Standing in Grace and Hoping for Glory

Introduction

Westminister Confession

The very first question in the larger catechism of the Westminister Confession of Faith is this, “Question. What is the chief and highest end of man? Ans. Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him for ever.” This is the end, the purpose, the reason for which we have been made, to glorify God and fully to enjoy him for ever. Now, because of the fall, we fall short of this purpose. But because of Christ we have been redeemed and regenerated so that we can strive to fulfill this purpose. However, you and I, fall short, daily in this pursuit of glorifying God and enjoying Him fully. And we will not fully accomplish this purpose until our salvation is completed, until we are glorified.

You see, glorification, is the state of perfectly existing for the purpose for which you have been created - to glorify God and fully to enjoy Him forever in His eternal Kingdom.

Today I will be concluding our 3 part series on the doctrine of salvation by teaching on this final chain in the order of salvation - on this doctrine of glorification.

Structure and Sermon Style

Now this morning, I will be teaching this doctrine with a slightly different approach than our usual expositional style. Instead I will be taking a biblical and systematic theological approach. Which basically means that I will attempt to show you a wider glimpse of this wonderful treasure of scripture by walking you through the story of the Bible and touching on specific scriptures that form this doctrine of glorification.

We will begin by looking back to the beginning, to study mankind’s existence in the garden, before the fall. We will call this section Paradise Lost. Then we will study of how this lost Paradise was Redeemed by Christ. And lastly, we will study the end result of Christ’s redemption, the realities of our future glory. We will call this section Paradise Restored.

So then, through these three sections, Paradise Lost, Paradise Redeemed and Paradise Restored I desire to show you, that to be glorified is to perfectly exist in the purpose for which you have been created...The glorified state - the final reality of our salvation - is where we glorify God and fully enjoy Him forever in His eternal Kingdom.

Transition

So then let us start our study today at the beginning of the Bible, in Genesis 1-3, where we will learn of Paradise Lost.

Paradise Lost

Very Good Creation

Let’s begin by glancing through the creation story in Genesis 1. It is there that we see that, Genesis 1:1, “1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” That is the very first thing that God tells us about Himself. He is the Creator God.

And then from verse 2 on we see God do that very thing. Starting in the second verse of the bible we see the state of all things at thee beginning, “2 The earth was formless and void,” The earth, the creation was without form and it was void - it was empty. And from this point on we see God give creation a form in days 1-3 and fill the empty creation in days 4-6. And He does all of this with the power of His voice. He says, let there be light, and light appears. He speaks 10 times and all of creation is made. And this demonstrates both His sovereign authority and His rule over all that He made. Or to put it another way, All that was made, exists by Him and for Him - for His glory.

Genesis 1:31 NASB95

31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

There is also another repeated phrase in the creation account. In verse 4, and 10, and 12, and 18, and 21, and 25 we read of how God makes a judgement, an assessment of what He created. Moses writes in these verses that God “saw that it was good.” 6 times, He looks upon His work and declares it good. Then for the 7th and final time, after creating the crown of His creation, man and woman, we see this phrase one last time, “31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

This judgement from the Perfect and Righteous Judge, that the universe He had made was very good was a declaration that His work perfectly reflected His perfection, His goodness. He is the very good Creator, who is the very essence and nature goodness and rightness itself. And His creation, the work of His Word was very good. I would say that in that moment, all of Creation perfectly existed together for the purpose that they were all made. Nothing else needs to be created. There are no mistakes. No modifications needed. Everything was very good.

Glorious Image Bearers

Now, the reason that I and many others call mankind the crown of God’s creation is found in Genesis 1:26-27, “26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” We were made in the image of God, to be reflections of His nature and His character. Men and women are dignified above all other creatures because God has chosen to impart attributes of his nature into the nature of man.

He did not make us into miniature gods, but He made us in such a way that when men and women fulfill their ultimate purpose, when they are “very good” as Adam and Eve are in this moment, they point back to God, they represent Him, they reflect the glory of who He is back to Him - they praise and glorify Him.

