Soli Deo Gloria
June 27, 2004
1 Corinthians 10:31
4th Sunday after Pentecost
Galena-Warwick United Methodist Charge
Warwick & Galena, Maryland
Rev. Dr. Lawrence D. Jameson
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So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do,
do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31
INTRODUCTION
Soli Deo Gloria is a phrase in Latin
which means "to God alone be the glory".
Glory is one of those words you hear in church.
We use it a lot,
and we assume that everyone knows what it means.
It is an important word,
one you need to understand and appreciate.
It is a beautiful word.
God's people have been speaking it for over
4,000 years.
It is a Scriptural word,
showing up hundreds of times
from Genesis to Revelation.
Like the word "love",
it gets used a lot,
has many shades of meaning,
and gets taken for granted.
Most important,
it is a word which helps us
understand who God is
and what he wants from us.
I'd like this sermon to answer four questions:
1) How is the word “glory” used in the Old Testament?
2) How is the word “glory” used in the New Testament?
3) Should God get all the glory?
4) How can we give God the glory he alone deserves?
1) HOW IS “GLORY” USED
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT?
The Old Testament Hebrew word for glory is
"KABOWD" ( caf bet dalet ).
(draw this word in Hebrew on the overhead)
Strongs Concordance - Hebrew and Chaledd Dictionary
3519. kabowd, kaw-bode'; rarely kabod, kaw-bode'; from
H3513; prop. weight; but only fig. in a good sense,
splendor or copiousness:--glorious (-ly), glory, honour (-able).
KABOWD means "to be heavy, to be honored, to be great".
Do you remember the beat nicks of the 1960s?
They used to say, "Heavy man. That's heavy!"
That's pretty close to the root meaning of the
Hebrew word KABOWD.
Our glorious God is the heavy one.
He's big, REALLY big!
He's so big, that you have to acknowledge him
and honor his greatness.
He's expansive, copious, majestic.
When you see God's glory,
you are given a glimpse of just how big
he is.
His justice is huge.
His love has no limits.
His faithfulness never ends.
His knowledge encompasses EVERY fact in the universe.
He is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent.
Now let's look at some examples of the word KABOWD (glory)
in the Old Testament.
**************
Genesis 31.1
KJV
And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying,
Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's;
and of that which was our father's
hath he gotten all this glory.
NIV
Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying,
"Jacob has taken everything our father owned
and has gained all this wealth
from what belonged to our father."
This is the first time in Scripture the word KABOWD is used,
and here it means "lots of stuff".
Jacob's in-laws were getting jealous of his success.
He had become a "man of substance".
You can see how KABOWD is used here.
It doesn't refer to God, just to Jacob and his property.
******************
In Exodus 14.16-18 NIV
Exo 14:16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over
the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites
can go through the sea on dry ground.
Exo 14:17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that
they will go in after them. And I will gain glory
through Pharaoh and all his army, through his
chariots and his horsemen.
Exo 14:18 The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through
Pharaoh, his chariots and his
horsemen."
Here the word KABOWD means
get honor, respect, reverence.
Just what you would expect to get if you are big.
****************
In Exodus 20
NIV
Exo 20:12 Honor your father and your mother, so that you may
live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
Here KABOWD means also means honor, respect, reverence,
and not just because they are bigger than you,
but because God (who is the real big guy)
tells you this is right.
When a child honors her parents,
this brings glory (KABOWD - honor & respect) to God.
********************
Several more references at a glance:
NIV
Isa 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord
seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train
of his robe filled the temple.
Isa 6:2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With
two wings they covered their faces, with two they
covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
Isa 6:3 And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy,
holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full
of his glory."
NIV
Psa 3:3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow
glory on me and lift up my head.
NIV
Psa 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
NIV
Psa 29:1 Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
KJV
Psa 49:16 Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the
glory of his house is increased;
Psa 49:17 For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his
glory shall not descend after him.
