We Glorify God When All Things Work For Our Good

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 KJV)

In the end, every believer should be able to testify that all things the had happened is for their good and for the glory of God. We will marvel at how every event that had occurred, throughout all ages, seemingly unrelated, somehow, will enable the best outcome for ourselves.

This will happen when he comes on that day to receive honor from his holy people and to be admired by everyone who has believed - and our testimony to you was believed. (2 Thessalonians 1:10 CEB)

God's Glory

Why God should be glorified
For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36 KJV)
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. (Psalm 100:3 KJV)
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. (Colossians 1:16-17 KJV)
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:20 KJV)

How we glorify God
1. In all things
If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:11 KJV)
2. By our confession of sins
And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. (Joshua 7:19 KJV)
3. By our faith
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; (Romans 4:20 KJV)
4. By our salvation
And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ: But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. And they glorified God in me. (Galatians 1:22-24 KJV)
And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written (in Psalm 18:49), For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. (Romans 15:9 KJV)
5. By our praise
The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!" (Psalm 50:23 ESV)
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. (Psalm 145:3 KJV)
6. By bearing fruits
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. (John 15:8 KJV)
7. By our good works
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16 KJV)
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:12 ESV)
For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. (2 Corinthians 9:12-14 ESV)
8. By keeping our body and spirit holy
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:20 KJV)

Our response
1. Positive
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV)
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. (Psalm 29:2 KJV)
Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. (1 Chronicles 16:28-29 KJV)
2. Negative
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (Romans 1:21 KJV)

Worthy of all glory
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11 KJV)
And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever. (Revelation 5:13 KJV)
Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. (Revelation 15:4 KJV)
I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies. (Psalm 18:3 NASB)

Created for His glory
Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. (Isaiah 43:7 KJV)
This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise. (Isaiah 43:21 KJV)
The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. (Proverbs 16:4 ESV)

God will not share His glory
I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. (Isaiah 42:8 KJV)
For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. (Isaiah 48:11 ESV)

To the Praise of God's Glory
He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:5-6 NASB)

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:10-12 NASB)

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14 NASB)

For our glory
What we say is wisdom to people who are mature. It isn’t a wisdom that comes from the present day or from today’s leaders who are being reduced to nothing. We talk about God’s wisdom, which has been hidden as a secret. God determined this wisdom in advance, before time began, for our glory. (1 Corinthians 2:6-7 CEB)

Cannot glorify God:
1. unless saved;
2. in our own strength;
3. except according to the Word of God.

God's glory
1. intrinsic (God's nature)
2. ascribed (by His creatures)

If one refuse to glory God, one would glorify self.

Future Glory
... all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD (Numbers 14:21 ESV)

When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:10-12 KJV)

Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever. - Westminster Shorter Catechism
God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him - John Piper

cabod כְּבוֹד
doxa δόξα

Eternal Life Without God Is Hell

A friend of mine, an Arsenal fan, once made this remark, "I wonder if there is any soccer in heaven. If there isn't, what am I going to do?"

Eternal life is going to be a big problem for if what motivates us on earth is not found in heaven. Hell is to live forever, wanting to fulfill our desires, but unable to do it.

I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. (Psalm 86:12 KJV)

Good Without God Is Hell

We always feel good when we feel useful, when we can help, when we can contribute. We will feel that life is meaningful. That is why many people do charity work. We live in an imperfect world, full of sin and poverty, where we have many opportunity to do good.

What happened if such a person is living in a perfect world, such as the garden of Eden, where there is no sin  and poverty? He cannot feel useful because there is no poor people to help, no charity to do. Every idea and every suggestion he made is inferior and made the perfect world imperfect, instead of improving it. Suddenly, he realized that his life is meaningless in the perfect world. He cannot contribute to it. And he has eternal life. He doesn't know what to do with his time. He is living in hell in the perfect world!

The Bible tells us that the primary purpose of man is not to do good for other men, but to obey God, to praise Him.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13 KJV)

The people I formed for Myself will declare My praise. (Isaiah 43:7 HCSB)

Once men put God in the centre, as He ought to be placed, then all other things will fall into their place.

