Salvation, Part III: Glorification

of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind. mind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace, you've been safe. And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So that in the coming ages, he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you've been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of work so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. And now moving over to Romans 8, again starting in verse 29. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, in order that he might be the first born among many brothers. And those whom he predestined, he also called. And those whom he called, he also justified. And those whom he justified, and those whom he justified, he also glorified. thus ends the reading of God's holy word. May he write it on our hearts by faith. And let's pray. Heavenly Father, show us now the riches of your love and mercy and give us all-struck wonder at the manifold blessings that you promised to us in Christ. Do this, we ask, by your spirit, and for the sake of your own glory and praise. Amen.

and give us all-struck wonder at the manifold blessings that you promised to us in Christ. Do this, we ask, by your spirit, and for the sake of your own glory and praise. Amen. So just like in previous weeks, I just want these texts to introduce us to the topic. And then we're going to be doing a lot of legwork looking at other texts to support all the theses that we're making and just trying to enhance our understanding and really appreciation for all that God has done for us. And so we see in verses 6 to 7 of Ephesians 2, Paul mentions that God saved us and seated us with Christ in the heavenly places so that in all the coming ages he can show us his kindness, his blessing, his reward, his love, et cetera. And then in Romans 8 verse 30, we have the name drop and we're assured that every single person who God has claimed for himself, every single saint who God has justified will be glorified and it's going to be done by him. He's the one that's going to bring about the glory. And here's the thing. Just like justification in the first week of this series, I can't just jump right into glorification. We have to lay some preliminary groundwork if we're going to properly understand how glory really fits in to the overarching scheme of our salvation. I want us to appreciate glorification as much as I possibly can contribute to. And so we have to actually start

how glory really fits in to the overarching scheme of our salvation. I want us to appreciate glorification as much as I possibly can contribute to. And so we have to actually start talking about glory by starting with death and something that's called the intermediate state. So we're going to talk about death, the intermediate state, how those fit into salvation. And then once we cover those things, we can get into the doctrine of glory. And then finally, I want to end today with just a simple charge to faith and joy in the Lord. So first, death. and I am talking about this because I believe it's quite reasonable for me to assume that no one in this room is going to be around when the trumpet sounds on the last day. I don't think that the last day, just playing the odds, is going to happen in our lifetime. And so because of that, I assume that all of us in this room are going to die. And therefore, it behooves us to make sure we understand how that death fits into salvation because it does. But first, what is death? Well, according to James 226, death may be defined as the sundering or the separation of the body and the soul. The living human being is what's called an embodied soul. We have a body and a soul. Those are our two big

The living human being is what's called an embodied soul. We have a body and a soul. Those are our two big constituent parts. And while we live on the earth, those two parts are so intimately connected. They're so intertwined that if the bond between them were to be separated, we would cease to live. Our bodies would decay and go. into the ground. In our souls, well, we'll learn more about what happens to our souls later. And so we can almost think of the soul as this kind of invigorating force in the body. I've heard Pastor Sovey use an illustration that I think is really good, where we compare the soul to, like, the player of an instrument, and the body is the instrument. So if you have a violin just sitting there on the stage, nothing is going to happen. The violin's just going to be sitting there. But if a player comes along and picks up the violin and the bow, and has some rosin on the bow and then starts playing, you get music. Our bodies and souls are very similar to this. If we are together, then we are alive and we have the music of life. But if the soul leaves the body, and it does upon our physical death, then the body has left there lifeless and decaying in the ground. Life stops. Death, therefore, and this is why I'm bringing this up at all, is the end of man as man. Death separates the body and the soul, and so man actually stops being

