 The title of our sermon this morning is The Glory of His Bride. The Glory of His Bride, our primary text, Romans chapter 8, verses 18 through 30. And considering that text now written, read in your hearing, as he writes this letter to the saints in Rome, Paul sits in the house of Gaius, his host in the city of Corinth. He's nearing the end of a three-month stay in Corinth. He's nearing the end of a third missionary journey now to the churches in the east, establishing churches in the east. And he's nearing the end of a very fruitful and an exceedingly difficult ministry. Paul had come to Corinth having escaped with his life from a riot in Ephesus. He would leave from Corinth with knowledge of a plot on the part of the Jews who were lying in wait to kill him. The near constant persecution, the near constant adversity didn't deter Paul from his course. The first eight chapters of this book, there is a clear and sweeping glorious presentation of our God's sovereign plan of salvation. Paul moves from the depravity of man and the reality of our condemnation. He moves on to justification by faith alone and Christ alone through an imputed or gifted righteousness. And he moves on to the redemption of our bodies, the glorification of believers and the renewal of all things. It was this wondrous truth, the wondrous truth of our salvation that Paul gave all his heart, all his mind, strength, time, blood, sweat, and tears to proclaim. He gave his life to proclaiming this truth. Even in the face of tremendous suffering, tremendous difficulty, remember Paul is a man who endured stripes above measure. He'd been beaten so many times he couldn't count. Frequent imprisonments, near continuous threats on his life from the Jews, five times he received 40 stripes minus one. I thought to be just beneath the level that would kill a man. Five times, three times beaten with rods. Once he was stoned, left for dead, shipwrecked three times, a night and a day Paul spent floating in the ocean. He was in continuous peril, weariness, toil, sleeplessness, hunger, thirst, fasting, cold, nakedness, and above all that deep concern over all the churches. So as he sat in Corinth writing this letter, you can imagine Paul holding out his hands, if you will, all the pain, all the suffering, all the adversity, all the difficulty, all the persecution piled up in this hand, and the weight of eternal glory promised to the believer in Jesus Christ our Lord piled up in this hand. This hand appears as though it's piled up to heaven at times above our heads, often so difficult that we don't know that we're going to make it through. But he calls this such an eternal and everlasting weight. There's a heaviness to this glory that this one begins to pale in comparison. And so he writes in verse 18, I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. One cannot be held in comparison to the other. The one diminishes, it retreats to no significance whatsoever. It retreats to be of no consequence. It becomes inconsequential when compared with the other. The Lord Jesus Christ himself, when he considered the glory that awaited him, the joy that was set before him, the Lord Jesus Christ, endured the cross, despising the shame, meaning that he counted it a common thing, counted it a worthless thing, an empty thing, something that really doesn't even need to be considered in light of the glory that awaited him. Paul said in 2 Corinthians that he was hard-pressed on every side, that he was perplexed, persecuted, struck down. Paul was delivered to death every day for the sake of Jesus Christ, always caring about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Galatians chapter 6, Paul said that he bears in his body the marks, the scars of the Lord Jesus. And it was Paul who said, this suffering is light in comparison to this glory. This light affliction, Paul said, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding weight, exceeding an eternal weight of glory. What is Paul speaking about? Well, Paul is speaking about the glorification of believers. He's speaking about our glorification. Paul faced suffering, likes of which you and I will never face. We've never faced, as likely we'll never face, that kind of suffering, that kind of difficulty. But we are to consider the reality of this with Paul. He calls us in Romans chapter 8 to consider this eternal weight of glory. What are the afflictions that you face? What are the difficulties that you face? Some of you who have lost a child. Some of you who have lost a loved one, lost a spouse. Maybe you're in a difficult marriage. Maybe you've been persecuted by family, persecuted by friends. You've gone through severe pain. Some of you through disease and cancer diagnosis. Imagine for a moment. Imagine for a moment the, or remember for a moment, the adversity that you faced. But imagine for a moment the adversity that you could face. We're not promised safety and security physically, temporally in this life. Imagine the adversity that you could face. Imagine the adversity, the difficulty, the suffering that many believers have faced over the course of their lives in history. Some going to their death at the stake for the Lord Jesus Christ. Imagine that suffering with the Apostle Paul. Whatever they are, whatever that is that's piled up in that hand, Paul describes them as light, fleeting, momentary, inconsequential, when compared to the eternal weight of glory that awaits believers in him. In comparison to that weight, in comparison with the everlasting glory that awaits us, present suffering is small when compared. It doesn't mean that it always feels small. Sometimes our world is just caved in upon. But when compared, it really is inconsequential. It's light and it's momentary. And it's that thinking that the believer should have when going through trial and adversity to help us hope through that. Suffering is part and parcel with the Christian life. Verse 17, verse 17, we are children of God. And if children, we are