Glorification

to be in Philippians again, chapter three. We're going to look at the last two verses of chapter three of Philippians. Paul finishes his thoughts in chapter three, and we know that the translators are the ones that added chapters and verses for our Benefits we could find passages and things like that, but it does seem to be a end of the thought that he has because the next word in chapter four is therefore that means in the light of everything else I've already said. But he ends chapter three with giving us the last thing that is going to happen. to the elect child of God. It's called glorification. Now as far as the Lord is concerned, we've already been in Christ glorified, but we have yet to experience that and won't until we see him face to face.

But like all things pertaining to God's salvation, it is finished. Everything is done. Everything is done as far as the Lord is concerned. Somebody said, well, the Lord has to come back and get his people. Well, that's true. But everything that God does is finished from the beginning. And that doesn't make sense to our human brain because we have to physically do something first. But because of his isness, who he is, If he says it, it's truth. It's going to happen. It's going to come to pass.

In the covenant of grace, as people were chosen and given to Christ, they were redeemed in eternity past, before the world was ever made. Now, I can't fathom all that, but I know it's true, based upon what the scripture tells us. We were in Christ before the foundation of the world.

The last thing that's gonna happen is we're gonna be glorified. And I'll probably quote this a couple times. Paul says, for I reckon the sufferings of this present life are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us. Now I would say, because what scripture tells us, that glory is in us right now. It is Christ in you, the hope of glory. And that glory will be revealed one day.

Nevertheless, we are still in the flesh, and we desire to rid ourself of this flesh. We can call them, feels like we have a corpse strapped to us, doesn't it? Carrying around a dead man, that's what it feels like. So we desire to lay this body down, to have his glory revealed in us, to be able to worship him perfectly, to be able to love him the way that we want to love him, to see him as he is, to bow down at his feet. That's the desire of the Lord's people. He is the desire of the Lord's people. Let's read this together. Philippians 3, verse 20 and 21.

For our conversation is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Glorification, that's what I've titled this. I've never spoken on glorification much, I don't believe. But that's exactly what he's talking about right here. Changing our body from a vile one into a glorious body like unto his. He continues the theme of everything that he said in Philippians by pointing out that this is a spiritual matter. It's a spiritual matter. Everything about the Lord's gospel, everything about the Lord's salvation is spiritual.

The Lord didn't come to save the flesh. He didn't come to fix the flesh. The flesh will go back to the dust for once it came. But the Lord gave us a new body, a new heart, a new mind by repentance and faith. One that looks to him, we're new creatures in Christ. When the Lord told Nicodemus, you must be born again, that wasn't, that was literal. That wasn't figurative, that was literal. We have to be born again. The spiritual hope that we have is to rid this body of death. He calls it a vile body, doesn't he? It's a vile body. It's full of sin. Everything we do is tainted by it.

Now, is it not true, brethren, that if you could, from now on, never sin again, would you not? Would you say, okay, I'm never going to sin again, if you had that capability and that ability? Isn't that exactly what we would like to do? Absolutely. Yet we don't have the capacity because sin is not just what we do, it's what we are. So we desire to read this. We desire to have Christ in us be revealed. That's the believer's desire. That's the believer's hope. We desire for this flesh to go back to dust.

The good news is everything that the Lord does is for his glory. And when he reveals Christ in us, he'll be revealing his own glory. It will glorify him. In the book of John 17, it says, in the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them that they may be one, even as we are one. That's past tense. The glory that thou hast given me, I have given them." That's the Lord's people. So the Lord has given His glory to His chosen people.

One day to be revealed in them when we see Him face to face. In the covenant of grace, God elected a people They were placed in Christ for the purpose of redemption before time ever began. They were united to him in perfect oneness, complete oneness.

You know, whenever you get married, well, traditionally, the female would take the male's name. At the end of my wedding, it was pronounced, I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Caleb Hickman. Everybody can relate to that, right? Been at a wedding that did that.

In the Old Testament, the book of Ezekiel, the scripture talks about the Lord, his name being Jehovah Sitkinu, the Lord our righteousness. And then it refers to, it refers to the bride as the same name, her name shall be called Jehovah Sitkinu. How can that be? Because we're perfect oneness with him, bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh. That's what the picture of marriage is all about. is to show us united unto him.