NRSV
Malachi 2:2 If you will not listen, if you will not lay it to
heart to give glory to my name, says the LORD of
hosts, then I will send the curse on you
KABOWD occurs hundreds of times in the Old Testament
in several forms
ranging from Genesis to Malachi.
It's root meaning always means "heavy"
but depending on how it is used in a sentence,
it can mean many things including:
honor and respect.
2) HOW IS GLORY USED
IN THE NEW TESTAMENT?
The New Testament Greek word for glory is
"DOXA" ( delta omicron xi alpha ).
(draw this word in Greek on the overhead)
Strongs Concordance - Greek Dictionary of the New Testament
1391. doxa, dox'-ah; from the base of G1380; glory (as
very apparent), in a wide application (lit. or fig., obj.
or subj.):--dignity, glory (-ious), honour, praise, worship.
DOXA means "brightness, splendor, radiance".
The metaphor behind KABOWD was heavy substance,
but the metaphor behind DOXA is brightness or light.
When made into a verb, DOXA means
to praise, honor, magnify, clothe in splendor, glorify.
When we sing the Doxology,
we praise the Lord,
give him honor,
celebrate his majesty!
Let's look at examples of DOXA (glory)
in the New Testament.
*****************
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,
(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Jesus is God made visible in the flesh.
He is the glory (DOXA, the brightness, the light of heaven)
of God here on earth.
*****************
Heb 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact
representation of his being, sustaining all things
by his powerful word. After he had provided
purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand
of the Majesty in heaven.
Jesus is God made visible. Jesus is God.
*****************
Rom 3:23 for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God,
The closer you get to God,
the brighter his moral purity shines forth,
and the more obvious it becomes to you
that you are not loving, good, or pure.
That is what it means to fall short of God's glory.
Luke 2:9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were terrified.
The lights of heaven got turned on,
and the pure beauty of God shone like a spotlight
through his angels on the shepherds.
Rev 21:23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to
shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light,
and the Lamb is its lamp.
In heaven, there isn't any need for the sun or moon.
God is all heaven needs!
Talk about glory!
1 Cor 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do,
do it all for the glory of God.
This is a key verse for us.
It means that everything we do,
every word we speak,
every decision we make,
should be done to give glory (praise and honor)
to God.
3) SHOULD GOD GET
ALL THE GLORY?
In 1647 the greatest Christian leaders of England
came together and wrote the Westminister Catechism.
They wanted to bring revival to England,
by teaching the fundamentals of the Christian religion
to their people.
Their Catechism asked questions
and gave answers.
Do you know what the very first question was?
They felt it was the most important question of all.
Question 1)
What is the chief end (purpose) of man?
Answer
Man's chief end is to glorify God,
and to enjoy him forever.
I believe this is true.
I don't believe it because of the Westminster Catechism,
but because of what I have learned about the word "glory"
in the Old and New Testaments.
The Reformers of the 1500s
had a phrase for this idea.
They called it "Soli Deo Gloria”.
Why was this important for them?
Because the church, and bishops
were getting all the glory.
They had all the power,
and God was taking a back seat.
It is a very Protestant idea to say,
Soli Deo Gloria!
To God alone, the glory!
4) HOW CAN WE GIVE GOD
THE GLORY HE ALONE DESERVES?
First off,
we need to know and appreciate
what the word GLORY really means.
Next,
we need to understand and embrace the idea
that God alone
deserves all the glory
all the praise
all the honor
all the thanks
we can ever give him.
Best of all,
just live for Jesus.
That is the finest thing we can ever do.
Repent, believe the Gospel, and live for Christ.
If you do that,
you will be giving God
the glory he deserves.
PRAYER
Dear God, we want to be changed by your glory.
We want to feel your love, know your thoughts,
and experience your approval and praise.
There is no greater thing for us to do,
but to glorify and honor you.
Show us how to be faithful disciples.
In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.