How to Glorify God?

Introduction:

Glorifying God doesn't mean to add glory to God but to recognize and acknowledge His Glory
and live according to that.

It is knowing God how great He is and making Him known to all the nations.

The basic meaning of the word glory is "heavy in weight". It is the "weighty importance and
shining majesty that accompany God's presence" (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Revised
and Expanded , page 647).

"The verb glorify means 'to give weight to' or 'to honor'. Thus to glorify God is to recognize God
for who He is and to respond appropriately" (Mike Livinstone works at Lifeway Christian
Resources).

Therefore, Glorifying God means honoring God or exalting God or fearing God or giving first
place to God or living a life which pleases God.

Glorifying God is not a shout or fancy activities; it is living a life that brings glory to God.

It is not doing something as a fashion; it is living a life of passion for God.

God created us for His glory - Isaiah 43:7.

So, we must do everything for the glory of God - 1 Corinthians 10:31.

Our Vision is to glorify God by making and Multiplying Disciples in every people group.

Every disciple and every church must have the vision (must have the same vision) to glorify
God.

1. Glorifying God by thoughts and words (by mind and lips) that are pleasing to God.

Colossians 3:17, 23 & 24.

Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
through Him to God the Father.

Read also Colossians 3:1-17, 23,24 & Ephesians 5:20.

My lips will glorify you - Psalms 63: 3.

2. Glorifying God by obeying His words and commandments.

Malachi 2:2 says....
"If you don't listen, if we don't take it to heart to honor my Name, ......I will send a curse among
you"

How had they dishonored God's Name?

They had disobeyed God’s Law by presenting defiled food on the alter - Malachi 2:1-6 and
Deuteronomy 15:19-23, (V.21).

Disobedience to God is dishonoring God; willful obedience to God is honoring God.

We glorify God when we do what He said or when we live according to His Teachings.

John 8:31-32
So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then
you are truly My disciples;
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 14: 15
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

Read also John 14: 21, 23; 15:9-10; 1John 5:3 & 2 John 6.

Glorifying God is loving God by obedience to His Words.

3. Glorifying God by believing and praying in Jesus's Name.

John 14:13&14.

Jesus had obeyed all the laws and lived a perfect life on behalf of us who believe him. He died
in our place and completely paid the penalty of sin. He is our propitiation. He rose again on the
third day. He justified and sanctified us when we repented. He is our Redemption,
Righteousness, Holiness and Wisdom.

Believing on the finished work of Christ on the cross is glorifying God.

Biblical Faith is the right kind of faith; The right faith glorifies God.

John 14: 13 - 14
And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

And we have to pray to God the things that glorifies God, not all our selfish wantings and lusts.

Our prayers must magnify God (prayer lists must be biblical), not modify God (prayers can not
modify or change God).
Biblical prayer is the right kind of prayer; The right prayer glorifies God.

1 John 5 : 14-15
This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will,
He hears us.
And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which
we have asked from Him.

To pray in Jesus Name is not shouting or repeatedly reciting the name but aligning our prayers
(purposes) and desires with God’s purposes.

If we pray according to His Will, He pays our Bill.

I mean He answers prayers that are biblical and pleasing to Him.

1 John 3: 22
and whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the
things that are pleasing in His sight.

Believing in Jesus Name - Jesus' atonement and Praying in Jesus Name - Biblical prayers
(obedient people's prayers) glorify God.

4. Glorifying God by producing spiritual fruits.

John 15:8
My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

Your words express you who you are; your deeds prove you who you are actually.

Fruits are our good characters, good deeds and disciples that we made.

Fruits of the Spirit - our Chriat-like characters enabled and empowered by the Holy Spirit of
God.

Read Galatians 5: 16-26.

The souls we win for Christ are our fruits towards God. The multiplication of disciples are our
fruits.

Read Romans 1:13 & John 15:16

Our good deeds are fruits to God and lights to the World.
Read Ephesians 5:1-21 (verses 8-11), Colossians 1:8-11 & Hebrews 13:21.

The fruits that are springing out of the union (rooted in Christ) with God and obedience to
Jesus's Teachings bring glory to God.

Colossians 1:10
so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit
in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Bearing much fruit glorify God.

5. Glorifying God by living sexually pure life.

1 Corinthians 6: 12 - 20.

1 Corinthians 6: 18-20
Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin that a person commits is outside the body, but the
sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have
from God, and that you are not your own?
For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

We must use our body to glorify God. Whatever we do with our body must please God.

Bible commands us to flee from sexual immorality and honor God with our body - physically
pure life.

Being faithful in marriage glorifies God. Being faithful to your life-partner glorifies God.

