What is the meaning, the purpose of Life?
At some point or another every one of us wonders why we exist. Why am I here? What is life all about? And everybody finds some sort of answer. Those who believe there is no reason for our existence either choose to spend their life in seeking what satisfies them; or they simply choose to end their life in one way or another. After all, if there is no purpose to life, why put up with the pain that so often comes to us?
But God indeed has a purpose for all things. Especially us. And that purpose is to glorify God. For in this way are we ultimately made secure and satisfied.
The venerable Westminster Catechism puts it this way:
The Catechism states—
“All nations whom You have made
Shall come and worship before You, O Lord,
And shall glorify Your name.
For You are great, and do wondrous things;
You alone are God.” (Psalm 86:9-10)
Psalm 22:27
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations will worship before You.
Psalm 66:4
"All the earth will worship You, And will sing praises to You; They will sing praises to Your name." Selah
Revelation 15:4
Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed."
Enjoy Him forever:
“The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot.” (Psalm 16:5)
“The Lord … is my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26)
“Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23:6)
“With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: ‘Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and He will reside with them, and they will be His people. And God himself will be with them. And He will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.” (Revelation 21:34)
So, the chief end of man is to glorify God. As it says in 1 Corinthians 4:6—
“There is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live.”
Even Christ’s coming was meant to glorify God—
“Therefore God also has highly exalted Jesus and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)
So, since the glory of God is our chief purpose, can we agree that it must be our whole purpose?
You see, that is why this message is so important … for through it we shall discover the answers to four important questions that face us—
So, God’s glory is sufficient unto itself. It is self-existent as He is .. and is an inseparable part of His being. God’s glory is found in His intrinsic nature … in His visible presence … and in His reflected character. It may be seen, therefore, wherever His Presence and His works are manifested.
2. God’s glory is seen and experienced fully in Heaven:
3. But God’s glory may also be seen and experienced in His Creation:
God’s glory may be seen and experienced wherever His Presence is:
Here on earth, God’s glory is a visible reflection of His invisible Presence.
So we’ve answered the first question: What IS God’s glory?
Our second question was “What does it mean to ‘glorify’ God?”
The answer is very simple: We glorify God whenever and wherever we reveal His Person and obey His will. Wherever and whenever we place the focus on Him alone, we glorify Him.
And this leads naturally into our third question— “How can we glorify God?”
APPLICATION:
The glory of God must be the ultimate end of all our actions.
We must be like Jesus who here in the flesh said, “I seek not mine own glory, but the glory of Him who sent me." (John 8:50)
Those who do good deeds ultimately to receive glory haven’t given anything to God. They have merely sold their deeds for men’s honor and applause. No wonder Jesus said, they have received their reward here.
Only is that which is done for God’s glory alone holds eternal value.
Have you ever wondered why the elders in Heaven cast the crowns they have earned before Him? (Rev 4:10) The answer is simple: the elders know the truth— that all they ever accomplished in life was actually accomplished by God working in and through them. He alone deserves the praise. He alone is worthy. Yes, it was all done for the good of man and the furtherance of Christ’s Kingdom, but chiefly for the glory of God alone: for in all things good is God glorified.
So we return to our premise, as that is our conclusion— man’s chief end is the Glory of God! Not our happiness; not our well-being; not our eternal security. Those things are all means through which God is glorified. So, let us live our eyes and behave ourselves in this life with that in mind. We are not the center of even our own lives. God is.
Therefore, let us build our lives in the sure and certain knowledge that the chief end of all existence is the Glory of God!
When we do this, not just our works will glorify Him but our attitudes and thoughts as well. If you ever wonder how you will make it through tough situations, remember two things. First, that everything that is exists for the glory of God; and second, that this awesome, incomprehensible, omnipotent and omniscient God loves you more than anything else that He has ever created. You are indeed the apple of His eye. And He will be glorified in His love for you.
And that brings us to another glory associated with the glory of God!
Paul (in 1 Corinthians 2:7) speaks “of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, which He destined for our glory before time began.”
You see, God intends that we, too, shall be glorified …
Sit with Jesus on his throne (Revelation 3:1)
Reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 20:6)
We WILL be glorified … BUT that glory will be a reflected glory from Himself. We shall be glorified by His Presence in us and upon us and shining out from us. Our testimonies will last forever, bringing glory to Him who created all things for His pleasure and who will share that pleasure with us! Glory to His name!
And of all this is contingent upon our willingness to surrender now and allow Him to be seen in us—rather than our own ways, our own will, our own glory. So, the question I have had to ask myself is this:
Will I allow myself to be humbled and give up all claim to anything and everything … except Christ?
The question is now put to you.