This happened before time ever began. This is what the father did in the covenant of grace by electing a people. Christ agreed to redeem those people and the spirit agrees to regenerate those people at the appointed time. Christ chose to fulfill all righteousness on behalf of his people before God. And because we were in him, While he was reconciling all things back to God, we were being reconciled back to God in him.

Do we see that? Now, in order to accomplish this, our Lord had to be born, as we know. He had to be born of a woman. He had to come in the form of flesh, the same dust that we are. He had to take the likeness of that dust. And you think about the condescension that's in that. He created the world and all things that are therein. He's sovereign. He's omnipotent, knows everything all the time. He's on the present. He's everywhere all the time. Can't die. He's eternal. He's everlasting. And yet he robed himself in dust. Think about that. That's far beyond anything we can comprehend, because that's all we are. And yet that was what had to happen in order for him to redeem his chosen people.

He had to become a man. He had to be born of a woman. How can the eternal, omnipotent God be born? that's everlasting, never had a beginning, never had an end. How can he be born? I got one better for you than that. How could he die? Everlasting Father is his name. How could he die?

These are great mysteries that the Lord reveals to his people where we just say truth, Lord. Truth, Lord, I believe you. I believe it's true. This was necessary for the salvation of the Lord's people. God became a man, the Lord Jesus Christ. In the fullness of time, he came to this ball of dust, which is what we have, dirt, dust, that's what it is. There's water here too, I understand that, but the most amazing part to me is that he was robed in the likeness of sinful flesh. For the purpose, for sin, condemn sin in the flesh. You and I can't condemn sin, because that's all we are. But that was his purpose in coming.

In order for him to redeem us who were under the law, he had to be born under the law. He's God. In glory, he wasn't under the law. He wasn't subject to the law. It's his law. But he became a man to be under the law because you and I can't keep or fulfill the law in any way.

But because we had perfect unity and oneness with him from eternity past, everything that he did in the flesh is counted unto his people for righteousness. It's given to his people freely by his grace. That's why the scripture says, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, hath he saved us.

The Lord lived perfect before the father. As we heard the first hour, he never wavered looking to the father. He never wavered. Um, just read from Isaiah, the chapter right before that talks about it's, it's a prophetic of Christ. And it says he set his eyes like a Flint to the cross, never wavered everything that the father required for our salvation. He never wavered. He never wearied. He never, um, got distracted.

You know, easily we get distracted. Um, We get distracted really easy, don't we? I do. Some worse than others, I suppose. He never got distracted. Ain't that amazing? Perfect obedience, perfect focus, perfect in every way. And we were in him. And we were in Him. What does that mean? That means when the Father sees us, He sees the Son and all the Son's work.

He sees what Christ did in the flesh, every word that He spoke, every thought that He had. He had perfect thoughts. Have you ever had perfect thoughts? No. Had some bad ones, a lot of bad ones. He never had a single bad thought, never had a sinful thought. Never committing any sin whatsoever, he was perfect before God, before his law, and everything that he required.

And we were in him. We were in him the entire time. Every step that he took, we were, his people, his elect were in him. Every word that he spoke, we were in him. Every time he healed someone, we were in him. Every time, every bit of obedience that he had, we were in him.

And God has seen those deeds, those works, that obedience on behalf of his elected people. His purpose was not to try to do something, as some men believe. Because if some men die and go to hell that the Lord wanted to save, that means he tried to do something and he couldn't, because man didn't let him. He's not God then. He's not God. The God of the scripture doesn't try to do anything.

He just does, and it is. He wanted to create the world. What did he do? He spoke into existence, commanded the light to shine out of darkness. He's God. It's the same Lord, the fullness of the Godhead bodily, the Lord Jesus Christ. That's who we're referring to right now. He does whatsoever He wants.

This was His purpose before the world began for one purpose. He might save His people from their sin. He might honor the Father. He might glorify the Father in the covenant of grace, fulfilling all righteousness on behalf of His people. He did so. The place of His, He had to die to do so. We know that to be true. The sacrifice had to be made. He did so on a Roman cross. a Roman cross, and I thought about this.