before he suffered the full penalty of that sin. And so death began as a punishment, a consequence for man's wickedness. But we've been saying for the past three weeks that since we're in Christ, we don't have to fear the condemnation or punishment of the law anymore. We're not. We're not covenant breakers anymore in Christ. And so what is death for us? Is death still just a punishment? No. Scripture tells us that death has been turned from a punishment for the saint into a sanctifying, disciplining thing. We read this in 1 Corinthians 15, starting in verse 36. Paul says, what you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. So notice how Paul uses words of sanctification here where we sow the body. It's a work that we participate in with the spirit. And so we we participate in a way in our death and the death sanctifies the body by turning it into a bare kernel that's planted into the ground that will someday sprout into something glorious. And so death is the final disciplinary sanctifying act or trial that we endure to sanctify the body. But it's not just the body. We also read in Hebrews 1223, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in

not just the body. We also read in Hebrews 1223, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect. The spirits of the righteous made perfect. Reformed Orthodox theologians have really latched on to that phrase and have come to the conclusion that it's right for us to believe that death is not only the final sanctifying trial for the physical body, but also for our spirits, such that as we pass through the door of death, which is very sad and very painful, it nonetheless purifies us, it refines us like silver, so that we come out the other end far better off for it. And that means that even though death remains a punishment for the wicked, it's been turned into a sanctifying, I'll say, blessing for the righteous. And so we can endure it with the joy that James encourages us to in James chapter 1 where he says, meet all the trials that you face with joy. Because those trials produce steadfast faith in you, and that steadfast faith will make you perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Death is the final trial that we endure and it sanctified. And it sanctified such that at the other end of it, we are perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. So for the unbeliever, like I said, death remains that evil end, the punishment for sin.

such that at the other end of it, we are perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. So for the unbeliever, like I said, death remains that evil end, the punishment for sin. It's a doorway of punishment that leads to an eternity of punishment. But for the believer, that exact same thing, that same phenomenon, phenomenon, death, has been turned into a doorway that leads to life, abundant life, righteousness, perfection. but, I've already alluded to it, where does our soul go when we die? So I said that death is the separation of the body and soul. We all know what happens to the body. It gets put in the ground as a bare kernel. But what about the soul? Well, this is the intermediate state. The intermediate state is that period of continued existence of the soul, after physical death, but before the final resurrection. And there are a lot of things that I could say about the intermediate state. It's actually, if you ask me, it's one of the more fascinating topics of study for all of theology. But for today, for the scope of the sermon, there are only three things that I want to make very clear. And the first is that as Christians, we confess that the human soul is an immortal thing. The human soul, once it comes into existence at the conception of a child in the womb, will never die. It's not a human. It's not a human soul. It's not a human soul. It's not a human soul. It's

The human soul, once it comes into existence at the conception of a child in the womb, will never die. It's not a human. It's not a human soul. It's not a human soul. It's not a human soul. It's not eternal in the sense that God is eternal, because God existed from eternity past, and the soul did not. Souls come into existence in time and in space. But once they come into existence, they go on to exist forever and ever and ever and ever. And the best proof text of this, I think, is in Luke 16. There are other texts that prove it as well, but in Luke 16, Christ tells the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. And the rich man was a very wicked guy. and Lazarus was a very righteous guy, and they both die. And in the parable, Christ doesn't skip a beat. He goes on describing their continued existence as if it's just this assumed thing. And for the wicked man, the rich guy, he goes into torment, but only in his soul. His soul was tormented. For the righteous man, Lazarus, he goes into peace and rest and consolation from all of his efforts. But he's only doing it in his soul. And so that should cause us to to pause and think like, okay, so Christ just assumes the fact that the soul continues to exist consciously after the physical death of the body. And there's no indication whatsoever that that continued existence will ever stop or ever even be paused. It just keeps going. But the existence is

