Desiring God...Gods Goal XVI

The Christian Life

The work of Christ for the glory of God leads inevitably to the conclusion that God's purpose for his new redeemed people, the church, is that our life goal should be to glorify God. Paul makes this explicit in 1 Corinthians 10:31 where he says, "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Peter shows that all of our service as Christians has as its goal that God would be glorified as the One who enables all good things: "Whoever renders service [let him do it] as one who renders it by the strength which God supplies; in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4: 11).

And when Jesus was instructing his own disciples what their goal should be in their daily living, he said in Matthew 5:14, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

Read this series in its entirity at "Desiring God" by John Piper

Gods Goal XV

Jesus' Death

In John 12:27-28 Jesus weighed whether to escape the hour of his death; but he rejected that alternative knowing that precisely through dying he would finish his mission of glorifying the Father.

"Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? `Father, save me from this hour'? No, for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify thy name. " Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it and I will glorify it again."

The purpose of Jesus' death was to glorify the Father. To be willing as the Son of God to suffer the loss of so much glory himself in order to repair the injury done to God's glory by our sin showed how infinitely valuable the glory of God is. To be sure, the death of Christ also shows God's love for us. But we are not at the center.

God put forward his Son on the cross "to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins" (Romans3:25). In other words, by forgiving sin in the Old Testament and by tolerating many sinners, God had given the impression that his honor and glory were not of infinite worth. Now to vindicate the honor of his name and the worth of his glory, he required the death of his own Son. Thus Christ suffered and died for the glory of his Father. This demonstrates the righteousness of God, because God's righteousness is his unswerving allegiance to uphold the value of his glory.

From the Book "Desiring God" by John Piper

Gods Goal Part XIV

Jesus' Life and Ministry

Two texts from the Gospel of John show that Jesus' life and ministry were devoted to glorifying his Father in heaven. In John 17:4 Jesus prayed at the end of his life, "I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do." And in John 7: 18, referring to his own ministry, Jesus said, "He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood." Therefore, we can say with certainty that Jesus' all-consuming desire and deepest purpose on earth was to glorify his Father in heaven by doing his Father's will (John 4:34).

From the book "Desiring God" by John Piper

Gods Goal XIII

New Testament

Moving from the Old Testament to the New Testament, we move from an age of promise to an age of fulfillment. The hoped-for Messiah had come, Jesus Christ. But God's supreme goal did not change, only some of the circumstances in how he is achieving it.

Jesus' Life and Ministry

Two texts from the Gospel of John show that Jesus' life and ministry were devoted to glorifying his Father in heaven. In John 17:4 Jesus prayed at the end of his life, "I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do." And in John 7: 18, referring to his own ministry, Jesus said, "He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood." Therefore, we can say with certainty that Jesus' all-consuming desire and deepest purpose on earth was to glorify his Father in heaven by doing his Father's will (John 4:34).

Wednesdays Word of Encouragement

It?s Not About You!


2 Corinthians 12:2-10; Philippians 2:14-15

I need to underscore a foundational fact: God's goal is not to make sure you're happy. No matter how hard it is for you to believe this, it's time to do so. Life is not about your being comfortable and happy and successful and pain free. It's about becoming the man or woman God has called you to be. Unfortunately, we will rarely hear that message proclaimed today. All the more reason for me to say it again: Life is not about you! It's about God.


How can I say that with assurance? Because of Paul's response in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10:



Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

That's it! He got it, too. And he went with it for the rest of his days.

When you and I boast of our strengths, we get the credit, and we keep going under our own head of steam. But when we boast in what He is doing in the midst of our brokenness, inability, and inadequacy, Christ comes to the front. His strength comes to our rescue. He is honored.

Don't miss the point. The very things we dread and run from in our lives are precisely what brought contentment to Paul. Look at Paul's list: I am content when I lose. I am content when I am weak. I am content with insults. I am content when I am slandered. I am content in distresses. I am content with persecutions. I am content with difficulties and pressures that are so tight I can hardly turn around. Why? ?Because when I am weak, then I am strong? (2 Corinthians 12:10). Knowing that brought the apostle, ablaze with the flaming oracles of heaven, to his knees. What a way to live your life - content in everything - knowing that divine strength comes when human weakness is evident.

