“I counsel you to study sanctification and to be dead to this world.”
Samuel Rutherford
The question, “how do we make God’s praise glorious?” has been the subject of our past few sermons. A variety of answers have been given to that question and one of the latest ones is, “we make God’s praise glorious by inviting other believers to hear about the activity of God.” The pertinent verse is “Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul.” (Psalm 66:16) The invitation is for those who already fear God to come and to hear what God has done in the soul of the psalmist. The end of such a testimony is God’s glory and the believer’s edification. This idea was central to an individual’s spiritual formation, especially among pastors and churches centuries ago. These pastors often cited Malachi 3:16, “Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name.” (ESV)
The substance of what was shared was the struggle and the praise and the activity of God in the soul (life) of the person. (see Psalm 66:17-19) What are the topics in these verses? the psalmist’s cry and praise, sin, its persistence and its avoidance being a heart work and God’s faithfulness to hear prayer and remain in relationship. The believer perseveres by God’s grace (demonstrated in covenant, see v. 20). In closing, note that the question of how to be justified is a word for unbelievers and for believers to hear. We should never get tired of hearing the gospel. But the word of sanctification is a word primarily for the believing community. A description and discussion of the work of God in the life of the believer is unintelligible to those who don’t know Christ. This is why the psalmist invites those who fear God to hear of this work. How do we make God’s praise even more glorious? When we share with others what the Lord is doing in our hearts and we give him praise for his activity. Have a blessed week and we will see many of you Sunday.
For His Fame,
Pastor Dale
