Who Gets the Glory?

Who Gets the Glory?

by Patricia Dailey
Senior Pastor, Bethel Revival Center
43 Norwood St.
Everett, MA 02149

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John 15:5
I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.

Anything we do for the Lord is done through the anointing and the ability which He gives. But so many just love to boast of themselves, love to be exalted in the eyes of others, wanting everyone to think they are someone who is super-spiritual.

Instead of lifting up the Lord, they lift themselves up, ever seeking after vainglory.

Then, some go to the opposite extreme: going about saying that they can't do this, they can't do that; and nothing ever gets done!

II Corinthians 3:5
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God

Here we see that the Scripture goes further than just to tell us that we can't do anything in ourselves. There's another side to this:

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Apart from Christ we are totally incapable of doing anything that will glorify the Lord; while in Him, any of us can accomplish a work for God. I certainly know this for a fact. I couldn't preach until God called me and enabled me. And because He has called me to do this, He has anointed me to do it. It is not my choice; it is His will for my life.

Whatever God may call us to do, He will supply the anointing necessary to do it. All He wants is an empty vessel to use for His glory.

The Danger of Flattery

Proverbs 26:28b
. . . a flattering mouth worketh ruin.

There's one thing we should realize and put into practice: When someone gets up to testify, to sing, to use a gift of the Spirit, or anything else that brings them to our attention, it is wrong for us to applaud or flatter them with our words.

It is wrong for us to lift anybody up with our words. When we do this, we spread a net for their soul. And then, each time someone adds a few words of flattery to that snare, that person is more convinced in their heart that there is nobody quite like them!

Proverbs 29:5
A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet.

Satan goes right to work to puff them up with pride that he might destroy them.

Now, if someone comes along to flatter you, dismiss it. Refuse to let that comment lodge in your mind.

Some people are like a balloon used for advertising purposes — where you blow the balloon up and can clearly see the ad printed on the side — and the bigger you blow up the balloon, the bigger the ad gets.

Well, it's this way with many. They like to advertise self. They want self to be noticed and brought to the public's attention. If they pray for someone and that person happens to get healed, you'll hear about it: "I prayed for that person." If they talk to someone about salvation and that person gets saved, they'll let you know they were the one who witnessed to them.

Even if someone notices how clean the floor is, you'll hear about it: "I washed it!" Their head swells bigger and bigger, like that balloon, and all you hear or see is an ad for self.

Yet God says we are to humble ourselves and be small in our own eyes.

If that balloon gets blown up big enough, it will burst and be destroyed!

Boast in the Lord

II Corinthians 10:17
But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

We are to glorify and exalt the Lord only, not self.

Nothing in this flesh is worth glorifying. In fact, there is nothing worthwhile about the flesh. In our flesh, we are nothing.

God told us in Isaiah 64:6 that all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in His sight.

To listen to some, you'd think they were something great and mighty. You'd think they were God's special chosen vessel, that there was nobody quite like them.

Philippians 3:7-8
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ

Paul was a highly educated man. He had been up there in religious circles before his salvation, but he counted all that as dung. Now his only desire was to exalt the Lord.

I Corinthians 2:2-5
For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

This should be true of you and me. We should determine to know nothing among men but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. We shouldn't seek to entice or impress men with our words. We should be seeking to have the anointing rest upon us, that people's faith might stand in the power of God.

When Paul ministered before the Corinthian Church, he knew it was the power of God working through his vessel. He knew it was God's anointing in his life.

Just because Paul had been highly educated out in the world didn't mean he was sufficient in himself. He put all that aside, that God might use him to minister the Gospel.

I Corinthians 4:20
For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

Paul didn't try to gain public favor by using enticing words. He didn't try to show off his fleshly wisdom and education. He preached with such a simplicity that even a child could understand his message. Paul was out to win souls, not friends!

Yes, he was out to win souls. He wanted their faith to stand in the power of God, not in the wisdom of men. And this is what is needed today: the power of God. Without the power and anointing of God, our labor is in vain.

