Revelation chapter four, beginning at verse two. This is the Apostle John speaking. At once I was in the spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder. And before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God. And before the throne there was, as it were, a sea of glass like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind, 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. 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. And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the 24 elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne saying, worthy are you our Lord and God to receive glory and honor and power. for you created all things and by your will they existed and were created. This is the word of the Lord. And you may be seated this morning. By any account, this is a remarkable scene to which John is a witness. And it takes place in the throne room of heaven, a glimpse that we are rarely given in scripture. And the heavenly seat of God's manifested presence is described in this text as a series of concentric circles. I want you to visualize this if you can, because at the center of it all stands the throne of God himself. And his majestic appearance is described as prismatic, radiant light, brilliant, gleaming colors emitting from the throne in every direction. In the words of the apostle Paul, our God dwells in unapproachable light. And we see that here. And from this resplendent divine throne, we are told erupts lightning, flashes of lightning, mighty rumblings, and peals of thunder. And if you know your Bible, this is reminiscent of the scene at Mount Sinai when Israel couldn't abide the manifested presence of God. As all of these manifestations were being given to the people of Israel, they told Moses, please ask the Lord to stop. We cannot bear it. Surrounding the throne are seven torches of fire depicting the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, who illuminates our hearts to the knowledge of God, the one who delivers the blessings of the Father's redemption that were secured for us by the work of Christ. And in chapter five, if you were to continue reading, we'll find that Christ is also there at the right hand of the Father. What I want you to see is that at the center of everything is the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Next, there are four living creatures encircling the throne. Seraphim, who continually proclaim, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come. These are the same creatures in Isaiah six who sing, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. So this scene describes the glory of the triune God in heaven. This is the glory for which Christ prays in John 17. It's the glory Jesus asks the father to restore to him, the glory that Christ wants all of his people to see. It's the glory which the son had with the father before the foundation of the world, the glory which he set aside that he might become incarnate and fulfill the father's purpose, the glory that he reclaimed when he ascended into heaven. And beyond the seraphim are 24 thrones encircling the divine throne. And as the four living creatures sing their song of praise, we're told the 24 elders fall prostrate before the throne, and they cast the crowns that are upon their heads, they cast them before the Lord, even as they cry out, worthy are you, our Lord and God. Worthy are you to receive honor and glory and power for you created all things. And by your will, they exist by your will. They were created. In other words, everything belongs to God because he created all things. He sustains all things and he will bring all things to their foreordained destiny. And it is all for his glory. And so this heavenly scene is so rich with imagery, so profound in message that we could easily spend weeks or even months unpacking it. For our purposes this morning, I simply want to point out that God in all his glory is at the center of all things and he is worthy of ceaseless praise. That's what this scene teaches us. For beyond this is even a host of creatures, heavenly creatures, those who are in the presence of our God. So everything revolves around him and everything is dependent upon him for its existence. As John chapter one tells us, nothing exists apart from him. And not only that, all of creation is dependent upon him for meaning and purpose. Without God, there is no meaning. Without God, there is no purpose. As Romans 11 says, all things are from him, they are through him, and they are unto him. So what is the only appropriate response to such a wondrous reality? Well, the Apostle Paul tells us, to him be glory forever. That's the theme for this morning, the final sola of the Reformation. Sola Deo Gloria, to God alone be glory. This final sola is the capstone, the pinnacle, the climax of the five solas. It's the culmination of these biblical principles of absoluteness. You know, as we've said, the five solas proclaim a singular message. They're not five separate messages. It's all one single message. It's that salvation is of God, from God, and for the glory of God, and all of that alone. Of God alone, from God alone, for the glory of God alone. You remember our summary. Our summary is that the scripture, which alone is the ultimate authority, tells us that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, that through Christ, all glory may be given to God alone. God's redemptive purpose set forth before time began is in praise of his glory and his glory alone. This is the reason for the qualifying sola, I mean, you