To the Praise of His Glory

In this part of the sermon: He meticulously defines 'praise' as favorable recognition with delight, 'glory' as manifested excellence, and 'grace' as God's spontaneous, unmerited favor in action toward guilty…

A story of a boy hitting a game-winning home run is used to illustrate the difference between genuine praise (the father's delight) and grudging acknowledgment (the opposing pitcher's father).

Same word found in verse 14. Unto the praise of His glory. Well, I think we could describe or define praise as favorable recognition or commendation with delight. Let me illustrate.

8:03 - 8:24 Read in full sermon

Driving home: But in this particular, particular context, as in many others, it basically means the manifested excellence of something or someone. When something that has intrinsic beauty or excellence manifests that excellence, what …

The analogy of the sun's intrinsic excellence versus its manifested glory on a clear day is used to explain that 'glory' means manifested excellence.

You do not see or perceive the glory of the sun on a cloudy day. Now, there is glory in the sun. All you need to do is break up through the cloud cover in an airplane, and you are conscious that the sun always has an intrinsic excellence and beauty. But on a clear day like today, you and I can behold the glory of the sun.

11:01 - 11:27 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Grace is basically, and I like this definition that I've gotten from one of the commentators, God's spontaneous, unmerited favor in action. His freely bestowed loving kindness in operation, bestowing salvation upon guilt…

The scenario of a fellow citizen showing pity and giving money to a beggar illustrates 'mercy' as pity in the face of misery.

But grace is basically, and I like this definition that I've gotten from one of the commentators, God's spontaneous, unmerited favor in action. His freely bestowed loving kindness in operation, bestowing salvation upon guilt-laden sinners. Mercy is pity in action in the light of definite need, in the light of what we would call misery. Here's a beggar sitting by a wayside, and you walk by and you see him in his misery.

12:35 - 13:16 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Grace is basically, and I like this definition that I've gotten from one of the commentators, God's spontaneous, unmerited favor in action. His freely bestowed loving kindness in operation, bestowing salvation upon guilt…

The scenario of a king taking a rebellious, guilty beggar into his palace, clothing him, and adopting him illustrates 'grace' as unmerited favor in the face of guilt.

But grace has to do with favor, not in the face of misery, but in the face of guilt. It's the picture, not of a fellow citizen coming by a beggar and showing compassion, but the king coming by that same beggar who knows that this man has been reduced to that state, to that state of being a beggar, because he's rebelled against the laws of the land. He's an outcast and a fugitive, and when the king recognizes him, he sees him as a guilty subject whom he could consign to death. But instead, he takes him into his palace, he clothes him, he meets all of his needs, and then he legally adopts him an...

13:32 - 14:33 Read in full sermon

The point: Praise the grace of God in your heart. Learn to praise His grace with your lips. Learn to praise His grace in your witness.

Martin recounts a conversation in a barber shop where he tried to explain salvation by grace to Roman Catholic men, who could not comprehend it, illustrating how the natural man finds grace foolishness.

Learn to praise His grace in your witness. Men don't understand grace. I was having my ears lowered the other day. That may date me.

27:45 - 27:55 Read in full sermon