I'm gonna turn back then to that passage, passage you just read. I know you know it very well. It's, I'm sure, memorized by the great majority of you who have grown up in the Bible Presbyterian Church, certainly through camp, or you have to memorize these verses to get a discount, you know, as you went there. Very famous passage, and in Brazil, we've labeled or named this project Soli Dei Glória. And that means to God alone be the glory. And so I wanted to bring a message about that issue. And I know it's once again, something very basic to those of the reformed faith, but I believe as well, it's very important for us to constantly be returning to the basics, analyzing things, being reminded of these very central issues to the Christian life. And so we've read the text. Let's just ask God to bless our time once again around his word. Father in heaven, we thank you for this special moment of the week where we set aside all of our earthly concerns and we focus upon that which is eternal. And we come together to worship you and and ask father that you would open our eyes. that we might see glorious things from your word this day. And your spirit would be pleased in spite of us to speak to us and to illuminate our hearts and cause us to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ we pray, in Jesus name, amen. So I want to talk to you about this idea of soli de gloria and the pious life. What does that word mean, piety? And do you have the courage to live according to this idea, piety? And because it will take courage for you to live for the glory of God alone in this world in which we live. are placed in its time and history. And even in America now, we're facing a constant and a very strident battle against this view that we will speak about this morning. We know that the Bible teaches us that our chief aim, the most important thing in life is to live for the glory of God. But to live this out, to believe in this, you have to go against the trends of this world because you can't be devoted to God and also be led by the philosophically driven passions of this world. The radicalism that we're seeing is led by a misguided notion of human life. There's only really two options. Either you're going to live for the glory of God, or you're going to live for your own glory, the glory of man, for the glory of the creature instead of the creator. And so we obviously want to fight against that because we understand that to be idolatry. That's what Romans chapter one teaches us. focus upon these central truths from the book of Romans because to have this view, this pious view of life, to really focus in and seek to live personally in your lives and to see this driving your marriage and guiding your whole family. To see this vision clearly, you have to see and believe in the reality, the biblical reality of who you are, who your family is, and who all people are throughout all the pages of history. And it's going to take a lot of courage to live this view of man out and to believe in it. And we'll remind ourselves a few of those truths because Romans chapter 1 all the way to our text is reflecting and teaching us about human life and who they are and what's the problem with human life. We could start off in Genesis chapter 3 and review the history of the fall of man into sin. Then we could go to a passage like Romans 1 in verse 18. And since we're so close, maybe we could just look at a few of these texts very quickly this morning. Romans 1, you know them so well. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of man. We could go to Romans 1.25. You know that verse as well. It describes the problem, the central problem of human life. And so the misguided notions of the problem of human life driven by other ideologies will lead to passions and problems that are misplaced. They will fight against your color of your skin and say that's the big problem However, if you went to Africa, unfortunately, you would see that the problem of skin is not actually the problem because they are the same color and they still murder tribe against tribe. So there's a bigger problem and a more central issue than just the problem of skin. The problem is here defined Romans 1.25, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator. who is blessed forever. That is the central and basic problem of mankind. The heart has become a worshipper, a worshipper, a false worshipper of that which is not worthy. And so we see all this in Romans in the early pages of the books of Romans. Romans chapter two talks about God's righteous judgment, talks about how both Jews and Gentiles, all of humanity are in this condition of being condemned. because of their rebelling and idolatry. All people, to summarize it, are fallen. Romans 3 as well classically speaks about that. None is righteous, no not one. And so we can resume all this with that word, the fall has happened. And we are then, because of this fall, all human life, all humans, we're destitute of any deserved favor. from God. We don't deserve anything from Him. In fact, just the opposite. We deserve eternal judgment because of our sinfulness. Now this is the theological and the biblical and the authoritative view of man. This is true anthropology and