“To the Father of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen.”
The Scripture above- which makes the theme of this fellowship today is what we call in other terms- a Doxology! The word doxology comes from the Greek doxa, (“glory, splendour, grandeur”) and logos, (“word” or “speaking”). Most doxologies are short hymns of praise to God in various Christian worship.
Therefore, a doxology is “an expression of praise to God.”
What we need to ask ourselves today is ‘Why is God worthy of all the praise from us?’ The Bible tells us;
Psalms 148:1-14 ESV
“Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights! (2) Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts! (3) Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! (4) Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! (5) Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created. (6) And he established them forever and ever; he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away. (7) Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, (8) fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word! (9) Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! (10) Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds! (11) Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! (12) Young men and maidens together, old men and children! (13) Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven. (14) He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the LORD!
Psalm 148 is a type of call to adopt this attitude of praise to God. The command is to all the heavens and earth. All creation literally, is commanded to praise God for all his worthiness. We need to answer why God is worthy of all this praise and how I fit in as an individual.
WHY IS GOD WORTHY OF DOXA?
1. Because of His Holiness and Power in Creation
We are supposed to give God praise because he is the only God who is entirely Holy; set apart from all the other gods and is in a league of his own. He is without fault and spot, and in his presence, no filthy can stand- for it must be consumed and die. God isn’t like us, humans. We could never compare Him to anyone.
Leviticus 19:1-2 ESV
“And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.”
Psalms 99:2-3, 5 ESV
“The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. (3) Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he!… (5) Exalt the LORD our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!”
Isaiah 6:1-3 ESV
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. (2) Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two, he covered his face, and with two, he covered his feet, and with two, he flew. (3) And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
Revelation 4:6-8 ESV
And before the throne, there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the ThroneThrone, on each side of the ThroneThrone, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: (7) the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. (8) And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
“God is holy” means that we cannot handle Him like any other creature. All heaven proclaims that God is holy, holy, holy- in perfect existence; and he calls us who would be in his presence to be just as he is- holy. So, the scriptures command us to be holy as He is holy. Now, all of us here today- all of us, fall short of this command. BUT that’s not the end of it. God is to be praised because he is the creator of all things.
Nehemiah 9:6 ESV
“You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.”
Colossians 1:16-18 ESV
“For by him, all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. (17) And he is before all things, and in him, all things hold together. (18) And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”
John would remind us, “through him, all things were made, and without him, nothing was made that has been made.” Everything including you, exist by him and it should be through and for him. We praise God today because he is the holy, holy, holy God, who created all things for his glory and fame. Today, some of us, though we may claim a sort of faith and relationship with the Lord, still live for our ends and passions. Some of us shrink from thoughts of holiness, branding those who deny themselves worldly pleasures “too serious” or holier than thou. If it is true that God is holy and he created all things, it is expedient to know as well, that none of us can identify themselves as God’s if their lives are not an expression of the pursuit of holiness and honour in these bodies which God created for his glory. The banner and theme for our praise should be “to pursue holiness without which no one shall see God.”
To be continued…