Man Thinks That God Is Foolish

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14 KJV)

For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1 Corinthians 1:22-25 KJV)

Many people think that they are better than God. They have a lot of suggestions on how to improve the world. They do not believe that God exists because there are so much problem in the world and God does not seem to be capable of solving them.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 KJV)

Good People Go To Hell

Christianity is the only religion in the world where good people go to hell and bad people go to heaven. Why is this so? Because men's idea of "good" is different from God's. The good people who are good in their own eyes are bad in God's eyes. The bad people who are bad in their own eyes are good in God's eyes.

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. (Luke 18 :10-14 KJV)

The Pharisee was good in the eyes of the people. He fasted, he prayed, he gave tithes. The publican was a traitor working for the Romans in the eyes of the Jews and usually collected more taxes than required so that he could pocket the extra money. He was bad. Because he is bad, he cried out to God. The Pharisee was good. He did not stop to examine his own life. He assumed that he had fulfilled all the requirements of God.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23 KJV)

Christ Came To Save Sinners

I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Luke 5:32 KJV)

Jesus said, "No one is good except God alone. (Mark 10:18 ESV)" The Bible also declares that "There is certainly no righteous man on the earth who does good and never sins. (Ecclesiastes 7:20 HCSB)" and that "the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23 ESV, NASB, KJV, NIV, NLT, HCSB)" Since all men die, therefore, all have sinned. All have broken the Law of God.

The Law cannot save. The Law is for keeping. When you break the Law, you are a sinner. The Law cannot stop you from sinning. But when you break the Law, the Law will tell you that you are a sinner and you have to pay the penalty. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. (James 2:10 NASB)

So how can a sinner be made righteous? If someone pays the penalty on the sinner's behalf. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, (1 Peter 3:18 ESV) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 KJV)

The First Christmas Rush

The following outline was extracted from a sermon preached on Christmas Eve in 2006 at Jesus Saves Mission, Singapore, by Joseph Poon.

4 groups of people
1. The Innkeeper
2. Religious People
3. King Herod
4. The Shepherds

The Innkeeper
1. Very BUSY doing his LEGITIMATE work
2. MISSED the KEY customer - Jesus Christ

Religious People
1. Know EXACTLY when and where Christ will be born
2. Never bother to visit and MISSED the true Christ

King Herod
1. Extremely protective of his throne, his lifestyle, career etc
2. Afraid of another King that would rule his life

The Shepherds
1. Lowly and unknown
2. Ready to receive Christ

Another Doomsday Passed

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. ... And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:4,14 KJV)

Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God’s sanctuary, publicizing that he himself is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 HCSB)

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. (Revelation 20:1-3 ESV)

Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4-6 ESV)

And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:7-10 ESV)

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. (Revelation 21:1 KJV)

The Worst Is Yet To Be

On Friday 14th December 201, 22 children were slashed by knife-wielding man at Chenpeng Village Primary School in Henan province, 20 children and 6 adults were shot dead by a gunman who opened fire at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.

Then came the question: "Where is God when all these things happened?" Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee answered, "We have systematically removed God from our schools." Of course God was not found in China. Mao Zedong removed Him.

When we look at a cup with with water at 50% of its capacity, we called it half-full or half-empty, depending on our optimism (or pessimism). We can say that the gun violence in America is bad because God does not exist, or gun violence could be worse, but God's restraint prevent it from being worse.

Despite its liberal gun laws, America's crime scene is no way like Mexico's, there is few religious inspired violence, unlike Pakistan and Iraq and there is no armed separatist movement. America is stilled governed by the rule of law. A lot of countries in the world would be rendered ungovernable if their gun laws were like America's. Where is God when all these things happened? We see God's preserving hand in America, preventing things from being worse.

But one day He will remove His restraint.

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way, and then the lawless one will be revealed. (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 HCSB)

For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. (Matthew 24:21 NASB)

The worst is yet to be.

The End Is Nigh

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:14 KJV)

Has the gospel of the kingdom been preached to all nations? Yes. In this age of internet, the gospel has indeed been preached to all nations. Then shall the end come. But what is this "end" that is coming? Is it like what people who believed in the so-called Mayan prophecy, that the world will end tomorrow, on 21st December 2012? No. This "end" refers to the end of the world as we knew it, and the beginning of a new era, ushered in by the second coming of Christ. Christ will rule the world for a thousand years, and the whole creation will be destroyed.