heirs, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ. We are joint heirs with Christ if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified together. An unbeliever has absolutely no hope in their suffering. An unbeliever, someone who has no faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, has no hope in their suffering. Whereas we have great hope in our suffering and eternal weight of glory. And even the settled understanding that the afflictions that we face in Christ in this life will add to our glory. They add to that weight of glory. And that's a promise of Scripture. That hope of the believer's glorification should produce, will produce great anticipation in the heart and mind of the Christian. It produces in us, within our hearts, a deep longing, doesn't it? The more that we live in this world, especially now, give me just a minute to turn over the turn on the news and I start longing for heaven, right? I start longing, battling sin. I start longing for the redemption of my body, right? We, difficulties in this life produce that hope of glory produces a deep longing, a deep anticipation of future glory, far better to be with him. That longing is expressed in the groaning of creation in Romans chapter eight, the groaning of believers in Romans chapter eight, and in the groaning of the Spirit himself. Now first look with me at chapter eight at the longing that comes from the creation personified in verse 19. This longing is groaning associated with contingent or coincident with our glorification. Look at verse 19. For the earnest expectation of the creation, when he says creation there, he means the earth, the seas, all that is in them, right? The natural created order, so to speak. The earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. This language, the revealing of the sons of God is speaking of our glorification. Notice it's not an uncertain wish in verse 19. It's the nature's earnest expectation, right? The creation is not anxious. It's not doubtful. It's eagerly waiting. The verb carries the sense of standing on its tiptoes. You can imagine creation personified here, peering like standing on its tiptoes, like eagerly waiting, peering into eternity, so to speak, peering into the future in anticipation and eagerly waiting. What is the creation eagerly waiting for? It's a waiting, the revealing, the word means unveiling of the sons of God. If you're in Jesus Christ, that's you. If you've turned from your sin to put your faith and trust in him, you here are a son or a daughter of a living God. It's not an uncertain wish. This is an earnest expectation, the revealing, the unveiling of the sons of God. It's speaking of our glorification. John speaks of this. First John chapter 3 verse 2. He says, beloved, now we are the children of God. It has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Who's the hymn? It's the Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians chapter 3 verse 4. When Christ, who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Happens at the return of Jesus Christ at the resurrection. Why is the created order described here as eagerly awaiting our glorification? Look at verse 20. Because the creation itself was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope, because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. What is this glorious liberty of the children of God? It's our glorification. And the creation subjected to futility will also be delivered. The creation subjected to futility is a reference to the curse. Futility refers to being incapable of producing the desired results. The creation is incapable of being what God created, the created order to be. Why? Because of the consequences of man's sin, the curse of the fall. Like man, even creation is unable to exist for the purpose for which God created it. It was subjected to this uselessness due to man's sin. Because of man's sin, not only man was cursed at the fall, right? But the created order was also cursed. God said to Adam in Genesis chapter 3, verse 17, cursed is the ground for your sake. In toil, you shall eat of it all the days of your life. And what has then ensued since the curse? Thorns, thistles, weeds. My yard is a picture of the curse. Earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamis, on and on and on, right? Manifestation of the curse. God himself subjected it, subjected the creation to futility. But notice in verse 20, he subjected it in hope. In hope. What hope? The hope of the revealing, the unveiling of the sons of God. The hope of our glorification. Until that day, verse 22, we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. I read, considering this, a bit that was written by Martin Lloyd-Jones. And Martin Lloyd-Jones, thinking on this text, thought about creation and the seasons and how the creation is groaning and laboring, so to speak, in birth pangs until now. And he thought about how spring is like the creation, the created order bringing forth new life. What happens to spring? It transitions into the drought, the heat of summer, transitions into death, as it were, the pre-death of fall, and then the death of winter, and then creation again in birth pangs, as it were, attempting to give birth to a new life brings about spring. It's a picture, Martin Lloyd-Jones saw it as a picture of this very truth, that the creation, the created order is in birth pangs, as it were, until now and will be until the revealing of the sons of God. Creation has seemed to be groaning. That groaning comes from bondage, groaning under toil, groaning under labor and pain. But a promised restoration of all things, the renewal of this created order is coming. The birth, as it were, of a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. New heavens and a new earth, in that sense, is the context or the setting in which the sons of God are revealed. That makes sense? The new creation, a new heavens, a new earth, a new paradise, a new created order becomes the grand theater, as it were, in