could say that scripture and Christ and grace and faith and God's glory are the pillars of biblical Christianity. And you'd be right in saying so. But the addition of the word alone is crucial because it leaves no room for impinging upon God's glory. That's why the reformers were so insistent upon it. Beginning to end, salvation is of the Lord. We contribute nothing to our redemption. And so it's scripture alone that reveals God's redemptive purpose. All of scripture is God-breathed, and in no sense is it the brainchild of man. Therefore, scripture alone is the final authority for all things pertaining to life and godliness. Intimate knowledge of God and His gracious salvation is only revealed through His Word. So what does Scripture tell us? If this is the only source of absolute truth, what does the Scripture tell us? Well, the Scripture tells us that only in Christ can we know the true and the living God, because He alone is the mediator between God and man, the one who is both God and man. The scripture tells us that we are redeemed by His work and by His merit alone. There is salvation in no other. And in Him, everything will be brought to its proper end because all things were created through Him, all things are held together by Him, and all things have been given to Him by the Father as His inheritance. Now, since it is all of Christ and since it is none of ourselves, salvation then is by grace alone. It's the free gift of God. And remember, far from contributing anything to our salvation, we actually merited the opposite. We merited condemnation. And that's the riches of His grace that He not only grants us what we don't deserve, but that He sent His Son to pay for what we do deserve. Now that is a double portion of grace. Now this grace in salvation is in Christ alone and it is received only through faith alone. It cannot be earned. We must know, we must believe, we must trust in the atoning work of Christ on our behalf. And the blessedness is that God gives us this faith by which we lay hold of that gracious salvation in Christ. Any good works that we do are not to earn salvation. They are in gratitude for what God has done. And what's more, they're not even works that we generate. Ephesians 2.10 tells us that any good works that we do have been prepared for us in advance by God himself. We simply walk in them. So you see, all of this points to the glory of God alone. There is no room for glory for anyone else. It is all of Him. Think about it. Through sola scriptura, God reveals the gospel we could otherwise never know. By solus Christus, God accomplishes the salvation we could never obtain. With sola gratia, God gives us everlasting life which we could never merit. And through sola fide, God grants us the knowledge and the belief and the trust with which to receive that gracious salvation. So it is all of God beginning to end. And therefore, every sola, every principle leads to the inevitable conclusion, soli deo gloria, to God alone belongs all glory. So what does it mean to give God glory? Well, first of all, whenever we give God glory, we're not adding anything to him at all. It's of no benefit to God. How can you benefit one who is perfect in and of himself? You know, it benefits. Look around you. It's all of us. We are the ones who benefit. But nonetheless, when we give glory to God, we're not adding anything to Him. He is who He is. And as we saw in Revelation 4, glory is the realm of His dwelling. When we glorify God, we're simply acknowledging that God is glorious in Himself. And yet, where God is concerned, glory is beyond words. There's no way to fully describe His glory. I think it's why it's difficult for us to wrap our minds around this concept. The word glory itself refers to that which is weighty, that which is important, that which is substantial, that which is significant. So when we speak of God's glory, we're talking about the immeasurable weightiness of God's being. Other things we can speak of as being weighty, but not infinitely weighty. Only God is infinitely weighty. So when we talk about the glory of God, we're talking about the immeasurable weightiness of his being. We're talking about the excellencies of his character that's displayed both in righteous deeds that he has done and his righteous decrees that he declares, the mighty acts by which he brings his purposes to pass. God's glory is the unparalleled beauty of His holiness. It's the infinite splendor of His majesty. It's the matchless wonder of His grace. And for all of this, He is deserving of ceaseless praise. Think of it. If God is infinitely good and infinitely gracious, then how would it be possible that we could ever praise Him enough? If he is infinite in all of this, how could we possibly praise him adequately? That's why the seraphim around the throne do not cease to cry, holy, holy, holy. And so throughout scripture, we are commanded, we are told to ascribe to the Lord the glory to his name. What does it mean to ascribe to God glory? It's simply acknowledging that the Lord our God is the great king of heaven and earth. It's simply a recognition of who he is. Ascribing to God glory is praising him in a way that is commensurate with his majesty. that is equal to his majesty. It's giving God what is due him. You're not doing anything great when you praise God. You are doing what you ought to do, what reality says you should do. It's our duty. And when the scripture tells us to glorify God, it's telling us then to acknowledge who he is and to praise him for the graciousness of his blessings. To glorify God