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Over the past, people have chided me for trying to defend God’s glory. “He doesn’t need defending.” was the criticism.

That’s true. He doesn’t need it, but I believe he desires it.

Furthermore I’ve come to believe that defending and releasing God’s glory is the ultimate purpose underlying everything God does

.Ask yourself, “What is the most often quoted verse of Scripture?” Your answer will probably be: John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life

But now change the question to, “What is the most repeated phrase in Scripture?” The answer to that question is the key:

“That they will know that I am God!”

I contend that God’s ultimate purpose – for EVERYTHING He does – is to fill His earth with the knowledge of His glory. 

Why?

So that all peoples will know that He [alone] is God. 

Look at the four ways which God fills the earth:

Creation:

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.
(Psalm 19:1)

Israel:

“Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen  This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise.” (Isaiah 43:7,10, 21)

Jesus:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

The Church

Do you see how God’s works all moves to that single goal: filling the earth with the knowledge of His glory?

And consider what happens when people recognize that God is God – they worship.

Beloved, would it be theologically incorrect to change our favorite verse of Scripture to read:

For God so loved Himself that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life to worship and praise Him.

What better reflects our love and trust in God than praise and worship? And the wonderful truth of Scripture is that one day ALL people WILL recognize that He is God.

So if God’s purpose or mission is to fill the earth with the knowledge of His glory to the end that He will be worshipped, then our “co-mission” needs to be in alignment.

We often refer to Matthew 28:18-20 as the “Great Commission”. 

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; “

But we need to ask, “Will all nations become disciples?” Of course not!

So ask another question. “Would God deliberately give us a commission at which we would fail?” Of course not!

So maybe God gas given us a higher mission which fulfills His end time promise:

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk 2:14)

But truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord—(Numbers 14:21)

For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; the word has gone out of “My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. He shall say, ‘Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength’”. (Isaiah 45:23-24)

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” (Romans 14:11)

Beloved, this is the end of the story. His mission is fulfilled. God wins!

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him 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)

Reorienting to this perspective has made a drastic impact on my life.

Prayer:

One morning after reading 2 Kings 22 I wept over the lost in view of God’s impending judgment. The Spirit of God spoke to my heart and said, “Stop weeping for the calamity, instead weep for the way My name has been blasphemed among the wicked.”

Later He spoke again and told me that by seeing only the ripe harvest fields my view was too low. Instead I needed to lift up my eyes to see the soon return of the King.

Ministry

Reading the Bible as a new Believer in Jesus I was constantly attracted by the Psalms. Perhaps it was because of God’s peculiar calling on the Jewish people or on the call on my life to go to the nations. But I think more accurately my heart was stirred by God’s desire to be worshipped.

My Bible became yellow with the underlined verses:

I will praise You in the great congregation
Let everything that has breathe praise the Lord
Praise the Lord all you peoples!

Now, whenever an invitation comes to minister outside my immediately area, I hear the voice of the Lord: “Go! Fill the earth with the knowledge of My glory!” My ministry knows no boundaries.

Life style

Understanding that “filling the earth” was God’s plan for my life gave me tremendous freedom. No longer did I have to question God for His purposes for me, or what were the “good works which He had created beforehand” (Ephesians 2:10). Very simply, my entire life, every moment of every day could be spent in proclamation of His name, or in praise and worship!

Whether I would be in an evangelistic conversation or driving my car, wherever I would be, I could fill that part of the earth with my knowledge of His glory.

Beloved God has created each of us individually. Chances are negligible that you and I will ever walk in the same part of the earth. And if we do, we will walk it differently. Furthermore, we each have differing understandings and experiences of God’s glory!

Do you see why it’s so important that we each fill our assigned parts of the earth with OUR knowledge of God’s glory in Christ Jesus.

Beloved to fulfill God’s greater commission, we need “only” to open our mouths and worship! 

Filling the Earth with the Knowledge of God’s Glory

Copyright 2002, Novea Ministries, all rights reserved