Whatever Ye Do, Do All to the Glory of God

Q: What does the Bible say about the importance of Scripture?

The Bible emphasizes that man shall not live by bread alone, but by the Word of God. The importance of Scripture is underscored throughout the Bible, especially in passages like 2 Timothy 3:15-17, which states that the holy Scriptures make one wise unto salvation and are profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. This reveals that the Word of God is not only essential for spiritual growth but is the very foundation upon which faith is built. It is through the Word that believers are nurtured, comforted, and equipped for all good works.

Q: How do we know grace is necessary for salvation?

Grace is essential for salvation as it is described as the gift of God, not of works. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly states, 'For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.' This underscores the Reformed understanding that salvation is entirely a work of God's grace, independent of human merit or effort. The gospel teaches that grace is not merely an aspect of salvation but its very foundation, ensuring that all glory goes to God alone for the work of redemption.

Q: Why is doing everything for the glory of God important for Christians?

Doing everything for the glory of God aligns our lives with His purpose and ensures His blessing. In 1 Corinthians 10:31, Paul writes, 'Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.' This principle serves as a guiding force for believers, motivating them to act in ways that honor God and reflect His character. When believers make the glory of God their ultimate aim, everything becomes infused with purpose, ultimately leading to the fulfillment of God's will in their lives. This focus is crucial for receiving God’s blessing and presence in their endeavors.

Q: How does Christ fulfill all righteousness for believers?

Christ is our righteousness, fulfilling all requirements for God’s law on our behalf. According to 1 Corinthians 1:30, 'But of Him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.' This highlights the Reformed belief that Christ alone provides the necessary righteousness to stand before God. Through His perfect life and sacrificial death, Jesus satisfies the demands of the law, and believers are thus declared righteous not on their own merit but through faith in Christ. This foundational truth reassures believers that their standing before God is secured in Christ's work, not their efforts.