Are you willing to allow yourself to be humbled and give up all claim to anything and everything … except Christ?
And if the honest answer is “NO” …
… are you willing to allow God to make you willing?
I suppose I should close there. But I feel led to add the powerful closing words of the Letter to the Hebrews,
“May the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.
At some point or another every one of us wonders why we exist. Why am I here? What is life all about? And everybody finds some sort of answer. Those who believe there is no reason for our existence either choose to spend their life in seeking what satisfies them; or they simply choose to end their life in one way or another. After all, if there is no purpose to life, why put up with the pain that so often comes to us?
But God indeed has a purpose for all things. Especially us. And that purpose is to glorify God. For in this way are we ultimately made secure and satisfied.
The venerable Westminster Catechism puts it this way:
The Glory of God is Man’s chief purpose
The Catechism states—
- Q. What is the chief end of man?
- A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
“All nations whom You have made
Shall come and worship before You, O Lord,
And shall glorify Your name.
For You are great, and do wondrous things;
You alone are God.” (Psalm 86:9-10)
Psalm 22:27
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations will worship before You.
Psalm 66:4
"All the earth will worship You, And will sing praises to You; They will sing praises to Your name." Selah
Revelation 15:4
Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed."
Enjoy Him forever:
“The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot.” (Psalm 16:5)
“The Lord … is my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26)
“Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23:6)
“With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: ‘Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and He will reside with them, and they will be His people. And God himself will be with them. And He will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.” (Revelation 21:34)
So, the chief end of man is to glorify God. As it says in 1 Corinthians 4:6—
“There is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live.”
Even Christ’s coming was meant to glorify God—
“Therefore God also has highly exalted Jesus and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)
So, since the glory of God is our chief purpose, can we agree that it must be our whole purpose?
You see, that is why this message is so important … for through it we shall discover the answers to four important questions that face us—
- What is God’s glory?
- What does it mean to glorify Him?
- How can we glorify Him?
- And what does this have to do with the way we live our lives— in our families, at work, at leisure, in our community?
He is called the "God of glory." (Psalm 29:3; Acts 7:2.) God’s glory is intrinsic to who He is. It is a natural emanation from His being … as a result of His being who He is. The glory that God has in himself, his intrinsic glory, is as natural to the Godhead, as light is to the sun. As the great English 17th century Puritan preacher Thomas Watson said,
“Glory is the sparkling of the Deity; it is so co-natural to the Godhead, that God cannot be God without it. The creature's honour is not essential to his being. A king is still a man even without his regal ornaments, when his crown and royal robes are taken away; but God's glory is such an essential part of his being, that he cannot be God without it. God's very life lies in his glory. This glory can receive no addition, because it is infinite; it is that which God is most tender of, and which he will not part with. Isa. 48:11, ‘My glory I will not give to another.’ God will give temporal blessings to his children, such as wisdom, riches, honour; he will give them spiritual blessings, he will give them grace, he will give them his love, he will give them heaven; but his essential glory he will not give to another. King Pharaoh parted with a ring off his finger to Joseph, and a gold chain, but he would not part with his throne. Gen. 41:40. ‘Only in the throne will I be greater than thou.’ So God will do much for his people; he will give them the inheritance; he will put some of Christ's glory, as mediator upon them; but his essential glory he will not part with; ‘in the throne he will be greater.’"
So, God’s glory is sufficient unto itself. It is self-existent as He is .. and is an inseparable part of His being. God’s glory is found in His intrinsic nature … in His visible presence … and in His reflected character. It may be seen, therefore, wherever His Presence and His works are manifested.
2. God’s glory is seen and experienced fully in Heaven:
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. At once I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne standing in heaven, with someone seated on it. The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow gleaming like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and rolls of thunder. Before the throne burned seven torches of fire. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God. And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second like a calf, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. And each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around and within. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the One seated on the throne who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, and they worship Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist, and came to be.” (Revelation 4:2-11)
3. But God’s glory may also be seen and experienced in His Creation:
“The heavens proclaim the glory of God; the skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continually speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard; Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.” (Psalm 19:1)
The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory. (Psalm 97:6)
“Since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship.” (Romans 1:20)
“Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this, in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?” (Job 12:7-8)
God’s glory may be seen and experienced wherever His Presence is:
“So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently … Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder.” (Exodus 19:16-19)
“A cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” (Exodus 40:34)
“The priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.” (1 Kings 8:11 and 2 Chronicles 5:14)
“'I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD of hosts.” (Haggai 2:7)
Here on earth, God’s glory is a visible reflection of His invisible Presence.
His glory is all around us. It permeates all of Creation. As it says in Ephesians 1— “the church is His body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.”
So we’ve answered the first question: What IS God’s glory?
