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The sermon centers on Psalm 72:19 as David’s final, universal prayer that the earth be filled with God’s glory. Spurgeon connects this hope to the gospel’s power to transform individuals, households, and communities, while confronting professing Christians whose sinful lives hinder the church’s witness. Believers are urged to pray, persevere, labor for the kingdom, and offer themselves for missionary service. The confidence sustaining this work is that God has commanded His people to pray for His kingdom and will certainly bring its victory.
Theological center: God’s kingdom will certainly come through the transforming power of the gospel, and believers are called to pursue that promised victory through holy, sacrificial service.
Applications: Desire God’s Worldwide Glory · Remove Gospel Impediments · Labor for Christ’s Kingdom · Give Yourself to Mission
Primary texts: Psalm 72:19-20
“Let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.” Psalm 72:19 THERE was a time when this prayer would have been unnecessary. A period, in fact, when it could not have been offered, seeing the thing to be asked for was already in being. A time there was when the word rebellion had not been uttered against the great magistracy of heaven. A day there was, when the slime of sin had never been left by the trail of the serpent, for no serpent then existed, and no evil spirit. There was an hour, never to be forgotten, when the seraph might have flapped his wings for aye and never have found aught of discord, or aught of rebellion, or of anarchy throughout God’s universe. When the mighty angels assembled in the halls of the Most High, and without exception did reverence to their liege Lord, and paid Him homage due. When the vast creation revolved around its center, the great metropolis, the throne of God, and paid its daily and hourly homage unto Him. When the harmonies of creation always came to one spot and found their focus near the throne of God. There was a time when every star was bright, when all space was filled with loveliness, when holiness, purity, and happiness, were like a robe which mantled the entire creation. This world itself was once fair and lovely—so fair and lovely that we who live in these erring times can scarcely guess its beauty. It was the house of song and the dwelling place of praise. If it had no pre-eminence among its sister spheres, certainly it was inferior to none of them, surrounded with beauty, girt with gladness, and having in it holy and heavenly inhabitants. It was a house to which the angels themselves loved to resort, where the holy spirits, the morning stars, delighted to sing together over this beautiful and fair earth of ours. But now how changed! How different! Now it is our duty devoutly to bend our knees and pray that the whole earth may yet be filled with His glory. In one sense this prayer is still unnecessary, for in a certain sense the whole earth is filled with God’s glory. “All your works praise thee, O God,” is as true now as it was in paradise. The stars still sing their Maker’s praise, no sin has stopped their voice, no discord has made a jarring note among the harmonies of the spheres. The earth itself still praises its Maker. The exhalations, as they arise with morn, are still a pure offering, acceptable to their Maker. The lowing of the cattle, the singing of the birds, the leaping of the fishes, and the delights of animal creation, are still acceptable as votive offerings to the Most High.…