The Ultimate Issue

The Westminster Confession declares: 'The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever'

George Muller was asked why he ran his great orphanages by faith alone.
He said his ultimate purpose was to bring glory to God.

'Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.' (Matt 5:16). We were created to glorify God, to be God-centred, 'I created man for My glory, I formed him; yea, I have made him.'(Isa 43:7). The only satisfying motive for doing anything is to glorify God, pleasing our Creator, showing love for our Redeemer.

All creation glorifies God by fulfilling God's purpose and obeying His commands. 'The heavens declare the glory of God.'(Ps 19:1). Nature does this automatically. But we created in God's image, with free-will, have the opportunity to glorify Him in the greatest possible way by loving Him freely. We glorify Him when we obey and fulfil His plan and purpose for our life. We are His glory as the moon is the glory of the sun. He is as the 'sun' -the Self-Existent Source of light and life. The moon has no light of it's own, it depends on the sunlight. It shines by receiving and reflecting sunlight. We glorify Him by receiving and reflecting SON-LIGHT, shining and radiating His love, life and truth. Our eternal purpose is to shine as stars with His glory-this means God's life flows into and then out from our inmost being. (Dan 12:3). This is worship-a life of glorifying God in every situation

THE ULTIMATE ISSUE is: What motivates us?
The reason we do something is all important. Do we do it to obey, love, please and glorify God? Or do we only act to please ourselves when it's in our interest? What motivates us more-our own will, glory, and name or God's will and glory? What's our bottom-line motivation? What ultimately controls us? Do we live for ourselves or for God? Do we want God to be God in our life or to be our own god? Who has the final say?

Glorifying God is our motive for Excellence for whatever we do we should do it to glorify God. We should do all things to glorify God-our job, our ministry, keeping our body as fit and healthy as possible, loving our family, giving, witnessing. Why do our work well? Why keep our house nice? Why serve the Lord to the best of our ability? It is to show our love for God and bring glory to Him. When we help someone in need, or love our husband/wife/ parents/children we're obeying God's purpose and are living as God designed us. We glorify God. All we do is to be a praise to God.

Why let God correct and change us?
So that God would be glorified through our lives: 'they glorified God in me.'(Gal 1:24) 'He gives us 'the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness' and makes us 'trees of righteousness'... that He may be glorified.' (Isa 61:3)

Why praise God? Because things are going well for us? Because it makes us feel better? No, the main reason is to glorify Him and show our love for Him. It glorifies Him more if we still do it when things aren't so good.

Why go to church?-it is to obey and glorify God.

Christians are too self-orientated. We only do something if it benefits us or is convenient. When did we do something just because it glorifies God even though it was hard and we didn't really want to do it?

The issue shouldn't be 'do I want to do it?', but 'would it glorify God?' We should ask ourselves: 'Am I glorifying God in this?' We don't need any other reason to do something apart from the fact Heís told us and obeying His will glorifies Him (and releases His life in us) We don't need a burden for souls to witness. It's enough to want to glorify God and we do this when we witness.

Why do we want victory over sin, satan, sickness, and poverty? To glorify God and make his Name great. In his prayers for Israel Moses' main concern was for God's Name and glory. If His people fail that does not glorify God. 'By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit.' (John 15:8) We should see problems as opportunities to trust God and let Him show His power so that He is glorified.

He fills us with His Spirit for us to 'be WITNESSES unto HIM' (Acts 1:8) not to glorify ourselves; to exalt His Name not to get a name for ourselves. God wants to fill us with His love so that as it shines through us He is glorified.

There are only 2 FOUNDATIONS upon which we can live.
The Bible calls them: THE TRUTH and THE LIE. (Rom 1:18, 25; 2Thess 2:11,12)
GOD'S KINGDOM is based on THE TRUTH.
SATAN'S KINGDOM is based on THE LIE
This refers to the specific, foundational truth of life and it's opposite -the lie.
This is the fundamental thing we believe which controls our life. We must recognise the various manifestations of the lie which controls the spirit of the world. The lie is everywhere in the world, you hear it everyday- satan's propaganda. Satan rules the world of fallen man. (John 12:31) holding them in darkness and opposition to God by his lie (2Cor 4:4, 1John 2:15-17, 5:19)

Those who believe the lie come under the power of darkness.
We are in the middle of a conflict between 2 invisible kingdoms.
The Kingdom of LIGHT (TRUTH) and DARKNESS (deception, LIE) Each Kingdom is trying to influence you to submit to itís philosophy and spirit. You must follow one or the other. Whether you love the TRUTH or the LIE determines which Kingdom you live under.

THE TRUTH is 'In the beginning God (Elohim)' (Genesis 1:1).
'Elohim', the ETERNAL GOD created us. He exists as Absolute Deity. He is uncreated and created all things. He is above His creation. There is and always will be an infinite gap between us and Him.

The Bible declares:
God is One (1Cor 8:4,8; Gal 3:20),

There is One God. (Deut 6:4, Mk 12:29, 1Tim 2:5)

There is none else (Deut 4:35, 39, Is 44:8, Is 45:5,6,14,22; Is 46:9).

