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Glorification - Various Texts
By Ike Hughes | June 12, 2007
House, MASH, St. Elsewhere, ER, Doogie Houser, General Hospital, Scrubs, Trapper John, MD, Dr. Kildare, Becker, Ben Casey, Chicago Hope, Gray’s Anatomy, Medical Investigations, Grosse Anatomy. What do all of these have common?
These are all shows about doctors. Some are dramas. Some are comedies. Some are soap operas, or stories as my grandmother used to call them. When you have shows about doctors, what else do you have?
Sick people.
Hollywood has made a very lucrative industry out of shows about sick people.
Then there are books. I went into our bookcase, well one of our book cases, to look for a medical dictionary so that I could regale you with big medical terms and I looked at some of the books that Michelle kept from her time in nursing school and I about fell over.
She has a stack of 4 or 5 books that equal close to an entire semester’s worth of reading for me. And those were a small token of what she had to buy and read during nursing school. I’m sure that Becky and Celia have similar books in their libraries.
Then there are friends of mine who are doctors. I checked out a website that told me it could take up to nine years to become a doctor.
9 years of your life in school and as an intern and as a resident. If you want to specialize in a certain field, it would take another 3 years of study.
Nurses and Doctors spend a great amount of time and effort to gain the information that they have to take care of …sick people.
There are health programs and diet programs and all sorts of programs where you, in the comfort of your own home, can help to prevent some of the illnesses that we deal with in life.
We as a nation invest thousands of dollars into research to prevent many of the illnesses. We take medicines; we exercise; we use anti-bacterial soap all in a effort to keep ourselves from getting sick.
America has made a huge, expensive industry out of health care.
But this fixation on health comes from a deeper drive. This drive to keep from getting sick is pushed on by our drive to stay alive. In many of the shows that I listed above, the people get better.
Usually someone only dies on a show when the actor is ready to move on. And then we know that they will show up on another show or in a movie at some point.
But it’s not the same with you and me. We know that many of the sicknesses that we face end in death. Cancer; Leukemia; Lou Gehrig’s disease; Muscular Dystrophy; Cerebral Palsy, just to name a few.
Funeral homes today are nationwide chains. I worked for a very short period of time with one of the chains that owned 6 funeral homes in Tampa and many more around the country. And I never set foot in a funeral home. I worked in a sales office selling arrangements. My job was to sell you your arrangements prior to your death.
Death is a huge industry in our lives.
No matter where we look, no matter what we do, no matter where we go, sickness and pain and suffering and death are all around us. Some of us today are sick; some of us today are in pain; some of us today are suffering.
Today we are going to look at what hope the Christian can take in the midst of all this pain and sickness suffering and death. We are going to look at a concept called Glorification and what it means for the Christian in light of the fact that we are surrounded by pain, suffering, sickness and death.
Just as a warning, we are going to be jumping around in our Bibles quite a bit today. I’ll read the passages as we do jump around but it might be easier to do what Kim advised last time he preached here and just write down the references and look them up later.
I hope you are doing that by the way. Write down some things from what Kim and I say and check them out later today or later in the week. Don’t take our word for it. Look at the scriptures that we talk to you about and study them for yourselves and see what God has to say to you outside this building during the week.
I am going to start today with Jesus. That’s a great place to start isn’t it?
All of the things that Kim has been preaching on over the last several month, come together for you and I in Jesus. And today is no different. We are going to look at four aspects of, what we call, Jesus’ exaltation. Jesus’ exaltation is the foundation of our glorification which we will look at later in the sermon.
The first aspect of Jesus’ exaltation is his resurrection.
Luke 24:1-12 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
We have spoken quite a bit about the work that Jesus did and how he died on the cross for our sins. But Jesus’ work did not end there. As we read, he was resurrected from the dead by the power of God. This resurrection is significant for us in two very important ways. First, Jesus resurrection was the victory of the final enemy – death. Death was defeated in Jesus’ resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:20-22 20 ¶ But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Jesus reversed the curse of death that was a result of Adam’s fall.
The second important significance of Jesus’ resurrection is that this is symbol for the future of the believer. Listen to 1 Cor 15:22 again: 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
We will see in a few minutes how this promise works out for the believer.
Jesus’ exaltation is seen in his resurrection.
The second aspect of Jesus’ exaltation is his ascension.
