In this sermon, Pastor Rick reminds us what it is to glorify God teaching, "Ultimately, we are to view the glory of God on display all around us and be called to repent and return unto Him that His glory might be restored in us and that Christ may dwell in us and that His present glory dwelling in us might reside as the hope of glory to come!"
Pastor Rick concluded with a personal Exclamation of praise:
"I want to conclude by worshiping for a moment. I cannot conjure some magical feeling of soulfulness that will convince you arbitrarily that God’s glory is present for you or that some emotional experience is His presence as is done so often in modern worship. But I want simply to conclude with my words of worship to God....
Let me tell you about God. God has been faithful to me all my life. He was faithful to me as a child raising me up in an environment where God was preeminent. He was faithful to me as a teenager when I nearly drowned, calling me from the precipice of sin back to Himself. He was faithful to me as a young adult patient every moment with my questions and doubts. He has been faithful to me as an adult amid my struggles and fears. All my life He has been longsuffering and faithful in spite of my greatest sins; In spite of my unfaithfulness; in spite of my weaknesses; in spite of my failures; in spite of my pride; in spite of my unbelief; in spite of every darkness of my heart, he has been faithful to me. The Apostle John wrote that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believed on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. I want you to know this morning that God gave His only Son for me: for me, a sinner who like Israel had forsaken and forgotten and abandoned the glory of God! He did not forsake me. He did not forget me. He did not abandon me. He did not leave me alone in the darkness. Instead He loved me and shone the light of His love around me and gave himself for me and prayed that I would let Him back into my heart to rediscover His glory!
And so this morning, I give Him praise! I glorify Him and magnify Him! I worship Him! I lift Him up! I am unworthy, but He is worthy! I cannot magnify Him or glorify Him enough but I worship Him and praise Him anyway! I welcome Him and His presence and His glory to fill my heart and life! I pray the same for you and ultimately that He will fill our church with His genuine presence always."