presence of God where it experiences spiritual perfection and bliss. And so we extrapolate this expectation from Paul and we apply it to all saints and say, most comfortingly, I think, that when we die, when we undergo this trial of death, we immediately get reward on the other side by our souls going to be consoled in the presence of the Holy God. In third, building on what I alluded to earlier in death, the intermediate state of the righteous is wonderful. It's beautiful. It's beautiful. It's spiritual bliss and spiritual perfection, but it is not glory. It's not our final hope. It is still a period of waiting for something more. Why? Because man is not just a soul. Man is an embodied soul. Man is the image bearer of God. I bear the image and likeness of God. So do all of you. But that image and likeness is not found in merely a soul. It's also not found in merely a body. It's found in the two woven intrinsically together. That is the image of God. And what was the image of God made to do? What's the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy him forever. And so if I'm going to fulfill that purpose, which God has placed upon me as an image bearer

forever. And so if I'm going to fulfill that purpose, which God has placed upon me as an image bearer of God, that means that I have to eventually become an embodied soul again so that I can actually glorify God and enjoy him forever. So the intermediate state is wonderful. It's consolation for the righteous, Hebrews 12. It's a gift of rest after a life of faith, Luke 16, Revelation 14, but it is not our final hope. Again, we'll always there be waiting for something a little bit more. But now, having laid that groundwork of death and the intermediate state, we can more accurately talk about and appreciate that something more. So what's glory? Well, 1st Corinthians 15, in verse 51 says this. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall all be changed. So we'll all undergo, again, most likely, we'll all undergo physical death, and our bodies will be put into the ground as a bare kernel, and our souls will go to be in the presence of the Lord in the intermediate state, and then that intermediate state ends, and glory begins in earnest at the last day. The second advent of Christ, the great Christmas morning, where he returns to the earth to set

and then that intermediate state ends, and glory begins in earnest at the last day. The second advent of Christ, the great Christmas morning, where he returns to the earth to set everything right, the trumpet sounds, the dead are raised, imperishable, in a blink of an eye. And then in Revelation 20, we read that the first thing that happens after that is man is sifted like weak. There's the great judgment before the throne of God, and the righteous are once again vindicated because of Christ and are taken into their fullness of glory while the wicked are thrown into hell for eternal torment. And here I have a little bit of a dilemma. Because if you've been here for this series, you know that at this point in the sermon, I'm normally able to say, and Louis Berkov gives us a definition of glorification, and it's very great. There's no such definition for glorification, not from Berkoff, not from Bob Inck, not from Calvin, not from anybody. Why? Two reasons. One, to try to put such a definition on glorification would be to lessen something that is so transcendent that it can't be fully captured in human words, so transcendently good that it can't even be fully comprehended on this side of eternity, but also because we just don't know all that much about it. We really don't. It's not been fully revealed to us. We have a general

that it can't even be fully comprehended on this side of eternity, but also because we just don't know all that much about it. We really don't. It's not been fully revealed to us. We have a general impression of it. We have a shape of it. Sure, but we don't have the full thing. And, and there are five aspects of glory that I do want to get through today that we know and that are great and that should get us very excited. But if we don't go into it with the right mindset, then we might get to the end of that list and think like, all right. I mean, I guess it sounds kind of nice, but I don't know. It doesn't really sound like anything that concrete. So I want to give you a framework to have in your mind as we continue through this. Imagine that you're a kid, like a five-year-old, seven-year-old, whatever. and it's Christmas time. And the trees up and the lights are on the tree and presents start to pop up underneath the tree. And some of them you see are addressed to you. And so you go and you start shaking the present around. And you think like, ah, that sounds like the, like a bottle of BBs. I bet you that this is BB's and then that big long slender box over there, that's the, that's the BB gun that I asked for. Cool, all right, I got a BB gun. Oh, that sounds like the monster truck, the RC monster truck that I asked for. Cool, I got it. Maybe that's a fish gun. Maybe that's a fish gun. pole. There are things that you kind of expect. But then there's one present under the tree that you don't have any

