God’s goal of being glorified is expressed in 2 ways:
1. God’s justice and holiness in judging sin and sinners who don’t repent. (Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:10-15)
2. God’s grace, love, and mercy in saving sinners from all nations, all people groups. (Revelation 5:9; Matthew 28:19)
Everything in the Bible and History is for the glory of God and history is moving toward the ultimate end of the glory of God in all things. (Ephesians 1:6, 11, 12, 14)
Even when God judges sinners in hell or the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10-15; Mark 9:47-48; 2 Thessalonians chapter 1) that is God’s justice and holiness expressed by His just wrath on sinners for eternity, and God gets glory for that.
God also gets glory from showing His perfect love in saving sinners in all nations from sin and hell. The way God does that is by proclamation of the Gospel.
“Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples” (Psalm 96:3)
The New Testament also shows us that our preaching ultimately involves communicating the glory of God, and the glory of Jesus Christ, who is God the Son, come in the flesh, living a perfect life, dying in the place of sinners, and being raised again for our salvation.
What is the goal?
God’s big goal is His own glory. (see Revelation chapters 4, 5, 19-22)
What is “the glory of God” or “God’s glory”?
The glory of God is basically when His worth is shone forth or praised or manifested or announced.
God’s glory is about when His person and character is honored and praised. The Bible consistently describes God's glory as the brightness and shining of blinding light of a vision someone who is sitting on a throne high, and lifted up, in exaltation. (Isaiah chapter 6, Ezekiel chapter 1, Revelation chapters 4-5.)
The New Testament describes God's glory as seen in the person and work of Jesus Christ, especially His death on the cross and bodily resurrection from death. See also: Hebrews 1:3; John 1:14, 18; 2 Corinthians 4:6.
The glory of God is not only about describing God’s character, and His impact; but it is also the proper response to God – to give Him glory and honor; to praise and worship Him.
Missions is the means or the way God spreads His glory among all nations in history.
When there is a group of redeemed people in a nation that is worshiping the true God, then God is fulfilling His goal of glorifying Himself among all the nations. (see Revelation 5:9; 7:9; 21:3)
Ephesians 3 and other texts show us that God gets glory through the church. The church is the normal means of displaying the effect and message of the Gospel as well as the vehicle through which the Gospel know proclaimed (both locally and globally).
We say the goal is simple: proclaiming the glory of God. But it is not easy: crossing cultural and language barriers, establishing lasting, indigenous outposts of vibrant, healthy worshipping communities in those communities (we call that local churches). Doing the work of missions to achieve the goal of missions requires a costly sacrifice of people, program, priority, pesos. Whether corporately, as a church or group of churches, or personally, in individuals preparing and making the sacrifices to go and live long-term in other cultures, we must be about this highest vision of God's glory to all nations.