Paradise with God

Genesis 2:8–10 NASB95

8 The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. 9 Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers.

In Genesis 2, in this very good world, we see that God planted a garden and placed His image bearers in it, Genesis 2:8, “8 The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.”In the greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, which is what the apostles and Jesus would have had access to and read, in that translation the word for garden that they used was paradeison, from which we get the word paradise. In this paradise, if you look at verses 9 and 10 of chapter 2 there were many fruit trees, there was the tree of Life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and there was a river flowing through it.

But what really made this garden paradise is the reality that the man and the woman walked and talked with God Himself. We see this in Genesis 3:8, “8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” That verb describing God walking is in what is called a durative hith-pael and it expresses the idea of a habitual action. In other words, every evening God would come walk with Adam and Eve. The Creator of the Universe would have a regular time of fellowship with His most glorious creatures. God would be with them.

Summary of the Edenic State

So in summary, in the Edenic State, in life before sin and the fall, all of creation existed perfectly and fulfilled it’s God-designed purpose; man and woman were perfect image bearers of God, reflecting His character and nature and glory; and man and woman lived in a Garden paradise where they enjoyed regular fellowship with God.

Exiled

And yet, all of this was lost when Eve disobeyed the command of God when she and Adam with her ate the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of God and evil.

Because of one man’s sin all of creation was thrust from its state of being very good into a state curse, a state of decay and death. And at the end of Genesis 3 we see Adam and Eve exiled out of the Garden, Genesis 3:24, “So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.”

Paradise Redeemed

With God - in Part

And yet, God did not abandon His creation all together but instead began to carry out His plan to redeem it. And He did not abandon his relationship with man either. He called a man by the name of Abraham out of the land of Ur and made established a covenant relationship with him. In this relationship God talked with Abraham and he was called a friend of God. He was with Abraham’s grandson, Jacob as he travelled through the wilderness. And He was also with Jacob’s favorite son, Joseph as he was enslaved in Potiphar’s house in Egypt. And God delivered Jacob’s many descendants out of slavery in Egypt by His mighty power. He led them out of Egypt in a Pillar of Cloud by Day and a Pillar of Fire by night. He appeared to them at Sinai and covenanted with them once more, establishing a relationship not just with one man, but with an entire people.

Leviticus 26:11–12 NASB95

11 ‘Moreover, I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject you. 12 ‘I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.

It is in this covenant God declared that He would dwell with His people once more, Leviticus 26:11-12, “11 I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject you. 12 ‘I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.” God instructed the people to make His dwelling place, the Tabernacle. And yet, the people could not fully dwell with God. There was a division in the tabernacle between the Holy of Holies, where God’s glory was and the place where the priests would worship and sacrifice. This division was in the form of a veil. And woven in the veil were two cherubim guarding the entrance to where God was, just like God placed two cherubim to guard the entrance into the Garden. This separation had to exist because of the fact that the Israelites were still marred by the stain of sin and not perfectly holy. Mankind was not “very good” anymore. Therefore they could not fully be in the presence of the most Holy God. God walked with man, but not fully, not as He did in the garden.

Immanuel - God with Us

And that curtain remained there for hundreds of years, baring full access to God, until God Himself came to be with us, taking on humanity, being born as a man and yet fully God. God the Son, Jesus Christ, physically walked and talked with man. He is called Immanuel - God with us.

Colossians 1:15 NASB95

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

As the author of Hebrews put it, Hebrews 1:3, “ He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature,” and Paul in Colossians 1:15, “15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” He was the perfect man, without any spot or blemish, perfectly righteous. He was very good.

And on the day that He was crucified, that He was killed as our sacrificial lamb for our sins, when He breathed His last breath, He reconciled us back to God. He made peace with God by the blood of His cross so that we who are in Him are clothed in His holy and perfect righteousness. He justified us before God, 2 Cor 5:21, “21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” And it is for this reason that, when Christs breathed His last breath on the cross, Matthew 27:51, “51 the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” That veil that separated us from God, that kept mankind from being in God’s presence was completely torn in two.

Instead of being kept out by our sin, we have been washed by His blood and made clean and we now have access to God. Hebrews 10:19-22, “19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places” - why? - “by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” We can draw near to God now, boldly approaching His throne in prayer. Christ Himself is interceding on our behalf to God in Heaven.