Hooray, hallelujah. But we're also God's children, sons and daughters, waiting for that Christmas morning with bated breath because we see like the shape of a gift that our good father has gotten for us that we can't even imagine what it is. But we know, because he knows us better than we know ourselves, that we're going to absolutely love it. So as we review these five aspects, think like that. Everything that I say, it's all going to be far better than you could think or imagine. My words could not do any justice to the goodness of glory. You can think of the happiest single moment in your life. Distill all the happiness in the world down to one instance. And you can multiply that by infinity. And every single moment in glory will be that. Now, having said that, here are five aspects of glory that we do know. The first concerns, where our eternal lives will take place. And remember, the intermediate state is not the answer. The purely spiritual perfection of heaven is not the answer. We're embodied souls, we're people, and people have bodies, and bodies need an earth to walk on because gravity exists. I don't know if we'll be able to fly or not, by the way. I don't know, but it'd be sick. And so our eternal lives of glory will take place on the earth. Not spiritual heaven. but the earth, specifically the new earth.

And so our eternal lives of glory will take place on the earth. Not spiritual heaven. but the earth, specifically the new earth. We're told in 2. Peter 3 that at the end of time, this current world will undergo a kind of cosmic death. But just like our death, it will be a sanctifying thing for this world. It will cleanse it of all of its impurity and all of its curse. Again, a sanctifying death for the earth that leads to a new and glorified version of the earth that we then get to live on for all eternity. This world will pass away. In much the same way that our old selves pass away. This world will be made new in much the same way that we ourselves are made new by the grace of God. But it's not an annihilation. It's not like this world is like, it's as if it never existed. No, it's a remaking, it's a glorifying of it. It's a remodeling. You can think of it like if you tear a house down to its absolute bare bones and then you build it back better. And then the owners of the house have people over for dinner and they're like, look, hey, it's the new house. And they're right. And like, in some, if we're being semantically obnoxious, they're wrong, but we all know exactly what they mean. It's the house made new. It's going to be the earth made new. And I can't say exactly what it's going to be like, but I think that it's responsible to use the

semantically obnoxious, they're wrong, but we all know exactly what they mean. It's the house made new. It's going to be the earth made new. And I can't say exactly what it's going to be like, but I think that it's responsible to use the Garden of Eden as a type of what it might be like. So, abundant life, growth, incredible beauty, riches. Yes, of course, all of these things will be in the new earth. Maybe, who knows, maybe it'll be a lot like the time of, you know, the earth at the time of Eden. And there will be some less tame places in the world, not cursed and evil places, but just like places that aren't quite as safe that man is given to go and subdue to the glory of God. But even here, we have to be careful because, and this is point nine. Number two, we do not believe that glory is going to be Eden all over again. We're not going back to the garden. We're not running the race of faith just so we can get back to the starting line. We're running the race of faith to get to the finish line, which is far better than the starting line. And we know that we're not going back to Eden for the simple reason, that in the garden, sin was possible. Man had the possibility of sinning. But in glory, that's not the case. In the new

line. And we know that we're not going back to Eden for the simple reason, that in the garden, sin was possible. Man had the possibility of sinning. But in glory, that's not the case. In the new earth, I won't sin, you won't sin. Even the deepest intention of my heart could never be anything other than perfectly righteous. Why? Because I'll have been fully sanctified. You'll have been fully sanctified. All of what it means to be a man will have been redirected into the perfect light of God and his will, and his law, and his righteousness. And so even everything that I want will only be a perfect desire. I can't even desire. I can't even desire. anything that would be contrary to God's word. And so if we look at desires and how they play into sin in James Chapter 1, there's a lot of stuff in James Chapter 1. We can say that there won't even be temptation to sin in the New Earth. We won't be lured and enticed by our own desires to sin in any way. Instead, it'll be perfectly righteous. Third, as I've already mentioned, the total man's soul and body is going to be the thing glorified. We're going to be people. Men and women and women human beings that have been glorified, not just souls. And I know I've already talked about this, so here I just want to talk a little bit about what those bodies will be like. And there's a lot that we do not know and can't say with any certainty, but there is some that we do know.

