welcome to this episode of real Christianity my name is Dale Partridge reach week I offer 15 to 20-minute answers to tough theological and pastoral question this is 100% listener support audio Ministry of relearn. Org and for those who don't know our mission a tree learn.org is to educate and equip ordinary Christians to plant biblical confessional and missional house churches for more information just visit relearn. Org forward slash house
 welcome to real Christianity my name is Dale Partridge for those of you who don't know the show notes for these episodes are always available at relearn. Org thanks for joining today I will be touching on some of the doctrinal features of the great Reformation tiller soli Deo Gloria which is Latin for Glory to God alone but before we begin I just wanted to make a few quick announcements for those who are new here welcome this podcast is a Ministry of relearn. Org our mission is to bring the church back to the Bible fighting for physical literacy and a generation that seems so far from it for those who have been donating to support our cause thank you so much it has been incredibly helpful to be able to have the funds to continue doing this important Eternal work and the the cam
 it's on the podcast the work that the Lord has done through this show is just amazing so for those of you who are regular supporters at $5 a month or $10 a month or $20 a month thank you so much you guys are continuing to allow me and our team to produce these episodes as well as write articles and produce other content and video and courses are they go out and Proclaim gospel Doctrine if you would like to join and support our ministry we would be blessed by that you can do so at a relearn. Org forward slash donate and again it doesn't need to be it doesn't need to be much in fact I think they what makes our ministry sustainable has been that there are many people who just donate small amount $10 $20 maybe $50 a month but those months
 we reoccurring giving accounts really offer our ministry this ability to forecast what we're going to produce later in the year because we're really relying upon the donations of the Church of the Saints it's difficult sometimes to plan for what's going to happen if people are just one time giving and or giving for a few months and then stopped and so we have to be very careful with how we spend and having good reserves but these reoccurring accounts really do help in a major way and again as I said only at maybe 10 bucks a month or 20 bucks a month it's a really great way to support that and if your regular listener to the show we hope that these episodes are at least worth $5 to your spiritual journey so thank you so much for that and again that's a tree learn.org
 forward slash donate so the title of today's episode is are you stealing God's glory
 this is an important question I've received this question from several people received this the topic of this question from several people trying to understand what it means to give God glory I wanted to talk about the Westminster Shorter Catechism which is the catechism that came out of the Westminster Confession you can actually buy little booklets of the Shorter Catechism it's a really great tool to take your children through there are versions that have been simplified and in modern language for younger audiences as well there was also another great catechism this the Reformed Baptist catechism you can get that at founders.org and but the Westminster Shorter Catechism opens with I think the most important question of all time and ask what is the chief end of man what is the ultimate
 purpose of man the answer in the catechism is man's Chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever
 no I don't believe many of us in the church are against enjoying God I expected we generally speaking also desire to give God glory but I'm realizing that are self-focused me Centric culture that you combined with a church that really has week biblical and Theological comprehension has generated an environment for Christians where I see pretty often a reveling in our own accomplishments while failing to recognize and honor the source of those accomplishments
 I'm going to tell you a quick story this past week I was on the internet and I had someone write me a message and they complimented me on the delivery of my episode I did hear it real Christianity on this podcast on predestination and I responded back with them are to them and I wrote I wrote thank you that means a lot I spent many hours preparing that episode
 but as soon as that last word left my keyboard I felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit you see what I just did I just receive the glory for the fruitful work that got accomplished through me in that episode and ultimately in the flash we can do this often you know whether it's in our work or in our parenting order creative talents are in our communication skills or even in our ministry we hunger for and willingly receive the compliments the congratulations the award the commendations the admiration to the affirmation the popularity the public Praises be the Applause the honor and ultimately the glory for the good works accomplished in our lives
 but to be frank what we look at this at the posture of a heart that is hungering for and willingly receiving these things it's in its subtle but it's in
 I'm too quickly we forget Jesus's words in John 6:63 that explicitly states it is the spirit who gives life the flesh profits nothing
 it makes me where I'm going with this
 if you
 produce something fruitful in your life
 it is not a product of The Flash but a product of the spirit that's why it's fruitful right thus if the praiseworthy work that you produced is of the spirit and not of the flesh what are you doing accepting a compliment or the honor or the admiration for the results how are we
 looking in the mirror
 when we should really be looking to the king who dwells within us
 all right people we we we must
 discipline
 ourselves to deflect the glory of our fruitful Works to God we must learn to give credit where credit's due
 and we all struggle with this but this actually is concept of giving God the glory goes actually much further than just our daily verse Lee accomplishments think about this for a second every sin that you have ever conquered