learn them in our heads and be
able to recite them. But it is essential, absolutely
essential for my well-being that I learn these things in my heart
and that I keep learning them. When I prepared this message
for you to preach tonight, with great care I searched my own
spirit and soul and heart. regarding these four things. And as I deal with each one,
I hope I can deal with each one briefly and simply. Don't take for granted that you've
heard them before. You have heard them before and
you'll hear them again. But have we really heard them? It's so easy to say, I believe
the Bible. And then some great trial comes
and we find out we didn't believe it quite like we thought we believed
it. I believe in God. I'm trusting Jesus. And then
the sun comes out and the rain falls and the floods come and
the wind blows and we find out we weren't trusting him nearly
so much as we thought we were. So don't take for granted. God
help us not to take for granted that we know these things. Paul
urges us to examine ourselves whether we be in the faith. Let
a man examine himself whether he be in the faith. Then Peter
says give diligence, diligence to make your calling and election
sure. If you do these things, You'll
never fail. Now, what are these important,
fundamental, foundational, unchangeable truths? Well, the first one's
this. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by the Word of God. The Word of God. Look at 2 Timothy,
chapter 3. That's where I wanted you to
turn. 2 Timothy, chapter 3. And Paul is writing to Timothy.
2 Timothy 3.15, and he says to him, "...and that from a child
thou hast known the holy scriptures." I was listening to a preacher
on television recently, well, just frankly, it was Billy Graham. I think he's 70, 69 or 70. And probably the majority of
people listening to him didn't pay a whole lot of attention
to these words which he spoke at this particular time, but
I did. I noted them very carefully.
He was reminiscent, reviewing the past. And he said, if I have
one regret, It is that I did not give myself
more to the reading and studying of God's Holy Word. And I said,
I regret you didn't also. I regret, if I have one regret,
he said, I've read contemporary writers. Did you hear anybody
here? I've read, I've been speaking too much, preaching too much,
traveling too much. And I've neglected the Word of
God. Read on. From a child thou hast
known the holy scriptures, which are able, and only the holy scriptures,
to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ. My friends, faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the Word of God. All Scripture is given by the
inspiration. You know what the word inspiration
means? It's God breathed. It is literally God breathed. That's how the Scripture came,
from the breath of God. It's given by the inspiration
of God. And the Scripture is profitable
for doctrine. I urge you to read the writings
of men. I urge you to listen to those
who preach. But there's no substitute for
the Word of God. He said, My Word will not return
void. My Word shall accomplish that
whereunto I have sent it. Preach the Word, Paul said to
Timothy. Preach the Word. Let God be true
and every man a liar. The Word is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
that the man of God, the son of God, the daughter of God,
the child of God might be mature, truly, truly furnished unto all
good works. I tell you, as I said a few weeks
ago, our Lord said, you do err. You err in spirit, you err in
deed, you err in doctrine. because you do not know the Scriptures.
That's why you err, and you don't know the power of God. My thoughts,
he said, are not your thoughts. My ways are not your ways. We're
not to take what we believe and come to the Word of God to prove
it. We're not to use the Word of God to preach what we believe.
We are to search the Scriptures, search the Scriptures, search
the Scriptures to establish what God says. It's the Word of God. It's by the Word of God that
God is revealed to the heart. It's by the Word of God. It's
by the Word of God that men are convinced of sin. It's by the
Word of God that Christ is revealed. It's by the Word of God that
faith comes. It's by the Word of God that
men are comforted. It's by the Word of God that
hope is enlarged. It's by the Word of God. How
much time do we spend in the Word of God? Just take it and read it. I don't
mean read the genealogies and the parts that are so sometimes
difficult, but there's so much of this book that can be read
carefully, prayerfully, diligently. Read the Word of God. In Hebrews chapter 13, I want
you to look over there a minute. Hebrews 13. You know, David and
Paul both said this, I believe, therefore I've spoken. I believe,
therefore I've spoken. I've experienced this, I believe
this, therefore I speak. In Hebrews 13, verse 5, listen,
let your conversation be without covetousness. Be content with
such things as you have." For he had said, who said? God said. He had said, our Lord had said,
I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. So, so,
that I can boldly say, the Lord is my helper. How can I say the
Lord is my helper? He said it first. Thy word like the sun, a heavenly
light, that guides us all the day, and through the dangers
of the night, thy word is a light and a lamp on our way. When thy word enters my mind,
it speaks such light abroad, spreads such light abroad. The
weakest soul instructions find and raise their thoughts to God.
is everlasting truth, how pure in every page that holy book
shall guide my youth and support me in my old age. Do you know
what Peter said about the Word of God? I want you to look at
this in 2 Peter 1. You listen to the value he puts
upon the Word of God. Now Peter, James, and John went
with our Lord to the Mount of Transfiguration. And there they
witnessed an indescribable revelation. John described it. He said we
were with him on the mountain, and the very glory of God shone
round about him, and his clothes, even his clothes, glistened. The Lord Jesus was very, very
glorified right there in front of them. Just the presence and
