To God Be The Glory!
Sermon
Sermons on the First Readings
Series III, Cycle C
Object:
One of the most prolific songwriters of the nineteenth century was Fanny Crosby. She was the daughter of John and Mercy Crosby from Putnam County, New York. Fanny was born on March 24, 1820. At age six weeks she became ill with a slight cold, causing inflammation of the eyes. Her concerned parents sent for the doctor to come and examine her. The family doctor was out of town and a doctor unfamiliar with the Crosby family came to the home. He recommended the use of hot poultices, which destroyed her sight. Growing up in a sightless world did not deter Fanny Crosby; she would not let anyone feel sorry for her. At the age of fifteen, she entered the New York Institution for the Blind, where she earned an excellent education. She became a teacher in the Institution in 1847 and continued her work until March 1, 1858. She taught English grammar, rhetoric, and Roman and American history. During this period of her life she began to develop a passion for song writing and poetry.
She wrote several secular songs that were very popular in her day. Hymn writing, however, is what the world remembers best about Fanny Crosby. She wrote over 4,000 of them in her lifetime. She had a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ since childhood, and it inspired her hymn writing. She wrote the songs, "Safe In The Arms Of Jesus," "Rescue The Perishing," "Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour," "Jesus Keep Me Near The Cross," "Blessed Assurance," and more. Another of her hymns, "To God Be The Glory" is one that the prophet Isaiah could have related to very well. Sing with her words:
To God be the glory, great things he hath done!
So loved he the world that he gave us His Son,
who yielded his life an atonement for sin,
and opened the lifegate that all may go in.
O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
to every believer, the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
Great things he hath taught us, great things he hath done,
and great our rejoicing thru Jesus, the Son;
but purer, and higher, and greater will be
our wonder, our transport when Jesus we see!
Refrain:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord;
let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord;
let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father thru Jesus the Son,
and give him the glory -- great things he hath done!1
Fanny Crosby may not have been able to see the glory of God with her eyes, but she certainly saw him with her heart! Today, we are called to see the glory of God with our heart in a dark, dismal world. He has come to shine on us.
The Old Testament usually translates "glory" with the word kabod, which means "importance, weight, or radiance." Isaiah understood the radiance of God when he wrote, "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory (radiance) of the Lord rises upon you" (Isaiah 60:1 NIV). Have you experienced that brilliance, radiance, glory in your life? Without that holy glory, darkness shadows the soul. God's glory doesn't automatically splash on you, it is something that has to be desired, longed after, and asked for by each individual.
God's Glory Dispels Darkness (Isaiah 60:2-3a)
There are many dark spots in the world because of pride, hatred, prejudice, child trafficking, prostitution, pornography, sex tourism, domestic servitude, forced soldiering, slave work, sweat shops, and all colors of sin.
Dr. Hermann Gschwandtner wrote an article titled "The Village without Men: Sharing God's Love" that paints the darkness of sin. He writes about the "paradise island" known for its beautiful, lush green countryside known as Sri Lanka. "But life is no paradise in the small eastern village of Sathurukondan. Although its people are welcoming and friendly, they have suffered great tragedy: Only women and girls reside there." Why only women and girls? Simple. All 800 of the men and boys were murdered by men who came into their village and massacred them. "The attackers' motivation remains unclear, but hundreds lost their lives in the slaughter."
Sathurukondan is caught in the middle of Sri Lanka's civil war. More than 150,000 have fled the area, and most resettle elsewhere. It is difficult to know how to share God's love and his glory with those left behind. How does God display his glory and radiance in the middle of such utter horror and downright despair?2
* Through people who care -- Christians who will carry out programs of compassion ... nutritional, educational, agricultural, and spiritual.
* Through people who share -- they share the promise of God's forgiveness from sin with all of its ugliness.
* Through people who converse -- these people will listen and talk through the grief and hurt.
* Through our own experience of discovering God's grace and mercy in all situations of life.
* Through our own experience of exercising faith and realizing that God has faith in us as well.
* Through our own experience of walking daily with Jesus we can see the reminders of his universe, world, and people.
The glory of God must be passed from one generation to another.
God's Glory Shines Inside The Heart (Isaiah 60:5)
Discovering God's glory in and around our earth is great ... the beauty of the earth, the intricacies of our bodies, the sight of a rainbow, the variety of species, the details of a snowflake. It is also discovering God's glory inside our hearts. His glory will bring a distinctiveness or noble character to a life that has been ravaged by sin. Though we were chained like a slave, held by sin's galling fetters in life, God broke those chains apart and now there is a glorious freedom from the dungeon of life. Glorious light! Holy light! Pure sunshine! Jesus incarnated by the Holy Spirit born of a woman -- flesh and divinity perfectly matched. As the theologians would say about Jesus, "very God and very man." When he is invited into our hearts he comes to live inside so that we now possess a glorious heart -- a redeemed heart -- a pure heart -- a clean heart!