'Is there a God beside Me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.'(Is 44:8)

'I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me...
Look unto Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.' (Is 45:5,22)
There is none like Him (Is 46:5, Mic 7:18; Jer 10:6,7)

'I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me' (Is 46:9)

He is God alone (Ps 86:10; 2King 19:15, Neh 9:6)

There is none with Him. (Deut 32:39)

There is none before Him: 'I am He: before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me.' (Is 43:10)

We are only creatures dependent and responsible to our Creator. We owe our existence and life to Him. We should serve, love, and glorify Him in all we do. We are under the authority of our loving Creator and Judge. If we love and believe THE TRUTH then we will put Him 1st in our life. Our life will obey the truth-weíll live unto Him. It follows from this truth that man has fallen into sin and corruption and needs salvation. He canít save himself but God has provided this salvation in Christ and offers it freely to all who would accept and believe the truth. Those who love the truth now have 2 grounds for humility before God, to glorify and love Him.(their creation and salvation) (Rev 4:11, 5:12; 1Cor 6:20; 2Cor 5:15)

THE LIE Romans1 teaches that man's rejection of THE TRUTH causes all his corruption and destruction. It says God's judgement is on those who: 'hold THE TRUTH in unrighteousness' (v18) Man is created knowing the truth in his heart, confirmed by creation. (v19,20). But they did not love the truth, preferring to not have God over them. So they: '(ex)changed THE TRUTH of God for (THE) LIE', with the result that they: 'worshipped and served the creation more than the Creator'(v25) resulting in corruption(v26-)

This tells us what the LIE is. Clearly it concerns who or what is worthy of worship. It is designed to stop people worship the Creator. It denies the Creator. It says there is no Absolute, Independent Eternal Creator God.
This means ultimate reality is to be found in the universe. The Universe is all there is. Nature is God. Mother Earth brought us forth. The Lie is that all things EVOLVED by chance, they weren't created. Thus man was not created but evolved as the universe is evolving. So this causes man to be his own god. Instead of God being first, something in the creation takes His place and he worships (puts highest value upon) self, things, other people, or gods (imagined beings personifying the workings of nature)

The TRUTH of God is that we are creatures and can find fulfilment and true life only in worshipping and serving God. The LIE is that we can live independently of God, self-sufficient and directing and fulfilling.

It makes man believe:'There is no God over me. I don't owe God anything. I'm my own god. I control my life. I'm not responsible to God, just to myself. There's no absolute morality or judgement. Whatever I want to do is right.'
It follows from the lie that man is basically good and does not need salvation. His problems will be sorted as he evolves on upwards.

The lie originated with satan (Isaiah 14:12-14, Ezek 28:11-19).
Lucifer was created as the highest and most beautiful angel. He came into existence and God told him he was created. He knew the truth in his heart. But he didn't LOVE the TRUTH. He saw his beauty and thought he deserved to be worshipped like God. He didn't want to believe he was created by God to worship Him. He wanted to be a god himself. So he came under a deception and believed the LIE (pride) which was the basis for exalting himself.

This is THE LIE: 'God didn't create me, we're all just part of a universe that has evolved. He just says He is the Creator to keep me under his power. Yes He's powerful but I'mglorious too. I'm really just like him, He has no rights over me. I'm in the same class as Him, we are evolving together and if I put myself first and fulfil my potential I could equal and perhaps even overtake him as number one. I want to BE LIKE ELOHIM. I want to be my own god with lesser beings worshipping me.'

He said: 'I will be like the most High' (Is 14:14). Only by believing the lie that God wasn't really the infinite Creator could Lucifer (a highly intelligent being) think he could be equal to God and take Him on and even win?

But the truth stands firm: 'I AM: before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me' (Is 43:10)

Lucifer went around the angels persuading them of the LIE: 'God didn't really create you, you don't need Him, you can all be your own gods if you follow me.' This was a Lie for the third who fell went into darkness and now are in bondage of slavery to satan. Those who didn't love the truth had pleasure in the lie of god-hood, and wanting to believe it-fell into deception. Those who don't want God to rule over them will find reasons to reject Him and make themselves their own god and so go to destruction. They believe in evolution because it gives them a basis for believing they weren't created and so are not responsible to God.

We see this process in 2Thess 2:10-12 where the spirit and person of antichrist deceives: 'those who perish because they did not receive the love of THE TRUTH, that they might be saved and for this reason God sends them strong delusion, that they should believe THE LIE (that there is no Creator and that man is god v4) that they all may be condemned who didn't believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness (the lie)'.

Satan used the LIE in the garden of Eden. 'For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' (Genesis3:5) 'You are divine, you don't need God. He's holding you back. He doesn't want you to realise you can be his equal. If you listen to me you'll move to a higher level of consciousness where you'll realise you are your own god, with wisdom and life in yourself. You'll see you weren't created but evolved just as God is. You won't have do what He tells you all the time. You'll be free.' Man wanted to be independent from God and go his own way, so he believed the lie and fell into sin (rejection of God) and all the corruption and evil in life followed from this.

The spiritual warfare over your life is centred on whether you believe and obey THE TRUTH or THE LIE. Your destiny depends on this. If you love the truth that you were created by God and you humble yourself to glorify him then you will be exalted (Phil2:3-11) If you love the lie that you are an independent evolved being and thus exalt yourself to be a god you will be humbled and destroyed sharing the same judgement and fate as satan.