Was it not the Lord that purposed that little tree, that seed to fall and fall into the ground, and the rain to fall on top of that, and the sunshine to come, and it sprouted up? I've got a garden, and I cannot make anything grow. I can try. but I can't make it grow. God can make things grow.

And he does so by making it the way that it was from when he created time and he created the earth, he made it thus. That's how he makes it grow. He doesn't continually have to make it grow and make it grow. No, he just does exactly what the Lord had purposed for it to do.

Do we see that? This little seed sprouted and became a tree, the tree that they would crucify God on. Think about his humility in that. Think about his, uh, it's beyond words, the Lord being completely sovereign omnipotent. And yet, because of the love he had for the father, the love that he has for his bride, the grace that God has shown towards his people, he plant, he made a tree so he could die a tree. They say it's one of the most gruesome deaths that you can possibly die. You're completely exposed. You have no clothing on. It's supposed to be, it was done for humiliation purposes. That's why it was done that way.

He was humiliated so that his people might never be humiliated. He was forsaken so that you and I would never have to be forsaken. He died so that we would never have to die. His sacrifice, his service, his selflessness, the father looked at that and said, I'm well pleased. I'm well pleased. He served the father perfectly because we can't serve the father perfectly. He was selfless because we can't be selfless. We're selfish creatures.

His sacrifice was the ultimate sacrifice. He died on the cross for his people, shedding his precious blood for the remission of their sin. And during the process of him dying, he endured the entire eternal wrath that God, that we were owed because of our sin, because of our disobedience to the law, because of our unbelief. He endured the entire bit of that wrath. They say he was crucified, according to scripture, six hours long.

Three hours of that was complete darkness. Why was it darkness? Because that's whenever God was pouring out his wrath upon his son and no one was worthy to look. The father even looked away from the son, didn't he? Forsook him. Father, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? So that you and I, his chosen people, would never be forsaken. Never. Somebody said, well, I feel sometimes alone. I feel forsaken. I feel like I can't see the Lord.

He's there. He's there. Daniel prayed for 21 days before the Lord came to him. And he said, from the first time you prayed, Daniel, I heard you. Now I've come for your words. He said, I'll never leave you, and I'll never forsake you. How can he make good on that promise? Because he was forsaken of the Father. He was rejected so that you and I would never be rejected, rejected of men, so that we would be accepted of the father. Everything that he did, we were in him the entire time, everything that he did. He said, lay their charge on my account. I'll pay the penalty. I'll pay the price.

Our Lord was made a curse. The one we've been talking about, the sovereign creator of this world, the one that made the tree that we were describing became a curse so that you and I wouldn't be cursed. Scripture says, cursed is everyone that hangs up on a tree. He was made a curse for his people. Moreover, he was made to be sin. He hath made him to be sin for us who do no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Our Lord endured the hell. That's what it was on the cross that you and I deserve. So that we might be glorified. So we might be saved from our sin. God refused to look upon his son so that he might look upon us, his elect, and say the most blessed words that you will ever hear the Lord say to a sinner. I am satisfied with you. Why? Because you're in Christ. Because you're in Christ.

He looks upon his people and he doesn't see sin any longer because it's not there. It's gone. The Lord put it away. He sees the blood. And when he said, when I see the blood, I'll pass by you. I'll pass by you. How can all this be because of substitution? He doesn't see my sin. It's gone.

Lord gave me a new history. He gave us a new record. He gave his elect a new story altogether. Can you imagine the Lord looking at us and saying, you're faithful? That's what he says he's going to say. Enter in thou good and faithful servant. You've been faithful over a few things. I'll make you rule over many. That's what he's going to say to his people. How can that be? Because it's the faithfulness of Christ that is given to his people. It's the obedience of Christ that's given to his people.

The Lord sees his son and he says, I'm well pleased. I'm well pleased. I don't, he doesn't see any sin upon us. The law has nothing to say because Christ fulfilled the law. Scripture says Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. Justice was completely satisfied. Completely satisfied.

