From Glory to Glory, Part 2

If indeed in our lives we are to glorify God, moving from one level of glory to the next, becoming more and more like the very one we worship God revealed to us in the face of Jesus Christ. Bringing glory when we trust him. When the doctor sees something ominous on your test results when it looks like you could or when you actually do lose your job.

How do you respond in a way that shows your trusting in the one who is always in control, who always deserves your trust.

John MacArthur is helping you think biblically about your trials in his current series here on grace do you stay here for the next installment of his study how to live for God's glory and now with the lesson. Here's John. We were saved to bring glory to the Lord. There are some very practical ways in which we accomplish that by his power, we glorify the Lord by aiming our life at that purpose. First Corinthians 1031 says whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God the most mundane and simplest thing that we do in life is to be done to God's glory as well as the most spiritual in the most devout expression of Christian faith and truth.

Everything in our lives is to be aimed at the glory of God and that means we prefer him in his kingdom above everything else were content to do his will, no matter what the price we suffer when he suffers, and we are content to be outdone by others as long as he receives the glory. And then secondly, we glorify God by confessing sin when we confess our sin take responsibility for our evil, our wickedness are violation of God's law. Our disobedience when we take responsibility for that. And God chastens us then he appears rightly to be just and holy do what is to be done before a holy God should indeed have a holy reaction against sin and if he chooses not to chasten but to be gracious.

Then he receives glory for being gracious to one who is so utterly unworthy, so we glorify God by aiming our life at that focus and we glorify God by confessing, let's move to another point we glorify God by trusting him. We glorify God by trusting him. If indeed in our lives we are to glorify God, moving from one level of glory to the next, becoming more and more like the very one we worship the God we adore revealed to us in the face of Jesus Christ. Then were going to bring him glory when we trust him. We honor him by trusting him. It's a very simple principle if if I say that I respect my father.

If I say that I respect and honor and highly regard my mother in demonstrating the way I live that I have no regard for their word that I don't trust what they say. Then you can question the legitimacy of my respect. If on the other hand, I have tremendous trust in my parents if I have tremendous trust in their integrity and in their wisdom and their decisions and their leadership in my life and I follow that leadership then I am affirming my trust without any equivocation.

Same thing is true in the Christians experience.

If we say God is worthy to be believed in. He is worthy to be trusted and we demonstrate that we don't trust them question what he does doubt and fear in the dismay, and sometimes sorrow and worry and anxiety characterize our lives, then people should have a right to say what you trust God so much. Why do you live in doubt. Why do you live in fear. Why do you live in anxiety. If God is who you say you shouldn't he be trusted. So again, we will bring honor to God by our trust, we will truly say that we see the glory of God. When we trust God, let me give you an illustration of that is redone in each case turn. Romans chapter 4, and as we've said all along, there are a number of the illustrations of each of these points and try to pick out one that is some way or other unforgettable and in Romans chapter 4 we come across the wonderful account reiterated of Abraham and Sarah and the promise and the fulfillment of the birth of Isaac. Now you remember the story I think that God had promised to Abraham that he would have a seed in fact is a progeny would be so prolific that they could be numbered according to Genesis chapter 12 as the stars of the heavens or the sands of the sea. We now know that there is probably some equality in those two maybe there are as many stellar bodies as there are grains of sand far more vast than we can ever imagine the uncountable stars in the uncountable grains of sand on the seas of the world were what the Lord selected to illustrate the vastness of the seed that we come from the loins of Abraham. God made that promise.

However by the time Abraham reached 100 years of age. They had absolutely no children. Sarah's womb was dead and they had no fulfillment of the promise. But in spite of that, I want you look at Romans chapter 4 and verse 18.

This is what it says about Abraham in hope against hope and hope which made no sense from a human perspective. He believed he believed in order that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, so shall your descendents be. When it made no sense to believe he believed when it made no sense to hope he hoped. In fact, in verse 17 he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead could call into being that which doesn't exist, but God had the power to do what seemed humanly impossible. He believed that if God said you're going to have descendents that he would have descendents in verse 19 says, without becoming weak in faith. He contemplated his own body. Now as good as dead since he was about 100 years old and the deadness of Sarah's womb from a human perspective, it just was not happening yet.

With respect to the promise of God.

