I’m sorry but so much of what passes for preaching today is just pablum.

Why would I write that?  Here is why.  Too many sermons deal with the importance of man and not enough deal with the glory of God.

Matt Chandler in his book The Explicit Gospel declares “the foremost desire of God’s heart is not our salvation but rather the glory of His own name.  God’s glory is what drives the universe; it is why everything exists.  This world is not present, spinning and sailing in the universe, so that you and I might be saved or lost but so that God might be glorified in his infinite perfections” [33-34].

Why do we have such a struggle understanding God’s glory? 

First of all, His “glory” is such an abstract concept.  Abstract concepts are ideas that exist in thought but don’t have a physical or concrete existence.  Certainly when one entertains the idea that God’s glory is more important than “anything,” that idea is difficult to grasp.

Biblical references to God’s glory don’t help much. When Moses asks God to show him His glory God tells Moses you cannot see my face and live.  Repeatedly we see in the Old Testament supernatural fire, thick clouds, and a great quaking of the earth.  In the New Testament the glory of God is revealed in His son Jesus Christ.  John 1:14 says “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  Jesus’ miracles revealed God’s glory; John 2: 11 states they were “signs through which he revealed his glory.”  Through Christ, God seems more approachable and knowable since He was a human being [yet divine].

Still however, we struggle to grasp that idea of glory to God alone, what Chandler refers to as soli Deo Gloria.  Let me repeat, “the foremost desire of God’s heart is not our salvation but rather the glory of His own name.”

Even though we struggle with the abstract idea of glory, that is no excuse to put man in the center of the universe.  Some would say that God has always desired a relationship with man.  That would be true, but does God have to have a relationship with man to exist?  Does God have to have man to declare as Chandler says “You complete me.”  The answer is no.  God is not lonely and God does not need us to have fellowship.  His glory drives the universe and it is the reason that everything exists.  The world is not turning because we need God to save us; it is turning so god might be “glorified in His infinite perfections” [34].

Some turn to Scripture and try to prove the importance of man by parsing God’s words.  The problem with that is the Bible provides principles for life but not specific answers to all of man’s questions.  To think so is a mistake.  Dallas Willard* states the “Bible will not tell you what to do with most of the details of your life.”  Certainly there are many guidelines for life: do not engage in illicit sex or do not abuse your parents, but the whole book is not about us.  The idea that it is going to answer every question we have about life is another instance of man trying to assert his importance. 

Some are taken aback by this idea.  “Surely God would not be so egocentric!”  Egocentric is a pejorative word that we can apply to humans but it does not apply to God.  God is so much above this label that it cannot apply. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God created man and that He created him for His glory. Therefore, the ultimate purpose of man, according to the Bible, is simply to glorify God. We were created to bring Him glory. Some would say that God has plans for me; plans that are good.  We can know that, but whatever those plans look like, they will ultimately result in His glory.  If we show righteousness to this world, it comes from God and we must give Him the glory.  It is hard to fight the temptation to be proud of our righteous acts but we are merely vessels for others to see God in us.  We don’t have the power to be righteous but God has the power to work through us.

God stands alone as supreme.  John Piper writes “The further up you go in the revealed thoughts of God, the clearer you see that God’s aim in creating the world was to display the value of His own glory.” 

Truly it is a shock to see that God’s glory is all-important and not man.  Too many of us get this wrong as we express what Christianity means to us.  It is God who has glorious self-regard and it should be that way.  Man has no right to claim “glorious self-regard” and to do so is a simple misunderstanding of God in the least and blasphemy in the worst. 

Let’s just end this post with words by Chandler, strong words which put us in our place.  Too often we forget how humble we should be.  “it is God who is deep in riches, God who is deep in wisdom, God who is deep in lovingkindness, and God who is deep in Glory. Not us.  This is the message of the Bible” [35].

This is the message of the Holy Father.

*from his book Hearing God