Let God Be God!
The sermon emphasizes the importance of a vertical relationship with God and the need to prioritize praise and devotion to Him.
Miles J. Stanford emphasizes the importance of having a vertical relationship with God, focusing on offering continual praise as a sacrifice to God. He delves into the concept of grace, highlighting that it is not solely based on man's needs but is ultimately for God's glory. Stanford explains that true devotedness is found when one rests in the Lord Jesus and makes Him the object of their heart, leading to joy and strength. He warns against letting the gifts of grace overshadow the Giver, stressing the need to always give glory to the Father and see things from His perspective.
Text
"Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God" (Philippians 1:11).
It goes without saying that Christianity is a vertical relationship with the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. But are your arrows pointing up, or down? "Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually" (Hebrews 13:15).
"Grace is the Father's favor to man according to His own heart, and for His own glory. If the need of man were the sole measure of His grace, then man only would be thought of, the work of the Lord Jesus would be simply for man, and the power of God expended merely in rescuing man and securing his relief. Man would be the object and end of it all, and not God." -J.B.S.
"When I have rest in the Lord Jesus, then I begin to find all my joy and strength in Him, and I occupy myself with Him.
This is the foundation of true devotedness. I do not become devoted in the true sense until I have found my rest in Him. I am, up to this, rather looking to receive from Him. I am more an object to myself; but when I find how fully I am an object to Him, then my heart is at liberty to make Him its object, He having made me His." -J.B.S.
"When the advantages of grace do not call forth praise to the Father, when He is not prominently before the soul, as the source of everything possessed, then the gifts take the place of the Giver in the heart, and must soon lose their vigor and value like flowers cut away from their roots."
"The great question is, not whether I see a certain thing, and how it stands in relation to me, but do I see it as my Father sees it, and as it stands in relation to Him?"
"Unto him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ throughout all ages, world without end. Amen" (Ephesians 3:21).
Sermon Outline
- The Vertical Relationship
- The Nature of God's Grace
- Finding Rest in the Lord
- The Importance of Praise
- Seeing Things from God's Perspective
- The question is not what I see, but how God sees it
- God's perspective is the key to understanding and devotion
- God's work is for His glory, not just man's relief
Key Quotes
“When I have rest in the Lord Jesus, then I begin to find all my joy and strength in Him, and I occupy myself with Him.” — Miles J. Stanford
“If the need of man were the sole measure of His grace, then man only would be thought of, the work of the Lord Jesus would be simply for man, and the power of God expended merely in rescuing man and securing his relief.” — Miles J. Stanford
“When the advantages of grace do not call forth praise to the Father, when He is not prominently before the soul, as the source of everything possessed, then the gifts take the place of the Giver in the heart, and must soon lose their vigor and value like flowers cut away from their roots.” — Miles J. Stanford
Application Points
- Prioritize praise and devotion to God in your daily life.
- Recognize that God's work is for His glory, not just your relief.
- Seek to see things from God's perspective and understand His heart.