Picturing Theology

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P i c t u r i n g T h e o l o g y

Giving Glory to God (continued)

4. We are called to glorify God for his doings. a. We praise him for what he has done : Calvary. b. We praise him for what he is doing : Redemption. c. We praise him for what he is going to do : the Second Coming. C. God’s glory must be supreme in our minds. 1. More than our safety , Acts 20.24 2. More than our convenience , Heb. 12.2-3 3. More than our very lives , Phil 1.20 God wants to be glorified in us no matter what, when we are poor or rich, when we are happy or miserable, whether we are healthy or sick. Yes, God can even be glorified in our illness! The following is a wonderful prayer by a beloved Christian from Norway, Ole Hallesby, which captures the Christian’s attitude regarding illness: “Lord, if it will be to Your glory, heal suddenly. If it will glorify You more, heal gradually; if it will glorify You even more, may your servant remain sick awhile; and if it will glorify Your name still more, take him to Yourself in heaven.”

IV. The Essence of Sin Is to Fail to Give God His Due; Sin Is Robbing God of the Glory that is Rightfully Due to Him (Rom. 3.23).

We Can Rob God of Glory in at Least Four Respects.

A. First, we can take for ourselves the glory that is reserved for God alone. 1. Satan , Isa. 14.13-20 2. Herod , Acts 12.20-23 3. Illustrations and Principles a. One of the hardest things in life is for us to know that God does things for his own sake, and not for our sake, Isa. 48.11. b. The credit for all things belongs to God and not to us, Ps. 115.1.