Glorification

Good evening.

We're on lesson number 12 tonight. This is our last lesson in soteriology. We've been doing soteriology for three months now. Flip over on the back, I want to just kind of give you a review of where we've been. Lesson number one, we talked about election — God's gracious choosing of us in eternity past — calling, which is the gospel call that goes out to all, and then there is a special call that goes out to the elect. Union with Christ, which is the fountain in which all the blessings of salvation flow. Union with Christ is synonymous with salvation. We're not saved unless we're united to the Savior.

We did regeneration, how it's God who has to give us a new heart and has to put His Spirit within us. Conversion, which is the same thing as regeneration, but it's from man's point of view. Man has to have faith, and man has to repent, and man has to believe and turn and follow Christ. We studied justification, how is a man considered just before God, only by the work of Christ, right? We're justified by faith in our living Savior. We looked at justification and liberty, how our justification gives us liberty, we're no longer beholden to the law, and all that entails for us. Justification and adoption, how we are not just saved, but we are adopted into the very family of God, and because we are united to Christ, we have the same Father as Christ, God is our Father, and Christ is our elder brother. Justification and assurance, that it's because of Christ, and Christ alone, and our union with Him, that we have assurance, because we know that we are just in Him. We looked at sanctification, which is that process where Christ is continually making us into His image, until the day we die. Last week we talked about perseverance, how we need to persevere, but it's God who's actually put His Spirit within us, and God's not going to let any of us go.

Tonight we're on lesson number 12, glorification, and out of all of the 12 doctrines that we look at in soteriology, I would say that glorification is probably the one that's least celebrated. When we talk about soteriology, we talk a lot about election, don't we? We talk a lot about union with Christ. We talk a lot about justification, but we don't talk a whole lot about glorification, and it's a shame, because glorification — this is like we've had an 11-course meal, and now we're having dessert, right? That's what glorification is. It's the sweetest doctrine imaginable.

So let's flip over on the front, and look at what glorification is. Bubble point number one, glorification is the end point. That's the first point, end point. End point of God's redemption. It's the culmination of His redemption. It's where we end up. That's what His redemption was designed for from the very beginning — for our glorification. It is our complete conformity — conformity is the second blank — to the perfect image of the God-man, Jesus Christ. We are being sanctified, continued to be made in His image day by day, but when we are glorified, no more will we have that struggle with sin. No more will we slip up. No more will we struggle anymore. We'll be perfectly conformed into a finite image of His perfect likeness. It is the attainment of the goal for which we were chosen in Christ and redeemed through His saving work. Glorification includes our souls — that's the third blank.

Our bodies — that's the fourth blank.

And communion — that's the fifth blank — communion with God. Glorification includes our souls, our bodies, and communion with God. And we're going to unpack that and go through these points, okay?

Philippians 1:6, we read last week when we were discussing perseverance, but it's equally apropos here. "For I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Many years ago in Southern Baptist life, there was a button that they passed around in Sunday school and it says, "God is not finished with me yet," right? We're a work in progress. And oftentimes we wonder if that work will ever be finished.

If you've ever been to Washington, D.C., there is a beautiful cathedral there, a Gothic-style cathedral made out of stone. It's called the National Cathedral. Unfortunately, it's godless and it hosts all kinds of wickedness, but it's a beautiful building. Made out of stone, they brought old stonemasons in from the old world to build it. It took 80 years to construct, right? People were wondering if it would ever be finished. Sometimes we wonder if we'll ever be finished, right? There may be some of us who are pushing 80 and God's not finished with us yet, right? But He will bring it to completion.

Romans 8:29–30 is what's called the golden chain of redemption. And Paul describes what God does for us in His saving work. It says, "For whom He foreknew" — He foreloved from the beginning of the world — "He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son." That was His goal before we were even born, right? He knew us before He made us in our mother's womb and He foreordained that we'd be conformed to the image of His Son. That's the end point of glorification.