However, we are not just left here on earth to experience this spiritual fellowship with God. When we die, when we become absent with this body of sin and decay, we will be with Christ in the intermediate heaven. And when the Day of the Lord comes, when Christ Returns He will fully accomplish our salvation and the Father’s plan for redemption, Hebrews 9:27-28, “27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” On that day we who are in Christ will be fully transformed into the glorious image of the perfect man. On that day, we will be glorified.

Transition

So then, now that we have learned of how Paradise was Lost and how Paradise was and will be fully Redeemed, let us turn our attention to our glorification, to when Paradise will be Restored

Paradise Restored

Regenerated Earth

In Romans 8, Paul writes that the, “19 the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” The created world, and the creatures that inhabit it all long for that day of future glory, for on that day, Romans 8:21, “21 the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” You see this created earth, longs for it’s restoration, it’s regeneration, as Jesus puts it in Matthew 19:28, for its re-creation which we see most clearly in Revelation 21. Turn with me in your bibles to Revelation 21.

Revelation 21:1–3 ESV

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 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.

Revelation 21:1-2 “1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” This world, this first heaven and earth will pass away and the creator who made all things in the beginning, will make something new.

And at the center of this new earth is the reality that it will not just be our dwelling place, but it will be the dwelling place of God as well, Revelation 21:3, “3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,” Remember that in the first paradise, God would come down from His dwelling place and walk with Adam and Eve in theirs. He would come to be with them at a regular time. Remember also how when God dwelt in the tabernacle and the Temple, there was a division between Him and His people because of their sin. But these past realities pale in comparison to what exists in this new paradise. It is there that God will dwell amongst us. God dwelling with us is the very essence of eternal life. As John Milton put it, “Thy presence makes our Paradise, and where Thou art is Heaven” Christ will be with us. Heaven will come down to earth and we will dwell with God fully. No veils, no sin, He will be with us, we will be His people, united in perfect intimacy with Him.

For this reason there will be no need of temple on this new earth verse 22, “22 I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” Moreover, there will be no moon or sun, why? God is there! Verse 23, “23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.”

Moreover, just as in Eden there will be a river and the garden of the tree of life, Revelation 22:1-2, “1 Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

Revelation 22:3–4 NASB95

3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; 4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.

And since the Holy God is there with us there will be no more sin, no more decay, no more destruction, look back at Revelation 21:4, “4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” The reasons for mourning, for crying, the pains of loss, the pains of suffering, the pains of persecution, the pains of getting older will all be gone why?, “3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him;” The first things have passed away, the curse is lifted, death and sin have been destroyed and God is there.

And we will be there with Him serving Him, and look at 22:4, “4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.” Think of Moses in Exodus 33. He pleads with God, show me your glory. And God shows Him the back of His glory, but He said to Moses, “20 “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” because Moses was marred by the stain of sin, he was not holy, but in the New Earth, God’s glory shall illuminate our days and we shall see His face for we will be glorified with resurrected bodies.

Resurrected Bodies

Remember that Adam was made in God’s image, that he was given attributes of God’s nature and character so that he would reflect God and represent God and glorify God in the first creation. So to are we, in our glorified state, made into the perfect image of Christ. This is what Paul teaches in Philippians 3:20-21, “20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

We are waiting to be taken to that place, the New Jerusalem, that is our home. And when Christ comes He will transform the body of death and decay and sin, into the likeness of His resurrected body. John teaches this same truth in his first epistle, 1 John 3:2, “2b We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” We will be like Him as He was when He was raised.

In what is the most extensive teaching on our future resurrection, found in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul makes four contrasts between our current bodies and our glorified bodies which give insight into what our glorified body will be like. Turn one last time in your bibles to 1 Corinthians 15 and look down with me at verses 42-44, “42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”

First, in verse 42, we see that the resurrected body will be eternal. In this world, it is truly painfully obvious that our bodies are perishable. We are deteriorating. It’s the inevitable law of nature called entropy - over time everything decays. Our bodies grow old and wear out and get sick and diseased and impaired. But this will not be the case in the new earth for our bodies will be like Christ’s - we will be imperishable.

Second, verses 43, our resurrected bodies will be marked by glory. These bodies have been dishonored and marred by the curse of sin. We are commanded to not present our members as instruments of unrighteousness, to see our bodies as temples for the Holy Spirit and not to be joined with immorality. But often we fail, we sin, and we cry out with Paul, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death! However, the imperfect and dishonored body will be raised from the grave to glory.