which the sons of God are glorified and unveiled and revealed. In other words, a tendon to our glorification is the renewal, the restoration of all things that will give grand theater to our glorification. It's a beautiful, beautiful picture. And you have that revealed, I think, too, in Revelation 21, Revelation 22, where of that new creation, the Lord says that nothing that defiles will enter in, no abomination, no one who tells a lie. It will be perfect and it will be glorious. It will be the grand theater in which we are, as the sons of God revealed. Now, second, not only does that created order groan under the weight of the consequences of man's sin, but believers themselves groan, awaiting the redemption of our bodies. And again, that language, the redemption of our bodies, speaking of glorification. Look at verse 23. Not only that, not only does the created order groan as it were, but we also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, that is, the redemption of our body. The believers here are described as those who have the first fruits of the Spirit. Ephesians chapter 1, verse 14, the Spirit, the Spirit of God, is the pledge or the guarantee of our inheritance. All believers are indwelt by the Spirit of God. If you have not the Spirit, you are none of his, Paul says. Right? We have the Spirit. The Spirit is our pledge. The Spirit is our guarantee, our seal of our inheritance. The giving of the Spirit demonstrates to us, manifests to us that those future promises are coming and they're sure. It's our guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchase possession to the praise of his glory. There's an already and a not yet aspect to this purchased possession to our adoption, isn't there? To our salvation. There's a sense in which we are presently saved. There's also a sense in which ultimate salvation is coming and it's going to be fulfilled in our glorification. All of our, all of the redemptive plans and purposes of God find their ultimate fulfillment, their ultimate aim, their ultimate end in the glorification of the sons of God. Right? We're headed that direction. His work in believers just now beginning in a sense. If you've turned to Christ, the first fruits of all the blessings that are still to come, that is the giving of the Spirit. He is a pledge or a guarantee of our glorification. It's because believers are indwelt by the Spirit that then believers groan within themselves. Apart from the Spirit, I don't know if you remember or not, other than just the common aches and pains that come with this body of flesh decaying, you didn't groan within yourselves over the cursed flesh and over this cursed world. You didn't have that kind of hatred for sin. You didn't have that kind of hunger and thirst for righteousness. You hear the truth of God and it angers you. You get defensive, you get aggressive, you get hostile. You despise the things of God. You love the things of this world. You had a different nature then, a different disposition then. It's because believers are indwelt by the Spirit through the work of the Spirit that they groan then within themselves. With Paul we say, don't we, O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? We long to be free from sin. The believer longs to be free from the effects of sin, from the power of sin, from the even the presence of sin in their lives. We long for glorification. David says, Psalm 38 verse 3, David says, there's no soundness in my flesh because of your anger, God, nor any health in my bones because of my sin. My iniquities have gone over my head like a heavy burden. They are too heavy for me. My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness. I'm troubled. I'm bowed down greatly. I go mourning all the day long. My loins are full of inflammation. There's no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble, severely broken. I groaned because of the turmoil of my heart. And so with David, we groan within ourselves under the weight or the consequences, the effects of sin. We groan within ourselves eagerly awaiting for our adoption, the redemption of our body. We eagerly await for our glorification. And we can see in that, that already not yet perspective. Paul often speaks of aspects of our salvation in the future, tense. We have been adopted as sons and daughters in the kingdom, but we await the full experience of that adoption, that grace, until we are with him in glory. That's coming. Attendant to that adoption, verse 23, the redemption of our body, the redemption of our body. Verse 24, for we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. Hope that is seen is an attained reality. Do you see hope that we now see that has come to fruition is an attained reality. Hope that is seen is not hope. Why does one still hope for what he sees, what he has? No, but we hope for what we do not see and we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. The attainment of this hope, glorification, the redemption of the body is still future, but it is certain and we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. The point is this, the point is this, the future glory that will be revealed in us. And all that that entails, the redemption of our body, the renewal of all things is so stunning, so glorious, so spectacular, so astonishing, so fantastic, so wondrous that it renders any present suffering a small thing, a momentary, a light affliction, so that by faith in Christ and through hope in him for his promises, we can patiently endure suffering in this life while we wait eagerly. Do you see? Oftentimes in suffering and difficulty adversity, we just need a change of mind, right? Just an understanding of what we have been given and we need faith in him then to get us through the difficulty. Well, what is it that we're waiting for? What is it we're waiting for? Paul says the full experience of our adoption, which includes the redemption of our body. We now have in this time, at this time, we have unredeemed bodies, don't