Glorifying God
Date: June 15, 1997-A.M.
Speaker: John Phillis
Main Scripture Reference: Romans 1:18-22
I’d like to thank Dennis Setliff for leading us in the two songs that talked about “glorifying God,” because that is the subject that we want to talk about this morning. I thought about seeing if I could come up with a special lesson today for fathers, but I couldn’t, or didn’t, whichever the case may be. [This Sunday was “Father’s Day.”] So I have a lesson about THE FATHER, and glorifying God.
Our text for today’s lesson is taken from Romans the first chapter, verses 18 through 22. I’d like to begin by reading this section of the book of Romans [King James Version of the Bible]:
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 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,…
Before the Gospel of Christ was preached to the Gentiles, the Gentile nations were not without a knowledge of God. God had given them clear evidence of His presence. From the very foundation of the world, it is true, as the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 19, verses 1 and 2, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge,” [King James Version of the Bible].
From our text in Romans, the first chapter, the apostle Paul declares that “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…” (that is, the Gentiles) “…are without excuse,” verse 20. So the knowledge of God which the Gentiles possessed made their worshipping of dumb idols without an excuse.
Paul goes on there in verse 21 and says, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him NOT as God,…” Their knowledge of Him had been of no benefit to them. They refused to acknowledge all light [knowledge] which they had. Their limited affection, adoration and awe of God did not keep pace with their knowledge of God. To glorify God is to glorify Him, and Him ALONE—to glorify God as GOD, without any others. NOT to glorify God AS God is, in effect, NOT to glorify Him at all! Yet the Gentiles set up a multitude of other deities. Paul says later on in this particular chapter of Romans that “they served created things, rather than the Creator,” [Romans 1:25].
Paul continues speaking about the Gentiles and says, “…neither were they thankful.” That is, they were not thankful TO God and FOR the things that God had provided FOR them, even though they had received blessings from Him. Their unwillingness to render gratitude to God for His mercies and blessings was one of the causes for their subsequent corruption and idolatry.
In verse 21, Paul says that they “became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” Unwilling to recognize and honor God, they turned to their own speculations, all of which resulted in foolish notions about idols and rites of idolatrous worship.
“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,” [Romans 1:22]. How else could they be? There can be no sensible reasoning without a sensible starting point! And any process of reasoning that eliminates GOD cannot have a reasonable basis.
If God did NOT create the universe, then any theory as to its origin is only a blind guess. And one guess is as good as another. If God did NOT create man in the beginning, then any theory as to the origin of human life is founded on a series of senseless guesses. When nations eliminate God, it is but a natural consequence that their foolish heart will become darkened, just like the Gentile nations of long ago.
If this is a true picture of the world in the first century of the Christian era, then how much more is this a picture of the world that we live in today? How especially true is this among those “professing Christians” who have the Bible, and do not read it, who are free to worship and be guided by their faith, but will not and who are admonished, but heed not the admonition!
Well, what does it mean to “glorify God?” The dictionary defines glorify this way: “to magnify [give great honor and respect] with praise; to extol [praise highly]; to transform [change] into something more splendid; to make glorious or invest [cover completely or surround] with glory; to promote [advance in station, rank or honor] the glory of God; ascribe [attribute to; give to] glory and praise in adoration of God.” Glory means “exalted [to raise up, especially in rank, power or dignity]; praise, honor or distinction [of special or highest importance]; adoring praise, or thanksgiving.” Simply stated, to glorify God AS GOD is to recognize Him as the Creator and the Preserver of the universe and to seek to do His Will—to seek to do what He has set forth for us to do in this life.
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