power of God Almighty surrounded him. The glory of God. And Moses
and Elijah appeared with him and sat there and talked to him
about the death, that he would die at Jerusalem. And Peter was
there. And he said this in 2 Peter 1,
verse 18, about that experience. Verse 17 of 2 Peter 1, listen. For he received from God the
Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him
from the excellent glory. You remember God spoke and said,
this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. In other words, Peter said in
verse 18, this voice which came from heaven, we heard when we
were with him in the Holy Mount. Now verse 19, but we have a more sure word of prophecy,
whereunto you do well that you take heed, as unto light that
shineth in a dark place until the day dawns, and the day star
rise in our hearts. Peter, what are you saying? You have something better than
that vision? You have something better than
the voice of God from heaven, audibly? You have something better
than looking upon Christ, Moses and Elijah sitting in a summit
conference over things? Yep, something better. Verse 20 tells us what it is.
Knowing this, first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is
of any private interpretation, for the prophecy of the Scripture
came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake
as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. What's better than a vision? The Word of God. What's better
than a feeling? The Word of God. What's better
than all of this charisma and excitement and experience? The
Word of God. That's right. That's right. David said, O Lord, Thou art
my hiding place and my shield. I hope in Thy Word. That's the foundation. That's
the foundation, the Word of God. And I pray for myself and for
you that I fear that sometimes People get in church, and they
get in the programs and the organizations and the doctrines, and they get
to reading the things that people put out, and they don't go to
the book or read God's Word. He'll bless his Word. He's promised
to bless his Word like he blesses the rain that falls from heaven. few things planted in my garden,
and they sure needn't rain. I think when I go home tonight,
I'll put the sprinkler out. I don't want them to die. And I'll tell you this, you and
I sure do need this book. We sure do need it. This is the
children's bread. This is the water by which the
little tender plants are fed and nourished. Get back into
the And I say this to me and to you,
you don't know nearly as much as you think you do. Not nearly
as much. And we're going to need to be
fortified. We've got some rough days ahead. I mean some rough
days. And I tell you, the only foundation
is He said. All right, the second thing.
I'll hurry quickly. The second thing. Turn to Ephesians
2. Ephesians chapter 2. And that is, by grace are you
saved. In Ephesians chapter 2 verse
8, for by grace, for by grace are you saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves, faith is not of yourselves, that grace
is not of yourselves, salvation is not of yourselves. It's the
gift of God. Not of works, not of works. not of any contribution on our
part or cooperation on our part. It's the free gift of God, not
of works lest any man should boast. My friends, even the illustrious
Apostle Paul, who saw the Lord, who was taken to the third heaven,
who wrote thirteen or fourteen of the epistles in the New Testament,
who was a founder of churches, even the Apostle Paul said, I
am what I am by the grace of God. You know something? It is given
unto you not only to believe on him, but to suffer for him. That's the gift of God, to believe.
Did you know? Have you repented? That's the gift of God. It's
the goodness of God that leads you to repentance. Have you believed
on Christ? That's the gift of God. That's
the gift of God. Turn with me to the book of Philippians.
Let me show you another scripture, Philippians 129. Here's that scripture, listen
to it. For unto you it is given, Philippians 129, in the behalf
of Christ, not only to believe on him, that's given to you. That's the gift of God. My friends,
His grace made a covenant before the foundation of the world to
save sinners, his grace, who entered into counsel with God?
Who was his counselor? Who was his advisor? Who suggested
all of this? Mercy and grace came totally
from his own being and nature. His grace chose me in Christ
before I was born. His grace sent Christ to the
world to be my Redeemer and representative. His grace preserved me in my
rebellion in false religion. His grace called me and gave
me faith. His grace revealed Christ to
my heart. His grace keeps me to this day. And His grace will not let me
go. And his grace one day will raise
and glorify me. Nothing I did before I came to
know Christ caused God to love me, and nothing I do in this
life will change that love of God for me. The hymn writer put it this way.
It's not that I did choose thee, Lord, that could not be. This
heart would still refuse thee, but thou hast chosen me. To a
sovereign grace that called me and taught my opening mind, the
world would have enthralled me to heavenly glories. I was blind. My heart owns none above thee,
for that rich grace I thirst. This I know, if I love thee. Thou must have loved me first."
And again, grace first inscribed my book and my name in God's
eternal book. It was His grace that gave me
to the Lamb who all my sorrows took. Grace taught my soul to
pray. Grace made my eyes overflow. It was grace that kept me to
this day, and it's grace that will not let me go. Everything
I am, everything I know, everything I have, everything I've been
able to do is by the free, unmerited grace of Almighty God. I have
nothing of which to boast. Absolutely nothing. It's a free
gift of God. Grace. And I'll tell you, we talk about
sovereign grace and free grace and preaching grace. And I know
there are some men as they get older, get a little more permissive
or whatever with liberalism and self-righteousness and these
things, but here's one that's more indebted to the grace of
God today than I've ever been before. Here's one that believes
