Romans 8, we'll read verses 28 through 30. Hear now the reading of God's inspired word. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren, Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called. And whom he called, them he also justified. And whom he justified, them he also glorified. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for these great and precious promises, for the glorious truth of your salvation. We thank you that you work all things together for good, that you have had a purpose from all eternity in Christ Jesus, and you execute that purpose in time and on to all eternity. So have mercy upon us, guide and direct us as we consider the words of God, that we may grow with respect to salvation, we ask in Jesus' name, amen. Please be seated. This afternoon, we will continue our study of God's golden chain, the golden chain of salvation. Considering the doctrine of glorification, we'll consider this in a few parts. First, we'll look at the glorification of Christ, his glory. and then ours in him. This is part of the conforming to the image of God's son mentioned in verse 29. He is the firstborn among many brethren. He has been glorified and so shall his brethren, but first we'll consider the glory of Christ. Notice there in verse 30, He says, and whom he justified, them he also glorified. This word and is a connective term. It's linking up the links of the chain and saying this goes with what went before. On top of these other glorious works of God for knowledge, predestination, calling, Justification, here is this other. There's one more link he wants to give us. And whom he justified. The word whom is a relative pronoun. It is masculine and it is plural. It refers to persons. Whom he did predestinate, these persons he predestinated, them he also called, these particular persons. And whom he called, these particular persons, he also justified. And whom he justified them, he also glorified. So here this word, whom, is pointing us back to something else in context, specific persons who have been the objects of these various actions of God. God justified them, he says. And this word means to resume a discussion of a person. The very ones or these very ones previously mentioned in context, these very ones whom he justified, he also glorified. All things work together for their good to them that love God, we saw in verse 28. Those who are called according to His purpose, for these are the ones foreknown, predestinated, called, justified, and here He also glorified, He says. Now we've seen this, just as a reminder, I'll mention it again. Who is the He who glorified them? Well, it is the Father. We saw that in verse 29. The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to him the image of his son. This means that the father is being spoken of here. The father is the one who glorified those whom he chose in Christ and foreknew and predestinated, et cetera. John Murray comments on this passage. He says, all five elements, that is foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification, all five elements are coextensive. The sustained use of also and the repetition of the terms foreordained, called, justified in the three relative clauses in verse 30 signalize the denotative equation. In other words, this equals this. A is B, B is C, C is D, therefore A is D. Whoever was predestinated is glorified, in other words. Whoever was foreknown is glorified. Whoever was called is glorified. Whoever is justified is glorified. It's all the same people. Heinrich Bollinger says, thus indeed, he speaks, that is of glorification, he speaks in the preterite tense. That is the past tense, something that's already been done. He speaks in the preterite tense because of the certainty of the future glory of eternal life and the resurrection. Which, indeed, in view of what would otherwise be the severest pains of afflictions, he by this mode of speech mitigates and lightens such pains. Do we have severe afflictions? He's going to mention some when we get later in this chapter. Yes, we do. Christians have very severe afflictions that God has designed for them. Will any of them fight against our salvation? That's the point. No, they won't. And in order to make us have that confidence, he uses the past tense. You're as good as glorified, as good as gold. Have you been called affectionately by his grace? While you were predestinated before the foundation of the world, you were as good as glorified at this moment. That will serve to mitigate and lighten such pains of afflictions, though they would be very severe. Now, Let us consider the glorification of our savior, Jesus Christ. Please open to John chapter seven. We are conformed to the image of God's son. That's why we have been called. That's why we've been predestinated. That's why we've been foreknown. That's why we've been glorified. John chapter seven, page 1,074 of your Pew Bibles. Please open to that passage if you would. We'll read verses 37 through 39. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water, But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive, for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified. Now notice there, Jesus was not yet glorified. What does that mean? Well, it's a reference specifically to the glory of the resurrection and the ascension of Christ. Christ had promised that he would not leave his disciples as orphans. that he would ascend up to the Father after being crucified, after rising again on the third day, he would go up into heaven. And when he went up into heaven, he said, he would send forth what? The promise of the Spirit upon them. He would pour out the Holy Ghost on the disciples. So his glorification is a reference, I believe in this context, both to the resurrection and the ascension of Christ. He would rise from the dead, he would ascend up into heaven, and then he would send forth the Spirit of God. Please turn over to John chapter 12. John has much to say in his gospel concerning the glorification of our Savior. John 12, we'll read verses 14 through 16, concerning the glorification of Christ, verse 14. And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon, as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Zion, behold thy king cometh, sitting on an ass's colt, These things understood not his disciples at the first, but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him and that they had done these things unto him. When is that? Well, it's the same time. When was Jesus glorified? After He went up into heaven, sent forth the Spirit, and then what did the Spirit do? He brought these things to their mind. Whereas before they were blinded. What exactly is the significance of him sitting upon an ass and them going in and them shouting, Hosanna, what is this all about? They did not know. Later, the spirit of God gave them insight into the scriptures and they realized that's why they did that. God had prophesied concerning these events. Look down at verses 20 through 24. And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast. The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew, and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. Here, notice the glory of our Savior. What does he consider his glory, his death? Did you see that the son of man is now glorified? How do we know? Because the Gentiles are now coming to him. And when is it that all nations will flow unto the Messiah when he is lifted up from the earth? He says he will draw all men unto himself. Here comes some Greeks. It doesn't indicate that these were necessarily Jews who had Greek names or Greek clothing. It just says they were Greeks. They came as heathens, as outsiders, to the feast because they wanted to see Jesus Himself. The message had spread far and wide. Now, he says, is the hour come that the Son of Man should be glorified. How? Because he's going to die, and he's going to spring up like wheat, and with him the Gentiles will come. He will be glorified. Look down at verse 27. Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it. The people therefore that stood by and heard it said that it thundered. Others said an angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, this voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world. "'Now shall the prince of this world be cast out, "'and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, "'will draw all men unto me.' "'This,' he said, signifying what death he should die." Did you note there? God said he would glorify himself. How is it that the father was going to glorify himself? What had he commissioned his son to do? He had commissioned him to overthrow the kingdom of darkness, headed by Satan himself, the prince of this world, cast him out from the throne of this world, die upon the cross, be lifted up, in other words, and do what? Leave all the nations in the darkness and dominion of Satan? No, draw all men unto me, he says. God is going to glorify his name in stages. He says, I've already glorified my name and I'm going to glorify it again because as the son is glorified, the father is glorified as well. Look to the next page, please, chapter 13, verses 31 and 32. Therefore, when he was gone out, this is after Judas, you remember, received the sop, Satan came into him together with the bread. Therefore, when he was gone out, that is Judas was gone out, Jesus said, what? Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. "'If God be glorified in him, "'God shall also glorify him in himself "'and shall straightway glorify him.'" A lot of glory going around, isn't it? The Son of Man would be betrayed into the hands of the Jews. The Jews would hand him over to the Romans. They would crucify him upon the cross. Now is the glorification of Jesus, one step at a time. First is his humiliation, and it must come, the cross before the crown, the sufferings before the glory, the shame before the honor. Christ is now glorified in one further advanced stage of His glory. And if God is glorified by His death, God the Father will glorify His Son, raising Him from the dead, glorifying Him on the third day straightway, raising Him from the dead and giving Him a seat and a power and dominion over all things. Please turn over to John 16. John 16, page 1086, concerning the glorification of God the Son. We'll look at verses 12 through 14. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now, howbeit when he The spirit of truth is come. He will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak. And he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you. Notice here, another phase in the glory of Christ. Christ is glorified and suffering and drawing the nations to himself. Christ is glorified and ascending up into heaven. Christ is glorified and sending his spirit upon his disciples to bring these things to their remembrance. And how is he glorified here again? To inspire the apostles, to speak forth those words of Jesus Christ, taking those doctrines from Jesus, delivering them to the disciples and the disciples giving them to us. This we call the New Testament. The spirit glorifies the ascended and exalted Christ by taking his truth and giving it to the holy apostles. Look