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Revelation 20 :4 KJV)

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. (Revelation 21:1 KJV)

I write this now, before 21st December 2012, so that you know that I never believed in the Mayan prophecy. I expect to read this blog after 21st December 2012.

The end will come, one thousand years after the end.

Free, But Not Everyone Is Rushing For It

Everyone loves gifts, especially if we are the recipient. But there is a gift, waiting to be given, and yet not many would like to accept. This is the gift of eternal life from God.

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23 KJV)

Why is it that such a wonderful gift is not accepted? There are two reasons.

The Conditions of the Gift
When a gift is accepted, an acceptance of the conditions of the gift is implied. Anyone who accepts the gift of eternal life from God have to accept the following as true:

• You die, not because it is natural, but because you are a sinner.
• God exists. Jesus Christ is God.
• The Bible is true.
• Jesus is the only way: Jesus told him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6 HCSB)

The Gift is not Immediate

Everyone who become a Christian still dies. If it were not so, all the apostles and other Christians will still be alive, walking the earth. Even Jesus went back to Heaven after forty days. He did not stick around.

The eternal life is a future event of resurrection after death. In this respect, every religion is the same. All ends with death, and whatever is promised will be realized only after death. The only difference is, in Christianity, eternal life is a gift to be accepted by faith. For other religions, whatever is promised has to be believed by faith but earned by works.

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift - not from works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 HCSB)

And it pleases God to design the salvation of men in this manner to His own glory, so that no man can claim credit for his own salvation.

Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6 HCSB)

 

Absolute Faith In God Is Difficult

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 ESV)

God is absolute and He demands absolute faith in Him. Herein lies our difficulty. We find it impossible to have absolute faith in anything. I can think of there are three possible reasons for this:

Our Daily Experience
Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. (Jeremiah 17:5 KJV)
Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for languages, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. (1 Corinthians 13:8 HCSB)

We never have absolute faith in anything because all things around us are imperfect. They will fail. My car has a GPS, which will give me information one step at a time. I find this very frustrating, because I would like to know in advance the route it is going to take and decide if it is the best route. This GPS usually gives the shortest route. Sometimes, the shortest route goes through the city and because of jam and traffic lights, it is better to go by the expressway. So I cannot place all my faith in the GPS. This is just one of the many examples why we never have absolute faith in anything.

Our Flesh, The Old Man
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. (Romans 7:21-23 NIV)

We have differently fleshly desires from the spiritual God. Our body has its own desire which it expect us to fulfil. We also have different goals and ambitions from God. This put us into conflict with God's will and if our desire is strong, we cannot discern God's will.

Satan
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8 KJV)
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (Ephesians 6:16 KJV)

Satan is ever present, putting temptations and evil thoughts into our mind. Satan will always help our flesh to gain its way.

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48 NIV, HCSB)

The Three Hints In Pentateuch

The concept of salvation by substitutionary death (redemption) is not something new invented by Christianity. It was the plan of God from the beginning, even in the Pentateuch, right in the first two books of the Bible - Genesis and Exodus.

The Seed of a Woman
Salvation will come from the seed of a woman. The first prophecy in the Bible is spoken to the serpent. God promised the serpent that the Seed of the woman will bruise his head (Genesis 3:15). Jesus was born of a virgin and fulfilled the obligations of the law and became our substitute to redeem us (Galatians 4:4-5).

The Lord Will Provide
God redeemed Isaac also by a ram caught in a thicket by his horns (Genesis 22:13). Likewise, the Lord will provide for our salvation. We ought to be killed, like Isaac, but a lamb provided by God (John 1:29) became our substitute.

The Passover Lamb
During the Exodus from Egypt, God spare the lives of the first-born when He saw the blood on the doorpost (Exodus 12:13). In the same manner, God will spare our lives when He saw the blood of His Son on us (Hebrews 9:22,1 Peter 1:18-19).

God's Address

Kids like to send letters to Santa Claus. These letters are usually addressed to North Pole. But Santa Claus is a fictitious character who will not reply. If we need to write any letter, we should address it to the true and living God. So where does God stay?

For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, "I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. (Isaiah 57:15 NASB)

God dwells with the humble.