in salvation by grace alone more strongly than I've ever believed Here's one that's more determined
to preach, by grace are you saved through faith and that not of
yourself than I've ever preached it before. It's grace, free grace. All right, the third foundation. In Colossians chapter 2, Colossians chapter 2, Verse 9 and 10, here it is. For in him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, in a body. What we're
talking about here now is this man Jesus Christ, this Son of
the Virgin, this Nazarene, this man. who walked among us, lived
among us, lived before us, died on that cross. In him bodily,
a body has to have prepared me. In him, God has vested everything. In him, all the fullness, all
the fullness. Not the Holy Spirit wasn't given
to him by measure, but the full being Power of the very Spirit
of God is in him. The full grace of God, the full
character of God, fullness. He doesn't reveal a part of God's
character or a little of God's grace. The whole essence and
fullness and substance of Almighty God and everything God is, has,
and will ever do is in that man Jesus Christ. He's the only one
who can contain it. That's what it says in everything.
There's nothing any man can have of God, know of God, receive
from God that's not in that man. That's what I'm saying. This
is what, in him, in him, there's nothing out of him. And to talk
of anything apart from him or out of him in connection with
a holy God is utter foolishness. In him, dwelling. It's not temporarily
put there. it dwelleth in him. In him dwelleth
all the fullness, all the riches of the very Godhead. It's in
a body. And you, here it is, here's the
third, are complete in him. You're complete in him. Down
in Mexico, there's a fellow It's named Fidel. It's spelled F-I-D-E-L like Castro,
but the right pronunciation is Fidel. And he's the chief cowboy
on the ranch. Been there for years. Brother
Milton Howard's been going down there for 14, 15 years preaching
the gospel, and this man has known him for many, many years.
He runs things on the ranch there, Chief Cowboy. I guess he's in
his late forties, early fifties. Been an alcoholic like all the
rest of them. All the other men, they drink
a lot. But he's a reformed alcoholic and he's been going to these
AA, they have an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting there at the ranch. They
meet there every week. They come, fellas from all around
here come to the ranch and they meet and sit down and encourage
one another and help one another. This is fine and good for people
who need it. Well, he quit coming to the Alcoholics
Anonymous meeting. And he's been listening to Milton
preach. And he asked for baptism recently.
Milton baptized him about three weeks ago. He and two other fellows
there. So the lady that's for whom he
works. She said to him one day, she
said, Thedeo? She was worried about him. She
said, you're not coming to the meetings. You're not coming to
the AA meetings. He said, no, I don't need to
anymore. She said, what do you mean you
don't need to? He said, I have Christ now, and I don't need
the AA meetings. I have Christ. I'll tell you
this, he is the author and finisher of faith. He's the Alpha and
Omega. He's the beginning, he's the
end. I wish I could preach this as I should. I wish I could preach
it as I would. But everything necessary, everything
required, as far as Almighty God is concerned, is found in
Jesus Christ. Everything I need, nothing is
contributed from any other source. Turn to 1 Corinthians 1, a scripture
that Ronnie read a moment ago. 1 Corinthians 1. Now, what is
actually necessary to be saved? What is actually necessary for
me to be saved? Well, one, knowledge, wisdom. Our Lord said, This is eternal
life, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom thou hast sent. I look at 1 Corinthians 1.30,
but of God are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto
us wisdom. He's our wisdom. To know Christ
is to know God, and that's the only way you're going to know
God. No man knows God, the Father, but the Son, He to whom the Son
will reveal. The disciple said, show us the
Father. He said, you've seen me, you've seen Him. To know
God, that's Christ. All right, secondly, what's necessary?
Righteousness. Righteousness. I've got to have
a full and perfect obedience before the law. Well, look at
the next word. And who of God is made unto us righteousness. That's what Paul rebuked the
Romans about, the people in Rome, for going about to establish
their own righteousness. Christ is our righteousness.
Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone
that believes. What else do I need? Sanctification, holiness. I need
not only a righteousness, but I need a holiness. Who's going
to stand in His presence? He that hath clean hands and
a pure heart, a person that's actually holy. Without holiness,
no man will see the Lord. He's able to present you holy.
He is our sanctification. God not only regards us as holy
in Christ, but we are actually in Christ holy. Isn't that correct?
Sure, that's correct. He will present you holy, unblameable,
unreprovable in His sight. What else is needed? Redemption. Redemption. Justice has a claim
on us. And Christ redeemed us in whom
we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sin.
Everything I need is in Christ Jesus. He has made to me all
I need. I was pastor in Chattanooga,
Tennessee for a very brief time, about three years, almost three
years. And there's a missionary who
came to our church to speak. His name was Parrish Reedhead. He was a missionary to Africa,
to the Sudan interior in Africa. In 1947, he came to preach at
the little church where I was pastor, and I'll never forget
a story he told. It made such a profound impression
upon me, even in those days. I didn't then enter into the
full meaning of it like I can now, but he said he and his porters
or runners or fellas that carried the equipment
were out one afternoon going to a village to preach, to have
a service. They had all the equipment. And
he said they were going along the trail and through the jungle