 you cannot a tribute to your own self discipline or self-control Mentor self motivation or self-control you do not slay your sin Christ in you slaves your sin in fact you have never overcome sin in your life in the flash it is only through Christ that you have been is Sanctified and Quicken The Concourse in I mean this goes even further it it's it's not you who glorifies God it's Christ in you who glorifies God right you don't even have faith in Christ the faith that you have is a gift of God in his plan to redeem you
 there's just so much that we have to recognize on this concept here and then walking a knife blade of comprehension here of balancing basically God's sovereignty and man's responsibility and said there might be some gray areas like how should we accept compliments or you know what is that really look like in and we'll try to talk about that as I go on here but I just want to recognize that I know this questions might be a rising here
 the Bible teaches us that as Christians we have two paths that we can walk
 we can walk by the flesh or we can walk by the spirit Galatians 5:16 tells us but I say to you walk by the spirit and you will not carry out the desires of The Flash
 when we walk in the spirit and produce spiritual fruit we can't accept the glory for it because it's not our faculties that we've accomplished these things but to the Holy Spirit dwelling in US
 I just want you guys to grass that every good thing that we accomplish every fruitful thing and I use the word good and holy sent in a righteous sense
 we have to look to Christ who is the one the Holy Spirit that's bringing that power through US therefore he gets the glory for all of those good things that we produce and when we fail
 and we send that's when we get to look in the mirror that's when we get to repent that's when we get to stand before the Lord and I have denied your ways father and I have followed my father forgive me
 and bring me back to follow you
 I said in previous episodes
 about asking to pray it's not about
 increasing your own personal desire to pray it's not increasing your own personal will to worship more it's not increasing your discipline to read the scriptures more it's not about those that's not what we should be praying we should be praying is Father give me the hunger to want the scriptures more father help me have a yearning to pray more father come into me and tell me tell my heart the value of worshipping you
 father you do that working me change my appetites so that I might long for these things more you do that work in me
 it's not about us doing more but asking God to do more in US
 play Psalms 115 1
 Thomas Wright's not to us O Lord not to us but to your name give Glory because of your loving kindness because of your truth
 Hebrew poetry often uses repetition as a way to express enthusiasm the psalmist says it twice right not to us O Lord not to us
 he knows that we in the flash or prone
 to accepting the glory
 and we have to reorient our hearts to see that all that good work accomplished by us is not through us but Christ in US
 one of my favorite worship bands
 is city of light
 there's some really great songs they released the song in 2018 titled yet not I but through Christ in me that's want to read all the lyrics but I want to share a few stanzas with you as I read through them
 it says to this I hold my hope is only Jesus for my life is wholly bound to his oh how strange and divine I can sing All Is Mine
 yet not I but through Christ in me
 to this I hold my shepherd will defend me
 for the deepest valley he will lead oh the night has been won and I shall overcome yet not I but through Christ in me
 to this I hold my sin has been defeated Jesus now and ever is my plea oh the chains are released I can sing I am free now. I but through Christ in me
 to this I hold my hope is only Jesus all the glory Evermore to him when the race is complete still my lips shall repeat yet not I but through Christ in me
 I think the song Echoes Paul's words in Galatians 2:20 many of you have this passage memorized it reads I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me and the life which I Live Now In the Flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me
 1st Corinthians 4 we see Paul is warning the Corinthians about Desiring distinction or to be distinguished rank based on the spiritual gift in her the position that they've been given in the church
 and in verse 7 in chapter 4 Paul reminds them of the source of all things he writes for who regards you as Superior what do you have that you did not receive and if you did receive it why do you boast as if you had not received it
 people are Health our sight or hearing our ability to breathe and laugh and play and love are all from God our income in our job and our family and our friends are all from God are closing in our books and our personalities in our opportunities are all from God there is no good thing in your life that wasn't given to you by God there wasn't even a bad thing that hasn't been used to sanctify you to make you more like his son
 I think of the passage in Romans I believe it's a trite God works all things together for those who love him and are called according to his purpose
 I should say that actually one more time God works together all things for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose
 really this whole concept of all things
 all good things given to you all things that come out of you that are good all of it we need to give glory to God we need to deflect and reject the Praises of men
 we need to examine our hearts that they're not hungry for Glory
 that we don't yearn for the compliments
 Romans 11:36 is for from him and through him and to him are all things to him be the glory forever amen
 that's an amazing statement
 let's just say that
 we're going to take this literally because we're Christians and we look at the Bible we have a literal hermeneutic of the text and we believe this is true and it's authoritative
 this passage says for from him and through him and to him are all things
 the ant walking across the ground is from him and through him and to him
 the strings on your guitar are from him and through him and to him
 sweat on your forehead is from him and through him and to him
 the drink in your hand is from him and threw him into him this is an amazing statement
 it's really what's the application of this concept of giving glory to God in our we examining our hearts to not steal the glory for the good things produced in US
 I practically speaking
 we we need to increase our use of the phrases to him be the glory or praise God or only by God's grace I'll be able to do that or not me but Christ in me.
