Sola Dei Gloria! (A sermon based on Psalm 115)

Sola Dei Gloria!
A sermon based on Psalm 115
Sunday, June 28, 2009 - Pentecost 4B

        There was a latin phrase that became very popular during the Reformation movement. Poets would end their works with it. Authors would end their books with it. Composers would end their piece with it. And pastors would end their sermons with this simple phrase that eventually was simply abbreviated S.D.G. It stood for Sola Dei Gloria, literally "alone to God, glory," or "To God alone be the glory!"
        It was a confession that no matter how wonderful or beautiful the work, the author didn't deserve the glory. It belonged to God who have the skill or talent that was used to produce it. It was a prayer, that this bring glory to God, helping others to know better, and not to the artist.
        The ancient Israelites had a song that reminded them of this truth: "To God Alone Be the Glory!" It's Psalm 115 where they confessed that it was not their works or efforts that had brought them so many blessings, but God's grace alone. And it's a fitting Psalm for us to examine as we reflect on the blessings that we have as a nation and as individuals. For those blessings are not due to our efforts or strength, but to God's grace. And so we too praise God and proclaim Sola Dei Gloria! To God alone by the glory, because he is our help and our shield, he blesses us, not because of anything we do, but by his great grace alone. Listen now to Psalm 115...

¹ Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. ² Why do the nations say, "Where is their God?" ³ Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. ⁴ But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. ⁵ They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; ⁶ they have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but they cannot smell; ⁷ they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats. ⁸ Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. ⁹ O house of Israel, trust in the LORD—he is their help and shield. ¹⁰ O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD—he is their help and shield. ¹¹ You who fear him, trust in the LORD—he is their help and shield. ¹² The LORD remembers us and will bless us: He will bless the house of Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron, ¹³ he will bless those who fear the LORD—small and great alike. ¹⁴ May the LORD make you increase, both you and your children. ¹⁵ May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. ¹⁶ The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to man. ¹⁷ It is not the dead who praise the LORD, those who go down to silence; ¹⁸ it is we who extol the LORD, both now and forevermore. Praise the LORD.

        The Israelite nation could very easily be tempted to take pride in themselves and say, "What a great nation we have become! Look at how powerful and wise we are." But a review of their history would quickly remind them that it was not to their credit or to their glory that such was the case.
        When God set out to rescue his people from Egypt, they grumbled and complained against God and turned to the worthless idols of the Egyptians. When they were taking the land God promised them, they disobeyed his command to wipe out the idol-worshipers in that land, instead worshiping Baal and Ashera and Molech along with them. When the Assyrians threatened to attack they ironically put their trust their Egyptian allies instead of in their God.
        And for such rebellious idolatry they didn't deserve to be God's special people. They deserved to be abandoned to such false gods. In Isaiah 41 God sarcastically taunted such foolish people who rejected him for worthless idols.²² "Bring in your idols to tell us what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come, ²³ tell us what the future holds,so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear. ²⁴ But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless;he who chooses you is detestable."
        It reminds me of the police officer who said, "I've been to dozens of palm readers and fortune tellers who have told me dozens of fortunes and prophecies. But not one of them has every told me, 'You are a police officer about to arrest me.'"
        And yet, in spite of their foolish trust in such idols, God did not abandon them to the destruction they deserved. God, not the Israelites, convinced Pharaoh to let them go with his deadly plagues. God, not the Israelites destroyed their Canaanite enemies, made city walls crumble, made the sun stop, and sent hailstones to pummel their enemies. God, not the Israelites, destroyed 185,000 soldiers of the Babylonian army when the city was surrounded.
        It was none of the worthless idols of the nations that helped the Israelites. It was not their might or strength that saved them. No. It was the God of heaven who "does whatever pleases him." But, why, when they deserved to be destroyed with their enemies for their idolatry? Because of his grace, his love, and his faithfulness. He had promised to preserve them until the Messiah would come, and and would keep that promise. And so the Israelites were right to confess, "Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness."