have the glorified body that you have now. Or I should say, the body that you have now will be the glorified body that you have. I'm going to be me. This is what I got. Hopefully, I have more hair. Hopefully I have all my fingers back. That would be cool. But either way, like this is it. It's just going to be a glorified version of this. And I mean, it's not that hard to make this more beautiful. So I'm looking forward to that. But that means that I'll still be me. You'll still be you. That means that our diversity will remain. When I'm resurrected in glory, guess what color I'm going to be? White. And black people will be black. And brown people will be brown. And on and on and on it goes before I get offensive. And this in itself is a great glory. This is a really big gift. I want you to understand this. In Revelation, John the Apostle looks into the Eschaton and what does he see? He sees Christians from every tribe, tongue, tongue, and nation worshiping the Lord. But I want you to consider in glory, yes, it's going to be every tribe, tongue, and nation raised and worshiping God, but not just from all over the earth, but also throughout all of time. The whole body of Christ is finally going to be joined together in all of its different parts, in all of its different strengths, working as one glorified machine to worship.

going to be joined together in all of its different parts, in all of its different strengths, working as one glorified machine to worship. the king that redeemed the whole body. No more strife, no more, oh, I think I'm better than that person. None of that. No more pride. No more exalting of oneself. Just the body of Christ from all of place and time, working together to honor the Lord with its myriad different colors. Luke 16 indicates that with these glorified bodies will still be able to recognize one another. And that kind of, if you take that a little further, perhaps we remember our whole life on this side of eternity. Everything that happened. We remember it all. We still retain knowledge of the life that we once lived. And if you're anything like me, then you may hear that and think, like, yeah, but what if there's some things that I'd like to forget, whether they're embarrassing or tragic or whatever? Well, it's important to remember that the memory itself will be a glorified thing, fully sanctified. And so you can remember the worst moment of your life in glory. And guess what? Your reaction to it will be, joy. Because God's goodness will be perfectly revealed in it. It's the fulfillment of Romans 828. We'll finally see all of the ways in which God's

And guess what? Your reaction to it will be, joy. Because God's goodness will be perfectly revealed in it. It's the fulfillment of Romans 828. We'll finally see all of the ways in which God's good and perfect purpose has worked in every little thing, great or small, tragic, or otherwise. And so we don't need to be afraid of remembering everything. Instead, we should long to remember everything, because it gives us more reason to worship God. Fourth, the rewards that we receive in glory will correspond to the good works that we've performed in this life. Daniel 12.3 says, those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. And so, depending on how one walks in the faith here, he or she will shine with varying degrees of brightness and glory. Likewise, in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, Christ makes very clear that even after death, after this life, God the Father distributes his gifts the same way, which is to say unevenly. Even in glory, God is not a Marxist. He gives some to some, he gives a lot to others, and he expects it all to glorify him, but he also knows that it will perfectly please that individual saint. And so with any difference in degrees of glory that there may be,

and he expects it all to glorify him, but he also knows that it will perfectly please that individual saint. And so with any difference in degrees of glory that there may be, we nonetheless confess that every single man or woman who is in glory will be perfect and fully satisfied in all things. They will be completely fulfilled. There will never be a moment where there is anything but total and complete fulfillment. I think Herman Bobbing states it well. He says the blessedness of salvation is the same for all. But there are distinctions in glory, simple as that. Relation 6.9 encourages us not to grow weary in doing good works, for in due time we will reap the fruit of what we've sown. And so we should think of this life as a field that we're tilling and putting seeds into. And then we should think of glory as the harvest, where we get to go through and we get to reap the fruit of all of the works that we've sown in this life. And all those works will be fully redeemed. But remember, as we consider this, that it's not by your own strength that you achieve some higher level of glory and glory. It's not by your own effort, wisdom, understanding. Remember what we talked about last week. It's the spirit that works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. And so the degree of glory and brightness with which you shine someday is in accordance with God's sovereign will and choice. And he will give you exactly what he made