"That He might be the firstborn among many brethren." We'd be in Christ's likeness and therefore He would be the firstborn among many brethren. "Moreover, whom He predestined, those He also called. Whom He called, these He also justified. And whom He justified, these He also glorified." We're going to return to this verse a little bit later when we get to Bible point number six. But the point is that glorification is the end point. It's a telos, so to speak, of our salvation that God had planned before the foundation of the world.

Flip over — actually let's look at the application from number one. Is glorification ultimately about man's glory or God's glory?

God's glory. Glory is the blank there. Even though it involves us, it involves us as sinners being conformed to His image. It's not about our glory. It's not about us tooting our horn. It's about giving glory and ascribing all the worth and praise to Him.

Bible point number two. Glorification is God's plan for the elect from the beginning. We were created — created is the first blank — for His glory. And I just read or recited a couple of beautiful verses from Genesis and Colossians about how Christ is the creator of all things. Why did He create us? For His own glory, right? We were created for His own glory, Isaiah 43:7. Mankind fell — that's the second blank — fell short of — (Audio Cuts Out)

— in Romans 3:23.

Christ's work of salvation is therefore to bring — bring is the third blank — to bring us to glory. It's to restore that lost image in mankind. The moral image of God that was erased in the fall. We still bear a likeness to Him in our personal image, but our moral likeness, our holiness was lost. But God restores that in our glorification. Isaiah 43:7: "Everyone who is called by my name, whom I have created for what? My glory. I have formed him. Yes, I have made him." You are a special work of God. He formed you. He made you for His own glory. We often ask ourselves, what's my purpose? I'm such a goofball. How can anything good come out of my life? My gifts are meager. My work is small.

You were created for God's glory. Each and every one of you, that's your purpose in life, is to know Him, glorify Him, and enjoy Him forever. Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." In Adam and Eve, we all fell, right? Every single one of us have that inherited depravity from Adam and Eve. Redemption, right? And that's the end point — our glorification. Flip over on the back.

Hebrews 2:10–15 speaks of the work of Christ and His redeeming us for His glory. "For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things" — sounds a whole lot like Colossians 1:15–16, that Hannah just recited, right? — "and bringing many sons to glory." It was fitting for Him to bring many sons to glory. Christ's redemption was to bring us to glory, bring us back to God, to restore the lost image of God in us. "For both He who sanctifies" — speaking of Christ — "and those who are being sanctified" — us — "are all of one," because we're united to Him, right?

What He does in our sanctification will be successful, right? If it was up to us, if our sanctification was up to us, we would fail.

"For which reason He is not ashamed to call them His brethren." Isn't that amazing? Because we're united to Him. He's proud of us that we're conformed to His image. "Saying, 'I will declare Your name to My brethren. In the midst of the assembly, I will sing praises to You.'" And again, He quotes in the Old Testament, "I will put my trust in Him." And again, "Here I am and the children whom God has given Me." Remember in the Old Testament, Isaiah chapter 9, He shall be called Everlasting Father, speaking of Christ. How is He our Father? Because He's the firstborn from the dead, right? We have new life in Him.

Verse 14: "And as much as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same." He took on our nature. "That through death He might destroy him who had the power of death." That is the devil. "And release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." Christ came to deliver us from sin so we can be conformed into His image that He might bring us to glory.

The application for number two. Can man reach glory apart — apart is the blank — from Christ's saving work?

Not a snowball's chance in hell, all right? There's no way we could reach God's glory in and of ourselves, but in Christ, Christ does the work. All of salvation, we've said from the very beginning, three months ago until now, it's the work of Christ, from beginning to the end, and it's certainly the end, right? It's God who glorifies us, who brings us to glory.

Bible point number three. God's glory is the sum — S-U-M —

of His attributes.

When we discussed the nature and attributes of God, when we discussed the doctrine of God two and a half years ago now, we looked at all His attributes and how awesome they are, right? God is the God of truth. God is the God of love. God is the God who's holy, right? God is omnipresent. God is omniscient. He is all-knowing, right? All these things — every one of those, if you contemplate them in and of themselves, you'd be consumed by it, right? Well, His glory is the sum of who He is. He is His attributes. It's the sum of His attributes. That's the glory of God, right?

