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SUFFERING ENDS IN GLORY
A. Introduction: Our last several lessons have come out of a statement that Paul the apostle made about how he
viewed the many hardships he faced in his life. Paul wrote: For our present troubles are quite small and
won’t last very long. Yet they produce (or are preparing and achieving) for us an immeasurably great glory
that will last forever (II Cor 4:17, NLT).
1. We have been asking the question “what does glory mean?” because whatever glory means, it gave Paul
peace of mind in his difficulties and hope for the future, as he kept his focus on the coming glory.
a. We’ve noted that the Bible uses the word glory in several ways. Glory used in connection with
Almighty God. He is a glorious being who does glorious things. Glory is also used in connection
with the salvation that God provides through Jesus. He glorifies us. Ps 24:8-10; Rom 8:30
b. Through salvation God restores us to our created purpose as His sons and daughters, who are
indwelled by Him (His glory), and then reflect His glory by the way we live—which brings honor
and glory back to our Heavenly Father. This is a glorious position. Ps 8:4-5; Matt 5:16
c. Last week we began to focus on another way the word glory is used in the Bible. Glory also is used
for Heaven and for the life after this life for all who know the Lord. We have more to say tonight.
2. No one ceases to exist at death. All of us have an outward (physical) portion and inward (immaterial)
portion to our makeup (II Cor 4:16). At death the inward and outward portion separate (Luke 16:19-31)
a. The body returns to dust and the inward portion (you) pass into another dimension, either Heaven or
Hell, depending on how you responded to the light of God that was given to you in your life time.
b. The ultimate destiny for those who know the Lord is seeing God face to face, and then living with
Him in glory—a place where not only is there no more sorrow, pain, hardship, or death, there is
continual joy, happiness, contentment, and well-being beyond anything we’ve ever experienced.
1. Ps 73:24-25—You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you? There is nothing on earth that I desire besides you (ESV).
2. Ps 17:15—And I—in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with
seeing your likeness (NIV).
3. Ps 16:11—You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the
pleasures of living with you forever (NLT).
3. We said last week that we aren’t going to do a detailed teaching on Heaven and life after this life. But to
appreciate the glory that is ahead, we must understand some basic facts about Heaven.
a. The Bible refers to Heaven as God’s home. And the Scriptures refer to both God the Father and
God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as presently being in Heaven. Matt 6:9; Acts 1:11; Heb 8:1; etc.
1. However, before creation, Almighty God didn’t dwell in Heaven because there was no Heaven.
There was only God who is Eternal (no beginning or end) and Omnipresent (everywhere
present at once). Jer 23:23-24; Ps 139:7-8
A. God created the both a spiritual (unseen) realm and a physical (visible) realm. He created
the unseen Heaven for Himself and earth for men. God localized His presence in Heaven,
made the spiritual realm His headquarters and established His throne there. Ps 115:15-16
B. The Bible refers to Heaven as above us. It does this in part to emphasize to us that God the
Creator is above all, is greater than all, and sees and knows all. Col 1:16; Isa 66:1-2
2. At present, because of sin, there is a separation between the unseen, immaterial dimension and
the visible material creation (lessons for another day). Gen 3:23-24
A. God never intended that there be a division between these two realms. His intention was
that the spiritual be perfectly expressed through the physical. God will one day recover all
that was lost to sin, including interaction between the visible and invisible dimension.
B. The Lord is going to bring the seen and the unseen together, and God’s home will once
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again be open to men on earth: Then when the time is right, God will do all that he has
planned, and Christ will bring together everything in heaven and on earth (Eph 1:10, CEV).
C. In connection with the second coming of Jesus, Heaven and earth (two dimensions) will
come together, and God and His family will live forever on this earth renewed and restored,
in what the Bible calls the new heavens and new earth (Heaven on earth). Rev 21-22
b. The present invisible Heaven, where all who have died in the Lord now live, is temporary. When
Jesus returns they will all be reunited with their bodies raised from the grave and glorified (made
immortal and incorruptible), so they can live on earth again in the world God made for His family.
1. The glory of the Lord will fill the earth and He and His glorified sons and daughters will live
here forever with no more sorrow, pain, heartache, tears or loss, and no more death.
A. Num 14:21—As truly as I live (says the Lord)…the earth shall be filled with the glory of
the Lord (ESV); Rev 11:15—The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of
our Lord and of His Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever (NKJV).
