Page 95 - Christ and Culture Textbook

not only righteous — that is, he deserves our deepest and strongest affections and admiration — but it
is loving. (https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-is-idolatry).

I. Nature is to reveal God’s glory (Ps 19:1; Ge 1:31; Ro 1:20)
II. Nations are to reveal God’s glory (Isa 44:23)
III. God’s chosen people are revealing his glory (Ex 15:11)
IV. The Church is to reveal God’s glory (2Co 3:18; Eph 1:12;1Pe 4:14)
V. God’s glory is not shared with any man (Isaiah 42:8)

We are Ambassadors of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21…For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that bone died for all,
therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer alive for themselves, but for
Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to
the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no
longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new
things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and
gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself,
not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, bas though God were making an appeal through us; we beg
you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

The Danger of self-glory and self-worship

As Christians we are quick to say, “it is all for God’s glory” while deep down in our heart we know it is
about us. How many mission trips have taken in the name of bringing God the glory when He is not even
center of Mission trip? How many Churches and Organizations are hiding under the name of God’s
glory? Are our spirits troubled within us because of the idols of our culture? Paul Tripp warns us
concerning the danger of self-worship. Here is what he says, “Pastoral ministry is always shaped,
formed, directed, and driven by worship. Your ministry will be shaped by worship of God or worship of
you or, for most of us, a troubling mix of both. Perhaps there is no more powerful, seductive, and
deceitful temptation in ministry than self-glory. Perhaps in ministry there is no more potent intoxicant
than the praise of men, and there is no more dangerous form of drunkenness than to be drunk with
your own glory.

It has the power to reduce you to shocking self-righteousness and inapproachability. It will make you
someone who is hard to work with, and it will make it nearly impossible for those around you to help
you see that you’ve become hard to work with. It will make you look down on people who are more like
you than unlike you. It will cause you to surround yourself with people who too often say yes and too
frequently are ready to agree. It will leave you spiritually unwise and morally unprotected. And all of this
will happen without your notice because you will remain convinced that you are perfectly okay. When
confronted, you will remind yourself of your glory. When questioned, you will defend your glory. You
will deny your complicity in problems and your participation in failure. You’ll be far too skilled at
assigning blame than shouldering blame. You’ll be better at controlling than you are at serving. You’ll

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