And our glorification is being made in His image, right? That we would be called people who love one another. That we'd be called people who relate truly to one another. That we'd be called people who are holy as He is holy.

This is the sum of all His attributes. It's the vast weight of His infinite perfections. Weight is the second blank.

Glory means weight.

In the Old Testament, the word for glory is kabod, and kabod means heaviness or weightiness. Something is worthy, right? It's valuable, it's sacred. In the New Testament, doxa in Greek is the word for glory, and it has the same meaning: something that is weighty, something that is intrinsically valuable. It's not fluff. It is pure gold. It's weight, right? It's glorious, it's honorable.

It's the vast weight of His infinite perfections. Christ is the glory of God.

Christ is altogether lovely, Song of Songs 5:10–16.

Christ is God's glory incarnate. John 1:1–14 — or 1:14. Christ is thus the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, Hebrews 1:3. That should ring a bell. Pastor's been preaching on that the last several Sundays, right? If you want to see the glory of God, you look to Christ. He's the exact image of the invisible God. We see His glory in Christ Jesus.

I had a professor in seminary who is in glory now. He was a beloved man. He had served most of his career at a historically black college. He was their head of theology there, but towards the end of his career, they drifted in their theology and he couldn't stay there anymore. And so we were so blessed to have him at our seminary, and I had him for eschatology and had him for pneumatology. I took every class I could from him. This man, he loved the Lord and he'd been teaching the book of Revelation for decades. He knew it by heart. He was blind, so he would recite it. And it never ceased to amaze me, even though he had recited these passages hundreds of times over the years. When he got to a passage like, say, Revelation chapter 1, where it shows the exalted Christ, he would recite that. Then he'd just hold his head up as if the sun was shining on his face and he'd grin ear to ear. And he'd walk side to side — he was blind, you know — and he would say, "Glory, glory." He wasn't putting on, he wasn't being pretentious. What he knew was that when we see the glory of Christ revealed, there's one response. That's worship, right? Because we're in the weighty presence of God. And Christ is the fullness of God.

Christ revealed God's glory in His miracles, John 2:11. You see that in the very first miracle at Cana. It says that they beheld the glory of God in His miracle. Christ revealed God's glory in the transfiguration, Luke 9:32 — that's said explicitly, that they beheld His glory. Christ revealed God's glory in His death, burial, and resurrection. We see that in John 7:1, 17:1, and also verse 5. He says, "Now is the time. Now glorify Me with the same glory they had with You." And what's He speaking of? The night before His trial and His crucifixion, right?

Christ's apostles were witnesses of His glory and testified of it, 2 Peter 1:16–18. John 1:14 says, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten" —

— "full of grace and truth." If you want to know grace, if you want to know truth, if you want to see the glory of the Father, you look to Christ, right? He is the full expression of that. Flip over on the back.

Everything in Christ's ministry was geared towards revealing the glory of the Father. Look in John 12.

"But Jesus answered them, saying, 'The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.'" What's He speaking about?

His death, His burial, and His resurrection, because they revealed to us the glory of God. "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain." He knew that not only would He be glorifying God, but He'd be gaining brethren, right? Because He would purchase us. "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me. And where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor." Honor is intrinsically tied to glory, right? What we glory in is honorable. "Now My soul is troubled. What shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name." He's saying, "Let My death, My burial, and resurrection be to Your glory, God." "Then a voice came from heaven saying, 'I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.'" Here we see the inner working of the Trinity, right? The Father is speaking to the Son who just prayed to the Father in the Spirit, right? Flip back over on the front.

Application number three.

How can believers reflect the glory of Christ? Reflect is the blank there. How can believers reflect the glory of Christ? If Christ is the exact expression of the image of God, He's God's glory incarnate, how can we reflect that?

Walking in the Spirit through our obedience, right? Through our conformity to Christ's image, right? Exactly. If we are Christlike, we will be reflecting the glory of our Father, right? We will be walking in obedience, walking in love, loving God with all our heart and loving your neighbor as yourself.

Bible point number four. In union — union is the first blank — in union with Christ, Christ shares with us His own glory, John 17:22–23.