Paul recommends an attitude of unselfish humility. Quite remarkably, you never read where Paul said this to his Roman guard, while he was in prison: ?I need you to do me a favor. Next time you happen to be near one of the Emperor's assistants, urge him to get me out of this dump. I shouldn't be here in the first place. I've been here for one year, seven months, four days, five hours, and nine minutes, and that's long enough.? Paul's attitude of unselfish humility prevented him from keeping meticulous records of the wrongs done to him in Rome, or anywhere else for that matter. He was in prison by divine appointment. He willingly submitted to his situation.

Christ modeled the great emptying-out principle that permeated Paul's remarkable life. If we want to learn contentment, developing an attitude of unselfish humility is the perfect place to begin. Start with your family or neighbors. Model it before your employees or clients. You won't believe the impact that sort of selfless mental attitude will have on the people. You won't have to raise flags or pass out tracts. Just demonstrate an attitude of unselfish humility. The results will amaze you.

Paul exhorts believers to have an attitude of joyful acceptance. Paul minced no words about how believers should relate to one another. ?Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world? (Philippians 2:14-15). He sought an attitude of joyful acceptance, free of petty disputes and bickering. He pled for authentic joy. Nothing is more contagious!

Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives: Profiles in Character from Charles R. Swindoll (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2005), 313, 337.

Gods Goal XII

God's Goal in redemptive history Part XII

Zechariah, Haggai, and Malachi prophesied after Israel's return from exile, representing the latest writings in the Old Testament period. Each reflects a conviction that God's goal after the exile is still his own glory.

Zechariah prophesied concerning the rebuilding of Jerusalem: "I will be the glory within her" (Zechariah 2:5).

Haggai made the same point: "Build the house that I may appear in my glory" (Haggai 1:8).

Malachi criticized the wicked priests in the new temple: They "do not lay it to heart to give glory to my name" (Malachi 2:2).

Gods Goal XI

Gods Goal Part XI

Exile and Promised Restoration
Finally, in about 587 B.C., Jerusalem fell to the invading Babylonians (the Northern Kingdom had gone into exile with the Assyrians in 722 B.C.). The people of Judah are deported to Babylon. It looks like God may be through with his people Israel. But if so, what about his holy name, for which he has been so jealous over the centuries? We soon discover God is not finished with his people, but will again be merciful. And again, as Isaiah makes clear, God's purposes are the same as always:

For my name's sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not like silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. (Isaiah 48 :9-11)

Similarly, Ezekiel, who prophesied during the Babylonian exile, tells of God's merciful restoration and why he will perform it.

Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them; and the nations will know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes . . . It is not for your sake that I will act, says the Lord God; let that be known to you Be ashamed and confounded for your sins, O house of Israel. (Ezekiel 36:22-23,32)

Salvation is not a ground for boasting of our worth to God. It is an occasion for self-abasement and joy in the glorious grace of God on our behalf-a grace which never depends on our distinctives but flows from God's overwhelming concern to magnify his own glory on behalf of his people.

Gods Goal X

Part X of Gods Goal in redemptive history from the book "Desiring God"



Deliverance in the Time of the Kings



After the death of Solomon, the Kingdom of Israel was divided into the Northern and the Southern Kingdoms. One example of God's continued grace during this time and his continued purpose to be glorified and maintain the honor of his name is evident in the way he intervened when Hezekiah was king of Judah in the late 700s B.C.

The Assyrians, led by Sennacherib, were coming against the people of Judah. So Hezekiah prayed to the Lord for deliverance. Isaiah the prophet brought God's answer, stated in 2 Kings 19:34, "For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David." He says the same

Gods Goal IX

Gods Goal IX
The Temple of God


The books of 1 and 2 Kings tell the story of Israel's history from David's son Solomon, who built God's temple, down to the Babylonian captivity. This was a period of about four hundred years ending in 587 B.C. In 1 Kings 8 we read Solomon's dedicatory prayer after the building of the temple, including these words:

Likewise when a foreigner, who is not of thy people Israel, comes from a far country for thy name's sake (for they shall hear of thy great name, and thy mighty hand, and of thy outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this house, hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to thee; in order that all the peoples of the earth may know thy name and fear thee, as do thy people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name.