Disciplined life, Holy life, having healthy boundaries and behaving properly with opposite sex
people glorifies God.

Glorifying God is loving your wife as Jesus loved the Church.

Glorifying God is obeying your Husband as the Church obeys Jesus the head.
Read Ephesians 5: 21-33

1 Thessalonians 4: 3-8
For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;
that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;
and that no one violate the rights and take advantage of his brother or sister in the matter,
because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you previously and
solemnly warned you.
For God has not called us for impurity, but in sanctification.
Therefore, the one who rejects this is not rejecting man, but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to
you.

God loves our sanctity of life than our quantity of works.

Being good husband or eing good wife glorifies God. Living sexually pure glorifies God.

6. Glorifying God by seeking the good of others.

1 Corinthians 10: 31 -33.

Living selfless life glorifies God. Living for the disciples' well being glorifies God.

1 Corinthians 10: 31
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God.

Seeking self-promotion dishonors God.

Seeking the well being of others brings glory to God. Especially seeking the salvation of others
glorify God.

1 Corinthians 10: 33 (in tamil verse 32)

just as I also please everyone in all things, not seeking my own benefit but the benefit of the
many, so that they may be saved.

1 Corinthians 9:22
To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak; I have become all things to all people,
so that I may by all means save some.

As Christ Community or spirit community or church community all of us must seek the spiritual
maturity of others or our fellow disciples. We must live in a way that we don't hinder their growth.

Read Romans 15: 1-7 - Christ is our Model to live for others.

Romans 15:2
Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.

1 Peter 4: 11
Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking actual words of God; whoever serves is to
do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may
be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever.
Amen.

Using your gifts and talents for the betterment of others and serving one another in the Church
or among the redemptive communities of disciples glorify God.
Read 1 Peter 4: 7-11.

1 Corinthians 13 : 5
It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep
an account of a wrong suffered,

Love does not seek its own benefit.

True disciples don't live just for themselves; they live for others as Jesus lived and died.

Please read the whole chapter of Philippians 2 in the context of living for others. You can see 3
Models there: Our Lord Jesus, Apostle Paul and Disciple Timothy.

Philippians 2:4
do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Philippians 2: 21
For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.

Here Paul is accusing of the believers being self seekers.

And portraits Timothy as an example of true disciple who lives for others.

Seeking the good of others or the betterment of others doesn't mean pleasing people.

Galatians 1:10
For am I now seeking the favor of people, or of God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were
still trying to please people, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

We please God by seeking other's Salvation and Disciples' edification.

Supreme love towards God and selfless love towards others glorify God always (Matthew
22:37-40).

7. Glorifying God by giving generously (to God, to Missions, to Spitual Leaders, to

disciples/churches and to the poor in the society).

Bible talks about 5 kind of Givings and we would study that in a separate lesson.

Here we will talk about giving to believers in need and persecution.

Please read the full chapters of 2 Corinthians 8 & 9.

Ten times Paul mentions about the contribution to the needy believers or saints or disciples.
Also read Roman 15: 20 - 33.

2 Corinthians 9: 13
Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your
confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all.

Our generous contribution to needy disciples or fellow believers in the churches who are in need
brings great glory to God as the receivers glorify God.

If you meditate properly in this verse, it talks about our confession of the Gospel of Christ with
obedience or our obedience to the Gospel.

In others words, we not only confess the Gospel by mouth but we confess the Gospel with our
hands - practical life of obedience to the Gospel which means that we believe universally all
disciples are One Family and when one suffers we all suffer, so we live for one another and
financially help one another.

Here Paul calls this financial support as "Ministry".

Ministry to the Saints:

Support of the saints or literally service to the saints (2 Corinthians 8:4 & Hebrews 6:10).

God glorifies when we financially support our fellow disciples or our Spiritual family members
who are in need or who are least.

Jesus said in Matthew 25: 40,

And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one
of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’

We bring glory to God when we financially support needy believers or when we serve the least
of Jesus's brothers and sisters who are our fellow disciples.

This was the first practice in the early church, they helped each other as the Holy Spirit led them
to do.

Acts. 2: 44 - 45
And all the believers were together and had all things in common;
and they would sell their property and possessions and share them with all, to the extent that
anyone had need.

Acts. 4: 32
And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them
claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to
them.

Acts. 4: 34
For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses
would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales

Remember Jesus's Words in Matthew 19:21, Jesus said to him, “If you want to be complete, go
and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and
come, follow Me.”

The early church lived what Jesus taught because the apostles taught them all the Teachings of
Jesus and the Holy Spirit inspired and enabled them to obey Jesus.