In 1907, Kate Byron wrote the song, "He's Everything To Me" (sometimes attributed to Kate Ulmer) and the words are so meaningful.
In sin I once had wandered, all weary, sad, and lone,
till Jesus through his mercy, adopted me his own.
E'er since I learned to trust him, his grace doth make me free,
and now I feel his pardon. He's everything to me.
Refrain:
He's everything to me; from sin he sets me free.
His peace and love my portion through all eternity!
He's everything to me, more than I dreamed could be.
O praise his name forever! He's everything to me.3
We cannot sing that song unless the glory of the Lord shines within us!
God's Glory Radiates Outside (Isaiah 60:6b)
Living near Lake Michigan for nearly a quarter of a century allowed me to observe lighthouses from Chicago's shores to "Big Red" in Holland, Michigan. No matter the architectural style, shape, color, or design, the purpose of all lighthouses is to send out the light! With our hearts throbbing and swelling with God's glory, we will radiate like lighthouses through the dark waters on which spiritual vessels sail. We will send out the light of God's glory. How?
* Through our attitude of joy.
Happiness is caused by things that happen around me, and circumstances will mar it; but joy flows right through trouble; joy flows in the night as well as in the day; joy flows through persecution and opposition. It is an unceasing fountain bubbling up in the heart; secret spring the world can't see and doesn't know anything about.4
* Through our attitude of assurance -- we have a confidence that endures because it is in God.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.5
* Through an attitude of hope -- the Christian's light brightly shows the attitude of hope to a world that is sickened with the disease of hopelessness. Armies line up on one another's borders and territories. Terrorists have no boundaries. Hatred knows no friendships. Many in the world shake their heads in despair, but God gives a hope and his name is Jesus!
In both the Old and New Testaments the glory of God is an expression of God's inherent majesty that his people recognize and for which they have a passion! Give God glory wherever you are today ... whenever you want to express a "glory to God" ... whatever circumstance you are in, give God praise, honor, and glory! Amen.
___________________
1. "To God Be The Glory," words by Fanny J. Crosby, 1875. In the public domain.
2. Nazarene Compassionate Ministries magazine 2008, Vol. 5, No. 1, p. 7.
3. "He's Everything To Me," words by Kate Byron, also attributed to Kate Ulmer, 1907. In the public domain.
4. Lila Empson, editor, Soul Retreats for Leaders (Grand Rapids: Inspirio, 2003), p. 37.
5. "Blessed Assurance," words by Fanny J. Crosby, 1873. In the public domain.
She wrote several secular songs that were very popular in her day. Hymn writing, however, is what the world remembers best about Fanny Crosby. She wrote over 4,000 of them in her lifetime. She had a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ since childhood, and it inspired her hymn writing. She wrote the songs, "Safe In The Arms Of Jesus," "Rescue The Perishing," "Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour," "Jesus Keep Me Near The Cross," "Blessed Assurance," and more. Another of her hymns, "To God Be The Glory" is one that the prophet Isaiah could have related to very well. Sing with her words:
To God be the glory, great things he hath done!
So loved he the world that he gave us His Son,
who yielded his life an atonement for sin,
and opened the lifegate that all may go in.
O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
to every believer, the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
Great things he hath taught us, great things he hath done,
and great our rejoicing thru Jesus, the Son;
but purer, and higher, and greater will be
our wonder, our transport when Jesus we see!
Refrain:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord;
let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord;
let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father thru Jesus the Son,
and give him the glory -- great things he hath done!1
Fanny Crosby may not have been able to see the glory of God with her eyes, but she certainly saw him with her heart! Today, we are called to see the glory of God with our heart in a dark, dismal world. He has come to shine on us.
The Old Testament usually translates "glory" with the word kabod, which means "importance, weight, or radiance." Isaiah understood the radiance of God when he wrote, "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory (radiance) of the Lord rises upon you" (Isaiah 60:1 NIV). Have you experienced that brilliance, radiance, glory in your life? Without that holy glory, darkness shadows the soul. God's glory doesn't automatically splash on you, it is something that has to be desired, longed after, and asked for by each individual.
God's Glory Dispels Darkness (Isaiah 60:2-3a)
There are many dark spots in the world because of pride, hatred, prejudice, child trafficking, prostitution, pornography, sex tourism, domestic servitude, forced soldiering, slave work, sweat shops, and all colors of sin.
