Dartmouth Notes Notes from the Pulpit Ministry of Dartmouth Bible Church Series: Studies in Acts Lesson 28 Scripture: :20-25 Speaker: Rev. Neil C. Damgaard, Th.M., D.Min. Date: May 5th 2019

God Should Always Get the Glory

Acts 12:20-25 (ESV) Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and , and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king's country for food. On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” Immediately an of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory (ὧν οὐκ ἔδωκεν τὴν δόξαν τῷ θεῷ), and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. But the word of God increased and multiplied. (Ὁ δὲ λόγος τοῦ ⸀θεοῦ ηὔξανεν καὶ ἐπληθύνετο.) And and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.

Introduction In a sense one might describe the whole Christian life as the work of giving God glory, of giving God the credit. Doing so is not automatic. We do not, even as Christians, automatically honor the Lord, give Him credit, defer to His wishes and seek the promotion of His name. We sing like we do so; we sometimes advertise ourselves that way; commercials on Christian radio make it sound that way—but we do not automatically honor the Lord. And so our whole lives, after we find , are spent exploring, experimenting and refining the process of giving glory to God. If you were asked by a non-Christian, “what makes your faith ‘tick’?” and you replied, “I just want to give God the glory” you were not be too far off from a biblical definition of The Purpose of Life. We are brought back to this over and over by the Holy Spirit. Our decision-making gets informed by the Holy Spirit, if we are listening: o Does God get glory if I do this thing? o Does God get glory if I make this change? o Does God get glory if I disregard His law? Our reputation in the community is affected by whether God is getting the glory. o Do people feel about me a certain way because of my accomplishments AND IS THAT THE THING that really gets me excited? o Do people want to be with me because I am pretty or handsome or buff or cool? o Do people respect me because I insist on it and will punish them if they don’t respect me?

These are questions which, according to Luke, Herod Agrippa1 did NOT ponder, and in today’s text is said by Luke to have been the ground-level reason for his death. “SKÕLEIKÓBRÕTOS” (σκωληκόβρωτος) was the medical cause—NOT giving God the glory was the reason.

This is a little surprising to me. I would have decreed his death maybe for things like having a bunch of concubines, for killing people or having them killed, for just being a contemptible scoundrel who was a very slick talker and a skillful conniver. But this is not what Luke tells us.

Luke learned and recorded, that this king was struck down because he did not give God the glory (verse 23). Apparently God is paying attention during big human events! The ancient historian recorded this event too—it was a big political event and was very full of himself. He gave a speech! The people were so impressed and crazed at his oratory—God sends an angel who strikes the man down. There is no negotiating who will get the glory. There are reasons for this:

 Not giving God the glory robs God of what is rightfully His.  Not giving God the glory confuses other people.  Not giving God the glory deceives one’s SELF.

What about our pluralistic American culture today which demands several things that detract from God’s glory— not acknowledging that He is the only God; re-defining His Law and deleting large sections of it; denying that He sent His Son Christ so that whosoever would believe in Him might not perish—the is not just a thing for our benefit. It is a thing in which God is powerfully honored and glorified!

And perhaps people might ask,

1 In Judaea, Agrippa zealously pursued orthodox Jewish policies, earning the friendship of the Jews and vigorously repressing the Jewish Christians. According to the of the Bible (, where he is called Herod), he imprisoned Peter the Apostle and executed James, son of . Nonetheless, mindful of maintaining Roman friendship, he contributed public buildings to Beirut in Lebanon, struck coins in emulation of Rome, and in the spring of 44 was host at a spectacular series of games at Caesarea to honor Claudius. There he died, prematurely terminating the compromise he had striven to achieve between Roman authority and Jewish autonomy. Because his son was only 17 years old, Judaea once more returned to provincial status. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Herod-Agrippa-I

2 “WHY SHOULD GOD ALWAYS GET CREDIT, THE GLORY, APPRECIATION AND ADORATION?”

1. Because He deserves it. 2. Because He loves us and is patient and abundantly merciful. 3. Because He is the reason that we exist. that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for“‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said,“‘For we are indeed his offspring. (:27,28)

The quotation is from the poet Aratus (315–240 B.C.), who was a native of Cilicia in Asia Minor, and thus a compatriot of Paul. In the third century B.C., Aratus wrote a poem honoring Zeus in a composition called Phainomena. The fourth and fifth lines of the poem have the words: “In every way we have all to do with Zeus, for we are truly his offspring2

4. Because He commands it from out of His complete holiness and righteousness. 5. Because it is the main purpose of humankind. “Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever”.3 I know it is not Scripture but I respect how this was arrived at: the Westminster Catechism was written in the 17th century as a teaching tool to help people focus: QUESTION: What IS the chief end of man? Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. AS IS SAID by Paul in Romans 11:36 (for instance)-- For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

In vss.24 & 25 we read that even as Herod was judged by God, His Word increased and multiplied. Apostles 2.0 (Barnabas and Saul) come on the scene and they begin to see fruitfulness with the Word of God too. There are no New Testaments yet and still as the apostles shared the truth, people all over the place were finding themselves believing it, sharing it and sharing it more and more. This is what God’s word does—it grabs people, intrigues them, fascinates them and woos them. This is what it did to ME, too.

2 Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles, vol. 17, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 636. 3 https://reformed.org/documents/wsc/index.html?_top=https://reformed.org/documents/WSC.html

3 Let it be clear—God should always get the glory. Guard your own hearts from yourself wanting the glory. Warn other people that they do not deserve the glory. Enjoy giving God the glory.

ἔδωκεν τὴν δόξαν τῷ θεῷ edoken tein doxan to Theo

To God be the glory great things He has done So loved He the world that He gave us His son Praise the Lord, praise the Lord let the earth hear His voice Who yielded His life an atonement for sin Praise the Lord, praise the Lord let the people rejoice And opened the life gate that all may go in Come to the Father through Jesus the Son Give Him the glory great things He has done

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