Thirdly, our bodies will be raised in power. Right now, each of our bodies are physically limited by weakness. I know this fact intimately as I am a Physical Therapist and my whole career is centered on helping people recover from their impairments and injuries. Such will not be the case for our glorified bodies. As Grudem puts it, we will have, “full and complete human power and strength which God intended human beings to have when he created them apart from sin.”

Lastly, Paul makes a contrast between our natural body and our future spiritual body. To say that Paul is teaching that our bodies will not be physically resurrected would be inconsistent with what he has taught in this letter to the Corinthians, to the Colossians and to the Romans. Moreover Christ’s physical body was raised for when He was resurrected the disciples touched the wounds of the cross in His side and His hands and He ate a meal of fish with them as well.

In calling the resurrected body spiritual, Paul is teaching us that we will be perfectly unified and in harmony with the Spirit of Christ. The Holy Spirit is working in us now to transform our spirits from one degree of glory to another as He aids in showing us the glory of Christ in His Word. When our bodies are fully sanctified - when we are glorified, we will no longer be fleshly or natural but instead we will be spiritual.

Summary

This is why it is called glorification. In the New Earth, in the Eternal state you and I will exist in the Paradise of God and He will dwell there with us. His radiance and His glory will shine so bright that there will be no need for a sun and we shall behold His glory and not perish but instead we shall reflect glory back to Him as we enjoy His presence as perfect image bearers of Christ both in righteousness and in the glory of our resurrected bodies. Is this not the end for which we were created, for which we were redeemed? Oh dear saints, what a glorious reality awaits us, amen?

Conclusion

Now then, how should we respond to such amazing realities? How should we live in the here and now in light of our glorious future.

Application for the Unbeliever

Back in Revelation 21, Jesus says, Revelation 21:6, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.” This is the sweet offer of Christ. Dear friend, are you thirsty for this future? Come to Him and He will be your God, your Savior and you will live with Him forever in Paradise.

However, Jesus gives us this warning in verse 8, “8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Some of you here may not know Christ, and if you die you will not be going to a fun place with all of your wordly friends. You will not be missing out on a boring place where you just float around on clouds all day singing songs. No you will miss out on perfect existence, on perfect joy, on feasts and life in a glorious city in a n earth void of any imperfection or failure, on perfect relationship with the glorious God of the universe. You will walk with Him, He will dwell with you. If you continue on your current path your final destination will not be paradise, it will bee hell. Jesus declared, John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” There is no other way to paradise and glory. Repent of your sins and follow Him. Believe that He is the Son of God, who’s death paid your sins, who’s resurrection you will share in and you will have life - life in the glorified state in His kingdom, in paradise with Him forever.

May you head the conclusion of the last book of the Bible, Revelation 22:17, “17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” God invites you to come, the church invites you to come, dear friend leave your sin behind and come.

Application for the Believer

Application: Live for the Other World

Now dear saints, how should we live in light of our glorious eternity? A whole sermon could be preached on this subject for the Bible has much to say here, but allow me to make three simple applications. First spend this life, living for the other world.

A 19 year old Jonathan Edwards made this resolution, “Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can.” Later in life he wrote this question, “Why should we labor for or set our hearts on anything else, but that which is our proper end and true happiness?”

As Paul says, Colossians 3:1-2, “1 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. Do not take up the American dream that prizes ease and comfort. Do not waste your life and the reassures God has blessed you with on things that will burn away in an instant. This life is but a vapor, a mist. As Christ instructed us, do not be anxious for the things of this world, worrying about things like food and clothing, instead, Matthew 6:33, “33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Moreover, let us purify our hearts from the pursuits of the lust of the flesh. Listen to the words again of 1 John 3, “2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

Just as a compass needle always points north, our hearts and our minds must always be directed at heaven, fixed on reaching eternal glory. A Pilgrim’s Progress would have been a short and boring story if Christian never strayed from the path that led to the Celestial City. But think of how much time he wasted and how much woe he experienced as he was lost in doubting castle, the slough of despond, and vanity fair.

May we who profess to believe in this hope of eternal glory be so filled with an unshakable and passionate desire to reach our home that, as we sung this morning, the things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory.