sadly we have all sorts of systems and the university professors around the world don't believe in this view of man and they create systems of salvation to help man not based upon this view of man. on a different arrival, an antithetical view of man, and therefore we have all these issues to fight through on our culture and our society and on politics and so many other areas. But this is the theological, biblical, and authoritative view of man. Now how popular do you think this position is in the university today? If you were to take this into the common culture and say that man is totally depraved, you're gonna face Enlightenment philosophers and a nation who is guided by common sense and these kinds of notions ever since its origins back and when when Mr. Payne was writing about these things at the foundation, even of the United States, we have this belief that man can figure it out on his own. If we would just start with the right mental powers and trust in man's nobility and his ability to figure out the problem, we could resolve man's problems. And down through the ages, we've seen spikes in this view of man. And we're seeing, I believe, very drastically again, even happening in our day and very close to us all around here. But the truth of God's word is this, that There is no hope for man apart from salvation in Christ. Man, yes, was made in the image of God. And so in one sense, the word of God has the highest view of man possible made in the image of God. We're not just creatures of the void. We didn't just come from nothing, from chance, from just randomness, but we came beautiful creatures made with knowledge. Righteousness and holiness. And in that we reflected this beauty and holiness of God. But that image of God, only a small splinter of it remains in man. Yes, so man still has the dignity of being God's image bearers, but it's been fractured and shattered into so many pieces, we can hardly recognize it in man. So salvation in Christ is the only hope. for a return. And so we want to speak about that. That's the backdrop for the things we want to speak about as far as developing godliness and living a life that is to the glory of God alone without this background and without it being really clear in our minds. And I think sadly, oh, you know, maybe, maybe in the Bible, Presbyterian church still remains an emphasis upon this, but generally speaking, even in evangelical world, this view of man, is not popular. And without this view of man, which is biblical, which we've just seen and reviewed, the amazing grace of God as well will be clouded. And it will hinder our soul's gratitude, which is so necessary for a life dedicated to the glory of God. And so we mustn't think that this view of man is just a secondary thing. It's really a very important part of the Christian view of this world. Godliness can be developed and the image can be restored gradually. And that is the direction, obviously, that the Christian life must take. So let's proceed. to now remind ourselves of some of the other things that Romans 1-11 speak about as we speak about God's grace now. to this fallen creature. We've already viewed total depravity, right? Man, in every aspect of his being, in his knowledge, in his body, in his actions, in his heart, in every component of man, it's been damaged by the fall. Totally depraved. Not totally an extent, it doesn't mean that every part of man is maximally corrupt, but every aspect of him has been tensed. His thinking, his logic, his reason does not work as it did in the beginning. Now, we could talk a lot about that and all the controversy behind that, and even in the evangelical world, we're very confused about that issue. But it seems clear, the idea of total depravity, which we understand to be biblical, every aspect, including the reasoning power of man, has been tainted by sin. Romans 3.23 speaks of this. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So we learn then, this being the reality and the backdrop of all the grace that is going to be spoken about. It's very essential that we understand Romans 3.24 says, because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they're justified by his grace as a gift. If God is to extend kindness to man, it has to be through a gift. of God has to be by grace alone. It's undeserved grace because man is fallen. He's a sinner. And so some of those looters out there that we're seeing that I'm sure you as well as I would get very angry about all the theft and all the homicide and all the injustice and hatred that's being that we see constantly placed before us. It's not hard to believe, I guess, in some ways, the depravity, man, if we look on, if we watch the television, today. But some of those looters may very well come to Christ, and I'm sure some of them will, because it depends upon his grace and not the goodness of the person, because we're all those looters. We are all rebellious. We were originally created to be God's servants and his people, but we started to loot and steal, and we became idolatrous worshipers, and we did not give the owner, the creator, due glory and honor for all that he has made, and we took it for ourselves. And so we're just like those people, and we should remember