Verse 20 says he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith and what did that do giving what glory to God and being fully assured verse 21 says that what he promised he was able also to perform, therefore, that faith was reckoned to him as righteousness. It was that very faith in God that saved him as faith always saves it saved Abraham. He believed God for that which was humanly impossible. He was strong in faith and gave glory to God. You see, unbelief is an affront to God for God to make a promise and you not to believe it is to question his character. If the Bible says, for example, as a dozen flippy is for my God shall supply all your need. You believe it or do you worry about your need. If Jesus said, take no thought for what you shall eat or drink because the father in heaven who takes care of the birds of the field and clothes the birds of the air rather enclose the lilies of the field in the grass promised to take care of you. Don't you think you'll do it and if the Scripture says, inspired by the Holy Spirit that the never will, trial in your life. It is more than you can bear. Do you believe it in the Scripture says that in the midst of that seemingly unbearable trial. There will always be a way of escape. Do you believe it because if you don't, and if you doubt and fear and are anxious and worried question whether God can perform his word.

You have denied him the glory that is due his name is worthy to be trusted. He can do what he says he will do what he promises in unbelief questions.

His integrity and that doesn't bring you minor anymore than questioning somebody's integrity brings them honor it brings them dishonor the question anyone's integrity and how foolish to question the integrity that the ability the power and the honesty of God. Listen to first John 510 middle of the verse. The one it is not believe God has made him a liar, the one who does not believe God has made him a liar you are treating God as if he lied.

Lord says he's going to meet your needs. He's going to lead you through all the trials and temptations of life.

All the tribulations and bring you to glory the says are never going to be anything that's more than you can bear and will always be a path through to triumph and victory promise is going to be there as a friend sticking closer than a brother is going to supply all your need. Every resource of heaven is at your disposal, including the angels which are sent to minister to the saints, as Hebrews 114 says all the promises of God are ours because they're all yes in Jesus Christ to his hours and we greatly dishonor God. When we claim to believe in him, and yet we can't cope with life and we can't solve our problems. We can't rest confidently and assuredly in his wisdom and his power effect where stealing is glory.

Sure, life is full of troubles, but our God is beyond all of those is no sense in fearing Daniel three chapter 3 in verse 13. It's it's back to this experience with the three young men were thrown in the fiery furnace known as Shadrach me shack and Abednego that of course I was there Chaldean names their Hebrew names are Hannah Anaya, Ms. JL and Azariah, but there Chaldean Sparta. The brainwashing process gave them names that were Chaldean names which bore as a part of the name. The name of the Chaldean gods false gods to try to lure them into idolatry. But you remember the story of these three young men because you remember that everybody was required to bow down to the king. Anybody didn't bow down to the king was going to pay with his life and that is a precisely what happened. You remember these men are mentioned there in chapter 2 verse 17. Hannah and I have Michelle and Azariah, but by the time you get to chapter 3. They are called in verse 16, Shadrach me shack and Abednego and when they are told to bow down to the king. They refused to do that verse 15 says if you don't worship you're going to be immediately cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire, and then he says does Nebuchadnezzar what God is there who can deliver you out of my hands thought himself to be more powerful than the Hebrew God and it's understandable since the Babylonians had managed to conquer the Hebrews they describe their conquering powers to their own deity and assume that if the Hebrews, God couldn't defend them against the gods of the Babylonians that therefore the gods of the Babylonians were more powerful and that he Nebuchadnezzar was perhaps the most powerful of all.

Even though he was a man he saw himself as some kind of deity. Well, he said, you either bow down to Muriel, throw you in the fire.

Verse 16 Shadrach me shack and Abednego answered and said to the king, though Nebuchadnezzar we do not need to give you an answer concerning this will not to say anything to you. If so be our God.

Verse 17 whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will deliver us out of your hand. Okay now that is tremendous faith.

Somebody asked you in a simple question. In the normal course of life.

If you believe God could deliver you out of any situation probably say yes, but it might be a little different. If you're standing on the edge of the fiery furnace feeling the heat and breathing the smoke and the flames as they were, but it never cause their faith.

The waiver one bit verse 18, they added, even if he doesn't let it be known to you. Okay were not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you've set up what they mean.

I think that's an evidence they believe in the power of God to raise the dead.

Even if God doesn't protect us from the fire. He'll take us out the other side. I believe they were so confident in God's power and God's promise. The weather was in life or death. They knew God would deliver them when Nebuchadnezzar was so enraged by that.

In verse 19 he was filled with wrath's facial expression was altered. He screwed up his face in fury answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated and he commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach me shack and Abednego I guess he expected a fight. He didn't get one, nor the cast them into the furnace of blazing fire in these men were tied up in their garments, their coats, their caps and their other clothes and cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire there just bundled up and just heaved into this fire. For this reason, because the king's command was urgent in the furnace of been an extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew. Those men who carried up Shadrach me shack and Abednego it was so hot that it burned the guys who got near enough to throw them in, but these three men, Shadrach me shack and Abednego fill in the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up in Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste he responded and said it was high officials, was it not three men we cast into the midst of the fire. The answer, consider the king certainly okay. He answered and said look I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods. Most Bible commentators would believe that the Lord Jesus Christ.

