Soli Deo Gloria (To God Glory Alone)

OT Lesson: Isaiah 6:1-8 (NIV)

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him were seraphim, each with six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of His glory.’

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?’

And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’

He said, ‘Go and tell this people:

NT Lesson: Revelation 4 (KJV)

After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, “Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.” And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal:

And in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about Him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, 

“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, 
which was, and is, and is to come.”

And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to Him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, 
to receive glory and honour and power:
for Thou hast created all things, 
and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.”

Sermon

Introduction

Good morning. These days’ weather is quite nice. I think between late 60s and early 70s is the perfect temperature to drive around with your windows rolled down. I love especially to hear all the insects singing at and after the sunset. The beauty of God is shown to us in the creation, and the glory of God is manifested to us. Today is the last of the five Sola series, Soli Deo Gloria. We already dealt with Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), Sola Fide (Faith Alone), Sola Gratia (Grace Alone), and Solus Christus (Christ Alone). Now today is Soli Deo Gloria, which is in Latin, “Glory to God Alone.” This principle reminds us that all glory, honour, and praise belong solely to our Creator God. As we dig into this profound truth, let us open our heats to the Word of God and allow His Spirit to guide us into a deeper understanding of what it means to live for the glory of God.

Recognising God's Sovereign Majesty

The concept of Soli Deo Gloria begins with recognising the unmatched sovereignty and majesty of God. Psalm 115:1 declares, “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to Your name be the glory because of Your love and faithfulness.”1 King David praised God in the presence of the whole assembly and said, “Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendour, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; You are exalted as head over all.”2 Recognising the unmatched sovereignty and majesty simply means that we recognise that God is worthy to be praised and deserves to be glorified. Today’s Old and New Testament lessons have very similar scene. God the Creator is sitting on a throne, and heavenly beings with six wings were flying around, singing and praising to God, giving Him the glory. Those seraphim were singing in Isaiah, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.”3 And the four flying beasts in the Revelation were singing day and night without ceasing, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.”4 Because God is the Creator God, He alone is worthy to be praised and deserves to be glorified. And because we are created for God’s pleasure, we need to please God by praising and giving Him the glory. That is the purpose of our lives. Psalm 24 sings, “Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.”5 We can find and fulfil the purpose and significance of our lives when we acknowledge that God alone deserves all honour and glory. And giving God the glory is not just once in lifetime task. It is our daily task as Soli Deo Gloria challenges us to live out our faith in a way that brings honour to God in every aspect of our lives. Apostle Paul urges the Christians in Corinth and thus to us, “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”6 Our mundane tasks become acts of of worship when done with a heart that seeks to magnify God’s name. By pursuing excellence, integrity, and compassion, we become vessels through which God’s glory shines.

Creator’s Handiwork

Creation itself points to the glory of God. Apostle Paul again reminds us in his letter to the church in Rome, “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.” Every sunrise, every sunset, every blue moon, singing of every insects at night, singing of every bird at daytime, Grand Canyon, Red woods, Rocky Mountains, and every intricate detail of nature, testifies to the creative brilliance and magnificence of our Heavenly Father. Psalm 19 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”7 As we marvel at His handiwork, we are drawn to offer Him our heartfelt adoration and praise.

Embracing the Cross of Christ:

At the heart of Soli Deo Gloria is Jesus Christ and his cross. At the birth of Jesus, a great company of the heavenly host were praising God saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven.”8 Apostle Paul declared in his letter to the church in Galatia, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”9 The crucifixion and resurrection of Christ Jesus display the unparalleled depth of God’s love and the magnificence of His redemptive plan. Through the cross, God’s glory is revealed as His mercy and grace shine forth, offering salvation to a fallen world.

Glorifying God in Many Ways

To glorify God, we need to worship God in spirit and in truth. And Truth worship involves a sacrificial offering of our lives. In the Old Testament times, a ritual cannot be a worship without a proper sacrifice. And apostle Paul urged us in his letter to the church in Rome, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” He of course did not mean that we need to kill ourselves and offer our physical bodies as a burnt offering. A living sacrifice means that our life is to be a sacrifice, that is dedicating and devoting our lives to God and for God’s purpose. And our response to God’s glory is a life consecrated to God alone, surrendered in obedience and gratitude.

Soli Deo Gloria is not only an individual pursuit but a communal endeavour. As the body of Christ, we reflect God’s glory when we live in unity and love. Jesus prayed for all believers and said, “I have given them the glory that You gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and You in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent me and have loved them even as You have loved me.”10 In His prayer, Jesus emphasises the connection between unity and God’s glory. When we bear one another’s burden, support each other, and walk in harmony, we display the beauty of God’s glory to a watching world so that the world will know the love and glory of God.

Soli Deo Gloria has the power to transform culture and society. As we engage with various spheres of influence—arts, science, education, and more—we have the opportunity to infuse these areas with God’s glory. By using our talents and gifts to reflect God’s character, we can impact the world for God’s honour and praise.

Our understanding of Soli Deo Gloria culminates in the promise of eternal glory. Apostle Paul encourages us in his second letter to the church in Corinth, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” Our earthly journey is a preparation for the unfading, everlasting glory that awaits us in God’s presence.

Best Way to Give God Glory

We talked a lot about Soli Deo Gloria. We now know that God is worthy of praise, and we should glorify our God. Singing praise during the worship service is one way. But there is a better way which Jesus taught us in Matthew 5 saying, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”11 We become the light of the world in this community by doing good works. Then not only we but also others will glorify God. We do good works. PPM is one of our ministry. We support the Caring Centre, Live for Life Indiana, Malawi project, and Little Dresses for Africa and on. We can do more but the thing is that we shall not hide our good works. We got to let the people see our good works. If they do not see our good works, how can they glorify our God? Jesus said to let our light shine before others so that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. Doing good works is important, but showing good works is equally important.

Conclusion

As we conclude, let us remember that Soli Deo Gloria compels us to live with a passionate pursuit of God’s glory in every facet of our lives. Whether in times of joy or trial, we will seek to magnify God’s holy name and declare God’s goodness. Let us strive to honour God through our thoughts, our words, our actions, our eating and drinking, continually pointing others to the source of all true glory.

Friends, Soli Deo Gloria reminds us that our lives are a symphony of praise, resonating with the grandeur of God’s glory. Let our hearts overflow with gratitude for the privilege of participating in this eternal purpose, and let us join the heavenly song, “To God be the glory forever.” And above all, let us do the good works in the name of our good and gracious God, and let our good works be shown to other people that they also can join us in glorifying our glorious God. Amen.