Proverbs 19:17
One who is gracious to a poor person lends to the Lord,
And He will repay him for his good deed.

Matthew 10: 42
And whoever gives one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a
disciple, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.

Hebrews 6:10
For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His
name, by having served and by still serving the saints.

Read Romans 15: 20 - 33

Romans 15: 25-26

but now, I am going to Jerusalem, serving the saints.
For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the
saints in Jerusalem.

Just like Macedonian Disciples and Acadian Disciples helped the poor Saints (Disciples) in
Jerusalem, we have to glorify God by contributing to the real needs of disciples everywhere.

Giving, Generous giving, Spirit-

Led giving, Selfless giving, Giving in poverty and continual giving to the needy disciples or the
least our Spiritual brothers and sisters glorifies God.

This is what the Spirit of God says to us today,

1 Thessalonians 4:9-10
Now as to the love of the brothers and sisters, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for
you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;
for indeed you practice it toward all the brothers and sisters who are in all Macedonia. But we
urge you, brothers and sisters, to excel even more,
8. Glorifying God by living honorable among unbelievers.

1 Peter 2: 12
Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you
as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God on the
day of visitation.

2 Corinthians 8:21
for we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of
other people.

We are sent into this world as Jesus's representatives and ambassadors, we must walk worthy
of our call, our lives should be blameless and clean among the Gentiles.

We must keep up our testimony. Our testimony is actually God's testimony in our lives, we must
protect them.

We are like God's Address, other people must see Jesus when they see us.

We can not simply ignore the unsaved society who are watching us, we should never give room
for them to accuse us, we must live a honorable life in front of the unsaved society.

Philippians 2:15
so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach
in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the
world.

Titus 2:8
sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having
nothing bad to say about us.

1 Peter 2:15
For such is the will of God, that by doing right you silence the ignorance of foolish people.

1Perer 3:16
For such is the will of God, that by doing right you silence the ignorance of foolish people.

Matthew 5:16
Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and
glorify your Father who is in heaven.

The light o our life among the ungodly brings glory to God.

9. Glorifying God by being Faithful in Persecution.

1 Peter 4:16
but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.

Persecutions and sufferings are unavoidable on the mission, we must ready to face any
situation for Jesus.

Never be ashamed in difficulties; it is glory to God when you are bold for Jesus and accept the
sufferings for the name of Jesus.

Wr are sent as sheep among wolves.

Matthew 10:16
Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as wary as serpents, and
as innocent as doves.

Jesus predicted that we would face Persecutions.

John 16:33
These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have
tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.

Read John 15: 18 - 27 also.

In Matthew 16:18 Jesus has promised us that the power of evil will not overcomes us. We would
by the power of God overcome every unfavorable situations.

Romans 8:37
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

2 Corinthians 2: 14
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us reveals the
fragrance of the knowledge of Him in every place.

Read also 2 Corinthians 4: 7-18 and 2 Corinthians 6: 4-18.

If we overcome, we have a promise to rule with Christ.

Revelation 3: 21
The one who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and
sat with My Father on His throne.

1 Peter 4: 13 - 14
but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the
revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed.
If you are inslted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, and of
God, rests upon you.

Matthew 5: 11
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil
against you because of Me.

Acts. 5: 41 must be our lifestyle:

So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been
considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.

Let's join with Apostle Paul and declare....

2 Corinthians 4:16
Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is
being renewed day by day.

It is worth to suufer for Christ because it brings glory to God.

Read also Romans 8:17, 2Corinthians 1:5; 4:10 & Philippians 3:10.

There is a promise and warning:

2 Timothy 2: 12
If we endure, we will also reign with Him;
If we deny Him, He will also deny us;

Facing persecution due to Gospel preaching or because of being faithful to Jesus's Teachings
and enduring sufferings for God bring glory to God.

We can glorify God in our hardships and sufferings just like the early apostles and disciples of
Jesus.

10. Glorifying God by finishing the Work of the Mission.

The Great Commission is our Mission - Matthew 28:18-20.

We are elected, predestined, called, saved, given grace/gifts, sealed with the Holy Spirit and
commissioned to go make disciples. It is an ancient and prepared work of God.

Jesus prayed like this....

John 17:4
I glorified You on the earth by accomplishing the work which You have given Me to do.

Jesus glorified the Father by His redemptive life and death; we too can glorify God by being a
redemptive community and fulfill the Great Commission.

John 5:30
I can do nothing on My own. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not
seek My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.

John 6:38
For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

John 5: 36
But the testimony I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father
has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has
sent Me.

John 19: 28
After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the
Scripture would be fulfilled, said, “I am thirsty.”

Jesus finished the Work of the Father and declared that it is finished. He lived and died for that
purpose.