I Corinthians 2:12
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

The spirit of this world has confidence in the flesh. It is the spirit of pride, which the Word refers to as the pride of life (see I John 2:15,16). Those who are of this spirit love to collect flattering titles. They want others to recognize their superiority.

The scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' day were of this spirit. They paraded around in public, seeking attention and recognition, wanting others to look up to them.

II Corinthians 4:5
For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

We shouldn't be out to build our own little kingdom. We shouldn't be lifting ourselves up, expecting respect and admiration from others. But, rather, we should be preaching Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. We should humble ourselves and become servants of others, rather than being lords over them.

Commending Self
Is Not Approved of God

II Corinthians 10:18
For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

Many go about commending themselves, lifting self up in the eyes of others. They go about boasting, instead of lifting up Jesus.

The Lord won't commend or approve such. And isn't it more important to be approved of God than of man? . . . or don't you think so?

You don't have to go about letting everyone know you're there. Let God do the commending. Just humbly serve Him and keep quiet about what you're doing.

II Corinthians 10:12
For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

Why do you want to lift yourself up, anyhow? Who are you, that you think you're so special, that you try to steal God's glory?

Isaiah 42:8
I am the LORD: that is My name: and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images.

Matthew 23:12
And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Jesus said He beheld Satan fall from heaven as lightning. What caused Satan to fall? He fell through the sin of pride, trying to exalt himself above the throne of God.

Yes, Satan is the author of pride, and he loves to share this sin with others. He loves to get a seed of spiritual pride into the hearts of God's people to destroy them.

We must ever be careful that Satan doesn't succeed in planting this seed in us.

Psalm 138:6
Though the LORD be high, yet hath He respect unto the lowly: but the proud He knoweth afar off.

Pride is an abomination in the eyes of the Lord. If you want God to commend you, you'll have to get rid of that self-exaltation. You'll have to stop lifting yourself up! Stop thinking of yourself as some spiritual giant! Stop wanting to be a god in the eyes of others!

If God performed a miracle through some people, they'd get the big head: "Boy, I've got what it takes! Certainly I have arrived at the place of power and success!"

Yes, they have what it takes: They have what it takes to develop a large case of pride!

If God used them to perform a miracle, they should have fallen before the Lord in humility, marveling at His power and might.

Paul's Example

In Acts 14:8-15 we find the account of a man who had never walked:

And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: the same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.

And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.

Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, and saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein

This man at Lystra had never walked. Paul perceived he had faith, so he commanded him to stand, and the man was made whole! But instead of praising God, the people saw what Paul did and declared that he and Barnabas were gods. They began to prepare to offer sacrifices unto them!

But Paul was able to stop them just in time. He didn't want to be lifted up. It grieved him that anyone would try to exalt him. All he wanted to do was to exalt the Lord, to draw people's attention to Him.

Be careful! We need to learn to be a bit more careful with our mouths, and stop lifting up men, and start lifting up Jesus; or we could be the cause of a soul's falling, the cause of their being lost for eternity. Their blood would be on our hands, because our flattery and exaltation caused them to fall through pride.

Nobody needs to be lifted up by man. It is God who exalts, and it is God who abases.

Lift Up Jesus

Jesus didn't say He would draw men unto Himself if Paul was lifted up, or Peter, or one of us. No, He said He would draw all men unto Himself if He was lifted up.

John 12:32
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.

We're not to try and draw men unto ourselves, but unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

God is displeased when we want to exalt ourselves. He doesn't want us to try and make a great name for self.

Jesus was meek and lowly. How much more we should be meek and lowly? Everything Jesus did was to exalt His Father. Even His death on the cross was to glorify His Father, in providing salvation for us and bringing us into fellowship with the Father.

And God expects us to lift up Jesus — preaching Him crucified — that others may also be led unto eternal life and brought into the family of God.

Philippians 2:3
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

That word vainglory is defined in the dictionary as extreme self-pride and boastfulness. We shouldn't be going about boasting, striving to make a reputation for ourselves. In fact, when we really see ourselves as we are, we see there is nothing in us worth boasting about!!

II Corinthians 10:17
But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.