Sermon Notes 03-28-21

 

 

 

Living for the Glory of God

 

It is so wonderful to know that our heavenly father loves us so much. He wants us to have life and he wants us to have it much more rewardingly than what we have been receiving.

 

I have learned this more confidently as I have seen the Lord use me, my son and of the events in my life to reveal his concern for me and you. I know all of you know he loves us, but when you see the manifestation of his love, in the things that happen in your life, and the remarkable unexplainable, situations that begin to make sense over time, all you can do is say my God is awesome!

 

I think that’s the reason why the Bible says, O taste and see that the Lord is good (Psa 34:8), you don’t know how good God is, until you taste of his goodness for yourself. I can tell you he is good, but until you experience it you have no idea of what I’m talking about. Let me show you some of the revelations he has given me. The Lord has put some things in my mind that have blessed me. He has instructed me to share those with you. 

 

Then incredibly, I find that Pastor Jim has been given essentially the same revelations. The two of us have not communicated the innermost things that God is sharing with us. Yet, when I sit and listen to some of his messages, he is giving confirmation to the things he had spoken to me. Sometimes I just want to get up and shout.

 

I see in things he’s ministering, things that God is also sharing with me. He is putting us on one accord not by our design, but by his divine will.

 

Pastor Jim has been talking about how to find your purpose in 2021, so that when this year is over, it will be a year that you will be closer to fulfilling the purpose God has created you for, and you will be closer to achieving your divine potential.

 

In February, he was talking about cleaning out your closet; meaning to get rid of things that are preventing you from fulfilling your divine potential. Then, on the fourth Sunday of February, I ministered on the necessity to take force to overcome anything that was preventing you from experiencing heaven on earth.

 

This month, which was truly a surprise to me he began ministering on establishing a better relationship with God. That was the same subject that I was beginning to deal with in my teaching on the narrow road.

 

He taught you first, in level (1), that God loves you and wants to have a relationship with you. Then he taught you, level (2) you need to take action to improve that relationship with God. Then level (3), he was teaching you, you can go as far as you want with God. He was teaching you God will take you and bring you closer and closer to him. But it will take some effort on your part. The question was, how far do you want to go? 

 

I say to you, as far as you want to go but you must use force against your old nature to get there. Remember, Mt 11:12 (NKJV) — 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 

 

 

The amazing thing to me is that around the latter part of 2020 the Lord began revealing to me it was my responsibility to help you to be steadfast and grounded in his word. He led me to various methods to help you and me to grow closer to him. Your leadership team can tell you that I spoke to them before the end of the year regarding what God was doing with me. I read to them from Colossians 1:23 that it was necessary for us to remain in the faith grounded and steadfast and not moved away from the truth.

 

Now today, I’m going to reveal to you what God has shown me for all of us to do who are willing to move to the next level. What I’m about to teach is not new, but it is a foundational truth that every generation must repeat for the next generation or else, as it has happened before, we will turn away from the Lord.

 

For those of you who want to grow in your knowledge of God and move to the next level on your own, the Lord revealed to me one of the systems the old church built its foundation on and what this nation was also influenced by.

 

Now listen, I’m going to say this and I will not reiterate it very much because it is basically academic. Many of today’s preachers rarely use these things of the past that were successful to build their modern churches. But what I’m about to show you has been used over the past 500 years by churches to help its members to become spiritually grounded and steadfast in the word. 

 

I mentioned this Wednesday night for those of you who wanted to move on to the next level. Listen carefully, the system is, the Westminister Shorter Catechism. It was written a few years after the King James Bible in 1647. It was written by biblical scholars, just like the King James Bible, to help bring unity and growth to the body of Christ. It consists of 107 questions and answers. The doctrine became the foundation of many early churches. Most people learned those questions and answers. As a result, they were more knowledgeable in their time than the average today’s church person.

 

Today, we have many people that go to church, but really have no relationship with God. Today we have a church that is silent, while Satan is violently deceiving and destroying men and women and attacking the church. We send our children to school to be taught in the systems of mankind but we should spend so little time teaching our children about our God. Isn’t it more important we should be thinking about ours and their eternity than the short period of time we have here on earth?

 

The fact that we spend so much time on an education of things that are passing away and so little to none on the things that are eternal should scream at us that something is wrong.

 

Our children are learning songs that are poisoning their minds. Many of us as adults are not even aware of the trash our kids are listening to. The world, the devil and the flesh are devouring our younger generation. We sit silently afraid to offend people and go against the status quo.

 

How many of you have heard of the song using the acronym WAP? It was made popular by Cardi B and Megan Thee stallion. She was featured on the Grammys just a few weeks ago singing two of her songs that are promoting things that are immoral. It was proudly displayed in primetime promoting immorality.

 

Today, people are more concerned about racism than they are about the immorality. Immorality is rampant in our society and is more of a threat than racism is. 

 

Racism, is an attack against a race of human beings. Immorality, is an attack against the whole human race. 

 

The church, which is supposed to be the pillar of truth, is being silent. That is because, again the church has lost its direction and is not grounded and steadfast in the word of God. People have emotions and get upset over racism but don’t get upset over immorality because they don’t have a relationship with God.

 

A relationship with God does not just come by itself. It is always a matter of seeking God to find him. If you don’t make the effort to press toward the high calling, if you don’t travel along the Narrow Road there will be no growth. Where there is no growth, you remain infants in the knowledge of God and unable to participate in the greater blessings of God.

 

Paul made a similar statement in Hebrews 5:12 when he said For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. (Heb 5:12). 