Did you know justice is never satisfied in this life by men? Justice has never been served one time. I'll explain. If someone commits a murder, even if they are put to death, that's not justice because the person that was murdered is not back to life. Do we see that? Justice would be bringing that person back to life and then that person dying instead.

God's the only one that had the power, that had the ability, that had the purpose to satisfy justice. And he did it once on the cross of Calvary. He completely satisfied justice, every demand of God, so that you and I might be made the righteousness of God in him. How do you know justice was satisfied because of his resurrection?

Scripture tells us clearly. He was raised for our justification. That word for means because. He was raised because we had been justified. Justified doesn't mean just as if I had never sinned. Justified means I've never sinned one time in God's eyes.

Scripture says he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and we being in him as perfectly righteous, We're seated at the right hand of the Father right now in Christ. Told you I might say this a couple of times, but the scripture says, I reckon that the present, the reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.

Why? It's his glory that's going to be revealed. It's not us. It's not my glory. It's his glory. Scripture says it's Christ in us, the hope of glory. And it is us in Christ as our hope of glorification. It's Christ in us, the hope of glory. It's us in Christ, our hope of glorification. One day soon, we'll experience that, we'll be made like him. Let's read this again verse 21, "'Who shall change your vile body that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself?'

Everything that I have said thus far is how He subdued all things unto Himself. The work of the cross was the purpose of the world being created. Everything that Points to the cross all throughout scripture everything that God was going to do for the salvation of his people It revolved around the cross everything about it and he subdued everything that one time everything he intended to do he did Didn't try he did it. He's God He successfully redeemed his people from their sin.

I How do we know? Because he said, it is finished. That's not just a saying. He's God, he can't lie. It is finished. What's finished? Salvation accomplished. Redemption complete. Reconciliation, justification, sanctification. Everything God demanded for us to be in order for us to be accepted in the beloved Christ Jesus accomplished it one time forever. There's nothing else to be done. Nothing else to be done. It's a complete salvation.

It is finished is not just a saying of the Lord on the cross, it's an unchangeable guarantee that God's elect are perfect right now. Right now. Scripture tells us in 1 John 3, behold. You know what that word behold means? Stand in all of. Look at with great admiration. Stand in all of and look at with great admiration.

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not. Brethren, now are we the sons of God. And it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we shall be made like him for we shall see him as he is. So how can it be that God's elect have his glory in us right now? Well, he's just gonna reveal what's already there, but how could it be?

Turn with me in closing to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. This is concerning the manner of the resurrection. Look at verse 42. 41, sorry. There is one glory of the sun, there's another glory of the moon, another glory of the stars. For one star differeth from another star in glory, so also is the resurrection of the dead.

It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor. It is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness. It is raised in power. It is sown a natural body and it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body.

And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul. The last Adam made a quickening spirit. You see that's Adam and Christ is who he's referring to there. How be it that was not first which spiritual but that which is natural and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth earthly. The second man is the Lord from heaven. Second man is the Lord from heaven. See it's Christ in you. It's literally Christ in you.

Verse 48, as is the earthly, such are they also that are earthly. And as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have born the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. We shall also bear the, whose image is that?

That's Christ. Bearing Adam's image, being in the flesh, he's talking about glorification. That's what he's talking about. We're gonna bear his image. When the Lord sees his people, he sees Jesus Christ. Her name shall be called Jehovah Sitkinu, the Lord, our righteousness. Bearing his image. Verse 50, now this I say, brethren, the flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery.

We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin. The strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. How did he give the victory? Well, he conquered death, hell, and the grave. He put away the sin so there's no more sting of death, and he fulfilled the law. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be you steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. For as much as you know, your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

What all is he talking about here? He's talking about whenever we see him face to face and the glory of Christ be revealed in his people. This is the believers desire. It's our hope of eternal life. It's our. What is a? Scripture says even so come Lord Jesus. Yeah.

The desire is ever present with the Lord's people to awake in his likeness. Whether by grave or by sky, God's people will be glorified because Christ is in us the hope of glory. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we ask that you take this and bless it to our understanding for your glory. In Christ's name, amen.

Glorification

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Glorification

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