Picturing Theology

/ 1 5 3

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

Giving Glory to God (continued)

D. Fourth, we can rob God of the glory that is due him by giving God less than he deserves , Mal. 1.6-8, 12-14. 1. We can be stingy our offerings to God, giving him the crumbs of our harvest and of our hearts , Mal. 3.8-10. 2. We can give God sacrifices that are imperfect and filled with blemishes , Mal. 1.8, 13. 3. We can give to God offerings that are polluted, stained by the unconfessed sin and wrong in our lives, (it is possible to come to church when things are a total mess in the rest of our lives) , Mal. 1.7. 4. Illustrations a. “Any old thing will do” syndrome b. God doesn’t mind c. There are three kinds of people who live for the Lord. There are three kinds of Christians who live for the Lord — the flint , the sponge and the honeycomb . To get anything out of a flint you must hammer it. Flint Christians give God a little, and only after a lot of hammering. And then you get only chips and sparks. To get water out of a sponge you must squeeze it, and the more you use pressure, the more you will get. Sponge Christians give God his due, but you have to constantly squeeze them in order to get them to participate. But the honeycomb just overflows with its own sweetness. A honeycomb Christian is full of God’s heart and simply gives out of her abundant love and commitment to him. Which kind of Christian lifestyle do you lead right now? V. The High Calling of Every Christian Is to Glorify God in All that We Are, All We Say, and All We Do, 1 Cor. 10.31. A. We are to glorify God in our bodies , 1 Cor. 3.16,17; 6.19-20. 1. Sexual Purity 2. Physical health