If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way thou shalt send them, and they pray to the Lord toward the city which thou hast chosen and the house which I have built for thy name, then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause. (1 Kings 8:41-45)

This prayer shows that Solomon's purpose for building the temple-in accord with God's own purpose: "My name shall be there!" (verse 29)-was that God's name should be exalted and all the nations should know and fear God.

The Long Walk

Please note that I am in no way trying to make light of what happened to the Navajo people in the early 1860's by the use of this title. I actually have more of an idea and feel much more compassion toward what the Navajo went through after my visit to the South Rim two days ago.

The Big Bend is an amazing place. Yes it’s a desert, but beautiful. The Chisos Mountains are almost in the center of the park. On the East side of the Chisos Mountains, the desert plant life is sparse. On the West side of the Chisos, though it is still a desert, the plant life is considerably more. Then as you ascend the mountains you get into a forest of pines and other trees. The scenery is breath taking. If you have never been there before I recommend that you go see it before you die.

Speaking of dying my friend and I decided to take a day hike to the South Rim of the Chisos Mountains. If you ever go, do not let the name "day hike” fool you. It should have been named “3 day hike” or the “are you a man or mouse hike?”

I was worried about this day hike before we left. I didn’t go over board and let my friend know that I was worried so I went and asked a ranger about this hike when my friend was not looking. The ranger that was working in the visitor center was a lady around 55 years or so. She convinced me that I could hike the trail in at least 10 hours. She said that when she walks it, it takes her between 6-8 hours. I looked at my watch and it was 10 a.m. and thought if this lady who is easily 17 years my senior can do this in 6-8 hours, a 38 year old MAN can do it in at least that amount of time Arrr.



Just in case it took longer than she suggested, I packed matches, an extra set of clothes, extra food and rain ponchos (there was a 50% chance of rain in the mountains) etc… I then asked her if they had Fat Boy Helicopter Rescue Units in the area and she just smiled and said “No, but we have donkeys”. That clinched my decision to go…donkeys to the rescue.

We started on our journey. We walked about 50 yards or so down hill and realized that I hadn’t packed a flash light. Around we turned and headed back up hill. My legs started screaming at me. I should have listened when my legs said, "Mike even though that lady is 17 years your senior and could concievably be your mother AND to top it off, a lady, you probably should not go.” Of course me worrying about my manhood it wouldn’t allow me to listen to my legs.
About an hour and a half into the hike I make my second mistake by not listening to my legs. Thinking that we had traveled some distance we stop so that I could look at the map (even thought the real objective was to catch my breath). When I looked at the map expecting to be somewhere close to the halfway point, it looked like we had hardly left camp.

OH MY GOSH! MIKE, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? Just tell Mark that you aren’t a MAN after all. Tell the truth. Tell him that sitting behind a desk for the last 7 years coupled with a serious lack of exercise has turned you into a mouse. Tell him that it is in my best interest and possibly his, that we turn around and head back to camp hoping that Lady Ranger wouldn’t see us.


A mixture of pride and a lack of memory nearly called for an embarrassing day because I didn’t tell him those things. You see when I was younger, I was in excellent shape. Though I was thin (6”6” and 170-175 pounds), I was relatively strong. I was able to bench press 210 lbs. and could almost get my elbow on the rim. I could run the mile in a very easy 5-6 minutes. I possibly could have ran it in a low 5 or less if I had enjoyed running and strove for that goal. My memory failed to tell me that it was 20 years ago that I was able to do those things.

Two hours after checking the map, with the top of the mountain still looming overhead, I started thinking, “Im going to be in next months Readers Digest edition!”. About that time we meet 4 young men in their mid 20’s coming down the trail laughing and having a good time. I figure that the rest of the hike must not be that hard since they were not in any obvious pain or discomfort.
An hour or so later we come upon 2 men and 2 women who were retirement age who were bird watchers. They had been watching birds a little further up the path and were headed down.
They didn’t seem like they were in need of rescuing so I decided to trek ahead.

