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Introduction:
What is the bottom line in my life? When the race is over and the
finish line crossed, how should I measure my victory? Should I
measure it based on my property, my possessions, my positions, my
posterity, my power or my prowess. Notice the common denominator
in all of those pursuits—me. If I make these issues my measuring
stick, most of my time will be spent on me. I will be pursuing my
wealth, my fame, my status and my glory. Sadly, many people end
the game having racked up huge scores in these areas, but losing
the game. Psalm
115:1 explains what our bottom line should be. “Not to
us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory.” We will win
in this game of life not based on how we have magnified ourselves,
but based on how we have magnified God. Our bottom line must be
God’s glory, not our own. If you want to win this game of life
and receive the crown of victory, then learn the lessons from Psalm
115 about glorifying God. Discussion: I.
We must acknowledge Him as God. A.
In Psalm
115:3-8, the psalmist contrasts Jehovah with the idols.
The idols cannot speak, cannot see, cannot hear, cannot smell,
cannot feel, cannot walk and cannot talk. Jehovah, however, is
all-powerful. Consider the parallel point made in Jeremiah
10:1-16. However, the frightening point is that those who
follow after these dead idols will become just like them according
to Psalm
115:8. They will be destroyed. Jehovah alone is God and we
must acknowledge that. B.
Amazingly, among the New Age movement, a great deal of the
ancient pagan superstitions and idolatries are making a
resurgence. These false gods can do nothing and have done nothing.
However, I highly doubt anyone listening to this lesson is tempted
to follow after the New Age gods or goddesses. But there are many
who follow after the god of their own appetite as Philippians
3:19. They follow after their own fleshly desires,
catering to their own physical whims. Paul said their end is
destruction. We must learn that God is God and we are not. C.
Another passage demonstrates those who follow the God of
possessions and material things. According to Colossians
3:5, covetousness is idolatry. All our possessions are man
made. They are like the lumps of gold or sticks of wood men used
to bow to. They can accomplish nothing and in the end we will
become as dead as they are if we follow after them. We must
recognize that only God is God and only God can provide the
blessing we crave and need. II.
We must submit to His sovereignty. A.
Psalm
115:3
says, “Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He
pleases.” Vs.
15 says, “May you be blessed of the Lord, Maker of
heaven and earth.” Our Lord, as maker, is the sovereign ruler of
heaven and earth. He is in control and He gets to do whatever He
pleases. B.
That being the case, we must recognize Him as our King and
Judge. We glorify God by submitting to His sovereignty, by obeying
His rule. We submit to God’s sovereignty when we do God’s
things, God’s way, letting Him rule our lives. I think of the
prayer Jesus taught in Matthew
6:10. “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as
it is in heaven.” How can we pray this prayer unless we have
first allowed God’s kingdom to come into our hearts and His will
to be done in our lives. Is God your king? C.
Finally, we submit to God’s sovereignty when we let God
do His things His way. Too many pray and then get upset because
things do not happen exactly the way they asked. Too often we act
as though God is at our beck and call to accomplish our will
whenever we pray long enough, hard enough or with enough faith. We
must learn to wait on the Lord and accept His working as good in
its time. Psalm
37:7-11 is a great example. Do not get angry with God when
things do not go your way. Wait on Him and submit to His
sovereignty, in the end you will be rewarded. III.
We must honor His ownership. A.
Psalm
115:16
says, “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth He
has given to the sons of men.” I realize that the text says God
has given the earth to us. However, the point we must note is that
the earth is God’s to give. In Psalm
50:12, God says, “If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all it contains.” While God has given
the world to us, He has given it to us in stewardship. He is the
owner; we are the servants that must use His possessions to His
glory. B.
Everything we have from money to possessions to resources
to abilities to opportunities belong to God. He has granted us the
use of them, but not to pursue our personal ends. We have the use
of His gifts to pursue His ends. We are like the servants in Matthew
25:14-30. The Lord has left us in charge of His
possessions but a day of accounting will come when we must
demonstrate what kind of return we have made for Him—not for us;
For Him. What are you doing that glorifies God with the house He
has given you? …the cars? …the clothes? … the money? …the
abilities? …the time? …the relationships? IV.
We must trust His protection. A.
Psalm
115:9-11
explains that we can trust God. He is a help and a shield. He is a
protector and a defender. In vs.
12, the psalmist says, “The Lord has been mindful of us;
He will bless us.” His point is that God had already
demonstrated His lovingkindness toward them, they could trust Him
to continue His protection and blessing. B.
We are in the same boat. The Lord has been mindful of us.
Paul explains this same point in Romans
5:6-10. If God would send His Son to die for us while we
were sinners, how much more can we trust Him to protect us and
give us what we need to live now that we have submitted to His
Son? We can trust His protection. Consider Romans
8:31-39. God is for us and nothing can defeat us—as long
as we trust His protection. C.
Matthew
6:33
is part of this trust. Too many people get caught up in the wrong
bottom line because they do not trust God to take care of them.
They are afraid God will leave them homeless or hungry if they
trust Him. They subconsciously pursue life in a way that says,
“God, I love You and I want to be Your child, but once I have my
own bases covered, then I will order my life after Your will.”
Seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first and trust Him to
protect you. That is what glorifies God. V.
We must bless His worthiness. A.
Psalm
115:18
says, “But as for us, we will bless the Lord from this time
forth and forever. Praise the Lord!” Based on all we have
learned, God is worthy of praise and glory and honor. We, on the
other hand, are not. The picture of worship around God’s throne
in Revelation
4:8-11 is a great illustration of this understanding. B.
God is God and we are not. God is the sovereign ruler and
we are not. God is the owner of all and we are not. God is the
almighty protector and we are not. We should bless and praise God
for all that He is. We should recognize how unworthy we are and
quit trying to bring some of the praise, honor and glory to
ourselves. C.
That is not to say that we lie around and do nothing.
Rather, it means that everything we do, we do in order to bear
fruit that glorifies and honors God (John
15:8). Everything we do should find its root in obedience
to God, glorifying Him. Conclusion: What is your bottom line? What is your standard of measure for victory in this life? Sooner or later, we will all face a day in which what is most important to us will be how much we glorified God. Why not make that day today? If we do, then on the day when we reconcile our accounts with God we will be able to hand back more talents than we were given. To God be the glory.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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