that. We should pray for those people that God's grace will be extended to them. The only true and great divide then between men is this issue and anything else is just a false anthropology and false systems of salvation based upon a false problem. The true and greatest divide between men is this. Are you a worshiper of God or a worshiper of man? And only the grace of God can bring those two together. So we learn that God's love, his kindness, and his salvation come to his chosen bride, right? We learn about this in the first pages here of Romans. This is a particular love that God extends to his bride. Beloved ones, Romans 8, 32. And so we learn as well from Romans chapter nine, that this is a sovereign grace. Once again, God must initiate this because man is dead, he's sinner, he's idolatrous, he's lost. He can't find his way because he's lost. And so God must sovereignly come down, Romans 9, 19 through 21. who can resist his will. But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? What will what is molded say to what's molded? Why have you made me like this? And so the potter is sovereign and he saves sovereign grace. And finally, we learn of the perseverance of the saints. And so we've just reviewed the basics of reformed theology and out of these biblical texts come these great reformed notions. sola scriptura, only God's word can guide and direct human life. We learn about grace alone because we've just seen that the fall of man. We can only deduce then that it must be God's grace alone that could save man because he's sinner. We see as well in the words of God, it's through faith alone. It's not based upon any good works that you can do or any merit in yourself, but it's just by trust, belief, faith in Jesus Christ. And it's also by Christ alone, his only sacrifice that could pay for the sins of that depraved person. And then we also learn because of all these reasons to God alone must be all the glory, very basic things. And so I want to just kind of finalize then with our last remaining moments here, looking at Romans 11, 32 through 12, verse one and two. And I'll have to turn it there. I'm trying to translate the text in Portuguese as I go through this. So if there's some weird wording, you'll understand why Romans 11, You know this very well. So based upon that which we have just meditated upon. Apostle Paul is laying that all out in those initial chapters of Romans. Total depravity. All under condemned because of sin. Finally, then he gets to this text building upon all that. In fact, Romans 11 32 says, For God has consigned all to disobedience that he may have mercy on all. Man is sinner, but God is merciful. And then there comes this crescendo, this doxology, praise to God because of this. And it reads, for who has known the mind, excuse me, oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom of the knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways. Who can know the mind of the Lord? Who would have thought this up? How can we search the profoundness of infinite wisdom. And did he have a counselor, a human counselor to guide him in this development of this whole issue? Now, how unsearchable we can't figure out our judgments and how inscrutable his ways for who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid. Now, all have sinned, they're sinners, they're debtors. And then it says in 36, for from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Soli deo gloriae. So based upon these truths, basic reformed biblical truths, we get this idea of soli deo gloriae, to God alone be the glory, and that should drive our lives, that should direct our focus, that should give us impetus and zeal, and it should be a banner over our lives, to God alone be The glory, Romans 11, 36, for from him and through him and to him are all things, to him be glory forever. Well, why does the apostle Paul say that? For from him and through him. Well, we were created from nothing. There was nothing. For from him and to him and through him are all things. He made all things. And so certainly he deserves the glory alone. We were created from nothing. We're totally dependent upon him. Even today, we were created out of nothing. And today and tomorrow and yesterday, we are totally dependent upon him. Every aspect of our being is sustained by his power every moment of our lives. So we should then be oriented. Driven. By and for his glory, we are his possession. Doubly so, is that not right? We were created by him. And we, as God's people, were redeemed by him. So we belong to him. So once again, we live for his glory because he is our creator and his redeemer. I like the way the Heidelberg Catechism summarizes this truth. And I will translate this. I put it in Portuguese originally. Only hope then, in life and in death, is that I don't belong to myself. but to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, who with the price of His own blood totally paid for all my sins and He liberated me completely from the dominion of darkness, from the dominion of Satan. I don't belong to that anymore. I've been transplanted into a new kingdom. He protects me so well that against the will of my Father in heaven, not one hair of my head can fall without His