John 17:1-5, Our Purpose: To Glorify God (4)

Let us consider one more way that believers, and thus, the Church, glorifies God.

·       1 Thess. 4:1: We glorify God when we live to please God.  Paul exhorts them so that (hina) they might abound more and more.  To abound more in what?  To abound in walking as we should and in pleasing God.  This matter of “pleasing God” is prominent in Old and New Testament alike.  Do you remember the terrible sins of David, in the matter of Uriah the Hittite?  David took another man’s wife, and then orchestrated the death of that loyal man.  These were horrible sins.  Perhaps you remember, however, the most egregious fact in all that he did: the thing that David had done displeased the LORD (2 Sam. 11:27).  I can remember some specific occasions when, in response to decisions that I made, I saw my father respond with a smile.  It’s not that he was grumpy or hard to please; it was that I didn’t give him that many opportunities to smile.  this means a lot on the human level; it means so much more, infinitely more, in our relationship with our Father in heaven.  It is an amazing thing, that by His grace, we actually can bless the Lord our God (Psalm 34:1; 103:1 and many others).

I would encourage you to review Day 3 through today’s post.  This is not exhaustive but comes from a study of the term hina.  I have not always pointed it out but in every one of the Scripture passages we provided there was a hina clause involved.  Something we were called to be or do was intended “so that” we would in some way glorify our God.  That is why we exist; failure to glorify God as God is the first step away from God (again, Rom. 1:21).

One way to summarize what we have studied here is to note the contrasting truths in a relationship that does and a relationship that does not glorify God.

ü John 6:38: my will versus my Father’s will.

ü 1 Cor. 2:5: man’s wisdom versus God’s power.

ü 2 Cor. 1:9: relying on ourselves versus relying on God who raises the dead.

ü 2 Cor. 4:7: power from us versus power from God.

Take some time and meditate on these great truths concerning God’s glory.

v God’s glory is His purpose in election (Rom. 9:22-23; 1 Cor. 1:27-28).  Again, we are dealing with hina statements.  We ought not be hindered by the mystery of election.  What we must do is give God praise in election and seek to bring Him the glory He desires. 

v God’s glory is His purpose in our salvation (Rom. 15:16; 1 Cor. 2:5; 1 Tim. 1:16; 1 Pet. 3:18; 4:6).  Did God love us and thus provide for our salvation?  Yes, of course!  But that is not the end goal He had in mind.  How God brought you to Himself and what it means to be saved are reasons to give Him glory.

v God’s glory was Christ’s purpose on earth (Jn. 4:34; 6:38; 14:13; 17:1,4).  Jesus glorified the Father on earth by finishing the work the Father gave Him to do.