Acts 1:1-9 ¶ In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 ¶ So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
The ascension of Jesus is something that is not talked about much. Normally when it is talked about, it is a prelude to the Great Commission which Jesus gives to his disciples, and us, prior to his ascension or to talk about his return. But the ascension is more than just those two things. The ascension is important because it is Jesus’ return to God’s glory.
Philippians 2:5-11 tells us of Jesus’ leaving the glory of his heavenly abode to come to earth and die and of his return to that glory. It is significant that Jesus ascended into a cloud. In the Old Testament accounts of God, His glory is often described as a cloud or pillar of smoke. Jesus went into the presence of God’s glory, as a human. This ascension of a human into the presence of God guarantees the reality of the Christian reaching the presence of God in the future.
Jesus’ exaltation is seen in his resurrection and his ascension.
The third aspect of Jesus exaltation is his session at the right hand of God.
Acts 2:33-36 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.’ 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
When Jesus’ ascended into heaven, He was seated at the right hand of God. This is imagery showing that Jesus has been given authority over creation. In a royal court, the person who sits to the right of the king is given power to rule as though he were the king. Jesus is in control of his kingdom – Earth – and will take care of and hold onto the people who God has given to him.
Jesus’ exaltation is seen in his resurrection, his ascension and his session at God’s right hand.
The final aspect of Jesus’ exaltation will be seen in his physical return.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.
Jesus will return and he will return as the King of the earth. Jesus will have all power and authority. He will be the Judge of this world. He will come for the people that God has given to him.
Jesus’ exaltation is seen in his resurrection, his ascension, his session at the right hand of God and his physical return.
And that is the foundation for what gives us hope in the midst of the pain, sickness, suffering and death of this life.
1 Corinthians 15:57 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
And that victory is what we call glorification. Because Jesus was exalted, we can have the assurance that we will be glorified when Jesus returns.
Our glorification will be seen in our resurrection when Jesus’ returns. We are given many promises from God that he will resurrect his people. In Psalm 68:20 David looked forward to a resurrection: 20 Our God is a God of salvation, and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.
In Daniel 12:2 we are told: 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
In Acts 24:15 we are told: 15 having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.
We have been promised that God will raise all people from the dead. At the time of Jesus’ return all people that have died will rise again.
We also have examples of God’s power to resurrect.
One of these examples is in John 11:39-44:
John 11:39-44 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
We have already looked at the ultimate example of God’s power to resurrect and defeat death in Luke 24. Jesus’ resurrection is the guarantee that his people will be resurrected as well. God gives us promises of resurrection and gives us examples of his resurrecting power.
What will be glorified?
Earlier I spoke about Jesus and his resurrection from the dead. Were we to read on in the account of Luke we would see that after a time his disciples were able to recognize him. It was the same body that he had as he walked this earth only better. And we have the same assurance.
Philippians 3:20-21 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 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.
Now, as I was studying for his sermon today, this brought an interesting question to my mind. How is this going to work? Someone who has been dead for a short period of time begins to decay. Our bodies are fragile and fall apart easily once life leaves. So how is a body that has been dead for a long period of time, that has turned to dust, going to be resurrected? Or what about the people whose bodies were lost at sea?
As I read and prepared for today, I was reminded of the awesome power and knowledge of our God. The God who created the universe, this earth and you and me knows how to resurrect a body that has been totally turned to dust. God knows where every particle of our being is and he has the power to put them back together in a way that is better than what it was before.
And this transitions to our next point: What will our glorified bodies be like? There are 4 qualities of our glorified bodies:
First, our bodies will be incorruptible. Our bodies are now corruptible. We get sick. We feel aches and pains. We grow old. And we die. But, when we have our glorified bodies, those things will not be a part of our lives anymore.
Revelation 21:4 4 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.”
The incorruptible nature of our bodies means that we will no longer feel pain. We will no longer be subjected to sickness and suffering. And we will no longer be victims of death. The things that hurt us now will no longer hurt us. I like to think that I can eat ice cream without worrying about its affect on my blood sugar or my waistline. Joints won’t ache when we walk or sit for too long.
Our glorified bodies will be incorruptible.
Another quality of our glorified bodies will be that they are glorious. Thomas Boston said, “the most beautiful face, and best proportioned body, that now appears in the world, is not to be named in comparison of the body of the meanest saint in resurrectionâ€
Magazines and TV shows put out lists every year of the best looking, best dressed, sexiest people. The people that top those lists are no comparison to the least best looking resurrected Christian.
