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."