About a mile further up the mountain we ran into two more young men about 25 or so and they said that the mountain top (South Rim) was about 2 more miles.
I thought “WHAT DO YOU MEAN 2 MILES!!! THIS DAY HIKE IS ONLY 6 AND A HALF MILES TO THE TOP AND WE HAVE BEEN HIKEING GOING ON 4 HOURS!!!!”
Of course I said “Thank you” in a very polite manner and continued on toward the top wondering if i would not only have a story written about me in the Readers Digest but if my face would make the cover of next months edition. Deciding that I might grace the cover, I asked Mark to take my picture so that I could at least look like I was having a good time before tragedy struck. He did.

Right after he takes my picture it starts raining lightly and the temperature drops so that it feels like it is in the low 50’s. I start thinking, “I am going to be lucky if I grace the cover of Readers Digest. With the temperature drop and the rain, I’m going to die of hypothermia and will instead grace the cover of the National Parks Ranger Quarterly, titled stupid civilians.

Luckily I remembered that we had packed rain ponchos. I started feeling better.
When we got to the top of the mountain we visited briefly with a man and lady who were there enjoying the spectacular view with the lady’s two sons. But it was time to head down. The sun would set in 3 and a half hours and we needed to leave then if we would make it back to camp before sun set (we only brought one flashlight).

My calves, my GM, and my dogs were screaming at me. Mark asked if my knees were hurting two or three times. Each time I told him no. I have been incredibly fortunate throughout my life. I have NEVER had a single problem with my knees. Until literally 2-3 minutes after Mark asked about my knees, my right knee began to ache.

“Oh no! I am going to die” I thought. “My knee is going to swell to where I cant bend it and there fore have to find an over hang that would protect me from the rain that was steadily increasing and sit out the night waiting to be rescued by the Lady Ranger on a donkey (how embarrassing)... Hopefully she would be able to find me before the mountain lions or the black bear, if I didnt die from hypothermia first.

I decided that I would likely not only make the cover of the National Parks Ranger Quarterly but I would also enable The Lady Ranger to win some kind of promotion or reward for rescuing me from the clutches of death.

Not wanting to be humiliated, I proceeded down the mountain. An hour later the sun was close to setting and camp was in sight. YEA GOD!!!

By Gods grace we, or umm I, made it back with time to spare. Mark was just a little winded. Must be the African water. God was good to me. God is good to me. GOD IS GOOD! Praise God. I sure did a lot of praying.

What a great trip we had. We are already planning another when the Phillips family comes home on their next furlough.
Guess where?
That’s right. The Chisos Mountains…and then on to Copper Canyon. Hopefully I will be wiser and stay at the camp with our little girls if everybody decides to go on that day hike...hmm I sure hope the girls will not want to go...

Gods Goal VIII

Gods Goal VIII

The Beginnings of MonarchyAfter a period of judges (recorded in the book by that name) Israel asked for a king. Even though the motive for asking for a king was evil (Israel wanted to be like other nations), nevertheless God did not destroy his people. His motive in this gracious act of mercy is given in 1 Samuel 12:19-23.
And all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king." And Samuel said to the people, "Fear not; you have done all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart; and do not turn aside after vain things which cannot profit or save, for they arc vain. For the Lord will not cast away his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; and I will instruct you in the good and right way. Here the presentation of the people, despite their sin at the beginning of the monarchy, is due to God's purpose to preserve and display the honor of his name. This goal is supreme.Another way God showed mercy during the monarchy was to bring to the kingship a man after his own heart, a king whose goal was the same as God's. We can see this in how David prayed. In Psalm 25: 11 he says, "For Thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great." And in the most famous psalm of all, David says God's motive in leading his people is the glory of his name: "He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake."

Gods Goal VII

The Conquest of Canaan

The book of Joshua records how God gave the people of Israel vic tory over the nations in the land of Canaan. At the end of the book we find a clue to why God did this for his people.

And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you dwell therein; you eat the fruit of vineyards and oliveyards which you did not plant.


Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithful ness; put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. (Joshua 24: 12-14)

The words, "Now therefore fear the Lord" are an inference from God's grace in giving Israel the land. The logic shows that God's purpose in giving them the land of Canaan was that they might fear and honor him alone. In other words, in giving Israel the land of Canaan, God aimed to create a people who would recognize his glory and delight in it above all things. This purpose is confirmed in David's prayer recorded in 2 Samuel 7:23.

What other nation on earth is like Thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name, and doing for them great and terrible things, by driving out before his people a nation and Its gods?