We are grafted — grafted is the second blank — into Christ.

I know Andrew enjoys horticulture. Andrew, have you ever done any grafting yet?

Well, you know, grafting is something where you take one plant and you can join it to another, right? You can take a branch and join it to a tree. We've seen some really neat citrus trees that are part orange and part tangerine, right? You can do that kind of a thing. We are grafted into Christ. We've been grown into Him. United to Christ, we share — share is the third blank — in His glorious death and resurrection.

Look at John 17:22–23. This is Christ's high priestly prayer. "And the glory which You gave Me" — who's He talking to here?

Talking to God the Father, right?

All prayer to the Father is through the Son by the Spirit, right? "And the glory which You gave Me, I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one." He's saying the glory that You gave Me, I have given them. He's talking about His disciples in this immediate context. He's praying for those who will believe on Him in the future. That's us, right? He's saying, "The glory You gave Me, I've given them, that they may be one just as We are one, that we'd have a unity. I in them and You in Me, that they may be made perfect." Some translations say "may be completed into one." Isn't that amazing?

God brings us through Christ into the fellowship of the Trinity, right? Through our participation. —

In Christ, we receive the full love of God. God loves us with the exact same love that His Son deserves, right? We're undeserving — it's a matter of pure grace. But in Christ Jesus, we experience the full love and joy and pleasure of God. So when the devil comes to you and says, "You're a loser, you're not worthy," say, "No, in Christ I am. In Christ I am pleasing to God, in Christ I have the full favor of God." That's His glory, right?

Flip back over on the back. The reference for number four is Romans 6:4–5. "Therefore we were buried with Him" — with Christ — "through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should also walk in newness of life." We share in His glory, the same resurrection power of Christ. Verse 5: "For we have been united together" — the word "united together" literally means grown together or grafted together — "in the likeness of His death. Certainly we will also be in the likeness of His resurrection." If Christ's death, burial, and resurrection was caused to give glory to God and God glorified His Son in that, we participate in that too, right? So we share in His glory because of what Christ has done for us.

Application for number four.

How are you made — made? In other words, that is something that not you, something God said to you — made, made, or perfect. Colossians 2:10 says we are complete in Him, speaking of Christ, "in whom all the fullness of God dwells bodily." How are we made complete?

It's union with Christ, right? He gives us Himself. We are spiritually one with Him. He takes all of our sin, all of our shortcomings, all of our failures, and He gives us His righteousness, His divine satisfaction. We are justified before God because of Christ Jesus.

Bible point number five. United to Christ, we are glorified — glorified is the first blank — in and with Christ. We're not glorified apart from Christ, just as we're not saved apart from Christ. There's no salvation apart from union with the Savior. Glorification is just part of our salvation, right? It's the end point of our salvation, and we're glorified in and with Christ.

We receive His very fullness — fullness is the second blank — John 1:16.

Christ calls us by His glory and excellence and gives us everything pertaining to life and godliness, 2 Peter 1:3. He calls us by His own glory. The vast weight of His infinite perfections, the sum of all He is. And excellence — His excellence is but the working and the manifestation of His attributes, right? His glory and His excellence — He gives us everything pertaining to life and godliness. When we are united to Christ, we have all this power, all these blessings, all of His generous gifts are given to us by His Spirit. We become partakers of Christ's divine nature through His glorious promises, 2 Peter 1:4 — we'll read that in just a minute. The end result is that we will be conformed — conformed is the third blank — to Christ's image. This is where we become partakers of Christ's divine nature. It doesn't mean that we become God, but we receive all the benefits of His nature, right? We have our participation in Christ and all of His blessings. John 1:16–17 says this: "And of His fullness" — Christ's fullness; He's the fullness of God bodily — "we have all received, and grace for grace." It's like so much grace we can't hold on to it. Our cup truly runs over. "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." It's in Christ we know truth, and it's in Christ we know grace. Flip over on the back.