 The discovery statement that we just say they need to come from a place of of genuine conviction
 when we get the compliment just deflect straight I'll pray it's to him be the glory help by God's great I was able to do this if the Lord wills it I'll do these things
 hit me the core not me
 if it was just me I would be dead in my truck just doesn't send
 I would be over there with a drug addict and The Prostitute and and that's where I would be without Christ I would be held down without Christ anything good that comes out of me is not for me it's from Christ in me
 now the heart
 you could even be more I'm going to give you a quick little story that Jesus talks about Matthew
 I think it's 23 5 through 12 talks about people who seek Glory
 and who seek honor and he says in response to the Pharisees he says but they do all their deeds to be noticed by men who they brought in their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels undergarments
 they love the place of honor at Banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces and being called Rabbi by men but do not be called Rabbi for one is your teacher and you are all Brothers do not call anyone on Earth your father for one is your father he who is in heaven do not be called leaders for one is your leader that is Christ
 but the greatest among you shall be your servant whoever exalts himself shall be humbled and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted
 so I want you to pay close attention to that last verse whoever exalts himself shall be humbled and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted
 I want you to examine your heart today what are the motives behind your work
 what are the motives behind why you are the best mom with a the best dad or the best Zeo or the best graphic designer or the best preacher
 or whatever it may be that you're doing what are the motives for you being the best is it because you're working as if you're working for the Lord
 or you secretly Desiring Applause and approval from your friends and family and co-workers
 but we need to be doing is speaking only of the approval and the Applause of God Alone
 that's that's the application for these things the motives for why we Hustle the motives for why we work righteously and thoroughly and well and we labor in loved the reason we do those things
 is to give God the glory
 it's not so that we can be appreciated or popular or our platform can be built or that we can be well known
 or that we can be honored
 many of us have these insecurities that need to be filled and we're filling them with these issues of these Applause of men instead of the love of Christ coming from the gratitude for what he's done from us
 1st Corinthians 10:31 says whether then you eat or you drink or whatever you do do all to the glory of God
 it's what our focus is not on the acceptance or Praise of others
 that's when we can faithfully and humbly work for the Lord and when we approach our work in this posture
 we're not looking for compliments but we're just going Lord watch me I'm going to work for you father because of what you've done for me
 that humble and faithful Spirit the Lord says he will exalt us
 I don't know what that looks like
 definitely not a carnal definition of exaltation
 he will exalt us and that's all that matters
 tell for this episode as helpful and examining your own heart and that we would be even more effective
 a recognizing our attempts to steal God's glory and that he would work in us and sanctify us that we would glorify him more and not by our own strength but by the strength of Christ in US
 so thank you for listening to this episode of real Christianity if your regular listener to the podcast thank you you guys know that I think we're over 5,000 reviews and those reviews really do help the exposure of our show specially if you write something you don't need to you can just tap the stars but if you do write something it really I do read every single one of those reviews whether they're critical or whether their kind thank you so much for those reviews
 and you can do so just by tapping the ratings in the podcast app that you're listening to on that note thank you so much for joining us in your face listenership it really does mean a lot to our ministry my name is Dale Partridge and we'll see you next week
thank you for listening to this episode of real Christianity if your regular was no to the show would you personally consider making a donation to support our ministry efforts simply visit relearn. Org forward slash donate again at 3 learn.org for donate and for those looking to explore the idea of joining or planting a church in your home you can download our free pdf ebook title the basics of biblical Houston visiting relearn. Org for house last week you have a theological question you would like answered on the show submit your question at relearn. Org forward slash question thanks for joining us on this episode of real Christianity we will see you next Wednesday