we? If you're genuinely saved, you've been made a new creation in Christ, new creation. If you've been genuinely saved, then you have renewed nature, a new heart, the Bible calls it. With that, you have a new heart disposition. Your affections have changed. Your desires have changed. You love the Lord, whereas before at best, you were uninterested or indifferent. You hate sin. You want to be rid of it. You have the mind of Christ. You've been made a partaker of the divine nature. There's been a transformation in your heart and mind if you're in Christ. But all of that, that new creation, that new disposition, that new heart, that new nature has been encased as it were in your mortal flesh. One said it was like a holy seed encased in a unholy shell. Maybe a picture of that. You delight in the law of God, as Paul says, according to the inward man. You delight in the law of God according to your mind. But there is another principle at work in your members, warring against the law of your mind, that new nature imprisoned as it were in corruptible flesh and subject to its weakness. The redemption of our body at glorification then is the final and complete redemption of that part of a person's humanness that is still susceptible to sinning. The inward man has been renewed. We await the redemption of our mortal, corruptible and fallen flesh. Philippians chapter three, verse 20, helps us to understand. It says, for our citizenship is currently, our citizenship is in heaven from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ to return, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his glorious body according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself. Redemption of our body, more about that in a moment. Third, not only does the creation groan for our glorification, not only do believers groan for their glorification, but the Spirit himself groans. The Spirit himself groans. Look at verse 26. Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses, for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now, he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Because of our remaining corruption, because of our susceptibility to sin, the Spirit then helps in our weakness, in our weaknesses by making intercession for us. We don't even know what to pray for fully as we ought, but the Spirit does. The Spirit knows exactly what we need, and the Bible describes the Spirit as groaning for us, bringing our needs before God when we don't even fully understand or know what those needs are. His intercession for us is beyond our ability to comprehend or understand. It's through groanings which cannot be uttered, which means they're inexpressible through words. They're inaudible. We don't hear them, and we can't fully understand them. They are incomprehensible. This is not referring to the gibberish tongues of Charismaniacs. It's not what it's referring to. It's referring to the intercession of the Holy Spirit for his own. And it's the Spirit who sustains us, aids us, helps us, and preserves us all the way to our glorification. And we know, verse 28, we know. In other words, it's beyond all doubt. We know that all things work together for good, including everything, everything that happens in the life of the Christian. All things work together for good. All my suffering, every last second of it. The loss of my child, even that. The circumstances that surround the loss of your life. Even that. Joseph's imprisonment all that time in the dungeon. Yes, even that. Daniel's exile. He was carted off to Babylon too, wasn't he? Yes, Daniel, even that. The Lord's crucifixion, our persecution. All of that. All things work together for good. To those who love God, that's a genuine believer, to those who are the called, those whom God has effectually called to himself, according to his eternal, free, sovereign, electing purpose. Verse 29, for because, because whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he predestined, these he also called, whom he called, these he also justified, and whom he justified, these he also glorified. Before the foundation of the world, God foreknew, the Bible says, he chose a people to redeem to himself in and for the sake of his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In electing them to salvation from their sin, Paul describes God as having two purposes, or two aims in mind. One, so that they would become conformed into his image, the image of the son, and two, so that the son he might become the firstborn among many brothers. Now first, so the redemption of our body, our glorification includes the believer, first, being conformed into the image of Christ, the image of the son. Now scripture we've already mentioned makes that clear. First John chapter three verse two, it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when we, when he is revealed, when Jesus Christ comes, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. That transformation of believers into Christ's likeness at glorification takes place in two primary ways, two primary ways. First, we will be made like Christ bodily. It's interesting isn't it? And beautiful and glorious. We will be made like Christ bodily. Flipping chapter three verse 21, he will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed into his glorious body or conformed to his glorious body. That redemption of our body, we get a body like his. We'll talk about that more. We get a body like his. Romans chapter six verse five, if we have become united together with him in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection. Just as we have born the image of the earthly who is Adam first Corinthians 15, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly will bear his image. Jesus Christ. So first, we're made like Christ bodily. Secondly, we will be made like Christ spiritually made like Christ in righteousness and in holiness, practical righteousness and in holiness, in purity, in sinlessness, fully separated not only from the penalty