Making Father God Famous Forever

“To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Philippians 4:20).

The latest Hollywood blockbuster is about to premiere. The next hot project from your favorite artist is about to drop. These are times when the PR blitz really gets rolling. Folks involved do everything they can to get the word out. TV interviews. Media tours. Talk show appearances. Email blasts. Social media campaigns. For a few days or weeks, it’s everywhere. You can’t avoid it. But suddenly, it’s over and becomes yesterday’s news. The fame fizzles. 

God has a completely different kind of media campaign. According to Paul, God’s glory never stops. Near the end of his letter to the church back in Philippi, the apostle lets us know God’s push for prominence has legs. It’s long lasting. His fame goes on and on and on and on. “To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen” (v20). You can’t stop it. You can’t even hope to contain it. Why doesn’t His fame ever fade? Because He’s the only One truly worthy of the spotlight. He’s the only One who truly deserves the applause. He’s the only One truly worthy of the standing O. Giving Him glory means making God the Father famous forever. Period.

After thanking God for His overwhelming fire hose of grace (Phil 4:19), Paul can’t write another word without celebrating. He doesn’t want anyone to misunderstand the source of this lavish love. The result is this direct response to His jaw-dropping goodness. The apostle’s words here are what smart dudes in seminaries call a doxology. When I was a kid growing up in a Southern Baptist church, the doxology was the song everybody sang from memory when the ushers carried those plates full of cash back to the pastor. But it’s a whole lot more than a 20-second tune after the offering. 

Doxology literally means “glory words.” We see them all throughout Scripture (Lk 2:14; Rom 11:36; 16:27; Gal 1:4-5; 1Tim 1:17; 1Pet 4:11; Jude 25; Rev 1:6; Rev 7:12). When Paul cuts loose with these words of glory about the goodness of God, it’s nothing like the drone I heard in church as a child. He’s so excited about what Christ is doing, he can’t contain himself. This little letter his friends in Philippi is all about his joy in Jesus. According to Bengel, “The doxology flows out of the joy of the whole epistle.” The man from Tarsus may have spent the past five years behind bars, but that can’t rip the joy of Jesus from his heart. As a matter of fact, it’s this joy of the Lord that gives him the strength to endure no matter his situation (Neh 8:9; Phil 4:11-13).

So just what is this glory Paul’s so excited about? Let’s dig into the original language. “Glory” is the Greek word doxa. which means splendor, brightness, brilliance, magnificence, excellence, splendor, or grandeur. It’s what puts the doxa in our doxology! You can be sure the apostle doesn’t throw this term around willy nilly. And why would he? He’s a eyewitness of Jesus’ glory. He’ll never forget the day he was blindsided by the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter just outside of Damascus. Christ’s appearance was so dazzling that “I could not see because of the brightness (Gr. doxa) of the light” (Acts 22:11). That’s what happens when you catch a glimpse of God’s glory. It’s like looking into a spotlight. 

We read about this supernatural shimmering just about every time God pulls back the curtain of heaven. Just ask the shepherds outside Bethlehem the night Jesus was born (Lk 2:9). How about the time Christ took His inner circle up to the mountain? Not only does Jesus suddenly start to glow, but Moses and Elijah “appeared in glory (Gr. doxa)” (Lk 9:29-32). Jesus tells His posse that the world won’t miss His spectacular return because of His glittering glory.(Mt 24:30; 25:31; Mk 8:38; 13:26; Lk 9:26; 21:27). 

But the glory of God isn’t just about what we see, it’s about what we feel. The Hebrew word in the OT for “glory” is kavod. It carries the idea of weight or heaviness. To experience the glory of God is feel the weight and importance of God. To know His glory is to be under His heaviness. Jonathan Edwards writes that God’s glory is the weight of all He is. C.S. Lewis’ book “The Weight of Glory” goes into great detail about our response to the load of God’s incredible love for us. His grace has gravitas.

Paul doesn’t want us to miss the fact that God the Father’s glory goes on “forever and ever” (v20). He uses the little Greek word aion not once but twice. It’s a time term that means era, age, or eternity. We get our English word eon (or aeon) from it. For geologists, this is the longest continual measure of time. Astronomers define one billion years as an eon. But these scientists still don’t have a clock that will last long enough to count God’s glory. The era of God’s glory is forever. And ever. And ever. And ever. His publicity blitz never ends.

The apostle ends this never-ending doxology with “amen” (v20). For the longest time, I this was simply the way to sign off our prayers. Basically the divine equivalent to “over and out” on a walkie talkie. But this incredibly underrated word has rich implications. “Amen” means truly, so be it, certainly, let it be, this is indeed true, or that’s the way it should be. Today we might say things like “You got that right!” or “Dang straight!” or “Word!” Paul wants his friends back in Philippi to know that giving Father God all the applause for all time is the way things should be. The resurrected Jesus describes Himself as the ultimate “Amen” (Rev 3:14). When you say “Jesus,” you’ve said it all. “Amen” is a first century mic drop.

So what’s the point? What does this have to do with me? Am I supposed to do something with all this? Paul wants us to know that God the Father is forever famous. The question isn’t whether we’ll make Him famous. He’s going to get His glory. The only question is how we do it. Here’s the deal. Everything single stinking in the universe shines the spotlight on His goodness. Will I make God famous through my worship of Him? Or will I make Him look awesome through my sin and disobedience? Just in case you don’t think that’s possible just take a quick look back a Calvary. Father God took the murder of His sinless Son and transformed it into the most glorious moment in the history of the universe. He’s going to get the glory. And He’s going to get it forever. Period.

Here’s where the rubber meets the road for Jesus’ followers. When we give God the glory, it’s a good thing for us. We’re blessed that whatever brings God glory also brings us the most good. R.C. Sproul says, “Because you and I are in Christ Jesus, His glory and our good are linked together. Because we are united with Christ, whatever is for His glory is also for our good. And whatever is for our good is for His glory.” According to John Piper, we’ll find the ultimate satisfaction and happiness when we’re making God famous and finding our total satisfaction in Him. “The pursuit of our interest and happiness is never above God’s, but always in God’s. The most precious truth in the Bible is that God’s greatest interest is to glorify the wealth of His grace by making sinners happy in Him—in Him!” Piper drops the bottom line. “Our interest and His glory are one.” 

So if you and want to experience the overflowing and abundant life that Jesus talks about (Jn 10:10), let’s hop on the bandwagon and give God the glory He rightly deserves. His glory=our good. His fame rolls on and on and on. It’s not some short term publicity campaign that’s gone in a few weeks. The Message really sums up this idea. “Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes” (v20 The Message). He’s the only One truly worthy of the spotlight. He’s the only One who truly deserves the applause. He’s the only One truly worthy of the standing O. Giving Him glory means making God the Father famous forever. Period.