The second member of the Trinity in a pre-incarnate appearance came and attended to these three wonderfully faithful men, Nebuchadnezzar came near the door. The furnace of blazing fire responded and said Shadrach me shack and Abednego come out you servants of the most high God and come here hen they came out of the fire. Their faith was vindicated. Well, it tells us in verse 27 the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men, nor was the hair of their heads singed nor were there trousers damaged nor had the smell of fire even come upon them. Remember one time as a kid when I was in college I was on a very strict budget. I was long way away from home in a department store in the area of the college burned down and was a perfect opportunity for some of us to go by close sheet and I remember buying a sport coat for about eight dollars or something and I thought it was really a great looking sportcoat. It smelled to be sure of smoke but I thought it would dissipate, and I remember when the year was over and I came home and my mother first open my suitcase the whole thing smelled it was months after the wasn't even the singeing of hair. There wasn't even there.

And I get that.

Every time I try to barbecue chicken or something, don't you burns all the hair off my fingers. My wife is in the background saying heat the fire hotter and I'm always trying to get it up to the perfect place in the but not a thing, not even the smell of smoke just this, their faith was vindicated. They believe God on the edge of the fiery furnace and that's the kind of faith that honors God. That is a tremendous honor to him when you can stand on the edge of the fiery furnace and say I trust God when you can face a tragedy in your family, whatever it might be and say I trust God. God is too wise to make a mistake to loving to be unnecessarily unkind and can too powerful to have anything beyond his control, faith glorifies God merely 1/4 principle we glorify God by fruitfulness. We glorify God by fruitfulness is a very important truth in John 15 eight it is stated, just as point-blank as it can be stated. John 15 eight by this is my father glorify, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciple. God is glorified when you bear much fruit. It dishonors God to have the little fruit I don't think there's any such thing as a no fruit. Christian by their fruits you shall know that mom and I think we have to have some manifestation of the life of God in us, but it dishonors God when we we have little fruit you know when you have a look a long time to find a few shriveled grapes should be a bounty, an abundance of fruitfulness in the life of the Christian. That's what Paul was pleading for in Philippians 111 when his prayer was that you would be filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. God is glorified in God is praised when you are still old with the fruit of righteousness, not when it's on now and then, here and there kind of thing but when your life is just filled with righteousness. I mean, is it as an illustration of that Romans chapter 2 in verse 24 provides a very graphic insight here came the people of Israel right the Jews of the time of Jesus the time of Paul and who they claim was there God Jehovah God, and they claimed it loud and far. Everybody in that part of the world knew that they serve the one true God Jehovah God, but they believed in God, but there was no food in their lives.

There was no fruit. Verse 21 of Romans to you. Therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself, you who preach that one should not steal be a steel you say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery you who abhor idols, do you rob temples you who boast in the law through your breaking the law do you dishonor God and then verse 24.

What an incredible indictment for the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you. You are not a source of glorifying God. You are a source of blaspheming God you are a discredit to God you say you belong to God. But look at your life. Thievery, adultery, idolatry, transgression of the law.

It's all there. So you blasphemed the name of God and Jesus addressed this in the sermon on the Mount, he said, in contrast to that kind of living. Here's how I want you live. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, your fruitfulness and do what glorify your Father who is in heaven.

That's not the way the Jews were living. They were claiming to belong to God were claiming to believe in God. They were claiming that God was there God that they had a relationship and a connection with God, and they were experiencing God's power and the fact was the name of God was being laughed at, mocked, and blasphemed among the Gentiles because of the absence of any real spiritual fruit any real good works. Any true righteousness and second Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 11 Paul says to this end, we pray for you always, that our God may count you worthy of your calling and this that he would fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power why we want goodness in your life and power in your life. Why, in order that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, the whole point so that God can receive honor and glory because of the way you live you say yes Christ lives in me and people look at your life and say well done look like it. You say Christ lives in you. Doesn't seem to me that is very powerful.

I don't see anything in your life.