and going out to this little village, and as they walked along
or hurried along going to the meeting up ahead, they heard
a voice. A raspy, husky voice, but loud
voice, crying, Help! Somebody help me! Help me! He said when they heard that,
they ran faster, the voice got louder, and in a moment they
rounded a place, an opening in the jungle there, the little
path where they were walking. There sat... He told me, and told our congregation,
it was the most repulsive sight he'd ever seen. But there sitting
on the ground was a leper in the last stages of leprosy. He said the man was sitting there
cross-legged on the ground, and evidently he was already blind.
He said his face was just an open ulcer, just a sore. That's
all you could see was slits for eyes and a slit for a mouth.
Flies all over that old open soul, and his fingers were all
gone, just had nubs for hands. He was all but dead, and he was
just sitting there on the ground, covered with flies, and he was
saying to the wind, Help me. Won't somebody help me? Henry
did, said, I stood there and looked, and Henry there was
a big Remember, there are two hundred pounds, healthy, robust. Some of you may remember him.
A.M. remembers him, our beautist. Nina remembers him. But he said,
I stood there and looked at him and I thought, that's what I
am in the sight of God Almighty, a leper, a rotten, corrupt leper,
helpless, hopeless, all but dead. worthless, there I sit, in my
putrid, rotten condition. And Christ comes in his help
and in his strength. And he said, I thought, if I
could just, if I had the power and I had the love and the grace
to reach down and take one of his old nubs, what used to be
hands and the other one in this hand and just lift him up and
stand him there right directly in front of me and then move
up to him and embrace him and pull him into myself and put
his face on mine and his body against mine and take his disease
and his hell and his rottenness into me and let my health flow
into him. and us just switch places and
send him on his way and there I am. If I could do that for
him, that's what God did for me in Christ. Do you believe
that? It's so for all who believe. That's right, it's Christ. It's
Christ. You can't describe what we were
and what we are by nature. It's indescribable in the sight
of God Almighty. But Christ came and literally
took my disease and gave me health, took my judgment and gave me
peace. He took my hell and gave me heaven. He became what I was in order
that I might become what He is. It's all Christ. All Christ. It's not what you did for Christ,
it's what He did for you. It's not a decision you made,
or experience you had, or sermon you preached, or prayer you prayed,
or offering you gave, or anything you're doing right now. It's
just because He passed by you when you were in your blood,
and He said, live. And your beauty is His beauty,
if you've got any beauty. That's right. That's fact. I believe that more than I ever
have believed. Now turn to one more scripture and I'll quit.
1 Corinthians 10. Are you with me? Scriptures alone. Grace alone. Free grace. Christ. Christ alone. Now here's the fourth one. In
1 Corinthians 10 verse 31. All right, whether therefore
you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of
God. And I know what Paul's talking
about here. Back here in verse 23, he said, All things are lawful
for me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful
for me, but all things edify not." What's he talking about?
Well, some of these early Jewish believers, now you have to remember
that some of these believers here in the church at Corinth,
they were strong traditional Jews. They observed the Sabbath. They didn't eat certain meat,
porks and things like that. They gave the tithe. They attended the feast days.
They wouldn't have anything to do with sacrifices offered to
idols and so forth. You know about that. They were
men and women brought up in this strict heritage and tradition
of the Jewish religion. And Paul said, now, a day is
a day. Every day is the Lord's day,
as far as I'm concerned. He said, as far as meat being
offered to idols, if they sell it cheap, I'll buy it and eat
it, because there's no such thing as an idol. It's just one God.
So it makes no difference to me. And whether it be pork or
ham or beef or whatever, it has no meaning at all as far as my
relationship with God is concerned. These things are lawful unto
me. But, he said, if I come to somebody's house and they're
having a big feast, and the fellow next to me is a believer, and
he's got a worried look on his face, and I look over and I say,
what's your problem? was sacrificed to the goddess
Diana, and they bought it down at the market. That's sacrifice
to idols. Paul said, if it'll upset him,
I won't eat that meat. He said, I can eat it, it'll
make no difference to me, it's just meat. But if it upsets him,
I'm not going to eat it. If I was going to move to Jerusalem,
I wouldn't open a hog farm, would you? I mean, that wouldn't be
real smart, would it? I wouldn't mind running a hog
farm in Ashland, but I wouldn't run a hog farm in Jerusalem.
See what I'm talking about? All things are lawful unto me,
but it's not expedient. It doesn't edify. And you know,
verse 29, conscience I say not your own, but the other fellow's.
Why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience? If I by grace
be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that which I give
thanks? Whether therefore you eat or
drink, do it for the glory of God." If this man is offended
for the glory of God, don't eat it. If this will offend you but for
the glory of God, don't do it. You see what he's saying? In
other words, whatever you do, in eating or drinking, whatever
you do, glorify God. Do it for God's sake, for Christ's
sake, for the Gospel's sake, for the Kingdom of God's sake.
Just do it for that sake. And whatever you do, do it for
the glory of God. You know, if I can do what I
do with this one motive, the glory of God, I'll be in tune
with the heavens because the heavens declare the glory of
