“Show Me Your Glory” by Steve Lawson
Years ago a pastor friend of mine did extensive research on what he termed the ‘hobby horses’ of sermons. He concluded that most preachers have “a topic to which one constantly reverts” (definition from Miriam-Websters). He found that even when the passage on which the sermon was based had no mention of a subject the pastor would spend time on a subject. The preacher made true statements, some in every sermon, about subjects such as abortion, adultery and, for one who it turned out was preaching to himself, anger. Every preacher faces this danger.
If I am ‘guilty’ of this practice, I hope it is because of what Steve Lawson discusses what I hope is my ‘hobby horse’ when I preach and hopefully in all my life. He observes, “the church suffers from shallow and superficial views of God. The inevitable result of such trivial thoughts about Him is people who are tossed about like spiritual lightweights with little personal stability. Never has the need been greater to recover lofty thinking about the character of God.. A right understanding of His character is vital to Christian living. A high view of God leads to transcendent worship and holy living.”
He goes on with rich words worth chewing over. “How we perceive God defines how we view everything else. Our knowledge of God brings into sharp focus how we see the events around us…It determines how we see the family unit and gender roles. It dictates how we view our vocational work. Our understanding of God becomes the prism through which we most accurately see our trials and adversities. It dictates how we view life, death, and eternity. The knowledge of God is the ultimate paradigm through which we rightly understand everything else around us.”
Steve then invites us to “know Him as He truly is. Theology proper – the study of God is the most important of all studies. Known as ‘the queen of the sciences,’ this endeavor examines the most profound subject in the universe – the Creator, namely, God Himself…It is critical to have a right understanding of the divine nature because it determines how we see every other area of theology. Moreover, it defines how we see ourselves. The proper knowledge of God is the accurate lens through which we see the world around us.
I trust you will take up Steve’s challenge and this high calling of knowing the glory of God more and more. As bonus you can click on the link below and learn about the biography of R. C. Sproul that I am currently reading. It tells the story of why he devoted his life to knowing who God is. It will be 25 minutes well spent. Pastor Gillikin