2 Peter 1:2–4 says, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness." Do you believe that? Do you believe that Christ has so much power, so much worth — He's the fullness of God — that He communicates Himself to us? He gives us everything He is, right? So we have everything that we need that pertains to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him, "through knowing Him who called us by His glory and virtue, by having been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." We are united to Christ through faith in Him, through His promises, right? "Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will" — what? — "be saved," exactly right. Flip back over on the front.

The application.

Number five: do you believe that Christ gives you everything you need? That's a great answer. I'm glad you believe that, right? Practically, we don't always, right?

Because don't we oftentimes turn to our own devices, right? Like Abraham waiting for his son, so we figure out, "Well, God's taking a sweet time, I'm going to go to plan B," right? How did that work out for Abraham? Not well at all, right? We often pursue what we think is best, but we must trust that God gives us everything in Christ Jesus for life and godliness.

Bible point number six: we have complete confidence — confidence is the first blank — that our glorification is certain — certain is the second blank. We have complete confidence that our glorification is certain. And here we're going to return to that golden chain of redemption. Look how it starts, Romans 8:29. "For whom He foreknew" — that's us, He foreloved His church — "He also predestined." It means before time began, He predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son.

They often say that we don't plan to fail, we fail to plan, right? God had a plan from the very beginning. Our plans are finite, right? We can't see what the future holds, so even when we plan the best, oftentimes our plans fail. Sometimes we don't have the power to bring them into fruition.

Does God lack any power? No, He knows all things. He's the one who ordains all things. So it says, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son." That's our destiny — to be conformed to the image of His Son. Then look at verse 30.

"Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified." Glorified is in the aorist tense in Greek — that's the past tense. He's saying, "We're already glorified."

Now you say, "Well, now hang on, David. I've got plenty of sin and shortcomings and failures in my life." From God's perspective, it's a done deal. The cake is baked.

His masterwork is done. It's completed. God stands outside time. So that gives us complete confidence that God is going to finish what He has started. "We're confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." The application for number six is: take hope — hope is the blank — and consolation that Christ will perfect you. When you look in the mirror and you don't see progress, know that God is going to complete you into the image of His Son. It's your destiny.

Bible point number seven: in death, our souls enter glory. Glory is the blank.

Some of your mothers are in glory tonight, right?

My father and my mother are in glory — I can't wait to see them one day, right? Their time of struggling with sin is no more, right? We will be made perfect — perfect is the second blank — Hebrews 12:23.

We'll no longer struggle with sin. We'll no longer have shortcomings. We will be present — present is the third blank — with Christ, Luke 23:43, 2 Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1:23.

We will be without suffering, without sin, and without separation, Revelation 21:1–8.

Look at Hebrews 12:23. It talks about we have come to Mount Zion. It says, "To the spirits of just men made perfect."

The moment that we die, our souls are made perfect into the very image of Christ. Flip it on the back.

2 Corinthians 3:18: "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into that same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." All throughout our life, the Spirit of God is at work within us, conforming us into the perfect image of His Son, Jesus Christ, right?

But in death, that's brought to completion.

Luke 23:43: "And Jesus said to him" — speaking to the thief — "assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise." When we die, not only are we made complete, but we're with Him in His presence. 2 Corinthians 5:8: "We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord."

Here on earth, though we're united to Christ, our communion is often neglected. Our communion is often polluted by our sin, right? We don't always enjoy perfect communion with the Lord. There are a thousand things that distract our feeble little minds, don't there?

Through lack of understanding, we don't know Him as we should. Through sin, right?

We can draw away from Christ rather than to Christ. But in heaven, our communion with Him will be sweet. It'll be perfect. Our faith will be made sight. Our union will in that sense be consummated. We're surely united to Him now, but then we will see Him face to face.

Philippians 1:22–23: "But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit for my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better." Paul's writing to the Philippians, he's saying, "I want to see fruit in you, I'm torn, I want to minister to you, but I'm ready to go to heaven."

The older we get, the closer we get to the Lord and our walk with Him, the things of this earth have no allurement anymore. I'm ready for that glory train tonight — even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Revelation 21:1–5, this is a picture of His glory. It says, "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men.'" We will be dwelling in His presence with no separation ever from Him — complete, perfect communion.

"And He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people."