B. Rev 21:2-3—(John) saw the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven…(and)
heard a loud shout from the throne saying, Look the home of God is now among his people!
He will live with them. and they will be his people. God himself will be with them (NLT).
2. The end result of the salvation Jesus provides is the complete restoration of all that has been
damaged by sin by God’s power on the basis of Jesus’ sacrificial death; restoration of the family
(all who put faith in Jesus) and restoration of the family home (earth). And it will be glorious.
4. Paul’s perspective was shaped by the fact that he knew that present hardships and sufferings of this life
will end in glory, first in Heaven and then on the new earth. And that helped him deal with this life.
B. Paul was not the only one who wrote that the sufferings of this life will end in glory. Peter, one of Jesus’
original twelve apostles, also wrote that life’s hardships will end in glory if we stay faithful to the Lord.
1. Peter wrote to Christians who were already experiencing a level of harassment for their faith in Jesus
(slander, ridicule), but it was about to get worse because of persecution by Rome. (This is in additional
to the “normal” hardships of life that we all face.) Peter’s letter urged them to stay faithful to Jesus.
a. I Pet 1:3—Let us give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of his great
mercy, he gave us new life by raising Christ from the dead. This fills us with a living hope (Good
News Bible).
1. Jesus’ sacrifice at the Cross opened the way for God to justify (or declare not guilty) those who
repent and believe in Him. He then indwells us by His Spirit to empower us to live a new kind
of life, one that is pleasing to Him. Rom 8:30; Phil 2:12-13; Heb 13:21; etc.
2. Jesus’ resurrection gives us hope because it is proof that sin is paid for, death has lost its power,
and the process of restoration and glorification will be completed. Rom 4:25; I Cor15:17;
b. I Pet 1:4-5—For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for
you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in his mighty power,
will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting in him. It will be revealed
on the last day for all to see (NLT).
1. Our inheritance is not a box of rewards. It is the completion of the plan, including resurrection
of the dead and a return to the family home, the new earth, to live here forever with the Lord.
2. Heb 9:26-28—(Jesus) came once for all time, at the end of the age, to remove the power of sin
forever by his sacrificial death for us (NLT)…Even so it is that Christ having been offered to
take upon Himself and bear as a burden the sins of many once and for all, will appear a second
time, not carrying any burden of sin nor to deal with sin, but to bring to full salvation those who
are (eagerly, constantly and patiently) waiting for and expecting Him (Amp).
3. Jesus will bring the last installment of our salvation—resurrection and glorification of our
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bodies so that we can live with Him forever on this earth made new—Heaven and earth
together (full salvation). This gives us hope in the midst of present hardship,
A. Phil 3:20-21—We are eagerly waiting for (Jesus) to return as our Savior. He will take
these weak mortal bodies of ours and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using
the same might power that he will use to conquer everything, everywhere (NLT).
B. Rom 8:18-21—Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us
later; For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who
(or what) his children really are (when we are fully glorified)…All creation anticipates the
day when it will join God’s children in glorious liberty from death and decay (NLT).
c. I Pet 1:6-9—So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to
endure many trials for a while…If your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will
bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus is revealed to the whole world…
your reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls (you, your life) (NLT).
2. When the first man Adam sinned and took all of creation into corruption and death, God began to reveal
His plan of salvation (restoration and transformation of the family and the family home through Jesus).
Through the centuries God inspired men to keep a written record of the unfolding plan (the Scriptures).
a. Not long after Jesus returned to Heaven following His crucifixion and resurrection, Peter made this
statement in a sermon he preached in Jerusalem: (Jesus) must remain in heaven until the time for
the final restoration of all things as God promised long ago through his prophets (Acts 3:21, NLT).
b. Back to Peter’s letter. He wrote: I Pet 1:10—This salvation was something the prophets wanted
to know more about. They prophesied about the gracious salvation prepared for you, even though
they had many questions as to what it all could mean (NLT).
1. I Pet 1:11—They wondered what the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he
told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward. They wondered
when and to whom all this would happen (NLT). Notice that glory followed Jesus’ suffering.
2. You may recall that when Jesus was raised from the dead He had to explain to His followers
why His suffering (the Cross) took place and how it fulfilled the Scriptures.
A. Luke 24:25-26—Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are, how slow you are to believe
everything the prophets said! Was it not necessary for Jesus to suffer these things and
enter his glory” (Good News Bible). Luke 24:46—Yes, it was written long ago that the
Messiah must suffer and die and rise again from the dead on the third day (NLT).
