Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I ask your prayer for attention to Psalm 29, the psalm that we
read, and verse two. Give unto the Lord the glory
due unto his name. Worship the Lord in the beauty
of holiness. Psalm 29 and verse two. I wonder how much as we come
into the house of God and come in the attitude of worship, we
actually think of how we are worshipping. Now, the text says,
worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. What is holiness? What is the beauty of holiness? And do we, as we gather for worship,
do we give unto the Lord the glory due, not just unto him,
but due unto his name, especially applying to these gospel days. May you truly be exercised rightly
when we come for worship. We know, of course, that Worship
is not just in the Lord's house. We know that that worship can
be wherever the Lord's people are brought to look to the Lord.
We think of the Syrophoenician woman who came and worshipped
him saying, Lord, help me. But whether it be in the Lord's
house, or whether it be in our homes, in our closet, or elsewhere,
even in the field. There are those aspects of worship
that are all gathered up here, giving the Lord the glory due
unto his name, and worshipping the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The very text, it suggests this,
that there can be worship that is in name as unto the Lord but
it is not in the beauty of holiness. The children of Israel very often
they worship the Lord on one hand and then turned their backs
and were worshipping idols. They tried to serve the Lord
and serve idols as well. Their worship was not sincere,
it didn't affect their lives, and very obviously by how they
acted and went before other gods, they didn't really believe who
the Lord was. He that cometh to God must believe
that he is, that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek
him. And so this word should be a
word that would exercise us as to know what it means and how
our worship is, how it stands up to such a text as this. Give unto the Lord the glory
due unto his name. Worship the Lord in the beauty
of holiness. So I want this morning just briefly
to look at the two main parts of our text. Firstly, the glory
due unto his name that we are to give unto the Lord. And then secondly, worshipping
the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Give unto the Lord the glory
due unto his name. We know the Old Testament sayings
that truly worshipped God and feared him, they gave glory unto
the Lord. In New Testament times, we have
his name so clearly set forth in the name of Jesus, which is
a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow. And the glory of the Lord especially
is in salvation. But, of course, we were not limited
to that, that glory that is due unto his name. It is by him,
by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that the worlds were
formed and made and we are to give him that glory that all
things were made by him and created by God and that glory is unto
him. We told him the holy scriptures
that the gods that have not made the earth let them perish from
underneath the heavens and the earth. There are many that worship
various gods and show them reverence and bow down to them, but that
which is to be given unto the Lord is the glory of forming
all things, and not only forming them, but of maintaining them
as well. When we read in the very beginning
of the Word of God, we read of the creation, we read of Him,
who in the beginning God, and that glory is due unto his name,
is the most solemn thing. When there are those that profess
Christianity or confess to have a hope in Christ, and yet they
rob the Lord of the glory of his creation. We think also of
the glory of the Lord's name, the name of the Lord that is
right through the scriptures of truth, the word of God, the
incarnate and written word, that those words are both the same. We have a solemn word at the
end of the holy word of God of those that take away from that
word. Their names shall be taken away
from the Lamb's book of life amongst the people of God. And
those that add to it, to them shall be added the curses that
are in this book. The Lord says, heaven and earth
shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Every word
of God is pure. And when we think of salvation,
and we think of the preaching of the word, the commission to
us is to preach the word. The vital necessity is to give
God the glory that the Holy Bible, the word that we have, From Genesis
to Revelation is the Word of God. That we believe it is, we
revere it as such, to the law, to the testimony, if they speak
not according to these things, it is because there is no life
or truth in them. And every Word of God is pure. It is the Holy Bible. It is the
Holy Scriptures. I mean, to give the Lord the
glory due to that. And all that pull it about, all
that say, well, this is not really saying what it means, and this
is of Paul and not of God, those that take away from the word