"God Himself will be with them and be their God." We will be brought into the triune fellowship of God through Christ. "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.'" And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."

What a glorious day that is going to be. So in death our souls enter glory. The application for number 7 is this. Look — look is the blank — look forward to the day when we will see His face. For the Christian, death isn't to be feared. For the Christian, death is our soul entering glory.

It's the hope that we have as Christians. Yes, we grieve those we have lost because we are separated from them now. But we also have hope. We don't grieve as those without hope. Because we are going to see our loved ones again in heaven. And it will be a glorious time, a fellowship with all the saints.

Bible point number 8.

When Christ returns, we fully — fully is the blank — enter into His glory. Our bodies — bodies is the second blank — will be gloriously resurrected. Now we're going to speak about this when we discuss eschatology later next year, okay? The resurrection of the saints. But it's important to know that when our souls enter heaven, our souls are glorified.

But our souls were never designed to be apart from our body, right?

God created us as an organic unity, body and soul, Genesis 2:7. You know that verse where it says that God took that clay and He formed it and He breathed into it, and man became a living soul, right? Body and soul — that's our two-part makeup, our material makeup and our immaterial makeup. We're designed as an organic unity, right?

The body without the soul is dead, right?

The soul without the body is only temporary. It's destined to be rejoined in the resurrection.

What the God-man is by virtue of His resurrection, believers will be in similitude at their resurrection.

Christ is the firstborn from the dead, right? That means we too will have our bodies resurrected one day. The complete redemption of the whole — whole is the third blank, W-H-O-L-E — whole person, will be conformed to the resurrection of Christ at His appearing.

Our bodies are going to be resurrected and conformed to the resurrection body of the God-man, right? It says here, 1 John 3:2, "It has not been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He, Christ, is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."

All of creation will also be renewed as it eagerly waits for the revealing — revealing is the fourth blank — the revealing of the sons of God, Romans 8:19–22. "Sons of God" is not talking about angels or anything like that. If you read the context, it's talking about us. It's talking about God's people, the sons of God. And all of creation is said in the book of Romans to be groaning. It's under the curse. And it looks forward to seeing the glory of God revealed in us, because His people — Adam and Eve — were designed to be the pinnacle of creation, right? They were to have dominion over all things. So all things look in anticipation to see the handiwork of God in renewing and glorifying our bodies, right? Not just our soul, but our bodies, right? So all of creation is longing to celebrate that day, because it too will be renewed along with us. "We who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves, groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body," Romans 8:23.

This hope enables us to persevere in our faith, looking to Christ's return, right?

The sufferings that we go through in this life, they are real.

And they hurt.

But they will not last long, right? God is working in us an exceedingly eternal weight of glory, right? And one day our bodies will be just like the resurrected body of Christ — a glorious body, without pain, without suffering any longer. Colossians 3:3–4: "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, appears" — speaking of His return, His parousia, His second coming — "then you also will appear with Him in glory." When Christ appears in all of His glory, guess what's going to happen to you? You're going to be made in His likeness at the sight of the glorified God. You're going to be transformed at that very moment, and how glorious it is going to be. Flip over on the back.

1 Corinthians 15:50–56: "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption."

"We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." We're not all going to die. There's going to be people here when Christ returns.

"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." What a glorious day that will be. "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." "So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.'" Death and Hades itself are cast into the lake of fire — that's what the book of Revelation tells us. "'O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?' The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." What a glorious day it will be, a history-revealing day. The application for number eight: "Persevere in hope, waiting for the appearing" — "appearing" is the blank for number eight — "of Christ." We persevere. We don't give up. We hold on to Christ who has already held on to us, looking and anticipating His glorious return.

Bible point number nine:

glorification will bring us perfect communion — communion is the blank — with God. It's a communion that's so interrupted here by our sin, by our ignorance. It's going to be brought into perfection in glory.

The pure — that's the second blank — the pure in heart will what? See God. It's one of the beautiful beatitudes. In glory, we will have perfect perception — perception is the third blank — untainted by sin. 1 Corinthians 13:12.

