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Body: Cane Creek Friends Meeting 1/11/26 “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Our ultimate goal in life is to glorify God. The reason we exist is to bring glory to God. God created us and all things for His own glory. All creation exists to glorify God. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (**Psalm 19:1**). What is the glory of God? It is who God is. It is the essence of His nature, the core of his character, it is the weight of His being. How do we glorify God? We glorify God, by loving Him and doing what he commands. Our supreme example, of course, is Jesus. He glorified His Father every moment of His life. In fact, toward the end of His life Jesus said to His Father, “I brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you told me to do” (**John 17:4**, NLT). We glorify God in the same way. We bring glory to God by worshiping him. Worship is the primary way in which we glorify God. All of life reflects whom or what we worship. We are to worship God in all that we do. The Bible says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (**1 Corinthians 10:31**). We bring glory to God by loving other believers. Becoming a Christian means becoming part of God’s family. We glorify God when we belong to a church family where we love our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Bible says that “we know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers” (**1 John 3:14**). We bring glory to God by becoming like Christ. God wants his children to grow to spiritual maturity. What does this mean? It means becoming like his Son, Jesus Christ. Becoming more and more like Christ brings glory to God. The Bible says, “And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more” (**2 Corinthians 3:18**, NLT). We bring glory to God by serving others with our gifts. God has given every believer spiritual gifts. He wants us to serve others with the gifts He has entrusted to us. The Bible says, “God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you. . .. Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ” (**1 Peter 4:10-11**, NLT). We bring glory to God by telling others about Him. God wants to use us to tell the world who He is and how He can be known. It is an incredible privilege to introduce others to Jesus and help them discover how they too can bring glory to God. God’s Word says, “As God’s grace brings more and more people to Christ, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory” (**2 Corinthians 4:15**, NLT). Today we will look at how we bring glory to God by worshiping Him. Our text for today is **1 Corinthians 10:31**: "So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God". Our ultimate goal in life is to glorify God. In the movie, Chariots of Fire, which is the true story of two British runners competing in the 1924 Olympics. Eric Liddell is a devout Christian and one of the finest runners in the world. Eric’s sister, Jennie, wants him to leave competitive running and join the family on the mission field in China. Jennie feels Eric is putting running ahead of serving God, and she questions his commitment. In one scene, Eric attempts to help his sister see his point of view. Eric announces with a smile, “I’ve decided I’m going back to China. The missionary service has accepted. . ..” “Oh, Eric, I’m so pleased!” interrupts Jennie. Eric continues, “But I’ve got a lot of running to do first. Jennie, you’ve got to understand. I believe that God made me for a purpose, for China. But he also made me fast, and when I run, I feel his pleasure. To give it up would be to hold him in contempt.” Eric Liddell is an example of a man who knew that all of his life was to bring glory to God. Whether it was by running, or eventually through missionary service in China, his goal was to bring glory to God by worshiping him. God has called us to worship him in every area of our lives. Whether it is eating or drinking or running or whatever, we are to worship and glorify God. Today, I want us to see that we bring glory to God by worshiping him. The English word worship comes from the Anglo-Saxon word weorthscipe, which is tied to the concept of worthiness. Worship, then, is “ascribing to God his worth,” or “stating and affirming his supreme value.” We are people who continually receive both our life and our redemption from God. Our worship of God is a response to him for who he is and for what he has done. We give of ourselves, and then of our attitudes, and finally of our practices—until worship is a way of life for us. Why should we worship God? The reason we should worship God is for his own glory. The apostle Paul says to the Corinthians, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (**1 Corinthians 10:31**). King David puts it this way in the Psalms, “Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones, ascribe to the Lord’s glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness” (**Psalm 29:1-2**). There is no higher reason than the glory of God because the glory of God is more important than anything else in all creation. John Piper communicates this as effectively as anyone in our generation. Piper has