Gods Goal Part VI

Gods Goal Part VI


The Wilderness Wandering





God had good reason to destroy his people in the wilderness because of their repeated grumbling and unbelief and idolatry. But again the Lord stays his hand and treats them graciously for his own name's sake.

But the children rebelled against me; they did not walk in my statutes, and were not careful to observe my ordinances, by whose observance man shall live; they profaned my sabbaths. Then I thought I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness. But I withheld my hand, and acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. (Ezekiel 20:21-22, cf. vv. 13-14)



This motive of God in preserving his people in the wilderness is the same one that emerges in Moses' prayer for the people in Deuteronomy 9:27-29 when God was about to destroy the people:

Remember thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; do not regard the stubborness of this people, or their wickedness, or their sin, lest the land from which thou didst bring them say, "Because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land which he promised them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to slay them in the wilderness." For they are thy people and thy heritage, whom thou didst bring out by thy great power and by thy outstretched arm. (See also Numbers 14:13-16, Exodus 32:11-14)

Moses appeals to God's promise to the patriarchs and argues with God that surely he does not want scorn to come upon his name, which would certainly happen if Israel perished in the wilderness. The Egyptians would say God was not able to bring them to Canaan! In allowing Moses to pray in this way, God makes plain that his decision to relent from his wrath against Israel is for his own name's sake.

Gods Goal Part V

The Giving of the Law

When Israel reached Mount Sinai, God called Moses onto the mountain and gave him the Ten Commandments and other regulations for the new social community. At the head of this law is Exodus 20:3-5.

You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me.

When God says we may have no other gods before him and that he is a jealous God, he means his first aim in giving the law is that we accord him the honor he alone is due. He had just shown himself gloriously gracious and powerful in the exodus; now he simply demands in the law an appropriate response from his people-that we should love him and keep his commandments.

To love God does not mean to meet his needs, but rather to delight in him and to be captivated by his glorious power and grace, and to value him above all other things on earth. All the rest of the commandments are the kinds of things that we will do from our hearts, if our hearts are truly delighted with and resting in the glory of God's grace.

Gods Goal Part IV

The Exodus

After the period of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), which is recorded in the rest of the book of Genesis, the people of Israel spent several hundred years expanding in the land of Egypt, and then became slaves there. They cry to God for mercy. In response God undertakes to deliver them through the hand of Moses, and then bring them through the wilderness to the promised land of Canaan. God's purpose in this deliverance from Egypt is recorded several places besides in Exodus-for example, in Ezekiel and the Psalms:

Thus says the Lord God: on the day when I chose Israel, I swore to the seed of the house of Jacob, making myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I swore to them, saying, I am the Lord your God. On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands. And I said to them, Cast away the detestable things your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God. But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; they did not every man cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.

Then I thought I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the na tions among whom they dwelt, in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt. (Ezekiel 20:5-9)

Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly. Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider thy wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of thy steadfast love, but rebelled against the Most High at the Red Sea. Yet he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make known his mighty power. (Psalm 106:6-8)

It is clear that the deliverance from Egypt is not due to the worth of the Israelites, but to the worth of God's name. He acted "for the sake of his name." This is also made clear in the story of the exodus itself in Exodus 14.

And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.... And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen. (14:4,18)

God's purpose is to act in a way that causes people to own up to his glory and confess that he is the only Lord of the universe. Therefore, the great event of the exodus, which was a paradigm for all God's saving acts, should have made clear to all generations that God's purpose with Israel was to glorify himself and create a people who trust him and delight in his glory.

Gods Goal Part III

GODS GOAL IN REDEMPTIVE HISTORY PART III
From the Book "Desiring God" by John Piper

The Call of Abram


Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing." (Genesis 12:1-2)At this major turning point in God's dealings with mankind, he calls Abram and begins his dealings with with the people of Israel

There is a clear contrast between what God says here and what happened at the tower of Babel. God says that he will make Abram's name great, in explicit contrast to Genesis 11:4 where man wanted to make his own name great.The key difference is this: When man undertakes to make his own name great, he takes credit for his own accomplishments and does not give glory to God. But when God undertakes to make a person great, the only proper response is trust and gratitude on the part of man, which gives all glory back to God, where it belongs. Abram proved himself to be very different from the builders of the tower of Babel, because (as we see in Genesis 15:6) Abram trusted God.In Romans 4:20-21, the apostle Paul shows us the link between Abram's faith and God's glory: "No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith, giving glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised." So, in contrast to the builders of the tower of Babel, the children of Abram were chosen by God to be a people who trust him and thus give him glory. This is what God says in Isaiah 49:3, "You are my servant Israel, in whom I will be glorified."