 

Well, the Westminister Shorter Catechism is just a tool of a system of questions and answers to help you know the fundamentals. If you just study it, you can move well beyond the basics. It was not written for theologians. It was written for the average churchgoer. It is a way to teach children the fundamentals of our faith. They need it so desperately today.

 

The West Minister shorter catechism is still being used by some churches even now to help build their congregations knowledge of the word of God. I think that this is a good system that is easily available for people to know the fundamentals of our faith. I agree with almost 100% of its teachings. Perhaps I will share with you later the one or two questions and answers I am not 100% in agreement with. Perhaps, you will see them for yourself if you spend the time to search out the truth for yourself.

 

Today, I am going to deal with the first question to help strengthen you as you travel the narrow road of life. It is the most important question every human being needs to ask himself. It is good enough to get you started. If you want to go further, then study to show yourself needing not to be ashamed considering you have spent more time studying things that will pass away than you ever have in the word of God. 

 

• The Westminister Shorter Catechism 

 

Question 1. WHAT is the chief end of man?

 

Let us repeat that question. What is the chief end of man? 

 

Now, suggest to me, your summary of that question. (Meaning what is the chief purpose of man? Meaning why was man created? What has God designed for man? What is my special-purpose in this earth? Etc.)

 

Some of you already know what I have told you before as the purpose of man. Do you remember? 

From the wisest man that ever lived? Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil. (Ec 12:13–14). 

 

Here at Guiding Light, you know your reason for living, but it is sad so many other people of this world, are living their lives having their times consumed by so many meaningless things. Many of these things are not wicked, nor wrong but they are not what God made them for. When a stand before him, if they get the opportunity, they may unfortunately hear him say, depart from me you workers of iniquity.

 

Of course, I think Solomon’s answer is a great answer. It is a good starting point but when the scholars of old sought to summarize all of Scripture they came up with the following answer of which I can also agree and maybe more so because he speaks specifically and simplistically to the end results of what it means to keep the commandments.

 

Answer; 1) Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever.

 

Notice, it consists of two parts. What are they? 1) Man’s chief end is to glorify God and 2) enjoy him forever.

 

Let us repeat the two responsibilities of every human being in life.

 

Regardless to what you have been thinking about your life, the most important purpose for your life is to glorify God and the second is to learn to enjoy your relationship with Him. That is a mouthful.

 

• Let us now talk about glorifying God as man’s chief end. 

 

• • Paul said, 1 Co 10:31 (NKJV) — 31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 

• • • We are to do what things to the glory of God? 

 

• • Peter, the first pastor of the church had this to say, 1 Pe 4:11 (NKJV) — 11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 

• • • Once again, we see, in all things God is to be glorified.

 

• • Let’s look at another Scripture that says the reason you are alive 1 Co 6:20 (NKJV) — 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 

• • Is 43:21 (NKJV) — 21 This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise. 

 

• • Glorifying God is your ultimate purpose in life. After all, it is appointed unto man once to die and after that comes the judgment. It will be a great comfort in our dying hour to think we have glorified God in our lives. It was a comfort to Jesus.

 

• • • Jn 17:4 (NKJV) — 4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. 

• • • • What was Jesus to do when he walked the earth?

• • • • We are to be conformed to his image!

• • • Oh, what a great comfort this will be for us also. Nothing in life will matter anymore at the point of death. You will be able to think of how rich your inheritance will be because you have lived your life fulfilling the greatest purpose for you to exist. You would have run the race and finished the course. You would have walked the narrow Road.

• • • • Think of the sad sorry state of others whose focus was just on this life. 

• • • • How can they expect a rich harvest in Eternal Life when they had planted no seed?

 

• • Briefly now, four reasons why we must glorify God with our lives.

• • • Because He has given us life. 

• • • • Ps 100:3 (NKJV) — 3 Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 

• • • Because He has made all things for his glory. 

• • • • Pr 16:4 (NKJV) — 4 The Lord has made all for Himself, Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom. 

• • • • This includes us: 1 Pe 2:9 (NKJV) — 9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 

• • • Everything created gives glory to God. 

• • • • Ps 19:1 (NKJV) — 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. 

• • • • Is 43:20 (NKJV) — 20 The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen. 

• • • • If everything else gives him glory, what is the purpose of man?

• • • • If we are the bride of Christ, shouldn’t we give him glory?

• • • We should bring glory to His name because He is all there is.

• • • • Ps 39:7 (NKJV) — 7 “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You. 

• • • • Ps 62:5 (NKJV) — 5 My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him. 

 

• • • We should bring glory to his name because that’s what we will be doing for eternity. 

• • • • Jn 17:24 (NKJV) — 24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 

 

• Now, the second point; 

Answer: 2) Man’s chief end is to enjoy God forever.

• • God created man for his joy and pleasure. For that reason, God is also our joy! Our unspeakable joy!

• • • Ps 16:5–11 (NKJV) — 5 O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. 

6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance. 

7 I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. 

8 I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. 

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. 

10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 

11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. 

 

• • • Ps 73:25 (NKJV) — 25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. 

• • • • Here we see, in heaven and in earth, who is that the psalmist desires to enjoy life with.

• • • Ps 63:1–2 (NKJV) — 1 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. 2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 

 

 

• Eph 3:21 (NKJV) — 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. 

 

• Now to summarize

 

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man? 

 

A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

 

Proofs

[a]. Ps. 86:9; Isa. 60:21; Rom. 11:36; I Cor. 6:20; 10:31; Rev. 4:11

[b]. Ps. 16:5-11; 144:15; Isa. 12:2; Luke 2:10; Phil. 4:4; Rev. 21:3-4