Our second question was “What does it mean to ‘glorify’ God?”
The answer is very simple: We glorify God whenever and wherever we reveal His Person and obey His will. Wherever and whenever we place the focus on Him alone, we glorify Him.
And this leads naturally into our third question— “How can we glorify God?”
First — God is glorified whenever the thoughts of His creation focus on Him … whenever He is reflected in that which He has created.
- When we focus on Him in prayer, He is glorified.
- When we study His Word to learn and obey His will, He is glorified.
- When we worship Him, He is glorified.
- When we serve one another, He is glorified.
- When we take His message to the lost, He is glorified.
- When we surrender to His will, He is glorified.
- When we allow His righteousness to rule and reign in our own self, He is glorified (Philippians 1:11)
- And that righteousness comes ONLY by continued faith in Jesus Christ and what He provided to us at the Cross. Our faith must always and only be in that.
Second — God is glorified in His Kingdom … the Kingdom HE which He is building on this earth through His work in us.
- Therefore, as we allow Him to use us for that purpose, we take part in the glorifying of God here on earth.
- According to Ephesians 3:10, when we obey God we are not only glorifying Him on earth … we are glorifying Him IN HEAVEN!!!
- As it says: “God’s purpose is that, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.”
- This will occur whenever all we do is what HE has called us to do.
And what is that?
A. Love God with our entire being. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deuteronomy 6:5).
B. Love our neighbor … “as yourself" (Matthew 22:39). Even more, “love one another as I have loved you.” (John 13:34) And how did he love us? “Christ loved the church. And gave up his life for her.” (Ephesians 5:25)
C. Do good works. "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works…” (Ephesians 2:10) But note: “… which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
D. Pursue our chief work: “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.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)
APPLICATION:
The glory of God must be the ultimate end of all our actions.
We must be like Jesus who here in the flesh said, “I seek not mine own glory, but the glory of Him who sent me." (John 8:50)
Those who do good deeds ultimately to receive glory haven’t given anything to God. They have merely sold their deeds for men’s honor and applause. No wonder Jesus said, they have received their reward here.
Only is that which is done for God’s glory alone holds eternal value.
Aim purely at God's glory—
As God advises us through Paul: “whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:17)
Do so in every circumstance, whether good or evil—
“Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” ( 1 Thessalonians 5:18)
And do so with thanksgiving in your heart—
“Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20)
Realize that God is in all and through all and that you can do nothing in your own power—
Even your own salvation and sanctification are the result of God’s work in you — “For it is God who is at work in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)
Have you ever wondered why the elders in Heaven cast the crowns they have earned before Him? (Rev 4:10) The answer is simple: the elders know the truth— that all they ever accomplished in life was actually accomplished by God working in and through them. He alone deserves the praise. He alone is worthy. Yes, it was all done for the good of man and the furtherance of Christ’s Kingdom, but chiefly for the glory of God alone: for in all things good is God glorified.
So we return to our premise, as that is our conclusion— man’s chief end is the Glory of God! Not our happiness; not our well-being; not our eternal security. Those things are all means through which God is glorified. So, let us live our eyes and behave ourselves in this life with that in mind. We are not the center of even our own lives. God is.
Therefore, let us build our lives in the sure and certain knowledge that the chief end of all existence is the Glory of God!
When we do this, not just our works will glorify Him but our attitudes and thoughts as well. If you ever wonder how you will make it through tough situations, remember two things. First, that everything that is exists for the glory of God; and second, that this awesome, incomprehensible, omnipotent and omniscient God loves you more than anything else that He has ever created. You are indeed the apple of His eye. And He will be glorified in His love for you.
And that brings us to another glory associated with the glory of God!
Paul (in 1 Corinthians 2:7) speaks “of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, which He destined for our glory before time began.”
You see, God intends that we, too, shall be glorified …
Sit with Jesus on his throne (Revelation 3:1)
Reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 20:6)
We WILL be glorified … BUT that glory will be a reflected glory from Himself. We shall be glorified by His Presence in us and upon us and shining out from us. Our testimonies will last forever, bringing glory to Him who created all things for His pleasure and who will share that pleasure with us! Glory to His name!
And of all this is contingent upon our willingness to surrender now and allow Him to be seen in us—rather than our own ways, our own will, our own glory. So, the question I have had to ask myself is this:
Will I allow myself to be humbled and give up all claim to anything and everything … except Christ?
The question is now put to you.
Are you willing to allow yourself to be humbled and give up all claim to anything and everything … except Christ?
And if the honest answer is “NO” …
… are you willing to allow God to make you willing?
I suppose I should close there. But I feel led to add the powerful closing words of the Letter to the Hebrews,
“May the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.