God. That's what they're there for. The angels glorify God. They appeared to the shepherds.
They said, glory to God. You know the Lord Jesus Christ
in the garden prayed, Father, glorify me that I may glorify
thee. It is said of the Holy Spirit,
he'll glorify me. The redeemed in heaven sing this
song, hallelujah, salvation, glory unto the Lord our God.
Paul the apostle wrote, God forbid that I should glory save in the
cross of the Lord Jesus. Now watch this. I promise you
this is so. To the extent that what I believe and what I do and what I preach and what I
pray, to the extent that I can do it
and what I give, to the extent that I can do it for the glory
of God, to that extent, he'll bless it. That's right. Turn to Matthew 6. Let me show
you that. Now, every one of us do something.
We eat, we drink, we do. We're living. We're not dead. We're active. And what to the
extent that I can do and preach and give and work and labor and
speak, whatever I do, in word or deed, to the extent I can
do it, for God's glory, to that extent He'll bless it. If you
ask me to account for the absence of the presence and blessings
of God upon most religious exercises and doings, I'll tell you it's
this place right here. It's not done for the glory of
God. He will not, I know He will not bless it. That's right, to
the extent that it's done for His glory. In Matthew 6, he says, verse
1, That you do not your alms, your righteousness, your good
deeds before men to be seen of them, to be praised of them.
I say unto you, you have no reward of your Father which is in heaven
to the extent you can do it for the glory of God. His blessings
and presence will be there. Therefore, when you do your alms,
don't sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and the streets, that they may have glory of men, praise
of men. I say unto you, they have their
reward. When men praise them, when men brag on them, when men
glorify them, when their name's in print, when all this goes,
they have their reward. That's it. That's it. But when you do your alms, whatever
you do, preach, pray, what did James say? You have not because you ask
not. But, he said this, you ask and
you ask amiss that you may consume it on your own lust. We don't ask for the glory. Our
prayers, our preaching, our singing, our giving, our good, whatever,
even taking care of the time of this building. We can do these
things. We can preach and pray and sing
and give and do all that. We can do these things and go
our merry way, but for God to be in it, and for God to honor
it, and for God to bless it, and for God to own it, and for
God to prosper it, it's got to be done for His glory and to
the extent. I know there's no man who can
perfectly do anything for the glory of God, but to the extent
we can, He'll bless. And I'll tell you, I can see
a lot of fellas, they preach grace, but there's no blessing. I know folks who give, but there's
no power, there's no blessing, there's no presence of God, there's
no joy. I know situations that have gone
on for years, just plug away, plug away. What's wrong? Where's
God? Where's the mercy? Where's the
blessing? It's not done for His glory. And eventually it comes
out. Eventually it will come out.
If it wasn't for His glory. He said in verse 3, when you
do alms, don't let your left hand know what your right hand
does. That's pretty secret, isn't it? It's pretty secret. That's what he's talking about,
the secrecy of it. It's not done for praise. It's not done to
receive glory. It's done because God led me
to do it. It's done for His glory. The thin arms may be in secret,
the secrecy of it, that's what it's talking about. It's not
talking about, somebody says, well, put a box back there and
not these plates. No, that's not what it's talking
about. You can't legislate this sort of thing and you can't,
you can't, this is not physically letting your left hand, it would
be impossible for my left hand not to know, but it's, it's figuratively
speaking. That it's done whether publicly
or privately, whether openly or secretly, whether known or
unknown, but the motive is in here. It's done for God's glory. That's why it's just done because
of my relationship with Him. That's what it is. Look at verse
5. When you pray, don't be like a hypocrite. They like to be
heard. They like to pray standing in
the synagogue, in the corner of the street. They may be seeing
the men. They have their reward. When men see them, when folks
brag on them, that's it. That's what they were looking
for. They got it. It's ended. It's over. But thou, when thou
prayest, enter your closet. Does that mean we're not to have
public prayer? No. You can enter even here,
the closet of your heart. You can pray publicly and pray
unto the Lord. Shut the door, pray to the Father
which heareth in secret, and seeth in secret, and he'll reward
you openly. I heard a story one time said
this. If God Almighty called two angels before his throne
tonight, and he said to those two angels, I'm going to send
you down to earth, and one of you is going to govern a country,
and one of you is going to sweep the streets to fulfill my purpose
and my will. The story goes, they wouldn't
care which job they had. It would make a difference. Because
they were coming down here temporarily, and for God's glory, and to do
His will. And they wouldn't care. Whatever,
for God's glory.

Whatever Ye Do, Do All to the Glory of God

What does the Bible say about the importance of Scripture?

How do we know grace is necessary for salvation?

Why is doing everything for the glory of God important for Christians?

How does Christ fulfill all righteousness for believers?

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Whatever Ye Do, Do All to the Glory of God

What does the Bible say about the importance of Scripture?

How do we know grace is necessary for salvation?

Why is doing everything for the glory of God important for Christians?

How does Christ fulfill all righteousness for believers?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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