone is able to stand in the presence of the Lamb and worship him, and that is the reason this whole scene is punctuated with praise and adoration in the first place – because of what the Lamb has done for all people, including you and me. 

And friends, we wear that robe not just in heaven, but also here and now, through faith in Jesus. We are righteous right now. We are holy right now. We, to a degree, are covered in this glory right now.

Why should we ever foolishly seek an inferior glory that the world holds out to us when we have the superior glory of Jesus Christ to claim as ours not just in the future, but in the present? Here and now. When we are robed in that glory, we get it. We get that serving Jesus is a joy, not a burden. That’s why we long for this scene: “Therefore, ‘they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence’” (v.15).

Yet even now we have the joy of serving him day and night with our whole lives. While we have to wait for the complete joy and bliss of the full glory that waits for us in heaven, we don’t have to wait until then to experience the joy of serving him and others here and now!

And to spur us on toward perseverance and endurance while we serve here, we take to heart the picture of serving God eternally in a world without the worries or woes that plague us here and now.  “‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes’” (vss. 16-17). 

Yes, we live in the time in between, but that doesn’t mean we live unaware of what waits for us. Quite the opposite. It is precisely because we know what waits for us that we are encouraged. That is why we continue to focus on a future glory that is ours, spurred on even by a foretaste of that glory in the present, as we are God’s glory-bearers here and now. 

God Calls Me to Glorify Him

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(Colossians 3:15-17)

Three letters, SDG, not to be confused with the San Diego Gas & Electric company (SDGE), can sometimes be found at the close of a Christian book or essay. Many a paper at pastor conferences has closed with those very letters. The Lutheran composers Bach and Handel included the letters in many of their musical compositions. What do they stand for? They are three Latin words – Soli Deo Gloria – which mean, “to God alone be the glory.” It is a reminder that whatever worthwhile or significant contribution a person might make, God, who gave everyone their ability, skill, and talent to do anything excellent at all, is the one who deserves the glory. 

As we consider that element of our vocation, our calling, to glorify God, it might be helpful to first define what it means to give glory to someone or something. We sing of it in our songs and hymns, we come across it again and again in the Bible, so what do we mean when we speak of giving glory to or glorifying God? Is it one of those churchy terms that naturally flows from our lips without really processing in our heads and hearts what it actually means? What then does it mean to glorify God?

Actually, before we step into the “what” or even “how,” we may better be served addressing the “why.” Why glorify God? If we don’t know why it makes a difference to give glory to God, then the what or the how don’t really matter, do they? The what without the why ends up being that unused kitchen gadget that you had to have at the time, but which ends up at the back of the gadget drawer or tucked away in the back of a cupboard somewhere because you don’t remember why you ever got it. Knowing what or how it looks like to glorify God will only help us if knowing why moves and compels us to actually do so.

First things first, let’s be clear on this: God is already glorious. Glory already belongs to God. It is his, entirely independent of anything we might do. God doesn’t need us to give him glory. The psalmist pointed to creation itself as an indicator of his glory. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). Moreover, Jesus, the heart and soul of everything God had promised, by virtue of the victory he came to bring all people, is rightly called “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel” (Luke 2:32). So glory already belongs to God. It is his as a result of his jaw-dropping creation and his unconditional salvation. In that regard we cannot bestow glory to God anymore than we can give the sun light or heat, for the sun is the source of those things and they emanate from it. In the same way, God’s glory emanates from him. Therefore, when we speak of glorifying him, this isn’t talk of giving something to God that he somehow lacks.

Why then do we glorify him? Why do we speak of giving him glory if it’s already his? The Bible reveals no fewer than three reasons why. First, when we glorify God we are simply acknowledging and highlighting the glory that is already his. We’re giving it the attention it deserves, giving him the attention he deserves. In giving glory to God, we are saying God is the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). I recently saw a close-up of the glitter on Simone Biles’ gymnastics uniform. There is a subtle – or not so subtle once you realize it’s there – picture of a goat on it. Why? Because she is considered the GOAT of gymnastics, the greatest of all time. While there will always be debate over who is the goat in their respective fields when it comes to celebrities and superstars, there is no debate when God is brought into the discussion. We glorify him because we acknowledge that God is the GOAT. There never was, nor will there be anyone or anything greater. He is truly the greatest of all time. 

One who understood this and reflected it beautifully was John the Baptist. In speaking of Jesus, John the Baptist reflected: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). Less of us to make room for more of God. We’ve all seen the decal on the back of cars that reflects this attitude, He > i. In humility we recognize that God is worthy of all attention, commendation, praise, and anything else of worth we might offer up to him. We glorify God because he alone is worthy of it. God is the GOAT.  

In doing so, we also benefit. A second reason we glorify God becomes rather obvious when reflecting on the frequency of a certain attitude in the words from Colossians. Each verse in its own way reveals the same attitude, one of gratitude. The phrases “be thankful,” “with gratitude in your hearts,” and “giving thanks” go hand-in-hand with glorifying God. Which one comes first, the glorifying or the gratitude? It doesn’t matter – they feed off of each other! As we glorify God, it fills us with gratitude, and the more we’re filled with gratitude, the more we want to glorify God. It becomes a spiritually healthy cycle that just keeps feeding itself. Glory leads to gratitude, and gratitude leads to glory. God is magnified, and we are filled with gratitude. 