        And of course, so are we. We Americans might easily be tempted to say, "What a great nation we have become! Look at how powerful and wise we are." And we too are tempted to put our trust in places other than in our God -- in the great wealth we have accumulated, in our elected officials, in our own hard work and efforts. And when we do, we put our trust in worthless idols.
        For a famine can quickly make food far more valuable than money. The best political leaders can only relieve some passing pain for a short time. They can't help our greatest need. Our own resources are worthless when it comes to our real problem of sin and hell. So when we boast in our skills and accomplishments or put our hope and trust in anyone other than him we blaspheme God. And we're powerless to undo our sinful idolatries. Spiritually, we are as deaf, mute, blind and lame as those worthless idols. Left to ourselves and our false gods and we would have ended up in hell.
        But we don't end up in hell. Why not? "Because of [God's] love and faithfulness." Instead of destroying us, he is our help and our shield. Even ours! The phrase "Those who fear the Lord" was a common term for non-Israelites who had come to faith in the true God, for all who believe in him, for us.
        And God doesn't just help with the economy or national security, but with our real problems of sin and hell. We have the same almighty God who "is in heaven [and] does whatever pleases him." God is not not some worthless idol, but is the only one strong enough to deal with our sin. And he did deal with it on the cross. There Jesus paid for everyone one of our idolatries and for every time we've selfishly sought our glory before God's. Spiritual victory is ours, not by anything we've done, but by God's grace alone. We did nothing. God did everything. Sola Dei Gloria! To God alone be the glory!
        You know, you and I live in quite arguably the greatest nation that's ever existed. In spite of the economic "crisis" we still live in a state of luxury that no one else has ever enjoyed! In spite of our national problems, we still enjoy incredible freedoms! But how did this wealth and freedom become ours? Not because of anything we've done, but thanks to others who fought for them and gave their lives for them! In the same way our spiritual wealth and freedom is not because of anything we've done, but thanks to Jesus who fought for us and gave his life for us! To him alone be the glory!
        And unlike our political blessings we can't lose our spiritual blessings since God continues to be our shield. He defends us from the devil's attacks, protects us from hell's fury, and he empowers us to fight our own sinful nature. False teachers can strive all they want to give glory to man or their man-made idols, but they cannot rob God of his power. And they cannot not stand. But as we trust in him, we will last. He is our help and our shield and always will be.
        In Isaiah 49(:15-16) God promises this: "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands..." God forgets our sin, but he can never forget us. He didn't just a tatoo your name on his shoulder, but engraved it right on the palms of his hands where he'll always see it and remember you!
        What blessings God gives to those who "who fear the Lord." You have forgiveness, adoption into God's family, peace with him. Your name is engraved on the palm of his hands! And on top of all of those greater spiritual blessings, "the Maker of heaven and earth" uses his unlimited resources to bless us even more. He gives us religious freedom and the ability to gather around his Word without fear. He gives us great wealth and luxury beyond what most around the globe ever dream of having. And he will continue to bless us, literally, "he will add to you." He may not add to your posessions or wealth, but he will add to your faith, add to your knowledge of him, and add to his Kingdom those who are being saved.

        Friends, there is only one possible response to such blessings from God: to "extol the LORD, both now and forevermore. Praise the LORD!" And to give him alone the glory! Sola Dei Gloria! We will give praise and glory to him in heaven where we'll join the saints and angels in singing, "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" (Revelation 5:20)
        But we certainly don't want to put off our praise until then. We'll start right now. Right away! And we'll praise him on earth, as long as we have breath, until death ends the opportunity. And we'll praise him not just with our voices and our prayers, but with the resources he's given: "The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to man." And so we'll use the earth (or at least that portion of the earth that he's entrusted to each us) not for selfish gain, but alone to the glory of God. We'll use the incredible wealth that he's given not as an idol that offers false security, but to build up God's house and to support the work of his kingdom around the world. We'll use the health and strength and talents that he's given, not for selfish pursuits, but in service to others for God's glory! We'll use the time of peace that's he's given to build up God's church, to serve him, and to spreading his Word! For these are the things that will bring lasting glory!
        In 1897 poet, Rudyard Kipling, was commissioned to write a poem celebrating Queen Victoria's glorious reign on her 60th Anniversary as Queen. How shocked everyone was when he wrote a poem that did not ascribe glory to Queen Victoria or to England, but to God alone. Here's the last verse:

Far-called, our navies melt away-- On dune and headland sinks the fire--
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday Is one with Ninevah and Tyre!
Judge of the Nations, spare us yet, Lest we forget-- lest we forget!

        Kipling recognized that the glory of nations comes and goes. You know, the unsurpassed power and wealth of the U.S. might not last, since God can quickly remove those blessings he has given. But the gifts he's given in Christ, he will never take away. In him, God will always be our help and our shield. In him, he will always bless you, both you and your children. And so we gladly say, "To God alone be the glory!" Sola Dei Gloria! Amen.