of God, they are not giving unto the Lord the glory due unto his
name. And when we think the basis of
all of our worship and all of what we do, All that we know
of God is in the Word of God. Yes, the creation, the Word tells
us, it shows forth His glory, that men then are not, that they
are without excuse, even if they don't have the Word of God, that
there is a creator. Our own bodies, they testify
that there is a God, He has made us. Man is so far above the beast
and animal kingdom and so far above creation. God gave it to
man to look after and to till the ground and man has that spirit
that a beast does not have and is able to reason and has that
spirit of being in authority and man can see and should see
from that. that there is a more superior
being that has created him and all of the world. And to take
away from that is to take away from the Lord the glory due unto
his name. If the Lord in the holy scriptures
says that this belongs to me, Creation belongs to me. Power
belongs to me. Salvation belongs to me. Man
is created by me. The earth is sustained by me. As soon as we undermine that,
take it away, disannul it, we are robbing the Lord of the glory
that is due unto His name. What a solemn thing to be in
a position of a leader, a teacher, a man in the things of God that
would rob the Lord of that glory due unto his name. And it is
especially when we come to our Lord Jesus Christ as the only
name given among men whereby we must be saved. Our Lord said,
if you believe not that I am he, you shall perish in your
sins. that the Lord Jesus Christ is
the glory of the Father, the only begotten Son of God. Give unto the Lord the glory
due unto his name. The name given, the name of Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their sins. Not mine, not
mine, He shall. Who shall he? His people. What
shall he save them from? Their sins. Salvation is of God
and everyone that truly knows the Lord will point to his redeeming
blood and say, behold the way to God. The Lord passed by me
when I was in my blood and when I was in my blood bid me live. God commendeth his love toward
us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,
and he which hath begun a good work in us will perform it unto
the day of Jesus Christ. Jonah said in the whale's belly,
Salvation is of the Lord, and the Lord spake unto the fish,
and it vomited him out on dry land. The Lord provided the fish,
the Lord brought him into it and out of it, and the Lord saved
his life by that means. God is the God of salvation. It is God that works in us to
will and to do of his own good pleasure. No man is able to save
his own soul. It is the Lord Jesus Christ that
shall save his people. and that glory, that crown, is
to be put upon his head. By grace ye are saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves, not of works, lest any man should
boast. No man is to boast in the presence
of the Lord, boasting of his holiness, his prayers, his goodness,
his works, his own righteousness. No flesh, your glory, in His
presence. And if we give unto the Lord
the glory due unto His name, then we won't take some of that
for ourselves. The crown will be placed on His
head, and those redeemed shall cast their crowns before Him,
giving the glory of their salvation unto Him. Sometimes it is in
a very solemn way that the Lord's glory is to be known and to be
given. We think of when Achan took of
the accursed thing, when the children of Israel came into
Jericho, and before he was slain in judgment, then Joshua said
to him, give glory unto the Lord, and it shall be at the last day
that those who in this life have despised the Lord, robbed Him
of His glory, counted His word as a thing of naught, that at
that last day they shall, even in their judgment and destruction,
give God the glory due unto His name. They shall see Him, they
shall know that He truly was the true glory that was due to
him they never gave to him here below. May we be very careful
to give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name. It is due to him, it is his rightful
glory and it is to be given unto him and is be given unto him
by his people and it will be one mark of the child of God,
the people of God, that they willingly, freely give glory
to the Lord. We read later on in this psalm
that in his temple that everyone shall speak of his glory, in
verse 9, and in his temple doth everyone speak of his glory. Yes, in the world they do not
speak of his glory. They consult everyone to rob
him, to pull him down from his excellency. I think it is in
maybe Psalm 62 and verse 4. They only consult to cast him
down from his excellency. They delight in lies, they bless
with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Sela, my soul wait
thou only upon God, for my expectation is from Him. And so the glory
that is due unto His name extends to all of salvation. It is the
glory is due to Him as the creator, as the Saviour, the Redeemer,
the Head of the Church of God. Give unto the Lord, give unto