May it be said of us that, Hebrews 11:16, “they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”

Application: See Suffering as Not Worth Comparing to Glory

The second application I want you to make is to See Suffering as Not Worth Comparing to Glory. In Romans 8, the chapter where we find one of the most glorious of promises, God causes all things to work together for good”, in this chapter, Paul begins his argument that leads up to that promise by saying this, Romans 8:18, “18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” The suffering of this present time, loss, hardship, and especially persecution for the sake of the gospel are not worthy to be compared, they don’t belong in the same conversation, they are not on the same level as the glory that is to be revealed.

When we understand this reality, we have hope and we have comfort in times of trial. As Paul says to the Corinthians, 2 Cor 4:16-17, “ we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,”

Are the trials that we go through nothing more than purifying fire that burns away the dross of our flesh so that we become more like we will be in that eternal and glorious kingdom? 1 Peter 1:6-7, “6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

It is with this mindset that we are free from fear of suffering to serve God, to pursue His kingdom, to sacrifice ourselves to the mission of the gospel. Compared to our future glory, is it really a hardship to give all of your non-essential budget to support missions or those in need here in our church? Is it really a sacrifice to dedicate your time and energy to build up and serve the church? Is it really a risk to leave all of this comfort and ease behind and become a missionary? I would say no!

So then, dear brothers and sisters, see suffering and sacrifice as nothing compared to the joy set before you, to dwelling with and enjoying Christ for all eternity in Paradise.

Application: Live as if Death has no Sting

The last application I will make is this, Live as if death has no sting.

The father of Alexander the Great, Philip of Macedon, had a servant who’s one job was to tell him the same message each and every day, “Philip, you will die.” Dear friends, let us not waste our lives that we have been given by God avoiding death and pursuing triviality. Let us not be filled with fear of dying but instead be filled with triumphant hope, like Job did, Job 19:26-27, “26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, 27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!”

Calvin, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, writes that it is a monstrous fact that many Christians are still gripped by the fear of death, and he calls this fear wholly unbearable. He argues, “If we should think that through death we are recalled from exile to dwell in the fatherland, in the heavenly fatherland, would we get no comfort from this fact?” Dear brothers and sisters, we must see this life as an exile so that when the time comes for us to depart this earth, we are not afraid but overjoyed in the reality that we are going home.

May we long to be with Christ, for as Paul says to the Philippians, that is far better. And guess what, this longing is a shared longing. Jesus, in His High Priestly prayer, made this request, John 17:24, “24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” How moving is this? The desire of the heart of Christ is for us to be where He is, to see His glory.

Closing Illustration

Growing up, and I will conclude with this illustration, growing up, my mother would read to us each night and one of her favorite things to read was the series, the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I must have heard that series 5 times in my childhood. As I was preparing this sermon I was reminded of the beautiful scene at the end of the final book in that series, the Last Battle. It is there that Lewis illustrates a beautiful picture of what it will be like to enter into glory. Early in the book, Jill and Eustace are travelling on a train with their parents, when suddenly, out of nowhere, they are transported from the train into Narnia. At the end of their Narnian adventure, after witnessing the joys and beauties of Narnia and the presence of that great lion, Aslan - the children are afraid and saddened at the thought that they will be sent back to earth again.

But, in the chapter titled Farewell to the Shadowlands, Aslan comforts the children with some good news, “‘There was a real railway accident,’ said Aslan softly. ‘Your father and mother and all of you are—as you used to call it in the Shadowlands—dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.’...

Lewis then concludes, “And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after.

But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read; which goes on forever; in which every chapter is better than the one before”

Dear brothers and sisters, this is what awaits us. This is the end of our salvation. This is our glorification. The great story which no one on earth has read, which goes on forever, in which every chapter is better than the one before, in which we will experience perfect existence, where we will glorify and enjoy the God who will dwell with us forever.

As Jesus says at the end of this Bible, “I am coming quickly.” To which we join in John in saying, “amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

Benediction

Dear saints, long for your future glorification where you will experience perfect existence, where we will glorify and enjoy the God who will dwell with us forever. May we live for that other world, may we see our suffering as nothing compared to that glory, and may we live as if death has no sting.

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.