enjoy him forever. Awesome. That's great. How do we do that, though? Is that found in just private contemplation of God's goodness and love and power? Well, that's part of it, but it's not all of it. Is that found in gathering for liturgies for all eternity? Like all the time? Well, liturgy is part of how we glorify God, but it's not all of it. No, it's the total man that glorifies God in all of his different parts, in all of his different callings. It's the total man that both glorifies and enjoys him. And so what we can say is that eternal life will be life to the fullest. I said before that you can imagine. Imagine the happiest moment in your life. Well, maybe it's the same, maybe it's not. Imagine the fullest moment of your life. Where everything was rich. Everything was thick. There was a lot to do. And it was all important. It'll be like that, multiplied by infinity, and then some all the time. There will be no boredom in eternity. Not for a second. There will be rest. There'll be leisure. They'll also be, I think, work. After all, before sin enter the world. world, man was given things to do other than just gather for the Sunday worship service. He was given ground to till. He was given a garden to keep. He was given a woman to defend.

world, man was given things to do other than just gather for the Sunday worship service. He was given ground to till. He was given a garden to keep. He was given a woman to defend. Why should we expect the call of mankind to do things with our hands and feet to change just because we're glorified? If anything, that call would be elevated. Because it's glory, which is more than what we have now, not less. We're told in 2 Timothy 2 that we are going to reign over the earth with Christ in eternity. That sounds like an active. thing. In Revelation 5, we hear the same. You, God, have made them a kingdom and priest to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. In Ephesians 2.6, Paul alludes to this where he says that God saved us and seated us with Christ in the heavenly places. Where is Christ seated in the heavenly places? On a throne. So we're going to reign over the earth with Christ. The earth is ours. It's our inheritance. We're going to get it all someday. And we're going to be doing a lot of stuff perhaps we will play and work and build and rest perfectly. Perhaps we'll all work together. Maybe we'll all work

perhaps we will play and work and build and rest perfectly. Perhaps we'll all work together. Maybe we'll all work alone. No more thorns and thistles, though. We'll all still have friends. But there will be no strife. There will be no bitter jealousy, no sin, no sinful conflict. It'll be peace. We'll actually get to enjoy one another's communion in the way that we were always meant to. Maybe I'll finally get to build my wife the house of her dreams. Even though I don't get to live in it with her because Matthew 22 says that we're not married anymore, which that's just what it says. But if I'm going to recognize and remember my wife, then you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm going to build her that house because I really like her and then I'm going to build mine right next to it to where like the walls are touching. Because I really like her. How much more will I like her in glory? Maybe all of my neighbors will be my family and my friends and maybe we'll have a big adjoining swimming pool in the backyard that connects everything. And, after a hard day's work, we'll like drink wine or if they have whiskey, I don't know, or like vodka seltzers, you know, and we'll swim and we'll listen to Christian music. It'll be great. Maybe we'll all be farmers and we'll till the ground and get to root,

or like vodka seltzers, you know, and we'll swim and we'll listen to Christian music. It'll be great. Maybe we'll all be farmers and we'll till the ground and get to root, reap the fruit. Maybe we'll all just do what we do now, but it'll be glorified. Maybe I'll still be a writer. Hopefully a better one, which wouldn't be that hard again. Who knows? Maybe I'll preach a sermon here and there. Maybe Pastor Sauvet will preach sermons and he'll still sing songs. to the glory of God. Maybe we'll all finally get to read the stack of books that we have that we keep accumulating more and we just keep saying, I'll get to it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's the next one. And then you die and you've never read it. That'd be cool. Maybe I'll be a better golfer. No, it's too bad. Even in heaven will need comedic relief. And you know what? I guess that's just my swing. Either way, whatever the case may be, it's going to be better than anything that you could ever imagine all the time. Every desire that you have that is good will be fulfilled. There will be nothing that you desire in faith that will not be had and enjoyed. And then in glory, when we have new desires, guess what? They're only good. Everything that you want will be redeemed. And then God