is to adore him for the splendor of his majesty. It's to honor him for his wisdom and his goodness and his love. To glorify God is to worship him as God and do all that we do in acknowledgment of his sovereign lordship. To glorify God is to live Coram Deo, to live before his face, to seek to please the Lord by trusting him and living our lives according to his revealed will. You know, this is all codified in the very first commandment, which Jesus calls the greatest commandment. And you know it, to love the Lord our God with our whole being above all else. to love Him with all that is within us, with all that we are. Now, of course, in our age of pseudo-intellectualism and wholesale individualism and unbridled self-esteem, that's the age in which we live, you know, this has become a real stumbling block for many people. You Christians say that God commands us to praise him. He insists on being worshiped. Yes, we do. We fully admit to that. You say that he not only claims that he is to be worshiped, he makes himself the center of all things. Well, let me tell you something. He doesn't make himself the center of all things. He is the center of all things. He pervades all things. He transcends all things. And so, Isaiah says in 42.8, God will not yield his glory to another. He will not. To do so would be a lie. Some say, well, why wouldn't God just do that? Why wouldn't he just... Because it would be a lie. He would be deferring to that to which no glory is owed. So many people take offense at God telling us that he's the center of all things. They take umbrage with God commanding us to praise him. I mean, after all, they say we're put off by people who insist on being the center of attention. Isn't that true? No one likes people who worm their way into every discussion and somehow make it all about them. We find it difficult to tolerate those who always have to have the last word, right? And we're nauseated by self-aggrandizing oafs, by boorish self-promoters, by those who intrude where they're not wanted, those who act as if they're the center of the universe. And Steve was saying this morning, we're really perturbed with them because we're the center of the universe. They just haven't discovered it yet, right? No. But this is what people say. So we consider those who behave this way to be rude and vain. Really what they're saying is, is that we've learned to mask it. We still think that in our heart, but we see that it's rude because other people, when they do it, we don't like it, right? So they just learn to control it. So this is the point. People say, we call those who behave this way narcissists, and it's not a compliment, right? So can you see the problem? People are saying, if God is good, if God is righteous, why does he insist on being worshiped? Isn't that a little egocentric? Why does he demand praise? Why must he be given all the glory? Is he some kind of megalomaniac? You know, folks, when people say such things, it simply means that they have no idea who God is. No idea. They're thinking that God is just a greater version of themselves, a souped-up version of themselves. Listen, there is absolutely no mania in God's insistence that he alone be worshiped. None whatsoever. It is impossible for God to exaggerate his relevance. It is impossible for him to exaggerate his power or his importance. For one thing, there is only one God. Think about that. There is only one God. He is unique. The reason that we get so perturbed with people who act as if they're the center of the universe is that they're just one in almost 8 billion people, right? There are at least 7,799,999,999 others who have that same claim, right? So I'm obviously not the center of the universe because there are billions just like me. But there is no one like God. No one like God. And as we saw in Revelation 4, He is the center of all things. Everything revolves around Him. He created all things. He sustains everything that exists moment by moment, both seen and unseen. He directs all things according to the counsel of his will. Many of the plans of a man, but the Lord's will prevails. He is the center of all things. Also, and here's another thing that we should know when people say these sorts of things. Listen, God doesn't have to insert himself into every conversation. He's already there. He gives us the very breath with which we speak. I didn't say that people recognize it, but read what Paul says to the Athenians on Mars Hill, right? He says, near is your breath. He gives them the very breath with which they're speaking. God doesn't have to worm his way into every situation. He's already there. As Psalm 139 says, there is no getting away from God. Wherever we go, he is there. In him, we live and move and have our being. Listen, what human being can say that? No one, right? Listen, narcissism only applies to human beings. You know, if we think that we're the center of the universe, we're deluded. But where God is concerned, it is impossible for him to have an excessive interest in himself. It's impossible. Listen, there is no way that we could also ever have excessive admiration for God. It's not possible. Again, it's just our reasonable service. to worship him ceaselessly. If we could somehow manage that, if we could somehow manage to stop saying anything else and to praise God every moment of every day or now unto eternity, it would never be enough. It wouldn't be excessive. You see, all things are from him. All things are through him. All things are for him. So that's not narcissism. That's reality. And God is God. And if