GRACE AND GLORY

Psalm 84:11

I.Intro.

A.God has not left His people on earth without some pledges and visions of heaven

B.the grace of God in the soul is a pledge of its coming glory

1.it is more than the pledge, it is essentially and undeniably a part of the glory itself

2.present grace is to future glory what a seed is to a flower

3.those who have the smallest degree of grace in their soul, have the first beginnings of glory

C.if we have the saving grace of God in our heart and are born again, and the Holy Spirit has authenticated His work in our soul, then our entrance into glory is forever set at rest

1.it is set at rest in a way which should annihilate every doubt and quell every fear

2.the believer who grasp the lowest link of a chain, saving grace; will gradually ascends from link to link through knowledge, strength, and holiness, until they reach the highest, and find themselves in glory

D.grace is the believer's portion here; glory is our reward of grace hereafter

1.one is an essential part of our present condition; the other of our future condition

2.glory in its fullness cannot be realized on earth, because it pertains to a perfect state of being

3.grace cannot be exercised in heaven, because it has to do with sin and sorrow in their endless forms, both of which are there utterly and forever unknown in heaven

4.as long as we dwell in this imperfect state of being, we are sustained, sanctified, and comforted by grace

5.when we are delivered from the burden of sin, the mission of grace is done, its work complete, and we are then received up into glory

E.grace and glory are both the gift of God [The Lord will give grace and glory]

II.grace is one of the most precious and significant terms of the Bible

A.it tells of God's free and unconditional love for people

1.it speaks of His mercy to the miserable, of His pardon to the guilty, of His favor to the lost

2.none are saved, but those who are saved by grace

3.sanctification, peace, joy, and hope all flow from this Divine and marvelous fountain

B.God gave grace by giving Himself, who is the Infinite and Eternal Fountain of grace

1.the greatness of God is the greatness of grace

2.who could have told us that God was merciful and gracious, had He not revealed it Himself

3.He gives grace to the ungracious, to the unworthy, to the poor, to the bankrupt, to the vile, the sinful - Nehemiah 9:16-17, Psalms 86:15

C.it was grace that brought Christ into this world, who has blest us with all spiritual blessings, and made us accepted before God

D.the Lord Jesus, who is the unspeakable gift of God, is the storehouse of grace

1.grace is a treasure too divine and precious to be placed in any other hands than the beloved Son of God

2.as the God-man Mediator, the Lord Jesus is the Head and Fountain of all grace to His saints - Jn 1:14

3.the first Adam impoverished and ruined his posterity

4.the Second Adam, in whom "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" has been administering grace from the time of the first transgression until now

5.He will continue to administer it until there are no more vessels to receive it out of His fullness

6.we should not hesitate to drink abundantly from this supply

a)go to Jesus with every sin, even the greatest

b)go to Jesus with every temptation, even the strongest

c)go to Jesus with every need, with every trial, and receive from His unlimited grace

d)we do not have a sin that grace cannot cancel, a corruption that it cannot subdue, a trial that it cannot sustain us in, or a burden that it cannot enable us to bear

e)there is no stinginess, or no limit to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ

E.the Lord will give dying grace

1.that solemn day so long anticipated, and so fearfully dreaded will come, but with it comes the GRACE that cheers , sustains, and strengthens

2.His grace silences deaths fear, disarms its dread, and transforms it into a scene of life, bliss, and glory

3.He, who gave us grace to live from His infinite fullness; from the same unlimited source will give us grace to die

III.with grace comes glory

A.the final glorification of all who believe in Jesus is a truth often spoken of in Scripture - Romans 8:30

B.the transformation of the Christian is out of grace and into glory

C.the first-fruits of glory is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our renewed soul - Romans 8:23

1.first-fruits are specimens and pledges of the harvest

2.Christ arose "from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept" - 1 Corinthians 15:20

3.everyone who has the Spirit of God dwelling in them, possesses the pledge, and seed of future and eternal glory

D.God gives us fitness for glory

1.each day in the life of the believer is a time of training our soul for heaven

a)the deeper discovery of indwelling sin, the teaching of the Holy Spirit, and the increase of our intimacy with the Lord Jesus

b)all is meant to mature us for the inheritance that is reserved in heaven for those who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation

2.for this reason we should accept every stroke of His rod, every lesson of His love, every gift of His grace, as sent to prepare us for the prepared glory

3.every affliction, rebuke, and event is designed by our Father to promote our personal sanctification, to wean us from the world, and to cause us to seek those things which are above

E.God gives us the title to glory

1.no one can legally claim an earthly domain without a valid title

2.the title deed to our inheritance of glory is the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ; received by faith, and authenticated by a holy life - Philippians 3:9

3.Christ's merit is our merit for heaven

a)Christ's worth is our worthiness for glory

b)Christ's cross is our ladder to the throne

c)the groundwork of our glory is the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, His perfect obedience to the law, and the infinite satisfaction He offered to Divine Justice in His death

d)with the righteousness of Christ, and our own righteousness recanted of and trampled in the dust, we shall ascend from grace to glory

F.the glory itself, who can describe it

1.to stand in the presence of God, to behold Jesus in His glorified form, and to be perfectly like Him

2.to mingle with the apostles, the martyrs, and the spirits of just men made perfect

3.we know so little about heaven, though God has given us a grand outline of it in His Word

4.this must satisfy us for the present, until that blissful moment when we will possess the fullness of joy that is in God's presence, and the pleasures that are at His right hand for evermore - Psalms 17:15

IV.a few facts about the coming glory of the saints

A.it will be the glory of perfect HOLINESS

1.all remains of sin will be annihilated

2.the body and soul will be pure and sinless as Christ is pure

3.we shall be arrayed in the beauty and magnificent glory of holiness

B.it will be the glory of perfect LOVE

1.dwelling in the home of love, standing in the Divine Center of love

2.our love to God and to the people of God will be perfect

3.all that tainted it here below will be consumed in the fire of the last day

C.it will be the glory of perfect KNOWLEDGE

1.the dark environment through which our intellect now looks, will then be exchanged for the an unfettered and unclouded intellect, which will only expand in that perfect world over there

2.then the vast field of divine knowledge will be thrown open to our view

3.our knowledge will be infinite and eternal

D.it will be the glory of perfect COMPANIONSHIP

1.the social instincts of our being, will be developed and sanctified in the highest and noblest degree

2.we will delight in the goodly fellowship of saints and angels

E.there will be the glory of REUNION

1.even the heathen philosophers cherished vague ideas of this

2.Christianity not only reveals the fact, but unveils the glory of our eternal state

F.above all other glory will be the glory of BEING FOREVER WITH CHRIST