there at chapter 17, the next page over, concerning the glory of Jesus Christ. Verses one through five. These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come. Glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee, as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. Note here the glory of our Savior Jesus Christ. Christ was glorified together with the Father when? Before the world was. This is the divine glory of the Godhead. Nothing created. No, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. No thrones, no dominions, no powers, no things visible, no things invisible had been created. Before the world was, there was a divine glory of Jesus Christ. And notice how he's praying. that the father would glorify him, even as he says he had glorified the father upon the earth. So now father glorify me, he prays. Here is a twofold glory. How did Jesus glorify the father? Well, he humbled himself and he became obedient to the father in all things, even to the commandment that said, offer up yourself a sacrifice for the sins of my people. He said, yes, father, I will glorify you by loving you and doing what you have commanded. That's how we glorify God. And he as a servant glorified God, but he's not just a servant, is he? He can ask God to glorify Him in the same way that that pre-existent Son, when He was the Logos, the Son of God from all eternity, was glorified by the Father. Together with Him, He can pray, give me that same glory, because I'm coming. I'm going to ascend up into heaven. I'm going to give my life a ransom, and I'm going to come into your presence and receive that same glory again. This is his divine majesty, his divine glory. Please turn over to Ephesians chapter four, page 1181. Ephesians chapter four concerning the glorification of our savior Jesus. We'll look at verses eight through 10. Wherefore, he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascended, What is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things. Notice the glorification of Christ. above all the creatures, because the highest among the creatures are what? The heavens. If you go above and beyond that, you are exalted and ascended up above all things, filling all things by His divine glory. Here Christ ascended up and is seated at the right hand of God the Father and is given a throne and dominion and power and has rule over his holy church. That's what he's talking about. The glorification of Jesus Christ. Please turn over to 2 Thessalonians 1 for yet another phase of the glory of our Savior. Page 1195 concerning the glory of Jesus Christ. We'll read verses 7 through 10. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, excuse me, starting on page 1194. 2 Thessalonians 1 verse 7. And to you who are troubled, rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power, when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe, because our testimony among you was believed in that day." Notice here, yet another phase in the glory of Jesus Christ. How will Christ be glorified? Well, He says, in all them that believe, in His saints. Christ is going to receive greater glory, because His great effulgence of glory will be reflected in the myriads of His saints. They will be transformed in the twinkling of an eye, given glorious resurrection bodies like as His, and Christ will be glorified by His saints and in His saints. His glory will be reflected in His believers, in His holy ones. He shall be glorified in his saints he shall be admired he will be exalted he will be lifted up in all them that believe Paul says when on that last day of the judgment that's what he's referring to one final passage first Peter 322 page 1224 in your pew bibles first Peter chapter 3 verse 22 He's been referring, as we've seen in our scripture readings, to the preaching of Noah, to the figurative elements of the ark and the water and the destruction of the wicked and the preaching of Noah, to our baptism and how it is an anti-type of those things. Then he says concerning Jesus Christ and his resurrection, In verse 21, in verse 22, who has gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. Now here, notice the ascension of Christ as well as his resurrection, Peter says, is some kind of glory in Christ, some kind of exaltation, some kind of lifting him up on high. Now there he is at the right hand of God, the place of the ruler. God has a throne and on his right hand is his son. And who else is in the presence of God? Angels. Authorities, powers. You can read of these authorities by name in the book of Daniel. There are a few of them mentioned there. There are archangels mentioned in the Bible, principalities and powers. They are called princes at times, which means a principal is one who is first, one who is ahead, one who is high and exalted. So when it says that Jesus has authority over these authorities, what's it saying? You can go as high as you want in the created order. It's not as high as Christ. It's not as exalted as Christ. There's not as much glory as Christ. Are angels glorious beings? Yes. When they heard the voice of God thunder from heaven in the gospel of John, what did they think? Well, it was a voice of an angel. Why? Because angels are glorious beings. Who is higher than them? Christ is. Exalted above authorities, angels, and powers, they're turned in from princes to subjects. They are turned from rulers, from number one, from top dog to the lowest. Christ exalted, Christ glorified, Christ honored, Christ gone into heaven, Christ at the right hand of God. This is the glorification of our Lord and Savior and this