He is, then giving Him glory, the glory due His name, that's what's best for us. And this is where we miss it. What God commands, He doesn't need. He doesn't need anything. Again, read what Paul says in Acts 17. God doesn't need anything. He doesn't need you. He doesn't need me. He doesn't need my praise. Who benefits from all of that? We do, but we were created for this. It's what we were made for. And he will be glorified. He doesn't need you to be glorified. He will be glorified. And so if we were made in his image, then we are fulfilled whenever we glorify the God who created us in his likeness. So you see, and I'm going to say this with a straight face. that anyone in his right mind will always honor God. He will always rejoice in the righteousness of God. He will worship the Lord and the beauty of holiness. Otherwise, he is insane. And I mean it. It is insanity to live your life as if there is no God or to disregard the God who is there. Absolute insanity for it is not reality. And so when we praise God and when we worship God, when we glorify his name, we're not bloviating. We're simply giving credit where credit is due. And this is what it means. Everybody's looking to live an authentic life. No one's doing it unless they're doing it according to scripture. No one's doing it unless they're living their lives for the glory of God, because that's what it means to live an authentic life. That's what it means to truly live. And so, as Peter says, we ought to be prepared then to give every man an answer for the hope that we have in Christ. And so, what should we say to these objections? Well, the first thing we need to do is to make sure that we're thinking biblically about this matter of God's glory. You see, there are a lot of professing Christians today who have made the gospel all about us. Isn't that true? Let me tell you something, the gospel is not all about us. The gospel is first and foremost about the full revelation of God's glory within creation. It is first and foremost the Son glorifying the Father, the Father glorifying the Son. This is what the gospel is ultimately all about. Again, remember, Jesus' prayer in John 17, he begins by praying, Father, glorify your son, that the son may glorify you. And yes, as we saw later in that prayer, he does give us that glory, but I want you to notice, he gives us that glory that is not ours, it's his. He gives us the glory. And how does he give us this glory? By revealing God to us that we might know the God of glory. And it is all in praise of His glory. And so we might begin to explain by asking a few questions. First of all, what do we have for which God should be praised? You know, I think actually it's easier to answer that question if we'll reverse it. What do we have for which God should not be praised? Absolutely nothing, right? Absolutely nothing. The other way, you might spend all day long and all night long naming things for which you should give praise to God. This other way, just very simple. What do we have for which we should not give God thanks, for which he should not be praised? Absolutely nothing. 1 Corinthians 4, 7 says, we have nothing on our own, nothing that we haven't received. God gives us life, He gives us breath, He gives us everything else. He causes the sun to shine and the rain to descend upon the just and the unjust. Yet as Romans 1 says, sinful humanity is ungrateful. They'd rather make up a God to whom they will give this credit than to give God the glory to His name. And that's insanity, right? Listen, only as Christians do we come to realize that apart from Him, we are nothing and we can do nothing. All glory belongs to God alone. For those of us who have been redeemed, we are doubly indebted to God. What have we done for ourselves? We were dead in trespasses and sins, and he graciously granted us new life. We were without hope in this world whenever he set his transforming love upon us. Again, all glory belongs to God and God alone. And so it's only right that human beings are commanded to worship him in the splendor of his holiness, that we are to tremble before him and to give him thanks. Listen, in worshiping God in the splendor of his holiness, we're actually just recognizing his majesty. That's all we're doing. When we tremble before him, we're just acknowledging his omnipotence. That's all we're doing. When we give him thanks, we're appreciating his gracious generosity. We're simply ascribing to the Lord the glory due his name. It is owed to him. It belongs to him. And it is only right that we acknowledge it. Creation exists to the praise of his glory. Folks, we have to guard against this relentless impulse to make everything about us. That's the sin of the garden. I mean, yes, God sent his son to redeem us. That's wonderful. What a blessing. Yes, he has loved us with an everlasting love. This is important. Did you know it wasn't first and foremost for our sake? I want you to think about that. Yes, He sent His Son to redeem us. Yes, He loved us with an everlasting love, but it wasn't first and foremost for our sake. Listen, throughout Scripture, God keeps His promises even when His people are unfaithful. He does so, He says, for the sake of His own name, for the sake of His own glory. Everything God does, he does because of who he is. Everything he does is for his glory. He could not do it any other way. We are merely the beneficiaries of his glory. And for that, yes, ceaseless praise should pour forth from our lips. You know, we see this beautifully demonstrated in Ephesians 1, 3 through 14. If you were