Now I don’t know where you might struggle emotionally. It might be worry that weighs on you. Perhaps anxiety rather easily overwhelms you. Maybe anger or short bursts of rage have plagued you. But you know what can help with all of them? Gratitude. It’s not very easy to worry, to be anxious, or to be angry when I am filled with gratitude. In fact, it’s extremely difficult, if not impossible, for those emotions to coexist with gratitude! Why else do we glorify God? Because when we remember that God is the GOAT, we also benefit, for glorifying him fills us with gratitude. 

The third reason we glorify God is for the benefit of others. Through faith our eyes have been opened to see God’s glory in so many ways. But Paul reminds us elsewhere that that isn’t the case for everyone. Sin blurs God’s glory so that it is not naturally seen. “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). If you’ve been hiking or outside enjoying nature and caught sight of something spectacular off in the distance or using binoculars, it’s frustrating when you try to help someone else see it, but they can’t spot it. We point here and give directions there as to where they should be looking, but no matter what, they just can’t see it. We want so badly for them to see what we’re looking at, but the moment passes and they miss out. 

God doesn’t want that to be the case when it comes to the unbeliever seeing his glory. So what is his solution? You are. Listen to how Peter echoed the words of Jesus from our Gospel (cf. Mt. 5:13ff) this morning. Peter wrote, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:12). What does it mean for them to “see your good deeds and glorify God”? It means that they were brought to faith – through you! Not that God somehow did an end-around and avoided his Word in the process, but rather through you, God wants to draw others to his glory, always revealed through the Word, so they, too, might know him as their Savior! That’s why Jesus sends us to be salt and light, so that others might bring him glory by believing in him. 

We may not always like playing the numbers game. We sometimes downplay the tracking of numbers, of attendance, of metrics, and surely we do have to be careful when it comes to an unhealthy focus on numbers. But you know what? God is a numbers guy. God is very interested in numbers! You know how many people he wants to be in heaven with him to spend eternity with him when he returns on the Last Day? More. Always more. It’s safe to say that if Jesus hasn’t returned yet, God is waiting for more to be added. That means he’s waiting for you to glorify him with your good deeds that are so attractive to the unbelieving world that they are drawn to him and to his Word, and are added to his kingdom. 

There’s your why. We glorify God because God is the GOAT, because it fills us with gratitude, and because it turns unbelievers into believers. Now let’s put some gas in the tank. What fuels us to give glory to God? It’s the peace that he first gives to us. Gratitude isn’t the only theme that runs through the verses from Colossians this morning; so is peace. Paul wrote, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:15-17). Where does the gratitude that goes hand-in-hand with glorifying God come from? It comes from the peace that we have in Jesus. 

Do you have that peace? I mean, really, does peace mark your days? Are they characterized by peace, or… something else? Busyness? Inadequacy? Guilt? Restlessness? You do know that Jesus came to set you free from all of that, right? So if you don’t have it, why don’t you have it? Paul hits on what might be one thing to address if you’re lacking peace: “let the message of Christ dwell in you richly.” Richly. Richly. Richly. When we allow the Word to be an afterthought or an “I’ll get to it later” in our lives, we’re only robbing ourselves of the peace we already have in Jesus! He’s already done it all. You are forgiven. You are at peace with God. Your sin doesn’t count against you. And, the icing on the cake is that he’s already perfectly glorified his Father (cf. John 17) in your place! The work has been done. Live in the joy that Jesus has already earned for you. There is no fear for the child of God; just peace. When we live in that peace, glorifying God pours naturally out of it. 

So now to the practical matter of carrying out our calling, of giving glory to God – how do we do this? What qualifies as giving glory to God? After all, giving glory to God is a pretty big deal, right, so we must be talking about stuff on a pretty grand scale! Rightly giving glory to God surely involves overseas mission trips and generous charitable gifts and serving faithfully for years on church boards and committees – these are the things that truly glorify God, right? Sure they do. 

But so do these: the every day, the mundane, the routine, the often-overlooked, the seemingly small and unnoticed words and actions that we carry out every single day. These, too, are the things by which we can glorify God! It’s not the scale of the service that determines whether or not God is glorified in what we do, but rather the spirit of faith by which we do it. Simply put, virtually anything we do can be a way to glorify God, which is what Paul was emphasizing when he wrote “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (v.17). When I consider that it is God who gave me the life and breath and health and ability to do anything and everything, all of it can glorify him. Then go and take out the trash to God’s glory. Wash the dishes to God’s glory. Lend your neighbor a hand to God’s glory. Change a diaper to God’s glory. Work hard at your job and help your coworker who is behind on a deadline to God’s glory. Attend church to God’s glory. Post on Facebook to God’s glory. Go on a date to God’s glory. When these and everything else we do are carried out because the peace we have in Jesus fills us up with such gratitude, then we are carrying out God’s calling to glorify him. And we joyfully do that because God is the GOAT, because it raises our own gratitude, and because God uses it to make believers out of unbelievers. So go out and live an SDG life – Soli Deo Gloria; “to God alone be the glory.”