Jehovah, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the glory due unto His
name. May that be true of us in the
Lord's house, may be true of us in our lives and in all that
we do. But secondly, we have the worship
of God. Worshipping the Lord in the beauty
of holiness. It doesn't just say, worship
the Lord. We are to worship the Lord. And in worship, we give him that
honor and glory due unto his name. that the worship is to
be in the beauty of holiness. God's holiness is his defining
characteristic. It's a term used in scripture
to describe both his goodness and his power, his purity. It is completely unique unto
the Lord. There is none holy. but the Lord. And yet the people of God, they
are to live holy lives. Their holiness is of the Lord. And worship especially is called
to holy worship and is spoken of here as having a beauty. The opposite, of course, that
which is unholy, sensual, devilish, worldly, unclean, that is ugly,
sin is ugly, but holiness is beautiful, is pure, is lovely. And so it is that which the Lord
can look at and the Lord can pronounce as beautiful and lovely. We are black, but comely in the
Lord. And the beauty of the people
of God is His righteousness that is put upon them. Now I want to just think of several
aspects of this beauty of holiness, and especially of holiness, as
is set before us throughout the Word of God. I think first of all, and we
have already said that worship is not just in the Lord's house. But right at the very beginning,
the Lord created the heaven and the earth in six days. And then
he sanctified and hallowed the seventh day. He set it apart. for worship. It was to be a holy
Sabbath unto the Lord. A day not for our own pleasure
or work, but a day for the Lord. And the Lord enshrined that in
the holy law that was given at Mount Sinai. And we read in that law, to remember is one
of the longest commandments. The fourth commandment, remember
the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days, shout that labor and
do all thy work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath
of the Lord thy God. In it thou shalt not do any work,
thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant,
nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For
in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that
in them is, and rested the seventh day. Wherefore the Lord blessed
the Sabbath day and hallowed it. how clearly it is set forth
as to be a holy day. Remember the Sabbath day to keep
it holy, a day to worship the Lord. In the New Testament, we have
our Lord rising from the dead, on the first day of the week. We have the example of the apostles
meeting for worship on that day of the week. John says that he
was in the spirit on the Lord's day. And in Hebrews we read that
there remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. When we're thinking of worship,
we think of times of worship. In heaven, it is eternal worship,
a worship forever. Here below, the Lord has given
us in where we sojourn and in this world that knows not God,
a day set apart that we might come and worship the Lord. We may ask ourselves, do we have
a day that we count as being a holy day? That we worship the
Lord in the beauty of holiness, not just for a little time in
that day, but throughout that day, counting that day as special,
as holy to the Lord. It's good for us to remember
what the Lord counted holy, what he saw fit to put in the holy
law of Moses. what he saw fit to make to be
a day of gathering together to worship, to worship him. The day when the Lord appeared
to his dear disciples. I believe if we worship the Lord
in the beauty of holiness, then there will be that worshipping
him on his day. It won't just be like any other
day. It will be our spirit, in our
thoughts, in our actions, is given unto the Lord. The very commandment would imply
how easy it is to forget. But remember, the Sabbath day
and the Christian Sabbath One day in seven is a creation ordinance. A holy Sabbath is a creation
ordinance. Some will say today, well, New
Testament every day is a Sabbath day. In effect, they have no
day as a Sabbath day. The Lord's people truly do worship
the Lord every day. Like Daniel, come before the
Lord three times a day, in the closet, family worship, and in
all that they do, they do unto the Lord. But those times of
gathering in the sanctuary, gathering for worship, worship the Lord
in the beauty of holiness, honoring that holy day the Lord has given. then there is to be a holy walk. Really, it's the first time that the word holy in the King James
Version is actually in Scripture. And that is when the Lord appeared
to Moses in the burning bush, and he said to him, put off thy
shoes from off thy feet, The ground whereon thou standest
is holy ground. Now the ground itself was only
holy by means that the Lord was there, not a permanent holiness. But where the Lord was, there
was to be putting off his feet and really shoes from off his
feet. And what it signifies is our