written, “God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in him.” We worship God because we want him to be glorified in every area of our lives. We should never assume that we glorify God in all that we do; we should be very conscious about bringing glory to God in all that we do. The reason we should worship God, and in fact do everything in life, is to bring glory and honor to God. There are other reasons why we should worship God. Ligon Duncan gives further reasons why we should worship God: "Because God said to worship, because God created us to worship, because God saved us to worship, because it is our natural duty as creatures and joyful duty as Christians to worship, because our worship is a response of gratitude for saving grace, because those with new hearts long to hear his word and express their devotion, because God wants to bless us with himself, because God has chosen us for his own inheritance and seeks to commune with us in his ordinances, and more." These are all important reasons for worshiping God. They deserve more time and attention than we can give right now. But the most important reason for worshiping God is to glorify him. How should we worship God? Let me mention just a few ways in which God may be worshiped. First, we worship God by prayer. **John 14:13** is a clear statement that prayer glorifies God: “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.” Praying in Jesus’ name means praying on behalf of Jesus, asking in line with what he desires. Our requests must be in accordance with his will. In other words, it is not possible to pray in Jesus’ name for something that he does not want. Prayer is communicating with God. It is living in the consciousness of God’s wonderful presence and communicating with him there, learning his thoughts and desires, and praying for their fulfillment. Second, we worship God by reading Scripture. Communication with God is of course a two-way communication. In prayer we tell God what is on our mind. We tell him our concerns. We praise him. We exalt him. But in the reading of Scripture, God tells us what is on **H****is** mind. In Scripture we discover the will of God. In our regular daily, private worship of God, we should have a plan to read through the Bible. There are many different plans. Whatever you do, don’t just read haphazardly. Find a systematic way of reading through the Bible that works for you. And since this is the start of a new year, let me encourage you to read your Bible through this year. Third, we worship God by singing. We are urged to sing at God’s command no less than 75 times in Scriptures! The singing is clearly not just mental but also vocal—out loud! Even those who don’t sing, should sing praise and worship to God. Fourth, we worship God by trusting him. God is glorified when we trust him completely. Trusting God is the most basic form of worship. **Hebrews 11:6** says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” As Christians we say that we believe God keeps his Word and never breaks his promises, but so few of us live lives of total trust in God and his Word. When we fail to trust God, we fail to worship and glorify him. But more than that, when we fail to trust God, we are saying to all, “My God cannot be trusted. He is not worthy of trust.” Fifth, we worship God by verbal praise. The Psalmist says in **Psalm 71:8**, “My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.” Many of the Psalms are expressions of praise to God. What is praise? Praise is simply exalting God by reciting his attributes, his works, and thanking him for who he is and what he has done. But, as everyone knows, it is easy to praise God for the good things that come our way. But what should we do when we encounter trials and adversity and even evil in our life? How should we respond when the dinner burns, the car breaks down, we get sick, lose our jobs, face financial hardship, or lose a loved one? Even in these circumstances we should offer up praise to God. We should worship God throughout our day praising him for who he is and what he has done. **Romans 8:28** says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Paul assures the believer that he has God’s guarantee that everything that happens to him in this life will ultimately work for the good. We must learn to praise God in all circumstances. I came across a poem called The Weaver. It may be helpful to you during those dark hours when it feels hard to praise God. My life is but a weaving Between my Lord and me; I cannot choose the colors, He worketh steadily. Often times He chooseth sorrow, And I in foolish pride; Forget He sees the upper, And I the underside. The dark threads are as needful In the Weaver’s skillful hand; As the threads of gold and silver In the pattern He has planned. Not till the loom is silent And the shuttle cease to fly, Shall God unroll the canvas And explain the reason why. Our ultimate goal in life is to glorify God. We bring glory to God by worshiping him. Worship is the primary way in which we glorify God. Let us bring glory to God by worshiping him in every area of our lives. “So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (**1 Corinthians 10:31**).
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