"God's Purposeful Plan For You: Glorification” Series

GOD’S PLAN OF salvation is wonderful – v29-30

• God’s Foreknowledge – He knows us & we can trust Him!

• God’s Predestination – Because He knows, He predestines.

• God’s Calling - God draws us & calls us to Himself.

John 6:44-45 (NKJV) 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

• Those that are called are those in whose hearts the Holy Spirit works to lead them to saving faith in Jesus.

• Next is God’s Justification. We studied this earlier in Romans.

• Notice he says “and whom He justified, these He also glorified”.

• This being in the past tense means that it’s already happened!

JUSTIFICATION is a legal term… it signifies how God sees a man, sees a woman who has placed their faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

• A great way to remember the word is to think:

• JUST-AS-IF-I-NEVER-SINNED.

• That’s declaration upon your life! God sees you not in your own righteousness but in that perfection of His Son!

• For our study on justification pick up the CD or MP3 online.

TODAY WE LOOK AT THE DOCTRINE OF GLORIFICATION.

When we think of GLORIFIED, we don’t think of today do we?

• I mean when we look at our TODAY we think of our pilgrimage, our flesh, our struggle, our wrestling… We don’t think glory.

• We think: Romans 7:24… turn back. Who?!?!?!

When we think of TODAY, we think of Galatians 5:16ff (Turn There)

• In our minds, GLORY is future, not present.

• But Paul says, that God sees us as if it already happened.

NOTE: As far as God is concerned, the moment you were justified you and I were as good as glorified.

• Although for us it’s still future, from God’s perspective it’s as if it’s already done! -- FLIP OVER TO EPHESIANS 2:4-7

GLORIFICATION speaks to us about the future glory, heaven, the resurrection of our bodies.

• Paul wrote to the Philippians:

Philippians 3:20-21 (NKJV) 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 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.

Ultimate future glory has been a theme that Paul has touched on over and over again throughout Romans.

• Look back at 5:2, then 8:18, 8:21

• I Think John captures it best in 1 John 3:1-3

• What a wonderful, powerful, purifying hope, this work of Glorification in our lives by the power of God! WOW!

SO As we step back and consider the marvelous work of God in our lives, we should jot down a few things to remember. 5

#1 – God KNOWS you.

• Paul started out by telling us that God foreknew us.

• His knowledge of us goes back into the womb.

• Even before the womb.

• Flip back to Psalm 139:7-18

• We just let that sit in our hearts… God knows us.

• He knows us not from a distance, but personally.

• Flip over to Psalm 103:10-14

2 Timothy 2:19 (NKJV) 19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

This helps us when we’re misunderstood & maligned, slandered & smeared, gossiped & gouged! OUCH.

• It’s encouraging to know that God knows the truth about it all.

• People might not know. They may believe the gossip, the slander, the bad reports about you. But God knows doesn’t He?

#2 – God LOVES you.

• Not only does GOD KNOW YOU, HE LOVES YOU.

• This is amazing because of what God does know about you & me, He still loves us… forever, everlasting! AMEN?

Jeremiah 31:3 (NKJV) 3 The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

Psalm 103:17 (NKJV) 17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children,

NOTE: I know that we can be disappointed in ourselves & frustrated at times w/ what we see or don’t see happening.

• But the Love of God toward U, in U, through U is abundant!

• He doesn’t love you based on your performance.

• He doesn’t save you based on your performance.