GIVE GOD THE GLORY
Deut. 6:10-15 “So it shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, 11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant — when you have eaten and are full — 12 then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 13 You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you 15(for the LORD your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the LORD your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth. NKJV
Also:
Deut. 8:7-18 For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; 9 a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you. 11 “Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, 12 lest — when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 14 when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15 who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end — 17 then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ 18 “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. NKJV
In our services lately, the Lord directed us to simply gather and worship Him.
As we have diligently done that, not just on Sundays but throughout the week, we’ve seen His mighty hand:
We’ve all seen”
- His provision
- His protection
- Blessing to be on the giving side
- He’s fought our battles for us
I want to propose to you that it is:
So important that we recognize where the favor is coming from:
It’s not just:
- Our hard work,
- Our education,
- Our physical ability
that got us where we are.
The Scripture says: James 1:16-17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. NKJV
Look at everything in this perspective:
Your education may have contributed but it was God who gave you:
- The gift of education
- The ability to learn
Your hard work may have brought you where you are but it was God who gave you:
- The strength to work hard and
- The breath to keep you alive.
If we’re going to continue to see God’s favor, we have to be quick to give God the credit:
- The higher we go, the more humble we should be realizing that He got us here.
- The more God promotes us, the more grateful we should be.
Let’s look at a number of examples of people God blessed but soon forgot to honor Him showing us that a person who forgets to honor God can actually lose what they had received:
The O.T. was written for our warning: (1 Cor. 10:11.)
2 Chr. 12:1-3 But when Rehoboam was firmly established and strong, he abandoned the law of the LORD, and all Israel followed him in this sin. 2 Because they were unfaithful to the LORD, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam’s reign. NLT
This king here is a perfect example of someone who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
He was Solomon’s son who when he became king flouted the wisdom of the elders and told the people he would chastise them with scorpions.
2 Chr. 10:11 11 Yes, my father was harsh on you, but I’ll be even harsher! My father used whips on you, but I’ll use scorpions!’ ” NLT
- He lost all 10 tribes of Israel, was left with Judah and Benjamin and caused civil war between Israel and Judah for years.
- For a while he repented and God had mercy on him yet when he was firmly established, he led Judah back into sin.
- He’s a good example of how an ungrateful person loses the favor of God.
Another one was Uzziah. He started out well. But:
2 Chron. 26:16-21 But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the LORD his God by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. 17 So Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him were eighty priests of the LORD — valiant men. 18 And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the LORD God.” 19 Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the LORD, beside the incense altar. 20 And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and there, on his forehead, he was leprous; so they thrust him out of that place. Indeed he also hurried to get out, because the LORD had struck him. 21 King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He dwelt in an isolated house, because he was a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD. NKJV
When the priests confronted him, he wasn’t repentant. He was power corrupted and ended up being a leper to the day of his death. Leprosy is a type of SIN and judgment.
- These kings let their success go into their heads.
- They did not stay humble recognizing where their success came from.
- Similarly, you and I are never supposed to go around thinking: “Look what I’ve built, look what I’ve accomplished, look at my position.”
- When we do that, we’re taking what belongs to God who said: Isa 42:8 8 I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images. NKJV .
Yes, we should be very much cognizant of our position of who we are, what we have, what we can do, BUT we should always, always add the terms IN CHRIST, WITH CHRIST, BY CHRIST, THROUGH CHRIST, IN HIM, IN WHOM. Always!
2 Cor. 10:17 But “he who glories, let him glory in the LORD.” 18 For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends. NKJV
Gal 6:13-14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. NKJV
God had warned Israel:
(Deut. 5:15 And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. NKJV )
Make a habit of looking back and remembering where the Lord brought you from.
If we don’t humble ourselves, God has a way of allowing us to be humbled.
- How many remember what happened to Neb?
- Daniel 4: He started out well. Praising the Most High God and getting his second dream interpreted to him by Daniel. 12 months went by.
But by verse 30 of Daniel 4, He’s walking around his royal palace:
Dan. 4:30 The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”
Notice all the I’s.
- I have built,
- My mighty power,
- My majesty?
He started out giving God the glory then later, he made the mistake of things it was his talents, his power and his might that made him strong.
Neb. was removed from his position for seven good years, he lost his mind and went out eating grass like an animal.
By the time he came out of that, He said:
Dan. 4:34 & 37 …at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation.
37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down. NKJV
It’s much easier to humble yourself when you’re first starting out.
- But the real test is when God increases you and you get that promotion and now you’re in a position of authority, that’s when it’s more difficult to walk in humility.
- BUT WE NEED TO BE OFTEN REMINDED THAT WITHOUT THE GOODNESS AND MERCY OF GOD, WE WOULD BE ANYTHING AND WE WOULDN’T HAVE ANYTHING.
God will not share His glory with any man…as far as man being worshipped in the place of God or worshipping himself.
The Bible admonishes us:
Jer. 9:23 Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; 24 But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD. NKJV
1 Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, NKJV
We could talk of king after king after king. What is it with power? It corrupts those who will not give the credit to God.
Acts 12:21-24 So on a set day Herod , arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. 22 And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” 23 Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. 24 But the word of God grew and multiplied. NKJV
I don’t know about you but I don’t like worms. I’d rather give God all the glory.
God is looking for worshippers to promote:
Remember Saul and how the prophet Samuel told him:
1 Sam 15:17-18 17 So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel? NKJV
He went on to disobey the Lord and God told Samuel
He had rejected him from being king and had chosen for Himself a man after His own heart, David the worshipper of Almighty God.
Ps 34:3 I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. 3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together. NKJV
Brethren, lets be careful to acknowledge Him IN ALL OF OUR WAYS. We need to see pride as a poison.
It’s like putting the wrong liquid in your car engine, it could crash it.
Scripture says God opposes the proud but He gives favor to the humble.
This is repeated 3 times and numerous times through examples:
Prov. 3:34 34 Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble. NKJV
James 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” NKJV
1 Peter 5:5-6 and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, NKJV
The great apostle Paul acknowledged the grace of God:
1 Cor. 15:9-11 9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. NKJV
Those are the kind of people that the Lord uses.
How many of you need more grace, more prosperity grace?
Humble yourself before the Lord; worship Him with your tithes and offerings, recognizing Him as your sole Source of every good and perfect gift.
Let’s do that now as we give:
- Father, as we give today, we recognize that it is your goodness and grace that brought us here and gave us seed to sow.
- It’s your favor that opened doors for me to have any income.
- It’s not our talents, education or physical strength. It’s not our degrees or position.
- It’s your favor that provided for us and preserved us with enough strength to work.
- We know that before honor is humility.
- We remember where you brought us from. We had nothing you have given us everything.
And now we remember that it is You who gives us power to get wealth that we may establish your covenant in the earth.