of our sin, fully separated not only from the power of sin, but forever fully separated from the presence of sin at glorification. And here we see another example of already and not yet eschatology, the study of end times, right? There are those truths which are of the eschaton of the last days of that time, the age to come. And there is an already, there's an already and not yet aspect to our salvation through sanctification. We talked about that subject not long ago. We're already being conformed spiritually into the image of the sun, but the eschaton, that which is yet to come has invaded the present age. Praise God. And in that innovation, conformity into the image of Christ even goes on now spiritually through sanctification, but that conformity into the image of Christ will find ultimate fulfillment in our glorification when we shall be as he is sinless, pure, holy. Transformation begins in this age, full consummation takes place at glorification. This is referenced among many places, but in particular here Ephesians chapter five, verse 25 in Paul's teaching about marriage. Paul says in verse 25, husbands love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her. Now why is it that Christ loved the church and gave himself for her to what end? That he might sanctify, set her apart and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word. And that's happening even now. If you're genuinely saved, you've been set apart to him. And even now you are being sanctified. You're being cleansed with the washing of water by the word. You've been born again and now you're being sanctified. So that verse 27, he might future tents present her to himself a glorious church, not having spotter wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. When does that take place? It takes place at the resurrection of our bodies, the redemption of our bodies at glorification. Do you see? This happens at glorification. Now someone might say, well, isn't this just a return to Adam? Aren't we just sort of reversing the curse and don't we just become like Adam when that happens? Isn't that how Adam was made? Adam was made upright and what happened to Adam in the garden? Adam fell into sin. What's to keep me from going to heaven then and sinning in heaven and being cast out? I'm a believer in Jesus Christ now. What's to prevent me from sinning like Adam? I sin all the time. What's to prevent me from being cast out as a son or cast out, kicked out as a daughter? The answer to that question is ultimately glorification. Ultimately glorification. Adam was created. We've talked about these terms before, but listen. Adam was created passe non picare, passe non picare. Adam was created not or Adam was created able not to sin. Adam had the ability not to sin, passe non picare, able not to sin. Adam fell and in Adam's fall, Adam and all his posterity became non passe non picare. Man was not able not to sin. In other words, man was incapable of not sinning. He was incapable of not sinning. In glorification, in glorification we are, praise God, non passe picare, not able to sin, not able to sin. That's a blessedness, a promise of our glorification, just like our Lord, not able to sin. First Corinthians 13, we see in a mirror dimly now, peering into spiritual realities that we can't fully comprehend, that we can't fully apprehend, that we only faintly understand, but then face to face, Paul says. Now I know in part, then I shall know just as I am known, and knowing more and more and more and more, growing in our knowledge, never omniscient. So I believe that in glorification we just continue to increase in our knowledge of God, increase in our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, always learning, always coming to more and a more full understanding of who he is, and in that sense, heaven, which is not simply one eternal worship service. It is, it's going to be eternal worship in everything, but maybe not an eternal church service, we could say, but there's always going to be learning and growing, in that case, better and better and better and better for eternity. So in the first part, in the first purpose of God in our election was so that we would be conformed into the image of the Son, the second purpose of God is so that the Son then might be the firstborn among many brethren. He is the proto-tacos, the preeminent one, the preeminent one, the first to have been raised from the dead, having been the first to be raised from the dead, he is the first of many who will be raised in him, an innumerable host as seen in heaven by John and Revelation. And notice the certainty, the certainty of this fulfillment, look at verse 30, the certainty, moreover whom he predestined, these he also called, whom he called, these he also justified, whom he justified, these he also glorified. There's no room for any break in that chain, that unbreakable chain of our redemption. No one whom God foreknew will fail to be predestined, called, justified, and glorified in Jesus Christ. No one will fail in that chain. Now notice the past tense of the verbs, they're all heiress indicatives in the Greek for you Greek guys and gals. Glorification, we know is a future event for all believers. It's future, yet future, but Paul is speaking proleptically, he is bringing the future into the present, into even the past, so to speak. He speaks of the future as so certain because God has determined it, God has decreed it. He speaks and he often does of the future as so certain, so settled, so absolute that he brings its fulfillment into the present, even into the past, as if it had already occurred. Those whom he called, these he also justified, heiress past tense, heiress indicative, and those whom he justified, these he also glorified. We've all seen all that he has already done. Won't we trust him for what he promises he will do? Won't you trust him in that also? Why don't we trust him completely for what he has promised to do? Look at verse 31, what shall we say to these things then? What shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things, namely our glorification? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It's God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It's Christ who died, furthermore is also risen, who is even right now at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword, as it is written, for your sake, we're killed all day long. We're accounted as sheep for the slaughter. We are walking dead, so to speak, awaiting the redemption of our body. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. We are living testimonies, living sacrifices. Romans chapter 12, verses one and two there. Living sacrifices for the Lord Jesus Christ, accounted as sheep for the slaughter, yet verse 37, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. I am persuaded, verse 38, that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. That all consummates in our glorification. Regarding a definition of glorification, John Murray said this. He said it is the complete and final redemption of the whole person when in the integrity of body and spirit, the joining together of body and spirit, the people of God will be conformed to the image of the risen, exalted and glorified redeemer when the very body of their humiliation will be conformed to the body of Christ's glory. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living and therefore nothing short of resurrection to the full enjoyment of God can constitute the glory to which the living God will lead his redeemed. Let's consider the time we have remaining, the when, how, and what of glorification, the when, how, and what. Listen to 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 verse 1 with respect to the when. Paul says, verse 1, for we know that if our earthly house this tent is destroyed, in other words, if this body dies, if this earthly house, he compares it to a tent, a temporary dwelling, if this house is destroyed, we have, present active, waiting for us, a building from God, a house, a body, not made with hands eternal in the heavens. For in this tent, this earthly tent, this temporary dwelling we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation, which is from heaven, earnestly desiring the redemption of our body. If indeed having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent grown, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, because we want to be apart from our body in a disembodied spirit, you could say, but we want to be further clothed. That mortality, that which is mortal, corruptible, may be swallowed up by life, that which is incorruptible. Now he who has prepared us for this very thing, our glorification, who has also given us the spirit as a guarantee, it is he who is God. When does that begin? Well, it begins when you put off this body in death. Theologians speak of an intermediate state where our bodies go to the ground from your made of dust to dust, you shall return our spirits immediately go to God, to be with God. And our bodies, our redemption, the redemption of our bodies, our glorification takes place at the return of Christ. Between putting off our earthly tent and the redemption of our body at the coming of Lord Jesus Christ is called the intermediate state. Well, further explanation of that is necessary. Listen to our confession, London Baptist confession of faith, 1689, chapter 31, article one. Listen, the bodies of men after death return to dust and see corruption, but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately returned to God who gave them the souls of the righteous being then made perfect in holiness are received into paradise where they are with Christ and behold the face of God in light and glory waiting for the full redemption of their bodies. Didn't the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cree on the cross say to the thief, today this day you'll be with me in paradise. That thief now awaits the full redemption of his body. He's in heaven with God and furthermore the souls of the wicked are cast into hell where they remain in torment and utter darkness reserved to the judgment of the great day. Besides these two places for souls separated from their bodies, the scripture acknowledges none. It's important to note from scripture that that glorification happens for all believers at the same time. All of God's people together, united together, are all glorified at the same time. Now we see more about the when in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Turn there with me. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and look there beginning at verse 20. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 beginning in verse 20, when right verse 20, but now Christ is risen from the dead and he has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep who have died. For since by man came death by man by Jesus Christ also came the resurrection of the dead for as an atom all die even so in Christ all shall be made alive but each one in his own order Christ the first fruits afterward those who are Christ's when at his coming you see at his coming. Verse 24 then comes the end when he delivers the kingdom to God the father when he puts an end to all rule and all authority and power for he must reign till he put till he has put all enemies under his feet the last enemy that will be destroyed is death well we've talked about the when what about the how look at verse 35 verse 35 what about the how well someone will say how are the dead raised up and with what body do they come foolish one what you so is not made alive unless it dies it's a lesson from agriculture right what you so you do not so that body that shall be but mere grain perhaps wheat or some other grain but God gives it a body as he pleases it's back to 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 it's a an eternal dwelling made without hands eternal in the heavens right God gives it a body as he pleases and to each seed its own body all flesh