Dr. Hermann Gschwandtner wrote an article titled "The Village without Men: Sharing God's Love" that paints the darkness of sin. He writes about the "paradise island" known for its beautiful, lush green countryside known as Sri Lanka. "But life is no paradise in the small eastern village of Sathurukondan. Although its people are welcoming and friendly, they have suffered great tragedy: Only women and girls reside there." Why only women and girls? Simple. All 800 of the men and boys were murdered by men who came into their village and massacred them. "The attackers' motivation remains unclear, but hundreds lost their lives in the slaughter."
Sathurukondan is caught in the middle of Sri Lanka's civil war. More than 150,000 have fled the area, and most resettle elsewhere. It is difficult to know how to share God's love and his glory with those left behind. How does God display his glory and radiance in the middle of such utter horror and downright despair?2
* Through people who care -- Christians who will carry out programs of compassion ... nutritional, educational, agricultural, and spiritual.
* Through people who share -- they share the promise of God's forgiveness from sin with all of its ugliness.
* Through people who converse -- these people will listen and talk through the grief and hurt.
* Through our own experience of discovering God's grace and mercy in all situations of life.
* Through our own experience of exercising faith and realizing that God has faith in us as well.
* Through our own experience of walking daily with Jesus we can see the reminders of his universe, world, and people.
The glory of God must be passed from one generation to another.
God's Glory Shines Inside The Heart (Isaiah 60:5)
Discovering God's glory in and around our earth is great ... the beauty of the earth, the intricacies of our bodies, the sight of a rainbow, the variety of species, the details of a snowflake. It is also discovering God's glory inside our hearts. His glory will bring a distinctiveness or noble character to a life that has been ravaged by sin. Though we were chained like a slave, held by sin's galling fetters in life, God broke those chains apart and now there is a glorious freedom from the dungeon of life. Glorious light! Holy light! Pure sunshine! Jesus incarnated by the Holy Spirit born of a woman -- flesh and divinity perfectly matched. As the theologians would say about Jesus, "very God and very man." When he is invited into our hearts he comes to live inside so that we now possess a glorious heart -- a redeemed heart -- a pure heart -- a clean heart!
In 1907, Kate Byron wrote the song, "He's Everything To Me" (sometimes attributed to Kate Ulmer) and the words are so meaningful.
In sin I once had wandered, all weary, sad, and lone,
till Jesus through his mercy, adopted me his own.
E'er since I learned to trust him, his grace doth make me free,
and now I feel his pardon. He's everything to me.
Refrain:
He's everything to me; from sin he sets me free.
His peace and love my portion through all eternity!
He's everything to me, more than I dreamed could be.
O praise his name forever! He's everything to me.3
We cannot sing that song unless the glory of the Lord shines within us!
God's Glory Radiates Outside (Isaiah 60:6b)
Living near Lake Michigan for nearly a quarter of a century allowed me to observe lighthouses from Chicago's shores to "Big Red" in Holland, Michigan. No matter the architectural style, shape, color, or design, the purpose of all lighthouses is to send out the light! With our hearts throbbing and swelling with God's glory, we will radiate like lighthouses through the dark waters on which spiritual vessels sail. We will send out the light of God's glory. How?
* Through our attitude of joy.
Happiness is caused by things that happen around me, and circumstances will mar it; but joy flows right through trouble; joy flows in the night as well as in the day; joy flows through persecution and opposition. It is an unceasing fountain bubbling up in the heart; secret spring the world can't see and doesn't know anything about.4
* Through our attitude of assurance -- we have a confidence that endures because it is in God.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.5
* Through an attitude of hope -- the Christian's light brightly shows the attitude of hope to a world that is sickened with the disease of hopelessness. Armies line up on one another's borders and territories. Terrorists have no boundaries. Hatred knows no friendships. Many in the world shake their heads in despair, but God gives a hope and his name is Jesus!
In both the Old and New Testaments the glory of God is an expression of God's inherent majesty that his people recognize and for which they have a passion! Give God glory wherever you are today ... whenever you want to express a "glory to God" ... whatever circumstance you are in, give God praise, honor, and glory! Amen.
___________________
1. "To God Be The Glory," words by Fanny J. Crosby, 1875. In the public domain.
2. Nazarene Compassionate Ministries magazine 2008, Vol. 5, No. 1, p. 7.
3. "He's Everything To Me," words by Kate Byron, also attributed to Kate Ulmer, 1907. In the public domain.
4. Lila Empson, editor, Soul Retreats for Leaders (Grand Rapids: Inspirio, 2003), p. 37.
5. "Blessed Assurance," words by Fanny J. Crosby, 1873. In the public domain.