That's particularly transcendent or divine. However, on the other hand, people can look at your life and see the demonstration of true righteousness that brings glory to the one who you claim as your Savior. Now we talk about this fruit just briefly only going to this because we taught this before, but just very briefly what we talking about we meet fruit, two kinds of fruit action fruit and attitude fruit action fruit is what you do righteous deeds. It could be anything from leading someone to Christ like. In Romans 113, where Paul says I want to obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. In other words, I want to lead some people to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. It could be what Paul calls fruit in the Philippians 417 which is a fruit which increases to your account when you give. In other words, it's a giving. Giving is a fruit of the work of God in your life being generous giving to those in need. It could be what Paul has in mind in Colossians 110 bearing fruit in every good work. Every kind of righteous deed. It could be what the writer of Hebrews has in mind. In Hebrews 1315 the fruit of your lips even prays to God any kind of righteous, good deed, any kind of righteous gift any kind of righteous praise to God any deleting of someone to Christ any of those things are action fruit any righteous deed that you do any manifestation of of God in your life. But behind action fruit. There is attitude fruit. What is at the fruit of the spirit. Love Joy peace generals, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control where you see a life filled with love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. There is evidence that God is there. If I say Christ lives in me and my life is without love without joy without tranquility, then who's going to believe that my God is a transforming God right okay God is a need that kind of press that's what he got from Israel, and the result was they blasphemed his name what God wants. First of all is attitude fruit and then action fruit. Listen to this little thought.

If you have action fruit in your life without attitude fruit. That's hypocrisy you just doing things on the outside that don't come from the heart what God wants. As you walk in the spirit.

The Spirit produces attitude fruit attitude fruit resulting action fruit and when your life is characterized with much fruit in God is glorified. Let's close with a couple of Scriptures Ephesians 321 a benediction to him be the glory in the church or what a mandate he wants glory from his church.

To him be the glory in the church, even in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever and we all out of saying men that in Philippians 420 now to our God and father be the glory forever and ever.

A that's John MacArthur, Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary showing you how to live for God's glory. That's the focus and the title of John's current study here on grace to you will were not even a full weekend to 2022 and if you haven't experienced it already. I'm sure the busyness of life will soon test your commitment to having a consistent time in God's word each day. So John as the pace picks up for all of us. What steps can listeners take to build a habit of Bible reading that they really long for, well, it's good that you asked that filled because there this morning as we have been doing. Patricia and I sat together in the early hours of the morning and we read the MacArthur daily Bible where currently reading in Jeremiah 39 and 40. That's the Old Testament passage reading in Psalm 119.

That's the Psalm and reading Proverbs 28 that's the Proverbs and in first Timothy six about contentment and godliness with contentment is great gain and so thousands, tens of thousands of people may be hundreds of thousands of people have been blessed by the MacArthur daily Bible because as I said to get Old Testament reading a New Testament reading of Psalms and in Proverbs and then you get the devotional section and some explanations mixed in.

It's just a great tool and if you can start now. At the beginning of the year and take you it will take you right through the year tell you it's life changing what happens when you when you start your day by reading the word of God is that that becomes the mindset that that that's in your mind. And that's what you're thinking about and what more wonderful things than having your mind set on the truth of God.

So the MacArthur daily Bible we now have available in an updated edition. That means it's it's brand-new. The new addition were excited about it features the new American Standard translation for years. It was the new King James and of course, that that was good.

And many people loved it, but we had endless requests supported in the new American Standard translation because that's what I preach from and it has now arrived. The MacArthur daily Bible. The new American Standard text beautiful leather softcover like the one I use. Even this morning, grace to exclusive the only place you get it is with us and it includes study notes all kinds of things that will set your mind on divine truth.

So don't worry about the new year. Having missed a few days is not too late to a back up and start from the beginning and read the MacArthur daily Bible through the year, reasonably priced, by the way, you can order it today, yes and friend. I encourage you to do what John does and read the MacArthur daily Bible with your spouse or family.

It gives helpful structure for learning and growing in God's word together to get the updated version of the MacArthur daily Bible.

Contact us today to order call our toll-free number 855 grace or use our website TTY.org again, the MacArthur daily Bible will help you read through the entire Bible this year and every year. Order yours by calling 855 grace go to TTY.org and while you're at TTY.org. Make sure you tap into the thousands of Bible related resources that are available to including the gray steel blog with over 1400 articles on topics like spiritual growth dealing with anxiety, responding biblically to persecution and much much more. You can also catch episodes of this broadcasting you may have missed or download any of John's 3500 sermons free of charge in audio or transcript format that web address again TTY.org and to follow grace to you on social media find us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and YouTube now for John MacArthur. I'm Phil Johnson encouraging you to watch grace to you television the Sunday check your local listings for channeling times and make sure you're here tomorrow when John continues his series on how to live for God's glory, with another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to you