verse 39 all flesh is not the same flesh there's one kind of flesh of men another kind of flesh of animals another a fish and another of birds however verse 40 there are also celestial bodies there are celestial bodies and there are terrestrial bodies but the glory of the celestial is one and the glory of the terrestrial is another there is one glory of the sun another glory of the moon another glory of the stars for one star differs from another star in glory what about the what then what will that redeemed body the glorified body be like look at verse 42 well so also a different body so also is the resurrection of the dead the body is sown in corruption and we feel the reality of that corruption don't we the body is sown in corruption it is raised in incorruption it will be incorruptible 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 there isn't it's pertaining to the spirit doesn't mean that we're going to be floating disembodied spirits it's a body but it's a spiritual body there is a natural body and there is a spiritual body verse 45 and so it is written the first man adam became a living being the last adam jesus christ became a life giving spirit however the spiritual is not first but the natural and afterward the spiritual the first man was of the earth made of dust the second man is the lord from heaven as was the man of dust so also are those who are made of dust and that's everyone born in adam all of us but as is the heavenly man so also are those who are heavenly we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is and we have borne the image as we have borne the image of the man of dust we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man verse 50 now this i say concerning when right this i say how what when this i say brethren flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of god nor does corruption inherit in corruption we need new bodies we need the redemption of our bodies behold verse 51 i tell you a mystery we shall not all sleep we're not all going to die though there will be those who are alive when jesus christ comes back right we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet when the trumpet sounds jesus christ comes back right for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed will be glorified for this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality verse 54 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 will be made such that we will die no more we will never die death is swallowed up then in victory oh death where is your sting oh hades where's your victory the sting of death is sin the strength of sin is the law but thanks be to god who gives us the victory through jesus uh through our lord jesus christ it's glorious amen that's our future glory that glory by the way is a derived glory it's a derived glory um we're not glorious in and of ourselves at glorification it's because of the glory um with which he gives us that he gives us in john chapter 17 the high priestly prayer of the lord jesus christ the lord is praying and he says i don't pray for these alone the disciples but also for all of those who will believe in me through their word and he prays this that they all may be one he's speaking of all of us together with the disciples that they all may be one as you father are in me and i and you i pray that they also may be one in us so that the world may believe that you sent me and the glory which you gave me i have given to them that they may be one just as we are one i and them you and me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me we'll be glorified together with him with the glory that we are given at glorification what should be our response to these things that is amazing truth from god's word it is worthy to be meditated on worthy to be praise appraising the lord for and worshiping the lord for what should be our response look at verse 58 first chrithians chapter 15 verse 58 therefore my beloved brethren be steadfast immovable always abounding in the work of the lord knowing that your labor is not in vain in the lord we will inhabit realms of glory we will inhabit as it were we'll be given glorious bodies when he appears we shall be made like him what awaits us is an eternal weight of glory what should be our response listen to john first john three two beloved now we are children of god it has not yet been revealed what we shall be but we know this that when he is revealed we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is and everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure this hope doesn't lead us to godlessness this hope should lead us to godliness this hope should lead to godliness if this hope this hope doesn't lead you to godliness it's not this that you're hoping in or you're not hoping in it with the right heart this hope produces godliness brothers and sisters let's live live in light of that hope everything here is transient we're to fix our gaze on eternal and unseen things in the heavens all the difficulties the adversity that we face here they are but momentary light afflictions there is an eternal weight of glory that awaits us let's praise him all praise honor glory and blessing to him who glorifies his own that we might reflect his glory in eternity let's pray take a moment pray thank the lord for this beautiful truth and then pray that we might live for him in light of this glory and then we'll pray together and you'll be dismissed let's pray father in heaven i pray that we might live in sight through faith of this future glory and that having this hope that we might purify ourselves as he is pure and we might be steadfast immovable always abounding in the work of the lord waiting the glorious appearing of our great god and savior the lord jesus christ and the redemption of our body revealing the unveiling the sons of glory that we might be to the praise of your glory for all of eternity and it's for the sake of the lord jesus christ and we pray these things and hope in him amen