We always here this phrase brothers and sisters “Glorify God”. Do we even know what that means? Do we know why we must and do we know how we can do it? In this message, I will try and answer that. What does the word Glorify mean?
The word glorify is a verb that comes from the noun Glory which means honor and/or praise. So, to glorify God means to give God honor and/or praise. The dictionary defines glory as a state of high honor.
So, now that we know what Glory and glorifying God means, why must we glorify God?
We glorify God because:
God commanded us to glorify him
Psalms 22:23 (ESVST)
You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
It is due to him
1 Chronicles 16:29 (NLTse)
Give to the L ord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence. Worship the L ord in all his holy splendor.
For his holiness
Psalms 99:9 (NLTse)
Exalt the L ord our God, and worship at his holy mountain in Jerusalem, for the L ord our God is holy!
For his mercy and truth
Romans 15:9 (NLTse)
He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote: “For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to your name.”
For his faithfulness and truth
Isaiah 25:1 (NIV)
1 Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.
For his wondrous works
Matthew 15:31 (ESVST)
so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.
For his judgments
Ezekiel 28:22 (NLTse)
Give the people of Sidon this message from the Sovereign L ord: “I am your enemy, O Sidon, and I will reveal my glory by what I do to you. When I bring judgment against you and reveal my holiness among you, everyone watching will know that I am the L ord.
For his deliverances
Psalms 50:15 (ESVST)
and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
For his grace to others
Acts 11:18 (ESVST)
When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “ Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
Required in body and spirit
1 Corinthians 6:20 (ESVST)
for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Shall be universal
Psalms 86:9 (ESVST)
All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.
These above are the reasons why we should Glorify God. There are two examples of people who failed to glorify God in the bible and instead glorified themselves, and both of them were severely punished by God. First one is Nebuchadnezzar. This is what he said:
Daniel 4:30 (ESVST)
and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”
This was his punishment for saying this:
Daniel 4:31-33 (ESVST)
While the words were still in the king ‘s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken:The kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds ‘claws.
The other one was Herod:
Acts 12:21-23 (NLTse)
and an appointment with Herod was granted. When the day arrived, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to them. 22 The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!”
23 Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died.
I am sure there are many other examples but, these two should clearly indicate to you the seriousness with which God takes this issue of Glory.