Sunday School Christology: GLORIFICATION

For Him

INTRO:

Encouraging to you all.

Working on this lesson made me think about Christmas for me as a kid.

I won’t lie, I loved opening all the presents.

Now, truly and honestly, there were gifts from people that were under that tree that I knew weren’t going to be as interesting to me.

My dad always got me the best stuff.

I have such good memories of Christmas time because of him.

I would always have this sense of hope and excitement when thinking about what he was going to get me.

Sometimes I would know exactly what he was getting me.

Other times I didn’t know at all.

Or maybe sometimes I had a feeling of what I was going to get, but wasn’t sure.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, when it came to the presents from my dad, he knew me. He knew me well. And that’s why I could hope, even if I didn’t know what was in the wrapping paper.

In short, because of Christ’s glorification, we have a great hope!

And even though we don’t know exactly what our glorification will look like, we know it will be the best because it’s from him.

OUTLINE:

Jesus’ Glorification

New Body

New Status

The Christians’ Glorification

PRAY

JESUS’ GLORIFICATION - After the Resurrection Jesus body changed.

His Glorified Resurrection Body - What do we know about it? Some.

Luke 24:39 “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.””

QUESTION: What does this verse tell us about his body?

His body is a PHYSICAL body.

Tangible

FLESH AND BONE

HE ATE (Luke 24:43)

John 20:27 “Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.””

QUESTION: What might this tell us about his body - the fact that the scars are still there?

His body is THE SAME HUMAN body.

The Bible is not messing around here: Jesus Resurrection body has continuity with what we understand as a human body!

But it’s also different, right?

Sometimes Jesus’ friends couldn’t recognize him.

Enter 1 Cor 15…

1 Corinthians 15:42–44 “So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 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; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”

His transformed body is a SPIRITUAL BODY as opposed to the natural.

That’s the big difference.

Again, This does NOT mean that His body was ghostly or intangible.

Jesus’ natural body was subject to the effects of sin, which is ultimately death. (Lexham Context Commentary on 1 Cor 15:43)

Even though he did not sin Jesus certainly was subject to its consequences.

Jesus’ spiritual body is more powerful than the natural one.

Imperishable. IT is Indestructable. It can’t be harmed.

QUOTE: “The body of this risen Christ is not ‘natural’ but ‘spiritual’. However, as we saw with both Luke and John, it is not thereby non-physical. Rather, it is a body transformed into imperishability and so rendered suitable for eschatological (suitable for Heaven) existence.” (Peter Orr, Exalted Above the Heavens p108).

Romans 6:9 “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.”

He now cannot die.

Revelation 1:13–15 “and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.”

His Status

Acts 5:31 “God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.”

He is LEADER and SAVIOR

He first came as a human baby to earth in a manger, but now is the ultimate authority and ultimate power in the universe.

Revelation 19:11–13 “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.

At his Second Coming in his Glorified Human Body, He comes to judge and destroy the opposition.

The powerful king is coming back to conquer.

CHRISTIANS’ GLORIFICATION: Encouragement

For us, Glorification is the last stage in the golden chain of salvation (Romans 8:30).

He doesn’t just bring us half way. If he saved us, this is what awaits us.

It is guaranteed for the saved that we are glorified.

After we are resurrected from the death of our natural body

We will put on a spiritual body like Jesus.

WHO is doing the transforming?

Philippians 3:20–21 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

The glorified body is a gift from our Lord Jesus.

WHAT will Resurrection Bodies be like?

1 Corinthians 15:50–53 “I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.”

Just remember this is still mysterious: how we have a natural body that can die that will be raised as a spiritual body that cannot die.

What encourages me is See that word: “MUST” put on the imperishable.

It is a necessary thing that we have the New Spiritual Body to be with God.

Now that is not to say that the souls of those in Christ who die are not already with Jesus. They are with him, but not in the way that they will be at his 2nd coming.

Just like Paul says, mystery.

In any case, Our new body will be better than it was before.

It cannot be harmed or decay, just like Jesus’

It will be a spiritual body which has the ability to exist in Eternity and Heaven.

WHEN will Glorification/Resurrection happen?

1 Corinthians 15:20–23 “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.”

It is at Jesus’ Second Coming that it will occur.

We don’t know when that will be exactly, but we know it’s coming.

WHERE will we ultimately end up?

Revelation 21:3–4 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.””

WITH HIM in The New Heavens and New Earth

Revelation 21:27 “But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Not only our bodies will be like him, but also our ability to sin.

So the new bodies can exist in Heaven forever with Jesus, without sin.

See the pattern? The Who, What, When, Where of our glorification all have to do with Jesus.

What we will be is inseparable from His person and work.

APPLICATION:

QUESTION: So the question now becomes WHY is Jesus Glorifying us? What do you think?

Every time we think of our glorified bodies, it should take us back to what it cost Jesus.

The Hypostatic Union, Incarnation, born in a manager, giving up his reputation.

Lives a righteous life undeserving of death.

Yet, He dies on the cross for us to pay for sins, is resurrected so we can be declared righteous.

He pays for our new bodies with his blood.

And it is only by having these new bodies that we can “inherit the kingdom”

It seems there is no glorification for us without Jesus.

There would be no one that we would be like.

No one to pay the price.

No one to raise us up.

John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

What a great love that he has for us.

So the first reason for our glorification is His love for us.

But there’s something else. More mysterious about God’s love toward us.

QUESTION: After Divine Son created Adam and Eve and they were in the Garden before the fall, were they good? How good were they? They were very good. There was no sin! No death.

But were they glorified?

No. Of course not.

QUESTION: So what is a big difference between Adam and Eve before the fall, and Christians when we are resurrected?

A: They had the capacity to sin.

When we are glorified, we will NOT have the capability to sin.

QUESTION: So what do you think about all that?

A: He some how and some way…will make us even better than sinless Adam and Eve at creation!

Better than before the fall in the garden when Adam walked with God.

Do you think we could have been glorified had it not been for our sin? Would God have glorified us had we not sinned? Would Jesus have taken on human nature had Adam not sinned?

I don’t know. All I know is this: Satan meant our fall, humanities fall, for evil, but like Joseph in the pit God used it for good, but only BY THE CROSS OF JESUS CHRIST!

**KEY APP: The implications are astounding. Because God can use anything that happens…even the worst things for our ultimate good.

What is the second reason for Christ Glorifying us?

1 Corinthians 15:54–58 “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

I believe our resurrection and glorification are to be an ever lasting glory to Jesus.

We will be an everlasting proclamation of his victory marking the defeat of sin forever.

King Jesus the just and merciful conqueror over sin and death.

This is a victory declaration!

Hosea 13:14 “I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol; I shall redeem them from Death. O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from my eyes.”

APP: Family, this should be a great encouragement if you believe in Jesus Christ. He’s coming.

When we wake up, this is our great hope of his coming.

It should guide our every action.

We should be found faithful to our ministry because of this great hope!

And the ministry is our whole life.

It’s our meeting with people for discipleship.

It’s our leading our families to Christ.

It’s saturating our lives with His word.

It’s teaching our children of God’s work.

It’s our giving of our money as it says to do in the Bible to support our Pastor and missionaries for the gospel.

It’s giving up fantasies and the wordly thoughts of our minds.

The labor is not in vain. Glory is coming for us.