B. Jesus told them, because of what I have done you (disciples) can go out and proclaim to the
world that forgiveness (remission) of sins is available to all who repent and believe (turn to
and believe in Me). They can be restored to their created purpose. Luke 24:47-48
c. Note that in the hands of God who is Omnipotent (All Powerful), Omniscient (All Knowing), and
Omnipresent (present everywhere at once), Jesus’ suffering ended in glory. What glory?
1. Through His death Jesus satisfied justice on our behalf and when we turn to Him, God can
forgive us, indwell us by His Spirit, and begin to process of fully restoring us to all that He
intends us to be—sons and daughters who are fully glorifying to Him in every part of our being.
A. Heb 2:9-10—Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone in all the world. And it
was only right that God—who made everything and for whom everything was made—
should bring his many children into glory. Through the suffering of Jesus, God made him
a perfect leader, one fit to bring them into their salvation (NLT).
B. Jesus joined us in death to bring us out of death (Heb 2:14-15). His resurrection is proof
that sin has been paid for and death has been conquered. I Cor 15:56-57—Death gets its
power to harm us from sin (Good News Bible)…However we thank God, who gives us the
victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord (NLT).
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2. Peter, at the end of the letter we’ve referred to, called himself “a witness to the sufferings of
Christ. And I, too, will share his glory and his honor when he returns” (I Pet 5:1, NLT)
C. Conclusion: Lessons like this don’t seem practical because they don’t seem to relate to our daily problems
or directly address our emotional needs. But we need to know these truths and live life in the light of them.
1. Not only is this the gospel that Paul and the other eyewitnesses of Jesus preached (a gospel of glory, I
Tim 1:11), without this information you won’t have peace of mind or hope in the midst of hardships.
a. Paul wrote to Christians in the city of Colossae: Col 3:1-4—If then you were raised with Christ,
seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind
on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in
God. When Christ who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory (NKJV).
1. The fact that Christ is seated at right hand of God in Heaven means that He finished the job He
came to do—open the way for God’s sons and daughters to be restored to glory through faith in
Him (Heb 1:3). God sees us (me), considers us (me) as raised together with Christ.
2. Right now we participate in the benefits of Jesus’ resurrection in our inward man through union
with Christ (His indwelling Spirit and life, His glory). And we’ll participate in our body at His
second coming when we receive the final installment of salvation (a glorified body). Phil 3:21
b. Just as Jesus died and was raised to life, we will be raised to life at the resurrection of the dead.
Now, because of what Jesus did for us through His sacrifice, we can give up or die to our old sinful
way of life, and live a new life of freedom from sin through the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit.
c. Rom 6:4—Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a
new life (by the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s glory) in us (NIV).
2. This truth is the basis for practical living because the fact that you were raised with Christ can and should
affect your outlook and your actions. Paul wrote: If you are raised with Christ (doctrine or teaching)
then seek certain things and set your mind on those things (practical application).
a. Col 3:1-2—If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is
sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth (NKJV).
1. Seek means to seek after, to desire something hidden. Set means to exercise the mind, to think,
to have a mindset—Give your heart to heavenly things, not to the passing things of earth (J. B.
Phillips); Practice occupying your minds with things above (Williams).
2. This passage is a statement about perspective, your view of reality. Things above is the life to
come. Live with the awareness that we are only passing through this world in its present form.
Keep this life in perspective. It’s all temporary, and the best in ahead of us, in the life to come.
b. Col 3:3-4—For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life,
appears, then you also will appear with him in glory (NKJV).
1. You have died to or turned you back on your old life of sin and have turned to follow Jesus. He
is now your life. He’s in you by His Spirit and you’re living for Him, to please and honor Him.
2. The Greek word translated appear means to be revealed in one’s true character. When Jesus
returns we will see Him as He truly is in all His glory and, because of what Jesus has done for us
through the salvation He provided we will see ourselves as what we are—fully delivered from
every trace of sin, corruption, and death—fully glorified human beings. I John 3:2
3. We have much more to say next week, but consider two more thoughts as we close tonight’s lesson.
a. When you see the big picture (God’s unfolding plan of salvation) and this becomes your view of
reality, you won’t have to make yourself think about Heaven (the life to come) any more than you
have to make yourself think about the long desired trip you’re going to take next year.
b. This is why we need to teach about the glory ahead for those who know the Lord. When you have
this view of reality, it helps you keep this life in perspective and gives you hope and peace of mind.