We the disciples of Jesus are sent by God the Father just like Jesus was sent.

John 17:18
Just as You sent Me into the world, I also sent them into the world.

We are in the place of Jesus. Ofcourse we are not going to die on the Cross for Salvation of
mankind but we have to live and die to take the message of Salvation to all nations - people
groups.

Matthew 10: 5
These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, “Do not go on a road to Gentiles,
and do not enter a city of Samaritans;

John 4: 38
I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have come
into their labor.

John 20: 21
So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be to you; just as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.
We must be on the mission as Jesus was making disciples.

John 12: 26
If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if
anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

When we follow Jesus, we will do the same mission what He did.

What did Jesus do?

John 4:1
So then, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that He was making and baptizing
more disciples than John.

John 3:22
After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea; and there He was
spending time with them and baptizing.

John 3: 26
And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to
whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing and all the people are coming to Him.”

Jesus did 3 Things:

- Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingsom of God.
- He made disciples (by giving them the Truth and the Spirit)
- He trained His disciples to multiply disciples.

We have to the same.

But where and how?

That the Lord will show us as we seek the details of His plans and purposes.

We must understand the supremacy of the Great Commission and give first priority to the
Mission of God.

Resurrected Jesus gave the Commission.

Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to fulfill the Commission.
Every one in the early church was on the mission as they were filled with the Spirit of God.
Everyone in the Bible completed their race or their potion of the ongoing mission, we have
complete our potion which is our cross and which we must carry everyday.

How to Glorifying God by doing Mission?

The Greatness of God is our Life;
The Great Commission is our Mission (work).
5 Things we must do:

1. Understanding the Mission - Revelation of God.

2. Start doing the Mission - Initiation of God.
3. Abiding in the Mission - Continuation of God.
4. Envisioning and Training others on the Mission - Multiplication of God.
5. Finishing our potion of the Mission - Completion of God.

We must consider that finishing the work of the Father is our food.

John 4: 34
Jesus said to them, My food is to do the ill of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.

Let's continue to join Jesus on the mission of the Redemption to the nations, continue the
mission of making disciples and multiplying missional leaders and finally, give ourselves
completely to complete our potion of the mission so that we may glorify the Father with him!

Doing the Mission of the Great Commission and the completion of our portion of the ongoing
mission glory God.

11. Glorifying God by our Death - dying everyday for the Mission, being ready to die for
Jesus or facing death for our Faith.

Paul says ...

1 Corinthians 15: 30 -31
Why are we also in danger every hour?
I affirm, brothers and sisters, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, that I
die daily.

Paul was ready to face any situation for the God, he was even ready die for the Gospel and he
was almost dying everyday which means going through lots of hardships and difficulties on the
mission. He never stepped back. He was keep moving in the Spirit and on the mission.

2 Corinthians 11: 26
I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from
my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness,
dangers at sea, dangers among false brothers;

Romans 8:36 may happen to us.... we must be ready to face death for Jesus/Gospel.

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We were regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
John 21:19
Now He said this, indicating by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had said
this, He said to him, “Follow Me!”

Here Jesus predicts that Perer would glorify God even by his redemptive death as Jesus.

Are we ready to die for Jesus?

Are we ready to die for the Mission?

Not only we are glorifying God by living a totally surrended life to Him but we will glorify God if
we accept the kind of death He prepared or appointed for us!

Not loving our own life and being willing to spend it for God's purposes the missions and being
ready or prepared to die the way God wants us to die on and for the Mission.

John 12:24 - 25
Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone;
but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
The one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it to
eternal life.

Read also John 12:33 & 18:32; 2 Peter 1:14, Matthew 8:22; 10:39; 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke
14:26 and John 21:22.

Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take
up his cross, and follow Me.

If you are not ready to die to yourself you are not ready to walk with Jesus which means you are
not a disciple.

If you are not ready or willing to die the way Jesus wants you to die you are not a matured
disciple.

Revelation 12: 1
And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their
testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

Please read these verses about Paul on how he was dying as he was living for the Mission of
the Great Commission - 2 Corinthians 4:10-18.

Here is Paul's Declaration:

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life
which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up
for me.

John 13: 31
Therefore when he had left, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in
Him;

Jesus said these words when He knew that He was going to be betrayed and die on the Cross.
He lived and loved to die on the Cross for the Redemption of the mankind, above all for the
Glory of God.

Jesus glorified the Father by His death!

The disciples glorified God by their deaths!!
We can glorify God by our missional and redemptive death!!!

Let's bring glory God whether we are living or dying.

Glory to God, Amen.

V. Shanmugam
The Keystone Project Asia