knowledge and without that working together for my salvation. So for this reason, by His Spirit, He grants me, gives to me life eternal, and has made me desirous, I'm sorry I haven't memorized it in English, to live for Him now with all my heart for His glory. And you see, some of the echoes of one of the Reformers, like John Calvin, What is the response to a heart that understands these things? I give you my heart, Lord, promptly and sincerely was one of the great banners of John's. This is amazing grace. So brothers and sisters, gratitude. Gratitude for this grace that God has given us is the foundation for a pious life. Godly life is driven by these truth, these truths. Gratefulness is the fountain for the life of sanctification. We should be very grateful people every single morning. We are redeemed. We're bought back. So it's our joy and our duty to dedicate all of our being, every aspect of our lives that was tinged by the fall. Our mind, our reason, our logic, our hands, our hearts, everything should be dedicated to him. We need to be motivated then by this love. Love of God for us and not by fear. For we realize we are debtors to divine mercy. So this is a heart of the redeemed who knows the infinite love of God for him. So let's look at this idea then of, what is this idea of piety? Because Romans 12, one and two speak about this. What is this idea of living for the glory of God or this pious life? I know that may have a bad connotation in some context, but we wanna bring it back and use it for its good purposes. We can call piety that reverence, one theologian said this way, that reverence united with love for God. that the knowledge of His benefits, the knowledge of His grace, His kindness produces in us. So a reverence and a love is this idea of pious heart. It's really the Old Testament version of the fear of the Lord. It's a love for Him and a respect. for him, a fear in that sense, because of his greatness. It's an infinite mercy that has been showed upon us. I know these are so basic to us that we can often just forget about it and really not focus on it on a day by day basis. And when we do that, the force and the power for piety, for godliness, the development of sanctification, progressive sanctification, it loses its power. when we forget to focus on gratitude for what God has done. So let's look at the new life and how it's to be guided, following those texts we just read from him and through him and to him. To him alone be the glory. We read, I beseech you therefore, brethren, right? I'm now going back to childhood and our memorization of this text going to a camp, right? Beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that which we have just discussed. that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, which is our reasonable service. I see here, and this Bible picked up this morning, which is your spiritual worship. So we have a translation difference there. But let's look at this text here of Romans 12, one and two. This is the last point then. To present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, to God. It makes sense, doesn't it? We don't belong to ourselves. Remember, we were created by God, so we belong to him by creation. And he redeemed us, so we belong to him doubly. So therefore, we don't belong to ourselves. Now, we are consecrated to the service of God. We can't live for ourselves anymore. We have died. That's other teachings of God's word. So now we're going to dedicate all of our actions and all of our life for this worship, this reasonable, this holy sacrifice, which has to do with worship, doesn't it? Sacrifice has to do with worship. And now we will devote our whole life. This is nothing other than understanding that our life is now in Christ, or in God. It's a theocentric version or vision of how to live out life. And it really is logical and right on. We could turn to John and look at the fact that As it says in John 15, four, abide in me, life in God, and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. So abiding in Christ, that's how we're gonna be fruit producing. That's how we're gonna be grateful. That's how we are going to be able to live sacrificially this life. for living sacrifice in every area of our life, devoted and dedicated to God, we have to understand that our life now is in God, it belongs to Him. This is a holy sacrifice, it says, Romans, back to Romans 12, 1. I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. So holiness, should permeate every area of our lives. Isn't this another thing, isn't it, that we forget? And it's so easy in our day with social media and so many other things going around us that holiness completely would belong to God. And so holiness should permeate every aspect of life. What's this idea of our bodies as a living sacrifice? I remember reading John Calvin believing that he's correct on this, bodies is everything we are. So we're to dedicate our whole life, every aspect of who we are, because we belong totally to God. And so we sacrifice everything for him. And we can't do that unless we renounce ourselves, die to ourselves. Now there's very few things that are contrary, antithetical to human reason than this idea. We renounce ourselves and live for