walk, our conduct, our feet, where we go, in the presence
of the Lord, that we are to live holy and godly lives. The priests themselves, when
they went into the temple, they took off their shoes. There's
many other false religions, false gods, also have that same thing
that they've copied from the true worship of God, that those
that come into the presence of their idols take their shoes
off. But our Lord, when he washed
the disciples' feet in John 13, and at first Peter, now he would
not have, the Lord washed his feet. But our Lord said, if I
wash thee not, thou hast no part with me, Then Peter wanted everything
washed, but the Lord said, no, needeth not washing all but feet
only. And again, it is pointing to
our walk, our conduct, our lives, how often with the children of
Israel, the Lord's controversy was with them that they came
and flattered Him with their lips, when their hearts, their
lives were far from Him. And what they were doing, their
practices, were evil practices. And when we worship the Lord
in the beauty of holiness, it is coming before the Lord, not
as hypocrites, not as those that will say one thing before the
Lord, and do another thing. The Lord said when he was on
earth, ye call me Lord and Master and ye say well for so I am,
but ye do not the things that I say. When we come for worship
and we have set before us the way of holiness and how we are
to live our lives, we read with Peter, be ye holy for I am holy
The exhortations that he spoke to the church, the scattered
brethren, was, as obedient children, not fastening yourselves according
to the former lusts in your ignorance, but as he which hath called you
is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, because
it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy. In that word, conversation,
is not just in word, it is walk and it is conduct. So if we are
to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, when the word is
set before us, it's how we respond to that word, what we use it
for, how it touches our hearts and touches our lives, that when
we go away we actually walk and act according to that word. And we know and we feel, and
that will often be so as we come before the Lord in worship, that
the word finds us out. We fall under it as sinners.
We recognise our need of the Saviour, our need of His mercy.
The Hymn writer says, Christ has holiness enough to sanctify
us all. And we need that holiness of
the Lord the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are
told that without holiness no man shall see the Lord. And yet none of us have holiness
in and of ourselves. That holiness is of the Lord. It is the Lord that sanctifies
His people that cleanses them, that washes them, that blots
out their transgressions, that gives them a robe of righteousness. But His grace will make a real
change in their hearts and in their lives. So with Moses, this was pointed
to right at the very beginning. then if we worship the Lord in
the beauty of holiness, we'll worship him as in the Trinity. Our Lord referred back to the
burning bush. God is not the God of the dead,
but of the living. What had been said to Moses when
he wanted to know God's name, I am that I am. I am the God
of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, Jehovah, a God that is Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost. This is set before us in Isaiah
and in the Revelation. In Isaiah 6 we have the seraphims,
and they are giving glory to the Lord. It was when King Uzziah
died. And we read this, that those
seraphims, they cried one unto another, and said, Holy, holy,
holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His
glory. He is a thrice holy God. Isaiah 6 and verse 3. And we have the same when we
come to the Revelation as well. In Revelation chapter 4 and verse
8. And this time it is the four
beasts. Four beasts had each of them
six wings about him, and they were full of eyes within. And
they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord
God Almighty, which was and is and is to come. And we have this
worship that is pointing to a thrice holy God. If you and I are to
worship, it is in the Trinity. It is also to worship in spirit
and in truth. The Lord said to the woman on
the well of Samaria that this was what was a true and a right
worship. He says, Ye worship ye know not
what. We know what we worship, for
salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now
is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit
and in truth. For the Father seeketh such to
worship Him. God is a spirit, and they that
worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. And we think of the chapters
where our Lord speaks of His Father, and the Spirit, and himself,
John 14 especially. And we have set before us a triune
God, a holy God, thrice holy. When it was that Balaam came
to curse the children of Israel, he had to build an altar, three
altars at three separate times. And those seven altars in three
separate places. And again, we have pointing.