Very simple. First, believe. Just believe. Believe like a child in all of the promises of God. They're all for you. And they all find their yes and amen in Christ. Never let your faith get so mature that you stop believing with the simple blind trust of just a little kid. It's Christ who said that to such belongs the kingdom of heaven. Do you want the kingdom? Do you want to reign with Christ? Do you want to join in the festal shouts of all the saints who lived and laughed and cried and blessed. and died on this earth to the glory of God, only to inherit it again in glory. If so, then childlike faith is one of the keys. Just believe. Have an intelligent faith? Of course. Read God's Word. Maybe read a theology book every now and then. Hone the skills. But never think for a moment that intelligent or mature faith ever graduates from childlike belief. My prayer is that all of the Saints of Refuge Church and all kinds of Christians everywhere, down to their last breath, would be stirred in the deepest corners of their heart to happiness, like a toddler on his birthday when he remembers all that God has done for him and how much God loves you and gave himself for you. And we'll give you

God has done for him and how much God loves you and gave himself for you. And we'll give you all things, sure. And from that childlike faith, rejoice. Rejoice now. Because joy, that is the thing that will prepare you better than anything else for glory. In glory, it's only joy. It's only happiness. It's only bliss and mirth and gladness. Do that now. Practice. Practice carrying the weight of glory. Because that's what it feels like. It feels like a smile and a laugh and a high five. It feels like holding your son or daughter's hand and enjoying the soft warmth and almost like marveling at them in a way, the potential. In some ways, the innocence. And knowing that we're actually going to get more like that. On their best days, we're going to be more like them someday. Tell them stories. Tell them this story over again, over and over and over and over and over.

someday. Tell them stories. Tell them this story over again, over and over and over and over and over. It'll never be enough. You've never heard it enough and you won't. Show them God's creation. Enjoy it. The delicate blade of grass and all the stuff that's inside of it. The majestic sun the watchful moon. God made all of it to do one thing. Glorify him by causing us all and appreciation and delight. Enjoy the bride of your youth. Laugh with her. Know her. You're going to recognize her in heaven. Recognize her now. Laugh with your friends. Build things with your friends. Work really hard with your friends. Sweat. Build something. Take dominion with your guys. A small group of men can literally change everything. There's 12 apostles. And look now. Enjoy the things of the earth. As you fix your eyes on Christ, as you fix your eyes on Christ and turn neither to the right nor to the left. Remember the words of Psalm 36 that in his light, we see light. So look around you and see the light. Yes, the things of this earth are passing away,

So look around you and see the light. Yes, the things of this earth are passing away, but only so they can be given back to you in full. Learn to appreciate them now. And everywhere you see the good. Let it turn your heart to gratitude and thankfulness to God. Eat good food, drink good wine, laugh with one another. Have mirth and gladness. Reject dowerness. Don't be like me on my worst day and take weird consolation and sorrow. None of that. That's not what you learned in Christ. As it's written, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart. God has already approved what you do. So rest in your justification. and climb the mountain of sanctification with zeal. Aim for glory in everything that you do in Romans 2 tells us. But as you look to that coming gift, that Christmas morning, as you feel the anticipation welling up inside you, I cannot wait for that. Don't forget to practice the joy that you'll have there here in faith with your friends, with your family. Abide in Christ. Everything there is grace and joy. It's all grace. It's all joy. walk in it. Believe it. That's where we're going. If you're not ready to rejoice,

persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No. No. No. In all of these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor death, nor anything else in all of creation will be able to separate you from the love of God. Amen? Let's pray. God, give us eyes to see the glory that you're bringing us to, and give us faith to walk toward it with endurance and joy that is drawn from the fountain of your grace. We pray that you do this for the sake of your son, for your glory, even as we pray now the way that he instructed us. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.