Gods Goal Part II

Goal Part II


The Tower of Babel
Now the whole earth had one language and few words, and as men migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." Gods (Genesis 11:1-4) The point of this story is to show how fallen man thought, and still thinks. By contrast it also shows God's purpose for man. The key phrase is, "Let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered" ( 11:4) . The instinct of self-preservation in fallen man seeks fulfillment not by trusting God, and thereby exalting his name, but by employing his own human genius, thereby making a name for himself. This was contrary to God's purpose for man and so God frustrated the effort-and has been frustrating it more or less ever since. God's purpose was that he be given credit for man's greatness and that man depend on him. This will be even more evident when we look at what God did next in redemptive history.

Gods Goal

Have you ever wondered what Gods ultimate goal was? If you havent, I encourage you to do so. When I read the book "Desiring God", by John Piper,
it revolutionized the way that I thought. In appendix 1 of this book Dr. Piper lists "a brief survey of the high points of redemptive history with a view to why God does what he does".
This "brief survey" isnt exactly what the average person would describe as brief. Since this is somewhat lengthy I intend to break it up over several posts in order to keep your attention in hopes that this book will have the impact on you that it had on me. I wish you good reading :].
Remember!!! If you are going to build a relationship with another you HAVE to spend time with the person you desire to build that relationship with.
If you are a Christian that relationship is to be built with the One that called you His own. I want to encourage you to pray, read His Word, meditate on His Word, surround yourself with other believers (community), read about His word from SOLID theologians like the following.

Appendix 1
The Goal of God in Redemptive History

In chapter one I said God's
ultimate goal in all that he does is to preserve and display his glory. I
inferred from this that he is uppermost in his own affections. He
prizes and delights in his own glory above all things. This appendix
presents the biblical evidence for this statement. It is a brief survey of the
high points of redemptive history with a view to why God does what he
does.

First, a comment about terminology.

The term "glory of God" in the Bible generally refers to the visible
splendor or moral beauty of God's manifold perfections. It is an attempt
to put into words what cannot be contained in words-what God is like in
his unveiled magnificence and excellence.

Another term which can signify much the same thing is "the name of
God." When Scripture speaks of doing something "for God's name's sake" it
means virtually the same as doing it "for his glory." The "name" of God
is not merely his label, but a reference to his character. The term
"glory" simply makes more explicit that the character of God is indeed
magnificent and excellent. This is implicit in the term "name" when it
refers to God.

What follows is an overview of some of the high points of redemp tive
history where Scripture makes clear the purpose of God. The aim is to
discover the unifying goal of God in all that he does.


Old Testament
Creation


Then God said, "Let us make
man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over
the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle,
and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon
the earth." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he
created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)

The biblical story of creation reaches its climax with the creation of
man (male and female) in God's image. Four things should be noted about
this climactic act. (1) Man is created as the last of all God's works
and thus is the highest creature. (2) Only man is said to be in the
image of God. (3) Only now that man is on the scene in the image of God
does the writer describe the work of creation as being very good (1:31).
(4) Man is given dominion and commanded to subdue and fill the earth (
1:28) .

What is man's purpose here? According to the text, creation exists for
man. But since God made man like himself, man's dominion over the world
and his filling the world is a display-an imaging forth-of God. God's
aim, therefore, was that man would so act that he mirror forth God, who
has ultimate dominion. Man is given the exalted status of image-bearer
not so he would become arrogant and autonomous (as he tried to do in
the fall), but so he would reflect the glory of his Maker whose image he
bears. God's purpose in creation, therefore, was to fill the earth with
his own glory. This is made clear, for example, in Numbers 14:21, where
the Lord says, "All the earth shall be full of the glory of the Lord,"
and in Isaiah 43:7, where the Lord refers to his people as those "whom
I created for my glory."