A Great Place to Start

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your Name give glory…” Psalm 115:1a

I cannot think of a better place to start this week, really any week for that matter, than in the same humble position of the psalmist. “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory.” This is more than a desire of the writer’s heart; this is an acknowledgement of a fundamental truth. All that is to be sought after this hour, everything we shall achieve today, and whatever we might accomplish by week’s end, it is all ultimately for the name and renown of Jesus.

This shouldn’t strike us as odd. On the contrary, we speak of doing things for God’s glory all the time. We sing songs about it, quote verses concerning it, put similar terminology on coffee mugs and bumper stickers. We are all about making His Name famous…at least we convey that message in all our verbiage. Yet do we really live in accordance with our claims? Notice how the writer repeats Himself. “Not to us…not to us…” As a basic hermeneutical principle, this is Scripture’s way of drawing us in to make sure we hear what’s being proclaimed. It is as if God is saying, “Hey you, pay attention here! It’s not about you and your name, but Me, My mission, and My glory.”

But that sounds kind of selfish, doesn’t it? Well, if we were referring to anyone less than the Great “I AM,” then yes, that would most definitely be the case. However, that is part of what makes God, well, God. An essential element of God’s God-ness includes Him seeking His own glory. Being about His glory simply comes with the territory of being the Creator of the heavens and earth. To whom else should He give His glory? And would God not cease to be God at the very moment that His glory was placed upon another? I think of the Lord’s words in Isaiah 48:11. “For My own sake, for My own sake, I do it, for how should My Name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.” Why? Because He is God! He alone is perfect. He alone is righteous and holy! He exalts Himself because He is the only one worthy of such honor and adoration. And as another example of Scripture’s repetition for our unhindered understanding and interpretation, observe that our sacred text makes it clear: “For my own sake, for my own sake…” says the Lord.

Going back to the opening line of Psalm 115, the writer twice states that it is not for us, but for God’s glory. This point is reiterated because it is of utter importance. And if we take an honest evaluation of our lives, we quickly realize that it is something we are often prone to forget. Even worse, we tend to replace His praise by personally claiming credit were it’s undue. We are intellectually aware of the innumerable passages that paint this picture. We know that all is to be done for His glory. Yet although we have heard this and believe it at a head-level, it is often neglected at our all-important heart-level. We finagle and find ways to steal from the Father exaltation suited for our Savior alone.

Success at work and home soon become trophies of our own individual accomplishment. “Our children are making good grades; they’re well behaved; they even respond to our spiritual leading. Ends are meeting; promotions are coming; people like us and we enjoy our jobs.” And just like that, the overwhelming temptation is to think that we have brought these things about on our own. Sure, most of us don’t start here, but in very subtle ways we gravitate toward hoarding glory for ourselves. Shall I give examples of how this plays out in the spiritual realm of our lives? Have we ever given credit to a preacher or a program or some special method of ministry when the enlightening, soul-saving work of the Spirit is the only One for which all transformation is to be attributed? Plainly and simply, when we reach after recognition for righteousness – whether it be for our own or for that which belongs to another, we grasp for something that is not ours.

But what about our faithfulness and obedience, can’t we take a piece of that? We could but we would do so in error. For who showed you the way you should? Who’s enabled and empowered you to walk in the light? By whose strength do you currently stand? It is evident in the church and secular worlds alike. Our default mode of operation, glory snatching, is silent, sneaky, serious sin. By identifying this threat, the Spirit speaks through the psalmist: God, it is for the glory of Your Name – the Name above every name, the Name for which every knee will one day bow before, the Name that will one day be praised by people of every tribe, tongue, and nation, the One who can only be described as holy, holy, holy, the King worthy of all glory and honor and praise, the Lion of Judah, the precious Lamb that was slain. It is for You, not us!

As Paul notes in Romans 15:4, this psalm was essentially given for our instruction and encouragement. It instructs us that our lives are to be lived for the praise of His Great Name. It encourages us by demonstrating that our struggle to be rightly motivated by this truth is not some new modern day distraction but something we as humans have forever wrestled with. Additionally, we can take heart knowing that the remedy remains the same… Before we take another step this morning, before we make another move, we cry out and acknowledge in the innermost part of our being, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your Name give glory!”

Matt Fowler
Associate Pastor of Missions & Students
matt@nbchurch.info
@fattmowler