with us a few years ago when we went through the book of Ephesians, we spent quite a bit of time there. We looked at this wondrous song of praise in detail. So I won't take time to read it this morning, but let me just summarize the passage. The theme of the passage is found in the refrain that comes up three times in this song. What is that refrain? To the praise of His glory. God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ. That's what he tells us. He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we might be holy and blameless before him. In love, he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ that according to his purpose and will, we might be transformed. And all of this is to the praise of his glorious grace. That's what he says. He didn't say all of this is because, well, he actually saw a lot of potential in us. There was no potential in dead men. That's what we were. No potential at all. No, this was all for the praise of His glorious grace. It's all unmerited favor. He chose us. We didn't choose Him. He purposed that we would be holy and blameless before Him, even though we were born dead in trespasses and sins. It is all of Him. We weren't looking to be in His family. He determined beforehand, before the world ever existed, to adopt us as His sons. In fact, we didn't seek Him at all, at least not until He called us forth from our spiritual grave. A lot of people, see, simply can't make that distinction. Oh, I was seeking God. Well, do you know why you were seeking God? Because he had already called your name just as he did Lazarus's when he called him forth from the tomb. You couldn't hear him call until he quickened you. Folks, salvation wasn't our idea. If you don't get anything else out of those verses in Ephesians chapter 1, get this, salvation was not our idea. And we did nothing for it. It is God working out his wise plan. All of these blessings are bestowed upon us for the sake of his beloved son. And it's all to the praise of his glorious grace. And then Paul goes on because in Christ, we also have redemption by our Lord's sacrificial death. We have the forgiveness of sins. God graciously chose to reveal his plan that was hidden in times past, the plan that he has to bring everything to a climax in Christ. Now, we talked about this in Sunday school as well. It was a mystery in the Old Testament. It was hidden. Oh, yes, there was evidence all over the Old Testament, but they couldn't see it until Christ came. He was the key. He was the key to their understanding, the missing piece of the puzzle. And once he fell into place, you could see it. And God didn't have to tell us. Listen, have you thought about this, that God doesn't have to tell us what he has planned for us? He could just simply say, I'm offering you salvation. I am going to grant to you eternal life. Come to me and receive it, and then wait. He could do that, right? Trust in me and then wait. I'm not going to tell you what I'm going to do. You just have to wait and see. By His grace, which He lavished on us, the scripture says, He chose to tell us His eternal plan. Now, not every detail. Most of us are not satisfied. We like those details that we're interested in. And God says, no, I'm going to tell you this. This is what I'm going to tell you. Oh, but what a beautiful thing it is that he tells us, you see. And so he gives us his eternal plan. He grants us an inheritance and he assures us that we will receive that inheritance because he's directing all of history, he says. And He further assures us by sealing us with the promised Holy Spirit. He marks us out as His own. That's what the sealing is all about. And all of this, that we might be to the praise of His glory. That's the refrain. Again, three times in that passage, He keeps coming to that refrain. This is all to the praise of His glory. It's all God's doing. It's his plan, it's his unsolicited blessing, and it's all for an even greater purpose than our salvation. It is all to the praise of his glory. And so you can see then how that these solas of the Reformation, what they teach us, that it is all of God, it is all from God, and it is all for his glory. I want you to think about this. Without scripture, there's no gospel to believe. Without Christ, there's no salvation to receive. Without grace, no hope, for we have no merit. Without faith, no redemption, for we cannot obtain it. Without to God alone be all the glory, there would not be a redemption story. There would be no meaning to life at all. It is all for the glory of God. And so as the apostle Paul admonishes us, whatever we do, we should do all that we do for the glory of God. Everything we have, every talent we possess, indeed, all that we are is because of him. He truly is the center of all things. He's the one who fills all things. He's the one who transcends all things. And he's deserving of ceaseless praise. You know, Bach recognized this. Any of you who are familiar with his compositions, he always signed them S-D-G. It stood for soli deo gloria, to God alone be the glory. The musical masterpieces he produced, he realized he could only do because of God and he did them for God's glory. May God grant us. that we might live our lives attaching SDG to everything we do, to everything we say, with every breath we breathe. May it be the mark upon our lives, SDG, sole deo gloria, to God alone be the glory. Because as the apostle Paul closes the book of Romans, and I can't think of a better closing for us this morning than this. To the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.