We will enjoy — enjoy is the fourth blank — glorious communion with the triune God through union with the Son. Glory brings about our soul's perfection in heaven, our body's perfection at His return, and brings about perfect communion with Christ. John 17:24 — in the high priestly prayer, Jesus says, "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."

The ancient saints often talked about seeing the face of God.

That was what's called the beatific vision — the beautiful vision.

And we see that even in the Aaronic blessing in Numbers. "May the Lord bless you and keep you and cause His face to shine upon you." Those whom we love — don't we love to see their face? Don't we love to see our spouse, our father, our mother, our brother, our sister, our children smile and take delight and pleasure in us? Yes. How much more so God?

We're going to have that in heaven.

Flip over on the back.

1 Corinthians 13:12: "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known." Think of all the glorious things that you know about our Savior.

Just a fraction of what you're going to know in heaven, right? You're going to see Him as He is. Your perceptions will be perfectly clear, right? Now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face. Now we know in part, but then we'll know in whole. Flip over on the front.

The application for number nine: "Enjoy this triune fellowship even now through prayer." Prayer is the blank.

Even now we have a foretaste of this triune communion in prayer. Every prayer you pray is a Trinitarian prayer. You don't have to say the Father's name, the Spirit's name, and Christ's name, because all prayer is again to the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit, right?

And remember what we talked about when we talked about the intercession of Christ — that Christ is at the right hand of God interceding for you.

And He sends His Spirit into our hearts to intercede for us. When you offer up a prayer, it's because Christ is interceding in the heavens. And the Holy Spirit is the principle of all movement towards God. The Holy Spirit has moved you to pray, corresponding to Christ's high priestly prayer for you. So enjoy that communion. Enjoy prayer with God now.

Point number ten.

"Glory to come helps us to understand suffering." That's the blank.

"Just as Christ's suffering led to glory," Philippians 2:8–10. Remember that beautiful passage — He thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but He emptied Himself, right? He became obedient to the point of death, even the death of a cross.

But He who was debased, who was humiliated for us — He was highly exalted in His resurrection to the right hand of God. His suffering led to glory.

"So we know ours will too. Suffering is redeemed in Christ, for our good" — good is the second blank — "and His glory" — glory is the third blank — 2 Corinthians 4:17–18.

Look at Romans 8:16–17: "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ — if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." Just as Christ suffered and His suffering led to glory, our suffering leads us to glory. Flip up on the back.

1 Peter 5:10–11: "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you, to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." God has called you for glory. He's called us to suffer too.

But that is for His glory and for your good. Flip over on the front. The application for number 10.

"Trust in the God of all grace." We just read that. He's the God of all grace. "Trust in the God of all grace to work His glory in you." Yes, suffering is grievous. It's hard. But His grace is sufficient for you. His strength is made perfect in weakness.

Bible point number 11. So, glorification helps us to understand Christ's great commission. Commission is the blank for number 11.

"The unbelieving are blinded,

lest the light of the gospel of the glory" — glory is the second blank — "the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them," 2 Corinthians 4:4. The unbelieving — they are blind to the glory of Christ. They can't see the glory of Christ. They're spiritually dead, right?

"As we preach" — preach is the third blank — "as we preach" — preach simply means proclaim. I'm not talking about wearing a clerical collar and being a preacher. We're all preachers. We're all heralds of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. "As we preach Christ Jesus the Lord, He shines in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge" — light is the fourth blank — "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ," 2 Corinthians 4:6. You catch that interplay there in 2 Corinthians 4. "The lost, the unbelieving, are blind to the glory of Christ."

But when we preach Christ, His glory shines through us. And we give others the light. The blind can see the knowledge of the glory of the face of Christ Jesus, right?

Matthew 5:14: "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden." We are made to bring glory to God. And through our witness of Christ, we are revealing God to the lost, to the blind. We're shining in darkness. The application is this. "Shine your light before men so that they may glorify" — glorify is the blank — "God," Matthew 5:16. "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Let your light shine so they can know Christ

and to the very end that they may glorify the Father. Because that is who we are created for. He glorifies us that we might glorify Him.