We know this because of Jesus’ resurrected body.
Luke 24:36-37 6 ¶ As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.
The disciples thought Jesus was a spirit because his body had been changed. We can expect a glorious change to our bodies as well:
Matthew 13:43 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear
Our bodies, which are covered with Jesus’ righteousness, will shine like the sun when we are glorified.
Our glorified bodies will be incorruptible; it will be glorious.
Another quality of our glorified body is that it will be powerful:
Zechariah 12:8 8 On that day the LORD will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the LORD, going before them.
Our bodies need to be strong, as well as incorruptible and glorious, to be able to endure the glorious presence of God. God will transform the earth into his throne room and he will dwell on this earth with his people. When Moses wanted to see God’s glory, God had to shield his eyes because he could not live in the presence of God. We must have strong bodies in order to stand in the presence of God.
Our bodies will be incorruptible; they will be glorious and they will be strong.
The final quality of our glorified bodies will be that they will be spiritual.
1 John 3:2 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
We will see him as he is because our bodies will be so filled with his spirit. Our bodies will be spiritual in that we will be able to commune directly with God, who is a spirit.
Our bodies will be incorruptible; they will be glorious; they will be powerful; and they will be spiritual.
It’s not just us that will be changed when Jesus returned. I have mentioned that the Earth will be transformed. This earth will be put the way that God intended. The whole earth will be transformed to be like the Garden of Eden. And God will dwell on earth with his people once they have been glorified and once the earth has been transformed.
I want to make one thing perfectly clear before I go on. Everything I said and everything I’m getting ready to say only applies to the people of God. All people will be raised, whether just or unjust.
John 5:25-29 25 ¶ “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
Jesus is coming back and all the dead will be raised and they will stand before him. And Jesus will judge everyone and the ones who are the people of God, those who have had Jesus’ goodness placed on them, will reap the reward of eternal life with a glorified body.
Those that are not his people will reap eternal judgment.
And why will be raised? Why will we be glorified? For one simple purpose.
Isaiah 26:19 19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
We will be raised to sing for joy. We will be glorified to praise God for all eternity.
And we taste a small part of that future glory, where we will worship God for all eternity here in the church. We gather together as the people of God to worship him and to bring him praise. This is a shadowing of what is to come.
That is not all that glorification means to the people of God today. We can take comfort in the fact that we have glorification to look forward to. We can be comforted in our sickness, in our pain, in our suffering and in death.
Ephesians 2:19-20 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
For the people of God, this life is only a foreign country that we live in. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God and we have that to look forward to.
We have the promise of Rev 21:4 – the promise of freedom from tears and pain and death. We have the reminders of John 11:39-44 where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
And we have the reminders that Jesus will return to consummate the glorification that was begun with his exaltation.
The other night I was watching Pan’s Labyrinth. Now, this is not a movie that I recommend, but the ending fit so well with today’s message. The story is of a little girl in Spain in 1944. At this time Spain was in the midst of war and Ofelia, the little girl, was stuck midst the strife and turmoil of the world.
All around her was death and destruction. As a distraction, Ofelia imagined herself in a fairy tale where she was a fairy princess that was seeking to get back to her father in the fairy kingdom. As the movie drew to a close, Ofelia falls victim to one of the soldiers and is shot. As she dies, a bright light forms around her body. The light fades and Ofelia is standing in what appears to be a large room.
All of her wounds are healed. She is dressed in a beautiful dress and a wonderful pair of shoes. There is a smile on her face, which is something that was not seen through the whole movie until the end. The camera pans out and we see that Ofelia is standing in a large throne room, with choirs and attendants to a king. The king is seated high above the floor on a throne atop a pedestal. And he is shining with a brilliant radiance.
The movie leaves you with a sense that all is right. Ofelia was a stranger in the world of war and sickness and death. Ofelia was at home in the court of the king.
That is the hope that you and I have. We are strangers and aliens in this world of pain and sickness and suffering and death. The true home of the people of God is in the court of the King.
That is what gives us hope when we are sick.
That is what gives us hope when we feel pain.
That is what gives us hope when we suffer.
And our future glorification is what gives us hope when we face death.
Topics: New Testament, Old Testament, Practical Advice |
June 15th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
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