to a triune God. We would think then, and we've
already mentioned that in the glory due unto his name, regarding
the word of God. When we worship God in the beauty
of holiness, it is in the holy scriptures. Paul says to Timothy
that he had known those holy scriptures and known them from
a child, which is able to make thee wise unto salvation. In our worship is the word of
God counted as the holy word of God. Is it that which is exalted
and lifted up amongst us? We think also of our attitude
in worship. In Psalm 99 and verse 5, we have
the attitude set forth as a humble way. The Lord reigneth, let the
people tremble. And this word, exalt ye the Lord
our God. and worship where? At his footstool,
for he is holy. And so we have brought together
what we have in our text, the worship of God, and a holy God,
and exalting the Lord our God. But it is a place at his footstool. If our worship is true, it will
be in humility, in lowliness of mind, the Lord exalts such. The pride of man is a stench
and an offence unto God. He shall bring that down and
bring it low. And if our worship truly is right,
it will be found at his footstool. When we worship the Lord in the
beauty of holiness, we see all the Glorious plan of salvation,
holiness. God cannot look upon sin without
utter abhorrence, He is holy. He cannot pass by transgression
without punishing it, He is holy. To save His people because He
is holy, He must send His only begotten Son, He sends him, and
dear Job, he puzzled, how can that which is clean come out
of an unclean? But that holy child, Jesus, he
is born, he comes forth, and he comes to bring a salvation
which is a holy and a pure salvation. All the Old Testament taught
of how abominable it was to bring a lamb that was torn, that was
imperfect, to offer in the Lord's house those things not commanded,
to offer strange fire, or to have vessels that were unsanctified. There is a setting apart for
a holy use. And the Lord Jesus Christ came
as that spotless Lamb, and He laid down His life, a spotless,
perfect, holy sacrifice. All that is done in salvation
is done perfectly, purely, wholly, and that is to be worshipped
in the beauty of holiness, setting forth that wonderful salvation,
that without a jar, without a jar to the justice, righteousness
and holiness of God, God can be just and yet save sinners,
pluck them as brands from a burning and bring them to be with him
and be partaker of his holiness and be with him forever and ever
in heaven. Worship the Lord in the beauty
of holiness, receiving that word, taking it away and performing
it. Going back to Exodus, we have
when The Lord came to Moses and gave him the word that he'd deliver
them. We read, the children of Israel
believed the Lord and worshipped. Later on, with the institution
of the Passover, they heard the word at Moses' mouth. They went away and did as Moses
commanded, as the Lord commanded. And that true worship then, Be
ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your
own selves. The Lord told the parable of
the man that built his house on the rock and the one on his
sand, and the difference was those that hear the word and
do it, or hear it and do not do it. And so if our worship
is truly in the beauty of holiness, it will be in all these things,
in all these aspects, a true worship as the Lord has set before
us. Worshipping in spirit, the disciples
were told to tarry at Jerusalem until they were endued with power
from on high. It was to be by the Spirit of
the Lord. And that same Spirit is to work
in us Lord gives to His dear children,
a new spirit, a spirit and a willingness to serve Him and to walk in His
ways. And those brought to heaven,
they are all that. They are there because of what
the Lord has done for them, what He has done for them here below
by grace. He shall give grace and glory. No good thing shall he withhold
from them that walk uprightly. And it is the Lord then that
works in his people, so they show forth his praise. And that
begins here below, imperfect because of sin, but the Lord
shall perfect it in heaven. And then that perfect, beautiful,
spotless worship, no sin mixed with it at all, in heaven forever
and ever. Give unto the Lord the glory
due unto his name. Worship the Lord in the beauty
of holiness. May the Lord exercise us in this
verse, in this word, and to make us think, think about our worship,
how we worship, where we worship, the effect of that worship, how
sincere our hearts are, and the Lord who sees and knows the heart,
may he work in us that which in his sight is a beauty of holiness,
his holiness put upon us. This people have I formed for
myself, they shall show forth My praise, may the Lord add his
blessings.