God. What a difficult idea for the proud, idolatrous heart, but something as God's people, we need to cherish and love. We have been resurrected to a new life, a new life. We live in a new kingdom and it's not ours. We belong to the king. And that's the best and most comforting place to be. And therefore, it's a reasonable service to God, which is your spiritual or reasonable service. Why is that reason? Why does it make sense? Why is this a spiritual worship to God? Doesn't it make sense? Once again, it just doesn't. in the light of all the things we've seen, in the light of the fact that we're great sinners. It's reasonable. If we were great sinners, we deserve nothing. And God has saved us. It's reasonable. That this kind of sacrificial life to God, it's right. It makes sense if we could see God in all his glory, the beauty of who he is. If we could really perceive that as Isaiah did, chapter six, and realize that we can stand there before that beauty and holiness and glory only because of the blood and sacrifice of Christ. Then that vision of His holiness and His eternal magnificence, we will be able to understand as we meditate upon that, His grace, mercy to us, that yes, this life is to be lived. makes sense, it's reasonable to give and live this way for him. So then finally, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by you discern what is the will of God and good and acceptable and perfect in his sight. So we can't conform ourselves to the thinking of this world. The lost, fallen thinking of this world that's in darkness. So we must say no every single day to fallen thinking, to selfish thinking, to the old nature, to that evil, which still resides in us because we're not thoroughly sanctified and glorification has not been finally consumed, even though it's begun and it's in Christ, it's complete. But we still, as we live upon this earth, it's the battle that we fight. That's part of the living sacrifice. To wake up every morning and understand, I'm going to war for the great king. I belong to his kingdom. He's my master and Lord and savior. And I'm in this great battle against sin. And so in our daily lives, in our conscience, in the way we speak to our children, do we understand this is how life is to be governed. And really these are the great battles of human life. And brothers and sisters, if we do not present this view and demonstrate it to a lost and dying world, there's no place that's going to do that. Society does not teach this view of man, does not teach this warfare, does not teach this battle. It's only God's people who have God's word, who can do that. So we're to be transformed by the renewing of your mind day by day. This is progressive sanctification. We put off the old man and we put on the new. That's the part of the living sacrifice that is reasonable. It's reasonable to live this way for God. So I want to conclude by asking you, do you have the courage? to live this idea, this truth out, this view of man, of his total depravity, of seeing that it's only by God's grace alone. Do you have the courage? Because it's not acceptable in the reasonable, in the logical, in the worldly, proud view of man. It's not acceptable. We'll be fought against. So do you have the courage to live against thoughts in the thinking of this age? Do you have the courage to have this high vision of God solely deo gloria? You're not going to live for yourself. It's not just about you doing it, but it's all about him. My life, the center of it is about him. And do you have as well, finally, the courage to do what is necessary to live this out, prepared for battle, engaged over the decades of your life. Weren't you tired in this battle? Do I really have to fight sin again every single day? Can't we just relax and we have to have this tension against the old man on a daily basis until the end? God's word says yes. And you will tire and you will stop running if you forget what we've just focused on. I deserve death. But a beautiful God and Savior has saved me by his grace, and therefore I will do what's required with joy and gratitude. It's the best kind of life. He deserves it all, and it makes sense. Reasonable service to God for all his great grace. Let's pray that we can do that here in the states, in Brazil, in every area of the world. We need this vision. Return to our homes, to our souls, to our churches. to our politics, to our schools, and to everything else. And we gotta proclaim it boldly. It's dying in this world. Father, help us, we pray, to proclaim your word, to proclaim true vision of man, to proclaim the greatness of your grace, to teach that all of life is to be lived for your glory and your glory alone. Help us to be that, continue to bless this church as they proclaim that word every single Sunday in the world, proclaim that gospel. that beautiful Savior who saved sinners who deserved death. We thank you for your great rescue. Now we pray that we can have the courage and zeal and the gratitude to live this out in the way we communicate, in our marriages, our families, the way we educate our children, whatever sacrifices you call us to, Lord, even to death itself. We pray that we'd be willing to die for this truth. We ask in Jesus' name, amen.