doctrine I derive from it. Christ's glorification was in phases. Christ's glorification was in phases. That's where things happen a little bit at a time. You have the phases of growing a plant, for example. If you put a seed in the ground, it might sprout up, and one time, it looks like nothing, all you see is dirt, and then maybe the next day, there's a little green thing that comes up, isn't there? And then that little green thing gets taller and taller, and what does it do? Shoots out leaves, doesn't it? And then it might shoot out later down the line in a different phase, it'll shoot out flowers. And then those flowers begin to turn in on themselves and they become fruit. And then that fruit starts off at one color and then there's another phase where it goes to another color. And then there's another phase where it comes to its final color. These are phases. Christ's glorification was like a plant growing in phases. One stage, then another, then another, then another, then another. First phase was his eternal glory. He mentions this in his prayer in John 17, that God would glorify him with the same glory he had with the Father before the world was even created. Glorify me with that same glory. So he was glorified in all eternity. What is the second phase of Christ's glory? Do you remember when those Greeks came? He was going to be glorified, how? By being lifted up from the earth, suffering for our sins. He considered that a position of glorification because he would cast out the devil and draw all men to himself being lifted up from the earth. Third phase, Christ rose from the dead. He had victory over sin and death, hell and the grave. He was glorified by rising again. What next? What happened after his resurrection? Well, Peter told us he ascended up into heaven. And God set him at his right hand. Angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him. Those glorious beings became his subjects. Those princes became those subjects. This is another phase in Christ's glory. He ascended up into heaven. And then in the fifth phase, he was seated at God's right hand. Then we saw in the sixth phase, what was it? When he comes again in judgment to render to his adversaries, Second Thessalonians chapter one, we saw that he would be glorified yet again in his saints. Christ would receive glory, having been glorified in all eternity as God, having come and suffered for his people. being a glorious victor over Satan and their sin and the grave by his resurrection, ascending up into heaven, going above all authorities, powers, and dominions. Then he comes at the last day to be admired in all them that believe, being glorified in his people. Christ's glory was in phases. And let me tell you, so is ours. So is the glorification of the saints of the living God. And we'll see this in more detail in our study of glorification. This glory of ours comes in a foundational stage, then it moves to building up the structure of the walls, then the capstone and the roof. God builds our spiritual house in phases. Let us in exhortation from this patiently wait for the full glory of God's salvation. Do you remember what Bollinger said? Why does God use the past tense? The preterite was to assure us that when we suffer, when we are put under trials and tribulations, what can we know for sure? I'm as good as glorified. It's as good as done. And that burden becomes light. That pain is mitigated. God, by his mercy, shows us a taste of his glory to encourage us in his way. Let us then patiently wait for the full glory of God's salvation, even as Christ awaited the full glory of his kingdom. And even to this day, the capstone has not been set. He's still waiting for the final judgment of the living and the dead, that he might be glorified in his saints, at the consummation of all things, when the last enemy is put to death, which is death itself. Then he will be exalted as head above all. Another doctrine. Christ's glory is the basis for ours. That's why we're studying this. Paul's talking about the glorification of the elect. But we must see who is the foreknown one? Who is the one that God loved beforehand? Well, it was Christ. Who is the one predestinated by God? Well, it was Christ. Who is the one that the Father has called? Well, it was Christ. Who is it that was justified in the Spirit? Well, it was Christ. Who is it that was glorified and raised above all principalities and powers? It was Christ. Our glory is contingent on His glory. His glorification is the basis for ours. We partake in Christ and we partake of His glory. That's what it means to be God's people. Let us then glory in Christ. Let us glory in His person. Think about this. The Son of God was glorified by the Father in all eternity before He ever said, let there be light, before He ever created anything visible and invisible. Jesus was glorified as a divine person. Let us glorify Him as a divine person. Jesus was glorified in his obedience to the Father, going to the cross and dying for us, rising from the dead as a glorious victor over sin and hell in the grave. He was glorified in sitting at God's right hand, in ruling over all things for his church. End. He will yet be glorified in appearing at the last day, when this old world will be abolished, when God will bring in a new heavens and a new earth, when life and immortality will be brought finally to light, at that final judgment, let us glory in Christ. Let us glory in His glorification, for in His welfare, in His exaltation, in His justification, we are exalted, and thus far the consideration of the glory of Jesus Christ. Amen.